Big Joan are a noise-rock / post-punk quartet based in Bristol. Fronted by German singer Annette Berlin, their 2004 debut album'Insects & Engines' was championed by the late, great John Peel, and described by Artrocker as'one of the freshest and most exciting albums for a while'.
After a five-year break from the studio, the band returned in 2012 with'The Long, Slow Death of Big Joan'. Several blogs and websites featured it in their end of year lists, including Louder Than War, who placed it 22nd in their 200 albums of the year. The song'Beautiful Idea' made the 2012 Festive Fifty, as voted for by Dandelion Radio listeners.
Big Joan are also known for their involvement in the DIY music scene, initially as key members of the Choke collective, and now as promoters of the Bristol club night Kollaps.
The Long, Slow Death of Big Joan
'As perfect an example of a post-punk record as you'll find.' Louder Than War
'Dynamic, dark, and more assuredly vital than almost anything else you'll have heard this
year'. God Is In The TV
'A treasure trove of danceable post-punk gems a fabulous album, as much for its
clarity of vision and well drawn structure, as it is for its frantic display of cold hard talent.' -
'There surely is a crowd out there hungry for this if only they can get the right point on the
dial and hear Big Joan's call out to those still living.' Heartbeat of a Rabbit
'Uncompromising, assertive, blistering, and full of energy. A brilliant album' Listomania
Bath
Other things they've said about the band
'Never has a band displayed so much angst and made you want to dance so much'
Artrocker
'Paranoia, urban tension and rage brought to a weird sort of sonic life' CD Times
'Loaded lyrics and ribcage shattering drums as big and raw as the Eiffel tower being
sharpened with a 50 foot lump of concrete' Decode
'Everyone loves a German girl singing through a telephone and banging a dustbin.
Everyone.' Bearded Magazine
Nasty Little Lonely:
Formed in Bristol in 2012 from the ashes of Rock In Your Pocket, Nasty Little
Lonely are Charlie Beddoes (bass and vocals), Ben Fisher (guitar and bvs) and Arron Bennett (drums and samples). Charlie has toured the UK and Europe extensively playing bass for Emiliana Torrini, Martin Grech, Michael J Sheehey, and Trash Palace, (with guest vocalists Brian Molko, John Cale and Marc Almond). Ben also played for Martin Grech where he and Charlie met, and began to write songs incorporating elements of industrial, post punk, grunge and rock n roll.
Nasty Little Lonely have been gigging around the UK and have gained a reputation as a great live act; recent supports include Bo Ningen, Lydia Lunch, The Chapman Family and Cold In Berlin.
Nasty Little Lonely released a free download single'Lizardbrain' in June
2013, to be followed by an EP later this year. The track is available at