ALTAI ROCKETS

The art-house espionage of Werner Herzog, Tarkovsky and The Ipcress File. The seedy glamour of old Soho. The bombing of Belgrade and the looting of South London council estates. And the communist junkyard of the Altai Republic, the Balkan region where Russian test rockets fall in farmer’s gardens, unable to reach the coast.

These are the building blocks of Altai Rockets, the long-gestating brainchild of London’s Nick Bergin, Nathan Fisher and Graham Bonnar alumni of bands such as Sophia, The Tears, and 'Brian Jonestown Massacre. They began regular Friday night sessions at Nathan’s Crouch End flat, where high on copious amounts of wine and bizarre guitar tunings. 

Before long they had songs running the gamut of noir rock styles from krautrock noise drone to indie epic to folk Spiritualized. And, crucially, they all wrapped Nick’s lyrics of personal anguish in a dark, paranoid Eastern Bloc intrigue. Altai Rockets were launched.


The result is a raining bombardment of bleak beauty. ‘Searchlight’ is the sound of a South London riot strafed with police helicopter spotlights, building to a huge noise crescendo to make My Bloody Valentines knees tremble. 
‘La chere’ is a Debussy-like classical rock wonder inspired by Paul Auster’s story of a sea-bound prison break-out that turns cannibalistic. ‘How The Mighty Have Fallen’ is a lush Spiritualized homage slumped, bedraggled and heartbroken, in Soho dive bars and Dostoyevsky taverns. And ‘Revolution Eyes’  takes the same locked-in desolation to war-torn eastern Europe.

“It was inspired by that radio station that transmitted through the NATO bombings of Belgrade,” Nick explains. “They were illegally transmitting Milosevic. People would be out in the streets after curfew and in the drinking dens for 24-hours because they weren’t allowed out and it used to get out of hand in there.”

About to get out of hand? That’s Altai Rockets themselves, set to explode onto the live scene.Bunker down in the beer halls, comrades, the countdown has begun.

Muddy Suzuki is the project of Damo Waters, whose drumming credits include ZOFFF, Clowwns, Spratleys (Japs), Field Music, SLUG, (British) Sea Power, The Electric Soft Parade, The Fiction Aisle, Jona Lewie, 999, Thomas White, The Lurkers, Restlesslist, Milk And Biscuits, Laurie Bennett & The Models, Chris T-T, Jim Bob, Abdoujaparov, Do You Feel What I Feel Deer, Something Beginning With L, Ciccone, Ataraxy,  and many others.

The tracks here are highlights from albums - go to muddysuzuki.bandcamp.com for downloading/streaming of all Muddy Suzuki albums and tracks!

Smallgang formed in 2005, comprising of brothers Simon and Toshi Kobayashi on both vocals and guitar, and Matt and Ruth Atkins on drums and bass respectively.  They released their first single - Waiting for your Life/Til it's Gone - on 7" in 2007 on Hooked Up Records.  A self-recorded and released album, Labours, followed in 2008.  They released their first studio album in May 2011 - Trespasses - on Damnably Records.  They have been gigging consistently since forming and have supported bands as varied as Shonen Knife, Bitch Magnet, Dick Dale and Something Beginning with L.  They also recently completed their first UK tour in summer 2011. 
on June 2nd 2014 band released 'San(三)'-  Twelve songs written equally between brothers Simon and Toshi Kobayashi, and arranged as a group. Recorded at One Cat Studio by Jon Clayton and Mastered by Matthew Barnhart at Chicago Mastering Service. Guest appearances from friends Gill Sandell (Emily Baker and the Red Clay Halo), Jen Macro (Something Beginning With L, My Bloody Valentine), Ritsuko Taneda (Shonen Knife) and Jon Fine (Bitch Magnet) add subtle nuances and add a welcome dimension to the brothers’ lead baritones.
Order @ http://www.damnably.com/portfolio/smallgang-san/
The band members also play in Crumbling Ghost, Slowgun, Passerines, Russell & The Wolf Choir, Platform and Splintered Man.

Rory McVicar is a musician and songwriter who lives in London. He has played live with the likes of Josh T. Pearson, Bat for Lashes and Jason Molina, recorded sessions for Huw Stephens and Rob da Bank on Radio 1, and released records under a variety of different labels.

"Toothache / Alone I'll Be" (VAN298) is a double A-side 7" single taken from McVicar's forthcoming album, entitled "Wednesday Week".

The songs are a reflection on our relationship with time, and our inability to control it or dampen its effect on our lives. They are about the monotony of modern living, and the extent to which we move through our days as mechanical men and women.

Both songs were recorded in the vast flatlands of the Fens at Sickroom Studios, with musical accompaniment provided by Mat Riviere and members of Magoo.

smallgang is following