Signposts Underground: January 2026
Welcome, dear readers, to the first of what I hope will be a regular column for In Spite Magazine, bringing to focus some of the various cultural oddities upon which I find myself stumbling, whether music, film, art, writing, place, or whatever. With that, let’s begin...
My 2025 album of the year
Eagle-eared readers may have already heard my latest monthly show for CAMP Radio (by the way, my last show will be at the end of April), in which I showcased 10 of my favourite albums of 2025. Some were stalwarts of other end-of-year lists, some definitely were not. My top pick, I fear, is one of them, though deserves further praise – ‘Buddha & Devadatta’ by Buddhadatta.
Blending tribal throat singing with ferocious blues punk, Japanese devotional rockers Buddhadatta launched their debut LP on Australia’s Kasumuen Records on Boxing Day. I might describe it as somewhere between Blues Explosion and a Tibetan temple service, but that doesn’t quite capture the trio’s sound which, like all my favourite music, is one I’ve never quite heard before. Seikoro’s “samurai bass” is joyously groovy; drummer Takami Isobe Isono can stand up against any of math rock’s speediest limbs; but it’s all held together by vocalist and guitarist Vogli Bonze – a practicing Buddhist monk with a voice to rival Milan Fras for guttural intensity, apparently delivering sutra, while transforming the group into something unique. Having honed their sound on stages across Japan and Australia for a few years, as well as a handful of a handful of singles and split releases, this feels like a cross between a Greatest Hits and a statement of intent. I absolutely love it, and I want you to love it as well. At time of writing they have 9 records left. Buy one of them. Then check out the rest of my top 10 here.
Hanging out with Pazuzu
Hidden in London’s coolest tunnel lies a maze of deep occultism that will shock the faint of heart. At least until the end of May.
Behind Waterloo station is Leake Street, a tunnel filled with bars, event spaces, pop-ups, and a lot of street art, and is always worth a stroll. Right now, it also contains Dark Secrets: The Esoteric Exhibition, recently exported by Italian exhibitors Italmostre. Across a couple dozen rooms, over a thousand items of esoterica await your discovery, including tools of ritual, fairy skeletons, tribal masks, artefacts desecrated at the behest of Satan, the secrets of alchemy, voodoo dolls, and in a most memorable start to the tour, a life-sized replica of the statue of Pazuzu from the opening scenes of The Exorcist.
Writing as a natural skeptic, the appeal of such an exhibition is in examining pieces of history, studying and speculating on the ideologies they inspired, for better or worse. For those with stronger belief systems, it’s conceivable that this may be a very challenging, perhaps even offensive exhibition. But for those happy to explore the darker, hidden side of the human condition, this is an exhaustive, insightful, hugely entertaining way to spend an afternoon or evening. Tickets from £21.
Klaus Kinski Superstar
It is rare that highly experimental fictional prose breaks through to anything approaching the mainstream. ‘The Gallows Pole’ author Benjamin Myers’ latest short novel, ‘Jesus Christ Kinski’, may have just managed it.
Inspired by a filmed live performance of the notorious German actor and accused rapist’s one-man show based on the life of Jesus, on the one hand Myers seeks to explore the truly fucked mindset of the performer over the course of that fateful evening in 1971. Myers’ Kinski, rather like the real man, is entitled, egomaniacal, and quite deranged, with mind, body and voice oozing contempt for his audience (which they repay in spades) with every word on the page, as propulsive and engaging as it is repugnant. On the other hand, Myers writes of an author, in the midst of the Covid lockdowns, becoming obsessed with a YouTube video of this bizarre performance, and how (and why) they might capture that video in written prose. This split between the two voices demonstrates that the author knows exactly what he’s doing and, of course, why.
Reading it is a unique, ugly, and brilliant way of spending a couple of hours, and like all the best things in life, it’s absolutely not for everyone. For those with the stomach, it’s probably unlike anything else you’ve ever read. Unless you’ve read Kinski’s diary. In lieu of that, grab this.
Punk is cheap
Stoke-on-Trent’s Poundland is rather like every other branch in the UK – full of junk food and plastic crap that usually costs more than a quid. Stoke-on-Trent’s Pound Land, however, stands alone. Though their 7th album in 4 years, 2024’s ‘Mugged’ nonetheless marked a major turning point for the noise-punk group. Not only was it their first time in a recording studio, it was the first serious acclaim the band had received from the music press. A highly limited tape and lathe cut vinyl run on Cruel Nature Records (a label with extremely good taste) sold out instantly, and has since led to a freshly remastered “audiophile” rerelease on Antigen Records – making it a ‘Raw Power’ for post-Brexit Britain, perhaps.
The band’s anger, viciously channeled through frontman Adam Stone, was immediately apparent through their bitterly humorous lyrics – a stream of social satire and what they call “kitchen-sink surrealism” deconstructing how Britain was broken by the Cheshire set, focusing on the particular in which the universal might be found. What this remaster brings out, however, is the musicianship behind the bile. The light of Jo Stone’s saxophone licks always found their way through the Albini-esque sludge, but the remaster gives space to every element of the cacophony, in effect making this the Shellac to the earlier mix’s Big Black. Both have their place, but this feels like the more rewarding listening experience, though still deeply uncomfortable in the best possible way.
Incidentally, I saw Pound Land live last year with friends-of-1MU Earth Mother Fucker, and they were sensational. Look out for them at Rough Trade Nottingham on 20 March.
Other signposts:
There isn’t enough folk music about my home county of Essex. Local folk duo Armoured Man are working to change that. Their latest album, ‘Hind Legs’, came out just before Christmas, and it’s beautiful.
On YouTube, 6u66legun is retelling the history of British pop with all the gravitas of a true crime podcast, and the knob gags of Viz Comics. Very crude, very funny.
The godfather of Japanese noise, Merzbow, is back in the UK for London shows in June. At his 2008 London show, I was left deaf for a week. This time, I’m taking earplugs.
Speaking of Japan… post-Blair Witch, most found-footage horror has been garbage. 2005’s ‘Noroi: The Curse’ is a notable, creepy exception. Find it on the world’s greatest streamer, Night Flight Plus.
An underground supergroup of artists across the North East of England, Nightingale Floor will shortly release ‘Five Stagings’, a collection of ambient jazz collages and spoken-word poetry. Listen in the darkest room possible.
The world’s first brick-and-mortar gallery dedicated to the female reproductive system, Bethnal Green’s The Vagina Museum, is a beacon of hope that deserves your financial support.
“Some old tunes” by Boards of Canada just turned up on Reddit. Fake or legit? You decide…
I paid tribute to the anniversary of David Lynch’s death by watching Eraserhead in IMAX. Here’s how I paid tribute the day he died.
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