The Supernovas / Regent Street Takeover
This week The Supernovas will be hitting London’s bustling west end and performing as part of the week-long Strummerville Regent Street Takeover, in association with Clarks Originals. On 18th February, The North London, mod powered rockers will be unplugging and putting together a more mellow set for the afternoon shoe-gazing crowd.
Playing together since they were 16, The Supernovas (Joei, frontman singer and rhythm guitarist; Columbian lead guitarist Rizo; bass supremo Panashe, and drummer Moses) have long been associated with the charity Strummerville, who last Autumn took them up and down the UK on their very first full UK tour.
The boys’ last single, City Of Smoke, released to ride shotgun with those dates, was a skanking, beat driven tale of life and love in the capital city. To support this release, a narrative video was shot by Sam Bird on the roof and inside the old Flowerpot in north London’s Kentish Town.
As an accompaniment to the 7″ release, the legendary Grammy award winning film maker Don Letts, (the man who introduced The Clash to reggae) heard City Of Smoke, and immediately remixed it, bringing his own joyous west London beats to the party. The superb Dub Cartel versus The Supernovas block party banger is currently available as a free download HERE
To find out more about the tour click HERE and The Supernovas official site is located HERE
The Supernovas Round The UK
After a mental summer of festivals we’ve been back in town for a couple of weeks and have got straight back to work, recording some new tracks, supporting The Chords at The Garage and playing a memorable show at Inn On The Green on Sunday as part of the Carnival madness that went on in Notting Hill over the bank holiday.
Then, yesterday (2nd) we hit 93 Feet East in Brick Lane with Strummerville brethren Nimmo And The Gauntletts and were spurred on by the news that our first official national tour has been announced in the form of the STRUMMERVILLE: WESTWAY ROUND THE UK TOUR which kicks off on October 10th!
As you can imagine, we are all really excited about this and cannot wait to get on the road and start playing consecutive dates around the country! We will be playing alongside our friends Rum Shebeen (who’s new single ‘I’m An Old Punk/Tropical’ has been getting regular airplay on John Kennedy’s Xposure show) and Beans On Toast (who might as well be the show’s producer – he’s on there that much!)
To coincide with the Tour, we will be releasing City Of Smoke on October 3rd, the video of which can be viewed below…
If you haven’t already, then please join our mailing list and download a FREE copy of Diamonds And Gems… It might just turn out to be your last chance 
Keep it dribbling.
The Supernovas Glastonbury Diary
After taking a few days to get over the whole experience, I can honestly say that I think that this was the best Glastonbury that I’ve ever been to.
There wasn’t even any rain.
That might not sound like the most amazing thing you’ve ever heard heard but it was the first time that I’ve ever experienced this phenomenon and this was my 7th time there!
For The Supernovas, our Glastonbury really got started on the Pyramid Field on Thursday for the annual Glastonbury World Cup. We were the post-match entertainment, playing a completely unplugged acoustic set to the crowd after he match. It was essentially busking for WaterAid. Or at least that was the plan.
It was all going swimmingly until half way through our second song when the people in charge of the Pyramid Stage decided it’d be a good idea to start sound-checking the speakers, meaning that not even with us singing at the top of our voices could we be heard over the gigantic speakers. Speakers that were to be used for the likes of Muse and Stevie Wonder over the coming days!
With this, we decided to take a short walk to find a more suitable spot where we could play a slightly more more ‘intimate’ unplugged gig to the 25 or so people that could be bothered to travel for it. And as luck would have it, we managed to find an empty bench outside the ‘Churros And Chocolate’ stall which suited the occasion perfectly.
So we finished our set there and headed back off into the wilds of Glastonbury, being sure not to get too carried away as we’d have to stay fresh for the 2 remaining gigs on the Strummerville Campfire Stage on Friday and Sunday night.
I didn’t see many acts over the weekend but all of the ones that I did get to see were fairly impressive, not least Snoop Dogg who turned out to be the only person I did get to see on the Friday. I was also hoping to see The Bootleg Beatles headline the Acoustic Stage as well (they were my must-see band of the weekend) but alas it was not be as we were asked to record 2 songs for the BBC’s coverage of the festival which never made it onto the television screens 
So relative disappointment all-round there.
This initial disappointment was cured however by the success of our first full-band set of the weekend. We opened with a cover of The Clash’s ‘I’m So Bored With The USA’ – a trick we often perform at Strummerville gigs, it puzzles me why no-one else ever seems to do any Clash covers at those events? Maybe it’s a bit too obvious? – and blitzed our way through the rest of our 20 minute set to a great reception and left the stage with 4 big smiles on our faces.
It was at this point that I decided to have my only heavy night of debauched fun as it was the only night that I wouldn’t have a gig the next day. So I grabbed the opportunity with both hands and went on an excursion with my good friend Dominic of The Others, a few of his accomplices and our very own Rizo.
Many sleepless hours and numerous Satsumas and Tangerines later I crawled out of my tent feeling like Death and covered in sweat. A true dose of Glastonbury Fever. I then went down to the Green Fields and had my Tarot Cards read by a man who basically told me that there was a chance that I could end up in control of my finances but that most of the cards were upside down so it could mean either that or the complete opposite. Very interesting point of view indeed.
I then went to see Neville Staple on the West Dance Stage who was my act of the weekend (although he was better on the Shangri-La that night). I had hoped to see Jerry Dammers as well but unfortunately it didn’t materialise and we went to see The Cribs instead. Johnny Marr is God. It’s a fact.
Then after going and getting some Fish, Chips and Gravy I headed down to the John Peel Stage to have a look at Jamie T who played a sped-up set to a packed-out tent. It was also funny to see Louis who used to work in Nambucca on stage with him.
On my way back to the Strummerville Campfire, I managed to duck into the Avalon Stage and catch the second of The Lightning Seeds which was a great moment. Every song is a classic with them.
The next day I woke up and headed down to the Strummerville Campfire for a couple of drinks before going to hear Tony Benn speaking on the Leftfield. It’s amazing how a man so old can be so on-the-ball in comparison to the tossers that are in mainstream politics today. If David Miliband does (as everybody expects him to) win the Labour leadership then we would be in a situation where we would have to choose between him, Clegg and Cameron at the next General Election. Hardly much of a choice is it? If they were to swap their ties around then you wouldn’t know which one was which!
As soon as the debate in the Leftfield ended, I went to watch the England vs Germany match. It was interesting to see how a group of over-paid “world-class” egos would fair up against a young, relatively inexperienced group of players that worked as a team. 4-1 Germany. Nuff said.
As keen as I was to watch the match, I unfortunately had to pay the price of missing Ray Davies for it. I had planned to leave at half time but when England scored and then had that goal disallowed just before half time, I thought it would turn into an exciting match so I decided to stick around for the rest of it. False alarm. They played well for about the first 5 minutes of the second half and then folded back into the display they’d put on for the majority of the first half.
After getting a bit of dinner in me and heading back the tent for a few drinks, before long it was time for Toots and the Maytals on the West Holts Stage who were brilliant. It was great to see how in synch the band were with what he was thinking. He commanded them very well.
As soon as they were finished, we headed round to the Pyramid Stage to get a decent spot for Stevie Wonder who closed the stage with perfection. But how did he know where that microphone was when he first walked on?!? Literally amazed.
We then all headed back to the Strummerville Campfire for the last set of the weekend. Ours. This gig was a bit more like a headline show than on the Friday and as it was the last of the weekend, we decided to play for a bit longer. After “finishing” with Slaughter In The Gaza, we invited Trish Whelan of Strummerville up to say a few words before dedicating Ace Face (Link below) to her.
Can’t wait til next year!
Slaughter In The Gaza – Lyrics
In light of recent events in the news, there have been a few people asking me what the exact lyrics to Slaughter In The Gaza are… So here they are:
Roll up, read all about it, 1300 dead and more to come,
Women and Children, no-one is safe when the new-age Nazis are holding the guns,
And ain’t it kinda scary? The way that history repeats itself all the time,
And once again, the Daily Mail are there to stand up and defend the crime, well…
It’s a slaughter in the Gaza,
Everybody’s looking for answers but no-ones getting none,
Except for that it’s a slaughter in the Gaza now.
Roll up, tell us about it, but don’t ask questions and don’t be crude,
Please don’t let us think for ourselves and for heaven’s sake, don’t you tell us the truth,
Because we like being lied to, ignorance is bliss so we cover our eyes,
And we tell ourselves that it ain’t really happening, the holocaust that’s been built in Palestine.
It’s a slaughter in the Gaza,
Everybody’s looking for answers but no-ones getting none,
Except for that it’s a slaughter in the Gaza now.
(It’s a slaughter in the Gaza)
Everybody’s looking for answers but no-ones getting none except for that it’s a..
(Slaughter in the Gaza)
Everybody’s taking their chances and soaking up the sun and meanwhile its a..
(Slaughter in the Gaza)
Everybody’s singing and dancing and trying not to come and meanwhile its a slaughter in the Gaza now….
Slaughter In The Gaza is available in all digital stores and also from our store HERE.
An interview with The Supernovas
Q1: Have The Supernovas been back to the studio recently?
Joei: Yeah we were back in Sunshine Corner with Smiley in Fleet at the end of last year. We recorded drums, bass and guitars for 10 tracks so we’ve got plenty of work to be getting on with at the moment!
Q2: How did your debut single do?
Joei: I’m really happy with the progress we’ve as a band as a result of it. We sold around 300 vinyl copies, I’m not sure how many downloads there were on top of that but it was a good start. Just looking forward to the next step now and releasing Slaughter In The Gaza!
Q3: When can we expect that?
Joei: We’re hoping to release Slaughter In The Gaza in March as a Download-only and then follow it up with a full hard copy release of City Of Smoke in the summer.
Q4: The band have been playing all over the country, tell us about that.
Joei: It’s been good over the last year. We’ve really taken it up a gear. No more being stuck in a rut playing the same London shows over and over again. We’ve actually been able to go and visit different places around the country that we wouldn’t have seen otherwise.
I think the main highlights have been the Bournemouth and Portsmouth shows although the Babyshambles supports in Cardiff, Southampton and Manchester were amazing.
Q5: Do you feel any kinship with any other bands or artists currently playing?
Joei: Well, being on the same label as Inwits and Krakatoa has definitely given us a sort of gang mentality when we’re out playing together. David McSherry would definitely be a part of that gang as well.
Q6: Who would you choose to run the country?
Joei: Tony Benn. Hands down winner. Easy choice.
Q7: Do politics have a place in music anymore?
Joei: Most definitely. I think that one of the reasons that music has hit a patch of boredom or mediocrity, or whatever you wanna call it, is that no-one seems to have anything to say anymore. I mean Lady Gaga is supposed to be the most offensive one out there and all I’ve heard her say is that she’s bluffin’ with her muffin! I like to invite her round for a couple of hands of Poker one day – I bet she’d catch a fuckin’ cold!
Q8: Are there any heroes left, musical or otherwise?
Joei: They are few and far between but they’re not all dead yet.
Q9: What are the worst and best things about being in your band?
Joei: The best thing about being in The Supernovas is the belief I have in the music we make and the boys as individuals. The worst thing about being in The Supernovas is the amount of fried chicken we eat when we’re on the road together.
Q10: You go to Austin, Texas for SXSW in March, what are your plans for your first American trip?
Joei: To cause a fuckin’ stir… I like the fact that we’ll have Slaughter In The Gaza out for then. I think it should turn a few heads out there. I’m hoping that by the end of our first song, half the crowd will have walked out and the remainder will be up for it. That’s like ‘my vision’ of the gig haha!
So much to tell…
Where to start?
Since the last update, there has been much going on in L’hotel De La Novas!
On Saturday, we played the first date of our February Tour which is scheduled to stop at Exeter, London, Bournemouth, Southampton and Portsmouth. It was an eventful affair which featured a flat tyre, a radio interview and ended on a nice man called Den’s front room floor after he took pity at the prospect of us having to face another night sleeping in the van.
We got up the next day, complete with a full set of hangovers, had a Wetherspoons breakfast and headed back to the town I love so well.
It was also announced officially today (poster below) that we will be playing at Strummerville’s takeover showcase at this year’s SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas on March 15th! Now there’s a bit of exciting news!
We have been showcasing a few bits of our own at our recent gigs in the form of ‘new’ songs; ‘Valentines’ and ‘3 O’Clock In The Morning’ as well as a new improved version of ‘Only I Can Call You Mine’.
And in the studio, we have been putting the final touches to mixes of; ‘Slaughter In The Gaza’ (which is going to be released as a FREE single next month!), ‘City Of Smoke’, ‘Habits’ and ‘It’s A Game’ (which are going to be the tracks on our next full single in the Summer).
PS Don’t forget you can also get a FREE track HERE if you want to have a listen
The Supernovas – Cardiff Uni with Babyshambles 12.12.09
1st Stop: 13.12.09 @ CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
Luckily for us, Strummerville were nice enough to lend us their van a.k.a The Magic Bus for the duration of our 3-part Tour with Babyshambles. This would prove to be a life saver, as it meant that no matter how much rain might be falling outside, we would always have some sort of shelter from it.
So we set off bright and early on the Saturday morning and began the 150-mile jaunt to the Welsh capital, with high hopes of bumping into the cast of Gavin and Stacey or better yet, maybe even meeting Ryan Giggs! Naturally we stopped along the way for service station food, although to be honest, I’ve eaten so much of that recently that it all just seems to have blended into one meal. All I’m sure of is that at some point over the last 2 weeks I’ve eaten McDonalds, Burger King, KFC and a lot of Pizza. I’d like to think that one day, we’ll have caterers looking after our dietary needs but alas, for the time being, it is not to be.
Not long after crossing the Severn Bridge and only being charged the price of a car, we were in the venue and had discovered our first major set-back of the day… 2 of the volume controls had been snapped off of Panashe’s Bass Amp. “Matty..?”. It materialised that as our trusty roadie Matty had lifted my guitar amp out of the van, he had managed to bang it off of the Bass Amp, which was where the damage was done. This meant that we had to start ringing around every Music/Repair Shop in Cardiff to try and get someone out to sort it on a Saturday afternoon at 3:30pm We were in luck. A lot of it. A friendly guy called Dave came out to us and just happened to have the exact part that we needed to fix the output control – which at least meant we had some sound.
With all of that sorted, we went to wait in our dressing room which was a small, yet very nice and clean room with a sofa and a TV with a built-in freeview box in it. Just what you need when you’re doing nothing on a Saturday afternoon with a crate of Becks at your disposal: Soccer Saturday. After cheering to sound of Jeff Stelling’s voice telling us that Chelsea had dropped points to Everton, we went to watch Babyshambles soundcheck. I was amazed at how tight their rhythm section are. Adam and Drew are virtually in each others pockets. Then you decorate that with Mick and Pete’s guitars and Pete’s vocals and you have their sound in a nutshell. Very-well worked out.
By the time all of that was done, there wasn’t much time left for our soundcheck but we did what we could. It’s funny though. The sound when your playing in big venues is so far removed from what it is when your used to playing in small sweaty venues in London. It never occurred to me that I would need to have drums coming through my onstage monitors as they’re usually the loudest thing in the room! However, I quickly learned this was a mistake as I couldn’t hear any drums at all during the first 2 songs of our set. That meant that my timing was obviously a bit loose but the crowd didn’t seem to notice. Once I’d sorted that out and got them to turn the drums up onstage, the next issue came along.
Somewhere about half way through our set, Rizo’s guitar just completely stopped working. His Marshall amplifier has always been the weakest link in our backline and predictably, it gave up at the worst possible time. So, I gave him my guitar and announced that we would play Stars And Stripes whilst Matty fought with his amp to get some sound out of it again. Luckily that worked and the rest of the set went as well as could have been expected. Although all the technical mishaps did cost us a couple of songs from the set.
Immediately after the gig I went into the crowd to say hello and pass out a few badges, etc. I was really pleased with the feedback and I have to say it was one of the friendliest crowds that we have ever played to. We sold some vinyls, took a few photos and accepted some gifts (Guesty).
It didn’t seem like we had been offstage that long before the next 2 acts had finished and it was time for Babyshambles’ set. By now, the crowd were well-oiled and fairly riled up for it. They went onstage and the place erupted like a volcano spitting out warm beer. We were clever enough to keep well away from the front row and we watched it all unfold from the side (well out of warm-beer-splashing distance). After the gig we hung around for a bit until everyone had left and went to move the van.
With nowhere to stay, we were forced to put The Magic Bus’ shelter to it’s ultimate use. It was a good job we’d brought plenty of clothes as we had no other option but to sleep in the van. It’s hard to explain just how cold it was but I can honestly say hand-on-heart that it was the coldest thing I have ever experienced. According to the sign on the side of the road, we were allowed to park there until 8am the next morning.
However, not long after 6.30am, Panashe and Moses both woke up and decided that enough was enough. They decided to drive the van around the block, just to get the heaters going and then they would park up until we had to move on again. This trip around the block ended up turning into a seventy mile jaunt back down the motorway until they started feeling sleepy again, at which point they pulled into a service station and parked up and slept for another 2 hours.
We all woke up just in time and headed back home feeling very hungover. Although it was a pain having to drive back to London in between each date, the bonus was that it meant that we could get as pissed as we liked after each gig without fucking up the following performance. Something we might as well take advantage of now before the schedules start getting a bit busier…
Dublin up with Krakatoa ‘Rock n Roll Revolution’
It was a lovely Friday morning when we jumped in the cab to Gatwick – with a snare drum full of clothes, a cymbal bag lined full of socks, our guitars and our bum bags (Americans call them fanny packs, ya know that?) full of euros. We were taking our first flight together, ready to play our first overseas shows.
At the airport, we found our plane had been delayed by 2 hours, so we spent about half our money in the bar, simply waiting patiently for the flight to be announced. The smokers went on a “mission” to find somewhere past customs where you could smoke, a failed mission it was.
Finally, arriving in Dublin we sat down and took in the accents of the locals, smiling as they curse incessantly. Our coach took us right into the city where we were meeting up with Niall (from Readers Wives) and good friend Danny. We’d met Niall a few times but never had the chance to really get to know him, this is something that would change within the four days, as on Saturday night him and I were blocking his hallway for an hour and a half, discussing music, musicians and everything else. So we settle into Niall’s flat which is where we’re spending our first night, with the remaining two spent in Hostels, we grab the most expensive subway I’ve ever bought and we head to check out Wheleans where we were playing the following evening.
The Irish can drink, I know we already know this and I know we have already established that stereotype in our minds but it wasn’t until I experienced it that I knew we were in way over our heads. Niall ended up having a party back at his (I still don’t know if he planned to) and we got talking to some female Irish youths – they 100% completely drank us under the table, if there had of been a table, there wasn’t a table because they sold the table, to buy more drink. They were the strangest group of girls I’d ever met but they really instilled some life into me! They were care free, happy and with livers of steel, I ended up having to say goodnight to them and made my bed on the floor, with a solid wall as a pillow.
When morning comes Jay and me self go searching for the hostel, and a bacon sandwich. 2 hours later and we still can’t find a cafe in Dublin, it’s bistros, eateries and everything in between, I couldn’t find a single bacon sandwich. We ended up ordering two cups of tea in a restaurant, falling asleep before they arrived and waking up an hour and a half later with a very amused waiter walking past us.
Saturday Evening and we return to Wheleans, for our first sound check in Ireland. There was a buzz amongst us as we set up – we’re playing in a country where no one has ever seen us, met us or heard us, how is this going to go down? Our nerves were aided by The Supernovas turning up at the venue, always easier to be in the same boat with another band, particularly when you are friends together. The venue quickly fills up it’s our time to shine – we’ve got an Irish crowd waiting for us, it was make or break and we had to perform – we did perform.
Our first gig in Dublin was amazing, the crowd responded brilliantly and were very warming to our sales pitches, as we handed them flyer’s and told them all about the single and how they can go about buying it.
Supernovas up next and it was the best I’ve ever seen them. Joei with absolute conviction in his voice, working the crowd in between songs like the professional he is becoming, he really is oozing character recently. (I expect my cheque in the post mate) and headlining the show are local men Readers Wives. This was also the best I’ve ever seen them, with a revamped set with some proper catchy and rocking tunes, so as we’ve all done the best we possibly could, time for another party!
Back to Niall’s for an evening of music. We get the acoustic guitars out and for the next few hours we’ve played every Beatles song going, with an improvised vocal lick on “Ticket To Ride” by myself.My Baby Don’t Care…. My Baby Don’t Care.. She don’t give a shit!
We crawl to the hostel and climb into our bunkbeds, not to get up again until it was time to gig.
It was our last night in Dublin and we head to the top of a tower block to perform for Balcony TV. Balcony TV is pretty self explanatory, you play a song which is put onto TV. You play On… yup you guess right, a balcony.
It was a pretty cool feeling to see passers by looking up at you wondering what the hell is going on. We leave there and walk to The Globe. Supernovas go on first this time round and again a top set by them, the star of the show being guitar tech Matt. Joei broke a string on stage, they finished the song and handed the guitar to Matt, they play “Stars And Stripes” which only features one guitar, as the last chord of this song rings out, Matt passes Joei’s guitar back and they are ready to go again, that’s gotta take some serious training.
Back to Nial’s for the third evening in a row, for a much more relaxed gathering, we discuss the weekends shannigans, and share stories about being in a band, I couldn’t of asked for a better end to this trip, with a comfortable seat, a drink in my hand and flowing conversation with people I admire.
Monday the 27th of July and our debut 7″ single “Rock n Roll Revolution” has been released! and we’re in a foreign country, we bid farewell to the friends we’ve made and we leg it to the airport (we got a cab) we pull up at Gatwick, get the guitars back, feel amazed that they survived the flights there and back, get a train straight into London, a tube to Old Street and walk through the doors of The Legion.
Being busy is amazing, it just makes you feel good. Our Equipment arrives via friends and we set up, ready to play our central London single launch, with the vinyls in our hands, t shirts, buttons and flyer’s all set up on our merch table, we’re ready to open the doors.
The biggest of all thank you’s comes from the bottom of my heart to those who showed up that night, everyone who was involved in the planning and anyone who bought a copy of our single, a t shirt or put a badge on. I haven’t smiled like that on stage since we played our Christmas gig at Amersham Arms. I haven’t felt as proud as I have of this band till that evening, a feeling of euphoria that was heightened as I see Supernovas bowl in, straight from the airport also, absolute dedication!
It’s been a long time coming, a lot longer for the rest of the band than myself, but we’ve done it now, we’ve made the first step into the real world of music. We’ve got a record out and many more on the way. So the bar closes, the venue empties, I get the drums back home and I put my head on the pillow, our holiday is over but our career is just starting.
Mostly Listening to – The sound of touch typing by my educated self.
Supernovas, So Then
On Friday night (20th March), we played with our label mates Krakatoa at their night at The Dirty South in Lewisham.
We started the night off by arranging to meet at Old Blue Last in Old Street at 6pm (I had forgotten that this was our soundcheck time) and ‘one thing led to another’ and by the time we were all together, it was about 7pm! We jumped on a 47 bus to find out shortly after London Bridge that they were on diversion and the driver didn’t konw where he was going. Alarm bells began to ring when he started asking the passengers for directions!
When we eventually did arrive in Lewisham (at about 8:30pm), we were faced with the age-old navigator’s problem… “Is it left or right?”.
We went right… It was left.
About 15 minutes later when we passed Lewisham fire station, we figured we must have gone the wrong way and asked for directions (in hindsight, we probably should have done that in the first place but you know how it is).
Eventually, we arrived just 3 hours late at 9pm to find place was buzzing. Krakatoa’s drummer was DJing playing a good mix of Northern Soul, Mod Beat and Reggae (to my enjoyment) and I met a skinhead called Sean. Nice geezer. The Brighton boys were also down for the evening which was nice.
We had all agreed after our last gig (at Old Queen’s Head) that we were too pissed, so we decided to impose a 3-beer-limit for the gig. When we eventually went onstage, this paid off. Rizo’s guitar was cutting out all the way through the set and although we never actually did manage to solve the problem, we were sober enough to be able to rule out everything besides the amp and the guitar.
Krakatoa were quality. They must have had atleast 150 pople down for them a good few whom were going mental down the front (including Sean, the skinhead I’d met earlier).
All in all, the night was wicked and hopefully we’ll back down there soon enough.
