[Interview] Owls In Antarctica

You'd be excused for thinking this was the start of a bad joke, but I recently had a interview with a Scotsman, a Englishman and a Irishman. The trio that is Drew, Dougie and Glenn form "Owls in Antarctica" who are currently cutting paths through the Glasgow music scene with thier aggressive raw sounding music and powerhouse performances! I was able to catch up with them recently for a exclusive interview for Justice Never Sleeps.        

So you guys are from different parts of the Country, how did you all come together to form Owls In Antarctica?

Glenn – Well we all met at the Artschool.

Drew – Yeah, Me and Doug study Architecture together.

Dougie– It all started on the Berlin trip and I started talking to Drew about bands and he found out I played drums.

Drew – The magic happened in Berlin!

Glenn – I used to live With Drew in halls and he wanted to play Bass and I semi taught him how to play bass. I heard Doug played Drums and I saw a wee picture of him of him on Facebook and he looked like he knew how to play drums.

How how did things progress from there? Did you just hire out a rehearsal studio and see what you could Jam?

Glenn - Yeah, we jammed out Bodies in Flight by Biffy Clyro!

Dougie – Yeah! Picking a cover to see where things could go from there.

Glenn – It was good craic, even by the end of that one I had a wee song we were mucking around with and that was like the first song that we ever played and we jammed it on the first day but it didn't stay........

Drew – It never made it.......... (RIP)

So who would you guys put under your main influences for OIA?

Drew – yourcodenameis:milo!

Glen – AW MATE! Me and Drew are big into yourcodenameis:milo!.... I also worship Biffy! And as well as these Drew and Dougie are HUGE architects fans! The architects love Architects!

Great bands! I felt I heard elements of Reuben and Hell is for Heroes. would I be right in saying you guys are fans?

ALL – HELL YEAH!

Glenn – Reuben, yourcodenameis:milo, Biffy Clyro and Architects are probably the main Four.................... United Fruit!

Drew – Yeah United Fruit! Great local Band.

Glenn – They are Class!

Dougie – We are not as heavy as Architects though!

Glenn – We Listen to a lot of different stuff!

Drew – Dougie pervs on your from Sam Carter from Architects!

Ha! We all have bro crushes. So how did the name Owls in Antarctica come about?

Drew – We like the idea of Owls!

Glenn – It pretty much came from another influence, Deftones. We printed off there Diamond Eyes album cover for 10p in the Architecture labs 400x from scale and it still only cost us 10p! Because we loved the cover so much, back when me and Drew used to jam songs in 1st Year we thought we should call our band “Owls are well Cool”........................... that went down a unanimous fail.

Drew – So we googled “owls” and one fact that came about is that Antarctica is the only continent where Owls are not found.

So your EP “Princes” is out which was produced by David Ree's. (Free Download or you can get a physical EP for £3, the artwork was hand drawn by Glenn Kennedy himself, talented bastard!) what else have you got in the pipeline we should get excited about?

Glenn – We are hopefully recording a new single pretty soon! Called Ted Vera and the Clockwork Dog Brigade..... That is another band name related banter, our good ole' buddy when he was younger had trouble picking a band name and there was a random band name generator , there was a huge list of things and one of them was the Ted Vera and Clockwork Dog Brigade! He was leaving to do a ski season out in Paris and we were like “Michael man! We are going to name a song for you!”

Lucky guy! Any gigs coming up that we should be aware of?

Drew – well right now we are just concentrating on the single.

Glenn - And we are thinking about working on a new EP, probably over Spring/Summer

Drew – We've had a busy few months gigging!

Glenn – So we are hopefully trying to get this stuff recorded and also write some new stuff.

Drew – We are going to have a pretty quit March really

Glenn – We do! Have a gig in April? (looks at Drew)

Drew – Yeah, its with “Axis of” and “Clockwork Social”

Drew + Dougie – Yeah we do! At Bar Bloc!

Looking forward to it! So as a band what's been your best experience so far? Like a live show or recording?

Dougie – Recording the EP in summer was a great laugh!

Drew – We made a video diary for the single and that was such a laugh! But it was one of those have to be there things but it was so much fun!

Drew – Favourtie gig?

Glenn – More than Conquerors and Bear Arms, at Broadcast was awesome!

Dougie + Glenn – Great gig!

Dougie – The Artschool gig we played at just before summer last year!

Glenn – Yeah, all our pals where there, I think it was free in and it was rammed!

Dougie - We had just been through a tough few months at Uni and we played this gig at the end!

Drew – I really enjoyed the Roxy gig as well, with Bianca and Sigma Logic supporting.

So guys, there's an awesome rock scene in Glasgow but what would you guys say makes you different from the other bands kicking about?

Drew – hmmm.. Well I think we avoid having verse chorus verse chorus bridge outro. You can tell that by the EP.

Glenn – Yeah, we don't avoid that structure on purpose because we wouldn’t want to deliberately do that. Some songs are standard verse, chorus, verse, chorus but some of the others just move into different places.

Dougie – I would say we don't really think as much as that when we are doing it!

Glenn – We'll usually have a pile of lines, guitar lines and beats for one song and try and arrange all the bits we actually like into a song as such and whether that means knocking the second verse on the head or writing two chorus's.

Glenn and Drew, you guys both do screamo parts in the band?

Glenn – Hah! Yeah that's Drew's Yorkshire aggression and Dougie just mimes!

Drew – He hums and whistles!

Glenn - We're going to train him up for a 3 part scream!

So who are you guys loving in the Glasgow scene at the moment?

Drew – United Fruit!

Glenn – Let's give everyone a shout out here! Clockwork Social! Vasa!

Drew – Great Lads!

Glenn – Inuit!

Drew – Yeah they haven't gigged yet but there playing at the end of march! Which everyone should get down to!

Dougie – A sudden burst of Colour, their absolutely fantastic!
Glenn – Bear Arms! Young Philadelphia! Crusades!

Drew – DirtDrinker and Another Years Effort!

Glenn – Bianca!

Drew – Its a pretty rich alt music scene!

So guys, you'll have a lot of friends in Glasgow, but take this scene out of the equation who in the world are you digging right now?

Dougie – Well I've started listening to Mallorie Knox

Glenn – Ah they've got big thick beats!

Glenn – Biffy's new album is class! Its controversial like, some people really hate them now but not as much as Puzzle and Only Revolutions but I've always been a fan!

Drew – I've been listening to a lot Deftones at the moment!

Glenn – Yeah we went to see them the other week, they were great!

Dougie – Last big band I went and saw was Bon Ivor! I had a huge hangover that day and they just cured it right up!

Drew – There's a band that we've gone to see a few times together as a three, “And so I watched from Afar” we went to see them support “The Joy Formidable” at the Oran Mor then they only got a really short set so they were like “screw this” and they went and played Bloc, so we went there and it was literally rammed!

Dougie – I hadn’t heard them before I was just kicking along with these two and its probably one of the best gigs I've been to! It was absolutely insane!

Me – That must have been sick to have seen them in such a small venue!

Glenn – I got scolded during that gig!

Dougie – Yeah for talking!

Glenn – When I said to Dougie that their singer, the female that is, I said “She is rather attractive” and then this massive tall guy behind me just *PROD PROD PROD* “SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”.......

Brontide as well are a sick band!

Dougie – Yeah that Gig was insane! I love how they started and just continued to play for like the full 45 mins and you could hardly tell when they started a new song!

Glenn – That gig was so loud that I got a series of migraines for the next three days I had to go get a spinal tap! Migraines induced by Bellow Below, Vasa and Brontide.

Hah, that sounds like an epic gig! So with OIA what's the 3 year plan? Go with the flow or have you guys got a plan up your sleeves?

Glenn – Well I would like to think that if we record a new EP with better songs. We got a reasonable to average repoire about the last EP (OIA are very modest gentlemen, take it from me the EP Rocks!) so we hope the new EP is a wee bit better and takes it a step further.

Glenn – Just have plenty of craic man!

Dougie – We are just in it to enjoy it as much as we can man!.

Glenn – Aim for some better shows and some good support slots other than just playing these random shows.

Drew – I feel we have a bit of a foothold in Glasgow now, when we play a show now people will come and see us which is great and hopefully we can build upon that.

Yeah I will definitely say that I now speak to people about Glasgow bands and mention Owls in Antarctica and people will be like “Fuck yeah! Owls in Antarctica!”

Glenn – Ah thats cool! We've met a lot of nice people! It was a good test this year actually because a lot of the guys that came to see us last year would have been from Drew and Dougie's class in Architecture and now these guys are working here on their year out in Glasgow but a lot of other folk are all around the world so at the start of last year in September we'd been playing gigs and there's been almost no one there.

Drew – Yeah we used to bring like 20 of the architecture lot down because they love any excuse for a piss up! Now there's only like 5 or 6 of them left in Glasgow working so the recent gigs have been a measure of who would actually come and see us.

Name one thing you hate about the music industry? And it can be anything!

Glenn – Aw, Pay to play promoters!

Drew – Promoters who make you sell tickets to your friends is one of the worst thing we've come across!

Glenn – Yeah, only getting paid on the tickets you sell. We were playing a gig the other week there and needless to say we didn't sell one, well like we sold 2 for £8 (not their chosen price of tickets). I've seen bands like Winterssleep touring from Canada for £5

Drew - This is a good point to mention, Bar Bloc have got it so ON! That's the thing I love about the music industry! Bar Bloc, free in and you don't have to turn up at five to sound check you can turn up at 7:30 or 8 set it up, do a line check and PLAY! Its a great venue to play and they pay the bands and sometimes feed them! All your mates come down and love it as well, Bar Bloc are doing great things!

Glenn – Our friend Kenny runs a record label called “Good Grief” who a lot of those bands we just mentioned, local bands are signed under him, he's started a night in Bar Bloc called Good Grief's Goop Shop, Its going to be good!

Drew – I love the fact that there are so many bands in Glasgow who I would listen to over bands who everyone in the world knows about.

Dougie – Yeah everyone in the Glasgow music scene is just so decent, that time at the Brontide gig we knew so many people who we've met just through doing this. Its such a good little friend circuit. Everyone’s really out to help each other!

That's what I love about the Glasgow music scene, everyone's so down to earth.

Drew – Yeah man, there's definitely a few cities out there where I think people feel they have to behave in a certain way. There's no pretence in the Glasgow scene

Glenn – There's so many dead sound people! Like Xander from United Fruit. It was the first gig we ever played he was doing sound he was so dead on we didn't know who he was, he told us his band and we hadn’t heard of them before so we checked them out and they are one of the biggest bands in town! And everytime I've met him since he's dead sound and always got something to say. Manners are easily carried but people go over and above the the call of duty.

I totally agree with you about the scene! So guys have we got any last words?

Glenn – Drew, say something final!

Drew– Something profound!......................... Oh God......... Just cheers for doing the interview man like we really appreciate someone taking interest in what we're doing!

The pleasure is all mine guys, thanks for meeting me!

Drew + Glenn + Dougie – Thanks for the interview!

So as you can see OIA are formed by three top gents who are going from strength to strength in the Glasgow music scene! I'll let you guys know when there new EP is due for release or you can keep tabs on the boys yourself by stalking them on their Facebook page here! 

A dose of alternative #4

Well guys, just back from my holiday from the Pacific Islands, didn't really go to plan if am honest, what was supposed to be a lovely relaxing holiday took a turn for the worst after me and my friends and family went sky diving over a tropical paradise and got kidnapped by pirates as soon as we landed. Basically long story short I broke out and saved most my friends and family and returned home to have Ubisoft make a family friendly version of my adventure...

Also University is a waste of time unless you want to learn about the fundamental differences of Idealism and Realism and how Pragmatism kicks ass... overall I've been a angry man recently and needed some music to chill out and what best to soothe the soul that some acoustic singer/songwriter songs. So here's a round up of some of the best Scottish stuff I could find!

Anna Sweeney – I was lucky enough to be given a insight into Anna Sweeney's EP “Oh Gosh Darnit” before its release and knew it was destined for big things and looking into the bottom of my bottle of Tequila right now as it were a crystal ball I was right. Hailing from Ayr she has been busy travelling Scotland with her band and has been received with great acclaim up and down the country! Did I forget to mention she's also only 18? Sincere lyrics and upbeat rhythms is enough to take the edge of anyone's shitty day.

Aaron Fyfe – So would you believe this guy used to be my boss back when we were charity Fundraisers's? Aaron Fyfe's debute EP “Closer to You” is a beautiful collection of songs that vary in several different styles. With a debut album due sometime in early 2013 there's not better time to catch up on the awesome talent that is Aaron Fyfe. Last time I talked to him he had somewhere in the line of 20 Gigs in March alone so am sure there will be plenty of chances to catch him live!

He doesn't have SoundCloud so you can check out his Facebook here !

Mike Nisbet – Nominated for the Scottish Alternative Music Awards back in 2012 Mike Nisbet's album “Vagrant” is truly a phenomenal piece of work, inspired by his life on the road when living between Glasgow and London and is enough to take anyone away from the this otherwise shitty Rothschild ruled world and the façade of governments (the activist in me). There's been plenty of gigs around the country from this gent and continues to tour this march where you will be able to catch him in both Inverness and Glasgow as well as other cities and towns.

Amber Wilson – Currently the touring session vocalist for Bombay Bicycle Club her solo career has seen the last duel single release back in 2011 which consisted of the tracks “Raise the Alarm” and “An Affirmation”. The track "Raise the Alarm" in particular has got a excellent vibe about it and makes you wonder how this stuff doesn't get more credit!     

Eugene Twist - Quoted straight from Vic Galloway, "Unbelievably accomplished and inspired, defiantly one of my tips for 2012". Eugene Twist has been building some serious momentum with his album "The Boy who had Everything" released back in 2012. It is a fantastic mix of Country, Blues, Rock, Latin, 1920's Roaring Twenties and Mexican Gunslinger in a shoot out.... If you think am being ridiculous then give him a listen and you'll see what I mean! With some new tracks on the way there no better time to catch up on the awesome piece of work that is "The Boy Who Had Everything".  

Eugene doesn't have a Sound Cloud so you can find him on Facebook here

That's all for now folks! Look forward to A dose of Alternative #5 at a blog near you soon! x

Serving Up Some Justice #13

Now that's got your attention read the post.

Hey there, if your new to this go back and look at the other S.U.S.J posts because I haven't got the patience to explain what happens here again... and I need to pee but I just got comfy plus this laptop is a bugger to put down in this room, ever since it was given a womanly makeover there's no desk space just pointless expensive lamps and bowls. Then again the lamps have come in handy ever since my dad decided it would be a fun idea to install coloured L.E.D lights into the main light sockets. Blue off course being the most prominent of them which makes me feel like I'm sleeping in a severely drug abused Co Op toilet or the end of a Guy Ritchie movie. Anywhore I have a few issues, one being I share too many personal thoughts as the previous exchange will suggest and the other being I don't make enough posts with musical content. I'm prepared to change one of those, I'll give you a clue.. it's the second one.

So here comes the part where I tell you what I've been listening to and why you should too.

As a lot of house/vibes artists have begun to open to the masses and commercialize themselves its been a sort of cross your fingers and hope for the best situation every time you take a listen to somebodies latest track. My opinion is as long as the content is true to the artist then I'm happy to open my ears to it, who cares if everyone is listening to the same thing. If a few commercial house tracks is what it takes to enlighten some Flo Rida fans to world of hard working musicians and producers then so be it. With that in mind..

Brand new Karma Kid. I haven't managed to catch the name of the female vocalist in this but it's perfect. It's this brilliant combination that makes this track accessible to both those who have learnt to love Karma Kids elegant chimes and drums and those who might have vagina's.



Cannot like this dude anymore! Nemi Alexi a.k.a Ghetto Tronic a.k.a STARS is one of the most consistent producers I know, he's been underated or a long time and it's good to see his STARS project is starting to pick up some much needed attention from the likes of Radio 1 DJ Mista Jam. This remix is a testament to his variation in production styles.



Someone to keep a very close eye on is Second City. First got to them when they were low on follows, but with a couple of Radio 1 plays and YouTube features they've managed to step up their social presence. I don't think it will be long before the name blows up.



The Mord is back. I thought I'd be disappointed but I wasn't. You can hate electro all you want but you can't dislike a Mord melody in a cheery tune like this. The vocal cuts are just phenomenal.



Polymath just has it. No messing, thrashing acid plucking lectro licking housey swirling madness like this just doesn't go a miss. Canufeelit ... yes Polymath we can.



Really want this track. Such a killer to play live. The 'ghost' sound and the bleeps get me everytime!



Here's something from Lucky Cub a.k.a Louis Buick ex Count Clockwork. Meaty remix of that catchy number from the guy that acts and sings and raps and shit. Make sure you catch his debut live performance at our live electronic night on the 23rd of February.



Was going to post another Stimming track when I came across this remix from Gramatik which I wasn't aware of until now! I love 'Funkworm' and I've been known to play Gramatik tracks on repeat so to hear this was a nice treat.



Really liking Slap In The Bass lately, they've become a regular occurance in my sets.





Keeping up the energy heres something bouncey from Mele.



Before you leave, make sure if you live in Scotland you make a trip along to our Live Electronic Night on the 23rd. We've got live sets from some of the best artists in the land including We See Aliens, Lucky Cub, Esbjerg and Dounreay Beach Party.

Ok.. you can leave now.

[Free House Music] So Standard

Just discovered this guy on Soundcloud, the name's about a few months old and he only has around 16 followers. I'm surprised the name hasn't blown up already. Anyway So Standard has that feel good UK Bass House vibes going on and every song of his available for free download so grab it now!







So Standard
Soundcloud
Facebook
Twitter

JNS Live Electronic Night @ The Eagle

Continuing on with our New Years resolution (''doing something new'') we thought a wee change up was in order. As many of you who read the blog will know we regularly run club nights at our favourite nightclub Karma Lounge, and I'd like to make clear that we are still doing that! However this February we're switching it up with our very own LIVE electronic night at ones of the cities newest music venues.

So here's the deal - NO DJ'S will be playing, we will be having a strict no deck policy on this night. This is strictly live electronic music right down to the residents and for your entertainment we want to make things exciting by making sure each of the acts involved gives you as unique experience as possible. No set the same.

Being a local I know many of you electronic music fans won't have been to many nights upstairs at The Eagle yet. If you haven't been its a very small venue (cosy might be the word), good sound system and decent priced drinks.

This being the first out of potentially many more live nights that we'll choose to host we wanted to bring you thee best live acts from the Highlands. So we proudly present the following four acts -

WE SEE ALIENS

It's very rare We See Aliens venture onto the stage to perform nowadays. The duo well known for their live setup are looking to get on the go again. By far the most intricate live setup I have seen in the flesh with the only thing stopping you from moving your feet would be the urge to stare in awe as the music unfolds and develops in front of you. This is because there is no softsynths involved in a Wee See Aliens set, only hardware. ''All the drums sounds used in the live set are hits from my own collection of analogue drum machines' says Robbie Dunsmore, one half of the Inverness duo.

Although rare appearances are made they know how to pick them, supporting the likes of Fake Blood, Erol Alkan, SLAM, Tom Middleton, Altern 8 and The Japanese Popstars they haven't been messing about.

LUCKY CUB

As part of the late 'Count Clockwork' (They're not dead, just separated) , Louis as he is known to his friends has continued producing under the re born alias Lucky Cub. In his short time under the fur he's already gained the support of Radio 1 DJ Ally McCrae - a play which had me personally letting Louis know at 1am in the morning that his tune 'Zee' was receiving radio 1 air time to his delighted shock - also heavy backing from John Roman and love from names like Etnik, Modek and Dem Slackers has made the Cub a household name and someone to keep an eye on for the future. This will be Lucky Cubs debut performance so definitely not one to be missed!

Lucky Cub on Soundcloud

ESBJERG

A man who likes to use his humorous whit to invert facewear such as shades, John Lees a.k.a Esbjerg is the newest addition to the Justice Never Sleeps family of residents having joined our last line up supporting Ado at Karma Lounge. Esbjerg however is not just any resident DJ, having already played the likes of Sub Club, 520, Buff Club and supporting Polymath, Clouds and Funk D'Void john has been churning out some of the best techno tunes of late and his new developing live set is something to keep a close eye on. Again we got ourselves a fresh one as this is Esbjergs debut 'live' performance.

Esbjerg on Soundcloud

DOUNREAY BEACH PARTY

A side project from the Highlands, this new alias remains scarce with its background story although recently uncovered in the Highland News it's known to be one half of electro duo 'Them & Us' (And incredibly handsome I hear). However those who believe this to remotely be within the same genre are completely wrong - instead DBP takes a completely new approach at electronic vibes - laid back and without much care to the laws of conventional musical construction. Still in it's early days there is still much to come from the contaminated party go-er. Having debuted his live set at Hootananny's Digital Love night DBP is building pace, slowly.

Dounreay Beach Party on Soundcloud

So there you have it. If that hasn't sold it to you then maybe your just a nazi or boring ass fartface.

Further details regarding ticket pricing, time of entry and closing will be released closer to the time.

Justice Never Sleeps LIVE on Soundclash Sessions

Well now that's the busiest time of year over we begin a new one fresh. We like fresh starts, mostly because we haven't got the attention span to finish something we started.

Part of our new years resolution is to do something different. The term 'different' loosely used to describe a change from writing and clubbing to live performances, not 'different' as in we'll be selling meth to kids (addicted to Breaking Bad right now, seriously if you haven't seen it start now!). More on this will be revealed next week when we let you all know about our newest event. However next Friday (18th Jan) we'll be stealing the show at Karma for the Soundclash Sessions as part of the Underground Music Project. If your not familiar with the sessions then find a smaller rock to live under because your missing important shit. It's a live stream from the Karma Lounge in Inverness with a selection of varying DJ's playing lengthy sets from techno, house to hip hop. Each week the line up is changed and someone else takes the hosting position. Next Friday Justice Never Sleeps will take over with sets from residents Boomshank Redemption, Retrend and Mark Mackenzie.

If you need an example of how the show works they now have recordings of the shows on YouTube to watch back whenever. (Cameras start about 2 minutes in)

So make sure you have that down in your little diary. Whether your warming up for drinks or spending your friday night indoors tune in. If not Karma Lounge is open all night for drinks, chat and music.

Soundclash Sessions Facebook

Soundclash Sessions Twitter

Underground Project Live Stream Link

The Rox 'Dope EP' [Crux Records]

Got to admit I haven't been on top of our inbox for a while, juggling a number of production alias's means I have to jump between sign ins and that's just too much effort for a 'losing faith in this' blogger like myself.
Anywhore after a quick rake through there was a number of releases that stood out for me. First being this release on Crux Records by The Rox.

For me the best track is the roeVy remix, but that said the rest are all solid techno tracks.

''

The Rox rock! After a very successful remix of Ostblockschlampen on Crux, The Rox are back debuting their EP Dope!  A monster of an EP with 3 classy originals and 2 of the best remixes we have heard in awhile. The EP ranges from future techno to pumping electro w/ a bit of a tech house nod. The title track Dope opens the EP with obsessive percussions and chopped voices, the bassline is rough and conceived for big venues complimented by an unexpected piano filled melodic break at the end.  U, Me & Chopper is a dreamy yet smooth take on house with a tropical flare and percussive attitude. In the final track XL is sexy lil number that is all about the arpeggio. The remixes are true gems on this EP. We have the mighty American duo roeVy dropping a whipping and madly driven techno tune followed by the wonder boy Destrox with a hectic take on the original with electrified horns over a techno / electro backdrop!''

Whipping up support from the likes of Steve Aoki, Shinichi Osowa and Blatta & Inesha it surely can't be a miss.

To celebrate the release they have also released this exclusive mixtape featuring some of the best names in electro techno.