The festivals are all in full flow. Crazy parties in over-populated fields. Losing your tent amidst a sea of others. Meditating at a tree somewhere in Suffolk. But don’t let all of these far-flung moments of excitement distract you from the incredible things happening before your eyes here in Cardiff. Over the last two months we have brought together some genuinely shit-hot talent to enthrall and entertain. We’ve seen the psych-art-pop powers of Django Django give us a full-on lip-kiss, not to mention the immensely gifted electro-drone-rock of We//Are//Animal. However, we at MMP are simply unrelenting in our desire to make going to live music as exciting as possible, so this time we have invited down R ‘n’ B, garage spanglers Thee Vicars to step into our sauna of the scintillating.

As always, we are sourcing our bands from the ripened well of musical talent across the country. Widely acknowledged as one of the finest, most filthy sounding rock acts rising through the ranks, Thee Vicars may dress like respectable gentlemen but are capable of summoning enough live energy to power the Caribbean. Recent album Psychotic Beat saw NME claim that they were ‘approaching a revelation’ giving it 8/10 in the process. MOJO and The Guardian have also acknowledged their tight but lairy garage beats. The Miniature Music Press now invites you to opens your arms and hearts to their rip-snorting, tail-sporting, leg-contorting, shuffle-courting stomps.

As always we don’t rest until we have two support acts for you to slobber on. In-keeping with the old-school R ‘n’ B sound of the headliners, we have opted for the blues-rock maniacal mayhem of Henry’s Funeral Shoe.

Having personally witnessed these chaps in swaggering action just a month or so ago, we can testify to their innate magnificence.

Plus, as an extra-special treat we have the euphoric, good-time, 60s-tinged pop-rock of Houdini Dax.

Houdini Dax

This is an avalanche of the ace. A tornado of the terrific. A whirlwind of the wonderful.

Who’d want to miss that?

Thee Vicars. Cardiff Arts Institute. 22nd July 2010. Woop bloody woop!!

x MMP

ROCK N ROLL HEAVEN

THE BOP IS BACK!!

Yes, we’ve all waited for long enough.Not for a few weeks have the ‘Bop fraternity graced our four walls with stomp, surf and rock n roll delights. If you havent been to a Bop’ before, then heres the date in your diary.Fixed and firmed.

To top it all off, we’ve got an ace high band on the bill too!

The Hi- Class Joes!

The Hi Class Joes are a supremo mid 60′s British Beat quartet from Bristol in the south west of England though, two members of the group are are originally from the U.S. Each member hails from various Rhythm N’ Blues, Surf, Rockabilly & Punk bands between Bristol & London.

Attention to detail in terms of authentic sound, look & feel are key elements to making this band stand out from the rest. Imagine, it’s 1963 and you are listening live to the Big 3 at the Cavern Club. Throw in a little Johnny Kidd, Hamburg era Beatles and a solid measure of Arthur Alexander then we are getting close to understanding how intense this group are to watch & hear performing. Guaranteed to keep you captivated and moving your feet from the get go!!

As usual we have loads of Rocknroll, Surf, Beat, Fuzz, RnB and garage rock  wailing from the decks.All for you on Saturday 3rd July night! Yes thats next saturday – WOWSERS!

SATURDAY 3RD JULY 2010

CARDIFF ARTS INSTITUTE

Hi gang, Thanks to everyone who came to the last GAS STATION BOP! It was Awesome!

And this Saturday, we have another treat instore.We are proud to present The Brothel Creepers live onstage.

Hailing from West – these guys gig furiously in their own backyards .We’d spotted them a few months back and wanted to bring them to our Saturday night Bop immediately. Nothing pretenious, just rock n roll and garage rock -straight up classics!

As usual we have loads of Rocknroll, Surf, and garage rock  wailing from the decks.All for you on Saturday 24th April night! Yes thats this saturday – WOWSERS!

LIVE BAND THIS WEEK!

Free popcorn and lots of dancing!

one word – Awesome

two words – be there

Chris – Gas Station Bop! x

YES! A most welcome return for one of our favourite artists. Rick ‘Voice Of The Seven Woods’ Tomlinson is back with a new project ‘Voice Of The Seven Thunders’. As the new moniker implies, this is a more intense, more fuzzed out and LOUDER beast altogether. When I was booking shows under the banner of ‘Forecast’ (remember that?) we had Rick come play with us 4 times and probably, out of the whole time Forecast was alive those 4 shows rate as my favourite 4 shows we did. Honestly can’t recommend enough that you come to this as his live shows are absolutely encapsulating. 

Have a mooch at his myspace to get an albeit brief snippet of what to expect

http://www.myspace.com/voiceofthesevenwoods.

As always, the gig will be followed by the DIG djs, that being me and Huw Evans playing an assortment of global psych oddities for the dancing to until 3am. Band on at 10.30.

Facebook event here

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=316442412844&ref=mf

Another ‘Live Music’ special from the the Institute. Another FREE offering and a rare chance to see She Keeps Bees duo, Jessica Larrabee and Andy LaPlant in an intimate setting. She Keeps Bees are future stars with Larrabee’s voice brings some stellar vintages to mind (Nina Simone, Cat Power, Patti Smith, even Janis Joplin) but the music has wonderfully bad-ass sounds, down-at-heel woozy blues, gritty explosions and sexy yearning hooks. Its first come, first served  – so our advice is :get in early.The band are supported by Cardiff’s very own,King Alexander

doors 8pm

Free b4 10pm

http://www.myspace.com/shekeepsbees

We’re back for our third outing at the Cardiff Arts Institute, excellent. Firstly, thanks to everyone who came out for our christmas shinding, good times, Y niwl were great, we had much fun and so did Pete Fowler so he will be coming to join us again very soon.

On to pastures new, this installment of DIG! will feature the awesome Wolf People. Yes I know it’s January, you’re probably depressed, skint and possibly imposing some detox diet or abstaining from alchohol but if you are going to have one relapse this month then I think you should make it this one.

Wolf People have played alongside the likes of Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals), Voice Of The Seven Woods, Candie Payne, The Aliens, Malcolm Mooney and Damo Sazuki (ex-Can) amongst a host of other notables at venues and festivals the length and breadth of the country in between an exhausting recording schedule. Wolf People authentically reproduce 60s garage and psych plus 70s acid rock, prog and kraut and blend it together to make something entirely of their own making. They played with us a while ago as part of the b-music tour and totally ruled, the band are also avid collectors of lost psychedelic nuggets and will be joining us on the decks for a proper knees up.

‘Awesome’ Time Out
‘Single Of The Week’ Artrocker.com
‘Perfect… Wolf it up’ NME
‘A super tasty, raw ode to the beat driven psych masters of old. Cool’ DJ
‘Ace new weirdo label launched by a funky pagan folk bomb in a gorgeous art sleeve… sleep ye not’ FACT
‘An awesome debut… Stunning!’ 24/7
‘It rarely gets any better than this’ AngryApe
‘Smoking stuff indeed’ Losing Today.com

Yes indeed, it’s that time of year and DIG will be offering you a Mariah Carey and Cliff Richard free zone for our Festive Freakout.  We will also be offering a haven from Black Friday where you’ll be able to enjoy office party free surroundings and a distinct lack of 50 something women in way too tight fitting Santa Claus outfits, which if you ask me, is a definite boon. Psych, soul, surf and other cosmic nuggets for the dancing to will be the festive fayre on offer, provided by your usual hosts (that’s me and Huw Evans) and our special guest dj, Pete Fowler. Pete is well known round these parts but if you need updating, he is the artist that has created most of the Super Furry Animals artwork and creator of Monsterism Island, he is also a Dj of some renown and has playing delectable discs of psych, pop, glam and punk for years and has released two mix albums under the title, ‘Sounds Of Monsterism Island’. I just got back from ATP where I saw him play to a frenzied room, much fun.

Providing the live music action on this night will be Y Niwl, a surf rock super group pretty much, featuring as it does, members of Gorkys Zygotic Mynci, Eitha Tal Ffranco and Alun Tan Lan. Not much needed to be said here other than, it’s SURF, and IT ROCKS and WATCH THIS VIDEO (taken from  our SWN festival closing party this year)

Hi guys the next piece of GS-Bop cherry pie is just being served!

Come down and Bop with us on Thursday the 17th of December! This Thursday kids!!

Starts about 8pm..bop til you drop..

see you at the bop!

That’s right, this Friday the DIG djs and special guest ISLET will be performing in the brand spanking new Cardiff Arts Institute. I was there for the opening and am now well excited about playing through the splendid new soundsystem, oh yes!

One bit of bad news however, our first night has been somewhat marred by mini disasters along the way, I guess that’ll be booking a night on Friday the 13th, that’ll teach us! Anyhoo, Andy Votel unfortunately has had to pull out due to unforseen circumstances. This however IS NOT a cancelleation, merely a postpone, we’re sorting out his next date as we speak, so yes, a little disappointing but only for a short while. Our sincere apologies and Andy sends his along also.

But….

being the upstanding gent that he is, DR Kiko (Primavera sound) has stepped in last minute, a stalwart of the international festival circuit and a curator at the legendary Primavera Festival in Barcelona, Dr Kiko basically knows his onions and will be supplying us with various post punk and no wave pearls to compliment our most exciting live act, that being…..

ISLET!!!

Cardiff group formed from the ashes of several bands that are far greater than the sum of their parts, which is saying a lot as members of Victorian English Gentlemans club, Attack And Defend and Frederick Stanley Star are among their ranks. Relatively new to the Cardiff scene, ISLET have rapidly garnered a great deal of attention and accolades. That’ll probably be because they are SUPER! Double drums, hollering, screaming organs, fuzz guitars all come together in a glorious no wave racket. Their live shows are intense and audience participation is often on the cards. ISLET will perform at about 11pm with Dr Kiko and DIG! djs in support either side until late.

Well, it’s nearly here, the grand opening of the CAI. The DIG Djs, that’s me and Huw, are excited for sure and we are gearing up for our monthly Friday night in earnest.  Already got lots of great djs lined up to play for us in the coming months, more about those very soon and some quality live acts all in the pot. Can’t wait to get stuck in to be honest!

DIG! will be bringing you the finest psychedelia, soul, rock n roll, surf, cosmic funk and a whole host of other quality dusty vinyl treats from all around the globe for our first night on Friday 13th November. For a little taster of what to expect here’s a short mix we prepared earlier!

See you on the 13th!