Chew Chew Barney McGrew

Chew Disco
From: Liverpool

Liverpool has always been a hotbed of alternative music. From Deaf School to Big In Japan, from The Bunnymen/Teardop Explodes/Wah triumverate of the early 80s through the Las to The Coral and The Zutons the city has always been one step removed from the mainstream and the music has been all the better for it. Over the past couple of years the attention of the British media has been diverted away from the Mersey and while you've not been looking the scene has been busy getting on with spawning the music of the future.

The new Liverpool scene is centred around Chew Disco a monthly club night showcasing the best underground electro, dance-punk, post-punk, trash and alternative DIY bands from all over the UK. Run by the irrepressible Khalil and Emma out of a Toxteth living room crammed with zombie flicks, bell hooks books and post-punk mix tapes, Chew Disco is the essence of indie, true indie not that faux indie that the majors try to flog yer.

Launched originally as a quarterly event in response to the invisible homophobic murder of Michael Causer, and the media’s non-reporting of the torture and executions of Iraqi and Iranian gays and the militia gang rape of women, men and children in the D.R. Congo, Chew Disco has, due to popular demand, moved to a monthly party downstairs in the Ladytron-run Korova bar in Liverpool.

By providing a safe haven for queers, straights, outcasts, feminists, alternative thinkers, anti-fascists, the disillusioned, dispossessed and disheartened Chew Disco is, almost single handedly, creating a politically aware and culturally diverse and relevant DIY music scene in Liverpool. With a heady mix of cult film, underground music, and creative/political empowerment and activism Chew Disco is like Warhol's Factory, the late 70s punk scene and riot grrrl rolled into one.

All proceeds raised by Chew Disco go to charities fighting racism, homophobia, domestic violence, state-sponsored genocide and fascism. Previous nights have raised awareness and funds for Iraqi LGBT and Panzi Hospital and featured queer electro-punk rocker Ste McCabe (featured on the Devil's blog in October 2008 Rednecks Look Away Now and November 2009 Murder On The Dancefloor), post-punk geniuses and Steve Lamacq favourites Vile Vile Creatures (featured on the Devil's blog back in November 2009, Curt Vile), London-based electro-trash duo Husbands, and the amazing lo-fi no wave 3-piece Trash Kit, all some of the finest in the new wave of UK DIY talent.

Chew Disco is now the third Friday of every month at Korova Liverpool (32 Hope Street, Liverpool, L1 9BX) beginning on 19th March 2010, with live performances from Brighton-based electro-trash-pop duo Peepholes Leeds DIY (in the indie not the B&Q sense) legends Pifco, and Liverpool’s own post-punk 3-piece Seawitches. Doors open at 10:30pm and it'll cost you just £3 with all proceeds going to FORWARD (Foundation for Women's Health, Research and Development) a women’s rights charity dedicated to the eradication of female genital mutilation and forced child marriage.

Go Try

To get you in the mood for the next Chew Disco night here are a couple of tracks from Leeds legends Pifco...

MP3 - Pifco - Jon German
MP3 - Pifco - Walk Your Way
If anyone from the IFPI is reading these tracks are linked direct from the Pifco Last.FM site and are therefore already freely available so please refrain from alleging infringement of copyright.

Go Visit

Chew Disco - Myspace
Pifco - Myspace // Last.FM
Peepholes - Myspace // Last.FM
Seawitches - Myspace