Sideburn 32 - OUT NOW

Sideburn 32 is the greatest issue of Sideburn ever created. A thudding wodge of motorcycle stimulation and illumination that crackles with fun and good ideas.

It's perhaps our most diverse issue ever. Obviously the 116 pages of thick, gloss paper is crammed with motorcycles, but they range from pro flat tracker, through backwoods backflip 450s and ice racing Yamaha XSR900s to heavyweight street trackers, plus a dose of long distance adventure touring on dinky 125s in a FREE 16-page supplement created in conjunction with Tom Bing. There's also art, architecture, poetry and racing advice. We couldn't pack another atom of goodness into it.

COVER: Yamaha XS650 Framer with Lucia Aucott

BIKES: Yamaha XS650 Framer; See See Harley-Davidson XL1200 Roadster Street Tracker; OMT Garage Yamaha XSR900 SnowQuake racer; BSA Hornet; Honda CRF450 hillclimber; Honda 650 sand racer 

PEOPLE: Jeffrey Carver; Oliver Brindley; Lucia Aucott; Skip Aksland; Lynn Griffis

HOW TO: Win a Hooligan Championship

PORTFOLIO: The art of Sami Graystone

MOVIE: Akira

SHOP: Deus Ex Machina, Milan

EVENTS: Nine Years of Portland One Moto Show; Travis at the Land’s End Hillclimb

ADVENTURE: LA-Barstow-Vegas on classic Brits; Chile to San Francisco surf safari on Honda XR150s

PAGES: 116 + 16-page supplement

Extra-terrestrial Surf Punk Party

The Blind Shake, from Minneapolis, in London tonight, Leeds tomorrow, Nottingham UK this Friday, the Glasgow and Newcastle.
The only band where all three members look like Sideburn's deputy editor, Mick Phillips.
Thanks to Dave B for the tip-off. G

Bike Surfing

I know that some people who regularly check the Sideburn blog aren't totally plugged into the whole social media thing, so they might have missed out on this video that set the internet on fire last night.
It is completely mind-blowing.
I interviewed Robbie Maddison in Spain, at the World Premiere of One Any Sunday: The Next Chapter. I will try dig out the interview and put it on the blog later this week, if I can find the time. G

Wheels And Waves

Wheels And Waves starts today and runs until Sunday. Enjoy the sun. BP

LED Surfer

Wheels & Waves snaps 2014

W&W 2014 was as predicted, nuts. Vincent's posse that started life a few years ago as a mere blog, encompassing a few mates in Toulouse who ride Brit bikes, has exploded into a small planet with its own gravitational pull. Now senior bike brands have taken notice and want in on the scene. Thankfully their presence is not too overbearing. Everybody loves a free drink and some nibbles. The amazing laissez-faire attitude of the local authorities towards the organised chaos and the summer breeze wins again. Good times with friends.

Ed Turner BMW mating a 69S engine with R1150 drive. Good to see small workshops building bold bikes. (below) their looney caff'd Super Dream.

Seb's Lucky Cat BM' drag bike is even better in the flesh. My show fave.

G to the double E

John Strong Adolfo's Eldridge, Sideburn's Cornish stockist, and the man behind CMBL, came and beat the natives at their own game - eating Jamon Serrano and surfing! winning the Thirsty Fins competition.
photo below Vincent Lemanceau

sorry I never got to speak to you Jens.

It was not all beer swilling, flip-flops and novelty helmets. Here Roland Sands and Wrench Monkees' Per Nielsen just prior to the serious business of leaving a irreverent double rolling burnout on the Marina Hondarribia.

I was surprised not more dirty sweaty bikers made use of the ocean, it really was BLISS. BP

El Granchufle

My new favourite band tick all the boxes. Surf band? Check. With theremin? Check. And foxy theremin player? Check. Named after a mystical Patagonian yeti? Check. At least one band member from Chile? Check. Release stuff on vinyl? Of course.
El Granchufle. Lovely stuff. G
PS Yes, we have a theremin tag too.

Fin Soup

Wheels and Waves, Biarritz, pt. 3

Finally. Got waylaid finishing off SB#11...

So having been properly roastbeefed on the lawn of Chateau Brindos, Les Anglais marched to the swimming pool, rolled out their towels and plunged into the heavenly blue. I swam 2 lengths under water and surfaced a new man. In my pants. Kristina Fender followed us in. Her bra and panties don't match. Very punk said Gary. By the time Fid caught on (to the swimming pool, not deconstucted underwear), so had security. The club tropicana heist was over and the pool was given back to the sun bathing residents.

That's a pond in the background filled with killer pike. The surf at the beach just down the road was spectacular, but sadly I broke the vow I made before leaving England, that I would risk my life in it at some point over the weekend, and made-do with just staring gormlessly at it. BP

Surf Music Festival

I'd really like to go to this, but I've just found out about it, when Riccardo from Fantic/SWM got in touch...

 Hello Gary, how's it going? I saw pictures of Dirt Quake. oh man! surely you had a lotta of FUN Also Wheels and Waves looked a nice event. I want to submit an event to be held next weekend in Livorno in Tuscany : The Surfer Joe Festival 
4 days of Instrumental Surf Sound with great bands from all over the world...expo area.food drinks.free admission! 
Messer Chups from Russia is one of the band.and also one of my favourite 

If you're an instrumental music fan, check out Surfer Joe's website, anyway. It's a surf music diner in Italy. GI

Live & Jive Legends

Another ear-splitter from Heptown Records. This time, a compilation of bands that have graced the Live & Jive stage over the Swedish international music festival's 20-year history. Big mix of rockabilly (Go-Getters, Eddie & the Flatheads), psychobilly (Batmobile), surf (The Barbwires), and punk (The Accidents), plus most stuff in between that sits comfortably in such three-chord, twanged-out, high-octane company. My dad would smash the speakers with a claw hammer, which is reason enough to play it. If you're wondering, the first volume came out five years back, it's a slow-burn thing. MP

Vintage '500

Magnum 500 at Madame Jojo's Soho 1997(?). L to R Conrad, on drums Matt, Dean, bass Chris.

This is the T shirt I bought when they were on a mini tour in Belgium and we crashed at the sadly missed Tikki bar in Gierle. It should have been ragged a long time ago but it's too precious. And just goes to show how great a single colour print can look. BP

UPDATE: I think Magnum 500 reform to play The Trip Out this September. G

Margo goes Surfing

From Brett. Remember, every order from Sideburn gets a free limited edition vinyl sticker. This one is all gone though.

I've taken Sideburn surfing. She seems to be able to brave the cold waters of Cape Town!
All the best,
Brett Williams
Cape Town, South Africa

Sideburn x El Toro Release Party

We're having an intimate little bash with our Liverpudlian friends El Toro and Davida to celebrate the release of Sideburn 10.
All the details are on this Maxwell Paternoster-penned flyer.
There are three bands and DJs so if you want to see El Toro (and you should) don't expect to get the last bus home.
See you there? G
UPDATE:
The amazing neo-classical location in this video, with its massive Corinthian columns, is the St Georges Hall in Liverpool. Designed by a 25-year-old architect Harvey Lonsdale Elmes. It took from 1841 to 1854 to build it. Aren't the olden days awesome? I bet the O² Arena in London is not still standing in 2170. BP

UPDATE: Y Niwl

Twangy Welsh surf band Y Niwl play Cafe Kino in Bristol tomorrow night (Sat 7 Jan).

UPDATE: DUE TO BAND ILLNESS THE SHOW IS CANCELLED

Review from the Sunday Times

Rollerburn Pre-Party

Make a weekend of the Rollerburn extravaganza by attending the rockin' pre-party in nearby Nottingham. Three killer bands including El Toro and the Ricky C Quartet plus the mighty Sir Johnny Alpha and Liz Lava Lounge Dj'ing. Held on Friday 18 November. Tickets on the door. It's going to be great. More details to follow. G

More Stevie Gee

Hot on the heels of today's earlier post, some more Stevie Gee. He's having an exhibition in trendy London (is London still trendy?) Anyway, it looks like it's going to be fun. Ben and I will be there and I wouldn't be surprised if long-time Gee-collaborater, the mysterious Dr Death Spray were there too. He'll be the one strenuously denying he is Dr Death Spray. Of course, everyone else who isn't Dr DS will also be denying they are him too. Cunning.
I'm desperately trying to wangle a turn on the decks spinning some of my rare and obscure surf tunes. Who's coming? It's at the Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen. G

Sideburn's GI on Killer Diller

The Killer Diller radio show is the soundtrack playing in the background when I’m creating my half of Sideburn, working on my bikes, painting the house, running along the river, well pretty much all my life.
It’s a weekly, 90-minute internet radio show playing very obscure, but rocking records that fall in the categories of garage punk, surf, hard soul, punk, freakbeat, French yeah-yeah and psychedelia-tinged pop. If none of that sounds familiar, don’t worry it’s great stuff.
The show's host is Johnny Alpha, a good friend of Dave Skooter Farm. He’s been booked to play his immense and valuable record collection at festivals and clubs all over Europe and has been broadcasting a show a week for nearly a year. This week I was a guest and took some of my favourite records to mumble about.
Killer Diller runs on Czech beer and Sailor Jerry rum and Coke. It refuels with the best fry-up ever.
If you think Coldplay are the kipper's tits, then it’s probably not for you, but if you like a variety of different music genres you should dig it.
Let me know if you like what you hear. (keep yer trap shut if you don’t, I don’t want to hear it). GI

Download Killer Diller featuring Sideburn’s GI Or go to Johnny Alpha's Myspace to listen without downloading.
See the tracklist.

Bunker Spreckels

Just bought this book. I'm not a surfer, never have been (there aren't many breakers in Leeds), so I wasn't bothered about the lack of surf info. But there are great images and stories of one of those fascinating/doomed rich, young men.
The main reason for this post is to point you to this clip. It's great. GI

Deadbeats miss The Dead Rocks

So there I was ready for a night out with a bunch of mates, watching a band that came all the way from Brazil to play in a tiny underground bar in a one-horse town in Lincolnshire, then the excuses start. It looks like I'm going to end up riding 20 miles to see a band on my own. Well, so be it. In the end Chippy (dirt track racer, desert racer, ace photographer) turned up too (in a Sideburn shirt). Some people live life, others sit in and watch it on TV. Make sure you're in the former group, not the latter.
The Dead Rocks were brilliant. I even had a one-song wig-out on the floor, all alone.

And if you like surf music (and garage punk, blues, northern soul), download this week's NEW Killer Diller from Johnny Alpha. Yes, this week's, not the one posted lasted week. GI