Hibushibire – Phantom Fuzzy Logic Riot Season Records – 2026 Rock, Hard, Psych, Garage Rated: ****
It’s the ‘zang’ alright! It’s a blast! Like being shot out of cannon! A Hibushibire’s fifth studio album Phantom Fuzzy Logic is one hell of an intense and rapid onset of a trip. Like somebody spiked the fuel tank of a seventies rock ‘n roll Cadillac and pointed it straight into the heart of the American dream. Or a psychedelic desert! Kapow, the Osaka quartet floor the accelerator immediately with opener Mandrake Oracle, dragging me deliriously happy and screaming into a neon fever dream where motorik versions of Purple, Zappa, Airplane and cosmic Japanese psychedelia all collide in one magical kaleidoscopic freak out.
And they never let up, following Minagoroshi Western gallops across that desert like a cowboy on mescaline, while Daydream Rendezvous floats along on a magic carpet ride through a blanket of purple smoke. Flags waving of all shapes and colors, lights blinking and no nervous system left or needed. Glorious acid folk inspired to get your grounded. Before letting go again, leaving the other tracks to detonate in a beautiful brain-melting free-for-all. Ai Vist Lo Lop by the wonderful Occitan traditional band Mont-Jòia, is the cover that ends the electric Phantom Fuzzy Logic. Stretching the thirteen mesmerizing minutes into one long occult road trip. You suddenly remember for a moment, weren’t we in a speeding Cadillac? Right? Buckle up. Reality has taken a different offramp…
(Written by JK)
And if you’re in Europe and in the need to lose your mind… Hibushibire are on tour right now! September 13th in the wonderful Onderbroek in
Nijmegen!
They’re already out there… Over here… In Europe! That wild trio named Stinking Lizaveta! Starting the tour during a European heatwave that hasn’t occurred in this vicious capacity many times before must have been bewildering. But I am sure the embrace of the ones lucky enough to already have seen them must have provided them with all they needed. And they’re still here. For quite some time! And yes, I will see them too. Cause I will be attending Stoned From The Underground Festival for the very first time. Are you going to see them live somewhere?
They’ve been releasing music for some thirty years, a fact that was celebrated by the remastered and release of their debut album; which was recorded by Steve Albini in 1996. SRA Records did the deed, but Stinking Lizaveta did the dirty! The dirty business that made Hopelessness and Shame an album that left your nerve endings in tatters and anxiously awaiting a smoke break in the hallway. A thunderous instrumental manifesto that burst out of the Philadelphia underground with all the grace of a runaway freight train! Perfectly captured by Albini, a trio at full energy! Yanni Papadopoulos' already battered and bruised Les Paul screaming like machinery possessed, Alexi Papadopoulos' electric upright bass growling from somewhere beneath the city's cracked pavement, and Cheshire Agusta battering every available surface with glorious intent. Punk? Metal? Free-form jazz? The labels disintegrate under the pressure and give way to something new, beautiful and desired. A brick through the window of convention! And now, three decades later, the maturity of the album, and the rhythm it still contains, makes Hopelessness and Shame even feel less like a debut and more like the opening salvo for a revolution… And we are always in need of one of those!
PR Wire:
Philadelphia's cult doom-jazz rockers Stinking Lizaveta return this Summer to Europe for a festival-hopping tour, beginning Saturday June 20th in Italy, including rocking through Croatia for the mighty Bearstone Festival, and completing the circuit July 10th with Germany's iconic Stoned From The Underground festival.
On what is is Stinking Lizaveta's third summer in a row over in Europe booked without an agent, the tour will see Stinking Liz share stages with the likes of Elder, Naxatras, Altın Gün, Mars Red Sky, and more.
Tour Dates:
JUNE 20 - THE STRONG HEART OF WOMEN FESTIVAL - DRUSO CLUB, BERGAMO PROVINCE, ITALY
JUNE 21 - NEW LONG FEST - SPORTS CULTURAL CENTER, NEA MAKRI, GREECE
JUNE 24 - GERMANY
JUNE 26 - UNDERWATER - WROCLAW, POLAND
JUNE 27 - HÁROM HOLLÓ / DREI RABEN - BUDAPEST HUNGARY
JULY 2 - BEARSTONE FESTIVAL - CROATIA
JULY 4 - ART MUSIC FESTIVAL - M.A.U. CLUB ROSTOCK, GERMANY
JULY 8 - NEUE - ZUKUNFT, BERLIN
JULY 10 - STONED FROM THE UNDERGROUND - ERFURT, GERMANY
30 years on from their 1996 debut album Hopelessness and Shame, the trio show no hint of slowing down as they bring their iconoclastic mix of doom, noise rock, jazz, and more across the pond. 2025 saw their vinyl reissues of Hopelessness and Shame and sophomore effort Slaughterhouse on SRA Records (Soul Glo, HIRS), and 2026 will see them release a new album with SRA this Fall.
Even though, we do not yet know… What the rest of the album will sound like… The first single promises a lot… “Through Zero” unfolds like a journey across an unseen threshold, where the narrator drifts between life and death, searching for meaning in the space between. Guided by echoes of the past and a growing sense of acceptance, they begin to see endings not as final, but as passageways into something unknown. Around them, sound mirrors the transformation, dreamlike textures swirl with heavy, grounding riffs, while hypnotic rhythms pull them forward. Moments of tension give way to clarity, fear softens into understanding. By the end, the journey doesn’t resolve but continues… Suggesting that crossing “zero” is not an end, but a beginning in disguise. And thus, the logical first single for the brand new Elder album dropping May 29th on Stickman Records for Europe, Blues Funeral Recordings in North America and Bird’s Robe in Australia…
Listen to Through Zero right here… And be ready for the rest of the album on May 29th!
PR Wire:
Elder
Unveil Title Track Of Upcoming Studio Album “Through Zero”
Out May 29, Pre-Orders Start Today!
Progressive psych rock heavyweights Elder have released a first single, the title track of their forthcoming studio album “Through Zero”. The record is set for release on May 29 in Europe via Stickman Records, in North America through Blues Funeral Recordings and Bird’s Robe in Australia. Album pre-orders start today.
"In a diverse album, the title track of our new album sits on the middle of the spectrum and is a perfect first impression of what’s to come," says guitarist and singer Nick DiSalvo. "Dreamy, heavy, raw, electronic, there’s a bit of everything that makes this album special to us. Through Zero is about impermanence, coming to terms with mortality and the long struggle to not only make peace but to find a sort of solidarity with the dead. The more time passes, the more this theme returns to me, and always in a new light - much as our music always returns in a slightly changed state reflecting who we are becoming."
Two decades into their existence, Elder remain an anomaly in the heavy underground - a rare band with the ability to absorb and shed influences from a myriad of genres without falling into pastiche or losing their own identity. Through Zero stands as a strong reaffirmation of their commitment to pushing boundaries in the world of heavy rock and cements the group’s status as leaders of the pack in heavy psychedelic rock.
Over the past twenty years, Elder have mastered crushing riffs, melodic jaunts, progressive patterns, hypnotic grooves and ethereal atmosphere. On Through Zero, the band channel these years of experience into what may be their most immediate and engaging record to date, while allowing seeds from outside the sphere of rock music to take root and bloom within their progressive framework. Listeners will find familiar elements of new textures, sequences, and sounds alongside Elder’s iconic take on heavy rock. As always, every spin reveals new details.
Recorded at Big Snuff Studios in Berlin across several months between tours in 2025, Through Zero marks the first album the band not only produced themselves, but also co-mixed together with longtime collaborator Richard Behrens. Mastered by Carl Saff, the result is a record that feels more like a full extension of the band’s creative intentions than ever before.
“Through Zero” is a term borrowed from engineering and the world of music," DiSalvo reveals. "It describes the property of a frequency being able to pass through the zero point and continue into the negative. While it isn’t a concept rooted in philosophy, it resonates with me on a conceptual level: the zero point is not an end, but a midpoint along a partially unseen path. Interpretation is open: the journey is the destination, beginnings and endings may be arbitrary, or perhaps reality is simply less linear than we tend to assume.
The songs on the album explore related themes that reflect my own observations and personal philosophy. Life and death, frustration and fear, helplessness and hope - all of these exist along the same “signal path.”
Through Zero Track listing: 1. Sigil To Ruin 2. Capture/Release 3. Through Zero 4. Strata 5. Sight Unseen 6. Blighted Age
Elder is: Nick DiSalvo - Guitar/Vocals Jack Donovan - Bass Mike Risberg - Guitar/Keyboards Georg Edert - Drums
Elder Live Dates 2026: 13.06. Derby, UK - Download Festival 14.06. Colchester, UK - Colchester Arts Centre w/ Blood Incantation 15.06. Southampton, UK - The 1865 w/ Blood Incantation 16.06. Brighton, UK - Concorde 2 w/ Blood Incantation 18.06. Clisson, FR - Hellfest 19.06. Dessel, BE - Graspop Metal Meeting 20.06. Dortmund, DE - Junkyard Open Air w/ Kadavar 21.06. Frankfurt, DE - Das Bett 23.06. Winterthur, CH - Gaswerk 24.06. Karlsruhe, DE - P8 w/ REZN 26.06. Oslo, NO - Tons of Rock 27.06. Thyrnau, DE - Blackdoor Festival 30.06. Sofia, BG - Mixtape 5 01.07. Thessaloniki, GR - Eightball Club 02.07. Athens, GR - Arch Club 07.07. Slunj, HR - Bearstone Festival 10.07. Pleszew, PL - Red Smoke Festival 23.07. Reutlingen, DE - Hafensounds Festival w/ Kadavar 24.07. Budapest, HU - Monolit Festival 25.07. Tolmin, SI - Tolminator Festival 26.07. Milan, IT - Circolo Magnolia Summer 28.07. Rockstadt, RO - Rockstadt Extreme Fest 30.07. Breitenbach am Herzberg, DE - Burg Herzberg Festival 31.07. Michelau, DE - Rock Im Wald 04.08. Rostock, DE - MAU Club 05.08. Josefov-Jaromer, CZ - Brutal Assault Festial 08.08. Âncora, PT - Sonic Blast Festival 14.08. Valais, CH - PALP Festival
Later this year, the KrashKarma two will return to Europe for a wild two month tour through France, Austria, Spain and hitting almost every city in Germany! But at the end of April and begin of May they will do a mini tour through Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. And yes, my hometown is among the dates! On the 3rd of May they will be crashing into The Jack in Eindhoven!
And wild is an understatement! Two people, somehow sounding like five, hurling drums, riffs and vocal chaos straight into your face, Niki Skistimas soaring one moment, Ralf Dietel growling from the basement the next! It’s a volatile cocktail of modern metal swagger, that combines their powerful drums and energetic guitar with that striking vocal contrast to something that becomes larger than life. Just go back to their last Falling To Pieces album from 2023 and hear the proof that a duo can sound incredibly massive and keep listeners curious for more and for how they sound live on stage. Unbelievably loud, dynamic, unpredictable, explosive and weirdly addictive! Yes, very curious how they deliver it all on stage! May 3rd, The Jack, Eindhoven!
It took me a while to remember that I dug Beyond These Mountains LP from 2019 quite a lot. But after revisiting it this week, I knew we had to mention the fact that the Italian threesome Onioroshi is about commence on their European tour. Ten dates, with the first happening tomorrow in Peyrelevade, France. Sadly no Dutch dates this time around, but luckily we have the new Eris and Wicked Child singles to keep us warm. And let’s not forget that they also released their Shrine album in 2025 through Bitume Productions….
The two new singles still retain that expansive heavy psychedelic prog. But blend that atmospheric exploration with more slow burning song structuring, giving the tension filled compositions a feverish dream quality, that might just turn into a rabbit hole on stage. You can never know where the Onioroshi three will take you. Not on record and certainly not on stage!
PR Wire
Onioroshi is a Heavy Psych band from Italy active since 2019. Following the debut of their 2nd LP Shrine (2025, Bitume Productions), the band played some shows in Italy and then started working on a European tour for 2026. At the same time they began working on new music: two new singles named “Wicked Child” and “Eris”, both 5 minutes long, mark the first time the band has released compositions shorter than ten minutes, with a new drive towards a more leaned and flowing style, which doesn’t drop the distinctive noise-driven research of the band. The new songs were released on February the 25th with two videos shot by Jacopo Gioacchini, with Rebecca Piraccini featuring as actress and dancer.
The band is touring Europe between 12 and 27 March 2026, visiting southern France (in Peyrelevade and Uzerche), Geneva (CH), Subotica (SRB), Budapest (HU), Bratislava (SK), Vienna (AT) and Osijek (CR) for a total of ten shows, and sharing the stage with plenty of independent and local bands.
Tour dates:
13/03 @lerepeyre – Peyrelevade [FR] /w @bitumeprods 14/03 Le Bruit Qui Court – Uzerche [FR] /w @oneburningmatch @bitumeprods 15/03 @urgence_disk_records – Genève [CH] The visuals in this video will run as background in some of our shows. They were shot by @jcp.img edited by @cinobalanos and feature @rebecca.piraccini (masked dancer) and @__kyrieleison__ (actress in the bn shots)
It’s a Psychlona march over in Europe! All through March they’ve got their boots on and their majestic beat to stomp to. Almost twenty nights long you can get your Psychlona fix! Starting this Wednesday, the 4th in the lovely Merleyn venue in Nijmegen, Netherlands, with Kardeathian as pre-show. And the day after, on the 5th, Doom Charts’ very own Riffsniffer invites them to the Baroeg in Rotterdamn to do it together with Cosmic Debris and Fuzzard. Those Dutch dates along are enough to get your disco shoes out of the closet! Can’t miss it!
We’re stoked to announce we’ll be crossing the channel once again back to our spiritual home mainland Europe in march 2026 for an 18 date headline tour. Working again with our good friends at Sound of Liberation we’ll be taking in Germany, Austria. Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium. Hot off the back of our tour with The Obsessed we’re hoping to see a whole lot of friendly faces in some familiar cities/venues but also we’re hitting a few new locations for the first time. Expect a lot of old classics with a healthy dose of new songs thrown into the mix. Details of supports etc to follow.
Psychlona European Spring Tour 2026
04.03 NL Nijmegen Doornroosje 05.03 NL Rotterdam Baroeg 06.03 DE Köln Garagen 07.03 DE Münster Rare Guitar 08.03 DE Hamburg Hafenklang (Goldener Salon) 09.03 DE Berlin Neue Zukunft 10.03 DE Hannover Cafe Glocksee 11.03 DE Dresden Chemie Fabrik 12.03 DE Jena KuBa 13.03 AT Salzburg Rockhouse Bar 14.03 CH Winterthur Gaswerk 15.03 DE München Backstage 16.03 DE Bamberg Live Club 17.03 DE Stuttgart Goldmarks 18.03 DE Karlsruhe Stadtmitte 19.03 DE Aachen Musikbunker 20.03 DE Weinheim Cafe Central 21.03 BE Namur Belvédère
We’ve never made any secret of our love for Temple Fang. And the new album Lifted From the Wind, to be released on April 25th through Stickman Records is sure to cement that love even further. Out now, the first single The River, which flows and nothing abides, nothing stays fixed, it sweeps you along gushes you forth as a sonic white water rapid or a meandering brook… Almost twenty minutes of long form free rock. Utterly freeing and arms stretching ever wider…
TEMPLE FANG releases epic first single, "The River", from upcoming studio album "Lifted From The Wind"
"With 'Lifted From the Wind,' Temple Fang posit their creativity not only as a communion with each other -- a conversation of instruments -- but with something more ethereal. It's a special, deeply honest record, and whatever Temple Fang do from here on out, a landmark in the life of this band. You'd be lucky to see others working under its influence." JJ Koczan, The Obelisk April 25, 2025 will see Amsterdam prog-psych spearheads Temple Fang release their much-awaited, new album, entitled "Lifted from the Wind", via Stickman Records. Coming on CD, Vinyl and in Digital formats, the pre-sale has just started at https://www.stickman-records.com/shop/temple-fang-lifted-from-the-wind/! In support of "Lifted from the Wind", Temple Fang have just been confirmed to return to Roadburn, to play this year’s Spark on Wednesday, 16 April, and will embark on an extensive European tour this Spring. Find all upcoming live dates listed below! With the album opening track "The River", today, the heavy psychedelia rock collective is presenting the first single from their new studio offering. Their first recording with new prodigal drummer Daan Wopereis, a new energy surges through the record from its opening salvo and continues along the epic track's entire 18 minutes. On "Lifted from the Wind", every song is a journey and "The River" is no exception.
Or as the band writes about the song:
"A river as a path to follow, hearts and minds in constant flux, searching for a common purpose: Salvaging a bond in apocalyptic times, making a pact."
Forming in 2018, Temple Fang really started hitting their stride in 2019 with, amongst many others, two highly acclaimed Roadburn shows and appearances at many festivals and clubs across Europe. Having no release out yet and thus creating much anticipation to what their recorded output would end up like. With alternating lead vocalists, two wildly harmonizing guitarists, a powerhouse of a rhythm-section, and armed with truly psychedelic compositions fueled by their exposure to South American plant-medicine, the band took the heavy-psych underground by storm and seemed to be gearing up to bottle this magick and commit it to their studio debut. And then 2020 happened. During the pandemic the band stayed as active as possible, appearing on whatever live-streams they could, resulting in well received appearances on Eurosonic and National Dutch Television, creating even more buzz. A string of seated shows followed, whatever it took to keep playing. Losing their original drummer, the band continued on with a replacement post-covid, putting out a half live/half studio album (Fang Temple 2021), an EP (Jerusalem/The Bridge 2022), multiple live albums (Live at Merleyn 2020, Live at Freak Valley 2023, Live at Krach am Bach 2024), and playing a seemingly endless string of shows from Oslo to Milan, hitting many festivals in between. Roadburn, Desertfest Berlin, Sonic Blast (twice), Palp and countless others were exposed to the magick of this true free rock n’ roll phenomenon, leaving audiences stunned and clamouring for more. Fast forward to 2025 as Temple Fang is ready to release "Lifted from the Wind" on Stickman Records. A record they themselves consider to be their true debut studio album. On this sprawling double record, released on the only label they would give up their independence for, Temple Fang appears, for the first time in their existence, fully formed. Fierce and strong, hard rocking yet elegant, with 20min+ psych freakouts and prog ballads side-by-side, Temple Fang truly delivers on the promise they’ve always held, to really stretch the possibilities of what it means to be a rock band in 2025. With spectacular wild-man Daan Wopereis as a full member on the drums, Temple Fang now can deliver on their commitment to really rock, to blow your mind AND tear your heart out. Rock n’ Roll as a means to attaining spiritual freedom. Mind-bending riffs, triple vocal harmonies, dubbed out bass and groovy yet hard hitting drums, ecstatically rocking and truly psychedelic, Temple Fang delivers it all with LOVE. Longform rock for fans of Motorpsycho, The Grateful Dead, Hawkwind and Hendrix!
"Lifted from the Wind" Tracklist:
1. The River 2. Once 3. Harvest Angel 4. The Radiant 5. Josephine
Temple Fang live:
29.03.2025 Terneuzen (NL), Terneuzen on Fire 16.04.2025 Tilburg (NL), Roadburn 23.04.2025 Köln (DE), Sonic Ballroom 24.04.2025 Duisburg (DE), Bora 25.04.2025 Münster (DE), Rare Guitar 26.04.2025 Jena (DE,) Kuba 27.04.2025 Dresden (DE), Chemiefabrik 28.04.2025 Hamburg (DE), Markthalle 30.04.2025 Amsterdam (NL), Secret Show w/Heath 02.05.2025 Eindhoven (NL), Effenaar w/Mojo & the Kitchen Brothers 03.05.2025 Haarlem (NL), Slachthuis w/Heath 05.05.2025 Augsburg (DE), Soho Stage 06.05.2025 Salzburg (AT), Rockhouse Bar w/Black Pyramid 07.05.2025 Stuttgart (DE), Goldmarks 08.05.2025 Winterthur (CH), Gaswerk 09.05.2025 Seewen (CH), Gaswerk 10.05.2025 Delémont (CH), SAS 11.05.2025 Barberaz (FR), Brin de Zinc 13.05.2025 Esch-Alzette (LUX), Kulturfabrik w/Elder 14.05.2025 Tourcoing (FR), Le Grand Mix w/Elder 15.05.2025 Rotterdam (NL), Baroeg @ Rotown 16.05.2025 Groningen (NL), Vera w/Heath 17.05.2025 Nijmegen (NL), Sonic Whip 19.05.2025 Frankfurt (DE), Das Bett w/The Devil and The Almighty Blues 20.05.2025 Karlsruhe (DE), P8 w/The Devil and The Almighty Blues 21.05.2025 Bielefeld (DE), Forum w/The Devil and The Almighty Blues 22.05.2025 Leipzig (DE), Werk 2 w/The Devil and The Almighty Blues 23.05.2025 Oldenburg (DE), Cadillac Club 24.05.2025 Berlin (DE), Desertfest 08.06.2025 Schlitz (DE), Moon Festival 13.06.2025 Deventer (NL), Burgerweeshuis w/Dool
Temple Fang is:
Dennis Duijnhouwer: Vox, Bass Jevin de Groot: Vox, Guitar Ivy van der Veer: Vox, Guitar Daan Wopereis: Drums
The first single for the new Kadavar album coming in a few months. It's out! And it's called I Just Want To Be A Sound. Which seem to be going for more psychedelic pop overture take on what they want to do, perhaps that MGMT reminiscent glide and build. Kadavar is always changing and evolving and this is their next step...
"This
is where our journey as four truly began. With this riff, Lupus planted
the seeds for the rest of the album. How do you honor with words the
world a few guitar notes can open up? That question kept us busy longer
than I’d like to admit. Then one day, I remembered Simon’s answer when I
asked why he avoided social media: ‘I just want to be a sound.’ And
that was it—just be a sound. The lyrics celebrate what we’ve always
defined us as a band: freedom, joy, and love for what we do." - Love
Tiger
They struck hard! A lasting bitemark, with venomous rings spreading outwards... Ever outwards! For you remember when Denver three Cobranoid delivered their debut album right? And that Stoner HiVe got to premiere the FULL ALBUM? And you have been listening to it ever since? Well, the boys are taking their ruckus on the road! Spreading their very own speed doom sound on a little mini tour in during November. Lucky bastards over there on the other side of the pond! Here's hoping they'll make it to Europe as well one day...
"MAXIMUM DOOM" presented by Dirty Rock & Roll Dance Party w/ Sonolith (Album Release Party!) Hands Of Oblivion
PR WIRE:
After releasing their crushing self-titled debut album on August 16th,
Cobranoid are bringing the venom out of Denver and into the American
Southwest this November!
With dates in Fort Collins CO, Grand
Junction CO, Tempe AZ, and Las Vegas NV, Cobranoid will sink their fangs
into new victims as they continue their quest to spread the mighty riff
far and wide.
Almost time to put way too many words about Psychlona online. Yes, we finally found time to finish that interview we did with vocalist, guitarist and founder Phil Hey. We lost part of it when we had it almost done, a week after the chat and then life took over and everything went to shit. But as a bit of time opened up, we sat down and wrote everything down as much as we wanted it in the first place. We reckon there’s a bit of an arc and a bit of rhythm to the way too long piece, but hey, too many words, that’s how we roll… But before we get to that one, we wanted to share the very cool video for Magic Carpet first. A brilliant song with an arc and a rhythm, that could have lasted longer if I had a say in it. Perhaps when they’re on stage with that ‘mega riff in the second half’, they can let it go on even longer and let the venue explode! Jazzy, warm and soulful first and something that touches upon that free spirit of the seventies and then boom! All Psychlona and yet, taking Psychlona even further… On a Magic Carpet ride…
They’re hitting Europe once again as the new album Moth Eater is unleashed upon all unsuspecting heavy music fiends. Unsuspecting, right. Not if you’ve been following the HiVe a bit! Cause we’ve been raving about Ruff Majik, the new album Moth Eater and basically everything these boys do for quite some time now! A review is in the works and we can’t help ourselves, we have to point you into the direction of the new video for Wasted Youth as well! The songs sits proudly on that Moth Eater album as the ninth track and delivers that nostalgic sadness, that uplifting melancholy and stomps it all home. No time to waste… Go check out the wicked video for Wasted Youth…
Ruff Majik – I’m gonna be needing a helmet for that…
“I once
ate a moth as a kid, nearly suffocated. Don’t eat moths.”
I once learned, ages ago, that a
review of a live show should always go up the next day or the day after, at the
very latest. And don’t mix it with other stuff. A review is a review and an
interview is an interview. An interview should have a news worthy lead and some
enticing first lines. And once the internet started to take hold of society, we
heard nobody is ever gonna read a long story on the internet. But, well, this
IS the internet. I can do whatever I want. And Stoner HiVe is my little old
blog, so F those rules! This here, is some weird story, a longform hybrid,
chitchat about and with Ruff Majik. Moving through time and place and going all
gonzo. Cause sometimes you just have to roll with the punches…
Just like a band on tour has to roll
with the punches. You never know what might happen on the road as you make all
those many miles disappear beneath your wheels or feet. Your van might break
down. Leaving you stranded. Or you might, inadvertently and unbeknownst to you,
have started a cult in some city you have never even set foot in before.
Crazies that only ever needed was some speed and well, someone to crown like a
king and worship like a God…
Struggling to make sure to be able
to rock Eindhoven, the Ruff Majik guys were frantically grasping at whatever
string they could while recovering from a gig in Ede. But luckily and of
course, when they finally got a hold of the honorable Acid King, the band
immediately offered to help out and lend the band a backline. Because, when a
van breaks down, somewhere, on the road, it’s very difficult nowadays to find
an affordable replacement vehicle. Which means, most of the gear was stuck in
that van as well… But they made their way to Eindhoven to play the support slot
for Acid King in the Effenaar, at the tail end of August 2023. And meet up with
old friends from South Africa, who for some weird reason, suddenly all lived in
the Netherlands. And those crazy German fans that just follow the band around
whenever and wherever they can. Perhaps the start of an even grander cult?
The sun is out, the weather is fine.
It’s the end of August 2023 and that guy leisurely strolling towards me,
smoking a cigarette is the frontman of Ruff Majik, Johni Holiday. That relaxed
gait seems to disappear as he closes the gap, it seems there is some anxiety in
his step and an energy in his movement that takes some time to get a feel for…
Wait what… August 2023, we’re
already in May 2024. And I see Johni through a video call, he’s on the phone
and rattling in his lovely South African accent about the new album called Moth
Eater which will see the light of the day in October and the new single What A
Time To Be A Knife, scheduled to air on June 7th. Ranting about the
sorry state of the South African music scene. “Not the bands nah, the
promotors, the pub owners, the old guard. They’re the ones holding the cards at
the moment. It’s what the song is about or perhaps even the album. Cause we’re
trying to smash that. To take over. And luckily the young people are starting
to find out about that. Cause before this it was hard to sell tickets for a
local gig. There are enough young bands, but not many fans in South Africa are
into live music it seems. But we figured out this is also due to the fact that
those lazy promoters and venue owners, did the bare minimum and were squeezing
the bands. We’re getting involved now and doing it on an honest buck for honest
work kind of deal. It’s already starting to make a difference. We can feel it!”
Straight forward, full of energy and
a lust to do things right, Johni talks about the scene, the new album and the
upcoming tour. They’re hitting Cottbus, Germany on May 16th. That’s
today! And trek through entire Europe until their flight back on June 8th
or something. But for a moment there, we were back in Eindhoven. “Oh yeah, I
met up with those friends from Africa back then in Eindhoven. Thanks for
reminding me…”
Memories. They’re weird. I’m back in
August 2023 now, standing outside, at the venue talking with the guys, snippets
of the conversation shoot through my brain. Drummer Steven Bosman: “We talked
only Afrikaans, South African, last night, and the audience only spoke Dutch.
And it sounded like we understood each other. We were all equally drunk at that
stage. So that might have made a difference.” Johni Holiday: “But it’s all
about the speed. The rhythm. For us it’s even weirder, cause coming out of
Germany we probably switched over to talking at their rhythm in our South
African language. Completely filled up with weird South African slang. It could have easily stopped making any sense to anyone... And now
we stop at totally different points of a sentence…”
Those first three songs that night
at the Effenaar felt like a stop and go as well. Johni going a bit too fast,
the rest catching up. Almost like he wanted to get it over with. The sound guy
still trying to find the right space to occupy. But then it gelled. Johni’s
nervous leg starting to calm down, the sound rounding out and Ruff Majik
becoming the force it already was on the amazing Elektrik Ram record. That
amazing and for me personally best album of 2023, where Johni opens up on
everything he went through, but not in a necessarily dark away, but also not by
glorifying it. Just laying bare. An album that is still on heavy rotation over
here…
Back on the phone, where I see this
dubious image of myself in the corner, like I was run over by a truck, like I
swallowed some bug and nearly suffocated. “But Moth Eater, the new album, is a
real band effort. Operating as a tight unit that wrote and recorded the whole
album. And on the new single WhatA Time To Be A Knife we added some extra angry vocals by our mate
Reegan du Buisson from Facing The Gallows, the best South African core band. We
can’t wait to unleash it all! The last tour was definitely a huge bonding
experience. All the crazy shit we experienced, and all those wild adventures.
Also the definite feeling of having each other’s back, no matter what. It made
Ruff Majik into what you will hear on Moth Eater…”
It was before the Eindhoven show and there was
still Dresden in Germany to go afterwards, when we talked about the tour so far.
“It’s been wild! Very cool. Had amazing times at amazing places. But some
stupid stuff happened as well. See that car over there. That old Audi. That’s
our entire tour van at the moment. Everything has to be crammed in that.
Because the other van broke down in Germany. We did two twenty-seven hour
drives. To get to the next gig in time.” Bosman:
“We went from Porto, Portugal to Liechtenstein. That’s over 2000KM.” Johni:
“But the day before we went from Frankfurt to Porto. Which is even further. So,
two back to back twenty-seven hour drives. Both those drives could have
been easier if we left earlier. Both times we did not leave earlier, because we
had some space and wanted to enjoy ourselves a bit.” Cowboy Bez: “And who wants
to leave the beach in Portugal earlier, right? But we made it. We drove in
shifts. It was fun.” Johni: “But the shows have been absolutely crazy. A few
big shows. And a few insane crowds. And some weird shit… We actually started a
cult.”
“Yes, this time we really started a cult…”
Because of the fact that certain illicit products might have been involved and
because some people might get into the trouble over this, let’s redact the
names, and make it less obvious, who and what and where. Well, a bit… Cause only three people might actually read this way too long weird story... Right? “Yes, before
we only joked around, let’s start a cult. But this time we really started a
cult… Without us knowing it… We had never even been to Prague. But yes, some
local dealer only listened to Ruff Majik and sold his product with the specific
instructions to listen to our All You Need Is Speed song while doing his
product. And well, it caught on. So that was our crowd. A bunch of speed freaks
that all needed a live fix of the drug we were selling. And they knew all of
our lyrics and had their own ideas about what our lyrics mean and were just
screaming along at the top of their lungs, and half way through they suddenly
came forth with a helmet. Someone in the crowd had gotten the helmet from the
All You Need Is Speed video made by a proper blacksmith. And they crowned me
with it… And we were all, this is really really weird man…”
The live fix. It’s not just for the junkie
crowd. It’s also for the Ruff Majik boys themselves. “Don’t get me wrong. I
love making music. Recording and going through all those motions. But the live
thing. You know. When you get on stage. Get that feeling, where you disconnect
from reality and just have an amazing time.” Bez: “It’s exactly that.
Whenever I’ve got a gig for something, my girlfriend knows, before and after,
he’s gonna be a difficult man! I love playing live. You get all that energy
from the crowd. It’s hard to come down from that.” Bosman: “There’s
something about playing live. About the movement, of your body, of letting go,
of getting this almost unattainable feeling, that no substance can match.
There’s nothing that can come close to that feeling, and that is the ultimate
rush of playing live. There is this ‘moment’ where it all turns into one
‘moment’.” Bez: “Even on tour, a longer one like this one. There are
always days when the spirit is a bit low, or the ‘fierce’ as we call it. But once
we get on stage, then a few seconds in, it’s back up again. And we just look
around, everyone’s good? Yes!”
Everyone’s good. Just like most of the reviews
were of Elektrik Ram. An album that felt like the next big leap after The
Devil’s Cattle. Tårn sounded like the culmination of everything that came
before. Very dense, tight and grimy. The Devil’s Cattle opened up everything,
all the sounds. And left the gate open for Elektrik Ram to do even more, almost
go overboard on snippets, effects, little details and of course for Johni to
open up about himself. Turning it into something much more personal and by doing
that, making it universal. “Yes, I think so. Weirdly enough. I’ve had
conversations afterwards with a bunch of people who listened to the lyrics,
where part or all of it, definitely spoke to them. You know. Where they
confessed to me, I’ve had the exact same feelings. Or I went through all that
as well. Or people that said, I was having a difficult time and the album helped
me through some of it. We had definitely not expected as much positive feedback
as we received, but we are incredibly thankful. Cause we worked our asses off
for this album. I think it has been the hardest we ever worked on an album.”
And that’s when work on Moth Eater started.
Back there on that tour. During those insanely long drives. What else is there
to talk about right? “I’ve said for the longest time, we should make an album
to fuse funk and sludge together so that we can call it FUDGE. Or rename the
band FUDGE and forget there already was a band called FUDGE and tell people we
play SLUNK music. What’s slunk you ask, well, it’s a mix between sludge and
funk.” Are you scared yet for the new album? I am... And I think I might need a
helmet for that!
But for those who have lived with the Elektrik Ram album, you know what it’s about. So, how was Johni handling the tour back
then? “I’m having a bit of a panic attack right now. If you’ve wondered why I’m
moving around this much. It’s not the end of the world. You know, tour life
isn’t easy. A lot of stuff happening at the same time. A lot of stuff going
haywire. And then the mind just goes, click, goodbye, see you next time. It’s a
bit tough. But it hasn’t been like this the entire tour. And I was worried it
would have been worse. I was worried I would not even be able to tour anymore.
So, things are going pretty well, all things considered. This is still very mild;
I’m dancing it out!” “You’re doing great buddy!” “We got you!” “And yes, they
have my back, and it’s of course a bit like exposure therapy. To jump into the
deep end and find out I can actually do this. And even under some of the more
hardcore circumstances that are possible. So the next time, when the tour runs
smoothly, things will be perfect! Cause you know, tours tend to run smooth!
Haha. And not that this tour hasn’t been amazing!” Cowboy Bez: “Next time will
be all limousines, loafers, and Hugh Hefner type of transportation…” Bosman: “The
highs have been incredibly high, but the few lows have been pretty low.”
Turns out the highs are numerous and they keep
spilling over with energy for certain crowds and tumbling over each other
professing their favorite gigs of the tour. It’s endearing and beautiful to see
how they try to top each other with all these amazing shows, gigs and experiences
they’ve had during this tour. The tour that brings Elektrik Ram but also
Devil’s Cattle to the masses. Cause well, when that album was released, that
pandemic thing happened. Do you still remember that? Weird memories. “We’ve
been filling the setlist with songs from both albums and one or two older ones.
But it has been revolving, because some songs are just a bit too hard to play
live. Or the mood wasn’t right. Or because we needed to spare my voice. And I
still refuse to stop smoking. And we all refuse to sleep properly. But only two
shows left now, so we can go full tilt!”
They did, they came, they saw and the raved
their asses off; and will do so again as of tonight throughout Europe! First
stop Cottbus, Germany. TODAY! And then a whole slew of gigs to win over the rest of
humanity for their cult. And judging from the first single What A Time To Be A
Knife, the new Moth Eater album, the completion of a trilogy, will surely help
as well. “I just wanted to call and let you know what’s happening in the Ruff Majik universe. And well, sort of warn you that you’re on the album… As The
Dealer…” Wait? What... ‘Click’ Be warned. Jimi Glass is the bass man. Jimi is the quiet one.
And bring a helmet!
