Dwile Flonking. Pagaen ritual or silly game?

If I'm honest, I had never heard of "Dwile Flonking" , so I had no idea what to expect as I rather innocentely strolled down the main high street of the town called Lewes. A town that can be found in East of the county Sussex. It was a fantastic May Bank Holiday Sunday afternoon, where everyone was out and full of joy, safe in the knowledge that work was still a full two days away. The smell of warm ale, wafted through the cobbled streets and in the feint distance I could hear the sound of not only music playing but also the odd scream.













Intrigued by both the sound and smell, I followed my senses, which guided me firstly over a bridge,which then followed walking down a narrow side alley. Reaching the end, I found myself huddles within a curious throng of strangely dressed adults who were dancing wildly to music, holding hands around a lone figure who crouched low,long stick in hand.













Suddenly the music stopped, the dancers froze and the lone figure proceeded to flick what appeared to be an old rag, dipped in beer on to those dancing. Everyone cheered, the lone figure then literaly downed a pint, while everyone huddled aroud him. Once all the ale had been consumed, this band of straw collared, waistcoat wearing country folk, once again began to dance around a newly elected Lone figure.














Dwile Flonking, has been a tradition of Lewes amongst regulars of the infamous Lewes Arms (also the home of the international Pea throwing championships) since the mid 1960's, it does have a set of rules, which I was unable to work out. Although the initial scenes reminded me of an excert from Stephen Kings "Children of the Corn", once I had sat down on a nearby crate I felt quite at ease.

If you would like to know more about the lost art of Dwile Flonking, then you should visit the Lewes Arms website here.

Stacie Willoughby interview

For those of you that either visit this blog from time to time or tune in regularly to Tuckshop Community Radio , the chances are that you've probably heard me harking on about Santa Cruz artist Stacie Willoughby. A chance sighting of one of her posters whilst in Big Sur last year, eventually led to me posting a blog about her talents. Since then we've been in touch and rather amazingly, she was happy to talk to us about all things interesting, including an unusual take on a Cornish Pasty.


What album are you currently listening too? and have you read
anything interesting recently?

I listen to The Broads a lot, and SF Watercooler's new one that
isn't out yet is FANTASTIC....their first one is great too. I found this great
record called Buskers recently that's just all these buskers in England from awhile back....you guys have great buskers!! Other than that I've been listening to a lot of Swans and the later John Fahey stuff this week.

Am I right in thinking you live in Santa Cruz? When I briefly visited this Autumn I went to this amazing vegetarian burger place called Saturn, in fact I still remember that dinner with fondness, is there anything else that you would recommend people checking out?

I do live in Santa Cruz, I actually used to work at the Saturn,
first as a waitress and later as a baker...there are tons of great natural spots
around, that's where I spend most of my time. As far as businesses,
some of my favorites are Logos (used book/record store), Crepe Place
(restaurant that has a lot of shows), Pergolesi (cafe with shows), the
Bike Church (bike repair co-op), Bargain Barn (great bulk-thrift
place)...and there's always the Boardwalk on Cheap Night! There are a
million forest and beaches and places to hike and camp and picnic
and all that. The whole county is full of beautiful places, but they're
hard to list...you just have to explore...like the other day I went to see a
waterfall in Big Basin, the oldest California state park, for the first time.

I also checked out the Surf Museum and watched the guys surf at
steamer Lane, where there was this one crazy old bodyboarder who had a big
white beard and a crash helmet, he looked amazing...do you know him?

No idea. That's one thing I don't do here is surf....but I have
surfing friends, and anyway I certainly am familiar with a lot of strange
individuals. That's another thing about Santa Cruz....we have a lot of
unique and startling inhabitants....some of them are rad and some
of them are fucking annoying.

What are you currently working on?

I am about to paint a couple of surfboards, and I have the Bert Jansch
posters to do, and there are a couple of tentative art shows in the
works, as far as that goes. Just finished Folkyeah posters for Sir Richard
Bishop and Animal Collective. Oh and I'm doing t shirts for a really great
little mexican farmhouse restaurant out here.

Are there any artists you admire that you think we should all look
up?
The list is long and I always blank when asked this question, but I
was looking at my Tisnikar book earlier today and so I shall mention
him. He is awesome.

Have you ever eaten a Cornish Pasty?

No. Is that anything like haggis? I actually like haggis alright. It
sounds like it would involve bread.. is 'pasty' like our 'pastry'
here? As far as I know, pasties are things you put on your nipples. If
you're so inclined, I mean.

What is the most awe inspiring thing that you have seen in recent
weeks?

It would have to be Mono Lake from the top of a crater, with the
sky all alien and weird over the tufas there.

and have you ever seen a great white shark? or even a Blue whale?

No. and No. I've seen smaller whales though, and once I saw a
leopard shark.

Stacie Willoughby can be found not only in Santa Cruz, but also regularly sketching awesome posters for Folk Yeah. To view her incredible gallery of work, you can visit her myspace page by clicking here

Easy Eddie

Eddie Halliday will be opening the next Club Ugly on June 2nd, having just released his second album through his own impressive label Naked Tree Recordings, he has indeed been a busy chap. Despite all this going on, he has been kind enough to spend some time talking about weak Swedish cider, broken bike handles and touring with Michael Jackson.

So Mr Halliday, I believe that you've just been to Sweden, what were you doing over there?

I was recording an amazing band called Steel Island. It's there first single and i'm gonna release it through Naked Tree Recordings in September which is pretty exciting! I also played a gig in a very nice little cafe called Simpan and got a free smoothie.


Have the Swedish people been treating you nice?

They've been treating me very nice!. Better than i probably deserve. The only problem is the lack of alcoholic beverages above 2.5 % in the shops. I kept getting caught out and having to drink weak Kopperberg cider! lame


If you could describe your excellent new album in One sentence, what would you say?

It's better than my last one, not as good as my next one. Awesome artwork. Buy it or you'll go to hell... probably.


Have you managed to find someone who can fix your handlebars yet?


Yeah!. In a stroke of unrivaled genius a new shop opened round the corner from my house that fix up old bikes. So they did it and i'm back on the road. Which is good because if i had to get one more tube i was gonna cut someone's balls off and put them through the ticket machine.

I hear that your mother makes the best green bean chutney in the whole of the west country, have you inherited her culinary skills?

um, not really. Although i just made some rather fine fruit pancakes for breakfast this morning.

Where can we get hold of your excellent new album?
Well you can download it most places including itunes. And buy the awesome digipack from lot's of shops and sites including;

HMV
Amazon

and of course at Naked Tree Recordings

At the last Club Ugly, we were invaded by hip Z-List celebrity Johnny Tourettes, what celebrity do you hope to see at your gig with us in June?

Michael Jackson. I want to ask him if i can support him at all of his o2 shows. I'm pretty sure he'll say yes.

Other than yours, what album would you suggest we all go out and buy?

Grand Letdown by Scraps Of Tape. Out on Tenderversion Records in Sweden.

Do you have any other words of wisdom that you care to share with us?

Put cinnamon in your pancake mix, go to the park at least once a day and work as little as possible.

You can spend more time in the company of Eddie Halliday at Club Ugly on June 2nd, Its completely free and is well worth a visit.

You can check out more of Eddie's songs by visiting his myspace page here

Bedroom session mix with Moored in Miami

I actually first met Matt Fear whilst pretending to study at University, initially through a mutual friend, we discovered a common love of Bodyboarding, a topic that has sealed our friendship over the yearS . Sadly our meetings these days are rather limited and have been confined to the odd birthday party or post college reunion, however I have always been astounded with his sharp ear for music and his consistent ability to been involved in projects with a solid reputation for playing some pretty good eclectic records . When I heard about his latest offering "Moored in Miami", and the fact that this pairing (himself and a mate) have been playing alongside the likes of Questlove, Jack Beats, Dan Greenpeace, Roots Manuva and a whole load of other reputable names, it only seemed appropriate to get him down for a "bedroom session".

As ever the Gent, He also kindly answered a few quick fire questions so that we can all get to know him a little bit better.


So then Mr Fear what is your all time favourite estate car?

My current ride is a Vauxhall Ohmega 2.5 v6 Estate, in white. But my favourite is the Volvo 240 GLT, a stunning vehicle.

Ridden any big ones recently?

If by big ones, you mean 2ft slop at Bournemouth pier? Then yes, yes I have.


Where can we find you?

In the Olive Branch. A dreadfully middle class gastro pub, full of bastards..


What in your honest humble opinion is the most important thing any discerning gent must have to gain respect from his peers?

A rapier like wit

If you had to undergo plastic surgery as part of a witness protection program, who would you ask to look like and why?

George Costanza (Seinfeld) – A personal hero

Do you like pigeons?

I quite like the idea of racing pigeons. Otherwise, I find them mildly irritating.


What are your thoughts on umbrellas?

I generally avoid using them.

What record would you recommend we all listened to?

Sally Shapiro – Jackie Junior (Junior boys remix)


anything else you would like to say?

I’m a very paranoid man

Moored in Miami are currently running a new mid week night called “Real Estate”. It’s held in a good old boozer and all the dj's involved are guaranteed to play amazing underound and Leftfield music, if you live in the Bournemouth area and fancy treating your ears to something special, you should go and check them out now.

They can be found on myspace here www.myspace.com/mooredinmiami

And you can become their friend on Facebook here Moored in Miami Facebook

And by clicking below you can listen to their latest mix.... Totally Free Man!

Club Ugly: Better than any Champions League

Despite the obvious post Bank Holiday blues, and the competition with the Arsenal v Man U semi final, The May edition of Club Ugly, still managed to entertain the heady mix of both music lovers, ale drinkers and even the odd magician (for those of you who stumbled in early)

It's fair to say that Death Cigarettes started the night with a pretty loud bang, this line up was always going to be eclectic, however the opening gang of East London bandits literally powered through their songs with dirty riffs, smashing drums and screeching vocals, easily stealing the attention of all onlookers. To experience Death Cigarettes live is to experience being hit in the face by Rocky Balboa's right hand. It's loud, it's raw, but they also exhale brilliance so be sure to keep both eyes and ears open when they come and play near you.














The Hornblower brothers, a jolly band from Brighton have already gathered an admirer in Indie music guru Steve Lamacq, having recently played dates with the likes of The Wave Pictures, these fine gentlemen were very unlikely to disappoint, and disappoint they did not. With their quintessential English sound, combining the use of melodica, Glockenspiel, upbeat hooks and bouncing bass lines, The Hornblower brothers kept many a foot tapping and head nodding in sync with everyone of their songs performed. Currently recording material, we can all expect a copy of their upcoming EP to be gracing our ipod in the future.














Despite blown amps and dodgy leads, Blindfold kept the crowd happy with their Icelandic sounds, combining cello and native vocals with haunting guitars, they swayed Club Ugly faithful long into the night.