by Luna Blanc
Le’ts start in the middle. Many years after both Josh and I, separately, had had music running through our veins and had already been the air we breathe. Although, mine in the form of a dream and Josh’s as his reality.
Let’s start in the middle. In a retail store in the big and unknown county of Fairfax, in northern Virginia, where Luna and Josh met.
by Jack Blare
photograph taken by Sebastian Greppo
Lydia Lunch is the undisputed Queen of No Wave and is one of the most dynamic and influential artists of our time. She started Teenage Jesus & The Jerks in 1977. Since then she’s been part of numerous bands such as 8-Eyed Spy & Big Sexy Noise and worked with artists as diverse as Sonic Youth, Last Poets, Cypress Grove, Richard Kern, Christine IX, Brian Eno, James Chance, Robert Quine, Nick Cave and Rowland S. Howard of the Birthday Party. She’s published several books and memoirs like Will Work For Drugs, Incriminating Evidence & Paradoxia.
She was a pioneer in the genre of Transgressive Film and is known for her powerful spoken word performances and outspoken feminism. Lydia Lunch has been influencing musicians, poets and artists since she appeared on the scene in 1977 and bands like Sonic Youth and L7 were heavily influenced by her music and ideals. So was I, an unknown 20-something poet and noise musician from a small town in Canada. This is the story of how we first met.
Recently I read an article on Glorious Noise about the Regrettes. I love that kind of music, but it also always transfers me back to the late 80s, early 90s and the hights of Brit-Pop. One of my favorites of that time was Elastica, with their fresh, alternative understanding of pop music.
It’s like living in the 80’s again! South London’s girl-gang Goat Girl release their debut album on Rough Trade. 19 songs in 40 minutes. Taking the energy from punk, but experimenting with different genres.
Foto: Jorn Baars ©
Sorry men, the music year 2018 belongs to the women. At least when you look at this year’s line-up of Eurosonic Noorderslag. Probably the first festival of the year, the trendsetting happening in Groningen, Netherlands, offers a stage for more than 100 emerging bands from all over Europe. And surprisingly many artists were women.