Dark they were, and Starry-eyed
The
Skinbat
Scramble
Mark "Nifty" Eason - Gary Cook - Nicky Sarzi - Carl Gent - Piers Eason - Imogen Eason - - - - - - - - - - - the archives are here beep! beep!
Stop Press: We are currently mapping out the pathway to the next album, which will most likely take the form of a hybrid live/studio/time centre recording
THE SKINBAT SCRAMBLE ALBUM
REMAINS
CD and iTunes download available now.
The first CD pressing comes complete with signed insert and limited edition badge
Studio recordings
of songs from 2008/9.
The first fruits of the Skinbat Scramble resurgence, following the re-convening of the coven with live shows at the Tunbridge Wells Forum. Powerful, psychedelic and hypnotic, the band veer between spaced-out beauty and threatening clearing-in-the-woods paranoia.
buy it on paypal here, for £10 including P&P
(UK postage only - please enquire for overseas)
With the lineup of Mark, Gary, Nicky, Carl Gent (ex of Mumm-Ra, and currently of the Old Dolphin Brigade), Piers on drums and Imogen on spooky vocals and bass, this robust, vital incarnation of the Scramble delivers its first CD.
The album was recorded and mixed at the Granary, and includes the following tracks: Integration - UFOUK - Radiator Heaven - George IX - Starfields - Metal Way - The New Black/Peppermint Schnapps - The Chancery - Gutshot/Coda - Ringmain Dancer - Stop Trying So Hard - Camel Lights.
THEN...
The Skinbat Scramble have always been hovering on the edge ... just out of earshot. Originally the band was an improvised and randomly written prog goth electro psychedelic art school band of the old-fashioned, pre-BritPop kind that sprang like Mandrakes from the Punk Scene of Medway and London in the 1970s.
The band recorded a prolific number of songs during 1981-93, and then again in 2004 (and then again in 2007-9, but we're getting ahead of ourselves here). Back to the past - they worked on everything from home tape decks, through to professional 24-track studios. seemingly preferring obscurity to the showbiz shennanigans of the 80s Music Business.
Just one reason why they never made any money...
The fruits of this initial (1981 to 2004) efflorescence of the Skinbats have been digitally remastered and made available to the long-suffering, loyal (and probably mythic) SKINBAT SCRAMBLE AUDIENT in the form of Volumes 1, 2, 3, 4 and the double CD Beast of Volume 5.
All are available... see the ALIEN PIERS ORGANISATION to investigate, fetish and buy this product. They are available on CD - and additionally VOLUMES 2 and 3 plus the new album "REMAINS" are available to digital listeners via iTUNES.
...AND NOW
After a layoff of some years, the Skinbats recommenced various covert ops in this promising new century; a collaboration of sorts began during the compilation/curatorship of "Volume 5" of the archives by Mark Eason. Some tracks were fitted together with some recordings of spoken word and ambient work by Gary Cook, and - mixed with old recordings, 2004 Skinbat works and so on, became the double album, Volume 5...
The Skinbat Scramble reconvened fully in 2007, once again heaving their suitably skew-whiff music over the castle ramparts. The band began operating again in earnest after the three key members of the last gigging version (1986) of the Skinbat Scramble (Mark, Nicky and Gary) found themselves sprinkled amongst the onstage lineup of The Old Dolphin Brigade in September 07. Handshakes ensued, Piers Eason was chained to the drum stool and Carl Gent (the ODB leader) added guitar. Magic flew around.
This new incarnation put a match to the blue touchpaper with a private showing at the Tunbridge Wells Forum on 21st October 2007 and continues to this day, with a four-pronged attack of writing, rehearsal, recording and gigging.
In Autumn 2008, after recording her terrifyingly perfect vocal for album track "Ringmain Dancer", Imogen Eason of the Flavonoids joined the Scramble on bass, adding a steadying feminine influence to proceedings and freeing Mark to return to guitar. Fabian Eason, (the Glo Pilots' bassist steps into the bass when Imogen is "up north" as they say "down south").
The SKINBAT SCRAMBLE'S REMAINS is in stock and also available on iTunes, and includes this track...
NOW - Watch this space, before it watches you...
FINE VINYL PURVEYORS:
APOLLO RECORDS
of TUNBRIDGE WELLS
Stockists of Skinbat Scramble / Alien Piers product
- A nice place to buy records, which is rare these days
17/6/2010 SarziNova
17/6/2010 GaryElectrics
UPCOMING PUBLIC PERFORMANCES:
JULY 13th 2010/
@93 FEET EAST, 150 BRICK LANE, LONDON E1
AUGUST 7th 2010/
@FORUM TUNBRIDGE WELLS
"The Grand Nifty's 50th Birthday Bash"
PREVIOUS PUBLIC PERFORMANCES:
JUNE 17th 2010/
@FORUM TUNBRIDGE WELLS
Benefit for the Syd Barrett fund; we tried to channel the man. Say no more.
Carl, Fabian, Piers, Nicky, Mark and Gary played;
"Astonomy Domine"
"Moonshot"
"Eternity, Indecision and Death"
"Walking Down the Road (the long way)" and
"Bright Star"
- we had planned to perform "Lucifer Sam" but this was shelved due to time constraints.
Sissy and the Blisters and Luna Park Rescue played also, (Criminal Suicide Ltd cancelled).
APRIL 4th 2010/
@FORUM TUNBRIDGE WELLS
Unfortunately this gig was cancelled due to a spate of illness. Re-scheduling for all bands is on the cards for a future Nifty Night...
DECEMBER 30th 2009/
@FORUM TUNBRIDGE WELLS
a deranged mixture of the Skinbat Sramble and the Sons of Quag reversed into a cul-de-sac of anglo-french co-operation designed to rock the nation, then burst out of John Hurt's chest like an angry little alien, squirting pollen all over the place.
From right to left in this imaginary picture; brad, imogen, george, piers, mark, gary.
Songs: One and One makes Six (funk?) - Stopped by the Midnight Mass One Snowy Evening - Brother, Can You Spare A Dime? - Born To Be Wild - Silver Machine
Many of the assembled went on to the next act, Carl's wonderful Old Dolphin Brigade - lineup Carl, Susie, Mark, Imogen, Piers, Jessamy and Gary.
Brutai and then RGAF followed and metal rained down like molten lead from the gallery. RGAF's album nears completion and sounds wonderful.
HAPPY - NEW - YEAR ...
SUNDAY 6th September 2009/FORUM NIFTY NIGHT
RECORDED, FOR POSTERITY !!!
SKINBAT SCRAMBLE
with Special Guest Malcolm Lenny
EVERYONE TO THE ANDERSON
LEBANONS
Social Extortion
Scramble performed Back Street Luv (Curved Air cover), Natural Born Boogie (Humble Pie cover) and The Glo-Pilots' Moonshot
Nicki / photo courtesy Rob Munro www.robertmunro.net
SUNDAY 24th May 2009/FORUM NIFTY NIGHT
RECORDED, FOR POSTERITY !!!
A great gig...
We SKINBAT SCRAMBLE introduced a new random factor into the mix, with Andy, who drummed for us on the last 2 songs, giving Piers a rest on Heartbeak Hotel and giving us the TWO DRUMMER CLIMAX that we've always feared. Onstage sound was good, and we were on good form, smallish audience, but appreciative of the following choons. The Legend of Big Joe The Chicken Man, Going To Work At Midnight, Gutshot, Heartbreak Hotel and Stop Trying So Hard.
Fierce, seriously deranged music from the tide pools of - uh - somewhere else. BRUTAI didn't show up - their usual modus operandi, and so it was on with the show - HEAT FROM A DEADSTAR had Andy drumming with a set of sculpted noise and in-your-faceness which virtually formed a solid out of the molecules of the forum's foetid air; after this RACHEL'S GOT A FLAMETHROWER peeled the paint from the walls and cracked the Forum's remaining windows with their usual skill/power combo. Nice.
UFOUK - is on
http://Aural-Innovations.com
This track is from our new album "Remains" and is named after a very oddly behaving and oddly-shaped UFO Gary and Mark witnessed as they returnined from The Granary in June 2008, having laid down the track.
Apparently the Ministry of Defence have just admitted that there was a sighting about that time over nearby Tonbridge (of course, Dr Aphobos could have faked the news bulletin...) - spooky, spacey and just plain spiffing!
We felt no sense of threat, just a sense of keeping on the road.
Perhaps it was the OLD CHAP! from Skinbat Scramble:Volume 2 - listen to him speak here:
JOIN OUR
MYSPACE GROUP:
http://www.myspace.com/
skinbatscramble
JOIN OUR
FACEBOOK GROUP: http://www.facebook.com/
group.php?gid=5334609350
Our Recordings:
AVAILABLE ON iTunes:
VOLUME 2: 
VOLUME 3:
REMAINS:
Volumes 1 to 5 and Remains
are available
on CD from
http://www.alienpiers.org
A few of the signed Remains copies are still available...
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Above: Mathmos Oil Wheel over St. George/the stage is set 17/6/2010
Below: Carl Gent ready to play 17/6/2010
Above: Mathmos Oil Wheel over Gary's face / fabian on bass 17/6/2010
Below: Nifty announces the band, luminous 17/6/2010
