IMPRINTED #003

Greetings music lovers and welcome to IMPRINTED, the motley monolith of musical miscellany that strives to validate its existence by compiling a categorical compendium of the best underground sounds in Belfast's upcoming cultural calendar.

On Thursday 13 June, new kids on the block The Thin Air, present Grant Hart, of Hüsker Dü fame, as he brings his new band The Burn/Burning to the stage at Voodoo. Hüsker Dü were one of those fantastic bands that we know and love today, but were sadly quite far ahead of their time and never obtained the popularity they fully deserved when active. During the late 70’s/early 80’s, their perfect blend of anthemic punk and progressive alternative rock unwittingly formed a mould for the countless bands that would follow in their footsteps, Nirvana and The Pixies being but a few. Expect new material and music from across his back catalogue with the likes of Hüsker Dü and Nova Mob; doors are at 20:45.

Two of Belfast’s primmest electronic promoters, Crilli and Rudimentary have joined forces this month to bring heavyweight producer Fracture to the booth at the Menagerie on Friday 21 June. Fracture is currently riding high following a string of acclaimed releases for luminary drum and bass labels Exit and Metalheadz, not to mention his Astrophonica Ltd 10" series, the most recent of which saw the prolific Machinedrum give Fracture's "Clissold" the VIP treatment. Having already released on labels like Hospital & Bassbin it’s easy to see why Fracture deserves the critical acclaim that’s been lashed on him. With nods to drum and bass, footwork and good, old fashioned bass music throughout his repertoire, I’d recommend not sleeping on this one - get down early to see fellow IMPRINT comrade De-Twist on selection duties.

Contrary to what my previous writings would indicate, I sometimes like to dabble on the darker edges of the world of Metal, and thanks to the stellar lads at local imprint Savour Your Scene Records, I’ve had my attention brought to a great band called Ilenkus. They are a five-piece progressive/post metal band from Galway, Ireland who released their debut album 'Rule By Thieves' on the same label in 2011. They are embarking on a 21 date European tour and the Savour lads are showcasing them live on Sunday 23 June in Voodoo. Ilenkus play a mid to low tempo blend of heavy post-metal which is precisely the kind of ear candy that brings a knowing smile to fans of Mastodon, Isis, Tool and Botch - break out the ear plugs, doors at 8.30pm.

As if my last recommendation wasn’t far enough off-piste, my final mention this month is positively foreign and believe it or not, hasn’t really even got anything to do with music. The Papergirl project was founded in Berlin in the summer of 2006 in reaction to tightening German graffiti laws and essentially, it is a non-commercial, guerrilla initiative that brings art to the streets in a somewhat alternative way. Essentially, they distribute unique rolls of artwork freely and at random to lucky strangers via bicycle. These could be drawings, paintings, photographs, illustrations, prints, textiles or poems – basically, anything that can be rolled up. Before the newly founded Belfast wing of this innovative movement get on their bikes for their first distribution, they are going to be showcasing all of the submissions at the PS2 gallery on Friday 28 June at 19:00. We all need a bit of creativity in our lives so have a look at http://papergirlbelfast.tumblr.com/ to find out more.

As always people, keep your head up and your ears (and eyes this month) open.

By Matt Hazley