Gurt Premiere “Knife Fever” Lyric Video; New Album Satan Etc. Out June 7

Posted in Bootleg Theater on April 16th, 2024 by JJ Koczan

gurt (Photo by Mithun)

Gurt‘s fourth full-length, Satan Etc., will be released June 7, and to go with announcing that happy and foreboding prospect, the London-based party sludgers are premiering a lyric video for the new song “Knife Fever” that you can see below. With chasm screams and no shortage of aural crush, you’ll be glad to know that the five years since their last outing, 2019’s Bongs of Praise (review here), does not seem to have dulled their impact. But to coincide with its raw push, “Knife Fever” reminds that Gurt have always also been able to make caustic sounds memorable for more than just, well, being caustic, and as frontman Gareth Kelly repeats the lines, “I’ve never done this before/Can you tell?,” don’t be surprised if you end up with those screams stuck in your head after the fact.

Satan Etc. — not their first brilliant title, hopefully not their last — is a welcome reminder of the band’s dual penchants for hooks and aural slaughter, and some of the efficiency-uptick in their delivery as referenced by the PR wire below can indeed be heard in the structural clarity throughout the sub-four-minute runtime of “Knife Fever.” How that might play out across the album as a whole is something that probably requires hearing said thing in its entirety, and as I’ve not yet done that, can’t necessarily speak to it — but if they’re pushing a more pointed attack, “Knife Fever” embodies one in more than just the conveniency of a pun that I assure you was all the way intended.

And as Gurt approach their 15th year in 2025, perhaps you’re thinking this all a sign of maturity, grown-up-Gurt, and so on. Could be, but I mean, they did call the record Satan Etc., so I feel decent in the assumption that there’s further chicanery to follow. Here’s looking forward.

Info from the aforementioned PR wire follows here. Please enjoy:

Gurt, “Knife Fever” lyric video premiere

Preorder: https://gurt.bigcartel.com

It’s been five long years since “party doom” riff merchants GURT released their last crushing opus “Bongs of Praise”, now on June 7th 2024 they are set to return with their latest, crushing-ist opus yet, “Satan Etc”.

A lot has happened in the band members lives since 2019, some suffered tragic losses, some welcomed new life into the world, some grew awesome skullets. Not to mention that global event in 2020 that kept us all inside.

Left to ferment in frustrating circumstances has led to the new material being more aggressive and abrasive than previous offerings, whilst still retaining that signature GURT silliness and swagger.

In January 2024 GURT took these new songs into the mighty Monolith Studios in London and under the watchful eye of Steve Sears, they birthed the magnificent, monstrous “Satan Etc”. This album marks GURT’s 5th collaboration with Sears, who always coaxes the best out of the band with a healthy mixture of positive support and scathing insults.

When asked about the influences and inspiration behind this album vocalist Gareth Kelly states “it’s about survival in the very fucked up world we live in, but of course delivered in the bands tongue in cheek style”. Drummer Bill Jacobs says ” we wanted shorter punchier songs to go with the new aggro vibe, nothing to do with us being older and fatter” whilst bassist David “Spicy” Blakemore enigmatically adds “I’ve been listening to lots of Slavic hardcore!”.

Delving into varied topics, from bodged vasectomies to the beauty of brown cars, from self pleasure on Arrakis to the wholesome matter of how damn much Gareth loves his kids, “Satan Etc” is the sound of the band ready to get back to doing what they love most: having a great big sludgy party with their rabid fans. PARTY DOOM HAS EVOLVED.

“Satan ETC” is released on 7th June via When Planets Collide and is available to pre-order from: https://gurt.bigcartel.com

GURT are:
Gareth Kelly – Vocals
Rich Williams – Guitar
David Blakemore – Bass Guitar
Bill Jacobs – Drums

Band photo by Mithun.

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Nomad and Mower Announce UK Tour Dates

Posted in Whathaveyou on August 25th, 2016 by JJ Koczan

With five dates, it’s more than a weekender — one even tends to think of a long-weekender as three or four shows — but still under the full-week tour, but Nomad and Mower will head out together either way from their home-base in Manchester, England, playing in London, Nottingham, Coventry and Sheffield as well as finishing with a gig in their native city. Both go supporting EP releases — Nomad‘s latest having come out last year and Mower‘s debut earlier in 2016 — and both promise one thing for which the UK scene is becoming increasingly known: Riffs. It’s a pretty riffy time over there. Bands gots riffs. Only fair to spread that love around a bit.

Also, this is the press release that taught me the word “Mancunian,” which apparently means “of or related to the city of Manchester, England.” I’ve had plenty of conversations about Manchester — Lee from The Sleeping Shaman comes from there — and never heard that word before. Thanks, the PR wire. I learned something today.

Dig it:

nomad-mower-tour-poster

Sludgers Nomad announce UK tour with fellow Mancunians Mower

Mancunian underground heroes Nomad have announced a UK tour for this September and are taking relative newcomers Mower with them. Since forming in 2012, Mancunian sludge four-piece Nomad have shared stages with the likes of EyeHateGod, Conan and Bongripper. Metalheads in the north west of England are under no illusions as to the ferocity of their live shows.

Frontman Drian Nash is known for tempering his confrontational performances with a self-deprecating Manc sense of humour, firmly establishing Nomad at the heart of Manchester’s burgeoning stoner/doom scene. This tour will be an opportunity for rifflovers from across the UK to see how Nomad have achieved their unrivalled reputation within such a competitive scene in England’s north west.

Their debut EP (released in 2014 by renowned underground label When Planets Collide) was followed by a split EP with Wort released by Red Valley Records the following year. Nomad frontman Drian: “It’s always a blast playing with the Mower guys so this tour should have enough planet-sized riffs and carnage to be lasting us. We are sharing the stage with some of our favourite bands along the way? Elephant tree, Iron Swan and Kurokuma. Also Stoked to get to finish it all off with a huge party in our hometown. That’s if we don’t crash into a mountain in a big ball of fire blasting Toto and sipping cocktails.”

Relative newcomers Mower are a doom/noise trio from nearby Wigan whose debut EP “Meathead”, released at the start of this year, is already turning heads. As a live presence they’ll be known by attendees of MammothFest, Tombstones all-dayer and RiffFest as a band not to miss on what will be their first gigs in a number of cities outside of Manchester.

Vocalist Jay says of the tour: “This will be our first tour, and what a way to pop the cherry, making this fine pilgrimage around the U.K, with Nomad! We’re all buzzin’ to go make some Mower-flavoured noise in other parts of the country. We also get to play some new venues with some other amazing bands, a proper privilege indeed. We shall be providing the White Russians and obscene sexual favours as thanks. Riffs await.”

With such a strong stoner/doom scene in Manchester, this tour will be an opportunity for rifflovers from across the UK to see how this scene’s stalwarts have achieved their unrivalled reputation alongside with one of the area’s most exciting new prospects.

14th September The Unicorn London
15th September The Chameleon Arts Cafe Nottingham
16th September The Phoenix Coventry
17th September Mulberry Underground Sheffield
18th September Rebellion Manchester

https://www.facebook.com/Nomaddoom
https://www.facebook.com/mowerdoom
https://nomaddoom.bandcamp.com
https://mower13.bandcamp.com/

Nomad & Mower tour promo video

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Gurt & Trippy Wicked Release Guppy Split May 6

Posted in Whathaveyou on April 20th, 2016 by JJ Koczan

If you’re wondering where Gurt and Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Knight got the name of their new split, Guppy, that’s due to release on May 6, take a look at their names: “Gu” from the former, “ppy” from the latter. That bit of cleverness, no doubt, is emblematic of the shenanigans throughout the CD/DL set to arrive via When Planets Collide and the limited run of tapes that’ll be out through HeviSike Records, and it works even more because they not only recorded together and collaborated on a song, but they share drummer Bill Jacobs between them, so yes, the running theme is togetherness. And togetherness if great. Who doesn’t like togetherness?

A trailer for the release has surfaced that emphasizes the level of good times involved, if indirectly. Find that under the info below, which comes from the PR wire:

gurt trippy wicked guppy

Gurt & Trippy Wicked team up for GUPPY split – May 6th

The build up has been pretty long and a lot of work has gone in to creating it but When Planets Collide are very happy to announce that ‘GUPPY’, the new split release between GURT and Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Knight is ready for release on Friday May 6th!

Digital / CD – When Planets Collide
Limited Edition Cassette Tape – HeviSike Records

The release features 5 songs clocking in just short of half an hour with two brand new songs from each band and one epic collaboration which features both guitarists, both bassists and both vocalists… we really can’t wait for you to hear what we hope will be one of the best releases so far in 2016.

The bands have been close friends for many years (as well as now sharing a drummer in Bill Jacobs) so entering the studio together to create GUPPY was a natural move. With the help of Steve Sears and Tony Nigelson at TITAN Studios in Watford the record sounds absolutely massive and showcases the expert groove and wicked sense of humour that both bands pride themselves on!

The track-listing is as follows:

1: OWLMEGGEDON
2: SUPER FUN HAPPY SLIDE
3: REVOLTING CHILD
4: I REGRET NOTHING

You’ll have to work out for yourself which songs are by which band!

GURT are:
Bill Jacobs – Drums
Richard Williams – Guitar
Gareth Kelly – Vocals
David Blakemore – Bass

TRIPPY WICKED are:
Peter Holland – Guitar/Vocals
Dicky King – Bass
Bill Jacobs – Drums

https://www.facebook.com/GURTsludge/
https://www.facebook.com/trippywicked
https://www.facebook.com/whenplanetscollideuk
https://whenplanetscollideuk.com/
https://www.facebook.com/hevisike
http://hevisike.com/

Gurt & Trippy Wicked, Guppy teaser

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