Masters of Budvar present - at the Labour Club, on the corner of Earl & Charles, Northampton NN1 - on Friday 2nd May 2008

ESCALATION - CHARLIE BARNARD - DJ THE NOTORIOUS B.E.Z.

This month Masters of Budvar find themselves embedded within Northampton's first Middle of Nowhere Festival. We're not crazy about the name, but there are good people behind it and if they find it necessary to fall back 'pon irony to promote the seething cauldron of talent and creativity here in the new Barcelona, let us not carp, for their intentions are good.

But what, you want to know, is on offer at NN1's original and best casbah of live music and mayhem? Stick with us, friends, for it is good.

ESCALATION are our headliners. We felt that, since MoN is all about promoting talent from Northampton, we should feature a Northampton act as our headliner. And it's a first as well, for ESCALATION is a brand new electric band formed by Nene Delta blues legend Curtis E. Johnson. The mad genius behind Strange Tales, Stranger Tractors and the glorious Bean King album has built himself a band of Steves: Garofalo (Bareback Riders) on the drums, Gordon (P-Hex) on the bass and Davies (Fat Controller) on the guitar. Gambit! Supergroup! When we asked about the music, we were told to expect "acid ceilidh". Other reports say to expect a grinding, ruthless saturated beauty larded with electronics. Why would you think that this was not for you? Artist Website: www.myspace.com
CHARLIE BARNARD is our opening act. Charlie, 23, is based in East London, where he grooves 'pon sixties psychedelia, psychogeography, East Village Dylan and the ballad of the band. Last seen fronting Nazca Plain, Charlie Duke has returned to following his own dark Brit-psych muse, soon to be unleashed on his new album "Ivory Serpents and the Starving Tree" on Skyeyesea Records. Artist Website: www.myspace.com
Our superstar DJ is The Notorious B.E.Z., leisure lounge leviathan and world's third greatest barman. Uplifting stupidities and beautiful absurdities to stroke your mind inappropriately in the sweetest possible way. Artist Website: www.myspace.com
It's all free and it's on Friday 2nd May. The Labour Club is friendly, reasonably priced and offers good facilities for smokers. Masters of Budvar. We do it because we love it.

Credit: pat