My Meat is Bigger Than Yours
New release...
My Meat is Bigger Than Yours, Live in London (Power Lunches, Hackney, 15-12-11)
Free dowload on Graham Dunning's Netlabel here.
review from Bob Osborne
The posting of Womb’s track from a gig in London “My Meat Is Bigger Than Yours” gives the opportunity to more closely listen to what they are about. I guess this is improv in the traditional sense of the form with a mantra like attention to the soundscape and the ditching of conventional “rock” structures to create work in the spirit of say Faust, and to some degree Gong – without the pixies and the flying tea-pots mind you. I like the way the insistent rhythmic core created a sort of structure for the guitars and the voice to weave in and out of. Not sure it’s something I could play on the radio but I like listening to it.
Cheers ears!
WOMB / Cosmic Dead / Three Dimensional Tanx / Dr Robotnik - Sat 17th Dec
We're playing in the Yorkshire House, Lancaster, this Saturday 17th December with Cosmic Dead, Three Dimensional Tanx and Dr Robotnik. £4 in.
https://www.facebook.com/events/228407183895144/
Come down/ up!
Womb on Transmission FM
<span>Womb on Transmission by unclebunkle</span>
Rehearsals - November
Our last rehearsals. We like them.
<span>Womb rehearsal 04.11.11 by w0mB</span>
<span>Womb rehearsal 04/11/11 part 2 by wooooomb</span>
<span>Womb rehearsal before Sheffield 12/11/11 by wooooomb</span>
Womb - with Bong
We played on the alternative live music night Other Sounds at Islington Mill in Salford. Excellent psychedelic stoner doom band BONG (Newcastle) headlined with a blinding set.
A first for Womb - evacuation! The sound engineer turned down the desk and walked up to Womb to tell them to stop! Everyone had to leave the building, well into the set a fire alarm was set off. On returning on the all clear, the band were asked back on stage and so climbed back on and went into a different beat!
Womb: Helen Shanahan - vocals/keyboard, Whitney Bluzma - vocals/bass, Lou Woodcock - vocals/timpani/guitar, Jen McDonald - vocals/contact mic/sculptures/guitar, Steph Davies - vocals/percussion, Genette Reynolds - vocals/percussion, Fiona Ledgard - drums.
<span>Womb gig supporting BONG at Other Sounds, Islington Mill 11/10/11 by WOMB Manchester</span>
Womb - with David Hoyle 08/10/11
<span>David Hoyle's 'Northern Lights' with Womb, Darren Pritchard & Ushiku Indigo Angel 08/10/11 by WOMB Manchester</span>
Womb ritual with bones, wax dildo devotional candles, milk, singing bowls, incense, monstermunch, lippy, dirt and dog shit.
Photos by Lee Baxter and Rick Cavers.
Below Lee Baxter
Photos below by Rick Cavers
12" EP Release!
We are ecstatic to announce the release of our first every vinyl! The 12" will be a self titled EP on SWAYS records. Released; 10 October 2011, available for pre-order [HERE] Each vinyl will come with handmade covers, some of which will be prints of Womb member’s body parts.
Dance For Me (Bitch) Gets Me Too Wet - video. Directed by Helen Shanahan & Louise Woodcock.
<p>WOMB - Dance For Me (Bitch) Gets Me Too Wet from Sways Records on Vimeo.</p>
EP Launch Party!
Ian Simpson of Electronic Musik has recently wrote:
The most important band to come out of Manchester in a very long time. I’ve heard a sneak preview on Fiona Ledgard’s Anything Goes Breakfast show last week. The track ‘Temple of Bees’ is a huge slab of primal sounds and energy, so much has been brought to Womb’s palette (Krautrock, free jazz, noise, punk, contempory classical, spacerock, avant garde, freak out) which is joyfully and unashamedly splattered onto their sprawling sonic canvas.
Girlband
Womb at the DiY Feminist After Party 17/09/11
Womb played for the DiY Feminist After Party. Look out for Womb's first ever encore!
Helen Shanahan - keyboards/vocals, Jennifer McDonald - guitar/percussion/vocals, Whitney Bluzma - bass/vocals, Genette Reynolds - percussion/vocals, Fiona Ledgard - drums.
<span>Womb gig at the DiY Feminist After Party (170911) by WombGigs</span>
Matt Dalby wrote about the gig,
I'm not sure if this was the last time I'll see Womb play before I head off to China in three weeks. If it is it was a good one. Perhaps not quite at the same level as the Kraak gig, but fucking excellent nonetheless.
With a smaller lineup than recently it was always likely to be a slightly different dynamic and sound. Here it was Fiona on drums, Genette on Pianophone, percussion and voice, Helen on keyboards and voice, Jen on guitar, percussion and voice, and Whitney on bass and voice.The venue was a small and intimate basement room with seating for fewer than a dozen and floor sitting/standing room for about 20 if they got pretty close. When the band started I was still sat down and somewhat boxed in so I wasn't able to join Sadie as one of the few people dancing initially. Then someone came and sat between my legs - which meant I was stuck there a little longer.The group started out in recently familiar territory - what you might describe as doomy churning with excellent beats. From there the sound shifted with the chiming of singing bowls and other percussion, and voices adding texture. While bass and keys provided some additional structure and melody, guitar and voices ducked and interwove, mutating the colours and pulling the music in different directions.Eventually, disgracefully, the crowd thinned out a little, which meant the person sat between my legs could move somewhere more comfortable for them. That in turn meant I could get up and dance. Like I said, disgraceful. If it meant more people could have seen or heard the group I'd have been happy to be pinned against one of the walls [insert your own filthy joke here].So dance I did for a little until the band stopped. People applauded and then after a brief discussion the band started again, and the dancing started again. Still fewer people which was a shame, but it was an after party with a variety of spaces and different things going on, so a different dynamic from a gig. Also Womb were going on pretty late - somewhere close to 1am.The sound transformed again in the second half. While the drums provided the rhythmic foundation the other sounds became predominantly more abstract. Sound textures and patterns rather than more conventional melodies and structures. Even more than the first half the actual sounds were explored for their own sake rather than pressed into a preformed idea of how they should be structured.It was really quite minimal and abstract - in case there's any doubt I think this is a good thing. As usual there will be a recording going up at some time soon - which will no doubt sound completely different from what I've described.A wonderful performance - if it had been a more normal gig at a more conventional venue the band would have stormed the place. They were - as you'd expect from a mainly subterranean, brick-lined, low-ceilinged, small room - pretty fucking loud. I think that meant that even more than previous acts they could be heard through a lot of the house.It's a shame I may not get to see the band again until March next year or maybe later. I'm going to miss them.
Womb - Kraak, 02/09/11
Womb played at a benefit gig (Operation Florian) raising funds for a fire engine to be taken to Serbia. Other bands on the bill were Poliburo, Krystal Pistols and Salford Media City.
Womb took to the stage after midnight and both band and crowd admitted that this was one of the most enjoyable Womb gig's yet.
Stephanie Davis- vocals/percussion, Helen Shanahan- keys/vocals/drums, Emily Ward- saxophone/guitar, Genette Reynolds- violin/percussion, Louise Woodcock- vocals/guitar/bass/drums, Jennifer McDonald- guitar/percussion/drums, Sian Williams- bass/guitar/drums, Fiona Ledgard- drums/bass/vocals.
Many of the band members swapped instruments during the set. This is what it sounded like.
womb at kraak 2 sept 11 review
Starting at the end this was the best Womb gig to date. The group played a set of pure positive energy that fulfilled all the promise they've shown so far.
Womb hit a beat pretty much straight away bolstered by bass and then let it shift and mutate while the music stretched and writhed inside and around the beats. Toward the end of the first half they slipped imperceptibly into what seemed to be a syncopated rhythm.The vocals were prominent in the mix and really excellent this time. I've always been impressed by the vocals of Stephanie (who was there) and Whitney (who wasn't), but everyone else who approached the mic did something pretty special this time.A found violin and knackered bow produced some nice sounds and textures in addition to the more usual pianophone and percussion. The keyboards provided both structure at times when it was needed and some harsh snarling when that was needed.There were too many changes for me to keep track of even if I hadn't had chips and been dancing like I wanted to fly. Because the music was just pure ecstatic happy energy exploding from the stage and through the audience. I wanted clap my hands in delight. I wanted to jump up and down. I wanted to shout out in pleasure. I wanted to fall over. I wanted to laugh. I wanted to cry. I wanted to strip off my clothes and dance with everyone there.That good.It moved a couple of women to join in. Both Marlene from Gnod and briefly someone I've met a few times who I think is called Jen joined on the keyboard - Marlene persuaded to get onstage and take up the bass.This was in the second half after the drums had changed a couple of times - taking on interesting patterning and textual roles while bass and keyboards filled out the rest of the rhythm, and saxophone provided some structure.I know I often give the impression Womb's music is unsophisticated Dionysian rhythms with pounding tribal beats to keep you moving. It really isn't - it's a lot cleverer, better structured, more nuanced and layered than that. There is that element of the ecstatic, expressive, shamanic, transcendental - but this is a group of individuals. They have varying abilities and approaches and improvise rhythms, music and sound-textures together. When it works it's good.When the group's inhibitions about playing in public are lowered - by headlining, by having the time they need, by having an appreciative crowd, by their growing assurance and confidence - they find something incredibly special. The feedback between members of the band, the audience, the space and the music becomes wholly positive.Seriously. Tomorrow I'll link you to the soundcloud recording of the gig and you can fucking check it for yourself. Edit 6/9/11 Here! Here! Get your ears round this! Womb Soundcloud recording of the gig.I haven't danced like that at a Womb gig before. Of course eventually it had to end, and somewhere around 40-45 minutes later it did, leaving me high and happy. I remember hugging Genette, Lou, Jen, Fiona and Helen - around half the group on the night - and telling each of them it was easily the best set so far.Credit also to the rest who didn't get hug-bombed - Sian, Stephanie, Emily, and of course Marlene and the other Jen (I hope I haven't missed anyone).I still feel really happy and elevated from it even now.Listen - Womb are going somewhere really special. They've been great before but this was a huge leap on. Catch them when you can - you won't regret it.Phew. Better stop before I explode. But just aaarrrggghhh!!! Wooommmbbbb!!! Yes yes yes!
