Something About Shoes

Ecstasy Of Saint Theresa - The Perfect Needle

Today’s track is taken from a compilation in which a selection of tracks from old shoegazers are given a right shoeing (and that doesn’t mean they are taken out the back and kicked to death) by the new wave of shoegaze. Entitled ‘Never Lose That Feeling’ (after the Swervedriver song), the album was released last September on Club AC30. I’d never heard anything by Prague duo The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa before this but I’m definitely going to be investigating further. Their rendition of The Telescopes’ ‘The Perfect Needle’ avoids the original’s layers of distorted guitars, transforming the track into an experimental jazz number, not a million miles away from the bossa nova of Nouvelle Vague. There’s an air of menace permeating the track, which is realised with surprising bursts of noise.

I really admire Club AC30 as they appear to be successfully resurrecting the much-maligned shoegazing genre for a whole new audience, through celebration and reinvention of the past masters, and the introduction of new artists heavily influenced by the original scene. Starting out as a London club night, they have since expanded into a small label and act as a kind of hub for all things shoegaze, past and present, including a radio station and a roster of DJs. Bands on the label include Televise, who feature former members of Slowdive. They are also set to release an album by Spotlight Kid, the new project of former Six by Seven frontman Chris Davies. Upcoming gigs they are promoting include The Telescopes at Water Rats on the 20th October, and Amusement Parks on Fire (plus a DJ set from Ulrich Schnauss) at Kilburn's Luminaire on 11th September. ‘Never Lose That Feeling Volume 2’ is released later on this year.

Visit Ecstasy of Saint Theresa website here
Ecstasy of Saint Theresa at My Space
Club AC30 website with mail order section to purchase 'Never Lose That Feeling'

Joe.