Do It Together Fest Preview

Do It Together Fest is a celebration of the DIY punk rock community, which we’re hosting alongside our friends Be Sharp Promotions and Colin’s Punk Rock World on 24-25th January 2020.

Sat in a beer garden last summer, I stumbled on the idea of putting on a London weekender (an evolution of Shout Louder Fest in 2019)… a flurry of WhatsApp messages and not a lot of thought later, we’d planned the whole thing.

Paul, Colin and I all have our birthdays over the same two weekends so, rather than competing, we’ve clubbed together to create this shindig. We’ve invited our mutual favourite bands to play, and we’re giving a platform to other promoters by offering stalls to labels and zines. I’m even making PAPERCUTS (our community themed book) to tie in with the event.

Do It Together Fest takes place on 24-25 January at New Cross Inn, London. Grab a ticket and a zine.

Our aim was to create a diverse line-up, hoping to help you to discover some bands you may not have experienced yet. Here’s a run down of all the awesome artists we’ve got playing.

Toodles & The Hectic Pity

  • From: Bristol
  • Style: Heartwarming folk-punks with catchy tunes to fall in love with
  • For fans of: AJJ, Neutral Milk Hotel, Jake & The Jellyfish
  • Read: Colin’s interview with Callum McAllister
  • Facts: Sarah and Colin have been completely obsessed with Toodles since with their Call In Sick EP and Sarah’s still not seen them live. They’ve also recently signed to Specialist Subject.

Midwich Cuckoos

  • From: London / International roots
  • Style: Hard rock with a lot of punk / metal crossover
  • For fans of: The Distillers, The Bronx, The Grit, The Living End and other bands staring with ‘the’
  • Read: Our premiere of their ‘Black Velvet’ cover
  • Facts: Midwich Cuckoos first started as a big international recording project, with different musicians submitting from as far afield as Italy and Brazil. They also feature Lockjaw Records’ Lesley-Anne O’Brien on guitar.

Fabled Mind

  • From: Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Style: Intricate melodic punk with skate-punk speed and pop-punk sensibilities
  • For fans of: RX Bandits, Rise Against, The Swellers
  • Read: Our interview with Dion Finne
  • Facts: Lockjaw Records first heard Fabled Mind’s album before they were even officially announced as a band, and instantly decided they wanted to help release it. Fabled Mind are one of the most wonderful new bands to pop up in 2019.

Katie MF

  • From: London
  • Style: Catchy and anthemic folk-punk with gusto and heart
  • For fans of: Against Me!, Frank Turner, Dave Hause
  • Read: Colin’s interview with Katie
  • Facts: Although Katie plays under a solo name, she often performs rousing full-band sets under the same moniker. She’s been making increasingly big waves in London, and Colin’s her biggest champion.

The JB Conspiracy

  • From: Guildford
  • Style: Big complex brass and poppy, exiting tunes. Are they ska-punk? No one knows
  • For fans of: Random Hand, Lightyear, P.O. Box
  • Read: Our live review of JB’s 10 Year anniversary show for This Machine
  • Facts: I first saw JB Conspiracy supporting Random Hand at the Nag’s Head in High Wycombe, sometime around the turn of the last decade. I have never seen them play a bad set, and it’s impossible not to dance.

Lightyear

  • From: Derby
  • Style: Humour-loaded offbeat ska-punk heroes from the 90’s Household Name scene
  • For fans of: Capdown, gazebos, pantomime horses
  • Read: Our interview with Chas Palmer-Williams
  • Facts: Lightyear’s Call Of The Weasel Clan is my favourite ska-punk album of all time. On stage they’re known for random antics and asides – nudity, tea parties, morris dancing. On their last tour they brought along Robbie The Robot who remained in character even when off-stage, the only performer I’ve ever insisted on getting a selfie with.

Eat Defeat

  • From: Leeds
  • Style: On record it’s sweet pop-punk, but on stage they’re faster and heavier with a 90s skate-punk vibe
  • For fans of: The Swellers, The Wonder Years, No Trigger
  • Read: Listen to our podcast with Summers
  • Facts: I broke the clutch on Summer’s tour van last year and I will never forgive myself. There’s a good chance he’ll have a Pokemon battle with you if you ask.

Our Lives In Cinema

  • From: London
  • Style: Frantic, self-deprecating pop punk
  • For fans of: Jeff Rosenstock, PUP, Direct Hit
  • Read: Mark Bartlett’s article about the mental tax of their album recording
  • Facts: Mark was one of the first and most consistent guest-writers on Shout Louder, and he’s got a well-deserved reputation as a humble, friendly and supportive member of the punk community. Watching the band grow over time has been a massive pleasure for all 3 DIT promoters.

UNIFORMS

  • From: Dundee, Scotland
  • Style: Raucous, gruff and honest old-school pop-punk
  • For fans of: Off With Their Heads, The Murderburgers, The Copyrights
  • Read: Jason’s recent Punk Rock Tour Tales interview
  • Facts: Uniforms have been going for a long time and have been through a lot together, but I first saw them at the MPF aftershow a couple of years ago. They’re good on record, but they’ll blow you out of the water with their live energy.

Goodbye Blue Monday

  • From: Glasgow (via Dundee), Scotland
  • Style: Big tunes with instantly memorable choruses and misery-punk lyrics
  • For fans of: Off With Their Heads, misery, having a time
  • Read: Listen to our podcast with Graham Lough
  • Facts: During The Sickness, The Shame Graham sings, “I’ve got a few arteries and a kitchen knife.” Live, he usually guestures to slice down his wrist at that point but, when I was on tour with them in Bristol in 2018, he caught his plectrum on his arm and actually cut a hole in his forearm mid-set.

Forever Unclean

  • From: Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Style: Frantic melodic punk with a skate-edge
  • For fans of: Gnarwolves, PUP, Hard Girls, The Arteries
  • Read: Our recent Punk Rock Tour Tales interview with Leo Wallin
  • Facts: A photo of an on-stage human pyramid during Forever Unclean’s set at KNRD Fest 2018 in has been at the top of my Tinder profile ever since. It also features in Rob Piper’s (Lockjaw Records) profile. Forever Unclean are the best band ever.

Triple Sundae

  • From: London
  • Style: Sad boi emo-punk with tattooable one-line lyrics
  • For fans of: The Menzingers, Iron Chic, Burnt Tapes
  • Read: Triple Sundae Interview: Hard-Earned Peace of Mind
  • Facts: Triple Sundae are the literally family of Paul Smith, but they’re equally special to Colin and I. I love it when they play in Manchester nowadays, but seeing them with a big singalong in their hometown is always my favourite.

Just Say Nay

  • From: London
  • Style: SKA (all caps), think Boomtown’s-Chinatown-comes-to-New-Cross
  • For fans of: Gogol Bordello, Less Than Jake, Streetlight Manifesto, seeing how many people you can fit on stage
  • Read: Colin’s interview with Jak Coleman
  • Facts: Bassist Leo Harvey once lent a sequinned pink mini dress and a pair of perfectly-fitting women’s knickers to me (Sarah) with very little explanation. Colin and Paul no doubt have a variety of better stories about JSN, but that’s the one that sticks for me.

Call Me Malcolm

Burnt Tapes

  • From: London
  • Style: Melodic punk with big choruses and bigger hooks
  • For fans of: Iron Chic, Polar Bear Club, The Menzingers
  • Read: Their Greek tour stories
  • Facts: I have a Burnt Tapes lyric tattooed on my arm, making a mega fangirl. Tone, their bass player, is also one of two people who will have attended all of my annual birthday gigs (the other being Matt from PMX).

On top of all that we’ve got awesome afterparties from The Aversions and The Burntzingers (Burnt Tapes covering The Menzingers). We’ll see you down the front!

Grab a ticket before they sell out!

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