Merry Christmas!!

Thanks to all those who have attended, followed and supported AXXONN throughout 2009. We're looking at a pretty big year in 2010 with a full national tour (Australia) and the possibilities of a USA and EU tour as well.

We're also going to be having a Cassette LP Release and also our first Inaugural LP Album release (more details soon).

A sneak peak at the Cassette Artwork

Front

Back

Chugging Away

Well just cause AXXONN isn't playing out live doesn't mean shit isn't happening at the office. Things have almost been as busy as our Euro tour lately.

Tom is off mastering the finer aspects of USA noise shows, underground squat spaces and generally cementing ties for a return sometime in 2010

Ian is busy mastering the art of bringing more bottom end to his doom outfit NO ANCHOR with the addition of a third bass player.

What's AXXONN been up to?

(in a nut shell)

• Finalising Masters for our most prominent release to date - A cassette on Brisbane's own 'Bedroom Suck' records, it's black on black, it's brutal and fits the low fidelity quality of the cassette perfectly. In true AXXONN style we'll be going all out with the art work with a multiple gate-fold insert (see some proofs below). Cassette release date is Mid February 2010 w/ Off Tap Launch to follow.

• We have a couple of video clips in the pipeline (of course taking it to the mainstream with some more appropriation)

• As it happens our 'no sleep' tour of the UK and Europe has turned out to have a lasting effect. We have been approached by a European label with some interesting offerings. More details as they come to hand....

Break

AXXONN is officially on hiatus until January 2010

Enjoy the rest of '09 and be ready for 2010 ;-)

LAST Brisbane Show for 2009....

AXXONN Media Release - 'Small' Oz Tour

Tom Hall, AXXONN & Ambrose Chapel back on the road.

Dropping home after some 25 shows across Europe and the UK that saw them playing in underground basements in Berlin, Vineyards in Italy and abandoned hairdressing salons in Glasgow, AXXONN's, Tom Hall (Solo, TRIAD) and Ian Rogers (No Anchor) take off shortly on their debut Australian shows outside of Brisbane.

Drawing from inspiration gained from their experiences while completing their recent tour, AXXONN have honed and shaped their previous sound, developing their varying sludgy beats and crossing it all with the finest Italian noise and drone, leaving them with a sound that still entices the senses but sits more solidly on foundations. Leaving many 'laptop modeled' bands drowning in clichés, AXXONN pride themselves on their down and gritty ethos taking to using a host of outboard equipment more likened to noise or rock/metal bands but still with a sprinkling of hundreds and thousands. After these shows AXXONN will be on a small 3 month hiatus as Hall leaves to the US for solo commitments.

With varied descriptions in recent times including;

"Soft elements join a reduced drum as quiet tones get f**ked up by bellowing noise" (Foxy Digitalis, July '09)

"Melodies that sparkle like alien vessels on a pulp science fiction cover" (Mess+Noise, August '09)

Dates:

AXXONN

• September 24th - The Zoo, Brisbane - w/ Toy Balloon, 3ofMillions (Syd), Cured Pink Radio

• September 27th - Black Sunday (Mini-Fest) Salamanca Arts Centre, Hobart - w/ M.O.I.O, Evil Goat, Spheres + more

• September 29th - MIUC, Bar Open, Fitzroy, Melbourne - w/ TBC

Solos (Tom Hall Solo -- Ambrose Chapel Solo )

• September 30th - 'Stutter' @ Horse Bazaar, Melbourne - w/ Duck Tails (USA), Artefact (Camilla Hannan / Thembi Soddell / Eamon Sprod)

Back in Brisbane

Tom: We're back in Brisbane. It's nice, I'm too tired to wriiteeeeeeeee

Rooterdam (Only) Show

Tom: So along with me working extensively on my solo practice in the WORM studio Ian has been popping by each night to rip it up AXXONN style - it's been working we've worked up/finalised a whole bunch of compositions and are now looking good to be sending out demos late September to try and get this thing on a label.

Tom: We love re-amping - pretty much everything (except beats) get some kind of external analog processing whether it be amps, pedals or tube compressors.

Rotterdam suburbia ready to be inhabited

Le Vegabond - Rotterdam

Tom: So we only had one show locked in for Rotterdam, after over a week off playing myself and Ian, weren't that pumped about getting back to it. Once we talked to the promoter however and we locked it in that we were playing for €100 (originally it was a door deal which we were un-enthused about) we were a little happier. He told us to sit tight and drink up on the bar for free until more people came.

We both had a funny vibe about the place and were unsure if they knew/had done their research about exactly who we were and what kind of sound it is that we make. I had a feeling we were going to destroy the place...

Tom: We're about to start

This is the bar tender, a massive chump!

**WARNING** - AXXONN is not a techno band and doesn't do 2 hour live sets!! WE WILL however work the hell out of your PA system, massage your inner ear, drink the hell out of your bar and take your 100€ in a little over 20 minutes - thankyou and goodnight.

AXXONN - a short break

Tom: I took off to various destinations around EU for the past few days with no intended purpose, Ian has been in France eating fine foods and watching KILL BILL in French.

I just got to this amazing studio here in Rotterdam (Ian will join me shortly)

First day having a play with 'The Putney' VCS3 (EMS)

Birmingham Guns

Tom: So Ian's like "Are they real?" and I'm like "Don't know?! but they're cheap!" and Ian's like "Lets buy one and go and let a few rounds off in the Park!"

This is what filling in time before shows come down to after weeks on the road, the idea of buying a gun and shooting off rounds in an inner-city park to pass the time seams feasible.

Germany

Ian: This is the best felafel I've ever eaten. Halumi + salad + freshly cooked felafel + satay type sauce. I want to eat it again and again and again.



Ian: Tom's nagging me about the band blog via his iPhone.

Tom: Actually I'm calling Ian's Mum!



Ian: Show #1 was played in a place called Loophole. It was a former brothel apparently...which might possibly explain why the stage looked like a giant vagina.



Ian: Our hosts in Berlin for the first few days. This is Ben of Deloris and Camile of Camile. So they both play music under girl's names. These folks put us up, showed us the sights and lent me a bicycle. Oh and came to our shows, above and beyond the call of duty I think.



Ian: While I ate a selection of fresh fruit and vegetables, Tom ate this. Just kidding. I had the same delicious banana falvoured milk and a piece of cake. This photo doesn't really do Tom's custard burger justice. It was epic.





Ian: Venue #2. This is Madam Claude where we played a strangely sold out show. Note the floor/ceiling randomness. This was a great club and the crowd were so nice.







Ian: 'Yeah, I live in that place down by the felafel place with the epic suck face graff on the side, come pick me up!'











Ian: Berlin is a pretty ugly place during the summer.



Ian: We played in a great little cinema called Hor Bar in Hamburg. The people who ran it were great and the people who came to the show were friendly and hung out afterwards. If in Hamburg, play here.



Ian: WARNING the coming winter fashion in Australia could be something like this.



Ian: Tom shouldn't have too much trouble recognising his new suitcase on the baggage carousel. His old suitcase died a fast death on the cobblestone streets of Hamburg - pity, he was going to burn it as the finale of the next Sonic Boom!



Ian: If you like shitty hotel rooms and German desk clerks who scream at you in Deutch at 7:35am for asking where breakfast is served, stay at the Beefang Hotel in Hamburg. This place can eat a dick.

PLEASE NOTE

Tom: It is Ian's turn to update the blog, he has the photos from Germany, at this stage it's hard to even prove we actually played in Germany.

Its seems Ian is too busy playing with his Ferret to update here....

We're in Germany

Tom: We have tons to post about Germany but Ian has all the photos

In the mean time chew on this (just in yesterday)

Click Here to Read Review

Far-well Italy

Ian: These photos are in reverse order...like the movie Memento. This is the end: the airport. And if the pizza everywhere else in Italy was anything to go by, this machine at our gate could probably make all of my dreams come true.

Ian: After the show, they backed a car up to the house and we jumped in and took off for Milan and drove through the night to meet a red-eye flight to Berlin. Our driver didn't speak much English but he was a good guy. And fast.

Ian: Le Harmacy = D.I.Rad. Diego turned to me before they started and said 'Welcome to hell' and it was a pretty good summation of what came next. These guys brutalised and strobed us for about 15 mins. It's one of the few times in my life when I've been a bit 'Okay, this is getting a bit much, I might have to go outside.' That's our Italian promoter Lorenzo on drums.

Ian: Tom making noise.

Ian: I can't remember this guy's name (there were eight or so acts before AXXONN) but this dude's synth rampage was completely on song. I loved it.

Ian: Epic noise jamz.

Ian: The artist formerly known as Ale. Ally finally played on the last night of our stay in Italy after days of coming to our shows, driving us around and helping us assemble PAs. And his set ruled: drones that turned nasty, understated and precise. It was gold.

Ian: This guy did some noise and then painted a bit and manipulated the sounds with the paint. I have no real idea how it worked but it looked and sounded cool.

Ian: This guy laid down an epic pad of sound and then wailed on the microphone over it. Very slick. We took some interest in his gear (especially his customized mic) and afterwards he gave Tom one of his older mics. A week later Tom played a show with it in Berlin and I'm gonna use it on a track for AXXONN. So this guy is probably gonna be famous just because he was nice to us. NB: All of this stuff was great. For serious, this is one of the best noise/sound art things I've ever seen. I'm not sure if these acts are the cream of the southern Italian noise scene or if this is just how high the bar has been raised in this part of the world. Either way, it was a pleasure and an honor to be there. I'm gonna write to Lorenzo and get some myspace urls of this stuff and post them up here so every one can dig on it.

Ian: This was my favourite act of the night. He is known locally as Nicki Rotten. When we got to the venue (a half finished Italian manor house) Lorenzo told us that Nicki would be playing on the mound of dirt outside. I thought he was joking. He wasn't. Nicki came, set up his amps (including a baby Sunn) and some lights and smoke machine and got to it. He started without a hint of introduction - we were all standing around having dinner then BAM! we all turn around and watched this. He was like an epic sound destroying troll sitting on a little volcano. It made me so excited I kinda danced a bit. I've never really danced at a noise show before.

Ian: Valentina cooked for the punters. It was her parent's place that the gig was held. She was great. The police came during the show and after she told them who she was and who owned the place, they told us to have a good time and be careful on the drive out seeing as the road is a bit tricky and people will have been drinking.

Ian: Gear porn. Not sure we should be encouraging this type of page visit but whatevs.

Tom: Presto!? No.1 label.

Ian: Where the show was. This photo doesn't really do it justice; it was big place when you went downstairs and up. It's going to be a beautiful home when it's done.

Ian: Not a bad view from the front porch either.

Ian: Caution, highschool romances crossing here.

Ian: I have the Reason patch for this organ somewhere. Not really.

Ian: More doom metal tourism. We're digging the churches and cathedrals.

Ian: Creepy.

Ian: Also creepy.

Ian: Cesena

Ian: Will Oldham played on the beach and we went. As a girl at the party the night after said 'He is a dirty fucking man!' Beautiful songs and a fun night.

Ian: Italian cuisine.

Ian: Beach before Bonnie Prince Billy.

Ian: Tom's salad. Later tossed. Not by me, that's fo show.