Richard Foster

1 month ago | thequietus.com | Bobby Barry |Richard Foster

Forever alone, forever making beautiful things. The nomadic life of Jenya Gorbunov continues apace after russia’s brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine. More and more I feel Gorbunov’s path is similar to that of Marc Chagall’s, though I would never wish the real-life trials of the latter on the former. For all our sakes.

1 month ago | thequietus.com | Bobby Barry |Richard Foster

Since leaving Dutch band The Ex, GW Sok – real name Jos Kleij – has spent the last two decades channelling his muse through various projects. His dry wit and often caustic worldview can be heard in collaborations with Oiseaux-Tempête, Lukas Simonis, and King Champion Sounds, to name a handful. The GW in his stage name stands for geitenwollen, and here geitenwollen sok, or sokken (‘goats wool socks’) are the Dutch equivalent of the hair shirt, or the socks with sandals brigade.

2 months ago | thequietus.com | Patrick Clarke |Richard Foster

There are two things you must know about Slovenia: the first is that it is where the oldest known musical instrument in the world, a fifty-thousand year old Neanderthal flute, was found. The second is that Ljubljana’s MENT festival (a mere 11 years old by comparison) continues to champion inspiring and adventurous underground music. Like festivals such as EXIT, Sharpe and Tallinn Music Week, MENT is both a conduit and a sounding board for the music scenes in East, Central and Southeastern Europe.

2 months ago | thequietus.com | John Doran |Richard Foster

Artist and writer Richard Foster is a regular contributor to this publication. He is the author of a number of articles on Dutch post punk and two books based in the Netherlands of the 2000s, Flower Factory (2022) and The Punk Rock Birdwatching Club, published 14 February, 2025 (both Ortac Press). The Punk Rock Birdwatching Club is best described as a set of psychedelicised, autofictive fairy tales.

2 months ago | louderthanwar.com | Wayne Carey |Richard Foster

Photo credit: Bea EdenWhinge | Shindig | dead thingsThe Rat & Pigeon, ManchesterFriday 14th February 2025There are 30 listed gigs in Manchester tonight yet this one has me hands down in the punk stakes, with Whinge ready to celebrate the release of their blistering debut album Something’s Not Quite Right. Wayne AF Carey checks in…It’s another cold night in Manchester and after a quick drink in The Rose & Monkey we trundle across town to one of our newest music venues The Rat & Pigeon.