Monotonix + Castrovalva + Firesuite

/// Monotonix
http://www.myspace.com/monotonix

"A thrilling throwdown. Israeli fire-breathers translate mosh mania" - Spin

"Querulous, somewhat deranged vocals battle with the rampant groove of 'Flesh And Blood', the lo-fi studio echo of 'As Noise' and the hypnotic drum-powered minimalism of 'Set Me Free' to create a record that spices rock classicism with the odd anarchic thrill. Keep an extinguisher handy" - NME

"The stories of the lyrics are brilliantly, blusey and carry the flavour of something different. Monotonix have taken a template and beaten it into their own image without mercy." - Kerrang Magazine

"Monotonix packs so much pure simian power that its legendarily wild performances can compress all cosmic meaning into the moment at hand. Somehow, they’ve managed to capture it here, in focus and in hi-def no less. It’s an impossibly vibrant capture of the most virile rock and roll band in the universe." - Flagpole Magazine

"If there was a spectrum on which every shade of chaos was ranked hierarchically, you would have to peg a Monotonix show somewhere to the left of total, complete and utter mayhem. Maybe you could call it demented pandemonium. Supposedly they are banned from half the live venues in Israel, at one place because a couple became so aroused that the man started to give his girlfriend oral sex. At a Tennessee show on their current tour, a man is said to have purposely set himself on fire. I saw them first in an enclosed-on-three-sides backyard at a funky east Austin venue called the Austin Typewriter Museum. You could smell the band before you could see ‘em – as soon as their van doors opened a wave of body odor permeated the entire yard. The drummer, a dead ringer for Borat with a gold dookie chain around his neck, proceeded to set up his badly battered, minimal kit in the dusty ground in front of the stage. Yonatan Gat, the guitarist, looks like Bob Dylan circa the Newport Folk Festival, plugged in his Fender (literally held together with electrical tape) to an amp, which was also on the ground in front of the stage. And that was it for set-up. And then it gets weird. There are absolutely no barriers between crowd and band. Singer Ami Shalev climbs whatever structures or other high vantage points are in the vicinity – could be a building or a tree, whatever – and hollers words in either English or Hebrew or maybe just primal screams. Or maybe he’s rolling around in the dirt, keeping time on the bass drum with his forehead. Or maybe he’s flying around in the crowd, knocking beers over or head-butting more garbage cans or blowing snot out of his nose. And the thing about it is, the pandemonium never ceases, never so much as lets up for a second, throughout. Often the show closes with the crowd spontaneously picking up the bass drum, with the drummer perched on top of it, still banging away on his remaining kit, and carrying him over their heads to the van. These guys did six of these shows in one day on Saturday. They have to be simultaneously the most physically fit and mentally deranged band I have ever seen, and already I have seen them three times. these shows are something beyond chaos. In fact, they are the perfect band for our time, the soundtrack and visual representation of a world that seems to be slipping out of control." - John Lomax, Houston Press

"Most exciting live band in rock'n'roll" - Spin

"Unlike anything you've ever witnessed." - Washington Post

"Unforgettable and thrilling chaos." - Now Toronto

"You hit my girlfriend in the head with a trash can, and as much as i love her, you were still the best fucking band i've seen in ages. don't stay away from raleigh long, ok?" - "Siobhan", Raliegh NC

"During the trio's riotous encore, the mob carried Shalev out into the freezing night air atop a bass drum. He is probably still out there, on the wilds of Exmoor, howling at the Moon like some blood-drenched Viking warrior." London Times

/// Castrovalva
http://www.myspace.com/castrovalvamusic

Almost impossible to pigeonhole, Castrovalva started life as an extremely loud and fantastically rhythmic bass/drum combo before enlisting Leemun, a man whose vocal range at times beggars belief, prior to recording their debut album 'We Are a Unit'. This was released via Brew a few months back, and received rave reviews from Artrocker (5/5 'Album of the Month'), Drowned In Sound (8/10, declaring it a "breathtaking listen" and that the band "shine where other fearsome live acts have failed") and Rock-A-Rolla ("Totally ridiculous, but more often than not in a very good way"). They will be releasing a split EP through Brew in time for the tour.

/// Firesuite
http://www.myspace.com/firesuitemusic

Fronted and formed by Chris Anderson (vox, guitar), alongside Chris Minor (bass) Sarah Griffiths (vox, guitar) & Richard Storer (drums) Firesuite are an ongoing musical endeavour, born out of the desire to create something hugely affecting, and crucially, something different.

Combining polar opposite dynamics, from total white noise, to moments of striking beauty, Firesuite are as complex a unit as you are likely to find. Influences are many. Obvious touchstones would be late 80’s and 90’s alternative rock, coupled with more avant garde European chamber pop. Listen closely though and you may hear a battle between Buddy Rich and Animal, a mid 30’s chanteuse and Django orchestrating complex lead melodies on bass. Dense it may be, but the execution is undeniable.
All corners of the press have praised Firesuite’s demo recordings and live performance, proclaiming the band to be "Amazing. Original, diverse“(ROCKSOUND), and “intense and from the heart” (HIGH VOLTAGE).

The band have sold out their first two e.p’s, "Bottled Sounds Of Me For You" & "Forever December" respectively, after playing shows across the country, with artists ranging from Jeniferever and Martin Grech, to This Et Al and ILiKETRAiNS. Their second e.p, “Forever December” was recorded at Yellow Arch Studios with Robin Down (Richard Hawley, Klaxons), and true to type received almost unanimous praise from both local, national and international press sources.

"Are You In Remission?", Firesuite's third e.p, was released in December 2008 and praised as being "heroic...heart-tearing" by ORGAN. It features three songs, recorded with long time friend and collaborator Tom Henthorne at Ebb Tone studios. "Left Hand Never Moves", one of the most personal works the band have created, begins with a firework, threatening to pull you through the ceiling at any minute. "Sammy Davis Jr Jr", which is fuzz and fury in 1:29, and a suitable reminder of the live show, and finally, "it's 4am & backwards..." which is something different altogether. Prepare to be slowed down.

"Are You In Remission" is available to buy through 7Digital and iTunes right now .

"Amazing. Original, diverse, challenging rock. This is music of quality and should be recognised as such. Hopefully Firesuite will be unavoidable in the future... 9/10" - ROCKSOUND

"another set of impressive recordings and a rich intelligent alternative guitar sound. Three rather big songs/pieces and fine hints of things like My Vitriol, Mew, My Bloody Valentine and maybe even a touch of Deftones in there flavouring their dynamic sound. Three songs that are accessible yet never too obvious, bit of a heroic sound, heart-tearing"ORGAN