The Architects of Shit City: Q & A with Lonely Kamel

‘Lonely Kamel hail from Oslo, but their music is by way of 1970's London. Their latest release, Shit City, hits hard under clouds of thick fuzz and dank smoke’ and following their successful UK tour with Alunah and The Order of Israfel which you can read about here, Asher G. Alexander hooked up with Stian from the band for a quick Q+A, to discuss the inception of the band, growing up in Norway, to their biggest accomplishments to date.  Please welcome 'The Architects of Shit City’.

Sludgelord: Tell me about how Lonely Kamel got started, how did you come

together and decide to start Lonely Kamel?

Thomas and I were crappy DJ's at the time, playing rock music in bars all over Oslo. Hung out and talked a lot about music and our common interest and love for certain bands and genres. Sometime in 2005 we jammed for the first time and brought some friends and developed something that later became Lonely Kamel.

Sludgelord: What is the meaning of the name?

It's no meaning, just a name. It came from a song named Lonely Kamel, where the lyrics was written by an earlier member of the band. He had and still has a strange view of the world and brought some absurdity to the band at the time which was really funny.

Sludgelord: What was it like growing up playing the music you do in Norway?

At the time there were not that many bands doing it. There was "El Caco" and "Honcho" and a few others. Norway was more about indie rock, electronica and metal but now there's a whole lot of bands doing this and that’s cool. So for us it was not about fitting in or trying to be different or special, it was just about playing and having fun.

Sludgelord: How much Beer and Drugs has been consumed on your latest tour?

We had a beer

Sludgelord: What has been your favourite country to play in?

On this tour definitely Paris, France! The Crowd was amazing, crazy and sang along on all songs and just went nuts during our set. We have a lot of good pictures and memories from that one. But in general, Germany is probably the best country. You always get what you're supposed to and they treat you good and with respect. I guess the UK has something to learn here, seems like they don't care about artists at our level.

Sludgelord: If you had to name an overall influence the band have used to inspire the music (not necessarily another band, it could be an ideology or something unrelated like a love of food) what would it be?

Guess it must be the term "DIY". Do it yourself.

Sludgelord: What would you say is the biggest accomplishment the band has achieved?

Touring with our new album "Shit City" through 10 countries in Europe the Last month has been a big one. Supporting The Sword through Europe last year was another big one. Hard to rank it though. We do a lot of cool things these days.

Sludgelord: Tell me about the phenomenal album you recently released, how was the recording process? What was the writing process like?

We rehearsed a lot for months and worked really hard on the arrangements and the basic sound of the band this time. So when we went in studio we were quite prepared. But then everyone got sick, with flu and stuff so the process wasn't as easy as we hoped. We only booked the studio for ten days and it was hard to nail it in that time. But we did it and are really happy with the result. And Simen Jeistad, the guy who mixed, had 7-10 days to work on it and did and amazing job. We all felt the time pressures cause the deadlines from the record company was quite tight this time.

Sludgelord: Run me through the live gear each one of you use, how does it differ from the gear you used to record?

Boring!! hehe, yeah but we use the same gear on recording as we do live. Mostly, with some additional effects on records of course. Marshall Guitar amps, Gibson guitars, Ampeg bass amp and my Precision bass on almost everything & Gretsch drums. This time we experienced a bit more maybe. Don't remember, had a fever during the studio session. But most of our records sound pretty much like we do live. That has been a goal for us anyway, even though it's not always easy to get the same energy and ballsiness.

Sludgelord: What are you listening too at the moment?

Cannot speak for the rest of the band but I listen a lot to Mogwai at the moment, always loved them. Don't think that’s a common interest in the band though. We all listen to lot of different stuff but I have a big thing for the Glasgow music scene, with bands like Aereogramme, Arab Strap and Malcolm Middleton etc. In the band bus there are Captain Beefheart, Fleetwood Mac and older, more bluesy stuff. And Brant Bjork of course, he's always a winner

Sludgelord: Anything you would like to plug?

Yes, a whole lot J

Cheers & thanks

See you on the road!!

Live Review: The Order of Isfrafel/Alunah/Lonely Kamel – Black Heart Camden 2.10.2014

The Black Heart, Camden! Heavier than the Underworld, but without the sweaty Goths of the Hobgoblin. Tonight’s patrons seemed to be 50% Lilliputian women and 50% cousin It from the Addams Family. It was the majority though, who were here to see headliners Lonely Kamel.

The night started off well, with The Order of Israfel, Gothenburg’s premier doomsters featuring ex-Church of Misery guitarist Tom Sutton. The set started a bit sketchy vocally, as the opener ‘Wisdom’s sustained vocal notes deviated slightly, but by the second song the band were on top form. Having only ever heard the title track off their latest album “Wisdom” on record before, I was stunned by how good these guys were live. Granted they needed to warm up a bit before sinking into their set, I was constantly dumbstruck by the consistency and tightness of their playing. The bands Scandi roots are very obvious in songs like “The Earth Will Deliver What Heaven Desires”, of which I was so blown away by.  I actually had to go up to the drummer once they finished the show to ask what the track was called! The final remark I have is that their riff progression were seamless. Great use of small repeated phrases and lead sections flow into each other effortlessly, never leaving you with that feeling of “When will this song end!” Perfect band, ace performance. Would see again!

Second up was Birmingham lovelies Alunah. Leaning more towards the heavy doom side rather than the hard rock theming of the other bands, front woman Soph Day showed us her pipes in full force as she led the band through a slow, stoney set. Sludgelord regulars will be very familiar with Alunah. Their sound really is tailor made for our readership, and I can say with full confidence that their live sound and performance is just as stunning. Soph manages to hit every note, while the other band members keep a tight foundation of boomy, gloomy heavy. Having been at the front for The Order of Israfel, I found myself having to move back to about ¾’s of the room’s distance from the stage, as the bass was so heavy it just muffled the sound. They were also kind enough to sign a cassette tape of their latest album “Awakening the Forest”, which I highly recommend picking up a copy of!

Lastly, Lonely Kamel pulled out all stops with their filthy hard rock stylings reminiscent of a drugged up Motorhead. They pulled in a huge crowd and absolutely gave them the best show, with showmanship and great crowd interaction trumping the other bands tenfold. They had a fantastic vibe about them; you could feel the beer and weed evaporate off their instruments while they ploughed through filthy songs about drinking and fornication. Their scuzzy, riff heavy guitar work was only complimented by the singer’s fantastic performance.

Just the right amount of growl and melody made him the perfect front man to complete this ensemble of degenerates. Although the majority of the crowd seemed to be there for the Kamel, it severely thinned out towards the last quarter, which was kind of understandable as the night had started at 7.45pm and it was pushing 10.45pm now. And with that, my only criticism, their set was just too long! Perfectly paced, with a great song selection, but far too long given that the night had 3 bands on the bill that each played a considerably long set too.

Honourable mention must go to the sound guy for the first and last bands, he absolutely smashed it! The only dampener on the evening was a problem with the mixing desk during the first song of Alunah's set, so the in-between-set music continued to play for awhile after the song had finished, massive shame! Thanks for reading y’all!

Words by: Asher G. Alexander

Lonley Kamel - Shit City (Album Review)

Album Type: Album

Date Released: Sept 01^st UK/Sept 03^rd ESP

Label: Napalm Records

Shit City - track listing:

1. Shit City

2. White Lines

3. Is It Over

4. I Feel Sick

5. Seal The Perimeter

6. Freezing

7. BFD

8. Nightjar

9. Falling Down

Band Members

Thomas Brenna ¤ vocals & guitar

Lukas Paulsen ¤ guitar & backing vocals

Stian Helle ¤ bass

Espen Nesset ¤ drums

Review:

Lonely Kamel hail from Oslo, but their music is by way of 1970's London. Their latest release, Shit City, hits hard under clouds of thick fuzz and dank smoke. The band clearly had a blast writing and recording this record, but their fun didn't get in the way of some killer groves and tight musicianship.

The eponymous Shit City starts things off with a driving punk-rock vibe, reminiscent of Sugar Fix-era Dwarves, and rolls right into White Lines, a Clutch-esque hard rock track. The tone shifts gears with Is It Over as the guitars become haunting and atmospheric. The song is a slow-burn into hard-rock land.

Zepplin-style riffs hammer hard in I feel Sick, a song that seems to exemplify what Lonely Kamel does best. While they never stick to the same formula every time (thankfully), Sick seems to be the sweet spot of all that they do. It grooves, rocks and screams all at the same time. Next, Seal the Perimeter burns slow, taking the tempo down and laying out the heaviest riffs on the album.

Freezing brings in high-fantasy themed vocals and catchy classic rock riffs. The grooves step up into upbeat, hip-swinging bop with BFD. In a good way, BFD reminds me of the uptempo Jet records that made them famous. Falling Down ends everything with an almost contemplative jam, thick with fuzz and pretty breakdowns that set the stage for a big finish.

Shit City is a boot-tapping, rollicking album of blues oriented stoner rock. The record showcases some fantastic guitar tones and a thick, but clear bass backbone. There are heavy doses Zepplin throughout, from screaming, soulful vocals to thick grooves. Fans of bands like Red Fang and the Sword should definitely check these guys out.

Written by Ben Bowman

Thanks to Mona at Napalm Records for sending us a promo to review. Shit City will be available to buy from the dates below via Napalm Records on CD/DD/Vinyl.

Release Dates:

27.08.2014 NOR/SWE

29.08.2014 G/A/S, BENELUX & FIN

01.09.2014 UK & Rest of Europe

03.09.2014 ESP

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