We’ve put Token Rose, from our Token Rose EP (available on Spotify, iTunes and bandcamp) now on YouTube. It’s not a “new” video proper, just assembling live footage from other videos… all very lo-fi! We don’t have a budget nor friends who can do cool videos for us haha.
We just wanted to put the song out there… you know… we’re still here, still trying to do something better and with more personality than the boring indie music most bands seem to do these days, in Liverpool as much as elsewhere. If you know any other band who’d do a song like Token Rose, with its alternate guitar tuning no-one else has ever used, rhythm track created with circuit-bent kids’ keyboard, moody vocals and which is heavy and rock’n’roll, do let us know! We’re not trying to sound like anything or anyone else – we’re just us and it’s fuckin’ good enough!
You get the picture.
Enjoy the darkness, anyway! And play it LOUD, mofos!
The world was getting bored so we couldn’t help it and had to sort ourselves out for another live comeback. Dirtblonde plays at Jacaranda on Slater St. Liverpool, on 3rd June. We’re pleased to announce that our Brazilian friends from Wry will also be playing! A great band with shoegaze and britpop influences. Support comes from a new Liverpool band, Food, who are definitely worth watching!
Everyone is too safe, clean and content in Liverpool right now… safe in their belief that the music scene is oh so great here but, sorry to say, we disagree.
No, we don’t belong and we’re happy with that. After all, we are still one of the only bands in Liverpool (the only, maybe!) truly influenced by Sonic Youth, Jesus & Mary Chain, Velvet Underground, Patti Smith… if that makes us outsiders then ok!
What’s wrong with people, here! Frankly, we don’t care. So don’t be boring and join us. Enjoy the noise. A luta continua…
Being Brazilian, I often go back to visit home, but it was only on one occasion that Lula and me managed to actually arrange some gigs in Brazil. Dirtblonde were the first Liverpool band to play in Brazil post-2000. In fact, the only Liverpool band who played before us were Echo & The Bunnymen in 1987. Here’s our story, it was our first adventure abroad…
Ah… that trip to Brazil will always bring back great memories! In the wake of one of our typical setbacks – namely, fighting with our label on the eve of releasing our debut 7″ single – we decamped to Brazil at the end of 2004, to escape the British winter and enjoy the Brazilian sunshine. I had brought my Epiphone guitar and drum-machine, but there were no plans to play any gigs. For all we knew, Dirtblonde would never play again, after the debut single fiasco!
I really don’t remember how things came about. At some point in the start of 2005, when Lula and I were living in a tiny flat between Copacabana and Ipanema, we decided that we would release ‘The Hangmen’ ourselves as CD and download, and that we might as well get started and play some gigs in Brazil, while we’re at it!
The first step was to get some new gear, as cheaply as possible: Lula bought the cheapest bass guitar she could find, a Brazilian-made Fender copy that she still uses today – it’s one of the best and coolest bass guitars we’ve ever seen! I bought another guitar, also very cheap (like, under £30 probably) and barely playable – but it sounded good enough. I also got the basic setup I needed: a distortion pedal (Brazilian, excellent!); a wah pedal (also Brazilian) and I found a second-hand Boss delay pedal from an amazing guitar shop in Copacabana (the guy who owns it still remembers me, and always calls me “Jeff Beck” for some reason!)
Our flat was next to a popular basement night club we used to go almost every week in Copacabana, Bunker, and I think we’ve been to a gig there, and got some promoter contact. I recall he was called “DJ Terror”. He said he’d help us out and sort us a gig there.
First gig in Brazil took place on 4th February @ Bunker, Copacabana:
It was the first time we covered Beat Happening’s ‘Black Candy’… and the gig ended in our usual noisy mess, as you can see above! It was one of the most fun nights we’ve ever had. We only got to play after 1am, the place was busy and after our set, we went to a house party with some of our new Brazilian friends – I remember the guy who drove us there was drunk (!) and I was playing a harmonica on the car.
People were jamming at the party, and I remember leaving and returning to Copacabana in time to watch a glorious sunrise on the beach, then going to a 24h snack bar ’round the corner. Perfect.
The second gig was at Teatro Odisseia, Lapa:
Teatro Odisseia is one of the biggest and best music venues in Lapa, the bohemian hub of Rio. We were supporting Brazil’s foremost psych rockers, Jupiter Maca (aka Jupiter Apple for the international market). The funny thing is – we had been in touch with them a few weeks previously, and they said they liked us and they’d see about sorting the support slot for us… but then never got in touch again! So we thought no more of it. That is, until the night of the gig! I got a phone call from the singer saying “So Ivan… what time are you guys coming down to venue?” just ONE HOUR before we were due onstage! We rapidly got our gear and went down to venue. All of a sudden, we felt like a “proper” band – Jupiter Maca were quite popular and gig was a big deal… we had people asking for photos and autographs, and got interviewed for some cultural webzine, who filmed the whole gig.
As usual – we ended our set with a big noisy feedback orgy. People in Rio probably had not seen anything like this since Jesus & Mary Chain fifteen years earlier, and we got some big cheers.
Recording new songs…
Sometime before the next gig, we decided to book a recording session at a tiny studio in Tijuca, the neighborhood where I grew up, near Maracana stadium. We recorded two old songs, Snow White and Pretty
We also recorded a new one we wrote with our best new Brazilian friends Ju, Bianca and Gabriela on a happy, drunken night at our Copacabana flat: I remember us watching The Evil Dead and playing around with our carnival costumes (including Osama Bin laden mask!).
The song, however, was quite melancholic, and called Now That You’re Mine. The girls helped us in the studio: Ju sang backing vocals, Bianca played bass and Gabi played rhythm guitar.
Third gig: Baratos da Ribeiro Bookshop, Copacabana
Baratos da Ribeiro flyer… our favorite!
Baratos da Ribeiro is one of the best bookshops in Rio, specializing on second-hand & rarities, comic books and vinyl records. The owner was a crazy Brazilian who gave us an advice we never forgot: “Remember Iggy Pop… the audience don’t like nice performers, they like it nasty!”
It was one of the most fun gigs we ever played! The bookshop was tiny and it was rammed. We were playing next to the entrance so lots of people were watching outside, on the street. From casual customers, street kids, drunken old bums… the crowd was a total mixture of what you’d find on an early evening in Copacabana! It was the only time we played Now That You’re Mine live, with the help of our friends.
After the gig, we made friends with three poor little girls, who enjoyed the music! Most people (us included) would think that these three girls were homeless kids, but no: they told us their mum couldn’t afford to pay for anyone to care for them when she was out at work, so they’d roam the streets the whole day until they’d meet their mum to go back home. I remember we felt quite sad when it was time to leave them, they were some of the best kids we ever met, very bright and very happy, despite their situation. The photograph of us with them kids still hangs on our house today.
Fourth Gig & Radio Show in Sao Paulo:
After those gigs in Rio, it was time to go to Brazil’s own answer to Gotham – Sao Paulo! We had a headlining gig at a cool venue called Funhouse, not so far from the red light district, so to speak. Seedy, but cool. We travelled to Sao Paulo by bus, a long journey taking us up the mountains that divide the South-East region of Brazil. Some amazing, very scenic sights, by the way – we recommend!
I remember arriving to Sao Paulo and heading to it’s main artery, the Avenida Paulista. Lula was looking for a newsagent to get a bottle of water, I wanted to get a copy of O Globo newspaper, the biggest in Brazil, because they had an interview with us. The headline was “Liverpool Beyond The Beatles”.
Before the gig, we did the popular Garagem radio show at Brasil 2000 FM, a rock station in Sao Paulo. They played some of our songs (including the ones we recorded in Rio) and interviewed us. I remember we had a great, fun, mad time, and at the end one of the presenters produced a screwdriver out of nowhere and destroyed a Colin Hay CD live on air, in our homage – he wrote “DIRTBLONDE” on the CD, with the screwdriver!!! Now, that’s how you do a radio show!
After the radio show (which we did about 2 or 3 days before the Funhouse gig) we travelled to a small tropical island, Ilha Bela (Beautiful Island). Unfortunately it was as rainy and cloudy as in England! But we still had a good relaxing time, before returning to the big city for our show.
The Funhouse gig was… fun! Once again, the venue was full and we did a rocking set. During the last song, I threw my cheap Brazilian guitar across the stage, and smashed it. I also remember jumping offstage and smashing a beer bottle on my guitar. Once again, a rockin’ mess… as IT SHOULD BE!
Afterwards lots of people came talking to us, take photographs and grabbed whatever they could from what was left of my guitar.
It was fun.
Last gig in Brazil… back in Rio de Janeiro… back to reality in the UK
The last gig in Brazil was two days after Sao Paulo. We were supporting a cool shoegaze band we first saw in a dingy Lapa bar a few months before, called Cactus Cream. The gig took place at Clube Boqueiro, quite near MAM (Museum of Modern Art) in Botafogo… it was an outdoor space with views of the bay… amazing location! It should be a great farewell to Brazil… but alas, it wasn’t. I don’t remember exactly why… some of the other bands were shit… the sound wasn’t good… we didn’t play well… and I got pissed off, kicked a bottle and it nearly hit someone on the audience.
Eventually… we had to head back to the UK. Back to reality. We released our debut single, to universal acclaim (well, everyone who heard it thought it was great! Our universe was small then) . Air France lost my beloved Epiphone Riviera sunburst. I had no insurance… all I got was £200 back, not enough to buy a new one. We went back to playing some shit gigs, unpaid gigs, gigs to audiences who didn’t get us. You know, our typical existence as garage rock’n’roll outsiders in Liverpool.
Other experiences abroad, when we played gigs in New York in 2006 and at South By Southwest in 2009, proved again and again that for some reason, our sound was (IS!) more appreciated in other, more distant shores, rather than in our own backyard… what the fuck is wrong with Liverpool? I never found the answer, and now, in 2014 (!!!) I really couldn’t give a fuck. It’s just pathetic.
But, gigs are just gigs… good or bad, small or big… it doesn’t matter. What made the Brazil time really stand out, was the good times we had, not just onstage, but offstage. We made some great friends, had some great times… and now, it’s all gone. Those days are just a memory. They were happy times, but happiness always plants the seeds to sadness, so looking back makes me quite melancholic.
I remember our last night in Rio, when we hung out with Ju, Gabi and Bianca, and when it was time to give hugs and say our goodbyes… it was sad, there were tears… I remember… but they were good times.
POST SCRIPT:
I found my original reminiscences of our Brazilian tour, here’s what I wrote:
We have just made available on our Soundcloud an old acoustic demo, Too Late. This is a song Dirtblonde have never played live before or had the chance to record properly. Listen now:
While Dirtblonde’s activities are on hold, Ivan is still making music with his new project(s) Songs About Death (www.songsaboutdeath.co.uk) and Lucifer Sams. Here’s his demo for a song called I’m Insane:
Ivan will be DJ-ing some cool soundtrack music, as well as doing a live set with the ever enigmatic Esa Shields. The duo will be scoring a projection of classic FW Murnau film, Faust (1926) using keyboards, synths, tape loops, copicat echoes etc. That weekend It’ll also be Sound Food & Drink 1st Birthday, so come to this event and let’s start to celebrate early!!!
Ivan will be launching a one-off side project next Tuesday 30th October, with an special event at Tabac (Bold st) that’ll be perfect for this Halloween season: Songs About Death
Songs About Death will be performed by psych acoustic duo Ivan Hell and his sidekick Denis Shiel (ex- The Little Flames). The hour long performance will feature a wide range of, well, songs about death! No covers – just new songs that feature diverse musical influences from pastoral folk to Portuguese music, to Blues and psychedelic singalong freakouts and droney buddhist mantras!
This will be a very unique acoustic performance, because it’ll be full of weird experimental noises, with the occasional help of ipod apps for droning synthesizer, birdsong, tenori-on and theremin sounds!!!
INFO:
Songs About Death
Tuesday 30th Oct @ Tabac
FREE ENTRY
6pm-9pm
Starts 6pm with summoning of the spirits, followed by musical performance of Songs About Death.
After the live music, there’ll be a screening of rare 1920s film “Haxan – Witchcraft Through The Ages”.
Dirtblonde are playing two gigs with ace band The Shondes, from Brooklyn, in the next few days.
The Shondes + Dirtblonde gigs in Liverpool and Manchester
Dirtblonde and The Shondes were booked to play together a few years ago at Canada’s very own “South By Southwest”-style festival, the North By Northwest festival (also known as NXNE), but we couldn’t do it due to lack of funds, because we had already gone to Austin’s SXSW that same year!
So, it’s great that our paths have finally crossed! The Shondes are a really cool punk band who’ve been praised by Picthfork, MTV, Entertainment Weekly and many others, and who are playing in Liverpool for the very first time…
First off, our bands will join Mashemon and So Sexual for a gig at the new Lomax in Liverpool, next Friday 19th October. Doors 8pm, only £3 in! It’ll be an amazing night with film projections, DJ and four ace bands… if you’re around, don’t miss it!
Next, Dirtblonde and The Shondes will support Spotlight Kid at TROF Fallowfield in Manchester, on Thursday 25th October. Doors 8pm, only £3 in!
To celebrate today’s National Poetry Day, Dirtblonde have decided to make a new track available, called ‘Your Story’. It mixes Ivan’s dronescape with Lula’s dark poetry. The original poem featured on Lula’s first poetry collection, At 3 o’clock I think of sex and death.
Dirtblonde’s next gig in Liverpool will take place at The Lomax later this month, on Friday 19th October, supporting The Shondes (from Brooklyn, NY). Also on the bill, So Sexual and Mashemon.
Oh, shameful news. The Liverpool City Council strikes again… just a few days after we put a night there (coincidence of course, ha!)
Dirtblonde live at Mello Mello, Liverpool
Today’s post was supposed to be just a quick round up of Dirtblonde’s latest gig, which took place at Mello Mello in Liverpool, last Wednesday. But just last night, news came in that the popular venue is now facing closure, thanks to the Liverpool City Council, who once again seems hell-bent on destroying all that’s fun, bohemian and non-corporate in Liverpool.
Just a few days ago, we had a great time there, putting the latest Dirtblonde gig. We were supported by two ace bands – Beach Skulls, and SeaWitches (who just keep getting better and better!). We had some cool film projections, psychedelic lights and everyone seemed to have a great time.
Afterwards, an influx of happy drunk students flooded Mello Mello, all dancing to the “Dirtblonde Sound System” DJ playlist, which included Azaelia Banks’ ‘212’ (we just GOT to always play it!!!), Wugazi (‘Sleep Rules All Over Me’), Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd (‘Candy And A Currant Bun’), Lee Hazelwood & Nancy Sinatra (‘Some Velvet Morning’) and lots of the usual (for us) obscure 60’s French psych, which I’m obssessed with at the moment!
In short – it was great, cheap fun, that could only have happened in Mello Mello, a place that was cheap for us to hire, with good sound and a friendly staff.
We had many good times there (usually at Pete Bentham’s Free Rock & Roll…) and it’s a shame that now it’s seriously facing closure. We hope that the artistic community in Liverpool will once again fight – and beat – the Liverpool City Council! As the Keep Streets Live campaign showed, when people get together for a good cause, we can fight the law and win!
We urge anyone reading this to sign the Mello Mello petition, to stop Liverpool City Council from closing the venue!
Finally, here’s a statement from Mello Mello: ‘Liverpool City Council is set to force MelloMello CIC out of business. We will NOT let this happen.
‘We will fight Liverpool City Council’s unjustified and unexpected decision to slash our business rates relief from 80% to 0%, to demand £30,000.00 a year and force MelloMello into administration. We intend to explore every possible avenue available to us as Liverpool City Council have left MelloMello CIC, its employees, its customers, its users, its local community with nothing left to lose other than everything.
‘MelloMello was founded, run and staffed by volunteers who have turned a previously derelict building into a vibrant artistic hub of activity and business. The closure of MelloMello will result not only in the loss of facilities for grassroots artistic endeavours but also the loss of over 20 jobs, the loss of trade for other local independent businesses, and the loss of income of ANY business rates for the Council.
‘MelloMello has never received funding, grants, sponsorship or investment in order to grow. The success of MelloMello is that it has grown out of, quite literally, nothing into one of the city’s favourite bars/restaurants/venues.
‘For the Council to force MelloMello out of business by taking away the only charity it has ever relied upon sends out a clear message of cultural indifference, a blatant lack of acknowledgement for the people who have managed to build a sustainable not-for-profit business out of nothing, and serves as yet another affront to Liverpool’s musical, artistic and creative communities.
‘MelloMello is worth saving, because once it is gone you will never see anything like it again.
‘We must ACT NOW to SAVE MELLOMELLO, we must let Liverpool City Council know that MelloMello WILL NOT CLOSE DOWN without a FIGHT.
Dirtblonde | Rock'n'Roll band from Liverpool, England 
