LINDA SMITH & BAND + TRASH KIT + STUART MOXHAM

LINDA SMITH is a pioneer of home recording who self released her music originally on cassette starting in 1987. In the early 90’s, indie labels Slumberland and Harriet Records expanded her reach with the release of two seven inch eps. Recently, Brooklyn label Captured Tracks has reissued two complete albums on vinyl and she has begun to tour in the US and internationally for the first time. Upset The Rhythm released a recent split single between Smith and The Smashing Times last year too. Paste magazine called Linda Smith “a hidden treasure of America's pop underground”, while Jangle Pop Hub has written that “essentially this is the best bedroom pop you are ever likely to hear, directly from an age that did not really know what to do with it”. For this rare UK show Linda will be joined by her live band.

https://lindasmith2.bandcamp.com/

TRASH KIT are Ray Aggs (guitar, vocals), Rachel Horwood (drums, vocals) and Clémentine March (bass). Three deeply creative individuals who play in a multitude of other groups including Bas Jan and Sacred Paws, not to mention their solo outings. Their songs once succinct, patchwork post-punk numbers of an honest diary-like nature now tussle more with long-form songwriting, expeditious polyphony and cascades of sung-spoke vocals. Although Trash Kit have their forebears in bands like Sleater Kinney, The Ex and The Raincoats, their sound is still very much their own take on facing forwards and relies as much on the naturalism of an internalised folk music as on their sincerity of vision. Since forming in 2009, Trash Kit have released three albums for Upset The Rhythm and a selection of singles. Trash Kit's approach to life as with music is one of openness, inclusion and potential and most recent album ‘Horizon’ has this in dutiful abundance.

https://upsettherhythm.bandcamp.com/album/horizon

STUART MOXHAM requires little introduction. Few artists arrive as compellingly yet elusively as did Stuart Moxham upon the startling debut of Young Marble Giant’s sole studio album, Colossal Youth (Rough Trade, 1980). Initial excitement was thrust upon the young Alison Statton, who sang songs written by Stuart with a couple of exceptions. The unaffected tone of her voice was in steep contrast to the typical goings-on in that still quite punk time, but it was what she sang that fully sold it. Moxham’s lyrics were both intensely personal and woefully oblique. There seemed to be a sort of story in there. After those YMG days, Moxham worked on a project called The G!st and released an album and several singles also on Rough Trade. Since the mid-80s Moxham has focused mainly on solo acoustic work, releasing 17 albums to date, including one by songwriting duo Moxham & Halliday. Stuart Moxham is a composer of the upper echelon of innate talent who combines avant-garde ideas with deceptively forthright personal lyrics, solid hooks, ambience and vaguely off-centre instrumentation which defies the casual marketplace as confoundingly as it ever did to the underground. Last year Tiny Global Productions released Moxham’s most recent album ‘Winter Sun’, featuring Linda Smith on backing vocals.