Thursday 24 August 2017, 7.30pm
Action Beat is an semi improvisational noise rock band from Bletchley, UK, which is often made up of some core members and musicians who are available to play the gig on any particular date. In recent years they have been collaborating with former vocalist of The Ex G.W Sok. They normally have at least 4 guitarists, a bassist and between 1 and 4 drummers.
Action Beat have been active since 2004 as a two piece but by around 2006 evolved into they're more recognisable manifestation. Since 2007 they have toured the UK and the European continent extensively, and have recently completed a U.S tour of the east coast.
They have eight full length LP's. The most recent being "Action Beat + G.W Sok, The World Is Fucked, But I Feel Fine" available on "Psych.KG"
They also appear on three EP releases. All discographies can be found on disgogs, or Action Beat's bandcamp page.
https://action-beat.bandcamp.com/
Action Beat are an improvisational instrumental noise rock act from Bletchley UK who usually perform with 3-4 drummers and an inordinate about of guitarists.
“A Remarkable Machine, the new collaboration between British noiserockers Action Beat and G.W. Sok – frontman of legendary Dutch postpunks the Ex – is the rare album that’s so intense that you can only listen to it once all the way through without taking a break. Some people will take one a lot earlier. It’ll clear a room in less than a minute. That’s why it’s so awesome.... To say that this is the best album or most whatever album of the year is beside the point: it’s in a class by itself and will probably someday be regarded as a classic, at least by the people who can stand to listen to it for more than a few minutes at a time.” – New York Music Daily
G.W. Sok (born 1957, real name Jos Kleij) is a Dutch singer, best known for his 30 year career as the frontman of the The Ex. G.W. Sok left The Ex in 2008 to focus on a solo career and collaboration projects with other musicians, participation in theatre performances and spoken word performances. Apart from his musical career he's also active as a writer and a graphic designer.
After leaving The Ex, Sok started to collaborate with several acts among which the French experimental free jazz band Cannibales & Vahinés and the Italian band Zu. In 2010 the single "2-2-3 Fridges/Rid" appeared on Sickroom Records. He joined the Dutch collective Beukorkest on their 2011 tour.
In 2011 Sok released the book A Mix of Bricks & Valentines, a 400 page collection of The Ex lyrics and other lyrics he wrote. Also in 2011 De Eeuwige Optie (The Everlasting Option) was published, an experimental film by SpOp featuring Sok as an actor. He also wrote the words for the film's ending track "Illusies". This track was also released as the 7 inch "Illusies 1 & 2" under the bandname Zoikle, consisting of Sok, guitarist Lukas Simonis, cellist Nina Hitz, drummer Cor Hoogerdijk and Maarten van Gent on metal percussion. King Champion Sounds arises from the ashes of the band that was called The Bent Moustache, the musical act of Krommenie-based, Kenya-born, UK-raised Ajay Saggar. This incarnation sees Saggar teaming up with, amongst others, Oli Heffernan (Year of Birds, Shrug) and G.W.Sok. In 2014 he published a double 10" with the UK noise act Action Beat.
London duo Circuit Breaker is the long running project of brothers Edward and Peter Simpson. Their music draws on minimal-synth ,post-punk and dark-wave, mixing heavy and angular guitar work with glitchy and textural electronics.
The band have released two albums on legendary noise label Harbinger Sound, as well as two earlier EPs on Tombed Visions. They have toured all over the U.K and Europe with acts including Sleaford Mods and Consumer Electronics, as well as having recently supported artists such as Martin Rev, Ice Age and Uniform. A recorded collaboration with Russell Haswell is forthcoming.
“Driven along by the guitar and querulous alienated outsider vocals of Peter Simpson and perilously assisted and/or interfered with by all manner of analogue ramalama, these uncontrollable gremlins in Circuit Breaker’s machine – those elements that most musicians would seek to extinguish – are the very elements that make this band” - Julian Cope
The Duke of Zuke is the musical moniker of London-based composer, Clint Trofa. Tracks are built up using layered guitar loops, drones, minimal electronics and other sounds, to create ethereal, delicate, haunting soundscapes. Like the grimy cityscape evoked by the soundtrack.
https://tombedvisionsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/apnoeic
https://www.facebook.com/thedukeofzuke/
