The Ex

oh, man. I never heard that tom cora had died! that's a bummer.

I see shows coming up in chicago and knoxville on their myspace page... hope some more US dates pop up.

Glasgow was sold out, but they've been given a capacity extension. Don't delay in getting a ticket!

Er, if I may be utterly shameless...

http://www.list.co.uk/article/23101-the-ex-and-brass-unbound/

I hope this configuration gets to the US/West Coast.

me too!

http://downloads.pitchforkmedia.com.s3.amazonaws.com/Ex%20-%20Maybe%20I%20Was%20The%20Pilot.mp3

new song from their upcoming 7" (due out Feb 15th according to the site)!!!!!!!!!!!!

anyone else really miss Sok?

Of course!

yeah, same here. :-/

bought my tix from tickets scotland this lunch time, nos 174 and 175 - the CCA's gonna be crowded

the canadian centre for architecture?!??!

The new song is great imo.

Well, that was absolutely incredible. The horn section was on fire, while The Ex themselves were just fantastic. Having never seen them before, I can't compare Arnold De Boer to Sok, but he did a great job up front. Katherina's drums drive the whole thing, while Terrie and Andy use their guitars as percussion instruments as much as melodic vehicles. I danced my ass off and got quite excitable and vocal in my appreciation. Oh dear...
Zun Zun Egui and Tattie Toes were great too, but The Ex & Brass Unbound too it to another level. One of the best gigs I've ever been to.

I second this assessment.

Nice. I'm going on Weds.

yeah - saw the first show in bristol and just ... amazing. has the new frontman only been involved for a year? had he played with them before at all?

really tempted to try and see them again in london. are there still tickets for that?

A friend in London bought one from We Got Tickets this afternoon following my ravings, so there should still be some left. You've got John Butcher supporting as well, you lucky people.

xx-post. Arnold De Boer is also in Zea and toured Ethopia with The Ex a couple of years ago, so he's been connected to them for a while. He already feels like an integral member doesn't he?

London tickets

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZLYfouoCbA

^ Not too shoddy. Guess they'll be properly warmed up before they hit Brighton tomorrow.

That clip will almost certainly have my head in it at some point

Wow, I like Zea, but they're the least ILM-friendly band ever*, had no idea there was any crossover!

* OK, so ramshackle indie with brash synths and funny/quirky 90s-indie-referencing song titles is probably loved as much as it's hated, but it's very vocally hated, and I'd imagine quite far from what anyone on this thread likes about the Ex...

Apparently I need to kick myself for not seeing Zun Zun Egui when they've been in town a few times, then?

not quite convinced by zun zun. felt like any eight minutes had enough material for their entire set.

that description of zea is totally not what i would have expected from the guy's demeanour.

still can't decide whether to go to london on weds. 12 tickets left

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTZvPSKAnWI

^ new song fucking rocks

Is there a merch table on this tour?

didn't see one at the fleece, but they are a bit of a useless venue

I think my conclusion re: ZZE was that any given song by them has a good or interesting riff or idea, which isn't very often turned into a properly entertaining piece of music. The only other time I saw them was about three years ago supportng Whitehouse, so this was rather more sympathetic a setting, but I don't think my view changed that much

xp yeah there is not a only a pretty hueg merch table but there was also one with a ton of anarchist literature etc

I was totally floored by ZZE... found by turns immediately captivating and joyously baffling.

Here is a Zea track for you to not like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZTRRsfKF5c

And here is a more ILXor-friendly midway point (Zea + some Ex dudes while on the Ex tour in Ethiopia)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOyCLqzrggk

The other youtubes on this thread are fire so I hope nobody is too mad at these Zea clips onthread, but maybe I am just taking out my sadness that I won't get to see the Ex this tour

Ken Vandermark's Facebook diary entries on this tour are fairly brief but always interesting.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ken-Vandermark/121287797247

london - INCREDIBLE! anyone who's able to should go see the remaining dates, it was too too good

^ cosign

had to leave and make the last train; did they do a second encore? in bristol they did this impressive and more minimal/pretty sounding thing which i mostly heard from outside because one of my friends was being sick

hmmm i lost track a little, i think only the one encore, they finished at about 11:20

Yeah there was just one encore. I did wonder if they'd do another but then the DJ started up again.

Great gig tho!

(single) encore was cover of a Konono #1 track apparently. Fantastic gig, now wondering where to start w/ a 30yr discography. Maybe 30 years of the Ex?

I feel like there was a thread where their discography was discussed. Obv a hard band name to search though.

heh, like there's this very thread that I'm already on, and The Ex. and The Ex - S&D and The Ex: Search will do some reading thanks.

Actually this was the thread I was thinking of LOL:

is it possible there is no c/d s/d thread for THE EX????????

name that ex song by completely non-standard music notation

^ think that was the encore that thomp heard btw

the konono one, yes. arnold introduced it as such. it's not the "impressive and more minimal/pretty sounding thing" i mentioned, though; no idea what that one is.

Mats Gustafsson as Gene Simmons in Glasgow

http://krakow.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p201529311-4.jpg

bought the 30 yr comp and the getachew cassette (!) btw; the only thing i'd heard before was the first record with tom cora. played the second disc of the compilation at work this afternoon to mixed response

I guess they had the casettes made for their African shows.

yeah, there's an interview where andy moor says as much. was amazed to own it then remembered i don't have a tape player anymore.

cracking show. been meaning to check these dudes out for some time, and they didn't disappoint.

throughly enjoyed John Butcher's performance too.

Missed him - got there at 8:15 and had to queue to get in and he was offstage by the time I got in.

oude zaal melkweg, vrijdag 4 juni, 20.30u, 17.50 euro.
the ex speelt zonder GW SOK, maar met de nieuwe zanger Arnold (van ZEA).
enige show in NL tijdens deze tour, be there! 8)

been listening to the moa anbessa lp for a few days now. features the ex in (mostly?) live collaboration with getachew mekuria, a now 82 year old ethiopian saxophone colossus. it's a mississippi-released and slightly truncated version of a cd that came out a few years ago, but that i'm only hearing for the first time now. liberally interpreted covers of classic ethiopian jazz tunes as selected by both parties, with assistance from a full horn section. astounding. mekuria operating in fine form despite his age, with the band crashing along violently behind, also despite theirs. perhaps unsurprisingly, the best tracks are those that allow the ex to deliver at full power, with the simple saxophone riffs fully integrated, punching back and forth. they're slightly less effective and distinctive on the more restrained numbers, lacking the delicate swing that might elevate the more traditional numbers. where they split the difference between blocky, hectoring post-punk unfunk (often with gw sok's strident vocals) and sinuous ethio-jazz, however, it becomes a wonderful thing. the hybrid is an unlikely one, but winds up being a hell of a lot of fun. wild, punchy, energetic as hell, but also hypnotic, graceful and joyful. though it lacks vocals, a cover or gima bèyènè's "musiqawi silt" provides a splendid document of their fusion at its best. neither the band nor the saxophonist compromise the basic essence of their music: mekuria's playing is lithe, graceful and swinging, while the band strips the song of its curves, reducing it to its mechanical essence and pounding it into the ground. i won't say that it overshadows other versions (the wallias band's original, the daktaris' blazing cover from a decade back), but it's more than worth hearing. so good. maybe my favorite 2010 purchase so far.