Over the weekend Stuart Maconie's Freak Zone and Freakier Zone had two The Utopia Strong specials. Steve created a special playlist for Freakier Zone which included Teeth of the Sea listen here: Freakier Zone And Mike and Kavus were interviewed about the project on Freak Zone, listen here: Freak Zone The bands S/T debut album is released in all good record shops and streaming sites this Friday: Rocket Bandcamp ---
Double Date, the brit horror/comedy that was scored by and featuring a live performance by GOAT and a track by Mamuthones is released today on Blueray/DVD and on the streaming channels...
We have printed up some new shirts that can exclusively only be bought from the Rocket shop. First up we have a brand new Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – King of Cowards Crown design which is available for preorder below. Then due to popular demand we have done another run of GNOD's – Just say no shirt, but we now have two versions where we have flipped the design so red type on black shirt. Also, due to fans wanting us to make more, we have done another run of the GOAT – Let it Burn shirts, the classic white on black plus a new colour, Blue on grey (heather). Both GNOD and GOAT shirts are available to buy now. - Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – King of Cowards Crown Preorder Black shirt Preorder White shirt - GNOD – Just Say No... Buy Red shirt Buy Black Shirt - GOAT – Let it Burn Buy Black shirt Buy Heather shirt ---
Gum Takes Tooth are heading to Europe this week for some shows: Thursday Cantine de Mars @ Théâtre Le Manège / Mons Info Friday Magasin 4 / Brussels Info Saturday Textuur @ Roodkapje / Rotterdam Info ---
This weekend The Utopia Strong will be appearing on Stuart Maconie's Freak and Freakier Zones. Kavus and Mike will be interviewed and Steve has putb together a very special playlist. Details are: Freakier Zone 00:00 on Sunday Listen here Freak Zone 20:00 on Sunday Listen here ---
Due to being lost in a field at a festival, our monthly round up is a bit late... - PETBRICK – Radiation Facial (Some filthy noise of a track featuring Full of Hell's Dylan Walker) Bonnacons of Doom – ESUS (Great new EP featuring brand new track + remixes including one from Liars and a dancefloor banger from Optimo) Bonnacons of Doom The Utopia Strong – Konta Chorus (One for all you Zimpel/Ziolek and Fripp/Eno fans...killer video by our very own Johnny O) The Utopia Strong The Transcendence Orchestra – Live at Dekmantel Festival, Bimhuis, Amsterdam (Paddy from GNOD teaming up with Anthony Child and Daniel Bean) The Transcendence Orchestra Carter Tutti Void - Triumvirate (What an album!!!!) Carter Tutti Void
Golden Oriele – back catalogue (Blew us away at Supernormal – Can, This Heat, Chrome, Oren Ambarchi, Sun Araw all came to mind) Golden Oriele
PanSTARRS – Dor Elfo2 (Nice slice of Egyptian motorik pop) PanSTARRS
Implog - Holland Tunnel Dive (KIKOK played this banger while in Russia) Implog
AKNE (Another great new live discovery at Supernormal) AKNE
The Exorzist III - Studio Backing Tracks (Really like track 1 and 3 on this tape release...fuzz wah wiggouts and repetitive excursions) The Exorzist III
Yerba Mansa – That was one thousand fucking lightning (another killer like band at Supernormal) Yerba Mansa
Acid Rooster – Acid Rooster (Space rock) Acid Rooster Bloody Head - Narco Bulldozer/Black Dog Blues (One more great live band at Supernormal) Bloody Head Neil Campbell – rainbow send / vespers (Lofi and rocking' fuzz drone sounds) Neil Campbell Listen to our updated monthly 'Rocket Probes' Spotify playlist:
Listen to Ailbhe Máiréad 'Check the Label' Rocket special on Reprezent Radio that aired on 25 August that included first radio plays of new PETBRICK and Bonnacons of Doom tracks Listen here: Reprezent Radio ---
They say: Mr Interesting: How Steve Davis went from Snooker Loopy to modular synthesisers OF ALL retired sports stars, Steve Davis has to have one of the most fascinating post-retirement careers. Having initially maintained his competitive edge via pool, poker and chess, the six-times world snooker champion (below) has become a musical adventurer. The soul boy and prog-rock enthusiast has become a DJ of all manner of weird and wonderful records, and is now also a member of electronic trio The Utopia Strong, with Guapo guitarist Kavus Torabi and multi-instrumentalist Michael J. York, who has also played with Coil and Teleplasmiste. Not bad for a man once dubbed ‘Mr Boring’. Having begun spinning krautrock and experimental records for a community radio station, he could surely not have envisaged how things would take off. ‘Kavus and I started DJing in the back room of Redchurch Brewery in Bethnal Green on a Friday night and we had a great laugh,’ Steve says.
‘We bumped into the guys who ran Bloc Weekend and they said come and play. BBC iPlayer did a feature on it and then the phone started ringing. Within two months we were DJjing at Glastonbury. You couldn’t make it up; it spiralled out of control.’... Read the full piece here: Metro ---
The Utopia Strong are the combined forces of Kavus Torabi (Gong/Cardiacs/Knifeworld/Guapo) and Michael J. York (Coil/Teleplasmiste/Guapo) and Snooker legend Steve Davis. The Utopia Strong self titled album with be available on all formats on 13 September & the band will be taking their 'Medical Grade' music with a string of shows around the release: September 05 / Oslo / London (supporting Teeth Of The Sea) 08 / Krakenhaus Festival / Cumbria November
November: 08 / Golden Lion / Todmorden
December 11/ The Cluny / Newcastle 12 / The Hare and Hounds / Birmingham 18 / The Crescent / York 19 / Deaf Institute / Manchester 20 / Cafe Oto / London 21 / The Music Hall / Ramsgate -
