COMFORTABLE ON A TIGHTROPE MEANS everything is okay if you concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other and looking forward. This is a metaphor and our mantra. Since the last time we wrote one of these we've been fortunate enough to welcome to Manchester/Salford, in non-offensive chronological order:
CRYPTACIZE, DIANE CLUCK, T.I.T.S, LA LA VASQUEZ, HOTPANTS ROMANCE, FINALLY PUNK, THE STICKS, NISENNENMONDAI, VERONICA FALLS, TUNE-YARDS, IRMA VEP, TEEN SHEIKHS, FORMER BULLIES, NITE JEWEL, JOHN MAUS, SILK FLOWERS, FOOT VILAGE, KLAUS KINSKI, FRANCOIS & THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS, ROZI PLAIN, BOX ELDERS, MAZES, ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI and EGYPTIAN HIPHOP.
We
have also had the pleasure of releasing tapes by IRMA VEP, FORMER
BULLIES, WAITERS and NATHANIEL. Forthcoming are tapes from LEVERET
and NEIL BURRELL as well as a compilation with contributions from our
favourite bands in the world.
We
strive, in our lives, in our work, to adhere to the tenets of
generosity and thanksgiving and as such we are grateful for this
opportunity to share some of the music we love with you all. Come. Be
Well. Be Welcome.
comfortableonatightrope.blogspot.com
In the Cafe
9.30 Talk Normal
8.00 Dinner Party
7.15 Hotpants Romance
6.30 Way Through
5.45 Pheromoans
5.00 Waiters
4.15 Sex Hands
3.30 Leveret
Upstairs
9.00 - Girl Mountain
8.40 – No Womb
8.20 – Maria & the Gay
4pm – 8pm Cartune Xprez Screenings
+ Salford Zine Library - Showing the collection so far!
DOORS: 3pm till 9.30pm
TALK
NORMAL
TALK NORMAL are Andrya Ambro and Sarah Register. They dwell in Brooklyn NYC and have records on Rare Book Room and Just For The Hell Of It as well as a contribution to the soon-to-be-legendary NOT NOT FUN compilation 'MY ESTROGENERATION' alongside U.S.GIRLS, VALET, ISLAJA, POCAHAUNTED and others riding waves at the edge of the known world. Immediately preceding this, their first, visit to the UK they hit the road with similarly skewed XIU XIU and TUNE-YARDS as well playing some of SXSW's most happening parties (for m'ladys records, ecstatic peace, kill rock stars, other music).
Rarely, since prime-time sister-era Sonic Youth, have we witnessed a group at once so legitimately 'noise' and 'pop' and we are excited and proud to welcome them to Salford.
We first sa
w Hotpants Romance play in a bedroom in Levenshulme about 5 years ago. Then, and each subsequent time, we've found ourselves as giddy as their performances. Taking their cue from all the great do-it-yourself bands and yet uniquely themselves, they leave you wondering why are there not more bands in Manchester like this. Exuberant, fun, free and genuinely exciting.
www.myspace.com/hotpantsromance
PHEREMOANS
If PHEROMOANS weren't a bunch of soft student southerner
s
they'd have probably all joined the Fall and made Mark E. Smith's best
record for twenty years and then got kicked out for knowing what a latte
is. As it stands they get along just fine making the kind of raucous and fun Rock & Roll
that is so often strived towards and seldom achieved. They have a
bunch of records and tapes on Savoury Days, Convulsive, Night People and
an album imminent.
LEVERET
Pretty sure this nipper invented 'chill-gaze' about two years ago, before anybody cared and before it had a name. For the uninitiated this translates as woozy, psychedelic, bedroom pop music in the manner of TORO Y MOI or the first few ARIEL PINK records. By the time Sounds From The Other City rolls around LEVERET will have had releases on Icecapades and our very own Comfortable On A Tightrope records. We urge you to take this rare opportunity to see him perform live.
WAY
THROUGH
We are so excited to welcome WAY THROUGH for what will be only their
second ever live
performance and their first outside of London. If you are
familiar with either of their previous outfits HANDS ON HEADS or HAUNTED
FUCKING then we would suggest to imagine a sound somewhere in the
middle of these too. If you've not had the privilege expect to hear
damaged, eerie, unshakeable pop music.
www.myspace.com/wearewaythrough
SEX
HANDS
In the two or three years they've been in Manchester the members of this
group have done as much as anybody to make/keep it interesting. As well
as being in two of our other favourite bands (IRMA VEP, KLAUS KINSKI),
they have set up shows, put out some amazing sounds via their Giant Hell
imprint, ran a mixtape exchange and made a lot of people dance at the Pumping Iron
Discotheque. And at least two have them have made our jaws drop with
their drawings and printed matter. The hyperactivity, the urgency that
inspires them to get so much done is perhaps worn closest to the skin in
this band. Expect to witness something rare and amazing: real Punk Rock that sounds
vital, important and fun. Expect a split tape with Brown Brogues soon.
DINNER PARTY
Is the heady collaboration between members of the esteemed combo's FORMER BULLIES and IRMA VEP. We can't think of any other band that would sing so gleefully about topics as diverse as Joan of Arc, War and Readers Wives. Real food for thought! Their performance at SFTOC will be only their third since they hung out one afternoon and accidentally made a classic album. Join the party! You are so invited!
www.myspace.com/dinnerpartyband
WAITERS
Part psychedelic insurrection, Part cartoon road show, CARTUNE XPREZ harnesses the energies of video artists who remix commercial imagery to the extent of anarchy and animate their way out of Sunday Morning Cartoons. Previous shows have included Paper Rad, Bruce Bickford, Takeshi Murata, and Shana Moulton, who have since been featured in the Whitney Biennial, the MOMA in New York, the Sundance Film Festival, and many others. Their touring programs have become a touchstone of the genre, with this upcoming program offering a rare opportunity to see innovative animated videos from around the world.
We are delighted to present a specially curated show-reel at sounds from the other city, with special live performances from GIRL MOUNTAIN and more throughout the whole day.
Girl Mountain
GIRL MOUNTAIN is a one man art industry from Australia currently residing in London. Obsessive-compulsively making comics, art, posters, music and currently embroiled in a Dailysongs challenge wherein he writes, records and uploads a new song everyday. He is pretty much a super hero and we are so glad to have him come play alongside the Cartune Xprez screening. He will also be showing a short film.