Calculating Infinite Tees – Détails, épisodes et analyse

In the first of a two part special, Remfry and Simon speak to Asher Kenton and Sam Festenstein about London-based promoters Portals and their annual festival celebrating the cream of the post and math rock crop.

Sam and Asher both highlight two sets each from Portals Festival history, as well as discussing the genesis and inner workings of promoting shows to a dedicated but niche audience.

Portals is very much a passion project, so we've given Sam and Asher plenty of time to be passionate about it. This week, there's chat about Mclusky and Human Pyramids, and plenty more along the way.

https://www.portalsrock.com/home

For the second half of our reggae themed week, Remfry and Simon settle in with Alex Hurst of Boss Keloid for a relaxing chat about a show in a historic Manchester venue by dub reggae pioneer and singular lunatic Lee Scratch Perry.

We dig deep into Alex’s love of reggae, take a wander through Lee Scratch Perry’s intimidatingly huge discography, Alex tells us about his direct interaction with the man himself, and of course we spend some time talking about Boss Keloid’s magnificent t-shirt offerings, too.

As those of you who have listened to the Patreon episode earlier this week will know, Simon has been desperate to talk about reggae in more depth. Together with Alex, they lead Remfry on a little voyage of discovery through the history of a genre that many rock and metal fans are unfamiliar with, but may well find much to enjoy.

Lee Scratch Perry & Subatomic Sound System - Full Performance (Live on KEXP)

O.B.F & NAZAMBA - THE GROOVE

Remfry's first Patreon pick is a monumental show from 2002 seeing System of a Down touring Toxicity, an album that has entered the modern metal pantheon as an undisputed classic. At this point, SOAD were untouchable and after the tour had to be pushed back 4 months due to the devastating Twin Tower attacks, anticipation was immense to see the LA alt-metal quartet on their first UK date since Toxicity's release. As a bonus, they also brought New Jersey's The Dillinger Escape Plan with them, who it must be said went over the majority of the crowd's heads (including a 17-year old Remfry) but would one day emerge as a band dear to him, as well as inspiring the name of this very podcast. Simon attended the same tour and is on hand to reminisce on his memories of one of the band's Brixton Academy shows in London a few days later.

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It's the first episode of Calculating Infinite Tees and we are honoured to start the ball rolling with Karl Middleton from prestigious alt metal legends Earthtone9.

Karl has lent his considerable larynx to Earthtone9 since 1998 and in a period of just 4 years, released three albums of blistering progressive hardcore that cultivated a modest yet devoted fanbase, of which both Remfry and Simon are very much a part of. Earthtone9's hiatus in 2002 left room for Karl to explore other musical projects (The Blueprint, Twinzero, Blackstorm ... all excellent by the way) before Earthtone9 reformed in 2010 for a few sporadic shows and a new album, IV released in 2013.

But with their latest album In Resonance Nexus the band sound more fired up than they have done in years, a savage record that keeps one evil crawling eye on the past, whilst simultaneously laying foundations for the band's future.

Karl picked an immense bill for us to discuss, a triple punch of Neurosis, Converge and Amenra which he witnessed whilst living stateside in Detroit, Michigan and produced a mighty fine collab tee for us to coo over too.

In Resonance Nexus is available now and we heartily recommend you pick up a copy

T-Shirts play a vital role in the eyes (and on the body) of the average underground music fan. In an increasingly digital world, they are tangible, just as a concert is a tangible physical experience in a shared space. For musicians trying to make ends meet in a world where recorded music garners little to no financial pay-off, t-shirts and other merchandise are a vital source of revenue.  For many fans, purchasing these ‘tees’ is both a gesture of support and an important part of their identity. The right t-shirt worn in the right place will act as a beacon to the like-minded, drawing them in like moths to a flame ...  if moths liked to talk about riffs anyway.

For the past 25 - 30 years, Remfry Dedman (The Independent, Metal Hammer) and Simon Clarke (Heavy Blog is Heavy, The Monolith) have between them watched thousands of bands at hundreds of venues around the world. We've been to a lot of shows, and at a great many of them, we spent a little bit of money at the merch desk.  The result is an embarrassingly large and unruly collection of shirts, hoodies, beanies, tote bags and more. 

Alongside these two pillars of Economy and Identity, each t-shirt in our substantial collection carries with it something more personal - a memory.  The overwhelming majority of the shirts in our collection have been bought at live shows and festivals. The band selling the shirt may have been the headliners or a support act.  They may have been familiar favourites, or a brand new discovery at that very show.  It may have been the first - or the last - show played with a particular member or the first time certain songs were heard.

Our aim with Calculating Infinite Tees is to explore and celebrate the phenomenon of being a fan, follower and participant in the world of underground music, principally through unlocking the specific memories lurking in the t-shirt collection of our guests.  This provides the opportunity to talk about bands at particular stages in their careers, venues, support acts, or anything else which a specific shirt may trigger.

After spending around ten years writing reviews, we wanted to find a way to talk/write about music without it being music criticism.  What we want to do is something closer to oral histories, celebrating the condition of being a passionate music fan, the places it can take you and the things you can witness or be a part of through it.

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On this week’s episode we’re talking to Liam Knowles, bassist and one of the vocalists with Hidden Mothers. Recently signed to the brilliant people at Church Road Records, the band are due to release their debut album Erosion/Avulsion on 29th November and it’s a proper belter too.

Liam’s pick is a particularly special one as it was the first indoor show he took his son Issac to see. A 10-year old legend with impeccable taste, Issac asked his Dad to take him to see Foxing on 24th January at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds. Liam recalls the night and shares some very special memories through the eyes of his son, and as a bonus, we also have a post episode interview with Issac himself who recalls his experiences. BACK TO ME BON BONS!

On this episode, we talk to Rory Friers from Northern Irish instrumental legends And So I Watch You From Afar on the cusp of the release of their new album Megafauna, a tribute to their home town and the places and formative experiences that influenced their lifestyle growing up. Rory’s pick of show is from cheeky chappie britpop sensations Blur at King’s Hall in Belfast on 21st November, 1995. This was prime britpop mania, with the infamous ‘battle of Britpop’ occurring just a few months before the show, with Blur’s Country House single piping Oasis’ Roll With It to number #1 274,000 copies to 216,000. The show Rory attended was in support of 4th full length album The Great Escape, 1 date from a mammoth 10-date UK and Ireland tour.

It’s Part 2 of our look back to ArcTanGent 2013, the very first edition of the festival , with James Scarlet and Gavin McInally from 2 Promoters 1 Pod and on this episode, we take a deep dive into the highlights from the Friday and Saturday of that inaugural event. Some of these bands still remain a regular part of ATG line-ups, others are sadly no more. Sets from Baby Godzilla (aka Heck), Poly-Math, The St. Pierre Snake Invasion, The Physics House Band, Humanfly, Manatees, Winterfylleth, Bossk, Rolo Tomassi, Earthtone9, 65DaysofStatic, Cleft, Arcane Roots, Three Trapped Tigers, Nordic Giants, And So I Watch You From Afar and Fuck Buttons are all discussed and dissected.  

Our theme was written by James Sherwin. Check out his EP on Bandcamp here

ArcTanGent 2015 - Cleft vs Alpha Male Tea Party riff medley

This week, we wander away from our regular format to bring you the first half of a special double-episode spectacular, taking a long, loving look at ArcTanGent 2013 with none other than ArcTanGent organizer James Scarlett and Damnation head honcho Gavin McInally.

The pair have recently been spilling all kinds of secrets on their thoroughly entertaining podcast 2 Promoters 1 Pod, and as there was a Damnation-curated stage at this inaugural edition of the festival, it seemed ideal to have them both along for a four-way chat.

For both Remfry and Simon, ArcTanGent is a – possibly THE – mandatory festival every summer, and we’re delighted to have the opportunity to reminisce about what made ArcTanGent 2013 such a memorable and important weekend for us, as well as find out a little more about what went on behind the scenes while we were out enjoying the music.

In this first part, we talk about the origins of ArcTanGent as a festival, how Gavin became involved, the site layout, and the pros and cons of the original Arc stage. We round off this episode talking about the single stage of bands who played on the early bird Thursday. And if you remember what happened at the end of that Thursday night, you probably want to listen to the end.

For the second half, we dig deep into the our thoughts, feelings and memories of the bands featured across the two main days of the festival. So expect plenty of talk about Earthtone9, Nordic Giants and Baby Godzilla, among many others. But you’ll have to wait till next week for that.

On this week's episode, we welcome guitarist Claire Genoud from Industrial Metal band GLYTSH. Despite forming in 2022, the duo have already achieved airplay on BBC Radio 1 and Total Rock radio, as well as playing support to Brass Against on a six-date tour across the UK. Remfry was so impressed with Claire's unorthodox approach to guitar, he wrote a feature about her for Guitar World, which you can read here.

Claire picks a show from Swedish melo-death metal pioneers In Flames, at legendary London venue Brixton Academy. A formative band in her appreciation of metal, Claire tells Remfry and Simon how she and her siblings became obsessed with the band growing up in a remote area of Switzerland, as they discuss a show that took in songs that stretch across their entire 35-year career.