No Spill Blood

It’s the end of the current tour for Fang Island, who have been doing the rounds over the preceding weeks aided and abetted by No Spill Blood. Hailing from Rhode Island, Fang Island specialize in a type of infectious, no frills guitar music that marks them out as the greatest band on earth. Okay, they’re not the greatest band on earth, but they might well be the most enjoyable band to rock out to on your headphones. The band’s ethos is simple – create the sound of “everyone high-fiving everyone.” While we have no idea how this might sound, if it’s measured through musical notation then this is probably it.

The three-pronged sonic assault that is No Spill Blood takes the stage, and from the alarm tone synth of Good Company it’s a heavy, molten slab of Death From Above 1979 style noise. Drummer Lar Kaye is a hard-hitter, and he and the howling vocal and bass of Matt Hedigan provide the basis for Ruadhan O’ Meara to layer on the colour with his dense synth patterns. It’s a full room from the first notes, as the band tear through the ‘Street Meat’ material, with the synth elevating things, swirling around the venue and grounding back on the solid work of the rhythm section. Crowd surfers are hoyed out of the air by bouncers, but the atmosphere is never anything less than cheerful. Bodies pump in rhythm, and when the band kicks back in after the prog-y breakdown of New Tricks a sea of heads simultaneously rock back and forth on their hinges. A false ending winds down the set, Buckfast makes an appearance, and the band gear up once more to bring things to a conclusion. Go on, the Bucky...

See full Show Review here

In the first of our regular features on the importance of  cover artwork, Loreana Rushe talks to L.A based visual artist Sonny Kay about the work he did on Street Meat by No Spill Blood and gains some insight into his creative process and inspirations.

Hi Sonny. Tell us about this cover.

It’s a digital collage created in Photoshop from photos I found online as well as some textures I made on paper with india ink and water, which I then scanned.

Can you describe the process? 

I began with the frame since I knew I wanted something that felt in some ways like a mandala, radiating out from the center. The other images were layered-in using Photoshop, some filters were applied here and there, and a lot of experimenting was done with transparency and muting certain color channels. It was all basically trial-and-error.

What inspired the artwork for this record? 

The book cover the band sent me (HP Lovecraft) coupled with my own interpretation of the music and the vague concept of “street meat”. It sounded like slang for some kind of drug, which led to the idea of a kind of psychedelic meat snack, like beef jerky or something crossed with LSD. I was inspired to try and portray the moment when the hallucinations begin, hence the mandala and the kind of geometric quality.

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No Spill Blood live at the Kazimier

Featuring members of Elk and Adebisi Shank, No Spill Blood are to music what Genghis Khan was to warfare; loud, fearsome and bloody.

Jeff Wayne’s musical version of The War Of The Worlds might be the barometer in sci-fi musical epics, but No Spill Blood, with their other-worldly keyboard magic, thudding fuzz bass, outrageously great drumming and guttural vocals that could scare even the most feral of children play as if in the midst of a real intergalactic invasion.

From the moment they land, take away subjects to probe and experiment on and disappear into the starry sky with reckless abandon, you realise it’s not the Earth that has been invaded. No, it’s far worse than that; it’s your mind. You’ll want more, guaranteed. - by Peter Guy

Things to do before you die part 1, catch Dublin’s No Spill Blood playing live. Part 2 would be make sure you hear their debut e.p Street Meat. They made their Belfast debut last year and I didn’t make it then, managing to avoid the grim reaper I ventured out to see them in Bar Sub at Queen’s Union supporting fellow Sargent House rockers Fang Island. Street Meat has been on repeat play since I first heard it and to watch the band recreate every nuance of its incredible forceful and brutal sound was a joyous experience. Not every day you see brutal and joyous in the same sentence, that’s what No Spill Blood make you do, they’re utterly unique.

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No Spill Blood will be heading out on their first European tour with label mates Fang Island. Lar Kaye will be pulling double duty on this one playing bass in Fang Island and Drums in No Spill Blood. Good times.
SEE ALL SHOW DETAILS HERE

FANG ISLAND & NO SPILL BLOOD - EURO 2013
Apr 08, 2013 - Cork, Ireland @ The Pavillion
Apr 09, 2013 - Limerick, Ireland @ Bourke’s
Apr 10, 2013 - Belfast, N. Ireland @ The Speakeasy
Apr 11, 2013 - Liverpool, UK @ The Kazimier
Apr 12, 2013 - Glasgow, UK  @ Broadcast
Apr 13, 2013 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
Apr 14, 2013 - London, UK @ Birthdays
Apr 15, 2013 - Antwerpen, Belgium @ Kavka
Apr 16, 2013 - Paris, France @ Le Batofar
Apr 17, 2013 - Lyon, France @ Le Sonic
Apr 18, 2013 - Reims, France @ L’ecluse
Apr 19, 2013 - Lausanne, Switzerland @ Le Romandie
Apr 20, 2013 - Esch/Alzette, Luxembourg  @ Out Of The Crowd Festival
Apr 21, 2013 - Aachen, Germany @ Musikbunker Aachen
Apr 22, 2013 - Berlin, Germany @ Festsaal Kreuzberg
Apr 23, 2013 - Hamburg, Germany @ HafenKlang
Apr 24, 2013 - Aarhus,Denmark @ Voxhall
Apr 25, 2013 - Copenhagen, Denmark @ Huset KBH
Apr 27, 2013 - Oslo, Norway @ Parkteatret
Apr 28, 2013 - Aalborg, Denmark @ 1000 Fryd
Apr 29, 2013 - Kiel,Germany @ Die Pumpe
Apr 30, 2013 - Pilsen, Czech Republic @ Pod Lampou
May 01, 2013 - Prague, Czech Republic @ Kokpit Kafe
May 02, 2013 - Vienna, Austria @ Chelsea
May 03, 2013 - Dornbirn, Austria @ Cafe Schlachthaus
May 04, 2013 - Stuttgart, Germany @ Kokolores
May 05, 2013 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso
May 06, 2013 - Oberhausen, Germany @ Druckluft
May 07, 2013 - Brighton, UK @ The Green Door Store
May 08, 2013 - Derby, UK  @ The Victoria Inn
May 09, 2013 - Galway, Ireland @ Roisin Dubh
May 10, 2013 - Dublin, Ireland @ The Grand Social

As much as I love heavy music, I find that the genre as a whole can be difficult to find truly unique artists. There are always a gaggle of fresh bands with the same sound (See: New Wave of American Heavy Metal or Djent) while established bands are struggling to stay established by either following the new trend popular, or repeatedly releasing the same album as a way to stay true to their roots, or not sell out, or not try new things, or something. So when a band comes along with a sound unlike any I’ve ever heard, I can’t help but think, “FINALLY, something completely different.” 

For some strange reason the first few weeks of January always present a slew of artists and albums that I missed from the previous year. This year was no different. Following a long evening of Bandcamp surfing and fancy beer I found myself on the page of a band called No Spill Blood.

No Spill Blood are an Irish three-piece super-group, of sorts, that consists of bassist/vocalist Matt Hedigan of Elk, drummer Lar Kaye of Adebisi Shank and keyboards by Ruadhan O’Meara of Magic Pockets.  The band formed in late 2011 and while none of their other projects are terribly “metal,” their powers combined create something that has an unmistakable attitude and an unbelievable creativity that I can only describe as “metal.”

As of now, the band sadly only has the EP I drunkenly cyber-stumbled across, Street Meat, which consists of 6 tracks that sound like if High On Fire threw away their guitar and had a genre-bending love child with Death From Above 1979. Another way to label them, if I must, would be to compare them to current-era Torche but with extra aggression and Genghis Tron keyboards. It’s the perfect blend between headbanging fuzzed-out sludge and danceable noise punk.

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Thanks to all that voted in the Nialler9 Readers Poll putting No Spill Blood in at #1 and our very own Lar Kaye’s Solo ep at #5. Cheers!


Irish EPs of the year

1. No Spill Blood – Street Meat
2. Le Galaxie – Fade to Forever 
3. Young Wonder – Young Wonder 
4. White Collar Boy – Kinsale 
5. Lar Kaye  - Lar Kaye 
6. Sleep Thieves – Islands
7. Hidden Highways  - Hidden Highways
8. Mmoths – Mmoths 
9. Monto – Best Boy
10. Faws – Blue Notes

Thanks to 45 Sound for the Live videos of No Spill Blood from the Benefit Belfast show on December 15, 2012

Check out No Spill Blood’s “Street Meat” in full HERE

See the Full List of ALARM’s Favorites here

From Ghettoblaster Magazine Issue #33 w/ Dinosaur Jr on the Cover.

No Spill Blood will be playing a special Benefit show to raise money for Cancer Charities in memory of Bart Lyons. Along with a whole line up of fantastic Irish bands - Come support a night of great live music for a very worthy cause.  SEE MORE INFO HERE

SATURDAY DECEMBER 15th | MANDELA HALL | BUNATEE | BAR SUB

A fund raising event for cancer charities and for sufferers of cancer in memory of Bart Lyons

Performing at the event will be

And So I Watch You From Afar

LaFaro

Axis Of

Eatenbybears

Ed Zealous

The Continuous Battle of Order

Bats

More Than Conquerors

No Spill Blood

Sons of Burlap

with more to be announced over the coming days….

This December at very short notice and group of musicians, promoters, venues, contributors and music lovers have come together in Belfast to raise money for cancer and for sufferers of cancer, spurred on by the death of local friend, musician and band mate Bart Lyons who played with members of ASIWYFA and Axis Of in their band Sons of Burlap.

The result of this coming together of people is Benefit, featuring bands from north and south of the border all playing for nothing other than to contribute to something important

We aim to raise over £8000 and all we ask from everybody is to help it be known that Benefit is taking place. Take this poster and this blurb and put it on your Facebook, send it on your mailing list, tweet about it, talk to people about it, make sure the work and time put into this by everyone including yourself makes a difference to the people we’re raising this money for

Thank you

No Spill Blood headline the middle night of the NOISE Weekender on Sept 29…Stephen asked their synth meister Ruadhan O’Meara a few questions…

Where did the name No Spill Blood originate from?
It’s actually just lifted from an Oingo Boingo tune (we’re big fans). They lifted a passage from the H.G. Wells book “The Island of Dr Moreau”. It was the same passage that Devo got “Are we not men??” from.

Did the band’s sound originate from a pre-conceived idea or was it the result of jamming together?
Well the original concept was just synths and live drums, but in execution it was a different beast altogether. We just liked how it sounded when the synths and bass guitar locked up to become one pulsating mass!

Was it a conscious decision not to have a guitarist? Are you a closet guitar player by any chance?!
Guitar is actually my first instrument (isn’t it everyones??). We dabbled with it a bit, but thought it might be more interesting to leave it out altogether.

What is on rotation in the tour van/car/private jet at the moment?
Dead Rider – Raw Dents, the new Krallice album, High on Fire – De Vermis Mysterious, Sensations Fix – Portable Madness, Medusa – En Raga Suul, Castevet – Mounds of Ash, Michael Hoenig – Departure from the Northern Wasteland.

A lot of the lyrical content within Street Meat is quite dark. What inspires you to write?
Well Matt’s lyrics are based on a short story he wrote years ago, they have a dark tone that suits the music nicely.

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Click above to go Vote for No Spill Blood as this weeks Artist of the Week!

Name: No Spill Blood
Where They’re From: Dublin, Ireland
When They Started: 2012
Genre: Prog Punk
Most Similar: Adebisi Shank, Lightning Bolt, The Mars Volta, The VSS
Sounds Like: Circuit bending your mind

No Spill Blood of Dublin take their name from The Island of Doctor Moreau by way of an Oingo Boigo song, which is fitting. The group itself is something of an ungodly chimera. Composed of members of Adebisi Shank, Hands Up Who Wants To Die?, Elk and Magic Pockets, some might call them a super group. The music, too, smacks of mad science gone awry, in a strange but fascinating way. Their monster is made of noise, emotionally damaged synthesizers, prog rock, post-rock, and various sorts of core. It’s a psychedelic, city destroying thing that you should really listen to.

Reflecting the band’s progish guts, their debut EP Street Meat is a kind of concept piece, all the lyrics being inspired by a story about a guy who goes to work in his local mine, written by bassist/vocalist Matt Hedigan when he was younger. The all have pronounced pronounced cerebral sides, but the trio throws in plenty of brawn, ferocity, and dystopian dread, so it’s never boring.

Deep, seething bass and noisey, fried synth plus total freak out vocals make sure all the action is dirty enough for those who still like some punk in their punk. “Junior” actually has a fine and crushing stoner rock thing going on. Admittedly though, it’s the hypnotic grooves that give the creature life.

Watch this live video from the group and then tell us if you have ever heard synthesizer sound this evil. Really. Write it in the comments, because we want to know.

Being a huge fan of Adebisi Shank I was super stoked to hear that guitarist Lar Kaye had a new project.  When I realized that Lar was playing drums in this new project my excitement level got even higher.  Pair that with the album cover art done by Sonny Kay and I knew I needed this record before I even heard a song. That was a smart purchase because Street Meat is insane.  I have been listening to this beast of an EP at least once a day when I am near my record player.  Now I just want a chance to get an auditory ass whoopin’ from these guys live.  Make sure that you get your own copy over here —>  No Spill Blood – Street Meat

A lot can happen in the space of twelve months. Just ask No Spill Blood. Bass player Matt Hedigan moved from Cork to the capital and hooked up with Ruadhan O’Meara and Adebisi Shank guitarist Lar Kaye to form this bass, drum and synth powerhouse – deservedly they have been picked up by the Sargent House label, home to a host of rockin’ bands of a similar pedigree. The Button Factory tonight plays host to their debut ‘Street Meat’ EP launch hooley……

It’s steadily heating up in the venue and people again escape to the respite of the smoking area before the main act. Its drums up front as No Spill Blood burst in over the stereo in fuck-you style and begin a blistering run through of the ‘Street Meat’ material. Junior is face-meltingly class, simple as that, while EP highlight Good Company is a treat live as much as on wax. Things escalate as the gig progresses, Matt Hedigan’s powerful, abrasive vocal style as much of a beefed-up instrument as the layered synths of O’Meara. Drummer Kaye is the kinetic force that drives the gig, O’Meara and Hedigan on either side of him layering on the noise that is the flesh on the bones of it all. The encore continues both the sonic and visual barrage and rounds off a night of acts that complimented each other perfectly. It was loud, it was hot and it was free; ‘Street Meat’ EP, consider yourself launched in style.

READ THE FULL LINE UP SHOW REVIEW HERE