Beat Motel Zine

Do you remember secret tracks on the CD versions of albums? If so, you might be as old as we are. Which means you're COOL! In this episode of the Beat Motel podcast, Andrew and Dr Sam share their favourite and most interesting secret album tracks. Some are good, some are interesting, and one might make you feel physically unwell. We have introduced a correspondence section at the end of each episo...

Live review of the Max Cooper 3D/AV gig at Norwich Arts Centre, supported by Alex Banks. Review ably assisted by James Howard. Find out more about James's music at https://talkingsleeve.bandcamp.com/ Max Cooper - https://maxcooper.net/ Alex Banks - https://www.alexbanksmusic.co.uk/ Norwich Arts Centre - https://norwichartscentre.co.uk/

What is your problem with Country Music? Seriously? In this episode of the Beat Motel Zine Podcast we dig into why lovers of genres like punk, electronica and metal seem so prejudiced against Country Music. What is it about this genre that makes so many people dismiss it? In each episode of the Beat Motel Zine Podcast Dr Sam and Andrew Culture pick four tracks each that are either important to the...

Some songs appear only to exist to allow the band's guitarist to properly show off. But is this a good thing or a bad thing? What happens when the bit of the song with singing and whatnot is pitifully short, but the solo is far too long? Join Dr Sam and Andrew as we dig into our favourite tracks that are 'more solo than song'. For this episode, we are excluding Prog Rock from our choices, mainly b...

ExBuryMental is the name for a long-running series of gigs put on by Jay Volunteer in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk (UK). If these gigs had to be pigeonholed in some way, I would say they are probably noise gigs, but in reality, anybody who wants to make any kind of sound is more than welcome to get up and do their thing. These gigs are also connected to the noise gigs in Ipswich that I (Andrew) put...

It's summer, so we're doing a Ska Punk episode! Join Dr Sam and Andrew Culture as we wander down a slightly off-beat memory lane of peppy music! This episode has many brilliant anecdotes, especially around the punk scene of the late 90s and early 2000s, including our adventures in German squats and the generosity of touring bands. It's not nostalgia; it's a celebration! SAM'S PICKS Operation Ivy -...

Get the full show notes at beatmotel.co.uk The Fall shouldn't really need an introduction. But are you sure they are the band you think they are? For this episode of The Beat Motel Podcast I'm joined by writer Mark Beaumont-Thomas and we discuss the story of Mark E Smith, The Fall and most importantly, the music. The passing of Mark E Smith appears to have inspired many to take a fresh look at The...

Review of Swans playing live at Norwich Waterfront on Wednesday, 23rd August 2023. Thanks to Jay, Boo and Roki for getting involved.

Join Dr Sam and Andrew as they visit the very first Hellskinki Metal Festival (yes, note the two insertions of the letter 'L'). Find out what an extreme metal festival in the heart of one of the most metal countries in the world is like, first hand. Photos and more are available at https://lawsie.com/beat-motel-podcast/hellsinki-metal-festival-2023-a-gonzo-review/ As with all our live reviews, we...

Are parody bands a pointless waste of our ears, or are they an essential part of a vibrant musical tapestry? In this episode of the Beat Motel podcast Dr Sam and Andrew chose eight of their favourite parody bands and then argue about whether they are actually parodies or not. This episode was a LOT of fun to make! RIFFS OF THE WEEK Chepang - GC (Sam) John Coltrane - A Love Supreme Pt III - Pursuan...

Throughout history, venues have helped define and nurture scenes. Sometimes music venues become central to the scenes they support. For example, The Hacienda in Manchester become synonymous with the Madchester scene in the early 90s. From the 1960s to the late 1990's, a tiny venue in Soho (London) became the heart of a music scene that spawned phenomenal stars. The venue was Bunjies. Although it w...

Electronic adventures at the fantastic Smokehouse in Ipswich. Friendship is a large part of the music experience. We meet friends at gigs, we're in bands with friends, and sometimes, when the stars align we get to put on gigs featuring friends. Then there are the magical occasions whereby we are able to promote a gig for a friend who has lived abroad for years and is back in the UK for just a shor...

Do you know what the Amen break is? No? Then listen to this episode of the Beat Motel Zine Podcast. If you already know what the Amen break is then you should still listen to this episode of the podcast! One of the greatest and bestest things about music is that you can always be amazed by learning something new. Once you have acquired new musical knowledge your life changes, you can't 'unknow' th...

Wu-Tang: An American Saga is a series shown on Disney+ (here in the UK) and is a dramatisation of the early days of the Wu-Tang clan. In this episode of the Beat Motel Podcast Andrew walks us through the first two seasons of this hip-hop historical dramatisation. How close is Wu-Tang: An American Saga to the truth, and does that really matter at all? Would someone who isn't into hip-hop get anythi...

More details at https://lawsie.com/beat-motel-podcast/ipswich-music-day-2023/ Ipswich Music Day happens the same weekend ever year in, yup, you guessed it - Ipswich! This is the biggest free music festival in the UK. In this episode of the Beat Motel Podcast Andrew takes us on a journey through Ipswich Music Day (known locally as 'music in the park'). Bands mentioned in this episode: The Interesti...

Get more at https://lawsie.com/beat-motel-podcast/trv-kvlt-black-metal-lo-fi-isms-academic-notes/ This week, Sam is broadcasating from darkened cathedral. Join him as he bumbles through a lo-fi essay on thoughts and his research on trv, kvlt black metal lo-fi-isms. Is the crapness of his recording and production due to budget and laziness, or is he being kvlt? Plus, a load of samples from the worl...

Pink Floyd Live At Pompeii is a film that is packed with oddities, experiments, frustrations and a whole lot of sand. Live at Pompeii is required viewing for 'heads', but does this 52 year old film still have any relevance? How does it hold up against other legendary rock films? In this episode of the Beat Motel Podcast Andrew is joined by his These Are End Times bandmate, and acknowledged expert...

Our review of day two of the Brighten the Corners festival in Ipswich, Suffolk. Get the day 1 review (and more) at https://lawsie.com/beat-motel-podcast/brighten-the-corners-festival-day-1-review/ Bands mentioned in this podcast episode Anthony Smerick Moorish Idols Deathcrash Triptides Kyoto Kyoto Fat Dog Karma Sheen

Brighten the Corners is a huge multi-venue festival in Ipswich, Suffolk, UK. Previously called 'Sound City Ipswich' the festival has a brilliant reputation for booking acts that almost immediately afterwards become huge. It's a bit like the East Anglian version of The Great Escape festival in Brighton. Find out more about Beat Motel at https://beatmotel.co.uk/ Bands mentioned in this podcast episo...

The opportunities to witness Japanese black gaze bands playing live in the UK aren't frequent. So when Asunojokei announced they would be ending their first European tour just down the road from us at Colchester Arts Centre tickets were bought as fast as our meaty fingers could hammer in card details on the Arts Centre website. The fact our friends Lebrique were in support was an added bonus. This...

What makes a good live performance? Forget about the songs and musicianship and think about the other stuff. For this episode of the Beat Motel podcast, we were going to talk about the best light shows we have ever seen, but we realised that a good gig is about more than how many lights are blinding the audience. Join Dr Sam Page and Andrew Culture as we discuss eight of the best performances we h...

Get more at beatmotel.co.uk Blur have announced that they will soon be releasing a new album, so this seemed like the perfect time to look back over their long career and pick out some songs that highly the weirdness and glory of Colchester's finest band with a four-letter name. We encourage you to listen to this episode even if you aren't a blur fan. When publishing Bet Motel podcast episodes tha...

A live gig review of Rival Consoles and Hainbach, live at The Barbican in London. Recorded on the day of the gig, 27th May 2023. Huge thanks to Matt Read (fantastic rectangles) for getting involved with this review.

Why do bands mess up excellent songs with the wrong production choices? Why would any band choose to make their recordings sound deliberately terrible? Dr Sam Page and Andrew Culture answer these questions and many more in this episode of the Beat Motel podcast. Get more at https://beatmotel.co.uk/ If you expect objective facts and reasonable arguments, you should find a different music podcast; m...

Do musicians these days make too much music? If so, then why, and should they stop? In this episode of the Beat Motel, Sam springs an essay on us, and we discuss bands we used to love but have since stopped listening to. Read Sam's essay here - https://lawsie.com/beat-motel-podcast/falling-out-of-love-with-rancid-and-musicians-releasing-too-much-music/ Also covered in this podcast episode: Bands w...