No More Scrubbing Crabs Graham Diss unknown publication c. October 1985 Transcription: PulpWiki

Pulp have been about to 'break' for years. The big build-up's happening again and it's probably their last chance. Things look, promising this time, provided they don't fall out first ...

Forming at school, Pulp played their first gig at the Leadmill over five years ago. Only Singer/Guitarist Jarvis Cocker remains from that era. Russell Senior (occasional vocals, guitar and violin) gave us a potted history:

"There have been three basic incarnations. One did a John Peel session which was repeated. That was the first swell of success. That group split. Second, was the album line-up, which didn't sell many, but got a certain amount of critical acclaim and was heading in the right direction. Then that split. This line-up's been going for two years."

Jarvis: "So we're just about ready to split up now."

Russell: "We're on just about the same stage of teetering on the edge of independent success."

All the group are unemployed (the others being Peter Mansell, Candida Doyle and Magnus Doyle), but they have become "Damn near full-time. With the current work, there's no way we could get a job." (Russell).

This activity includes a 'mini-tour', including an anti-apartheid gig at the University on October 25th (which isn't in Machst Du — Prod' Ed.), also featuring local band Mr. Morality and London band, Popular Front. Also, a single is imminent, recorded at Sheffield's Input Studio.

But don't expect to hear these tracks live! Jarvis — "We've stopped playing the songs on it. Some people think we're being awkward, but it's there on record; we're fed up of hearing them. If people see us live and like us, I'd have thought they'd go and buy our record, anyway."

Their new label signed them on the strength of the L.P., released two and a half years ago, which Jarvis says is "very polite and relaxed", while Russell says "We're now rude and intense."

Their disagreements with their label seem to typify the band — "We don't hang around with each other; we don't like each other very much. There is a certain tension — I don't like it when everyone gets comfortable." (Jarvis). "Most people have fights with the audience, we have fights with each other." (Russell).

Jarvis is responsible for much of the songwriting, and the band now has a large repertoire. "Which we swap around, like crop-rotation". (Russell). "We've got one coming up soon; a winder [sic, winter?] song, which we've not played since last year." (Jarvis). "The really dedicated Pulp fan will know they can come and hear the song if it's been snowing". (Russell).

Jarvis: "If things are bad, you can either get depressed about them, or you can think — they're so bad it's almost funny. That's how I feel most of the time. There isn't anything humorous about us — well, not intentionally. We're not wacky!" "Although we have tongue in cheek, every word's meant!" (Russell).

Russell believes in "A theatrical element in our performances," which (apparently) used to be aided by toilet rolls draped around the stage ("Which looked quite effective with the lights" — Jarvis). "I really like being in a band. To do something good, you really have to be self-obsessed and fight for it," explained Jarvis. Russell talked of an ultimate objective to make "The best music in the world. Of necessity, you think what others are trying to do, is not so good, so you have to hate them, in a way."

So what of other bands in Sheffield?

Russell: "Best it's been for years — very healthy. What it lacks is a fanzine — you normally get one associated with a 'movement'."

Does that mean there's actually a movement?

"That supposed 'Sheffield Scene' is based around Caberet Voltaire and their minions. But now, there's a hell of a lot of 'clean cut young men' doing passionate songs about love and things, in various ways... But quite good, not wimpy. The best bands in Sheffield from that past wave never got anywhere. It was the worst ends of it — those that compromised round the edges, that got anywhere. I think some of the bands in the current Sheffield upsurge are going to break. My tips would be: Tree Bound Story, Dig Vs Drill, and us, in that order.

So where can we expect to find Pulp in another five years?

Jarvis: "I don't really like old bands. In five year's time, I'll either be in the 'Hole in the Road' with a cider bottle and a brown paper bag, or I'll be quite well off somewhere. Either very happy or very depressed, I won't be in the middle."

Russell: "There's only two options; you're either a pop star or you're scrubbing crabs."

Richard H Kirk, founding member of Cabaret Voltaire, dies aged 65 | Music | The Guardian

Urlaub In Polen — All (Tapete)

Photo by Frederike Wetzels

All by Urlaub in Polen

Cologne duo Urlaub in Polen — that’s Georg Brenner (vocals, synths, Moog, guitars) and Jan Philipp Janzen (drums, percussion, Moog, samples) — return after a near decade long hiatus with their new album All. Brenner and Janzen build a sturdy foundation from the rigid rhythms of Krautrock and techno, which they decorate with an eclectic array of elements from mutant disco, post-punk, kosmische psychedelia and the odd curlicue of proggy noodling.  

Neu! Is the most obvious inspiration, especially for Janzen whose drums maintain motorik propulsion.  But there is more to All than simple homage. “The Witcher” mashes Clock DVA woodwinds into Hawkwind space rock while riding the overwrought edge of its influences. “2 Sec. Delay” has traces of early 1980s Cabaret Voltaire with shimmering synths and dystopic declamations, “T.H.D.T” features sped up robo-funk and cosmic Moogs that evoke a prog rock riposte to post punk, while “Lts” bubbles gently along taking its cues from the minimal techno of ~scape artists like Pole and Jan Jellinek.  

That all this holds together as a cohesive whole is down to Brenner and Janzen’s commitment to their sound and willingness to dip into the unexpected alleyways they encounter along the way. Their music feels lived in and natural in the way they refract the alternative sounds of their homeland through the sound of the English bands that learned from Neu!, Can, Kraftwerk and Cluster to create a meta dialogue that mirrors their own musical relationship. Urlaub In Polen use very specific tropes whilst managing to stand outside time and place. The musical strands from which Urlaub In Polen weave their tapestry are familiar and if the edges are a little shopworn and some patches are faded from overexposure, All makes a good case for the enduring power of their influences and for Brenner and Janzen’s decision to reignite their collaborative projects.   

Andrew Forell

reaching for a torniquet

https://youtu.be/DC6UtsPa13o

Voltaire - Brains!

originally off the album Boo Hoo, 2002

written for and featured the episode of The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Little Rock Of Horror. Watch the muscial clip here.

Currently listening to as my 25th birthday is tomorrow 🎉

This is one of Hugo Balls poetry perfomances at the Caberet Voltaire in Zurich in 1916.

In Bread with Joseph Emslie

Peter Saville, FAC 1 (1978)

BRD USA DDR JFK by The Passage.

From DAF to BRD and JFK. Germany, grim and glorious Germany, labyrinthine and expressive German language. When someone says Germany, I always think 1920′s to 1930′s, that’s when Germany really existed in my mind; but then there are all sorts of things, art, literature especially (less music, though) from other periods. I feel a list coming on...

Die Blechtrommel in book and film

Berlin Alexanderplatz, a novel written like a film

Goodbye to Berlin 

Bauhaus in Dessau

Caberet Voltaire (the one in Zürich)

Kafka all over

Enamel street signs

Sausages that break with a snap and mustard, standing up with a beer

Glühwein in a Christmas market

Beer and cake for breakfast

Discovering Riesling later on

How football is different in Germany

Kicker magazine

How books feel and smell different in Germany

Heurige in Vienna

The Atlantic hotel in Hamburg

The trains and train stations and DB’s great new app

Having been there a long time ago and going back often

The Passage was almost certainly a Peel discovery, and I managed to buy four albums that they made. Or was it just a single person, really? In any case, they albums always had a slightly handmade feel to them which was more endearing rather than exciting. I had a fair bit of electronic music, but it hasn’t really stayed with me (I was never really a Kraftwerk fan, bringing the two themes together). Jangly guitar and funky bass, that’s my thing.

Arrivals for the past week!

Starting with new releases, we have the new Bruce Springsteen "Letter To You", Caberet Voltaire "Shadow Of Fear", Dirty Projectors "5EPS", The King! Elvis Presley and recently unearthed "From Elvis In Nashville" 1970 sessions. Finntroll "Vredesvavd", Self-titled debut album from Lupin, Neil Young and Crazy Horse "Return To Greendale" a 2003 concert. Also Live, Nick Cave "Idiot Prayer: Alone At Alexandra Palace", Nothing But Thieves "Moral Panic", Post Truth "Response To Trauma", Something For Kate "The Modern Medieval", Stalker "Black Magik Terror", Stryper "Even The Devil Believes", The Dirty Knobs "Wreckless Abandon", Triple One "Panic Force"

Reissues & Legacy releases from Devo, Coldplay, Alice In Chains, Swans, Gorillaz , Hilltop Hoods, Jeff Beck, Spice Girls & Talking Heads plus more!

AC/DC - Let There Be Rock [LP] Alice In Chains - Facelift [2LP] Alpha Wolf - A Quiet Place To Die (Coloured) [LP] Angus & Julia Stone - A Book Like This [2LP] Benee - Fire On Marzz / Stella & Steve [LP] Bruce Springsteen - Darkness On The Edge Of Town [LP] (sold) Bruce Springsteen - Letter To You [2LP] Bruce Springsteen - Letter To You [CD] (sold) Cabaret Voltaire - Shadow Of Fear [2LP] Coldplay - Parachutes (Yellow) [LP] Devo - Duty Now For The Future (Magenta) [LP] Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (White) [LP] Didirri - Measurements [LP] Didirri - Sold For Sale [LP] Dirty Projectors - 5EPS (Clear) [2LP] Elton John - Diamonds [2LP] Elvis Presley - From Elvis In Nashville [2LP] Finntroll - Vredesvavd [LP] Gorillaz - G Sides [LP] Harry Styles - Fine Line [2LP] Harry Styles - Harry Styles [LP] (sold) High On Fire - Death Is The Communion [2LP] (sold) Hilltop Hoods - Walking Under Stars: Instrumental Edition (Blue) [2LP] Janis Joplin - Pearl [LP] Jeff Beck - Blow By Blow (Orange) [LP] Jimi Hendrix Experience - Axis: Bold As Love [LP] Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland (50th Anniversary Deluxe) [6LP+BLU Box] (sold) Johnny Shines Band - Masters Of Modern Blues [CD] (sold) Kaleo - A/B [LP] (sold) Kim Wilson - Take Me Back [CD] (sold) King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Flying Microtonal Banana (Yellow) [LP] Lupin - Lupin (Red) [LP] Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through The Grapevine (Purple) [LP] Michael Jackson - Bad [LP] (sold) Midnight Oil - The Makarrata Project (Yellow) [LP] Motorhead - Bomber [LP] Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Return To Greendale [2LP] Nick Cave - Idiot Prayer: Alone At Alexandra Palace [2LP] Nirvana - MTV Unplugged In New York (Deluxe) [2LP] Nothing But Thieves - Moral Panic [LP] Paul Dempsey - Everything Is True (Beer) [2LP] (sold) Pearl Jam - Ten [LP] Pink Floyd - Delicate Sound Of Thunder (Remix) [3LP] Pink Floyd - The Later Years 1987-2019 [LP] Post Truth - Responses To Trauma [LP] Presidents Of The United States Of America - Presidents Of The United States Of America [LP] (sold) Sam Cooke - The Best Of Sam Cooke [LP] Something For Kate - The Modern Medieval (Mustard) [LP] (sold) Something For Kate - The Modern Medieval (Red) [LP] Something For Kate - The Modern Medieval [CD] Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger [LP] Soundgarden - King Animal [2LP] Spice Girls - Forever [LP] Stalker - Black Magik Terror [LP] Stryper - Even The Devil Believes [LP] Swans - Children Of God [2LP] Talking Heads - Talking Heads: 77 (Green) [LP] The Dirty Knobs - Wreckless Abandon [2LP] The Rolling Stones - Voodoo Lounge Uncut (Red) [3LP] (sold) The Teskey Brothers - Half Mile Harvest [LP] Toto - IV [LP] Travis Scott - Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight [LP] Triple One - Panic Force [2LP] U2 - Achtung Baby [2LP] U2 - Songs Of Experience (Blue) [2LP] U2 - The Best Of 1990-2000 [2LP] Wallows - Nothing Happens [LP] (sold)

Produced by Eye Film and Television for the John Peel Centre for the Creative Arts

Antonin Artaud - A paixão de Joana D'Arc 1028

Coco Fusco e Gullermo Gómez Peña - Two Undiscovered Amerindians 1992-1994

Hugo Ball Performing Karwane at the Caberet Voltaire 1916

Ken Kobland Documentário lançado em 2014 sobre a peça de 1977

Richard Foreman PAIN(T) 1974

You want your #music Halal or Haram? No choices this month, your music will be Haram! Cause we have a mixtape from the Haram Tapes crew. Hope you enjoy! And after you listened to the mix have a look at their bandcamp: https://haramtapes.bandcamp.com/ Haram Tapes & Jorge Socarras - Initiation, Patrick Cowley’s Mechanical Fantasy Box (demo ) Sumatran Black - Details Tones On Tails - Lions Coil - A Cold Cell In Bangkok ( Optimo) MSYLMA مسيلمة - Fanaa Ghada Muslimgauze - Algiers & Karachi Syk2ne - Mind Over Matter Sumatran Black & La Maison Dieu - Due To Human Error (remember Ukraine Flight PS752) Mall Grab - Positive Energy Forever Caberet Voltaire - The Crackdown DB (artist ? Unknown ) - Muggy Flying Turns - Crash Course In science Haram Tapes - Spice Haram Tapes Vs John Adams - How Did You Travel Listen here: https://www.thekultofo.com/haram-tapes-guestmix/