Factory Floor - Untitled

4-track mini album released recently on Blast First Petite.

I saw this lot supporting Fuck Buttons last Saturday night and they blew them off the stage. I'd been desperate to see them for ages after hearing about them a few months ago and they did not disappoint. Officially my favourite new band as of this minute. You're not getting the full thing as that wouldn't be on, instead I've randomly plumped for track B1.

What do they sound like? Well, I've heard them described as gothic electro but that doesn't do them justice. There was a drummer, a dude on analogue synth and a girl playing a guitar with a violin reed. The two non-drummers also did bits of vocal. Sounds pretty wanky but I assure you they sounded magnificent. I had been desperate to get my paws on this release (clear vinyl 10" with accompanying DVD) but for some reason Monorail didn't get it in. Thank fuck they sold it at the gig. The perfect Optimo band as well - hopefully they'll get them up again quickly for the new night.

It's been a busy-as-hell few weeks for gigs (April and October = always the same) - LCD Soundsystem set the Barras on fire last night with a set which included a fab cover of Carl Craig's Throw, and we're off down to London tomorrow to go and see The Stooges and Suicide on Sunday night. No doubt a booze-fuelled trundle round Berwick Street's record shops will be in order at some point as ever - cannae wait.

Blast First Petite? Where's my next Suicide 10"? That's been fuckin AGES now since the last one...



Factory Floor - Untitled
A1 - Lying
A2 - 16-16-9-20-1-14-9-7
B1 - A Wooden Box
B2 - Solid Sound
DVD - Solid Sound Video

Buy it here
Factory Floor on Myspazz

Optimogeddon - The Final Optimo - 25 April 2010

Full 7-hr rip from last night's shenanigans.

After a brief foray into broadcasting live on AWDIO.com last year, Twitch and Wilkes decided to stop it as it didn't really capture the atmosphere of the club. "Too clinical", apparently. Fair do's, but thank fuck they hooked it up again for this monster of a swansong.

Technical stuff: It missed the first minute or two (AWDIO, not me - I was refreshing like a madman) but apart from that you've got the full thing, split into 5x mp3 files. The program I use to rip stuff like this had spilt it into 7 files of its own choosing by the time I looked at it this morning. I've made three into one (seamless-ish) but the gaps between the rest of the files were in the hands of the gods. No noticeable gaps anyway...

*EDIT* turns out my computer missed off the banter at the end followed by the last two tunes (superb video footage here). I've changed the file for Pt 5 or you can grab the last 15 mins on their own via the link underneath it... *EDIT*

Of all the stuff I've read about Optimo in recent weeks, it's this Resident Advisor article that hits the nail on the head perfectly. Fuck knows how many people didn't make it in last night, as you should have seen the state of the queue very early on. According to the Sub Club's website it holds 400 people. Hmmm.

I listened to bits and pieces of it last night before I went to bed, but it was doing my nut in to do so. I made the mistake of following the action on Twitter as well, with everycunt commenting on what was on the stream. Couldn't sleep for ages as I was going through all sorts of emotions. Attempting to make do with the memories of our last visit a fortnight ago wasn't really cutting it.

Tune-wise I'll not spoil any of it for you, but rest assured that a good few of the Optimo 250 made it into the set (166 of 'em on this Spotify playlist if you feel the need). Only thing that's missing from this is the crowd, who certainly add plenty to it on the brief moments you hear them via the mic.

Well I guess that's it then. Cheers fellas. They loved our ears...



Optimogeddon - The Final Optimo - 25 April 2010

New DIRECT PERMALINKS: right-click to download (thanks to Chris E in the comments):
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5 (full)

Original links (just for posterity, like):
Part 1 (Alt link)
Part 2 (Alt link) (another alt link)
Part 3 (Alt link) (another alt link)
Part 4 (Alt link)
Part 5 NEW FULL VERSION
**EDIT** THE FINAL 15 MINS on their own (thanks to Soundhog via Frenchbloke) **EDIT**

Torrent link as well - these download links are getting fairly whored. Who says you don't get a good choice round these parts?

Click here for a team attempt at a full tracklisting

Pre-order the new Fabric Mix here

Neu! - '86

Limited-as-fuck release (500 copies) for Record Store Day yesterday, on Groenland Records.

This features a couple of Neu! 86 tracks which were 'reworked' by Michael Rother in 2009. Aye, very nice. Looks great and is on nice heavyweight vinyl.

Monorail in Glasgow opened at 11am yesterday, and we got there about 15 mins early to be greeted with a not-too-bad queue. We got chatting to a guy in front of us who'd already been to Avalanche (which opened at 9am) and got the Rolling Stones 7". He seemed to have an unhealthy interest in Simple Minds circa Don't You Forget About me, and kept going on about all these different versions he had. Under normal circumstances I could have coped with this but we'd been up all night after an Optimo thing at the Art School and I'd had a couple of red-wine-vomits just before we left the flat so wasn't feeling too clever. It was fine though. As soon as we got to the shop a band kicked off really loudly and we were given wee quiz sheets and a girl arrived brandishing free cupcakes (I passed on this one). Great stuff all round, and my haul consisted of this 12", Mogwai/Fuck Buttons split 10" (white vinyl), Nick Cave 12" (white vinyl, only 100 worldwide), Crystal Castles 12" and two Jesus & Mary Chain 7"s. The only thing that we missed out on was a Foals 7" that my girfriend was after so we did really well.

I love a good rummage in Monorail at the best of times, and the fact that it's part of a complex with a bar attached makes it all the more scary when in on a payday weekend. Shame that by the time we got home there were loads of cunts selling the stuff on eBay.

Roll on next year...



Neu! - '86
A - Crazy
B - Euphoria

Record Store Day website

Two Lone Swordsmen - Big Silver Shining Motor Of Sin EP

12" EP released on Warp from 2004.

So, yesterday's madness too much for you? Prefer to get a nice wee easy-to-digest dose of Two Lone Swordsmen rather than 17hrs, 16 mins and 54 seconds of live stuff (according to my iTunes)? Nae bother - here you go then.

This came out round about the same time as the Double Gone Chapel album, but it's much more electronic, hence (I'm guessing) why it wasn't included. Same format as the Sex Beat 12" - you get two Weatherall vocal-led tunes on side A, and their instrumental/dub counterparts over on the flip.

I don't know who I'm trying to kid on that I'm done with blogging, it's much less hassle just to fire stuff up when I'm in the mood though, rather than the daily juggernaut of postings that was 2009. Mind you, Google/Blogger seem to be pressing the big [DELETE] button on lots of blogs these days (cheerio Acid Ted) so catch it while it's hot. I always try not to upload stuff that people are likely to be actually buying though, and always amend/pull if asked to do so - mind you that doesn't seem to stand for much, especially considering that stuff like this is still on the go). It's a funny old world...



Two Lone Swordsmen - Big Silver Shining Motor Of Sin EP
A1 - Showbizz Shotguns
A2 - Feast
B1 - Showbizz Shotguns (Instrumental)
B2 - Feast (Dub)

Buy it here

Two Lone Swordsmen / Andrew Weatherall - Bumper Post!

Hours and hours of you-know-who, courtesy of 'Robert' on the email.

Imagine my joy when I got emails yesterday with links to (firstly) various Two Lone Swordsmen dates from the 2002 Turntables and Machines tour, followed by a LOAD of Groovetech recordings from 2000-2002. Mental! I've not had a chance to wade through these yet, but at Robert's request I'm passing them straight onto you, so here we go.

Too much? Hmm, I think what I'm gonna do is dig out an old iPod, scrub it and fill it with all of this. Hope they're tagged properly!

Fuck me, this should keep us going for a week or two. Thanks a million Robert, wherever you are...



Two Lone Swordsmen 2002 Turntables & Machines Tour

2 Sept 02 - The Attic, Edinburgh
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

6 Sept 02 - Blockjam Volks Tavern, Brighton
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

8 Sept 02 - Electrocuted Creation, Bristol
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

19 Sept 02 - Music Box, Manchester
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

21 Sept 02 - Newcastle University
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

21 October 02 - Matrix, Zurich
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3



Andrew Weatherall @ Groovetech 2000-2002

16 October 2000
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

21 December 2000
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

8 Feb 2001
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

19 April 2001
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

24 May 2001
Part 1, Part 2

31 May 2001
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

18 Oct 2001
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

1 Nov 2001
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

20 Dec 2001
Part 1, Part 2

31 Jan 2002
Part 1, Part 2

28 March 2002
Part 1, Part 2

4 April 2002
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

6 June 2002
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Buy Weatherall stuff here

Betty Botox Presents... The World Of Betty Botox

Rare 2xLP from Glasgow's own sultry diva, Betty Botox, from 2005.

So - went to my last Optimo there on Sunday night. There are two more to go but there's no way I can make either of them, so this was our big farewell. FUCK ME - it was the best one I've ever had. Crowd were totally up for it, and the tunes ticked all the boxes including lots of Optimo classics, what sounded like Merzbow(!) at one point, along with a brilliant industrial track and a bit of Bauhaus which kept the smile on my (ex?) goth girlfriend's coupon all night. Not to mention a few Pure anthems including a couple with Hoover noises thrown in (always a good thing). Add in a couple of en-masse singalongs at the end and there you have it. Mental. JD Twitch reported that it was the best atmosphere that he had seen in 23 years of DJing and I'll not argue with that - magnificent stuff. Fuck knows what they're going to pull out of the bag for the last couple (I've heard the words 'Divine impersonator' bandied about though)...

I've finally recovered, this being Wednesday an' all that, so here's three tracks (side B) off a set of "quantized bootleg re-edits made suitable for mixing" from in-house slut Betty, which should be familiar to anyone who's been to the club. The original tracks are in brackets after the Botox'd titles, so as you can see it's a pretty fuckin varied list. The full album is available digitally from Juno if you like what you hear here.

I've gone on and on about Optimo in the past and it has been a life changing club (alongside predecessor Pure), but the time has come to move on to pastures new. I'm sure there'll be plenty of opportunity to go and see the cunts DJ in the future at one-offs and whatnot so no need to panic (might even manage to fit one in this Friday). However, the end is nigh for this particular vehicle.

Cheers Twitch, cheers Wilkes, it's been a great 12 and a bit years of madness...



Betty Botox Presents... The World Of Betty Botox (edited highlights)
B1 - Back To The Piano Magic ('Going Back To My Roots' by Richie Havens)
B2 - It Is S'ex Yr After ('Is It Love You're After' by Rose Royce)
B3 - Set Me Free ('Set Me Free' by David Matthews)

Buy it here

Suicide - Ghost Riders

Tenth Anniversary gig, recorded at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis in Sept 1981.

For no other reason than I'm feeling pretty darn excited about seeing this pair in a few weeks down at the Hammersmith Apollo, here's a rip of a nicely packaged vinyl reissue that popped out in 1998.

I would have loved to have been at this gig - it sounds completely fucking mental. Mind you, any gigs I've heard by them are completely fucking mental (esp this one).

As I type this, I am hearing via 6 Music that Liam Gallagher is indeed the best frontman of all time, so before I go and slash my wrists please take the time to download and listen to this wee gem. If any of you are heading to the Stooges/Suicide gig on Sunday 2nd May, lemme know and I'll happily buy you a pint to say 'thanks' for following this blog.

ALAN VEGA IS GOD...



Suicide - Ghost Riders
A1 - Rocket USA
A2 - Rock n' Roll (Is Killing My Life)
A3 - Ghost Rider
A4 - Dream Baby Dream
B1 - Sweet White Lady
B2 - Harlem
B3 - 96 Tears

Buy it here

Honkeyfinger - Running On Empty EP

3-track 7" from last year, on Hoarse Records.

This was limited to 500 copies (mine is #152), so this shouldn't cause any problems sales-wise for anyone.

Seeing as how it's Andrew Weatherall's birthday today (he's 47 - 10 years older them me), I thought I'd break my blogging silence and stick up a genuine 'rip' for the first time in ages.

Honkeyfinger first appeared on the Wrong Meeting album a few years back, and is currently firing out stuff like this on his own label. He describes himself thus: "It's all about a making one hell of a pounding, primal, amped-up & skronked out blues racket. Honkeyfinger is the one man band from the bowels of the earth, erupting molten fuzz lapsteel, screaming harmonica riffs and desperate bestial howling in a scorching hot cocktail of heavy raw blues power. The Honkeyfinger sound hotwires the electric freak rock of vintage Beefheart, Blue Cheer, ZZTop, and Black Sabbath into a jumping, lurching monster. Boiling up the ghosts of Bukka White, Leadbelly and John Lee Hooker with the bones of the country blues, laced with the acid fried heaviosity of the Butthole Surfers - this is the thick stinking soup that Mr Honkeyfinger serves hot."

Sounds good to me. Andrew Weatherall adds a dubby edge to the title track and Mr Honkeyfinger throws in a nice wee cover of the John Mayall track on B1.

So, same time same place next year...?



Honkeyfinger - Running On Empty EP
A - Running On Empty (Andrew Weatherall Vox Mix)
B1 - I'm Your Witchdoctor
B2 - Running On Empty (Fuzzlover Mix)

Buy it here