Leatherface - Viva La Arthouse

Today (and No Idea) brings us a new live record from Sunderland titans Leatherface. Given their issues at the US border recently, a Leatherface live record might be the best way to see Frankie and Co. on this side of the pond. As more intuitive readers might glean, Viva La Arthouse was recorded at The Arthouse in lovely Melbourne, Australia, although with all the Leatherface jocking that goes on in The Sunshine State, one wouldn't be too off to think it was Florida.

Said Arthouse was a long standing punk-friendly music institution Down Under that I understand is now closed after a couple decades run. Viva La Arthouse comes courtesy of No Idea (shockingly) and was evidently set-up at the last minute through the bass player and recorded unbeknownst to the rest of the crew. Lineup changes have made Leatherface a mercurial proposition in recent years, but the gents sound in good form, not especially surprising as they've toured pretty heavily behind their most recent studio release The Stormy Petrel and this show was the last of an Eastern Rim run. I'd like to see a(nother, more recent) DVD from the gents, but those that love the Leatherface will not be disappointed by Viva La Arthouse.

R

Tiltwheel - The High Hate Us

For one hell of a great band, it's certainly hard as hell to get those Tiltwheel guys to drop a record. Granted, there is a strong argument to be made that Davey is Tiltwheel (with all respect to J. Wang) and that maybe it's him that's dragging his heels. He's learned from the best, as the comradeship with Team Leatherface has not fostered much in the way of recorded output. Of course, the new(est) D4 record took forever, too.

Recent times found Leatherface dropping their latest and now the unholy trinity has been completed with the release of The High Hate Us. It's on A.D.D. and it is almost worth the wait. Not eleven years worth of wait (and yes, I know about the OWTH split) but still pretty great. Davey is still the best worst guitar player and songwriter out there. There is a hell of a lot of Bivouac-era Jawbreaker in the Tiltwheel sound and it is delivered in the power trio paradigm that all the best music comes in. The song titles are more than a little much (buy it and see), but the songs themselves are top-notch. Vinyl nerds will have to wait a bit, as something has gone awry in production, but you can get it from the expected MP3 vendors and on CD from A.D.D. here. Do that now and harass Davey about those fools hauling their carcasses out East.

Oh, and for the record: no they don't. Not by a long shot.

R

Leatherface - The Stormy Petrel

It's been a while since our dear Mr. Stubbs has seen fit to release a new Leatherface record. While the long-rumored Tiltwheel new record probably scores the Chinese Democracy prize for anticipation, outside of The Pill Cult only Leatherface can garner that obsessive a following in their downtime. The Stormy Petrel comes courtesy of Stubbs' own Big Ugly Fish Recordings and your friends at No Idea.

Our dear Mr. Stubbs maintains the sound equipment at Wembley Stadium when he isn't scarring his liver and vocal cords and the big sounds at work seem to have permeated the proceedings here. The Stormy Petrel really is one of the best in-your-face productions you'll hear in this day and age. It helps that there are great songs from stem to stern and Stubbs really is one hell of a great guitarist. That alone would carry the songs even if the lyrics were crap, but wonderfully enough, that's not the case either. There really isn't bad song here, plus I got to find out what a stoat is. Catch them on one of the last few dates (so far, I hope) on the current tour with Bridge and Tunnel and Yesterday's Ring and pick this up immediately from No Idea. Here's a link. Thank me later.

R

Live: Bridge & Tunnel, Yesterday's Ring & Leatherface @ The Knitting Factory 3.5.10

With all the snow and the ridiculousness that comes with it, it seems like forever since I've been to a show. You can also add being fucking broke to the equation, too, but when word came down the pike that Leatherface were touring, you could damn well guarantee that I was going to be there. Adding a rare set of Stateside Yesterday's Ring dates and Bridge & Tunnel to the equation made me reconsider the influence of a higher power in my life.

So I made it across the water as Bridge & Tunnel started their set. Let me state from the onset: Bridge & Tunnel are fucking great. Hands down, no ifs and or buts. Great songs, Rachel plays her ass off and all and all the kids are 100% a good time. They remind me a lot of Braid and in some ways a bit like The Riot Before. Either way, I couldn't be happier that NY finally has a No Idea band. Between them and Little Lungs, all is not lost in the local scene. Not a lot in the way of stage banter, but know that Bridge & Tunnel crushed it from note one to note last. Buy their current release East/West here and see them immediately.

I was a little disconcerted during the backline change and thought there maybe had been a lineup change, but soon the preponderance of Inepsy and Tragedy t-shirts on stage confirmed that Yesterday's Ring was most definitely in the house. I was in Montreal for the record release shows behind their last EP and fell way hard for them. You may be aware that YR is the more rootsy incarnation of Canadian punk mainstays The Sainte Catherines. There are a few different members, but the apples don't fall far from the tree and SC singer Hugo Mudie fronts both franchises. He is as sweet a dude as he is smelly. The six piece ran through a bunch of stuff from their new Suburban Home release Diamonds In The Ditch as well as some chestnuts from the back catalog. I couldn't of been happier, plus I had a couple 'that guy" moments with Hugo, so it was win-win all around. Yesterday's Ring don't make it across the border all that often, but if they come near you, go out of your way to see them. They are one hell of a good time.

Ran into Davey Tiltwheel as I staked out real estate for Leatherface. One hell of a guy, and unsurprisingly tour managing this junket. He had Frankie on in short order, aviator hat, high blood alcohol and all and the suddenly full room promptly went apeshit. There is a delicious point where Frankie gets drunk enough to do his little shuffle dance around that make the Lemmy fronting Husker Du sound Leatherface purveys some of the best music ever. There were many Roach House residents touring the stage and monitors during the set, begging the question (at least in my mind) of how old the kids were in the 80s when things jumped off for Leatherface, but this would be the wrong room to play the agism card, as Frankie makes me look like a spring chicken. He held up for most of the set, but was obviously fading toward the end of the proceedings. That made two of us, frankly, but all in all one of the best shows I've seen this year. Setlist for Leatherface is to the left. Look for a review of the new record The Stormy Petrel soon on JS-NYC.

R