deathmonkey

Zed Motel, one of Deathmonkey Records’ most recent signings, have embarked on a weekend writing retreat to escape the distractions of the city. Seeking inspiration and isolation, the band went “off grid” to help ensure that they returned with their best work yet. 

They were joined by their new bassist, Ed Purcell, a well-known artist in the Swansea music scene. Ed’s prolific history with epic bands within the swansea music scene and his reputation as the city’s most respected guitar tech and luthier have made a heroic addition to Zed Motel as the missing link in their huge sound, since they have been forever without a low-end until now.

The location was kept a closely guarded secret, but from what we’ve seen, it looks like they were able to get plenty of head space. They spent their days writing, secluded amidst the (former) peace and serenity of their surroundings and have emerged with an abundance of new material. After catching up with them after they returned, we can assure you this is potentially the most accomplished we’ve heard from them yet.

Zed Motel’s upcoming album is already generating a lot of talk in their home city, and the energy surrounding the band, especially since Ed Purcell’s recent arrival, is impossible to ignore. The anticipation building around the new songs means that the upcoming release is eagerly awaited, with their writing retreat seeming to have provided the creative spark to make something truly special. We can’t wait to fully hear what they’ve been working on and are impatient to get to work recording their next album!

As always, Deathmonkey Records is committed to bringing you the best in emerging underground talent, and we’re proud to have Zed Motel as a part of our roster. Keep an eye out for more news about the band and their upcoming release.

Death Monkey Records Presents: Kikker’s Debut Single “Anxiety Being” Out April 15!

We are thrilled to announce the release of Kikker’s highly anticipated debut single, “Anxiety Being,” alongside the B-side “Prime Time.” The pandemic may have slowed us down, but we never gave up on bringing the music to you!

Kikker’s sound is hard to pin down, but it’s safe to say it’s unlike anything else out there. The band has spent countless hours honing their craft and perfecting their sound and evolved from their early garage rock, Lo-Fi demo recordings into full on house party rioting, , speaker shaking, room wrecking explosive anthem . All that hard work has paid off, because the result is nothing short of stunning.

“Anxiety Being” is a powerful track with a message that resonates with many. It captures the feeling of being trapped in your own thoughts, unable to escape the constant worry and anxiety that plagues so many of us. But even in the darkness, there is a glimmer of hope, a light that shines through the fog”

Prime Time” is equally impressive, showcasing the band’s versatility and range. It’s a catchy track and will get stuck in your head for days. The combination of gritty guitar riffs, pounding drums, and soaring vocals is everything we’ve come to expect from the band.

Kikker’s debut single is just a taste of what’s to come. We can’t wait to hear what else they have in store. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for more news from this unpredictable gang of misanthropes!

To celebrate the release, Death Monkey Records is offering a special promotion. Sign up for our mailing list on the Death Monkey Bandcamp page, and you’ll receive a free download of “Anxiety Being.” This offer is only valid for a limited time, so best to act fast!

“Anxiety Being” is has reminiscent tones of Post-Punk and late seventies/early eighties new wave. It’s a powerful debut that sets the stage for what promises to be an incredible musical journey. Death Monkey Records is proud to present Kikker’s debut single, and we can’t wait to see where they go from here!

Before the official release, fans can catch a sneak peek of “Anxiety Being” on XRP Radio’s Tagged show at 7pm on April 9th. Additionally, BBC Radio Wales will air the song on the evening of April 16th.

On #InternationalWomensDay, let’s celebrate our fantastic female musicians here at DMR! We have the wonderful Sarah Birch; the awesome The Kick Jetts; and also the mighty Zed Motel, fronted by Katie Skilton!

Go and have a listen to their tunes! They’re all sublime!

Sarah Birch

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6YjLHu2klRuCRcJBD4lFMo…

The Kick Jetts

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6YjLHu2klRuCRcJBD4lFMo…

Zed Motel

https://open.spotify.com/album/2nJTurZJJkCv7WA9K2r28x…

The Kick Jetts NEW Single ‘Southern Comfort’ is OUT NOW

The first track from their upcoming EP is available for Streaming from Spotify and all major platforms and you can head on over to the Death Monkey Records Bandcamp to download it for FREE this week only if you sign up to the DMR mailing list.  

Sarah Birch performed at this years FOCUS WALES festival at the beginning of the month, In magnificent surroundings only fitting of our favourite songstress at St Giles Church Wrexham, supporting the renowned Harpist CATRIN FINCH. 

Catch Sarah at the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea, on Sunday as part of this year’s The Swansea Fringe Festival 2021 supporting Scott Matthews.

Swansea Fringe Festivals returns we are very excited to have our own stage at this year’s event. Death Monkey will be hosting a stage at this years Swansea Fringe Festival at Hanger 18 on Saturday 23rd October. As always a wristband pass allows you to get into every venue across the city or tickets can be purchased for £5 on the door.

The legendary #SwanseaMusic label, Death Monkey Records, returns to the Swansea Fringe, this year with a showcase of some of their astounding Alt-Rock, Punk and Psych artists at Hangar 18 on Saturday 23rd October!

Expect music from;

|| Zed Motel ||
Post-Grunge Alternative-Rock Favourites

|| Windshake ||
Psychedelic Indie Groovers

|| The Kick Jetts ||
Female Power-Rock Collectiv

|| Daddy’s Little Cowboy ||
Rhondda Valley Punk-Rock Veteran

|| Joel Morgan ||
King Goon solo set 

Swansea Fringe Festival: SFF2021

Swansea Fringe is in its 4th year now and has become a staple of the Autumn events calendar, with this years being the biggest yet. Joining a list of familiar Death Monkey Artists will be very special guests WINDSHAKE, who previously joined us for an exclusive release through our Singles Club and having recently relocated to Bristol also having doubled their lineup introducing new members to the fold to take their sound to whole new psychedelic realms.

Wristbands will be available through the Wristband exchange at The Three Lamps.

We’ve some quiet epic summer news for you this August, Swansea Post-Grunge heavy hitters  Zed Motel are set to join Death Monkey Records to work on their next recordings and we couldn’t be more excited.

Having just released their new EP ‘Leave With Nothing’ Zed Motel are currently on tour promoting the album, but already making plans for getting in the studio with Death Monkey and working on the follow-up at some point next year.

In the meantime, head over to Zed Motels pages and you can keep up to date with all the news and tour dates from the band.

https://www.facebook.com/zedmotel

We had the immense pleasure of catching up with Swansea’s much missed cult heros NinePlanFailed last weekend! while recording a new DMR podcast to talk about the Re-Release/ReMaster of their debut 2012 self titled album for the 10 Year Anniversary of Death Monkey Records.

A band well ahead of their time, with their own brand of dark subversive pop and political cynicism, NinePlanFailed are arguably more relevant today than ever and it can only be imagined what they would make of todays socio-political landscape if they were still around making records… Could a reformation be on the cards?

We’ll be dropping the Podcast shortly where the band discuss everything you ever wanted (and didn’t want) to know  about NinePlanFailed,  as well some pretty damn awesome and very exciting, previously unreleased recordings.   

It has just been announced that Sarah Birch will be performing at this years FOCUS WALES festival in Wrexham and supporting internationally renowned Harpist Catrin Finch. Sarah will be taking to the stage at 6.30pm in St Giles Parish, tickets are £22 which will get you a wristband for access to the rest of the festival.

FOCUS is a yearly international festival and showcase event held in Wrexham for the Welsh Music Industry which “places the music industry spotlight firmly on the emerging talent that Wales has to offer the world, alongside a selection of the best new acts from across the globe” The festival is in its 10th year and will be host to 250+ bands on 20 stages, as well as a conference over 7-9th OCTOBER. More info can be found at focuswales.com

You can also catch Sarah Birch at the Swansea Fringe Festival later in the October on Sat 30th for what will be an incredible show, supporting acoustic stalwart Scott Matthews at the Waterfront Museum.

Work has begun on The Kick Jetts, as yet untitled, debut album due for release later in the year. Death Monkey headed down to Sound Haven Studio with the band this week to start work on first single ‘Southern Comfort’

Recording is expected to continue throughout the Summer on the album, with production set to wrap up around late September. Updates to follow on what can only be an explosive first outing for Swansea’s purveyors of heavy-rock tuneage.

As part of our continuing 10th Anniversary celebrations (Which have been just a little bit disrupted by a global pandemic and the suspension of society as we know it.) we will be reissuing some Classic DeathMonkey albums in the coming months!

When some of our early releases first came out it was pre the Vinyl-boom, Digital Distribution was still somewhat in its infancy and and while CD’s were becoming a dying format, physical releases were something we were whole-heartedly committed to as a label over the EVILS!! of “Downloads” as they were popularly known at the time.

The technology has matured a bit since then, along with streaming becoming adopted as the main way fans listen to NEW music and bands promote their work, so we’re taking a bit more of a blended approach these days. This means that for a few of the albums we have planned to release as part of the Re-Master series, this is the first time they will have had an official digital release!

Release dates are yet to be confirmed, but we’ll be kicking off the Remaster series with the inaugural albums from two of Swansea’s much loved bands and DMR artists. nineplanfailed‘s Self titled EP and World Vs. World‘s ‘The Sentinel Paradox’ which will both be available in the coming months in their newly Remastered format.

With great sadness we hear the news that iconic recording studio and Swansea institution Abertawe Rd is being forced to close permanently with still much potential to offer. One thing that can be said for studio owner Pez Anderson is that he loves the Swansea music scene with a great passion, which was his main driving force in setting up Abertawe Road Studios over 12 years ago.

We had an opportunity over the last year or so to form a closer working relationship with Pez and the studio and we are proud to have been able to create the #Abertawe13 compilation, much of Sarah Birch‘s album, The Ballad Of Peter & Jane, along with single releases from WINDSHAKE, Kikker and more with the co-operation of Pez and ABERTAWE ROAD STUDIOS plus it was becoming a regular practice room with many of our artists with both The Kick Jetts and more recently World Vs. World considering it their creative bases.

This is another very sad day in the history of the local music scene, and Abertawe Road will be missed by many across the region.We would like to thank Pez for all his work over the last decade or so, and for his co-operation, and wish him a peaceful retirement!

It is with regret that I am announcing the closure of ABERTAWE ROAD STUDIOS after 12.5 years.The closure has been forced upon the studio as the Landlord told me today he was selling up the property. UK lock down has not helped either and with the studio closed for the duration the resultant debt of unpaid rent is proving to be a major financial strain so not helping!

I would like to say a sincere thanks to all bands and solo artists past and present for all your support. Same goes to Death Monkey Records and Welsh Connections and all the individuals involved who have provided to me and the studio the best support and help I could ever ask for, it really is appreciated.So wishing you all the very best with your musical endeavours, Swansea has produced some excellent bands and I am proud to have had them rehearse and record in my studio.

Pez Anderson – Abertawe Rd. Studio