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BELLMER DOLLS
PlayLouder @ The Old Blue Last, London UK
Wednesday, December 6th 2006
Three years ago I interviewed a man called James Sclavunos. If that name rings a bell, it might be because Sclavunos is the Bad Seeds' drummer, The Horrors' producer and a member of the emergent Grinderman. The subject of our conversation, though, was Sclavunos' own band The Vanity Set, creators of avant-garde music that's equal parts jazzy, progressive, gothic, literary and burlesque. At one point Sclavunos told me about his guitarist Peter Mavrogeorgis. "I quite disliked him when I first met him," recalled the six-foot-eight-inch aristocrat of his six-string accomplice, "but I've come to quite adore him... There's a couple of Greeks in the band; there's some sort of weird magnetism there."
Based in New York City, Bellmer Dolls aim to infuse ugly trash-blues with an air of Weimar decadence. Mavrogeorgis is their singer and guitarist, so it's no surprise to see Sclavunos in the audience. It's even less of a surprise to see Gallon Drunk singer (and erstwhile Bad Seed) James Johnston here, for his is perhaps the band that Bellmer Dolls most resemble.
The week before this gig, I saw the Dolls play a slightly sloppy, indulgent show at Hoxton Bar & Grill. Tonight, it's a different story: they're fierce and focused. Driving the band forward is bassist Anthony Malat who, rather perfectly, runs a New York menswear boutique called Sinner/Saint. Malat looks like he should be in a cowpunk band and, equally, like he could kill with his bare hands, and he plays his bass like he's wrestling an enraged serpent. Yet in sonic terms he's the band's sensible one. His pounding, hypnotic bass-lines provide a solid structure from which Mavrogeorgis (and drummer Daniel Sheerin) can depart on flights of fancy.
Always a restless, twitchy presence, Mavrogeorgis occasionally goes through something like an onstage exorcism. It happens tonight during the penultimate 'Push! Push!' (the fire-and-brimstone sermon that opens debut EP 'The Big Cats Will Throw Themselves Over'). As the song slow-burningly builds toward climax, Mavrogeorgis flips out. Diving from the stage, he starts screaming the song's titular invocation while swinging his guitar wildly about by the strap. It whizzes within inches of the front row's noses, but nDONOTBLOCKOURADSobody moves a muscle. We're transfixed.
Mavrogeorgis here exhibits the same deranged preacher-man intensity in which James Johnston once specialised. Also like Gallon Drunk, Bellmer Dolls are maybe best described as blooze-hounds: their take on old-school rhythm & blues sounds like it's full of strong liquor and tweaked beyond reason. Behind the drumkit, Sheerin is a cyclone of intensity. Out front, Mavrogeorgis frenziedly coaxes noise and feedback (plus the odd shimmering melody line) from his Rickenbacker, while delivering reference-loaded lyrics in a breathless, strangulated croon.
After 'Push! Push!' has provided the set's crescendo, Bellmer Dolls find themselves in the classic Trail of Dead quandary: the stage has pretty much been trashed, but there's still one song to play. They persevere, though: wires are untangled, equipment plugged back in and straps reaffixed to guitars, and during the subsequent set-closer the impression is of a vicious storm dying down and calmness descending. When the Dolls finally take their leave to approving roars, a passing fan records pity for whoever has to follow them.
This, then, is Bellmer Dolls. I disliked them when I first met them, but I've come to quite adore them. There's some sort of weird magnetism there.
Niall O'Keeffe (playlouder.com)
DARK AND DAMAGED --- JUST HOW I LIKE MY ROCK AND ROLL" - JIM JARMUSCH.
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A special DVD set of the February shows is now available to pre-order at the wire-sound shop
This strictly limited edition 2 disc, region free, PAL format DVD set will be shipped in June.
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Hiya. :) It's NuM again with a new creation... The track's called Skeptical and recreates the reflexions of many in regard to religions nowadays. Please listen and enjoy, and if you have some time tell me what do you think about it. Comments are greatly appreciated.
I'm happy to announce that my new album "Songs From The Films Of David Lynch" is out now.
"Truly unsettling and perplexingly brilliant... testament to both the quality of Lynch’s soundtracks and Truax’s talents" - The Skinny
"Truax is paying homage to a kindred spirit with this album. It's the best kind of tribute – affectionate and respectful, but with its own quirks and imaginative leaps and its own distinct identity." -The Scotsman
Check out our new music video "I Hate the News" on our page. Pour a bowl of cereal and join us for a montage through a typical day of TV journalism. It's not pretty but it should give you a laugh. Or make you cry.
Marisol and Gai were on their knees, hands cupped over their ears with tears running down their faces. It was difficult to keep my eyes open, but they revealed something terrifying. The silhouettes on the horizon were moving faster, much faster. They were sprinting towards us with frightening speed. I ran to Marisol and Gai and grabbed them both by the arm—pulling them in the direction of the truck—but Marisol resisted.
I threw a pointed index finger towards the growing horde running towards us and mouthed inaudible words. Finally Marisol saw the figures coming towards us and started running back towards the truck. Rusty was firing shots into sprinting creatures on the other side of the highway before looking back towards us. Looking over my shoulder revealed the shadows were no more than half a minute behind us. The monsters no longer moaned: they screamed.
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Hi! The new issue of our magazine is out now and can be downloaded FOR FREE including a dope mp3 compilation featuring Myka9, Th' Mole, Fulgeance and many others!! The limited print edition includes a 7inch release by Nomar Slevik. Check it out! Thanks.
The Spheres open their virtual doors in April for the Fernando Manchado show. Visit the guest gallery room here.
The April 2009 issue of n-sphere, the gallery's newsletter is also available for download here.
For subscriptions please send an email with the subject [n-sphere subscribe] to the gallery address. contact here.
n-sphere contents: 1 || Editorial Tranquilizers 2 || Glass Showcase | FERNANDO MANCHADO | Spain/Germany 4 || Stone Showcase | PIERRE MOLINIER | France 6 || Chains & Scissors 8 || Eye Teaser | KLEANTHIS PARASKEVOPOULOS | Cyprus
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