Who shall be serenading us in 2009? This issue PHIL ISTINE is back in Dear Old Blighty for another roundup of new bands planning for the Freakadelic Revolution.


LEE F CULLEN is one seriously talented Wiganite. The list of instruments he alone plays stretches to over a dozen! His song writing influences take in July, Jason Crest, and Sam Gopal, but also many obscure artists I shall probably


never get round to hearing. What he does with these inspirations, however, is nothing short of mesmerising. Raging drums, Gregorian chanting, haunting tremeloed vocals, sweeping organs, and needle-sharp guitars all greet the listener to ‘Seasons Of Julia’. His songs are so ferociously authentic of loopy-pop circa ’69 that frankly I’m beginning to believe I’ve slipped through some time portal. Hopefully Lee will have future opportunities to release his music, because I can imagine every single Shindig! reader rushing to buy it. www.myspace.com/leefcullen


Young Bradford singer-songwriter LUKE HIRST sings like that one out of Muse. However his Beach Boys/Flaming Lips-inspired tunes do a good job of hitting the sweet spot. He’s been doing this since he was a wee lad, so now we are reaping the benefits of his crafting experience. Flitting between pop- psych, crunching power-pop, and indie-fied doo-wop love songs, he clearly hasn’t yet found his musical niche yet, but whilst the overall effect is this good he should continue that musical exploration for a little while longer yet. www.myspace.com/lukehirst


THE MURMURS OF TENSION reside in St. Helens, but to them it must feel like California when they go to rehearsals. Their Myspace page reveals a cornucopia of hippie delights. The group give off the same woozy acoustic-pop vibe as The Bees on ‘Oh When She Cries‘. Then comes ‘Power Of Bagsy’, a Zappa-meets-The-Fuzztones mind-meld, with a wonderful pop-psych middle eight for added bemusement.. ‘We Won’t Get Back To The Other’is a zany 3 minutes of organ frippery and creepy harmonies, which will either make you smile or cry depending on how much you enjoyed The Coral this past decade. Special mention must also be made about the lovely psychedelic artwork the band themselves produce. www.myspace.com/themurmursoftension


Leeds just keeps churning out great garage/psych bands and no one I know can explain why. It certainly makes a pleasant change to the likes of The Pigeon Detectives


and Kaiser Chiefs though. THE BACCHAE (pronounced Bak-chai) have impeccable influences – early rehearsals were punctuated with covers of


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The Seeds, 13th Floor Elevators, Chocolate Watchband, Stooges and TRex – and the female- fronted fivesome have honed some delightful hedonistic tunes of a gritty-garage-glam variety. With a great line in fuzzy riffs and lolloping drums that just might blow your head clean off. www.myspace.com/thebacchaemusic


Across in Hull you can find the amusingly named, snazzily dressed and downright poetic JAMES DEAN SYNDROME. Cream/Hendrix riffs dominate the snarling beat of ‘The Witch’, before some lovely controlled-feedback in


the soft centre briefly brings pop art and purple flashes to mind. ‘What’s That Sound?’ has all manner of strange pulsating noises being set off (obviously a guitar solo simply was not enough). ‘Cleopatra Eyes’, meanwhile, is a pure Captain Beefheart-style gonzo- blues attack. Admire their spirit and their enthusiasm, for this lot have huge potential. They are already local counter-cultural heroes, and it’s only a hop and a lysergic skip before they become Shindig! pin-ups. www.myspace.com/thejamesdeansyndrome


Occasionally London throws up a primitive rock band that you simply can’t ignore. THE VINYL STITCHES are such a band. This gang has fun on their minds, fuzz in their lustful hearts, and The Flintstones as their wardrobe inspiration. The


Stitches recreate that time when young Americans came out of their sleepy towns, high on illicit substances, and set about changing the world with the 4/4 beat. Mixing up The Stooges, 13th Floor Elevators, and The Velvet Underground, not to mention a splash of Jesus & Mary Chain and The Cramps, they create an orgy of foot-stomping noise to soundtrack an imaginary psychploitation film. Let yourself be bowled over by their outlandish, mesmerising live shows. www.myspace.com/thevinylstitches


London five-piece THE INVISIBLE LEAD SOUP possess the harmonies of vintage US folk-rockers, mixed in with the pop-nous of Steves Winwood and Marriott. The Zombies and Rubber Soul-era


Beatles are obvious influences, whilst the driving rhythms and understated vocals on tracks such as ‘Brand New Shirt’ and ‘What She Said’ are also reminiscent of contemporary acts such like The Higher


State and The Beep Seals. Subtle and fluid Hammond organ playing is the bonus icing to this psych-beat cake. Mark and Colin from the band also have another band on the go called The J-Pegs, where they play similar, if slightly more pared-down, material. www.myspace.com/theinvisibleleadsoup


Worn-in stoner vibe: check. Hirsute heads and hippie clothes: check. THE SMOKEY ANGLE SHADES call their sound the ‘new world rock ‘n’ roll’; I call it


infectious, good-time blues-rock. Loaded-era Velvet Underground sensibilities shine through on ‘Had About Enough’, and they evoke the ramshackle spirit of Humble Pie on ‘Don’t Leave Me’. Anyone who digs the Harvest label is bound to find joy with this lot. My only fear for this east London-friendly band is that someone will decide they’re trendy and kill their freewheeling spirit. Long live the unspoilt Shades! www.myspace.com/smokeyangleshades


When five of your friends from the London ’60s scene get together to create a blue-eyed soul- cum-garage band it’s


time to celebrate. So let us all rejoice to the pounding sounds of THE CAPER STORY! A multinational band, consisting of two Italians, two Swedes, and a German drummer, they have a vital, funky rhythm which is hard to deny. Up front the man with the soulful scream has charisma by the bucket load. Expect them to heavily push this sexy sound through live performances this coming year. Make sure you don’t miss out. www.myspace.com/thecaperstory


And finally this issue we shall cross to Bristol and meet THE TRANSPERSONALS. Frontman Timothy Hurford was institutionalised a while back as a result of too many naughty hallucinogenic drugs, and you can hear that the experience


has been ploughed back into his bands’ music. Recent download single ‘Hello Hello’ – a sublime, jagged blast of punkadelica – typifies their sound. ‘Silver Star’comes on like it may have been recorded directly in a nuthouse, whilst ‘Tomorrow Comes To Day’ could have been included on SF Sorrow.West Coast harmonies and disturbed howling makes us all smile, surely? This is gonzo- pop of the highest order, so get close and personal with them now. www.myspace.com/thetranspersonals


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