FALSE HEADS are anything but fake news
"It’s time to choose whose side you’re on."
2014: Ed Sheeran dedicated a song, at a private party, to bacon connoisseur, David Cameron, and Donald Trump was a less dangerous joke. In a galaxy far far away, simultaneously, art's DIY rebellion was planting seeds of social collusion. TheZineUK started telling a newer wave tale, as fresh ideas were developing, like our story, towards the near future.
2017: UK Music Census Day: The general view of the world, by the willingly evolved, is “WTF!”. 9 of the top 10 chart singles are by Ed Sheeran this week in Brexitannia's Shitegeist. In the worst, dystopian vision of Armageddon (the “Austerity my arse” remix), the gutter press with their hate crime inciting, nazi-cock sucking treasonous fake news, are definitely part of this.
Under radar, in the parallel dimension of surreal reality is a virtual haven of heaven with diversity in it’s DNA. Our world is a completely different WTF. The best; glorious creativity, songs bigger than planets, stars that can be so down to earth as human beings because they are extremely intergalactic in potential as artists. Friendship as finance.
In this Punk Spring, Luke Griffiths, Jake Elliott and Barney Nash, collectively False Heads, have landed, with their Gutter Press EP (25 Hour Convenience Store Records/Pledge Music).
You can actually feel the mosh pit while listening to this EP. TWENTYNOTHING (this video) fires up youth power until you wanna yell “Let’s take back our planet, one gig, one song, one hug at a time”. Hell yeah, Gutter Press is a collection of essential decibels (premiered by The Independent Newspaper) from a band who are being lauded by legend, Iggy Pop and a gang of 4REAL recommenders. That’s cred as fuck, but earned by hard work gaining reputation on the most authentic new music movement in decades.
From the (very busy) horses mouth, we caught up with driven, attention smacking front man, Luke, for a quick interview;
TheZineUK; "Having made an impression on 2016 a year you needed to be special to get noted in, what with Armageddon and all that, False Heads have hit the ground running in 2017. . ."
Luke : “Ah thank you very much, glad to know we're finally making people notice something haha...”
Z : “...it’s only March and your musical activism has made a defiant impression without the hype of gutter press. Have you faith in the power of the under radar music movement, and it's supporters from Gary Powell and This Feeling to Iggy Pop and and new music radio stars, that your path has taken?"
Luke : “...Yeah I do actually. And that's an honest answer.
Not just saying that, of course there's bits and bobs about every aspect of the industry I don't like. Even including the smaller, independent aspects of it, but people like those you mentioned including Scruff of the Neck and John Kennedy (even though he's been doing it for a while) needs a massive fucking shout out. They really are desperately trying to do their bit to help independent artists in a time where (I don't give a fuck what people tell us) major labels and massive companies rule the industry more than ever, how many times have we seen a band get signed to a huge company and then instantly they are everywhere?
Every fucking radio station and website etc. So the people out there supporting the outsiders really fucking count and I do like to believe it's those bands/artists that are gunna change something.
Maybe that is too much to ask for. It needs to happen though, otherwise I think we will be stuck for eternity getting insipid drivel forced down our throats.
There's a lot of people genuinely trying to fight the tide of drivel and yeah I got faith in them. Hopefully, they have faith in us too. Having Gary (Powell, beat of The Libertines, head honcho of 25 Hour Convenience Records) and Iggy support us as well, is obviously pretty fucking great too"
You can see why False Heads (this image by Gregory Hesse-Wagner) fit right into the story of uniqulture.
If nobody felt this strongly, then we would be doomed, but we need artists with some heart and soul to get us all tribal and hopeful.
So had to follow up;
Z : For a long time now, guitar music has been written off as dead.
The Brits incited the New York Post's recent "British Music Sucks Right Now" article etc., but our story is over flowing with a new music movement that you are definitely part of.
We feel that you can never have too much faith in rock n roll right now. You?"
Luke : “I don't blame that article from across seas. We all know, anyone with a fucking brain in their nut in the UK knows the BRITS is an absolute shambolic mess of shite that should be wiped off the face of the earth. Unfortunately, most people in the UK do not have a fucking brain in their nut and probably see the BRITS as the purveyor of British music so I imagine that would translate across sea. So I understand where that article would come from, mainstream British music is a fucking state and the BRITS represents that and their impression of British music would be the BRITS so yeah, I understand where they were coming from in that article.
But yeah, I agree with you guys. People and especially big news outlets and sources need to start looking past that contrived fucking nonsense full of shallow cunts who are all dead behind the eyes. You guys did a great job of showing how there is British music that is thriving, it's just choosing to be ignored by the status quo unfortunately.
It does feel like something is growing underneath the surface, and people like you help push that and make it feel real. I just hope something comes of it."
Image by Alan Wells photography.
We all just gonna keep believing in each other. For instance the #1bigfamily of This Feeling’s increasingly infectious and infamous zone puts the corporate scouts to shame.
Take another look at the line ups of the best music festivals that include guitar music. Find one without a TF associated name. Just saying. So essential to that previously mentioned and much needed small to medium venue circuit, the best scenes of the last two decades.
Trust me, I was there. Not only that, the 90s music fans are joining the kids in loving the new breed. There is something that the more nonce-minded of the industry couldn’t get their heads around. Fuck the fucking rules. Eska, Paul Draper, Sleaford Mods. In their 40s. Live with it. Grace Jones, The Rolling Stones, hot tickets. Again, get over it. You wanna ensure the future though, potential festival bill fillers for the next decades? Schoolies, Twenty Nothings, Club 18-30s, get into that now. Whip yer cheques out and help, or go and work in a bank or summat.
If you can’t get to a gig, we have film maker associates and photographers bringing you the pictures worth a thousand words each. Media, maintream and independent, who GET it. If any hackers can get these bands as video clip hijacks on The Brits, we’ll SHOW them what we’re made of.
In the mean time, before the biggest secret in music goes public and you’re paying money you don’t have for a set you are so far away from that the musicians are just dots, make moments of #heaven17 for yourselves and buy a tune, wear some merchandise, go to a show, watch a video, listen to a tune. Just get involved. This is rewarding and cathartic. If we fail * it will be the most fun we ever had doing so.
I turned to a fellow photographer, down the front of the stage, at the London start of This Feeling’s 10th anniversary month in October. “I’m just learning”, I admitted. “Me too”, he replied. Who but Mikey Jonns (Mr Zone) would allow up and comers of the creative industries to gain entry to a hot ticket show and learn their crafts on rising star bands?
Both Alan and myself are part of the pulsing network of new friendships that all these bands are bringing into the tale through fandom. It’s how come his images (that's another one, right here) grace this article.
It makes (situationist chaos magic) sense. Music fans of all kinds, ambitious future game changers included are in the Music Venue Trust's alliance of special but threatened spaces. False Heads have been treading the boards of this "developers" versus fun loving non-criminals virtual warzone to stay open. This is our world famous economy, community, employment and education boosting small venue circuit. False Heads exude aural “degentrification” with raw, honest excitement and have been on our radar since they were announced to play with another fave, Trampolene, so are a welcome thread woven into uniqulture's tapestry. Their music screams “GO TO A GIG!”
Z : "Would you, yourselves, say that the live experience is an essential part of the False Heads experience, for those that can get to a show?"
Luke : "Definitely, we're very much a live band. I'd say if you like the tunes, you'd feel they are elevated live by a fair amount. Don't take my word from it, come and see us live. I'll buy you a pint...or if you think we're any good you can buy us one. We will see how it goes."
Z : "Gawd bless yer, False Heads, thank you very much for the interview. Best luck for the future"
False Heads : "Thanks for having us guys xx"
‘Gutter Press’ EP, five tracks that capture False Heads perfect riot of energetic, leering bawdiness, and set a huge marker for a band whose remarkable rise is seemingly unstoppable. False Heads : True Heads
Links, next shows and latest news : falseheads.com
p.s. I personally think that by 2018 we should all be giving The Brits TV show a run for its money, even if we have to do it on line. We have allies making waves in Urban / Electro sounds, so we could add our expanding family of punky rockers, artbeat poets, and REVOLT. False Heads would be part of that, for sure. It can only work with powerful anthems. How many do you need?
* We will not fail. We’re not fucking tories. #uniqulture
Thank you Alan and James for your help.
Words; Caffy St Luce