Leeds UK math-rock band Irk are releasing their new album their debut album “Recipes from the Bible” on 7th December. In a guest post for Ghost Cult, drummer Matt Deamer shared his favorite concert memory ever.
When I was 17 years old I saw a phenomenal band called Meet Me In St Louis. They were my first proper introduction to the UK DIY scene, and have subsequently developed a legendary status amongst the math rock crowd my band is a part of.
I vividly remember that gig, and how utterly mind-bending it all seemed. Their performance was totally visceral, cacophonous and horrendously loud. But amongst all the noise and flailing limbs was real complexity and imagination. There were precise rhythmic ideas. Unpredictable and angular time changes all over the place. It was chaotic and calculated all at the same time. Needless to say, they thoroughly melted my tiny teenage brain.
It was particularly inspiring to me because they were normal guys from my hometown, getting out there and doing it. They were playing their weird, uncompromising music all over the UK and Europe, and went on to release a stunning debut album, which I still love to this day.
That gig kick-started my obsession with the band and my passion for DIY music in general. You can pretty much draw a straight line from that show to what I do now as an adult, which is a really odd thought. Although my band Irk doesn’t overtly sound like MMISL, the influence they had on me is definitely in there, bubbling under the surface.
Recipes from the Bible was recorded and mixed by Irk’s drummer Matt at Glide Studio, with final touches added by mastering engineer Nick Zampiello (Daughters, Converge) at New Alliance East in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Pre-order the album now at this link.
Irk will launch their album with a show in Leeds on 7th December at Chunk. Expect more dates to be announced soon.
Irk is:
Jack Gordon – Vocals
Ed Snell – Bass
Matt Deamer – Drums
Watch recent video for PSTL CSTL – https://youtu.be/tHsUBqDxGAk
And the live session for ‘I Bleed Horses’ – https://youtu.be/YRd1pF5-ot4