DJs: I Fly Spitfires/Nick AKA/Laura Dogtooth/This Is Music/more to be announced

Bands 8-11pm £6.50 adv - Tickets from Ripping, Ticketweb.co.uk or Sneaky Pete’s

Club 11-3am FREE

Black Tape is coming to an end. It’s been a messy, chaotic and amazingly fun two and a half years, but if there’s one thing we’ve learned, and wish Guns ‘n’ Roses had too, it’s to stop before you get shit. So on Friday 5th June, we’ll hold our last ever club night.

It will feature 3 great bands from Bonnie Scotland, followed by a dance party in which we and all our friends will play our favourite records, and the aforementioned mess, chaos and fun will ensue.

Playing live for us will be the quite brilliant MITCHELL MUSEUM, along with Stonehaven’s finest, the wonderful COPY HAHO, and to launch their forthcoming second album on Bella Union, MY LATEST NOVEL.

Yes, we did a little wee too. It’s a rather formidable lineup, and you’d probably be wise to join us at Sneaky Pete’s for the occasion.

This month at Black Tape we’ve got an eclectic lineup of bands and DJs for your delectation.

First off, 3 wonderful bands:

The Invisible are an exciting new act that have most often been compared to ‘a more minimal TV On The Radio.’ While this lofty claim might be a rather daunting expectation to live up to, they more than meet the challenge, and have garnered overwhelming critical acclaim for their self-titled debut. Genre-hopping between prog, funk, krautrock and stright-up pop, The Invisible are one of the most exciting bands to emerge this year.

Support comes from locals Epic26 and Glasgow’s Vendor Defender, both of whom are starting to gain attention in their respective cities.

Then, 2 amazing DJs:

This month at Black Tape we’re having a Disco Special, which will see DJ Benetti and Cassavettes of ItaloBlack man the decks to celebrate all things European. Benetti has taken his euphoric mix of lost italo-disco classics all over the world, and is a regular at London’s most of-the-moment night, Cocadisco. We’re very lucky to have him and his visual-mastering partner-in-crime Cassavettes at Black Tape for one night to bring us something altogether different and very exciting indeed.

Sounds good to us.

See you there.

EVERYTHING EVERYTHING are from Newcastle and Kent, and are now based in Manchester. We’re very excited to have them play for us, mainly because they sound like hundreds of great pop tunes bumping into each other, and they are totally ace. Recently featured in Observer Music Monthly’s Top 20 New Bands of 2009, and citing ‘foot and mouth disease’ as an influence on their myspace page, Everything Everything deserve your attention.

Support comes from the excellent COME ON GANG, who’ll play one of their last shows in the capital before jetting off to SXSW to show the music world what they can do.

As usual, we’ll have guest DJs playing the finest pop tunes, free sweets and cheap drinks. Eeeexcellent.

THE CHAPMAN FAMILY
http://www.myspace.com/thechapmanfamily
THIEVES IN SUITS
http://www.myspace.com/thievesinsuits

Black Tape is back after an extended hiatus, and we’ve moved to a great new venue, the recently refurbished Sneaky Pete’s on Cowgate. 5th December will see us belatedly celebrating our 2nd birthday, and we’ve got some very special treats in store for you. We’ll be starting the night with a gig before proceeding with our usual pop club fun, with guest DJs and all the usual treats plus a few more.

Teeside’s The Chapman Family play dark, infectious pop songs about murder, have toured with the likes of We Are Scientists, 80s Matchbox and Reverend and the Makers, as well as receiving plaudits from just about every corner of the alternative music press. In a recent NME feature they were described as ‘gloom-punk masterminds,’ which to us sounds like a most delightful prospect. We’re very excited to have them come and play for us on our first night back; just look at some of the great things that have been said about The Chapman Family:
‘The sound of death itself’ - NME, October 08
‘Venomous and visceral they rupture into a set of dark vivacious rock…theatrical and terrifying performance hypnotizes…a thunderous racket. Unhinged and confrontational…frightening the audience. The Chapman Family are the real thing.’ - Artrocker, May 08
‘Heads down snarling gonzo rock n roll…see them immediately’ - The Fly Magazine, February 08

Support will come from Edinburgh-based Thieves In Suits, who’ve been playing around town at such esteemed nights as Limbo, and have earned the approval of Vic Galloway along the way.

As you may know, Black Tape is on hiatus for the summer, but in its place is UNTITLED. Run by Andy from Black Tape and Laura from Dogtooth, it’s a new club which is nothing like either of those clubs, yet quite like them at the same time.

Please join the Facebook group here -
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=19778701922

Untitled I is Friday 27th June at Henry’s Cellar Bar, Morrison Street, 11pm-3am. £5/4 b4 midnight or students.

We are very excited to have the wonderful Y’all Is Fantasy Island and the equally wonderful Meursault playing live, with DJing from Black Tape and Dogtooth DJs.

Y’all Is Fantasy Island
http://www.myspace.com/yifimusic
“Falkirk’s Y’all is Fantasy Island temper their knowing indie literacy with pretence-free presentation, their faded polaroid confessionals created from with bowed guitar and cold, sepulchral drone.” - Plan B Magazine

Meursault
http://www.myspace.com/meursaulta701
“Riddled with a tenderised charm that cloaks Pennycook’s lyrical brutality, each stool-bound psalm is a mysterious haze of late-night contemplation that scours matters of the heart with the finest melodic tooth-comb, gutting out long-forgotten sins into an open-forum of confession that absolves itself in the audience’s forging eardrums.” - Drowned In Sound

We hope to see you all there.

So come down and experience another brilliant night before a lot of you head off for the summer. Expect the usual eclectic lineup of DJs, including a couple who you may have heard of… Expect the usual array of sugary delights in the sweets and cake departments, served up by our glamourous assistants. Expect drinks promos. Expect a few little surprises along the way. Expect the usual booze-fuelled unpretentious FUN.

We hope to see you there.

BLACK TAPE
Fri 30th May
11pm-3am
Henry’s Cellar Bar, Morrison Street
£5/4 b4 midnight or students

One of Andy L’s favourite shows at SXSW last month (where they seemed to be talked about everywhere) the Monotonix live experience is perfect for Henry’s, where their ridiculously high-energy, confrontational approach will go down a treat.

Hailing from Tel Aviv, Israel, a city not famous for its rock n roll scene, this garage-rock 3-piece formed in November 2005, set up on the floor of a club amongst the audience, and the party began. The catch being that the party usually got too wild, the power got cut, the cops were called and Monotonix were banned from playing again almost everywhere in Tel Aviv. Before long, they were looking for good places to play outside of Israel. The band have spent the last year or more touring incessantly around North America and a bit of Europe, supporting the likes of Silver Jews, Queens Of The Stone Age, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, The Thermals and Dark Meat.

But what of the tunes? Massive, is the answer. Raw, melodic, danceable and satisfyingly heavy. Their forthcoming EP on Drag City “Body Language” (produced by Tim Green of the Fucking Champs) sounds almost like a Monotonix show. What you can’t hear is, as one astounded blogger put it, ‘the sound of your heart beating in your ears after having been chased around the room by a vocalist with his pants literally on fire’. If by now the Monotonix live show does not sound like an eye-watering, undergarment-dampening prospect then you may want to consult your GP.

Some quotes:

“Think guitar riffs like Death from Above 1979, but less pretty-boy attitude.” —The Seattle Stranger
“Grand-Funk-meets-Fugazi fury.” —Noise Pop
“Like Ozzy singing for The Black Keys” —Daytrotter
“It makes the Black Keys sound like Duke Ellington, while evoking R.L. Burnside, Black Flag and Gogol Bordello in profoundly disturbing ways” — TimeOut Chicago

First listen to the tunes - http://www.myspace.com/monotonix
Then see what the live show is like - http://vimeo.com/838873
Then see the short clip Andy shot at SXSW at the end of their set - http://vimeo.com/808996

Monotonix will bring their riotous brand of garage rock to Henry’s for a very special night indeed. Expect crowd-surfing, huge riffage and general destruction, with a large twist of fun.

As usual we will have our eclectic mix of guest DJs, and if you want to have a go (no experience necessary), email us at hello@blacktapeclub.co.uk with a sample playlist.

9th May also sees the return of our fabulous usherettes after a hiatus, serving up the best sweets and cake to get you hyped up on sugar and e-numbers.

BLACK TAPE with Monotonix
Friday 9th May
11PM-3AM
HENRY’S CELLAR BAR Morrison Street, Edinburgh
Only £5 ENTRY, £4 b4 midnight
http://www.blacktapeclub.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/blacktapeclub

About Black Tape:

“It’s democracy on the dancefloor, as punters get an opportunity to play half hour slots of Indie/Electro/Punk/Soul/Hip Hop and anything else they fancy. Anything goes if it’s good! Email hello@blacktapeclub.co.uk to get involved.”

None of this glamourous DJ nonsense. None of the bandwagon jumping. We play good music. And YOU can too.

Think of a new track you’re bursting to share with the rest of the world. Think of those amazing early tracks by bands that now fill bloated stadiums. Think of those tunes you used to wait all night for in clubs that have disappeared out of fashion. Think of a divine mix of indie, classic pop, rock, soul, electro, punk, electronica, hip hop and everything in between that leaves you in a heap on the dancefloor at the end of the night. Black Tape plays these tracks, and then asks YOU to have a go at playing them yourself. Remember what it feels like to finish a mix tape for a friend and look at the tracklisting and just wish you could broadcast it to the entire world? Well now you can, at least to a bunch of like-minded people in a club.

We are giving half-hour DJ slots to anyone that wants one – providing you can make an impression and make people dance. If YOU want to DJ at Black Tape, please email us at hello@blacktapeclub.co.uk with a sample list of tunes you might play, or bring us along a CD to one of our nights.

NO (SUPPOSED) SUPERSTAR DJs. NO TRANCE. NO PETS.

Maybe we’ll play:
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Seafood, Blur, British Sea Power, Bloc Party, Interpol, Joy Division, The Postal Service, Le Tigre, Beck, J5, Radiohead, Flaming Lips, Al Green, CSS, Spinto Band, We Are Scientists, Otis Redding, Maximo Park, Gorillaz, Sonic Youth, Peter Bjorn & John, Super Furry Animals, Bjork, Metric, Asian Dub Foundation, Elastica, Ladytron, The Arcade Fire, Sugababes, Jackie Wilson, Strokes, Longpigs, Scissors For Lefty, Young Knives, The Coral, Pavement, New Order, Broken Social Scene, Basement Jaxx, Clinic, The Knife, The Jam, Eels, The Kinks, Rage Against the Machine, McLusky, New Young Pony Club, Sons and Daughters, Sleater Kinney, The Gossip, Piney Gir, Mylo, The Beach Boys, Hefner, Trail Of Dead, Belle & Sebastian, Violent Femmes, Pulp, Guillemots, Symposium, Kenickie, Stevie Wonder, Beastie Boys, Bis, Justin Timberlake, Sultans of Ping FC, Soulwax, Hole, Electric 6, Human League, Klaxons, Raveonettes, The White Stripes, Supergrass, Rapture, LCD Soundsystem, YSPWSD, Elvis, Suede, The Faint, Good Shoes, !!!, Johnny Cash, Architecture in Helsinki, Talking Heads, The Specials, Lush, My Vitrol, Sleeper, Datarock, The Long Blondes, Devo, TV On The Radio, Foals, Low Miffs, The Cure, The Breeders, Selecter, The Wedding Present, At The Drive In, Buddy Holly, Wolf Parade, Manic Street Preachers, White Stripes, The Blood Arm, The Supremes, Diana Ross, Modest Mouse, Brakes, Outkast, The Go! Team, Pixies, Lionel Ritchie, The Crocketts, NERD, The Ramones, Ash, Bruce Springsteen, Snow Patrol, Muse, The Clash, Ooberman, Prince, The Stone Roses, The Beatles, Chemical Brothers, Beastie Boys, Weezer, The Smiths, Erasure, Smashing Pumpkins, Charlatans, Velvet Underground, Pixies, Buzzcocks, Wolf Parade,Moldy Peaches, 3 Colours Red, Idlewild, Spank Rock, Beck, Girls Aloud, QOTSA, Rolling Stones, Radio 4, Battle, The Pipettes, Daft Punk, Gloria Jones, De La Soul, Morning Runner, A Tribe Called Quest, Editors, MSTRKRFT, Death From Above 1979, Jamie T, Test Icicles.

…but you know, it’s kind of up to YOU.

At Black Tape we’re all about giving you what you want. So much so that we’re willing to let you take over for half an hour at the decks, and play whatever you like, as long as what you want isn’t Mika, or for that matter. The Rifles. Cockney Cunts. So drop us an email at hello@blacktapeclub.co.uk and give us a taste of what you might play. If you’re up to standards then the dj slot is yours.

Got any photos from Black Tape? Use Flickr? Submit them to the Black Tape Flickr Group.