Dazed and Confused

The Rebirth of Rock 'N' Roll
Twist & Shout

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Taking inspiration in equal parts from old-fashioned country, avant-garde rock and pure pop, Chineseburn are a band that could soundtrack any event, from a stoop party to a heart-wrenching break-up. The six-piece formed when founder Jeremiah Deeney was offered a support slot from Morcheeba and set about assembling a ramshackle, makeshift band. Like Billy the Kid's hand picked gang, Jerry roped in assorted friends, freaks and ninjas. Between them they wield a vast array of musical weapons, including pots and pans, a tuneful saw and oddest of all, what the band proclaims the "bastard child of a trumpet and a violin".

Despite their country roots, the band twist, turn and stretch the oft-maligned genre into what Jeremiah eloquently terms "psychedelic monkey rock"; they cite Gram Parsons and Neil Young as their closest musical cousins. Their first single, "Nosebleeds" was a typically twisted tale of ninjas and haemorrhages, set to a infuriatingly catchy riff. Live favourite "Pick A Card" is a vaudevillian story of a magician's love and their new EP, "Shhh, Don't Tell A Soul", features the sweeping, Mercury Rev-meets-The Band "The Spirit Has Left".

Chineseburn's legendary all-dayers in Brixton features support from each member's side projects, including Jeremiah and drummer Tim's Monocle 78-signed The Winchester Club, who seem to specialise in tired and emotional, end-of-the-night sets. Like if So Solid Crew came from the Appalachians. Well, kind of.

Text: Ben Reardon

Sleazenation

Buy These:Singles

Chineseburn
Nosebleeds (Stuntman Recordings)

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Even if that scene seems to be all but burnt out now. Athens' Elephant 6 collective (see Olivia Tremor Control, Neutral Milk Hotel, Beulah and a bunch more) succeeded in revitalising the concept of big-band psyche-pop, taking those wrapped 60's melodies and wrapping them in strings and horns until the psychotropic madness threatened to make yer eyeballs burst. London's Chineseburn pick up the baton and refresh the formula with some sparky tunefulness that leavens the heavy orchestration, leading to a sunshine jangle that's too beatific to be retro, and too fine too be ignored. One to play when you want to charm the sun from behind the clouds.

Text: Stevie Chick

NME

ON
Ninja-lovin' Twangers Chineseburn

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Nobody said it was gonna be easy. After all, the path of psychedelic country-pop salvation is studded with hurdles. Not least, evil sound engineers who find the idea of six multi-instrumentalists utterly alien. Not to mention the fact that all six sing vocals and that Leigh Gordon-bass/other stuff- detests sharing microphones.
"They spit on them", he winces. "It's like animals scent-marking their territories".

Chineseburn's history is a tangled one but it all seems to start with singer/guitarist Jerry Deeney, an itinerant musician blessed with prodigious talent and a friendship with trip-soul superstars Morcheeba. When they invited Jerry to play some of his songs with members of Morcheeba backing him, as support to their first show at Shepherds Bush Empire, Jerry jumped at the opportunity. And when Morcheeba later realised their impending stardom would leave them no time to rehearse with Jerry, he hired some friends-Leigh, Tom Hodges (sax, Theremin, singing saw), Simon Mohr (keyboards), Christian Merry (guitar) and Tim Spear (drums).

And so Chineseburn were born. They continued as a loose, non-rehearsing collective until the revelation a year or so ago that-hey!-their twangsome, Elephant 6-ish genius was worth seriously pursuing. And so the first fruits of this newly-focused sextet's labours, gonzo psych-popper 'Nosebleeds', hits record stores this week. Accompanied by a video featuring Ninjas and copious bloodshed. Of course "The song's all about a Ninja, so it seemed logical", deadpans Jerry.

Eccentricity is Chineseburn's byword. So every member has a side-project and all the bands play together at irregular 'Chineseburn Family Tree' all-dayers at The Windmill pub in Brixton. But one shouldn't question their commitment to the Chineseburn cause-a recent gig, broadcast on XFM, saw Tom playing harmonica, despite suffering a collapsed lung two weeks previously.
"Don't print that, 'cos I told my girlfriend someone else was playing", adds Tom. Opps.

They should be playing on the world's largest, most accommodating stages. As it is, maybe you could find room for them in your hearts.

Text: Stevie Chick

NME

Singles:Reviews
Nosebleeds/Ain't Ever Had It (Stuntman Recordings)

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One of Chineseburn's fathers - they're not saying whose - used to be in the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, so their first word was probably "dada". This quirk of DNA possibly explains a lot about Jeremiah Deeney and his intriguing band of saxophonists, jew's-harpists and musical sawyers. Not to mention the fact the endearingly flighty 'Nosebleeds' sounds like Super Furry Animals grooving on Virginia Plain, concerns a sudden Ninja assault and features the line
"I can feel something warm coming out of my nose".
Tch. Didn't your dad tell you never to eat those doughnuts you found in granny's greenhouse?

Text: Victoria Segal

The Big Issue

Single Of The Week
Nosebleeds/Ain't Ever Had It (Stuntman Recordings) ****

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Debut double-A from the latest scruffy-looking bunch of chancers. A1 is 'Nosebleeds', a song about getting beaten up by a ninja. And as songs about ninjas should, it rocks. An indie disco floor-filler, it comes across like an Andy Warhol portrait of Ted Nugent. A2 couldn't be more different from its bouncy cohort. The more sparse, countryfied weep-in-your-beer lamentation of 'Ain't Ever Had It' is, however, perfect for the post-indie-disco-no-shag-vodka'n'Sunny D oblivion binge.

Text: Eddy Lawrence