Review // Nosferatu D2 ~ Live At The Spitz

 Read on Goldflakepaint

Everyone is familiar with the particular kind of sadness that comes when a band you love breaks up, the gigs you’ll never get to experience again, the thrill of a new release that will never happen. So it follows that there’s probably nothing worse (musically speaking anyway) than discovering an incredible band, after they’ve split up. In the case of Nosferatu D2 we were all somewhat on the backfoot to start with, as their incredible album ‘We’re Going To Walk Around This City With Our Headphones On To Block Out The Noise’ was released two years post-humously. It’s thanks to the efforts of the excellent record label Audio Antihero that you can hear them at all. You’d be forgiven for thinking that with basically all ND2’s recorded music having been released and no intention of reunion that there’s nothing more left for ND2 to five, but in typical AAH fashion, almost magically they’ve produced a new release.

It’s a live recording of ND2’s last ever gig, supporting Los Campesinos! and Sky Larkin. Described as a “DIY” recording, you might be expecting something fuzzy and unlistenable, but that’s not the case at all. Remastered by Benjamin Shaw (of ‘There’s Always Hope There’s Always Cabernet’ fame) this album captures the messy power that gives ND2 such a charisma and pull. Crashing cymbals, emotive vocals and some truly unbelievably good drumming, framed with the occasional mumbled “cheers” and the audience’s reactions. There’s also a track not on ‘We’re Going To Walk Around…’ called ‘A Man At War With Himself’ which is fast paced, furious lo-fi indie at its best and shows just how good ND2 really are/were.

What was always my favourite song of the album ‘Flying Things And Pests’ is brought somewhat further to life than the album version. With the barely audible murmurs of the crowd adding some great atmosphere and the dark, honest lyrics giving extra punch – which combined with lead singer Ben Parker’s vocals, quivering with feeling, create something really special. Parker achieves a particular kind of honesty and wry humour with his clever way with words, the opening lines of ‘2 People, 0 Superpowers’ embodies this talent “a heart with no soul is just offal, and a soul with no heart is something I don’t wanna talk about today”. Lines like this, and the gloomy descriptions of everyday life are widely applicable in that very specific way that can lead a band to real success, but more importantly create music that really means something.

This live album is partly a way to discover just how good ND2 were, but nostalgia and hindsight aside, it’s a very good listen in its own right. Seeing a band live is often a good way to refresh music that you’ve over-listened to, and if you’ve been suffering (as I have) from having only ten ND2 songs to listen to, ‘Live At The Spitz’ is the perfect way to re-engage with the band. But that’s not to say that it’s only for ‘fans’ of ND2, it will lead new listeners to discover a truly vibrant and enjoyable band.

Jack Hayter - Sucky Tart

The first track, 'I Stole The Cutty Sark' contrasts traditional sea-shanty style vocals with discord and unusual instrumentation effectively, managing to tread the line between 'folk' and 'alternative' without becoming dull. 'A Doll's House' is lyrically smart and humorous; "he's got her head in his lap, but her body's in the corner of another room. It's not what it seems...'. The image this creates at first is surreal, but Jack Hayter makes it seem a deeply personal emotional tale.

'A Simple Song' and 'Jacquie I Won't Mind' are pleasant and again emotionally literate. On the evidence of this EP, Hayter's lyrics have a knack for making you think one thing, which is then later revealed as something more. This makes it feel quite touching and personal, as in 'A Doll's House', "It's not what it seems...'cos what it seems is, they're living in a Doll's House". His refreshing blend of sounds and influences make 'Sucky Tart' is a pleasant listen.

Available to order from Audio Antihero on 31/01/2011

Audio Antihero Interview and Nosferatu D2 as Artist Of The Month

Tomorrow night on my radio show I will be airing my interview with Jamie, whose record label Audio Antihero posthumously released (as it were, none of the band members are dead, just the band) Nosferatu D2’s incredible album “We’re Going To Walk Around This City With Our Headphones On To Block Out The Noise”.

He told me all about the future of Audio Antihero, how Nosferatu D2 and the other artist on his lable, Benjamin Shaw got signed as well as much more.

You can hear the interview on my radio show through Spark Radio (www.sparksite.co.uk) from 8pm on Thursday 30th October (tomorrow).

Nosferatu D2 are my current Artist Of The Month so after the show I will be putting the interview on here for all to hear as well as a bit more information about them for those not in the know.

"We're gonna walk around this city with our headphones on to block the noise"

There's no point in trying to speak to the masses, because the masses know nothing.



Sometimes I stumble across a band that have something really special....and one of these bands is named Nosferatu D2....



Nosferatu D2 are released by Audio Antihero, a little record label that released their album two years after the band (two brothers named Ben and Adam) broke up. Not necessarily a recipe for success, but then maybe if more people did things purely for the love of it, life would be very different - but I digress. Nosferatu D2 make some really spectacular music.

The album is named "We're gonna walk around this city with our headphones on to block out the noise", which aside from possibly being the longest album title ever, is quite a lovely statement. It also truly describes their sound. Upon first listen, it doesn't immediately appear anything majorly different musically, but as you hear it more the lyrics come through and that "noise" is most definitely blocked out and forgotten.

The opening guitar of "Broken Tamagotchi" is sharp and frames the emotional delivery of the lyrics perfectly. My personal favourite song (for the moment at least) "Flying Things and Pests" contains even more lines that seem to reach inside Ben Parker's brain, plucking the thoughts and feelings that are still raw. "Everyone's afraid of death, and of flying things and pests..." a line that emphasises the total honesty of this record.






To buy the album go to http://www.audioantihero.com/Shop.htm, it may well have defined the past few years in music if only people had heard it...which is why there's no point in trying to speak to the masses, because the masses know nothing.

So I'm speaking to all the individuals with excellent music taste (not that I'm trying to persuade you in any way) Buy it, listen to it and then tell everyone you know to do the same, believe me it's worth it.