PETE BENTHAM & THE DINNER LADIES (UK)
Kitchen Core from Liverpool
Pete Bentham & The Dinner Ladies are a four piece from Liverpool. Pete on Guitar, Paella Fitzgerald on Bass, Sonny Rollingpin on Saxophone and Tony Calzone on Drums. Plus The Dinnerettes. They are at the vanguard of current Liverpool music scene
The band was formed in 2006. Pete wanted to form a band that was a pure rock & roll band with modern lyrics about real life. They have clever, witty songs about working class life that feature Night Club Bouncers, Lorry Drivers, Cats & Dogs, always telling the truth and they speak out against things they oppose like consumerism and racism.
The music is raw punk rock and roll reminiscent of the The Cramps, The Fall and the Velvet Underground.
They have so far released three albums, toured the UK and Europe and have played many festivals including Rebellion Festival, the largest punk festival in the world alongside bands such as The Damned, The Beat and the New York Dolls.
A band who actually sing about things they know and believe in and always with sense of humour. This is Kitchencore!
Reviews
"It’s an utterly joyous spectacle. The songs are defiant yet fun odes to rebellion, with the likes of ‘Do the Don’t providing a suitably fun two-fingered salute to conformity. There’s a tune about being a ‘Hip Potater’ and a blistering, Billy Childish-esque tribute to their hero ‘Marcel Duchamp’. The set ends with the two dinner ladies having a mock fight on the floor and in the middle of the audience. If we weren’t already standing I’m pretty sure the band would have got a standing ovation."
- Soundblab magazine
"Check it out. Its easy to see why they are a great band to have at any festival, as they bring with them energy, up beat rock songs to have any crowd dancing about."
- little indie night
"Classic Liverpool Rock & Roll. Songs about things you've observed and experienced. Fun and upbeat."
- Sound City
"Third album from Pete & The Dinner Ladies, the Liverpool based ‘kitchencore’ outfit who with this offering have produced their most accomplished release to date... somehow The Dinner Ladies have not just pulled this off, this is a triumph – played with due respect but also with that ‘fuck you’ punk attitude that certainly Syd Barrett expressed; I get the feeling Barrett would chuckle if he had heard The Dinner Ladies, instantly responding to their free-spirit DIY take on rock ‘n’ roll."
- Louder Than War Magazine
"It’s a shame John Peel is not with us any more as Pete & The Dinner Ladies would certainly have been taken to the great mans heart and been regular favourites of the twilight airwaves. This album has pretty much been on constant repeat for the last month and protest has never sounded so great. This should feature highly in the end of year best of albums that we so love to compile and read about."
- Never Loved The Shovel Blog
"Best performance of the year thus far due to nothing more than the aforementioned points and the downright commitment to the cause. A fitting exclamation mark to a fine day that provoked much thought and much pleasure."
- Fungalpunk fanzine
"We were starting to flag at this stage but Pete Bentham and the Dinner Ladies rev it up with an entertaining set back at the Art Academy and prove punks not dead, it just wears a shiny 80's suit and is surrounded by Dinner ladies, it also proves that you can write a decent protest song without being a po-faced navel gazer, or tortured poet with a shit beard. “Do The Don’t” “Part Time Punk” and ” Hip Potater” are all crowd pleasers, but if you listen and pay attention you’ll find that behind the “fun” façade Mr Bentham’s got plenty to say and raises some very salient points."
- The VPME, Live Review
"To have spent many a gig in the company of Pete Bentham and the Dinner Ladies is not going to prepare you for just how good they sound, just how wickedly delicious and note-worthy they are tasty a band when allowed the freedom to wax lyrically in an anarchistic scrumptious style... The idea of David Bowie performing it with David Gilmour is one to feel goose bumps appear, to hear Pete Bentham and The Dinner Ladies play it is to almost understand the gender blurring of fun, slight majestic sleaze and sex appeal that runs through each line. You can only imagine the curly haired music genius who shone too brightly would have raised a smile towards the band, for it is a piece of art."
- Liverpool Sound and Vision
"Their infectious fusion of ska, folk and, er, circus music (that’s the only way to describe it, honest) seems a good enough reason to work off Pete’s (legendary) free Veggie Scouse via the medium of boogie... Pete begins by inviting everyone to pray for more good weather 'so we can riot in shorts and t-shirts'. Comedy is as much a part of Pete's act as the music; he enthusiastically explains the meaning behind songs, such as 'Nature', which was inspired by a conversation with a self-righteous hippy...
By the second encore, it's turned into a right old organic cider-fuelled knees-up; everyone obeys Pete's command to kneel on the floor before leaping back up for one chorus. Despite a lone stage invader almost spoiling proceedings, the show is a triumph."
- Purple Revolver, Live Review
"When all of the band kick in, the sound is tremendous; Pete thrashing away on his guitar trying to wear out the scratch plate (and his elbow); Gabrielle bashing the hell out of the drums. Marigoldy thunderously playing the bassiest bass possible and John 'The Caretaker' Lewis going cross-eyed trying to inflate either the sax or clarinet. The crowd loved them... Those diehards resisting the kitchen assault were all to be reigned in with the totally interactive 'Hip Potater'. Here, Pete had the crowd in the palm of his hand, ordering them to shout back the words 'Hip Potater, Hip Potater' at his command. A truly marvellous spectacle… You must give this band a listen, preferably live."
- Roomthirteen, Live review
"Wow, ich bin echt begeistert und habe mir das Album zum Besprechen sicher 10x angehört."
- Kink Records
"Bentham und Co. schaffen es, sich von allen Genrekonventionen zu lösen und Pubrock mit der Tanzmusik von Holly Golightly zu verbinden, Chuck Berry und Punkrock zu kombinieren, Saxophon und Klarinette einzubinden, eine entschärfte Version von THE FALL in Richtung KINGS OF NUTHIN’ zu lenken, mit einem kleinen Schlenker Richtung TOY DOLLS, und dabei dann doch nie wie eine der hier erwähnten Bands/Musiker zu klingen..."
- Ox fanzine
"Ihre Scheibe 'Hip Potater' läuft bei mir schon den ganzen Sommer lang... Trotz der frühen Uhrzeit ist sehr viel Publikum anwesend. Live sind sie eine Spur härter und schneller. Ein richtig guter Auftritt."
- Useless fanzine, Live Review
Pete Bentham and The Dinner Ladies – Marcel Duchamp
Upcoming shows
No shows booked at the moment.
Band
- Pete Bentham: Guitar & Vocals
- Paella Fitzgerald: Bass & Vocals
- Sonny Rolling Pin: Saxophone, Cat Flaps
- Tony Calzone – Drums
Discography
- 2017 – Psychedelic Village EP, Antipop Records
- 2014 – I Heart Here, CD, Antipop Records
- 2012 – Spacepunx EP, track 7″ vinyl, Free Rock & Roll
- 2010 – Hip Potater, CD, Free Rock & Roll
- 2009 – The New Underground, CD, Free Rock & Roll
Also check out:
DON’T (US)
Garage / Punk Rock
Don't formed in Portland in 2009 when Jenny Don't (lead vocals, guitar) was introduced to drummer Sam Henry (The Wipers, Napalm Beach, The Rats). They created a genre-blurring blend that opened a Pandora's box of musical touchstones.
Recently bassist Kelly Halliburton (Pierced Arrows, Problems, Defiance) and guitarist Eric "Vegetable" Olson (Poison Idea) were roped in which makes Don't the ultimate Portland Punk-All-Star band.
A live presence to be reckoned with from their very first show, the band quickly built an enthusiastic and loyal following across the US and Europe.
Their powerful songs defy easy classification, sometimes dark and eerie, sometimes punk and surfy, but always melodic. Rooted in the same blues that are the foundation for almost all rock and roll, Don't contorts that basic concept into something dark and mysterious.
After their first album “Away Away”, several single releases and extended US and Europe tours, Don't published their new album "Fever Dreams" in the US (Doomtown Sounds) and Germany (Rockstar Records) in 2016.
Twisted Chords (Germany) will publish their new 7" "Enough is Enough" in spring 2017, before the next Don't-tour in May and June.
Reviews
'Don’t' are a surf-tinged punk group from Seattle featuring members of Napalm Beach and the Wipers and fantastic singer Jenny Don’t, whose voice has the same throaty, dark quality as a young, hungry Siouxie Sioux. The group are touring around a forthcoming full-length, and if their songwriting is as strong across the album as on the few preview tracks on their website, it should be a hell of a show."
- l’étoile magazine
"Before Portland earned its reputation as a playground for young adults, it was (and continues to be) home to individuals who devoted themselves to lifelong efforts at creative endeavors. Thankfully this side of the city endures amid escalating stereotypes and is on display with the musical project Don't. Formed in 2009 the band combines the talents of legendary local musicians Sam Henry (drummer of the Wipers, member of the Oregon Music Hall of Fame, and tonight's birthday boy) and Dave Minick (bassist for Napalm Beach and more), with the pioneering spirits of guitarist Dan Lowinger (the Love Lasers) and vivacious frontwoman Jenny Don't. The result is music that sounds effortlessly timeless while pulsating with that new and earnest energy we call rock and roll..."
- Portland Mercury
"DON'T is a band that is best described as being of the garage persuasion with hints of surf and punk thrown in. Fronted by the striking Jenny Don't the band also includes Sam Henry on drums, a man who has been inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame, partially due to the fact that he was the drummer for The Wipers, one of the most well-known bands from that region. Musically the songs on this new release are laid back with Jenny DON'T providing a luxurious vocal performance that has a soothing quality to it, just right for kicking back and relaxing, as you drink whatever poison is needed to reset the levels of normalcy after the tedium of work."
- Punknews.org
"Portland’s got no shortage of throwback punk-garage outfits, but few nail the low-fi, devil-may-cry sound as seamlessly as quartet Don’t. Credit that to a lineup that includes members of groups like the Love Lasers, Audios Amigos, the Wipers and Napalm Beach. Traversing a robust musical plane of garage rock, country, spaghetti Western instrumental work and other seemingly divergent styles, the band’s sound mixes the rollicking rowdiness of old-school punk with a touch of Ventures-style surf rock. It’s all held together by guitarist-vocalist Jenny Don’t, whose voice combines the cadence of a lost Ramones sister and Metric’s Emily Haines, punctuating every slick riff with bravado. The group, formed three years ago, is steadily gaining a following by keeping one foot in the past and putting the other one forward."
- Willamette Week
"Bis auf die junge Frau an der Gitarre und am Mikro alles gestandene Menschen mit langjähriger Banderfahrung (unter anderem bei WIPERS und NAPALM BEACH), die dürfen dann eben auch mal GUN CLUB oder eben die WIPERS höchstselbst covern, ohne dass es aufgesetzt wirkt. Eine wunderbare Band, die zur richtigen Zeit am richtigen Ort einen Laden in Flammen setzen kann. DON’T muss ich wieder sehen!"
- Ox fanzine
"Jennys zuckersüßes Stimmchen verursacht Wohlfühl-Gänsehaut, während die Herren um sie herum das machen, was sie offenbar schon seit Ewigkeiten am besten können: gängige Melodien zu einem Surf-Postpunk-Rock'n'Roll-da-steckt-jede-Menge-Wipers-drin-Cocktail zu mixen. Noch einen bitte!"
- Plastic Bomb fanzine
"For those who are into gut-punching rock 'n' roll, this is some satisfying shit."
- Willamette Week, about "Fever Dreams"
SHEEPY (UK)
Pop Punk / Punk Rock
Sheepy from Liverpool play pop punk with mega catchy songs, tight hooks and lovely harmonies. Since 2012 the band toured across the UK, Ireland and Europe.
Songwriter Luke Jones recorded 12 self-produced albums before teaming up with Blang Records. "Predator EP" was the first release, followed by the singles "Glum" and the 7" "Another Day". These songs received national radio airplay on the likes of BBC Radio Two, 6 Music, XFM, plus some national TV play on Soccer AM.
The debut self-titled album was released in January 2014, featuring the well acclaimed singles "These Clothes" and "Don't Know Much". "Wild" EP was released in June 2015, and the single "Wild" was played on XFM and BBC Introducing.
Reviews
“...effortlessly melodic and insatiably moreish… lo-fi, powerpop and post-punk with a massive pop heart beating at the centre.”
- Sounds XP
“...a voice tailored by superior beings… brilliant… a pop classic.”
- Unpeeled
“Undertones aura with merest whiff of Nirvana, crumbs of Costello and a few milligrams of Monkees...”
- Mudkiss
"Sheepy, the Liverpool based 3pc who demonstrate that pop music does not have to be the bland, genre void pap that clogs up the charts. With ‘Alarm Bells’ they have abandoned the blueprint, and crafted an album of dark-pop with a luxuriously unsettling edge... Sheepy have a created an energetic short, sharp joyously off kilter belter that should be worthy of your attention."
- Louder than War
"The third single ‘Another Day’ was played thirteen times on BBC 6music, including seven spins from Steve Lamacq alone... having listened to this a good few times trying to find reference points, similarities and the like I have come up with a hotchpotch of names, some dating back to the 60’s, others more recent – I noted down The Kinks, Buzzcocks, The Undertones, The La’s/Brit/Indie pop, perhaps TFC, hints of psychedelia and even The Ramones… The entire album is a kaleidoscopic mix of pops finest reference points, blended with humour and self-depravation; Sheepy are clearly enjoying themselves... Sheepy have crafted a melodic, hook laden classic – a slice of real independence, so adverse and unconcerned as to what is current, to what is gracing the pages of the NME."
- Louder than War
"Earworm pop hooks with a vaguely sinister and cynical lyrical edge, Sheepy are reminiscent of classic guitar groups such as The Replacements, Super Furry Animals and Pixies. Once a solo project now bedecked by a fully-functioning three-piece line up, Sheepy prove themselves impossible to ignore and bounce along to."
- Getintothis
STEAKKNIFE (DE)
Hardcore / Punk Rock
It all began as "Ankry Simons" back in 1989. With their first record though, they changed to "Steakknife".
20 years, 6 albums, a few singles, compilations and many tours later they still rule over the German punkrock scene, managing to maintain their ideals, their verve and fun. Especially on stage, Steakknife are as fresh and powerful as in those early days. Always focused on what they can best: Punkrock!
This is no copy, Steakknife are genuine enough. It's all about style, attitude but also posing at its best. And in the middle of it all: Lee Hollis. A man, who never got forgotten despite never having been on any talkshow. Known as a charismatic bandleader (also in the legendary Spermbirds and 2Bad), a gifted column writer, author or spoken-word-performer, Lee Hollis knows how to feed his reputation.
Let him speak for himself: "We‘ve been doing this forever. 22 years I think. At least long enough to put an eight year distance between 'One Eyed Bomb' and our last record 'Parallel Universe of the Dead'. So yeah, forever.
Steakknife has always felt like 'the right thing to do'. Even on the worst day of the shittiest tour in the middle of winter and 'Fuck everyone in and OUTSIDE of this BUS!' we were all in that bus because it was 'the right thing TO DO.' Because the music we make is the music we listen to. I wrote that about fifteen years ago and it‘s still true today." - Lee HollisReviews
"Die alten Herren von STEAKKNIFE dann in gut durchtrainierter Form. Viele glückliche Gesichter beim Tanz vor der Bühne (oh ja!), das zu einem, sagen wir mal „sehr ambitionierten Set“ ein gutes Stehvermögen brauchte. Trotz der Anzahl von nicht weniger als 27 Stücken fehlten mir noch 'Better than you' und 'Bill Gates money', andererseits auch schwierig, dafür einen der vielen anderen Nur-Hits aus dem Set zu streichen. Großartiger Auftritt, den man einigen gleich alten Bandmitbewerbern als Blaupause auf den Tisch legen sollte, zusammen mit einem Auflösungsvertrag und einem Revolver."
- Ox fanzine, live review 2016
"Der Henry Rollins von der Saar (ursprünglich Alabama; er ist außerdem Autor und Frontmann der sogar noch legendäreren Spermbirds) hat nach acht Jahren Pause seine Band Steakknife wieder hinter sich, und die klingt auch mit ein Loch weiter geschnalltem Nietengürtel noch gut. Musikalisch ist man schlank geblieben, Punkrock ohne eklige Ambitionsvortäuschung eben. Die Texte sind eine andere Sache: irre lustig, ohne widerlichen Fun-Punk auch nur zu streifen. Ist das Kunst oder kann das weg? Beides: »One Eyed Bomb« rast mit Affenzahn an einem vorbei, so ein Lied hält kaum zwei Minuten durch. So was aber auch: Da wartet man jahrelang, und dann hat Mr. Hollis überhaupt keine Zeit."
- Intro magazine
"Sie sind das gute Gewissen des Punkrocks! Was unter dem Namen „Ankry Simons“ schon 1989 begonnen hatte, und seit dem ersten Album als „STEAKKNIFE“ die Herzen der Fans erobern konnte, ist immer noch ein Highlight der Szene und ein Garant fuer grossartige Live-Shows."
- Noisolution magazine
"...Und sie klingen, als ob sie nie weg gewesen wären. Fans der vorausgegangenen Alben „Parallel Universe Of The Dead“ (2007) oder „Plugged Into The Amp Of God“ (2000) sind auch bei „One Eyed Bomb“ goldrichtig. 16 zackige Punkrock-Nummern in etwas mehr als einer halben Stunde. Kurze, schnelle Kracher ohne Atempausen. Kaum einer über zwei Minuten lang. Natürlich hört man die stilprägenden ANGRY SAMOANS raus, genau so wie den fiebrigen Sound der DEAD KENNEDYS... STEAKKNIFE machen Punkrock für Menschen, die mit Monty Python, DEAD KENNEDYS und Hans Meyer groß geworden sind. Gehen Sie davon aus, dass Sie in der halben Stunde mit „One Eyed Bomb“ keine Langeweile empfinden werden."
- Ox fanzine
"Die Fans aus der neuen Wahlheimat Saarbrücken können sich auf jeden Fall auf die anstehenden Konzerte auch in ihrer Nähe freuen, denn die neuen Songs sind eigentlich ausnahmslos Live-Granaten, die wiederum zusammen mit den alten Klassikern ein großartiges Live-Erlebnis versprechen. Auch wenn man schon fast die Hoffnung aufgegeben hatte – das Warten hat sich definitiv gelohnt, und STEAKKNIFE haben in dieser Wartezeit nichts verlernt, sondern eher noch draufgepackt. Absolute Empfehlung meinerseits!"
- Neckbreaker magazine
"Lee Hollis lärmt wieder! Das ist ein Grund zur Freude, denn er ist ein echtes Original in der nationalen Punkszene. Für die Jüngeren: Hollis war langjähriger Sänger der Kultpunker Spermbirds, bei denen er für deren letzte beiden Platten durch Ken Haus ersetzt wurde, während er selbst die sehr eigenwilligen 2 Bad gründete (die meines Wissens bisher nur eine Scheibe veröffentlicht haben) und mit denselben Leuten plus zweiten Gitarristen das Punkprojekt Steakknife, die mittlerweile das dritte Eisen im Feuer haben. Musikalisch bleibt alles wie gehabt, Punkrock weitab von den einschlägigen glattpolierten kalifornischen Melodycorelern, fernab von den schwedischen Burning-Heart-Bands, sondern in den Adern von Steakknife fließt vielmehr das flüssige Vinyl eingeschmolzener Dead-Kennedys-Schallplatten. Laut, lärmig und räudig."
- Metal Inside magazine