Beat Motel Zine started as an award-winning print zine sometime around 2004, and this podcast continues that trajectory with attitude, enthusiasm and curiosity. Tune in, turn up & kick back!
We dig into the alternative music we live for. Join us for deep dives, on-the-spot live reviews and laughs. This is not about the world of pop, this is an alt music podcast with a punk rock zine attitude. Beat Motel is about the fringes of the musical world, and we’re going to pull at those threads until it unravels.
Hosts – Dr Sam Page and Andrew Culture
Email us at beatmotel@lawsie.com
(If you send us a voice message, we might include it in an episode)
Beat Motel Podcast Episode List
Late bloomers – Musicians with late-era excellence
S01 E51 https://youtu.be/KIMNWi9LIfk What does it mean to be consistent, as an artist? Careers in rock’n’pop now last decades – 2023, alone, has witnessed new albums by the Rolling Stones and a new single by the Beatles who began playing with themselves back in the ‘60s. Meanwhile, while rap-rock is so old that Rage Against…
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Covers beat originals
S01 E50 https://youtu.be/u1qL9ZbXTsg What maketh a cover? Is it the woman in his arms, just because she has big … No, that’s an obscure South Park reference. Not for this day and age. This time, the smirking infantile smurfing inflatable men-children Andrew and Sam are discussing the art of covering other people’s music (by musicians…
ATP – we love you, and we hate you
S01 E49 https://youtu.be/yIPQ4XGeIUo All Tomorrow’s Parties (ATP) was a UK-based festival and concert organiser and promoter from 1999 to 2016. It places musicians first, frequently letting the headlining act choose the festival’s lineup. ATP felt like it was run by music fans who were never quite organised enough to get it together: it was a…
BATUSHKA + Kanonenfieber @ The Dome, London – Live Review
S01 E48 Gonzo review of BATUSHKA + Kanonenfieber live at The Dome in Tuffnell Park in London. Cheers to Roki and Stuart Bowditch (and Stuart’s mate talking about the moshpit) for getting involved in this episode.
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Middle 8s – take it up the bridge
S01 E47 https://youtu.be/fF_kEdsuQl8 Take it to the George Orwell bridge! Take it to the Friendship bridge! This time ’round the musical merry-go-round, we discuss James Brown’s favourite bit of any song: the Middle 8. This is a common part of many pop songs, which isn’t either the verse or the chorus. So, join us and…
Fascinating Aida @ Ipswich Regent – live review
S01 E46 Gonzo review of Fascinating Aida live at Ipswich Regent on Saturday, 11th November 2023. Thanks to everyone who got involved with the recording.
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Wolfheart + Before the Dawn @ The Dome, London – live review
S01 E45 Gonzo-style review of Wolfheart and Before the Dawn causing structural damage to the foundations of The Dome in Tufnell Park, London. Cheers to Roki for getting involved with this episode. Superfluous additional shownotes Discover a heady mix of rebellious banter and raw heavy metal with the Beat Motel Zine podcast. This isn’t a…
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Live albums – what’s the point?
S01 E44 https://youtu.be/eaJ7ugN7DU4 What’s the point? Contract fillers that contribute little if anything to the repertoire of the band? This week, Andrew and Sam explore the world and purpose of live albums, and finish the episode without conclusion (although their thoughts are pretty obvious) to go on and indulge their ego at having some real…
Drummers- can we get some action from the back section?
S01 E43 https://youtu.be/56z_pE9DuIM Beat Motel is a podcast hosted by two bassists, so it was inevitable that we would celebrate our comrades in the rhythm section at some point. So join Dr Sam and Andrew Culture as we dive into the back section and raise an aural glass to drummers who beat their own path.…
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Marv Gadgie – Ferocious thrashing punk rock, zines and childhood larks
S01 E42 https://youtu.be/LmeIxYusuP0 Considering the fact that Beat Motel is a zine podcast, we don’t talk about zines enough. This episode fixes that with aplomb; not only do we spend most of the episode talking about zines, our guest publishes one of the finest zines to come out of a town that people think is…
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Field recordings and the glorious noise scene with Stuart Bowditch
S01 E41 Photo pilfered (with permission) from the Bowditch Instagram feed https://open.spotify.com/episode/3z3S7NQpRRmo4pG4mfD315?si=ARQEQsEXTHK6X2nKKusLrQ What is it that makes the experimental electronics scene so welcoming? How does a death metal drummer get into creating field recordings that make emotional connections to locations around the world? In this episode of the Beat Motel Podcast, Andrew is joined by…
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Henge + Dogshow @ St Stephens, Ipswich – live review
S01 E40 Gonzo-style review of space-travelling sonic wanderers Henge, live at St Stephens Church in Ipswich. Support from Dogshow, who, once seen, are unlikely to be forgotten. Hear the sounds of the gig, listen to people at the gig talking about the bands, get aural experience of the venue toilets and much more!
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Questions from an AI hipster (bonus episode)
S01 E39 https://youtu.be/Bxt2VdgZyuA What happens when an AI-generated Hipster emails a podcast? Find out here! For the last six months, we have been inviting listeners to contact us with questions. We want you, the listener, to email us about specific episodes, or just to contact us about anything at all. But we’ve not had much…
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Bass (How Low Can You Go, Morally)
S01 E38 https://youtu.be/qWPWMHf73BA Can you read? Do you like music? Well, then, this episode is for you, as Andrew and Sam show off that their basic education still goes to good use in the form of showing off that they can read books. Looks like we’ve got some readers here, as Bill Hicks said. What…
Gadgie #50 & Network of friends #5 (zine reviews)
S01 E37 That’s not Pickle, it’s Margot, the Beat Motel cat What was meant to be a simple review of a couple of zines ended up being a bit of a love letter to punk zines as a whole. We started the Beat Motel zine podcast as an idea to carry on the vibe of…
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Band Books
S01 E36 https://youtu.be/tjqAboBbd4M?si=QIK_R64NLL25LCSx Can you read? Do you like music? Well, then, this episode is for you, as Andrew and Sam show off that their basic education still goes to good use in the form of showing off that they can read books. Looks like we’ve got some readers here, as Bill Hicks said. What…
Hot Tramp, Ecto Peach, J.S. & The Lockerbillies, The Interesting Times Gang, Impilo (live review)
S01 E35 This is a gonzo-style immersive live review of a very special sold-out gig at St Stephens Church in Ipswich. Including conversations with 60% of Interesting Times Gang, 66% of Hot Tramp, 33% of JS & The Lockerbillies and 75% of Ecto Peach. Show links: Interesting Times Gang Hot Tramp Impilo Ecto Peach J.S.…
Secret Album Tracks
S01 E34 https://youtu.be/ahNl8TcqTFs?si=5_CaBt3-be2-G9y6 Do you remember secret tracks on the CD versions of albums? If so, you might be as old as we are. Which means you’re COOL! In this episode of the Beat Motel podcast, Andrew and Dr Sam share their favourite and most interesting secret album tracks. Some are good, some are interesting,…
Max Cooper + Alex Banks @ Norwich Arts Centre 01/10/23 (live review)
S01 E33 Live review of the Max Cooper 3D/AV gig at Norwich Arts Centre, supported by Alex Banks. Review ably assisted by James Howard. Find out more about James’s music at Bandcamp Max Cooper Alex Banks Norwich Arts Centre
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The Grey & Vandampire, The Smokehouse, Ipswich (live review)
S01 E32 Gonzo-style review of two heartbreakingly heavy bands sonically demolishing the brilliant Smokehouse independent venue in Ipswich. With our live reviews, we include field recordings and conversations with our fellow patrons to try and immerse you in the experience. Get the sounds and smells of an independent gig in your ears! Vandampire Listen on…
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Country Music, but not awful Country Music
S01 E31 https://youtu.be/vWvEIcKhJxA?si=2_jHuytYThGF2hSg Image created with DALL-E prompt – Country music singer swimming in custard and farting like a troubled duck What is your problem with Country Music? Seriously? In this episode of the Beat Motel Zine Podcast we dig into why lovers of genres like punk, electronica and metal seem so prejudiced against Country…
More solo than song!
S01 E30 This episode image was created by Dall-E using the prompt ‘never ending guitar solo laughing fish on a pie’ Some songs appear only to exist to allow the band’s guitarist to properly show off. But is this a good thing or a bad thing? What happens when the bit of the song with…
Workout Tracks
S01 E29 The AI prompt for the episode artwork was ‘Man with huge beard working out at the gym while holding pizzas’ What music do you like to get sweaty to? Are there certain bands or genres that get you fired up and ready to thrash yourself daft at the gym, or while you’re out…
ExBuryMental 11 @ The Rehearsal Rooms, Bury St Edmunds 09/09/23 (live review)
S01 E28 ExBuryMental is the name for a long-running series of gigs put on by Jay Volunteer in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk (UK). If these gigs had to be pigeonholed in some way, I would say they are probably noise gigs, but in reality, anybody who wants to make any kind of sound is…
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The SKA-Punk episode
S01 E27 The image for this episode was generated by Dall-E with the prompt ‘ska punk playing a trumpet on fire with cheease’ (yes, we misspelt ‘cheese’). It’s summer, so we’re doing a Ska Punk episode! Join Dr Sam and Andrew Culture as we wander down a slightly off-beat memory lane of peppy music! This…
Revisiting The Fall with Mark Beaumont-Thomas
S01 E25 The Fall shouldn’t really need an introduction. But are you sure they are the band you think they are? For this episode of The Beat Motel Podcast I’m joined by writer Mark Beaumont-Thomas and we discuss the story of Mark E Smith, The Fall and most importantly, the music. The passing of Mark…
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Swans @ Norwich Waterfront 23/08/23 (live review)
S01 E24 Review of Swans playing live at Norwich Waterfront on Wednesday, 23rd August 2023. Thanks to Jay, Boo and Roki for getting involved.
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Meshuggah + Halo Effect @ Kulttuuritalo, Helsinki, Finland (live review)
S01 E23 The featured image for this episode was generated by Dall-E with the prompt ‘Meshuggah in Finland with drums made of ice’. We’re sticking with our current theme of Finland for one more episode (for now). Join Dr Sam as he shares his thoughts on seeing Meshuggah in a municipal building designed for the…
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Hellsinki Metal Festival 2023 – a gonzo review
S01 E22 Join Dr Sam and Andrew as they visit the very first Hellskinki Metal Festival (yes, note the two insertions of the letter ‘L’). Find out what an extreme metal festival in the heart of one of the most metal countries in the world is like, first hand. As with all our live reviews,…
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And none of them knew they were parodies
S01 E21 Are parody bands a pointless waste of our ears, or are they essential to a vibrant musical tapestry? In this episode of the Beat Motel podcast Dr Sam and Andrew chose eight of their favourite parody bands and then argue about whether they are actually parodies or not. This episode was a LOT…
Bunjies of Soho, folk, skiffle and fire hazards with Nick Blatchley
S01 E20 Throughout history, venues have helped define and nurture scenes. Sometimes music venues become central to the scenes they support. For example, The Hacienda in Manchester become synonymous with the Madchester scene in the early 90s. From the 1960s to the late 1990’s, a tiny venue in Soho (London) became the heart of a…
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Nujumi + John Bowers + Strandings + Mawhrin Skel live at Ipswich Smokehouse
S01 E19 Friendship is a large part of the music experience. We meet friends at gigs, we’re in bands with friends, and sometimes, when the stars align we get to put on gigs featuring friends. Then there are the magical occasions whereby we are able to promote a gig for a friend who has lived…
Get more details Nujumi + John Bowers + Strandings + Mawhrin Skel live at Ipswich Smokehouse
Supermerger in Rotterdam (interview)
S01 E18 Someone we know* once described an electronic music performance as being like watching someone standing behind a desk doing emails. This is something that even the most ardent electronica fan can admit is often true. Sure, the huge acts can afford impressive light shows and enough lasers to upset commercial air traffic, but…
A short history of the Amen break
S01 E17 Do you know what the Amen break is? No? Then listen to this episode of the Beat Motel Zine Podcast. If you already know what the Amen break is then you should still listen to this episode of the podcast! One of the greatest and bestest things about music is that you can…
Wu-Tang: An American Saga – review
S01 E16 Wu-Tang: An American Saga is a series shown on Disney+ (here in the UK) and is a dramatisation of the early days of the Wu-Tang clan. In this episode of the Beat Motel Podcast Andrew walks us through the first two seasons of this hip-hop historical dramatisation. How close is Wu-Tang: An American…
Ipswich Music Day 2023 Report
S01 E15 Ipswich Music Day happens the same weekend ever year in, yup, you guessed it – Ipswich! This is the largest free one day music festival in the UK. In this episode of the Beat Motel Podcast Andrew takes us on a journey through Ipswich Music Day (known locally as ‘music in the park’…
Trv, kvlt black metal lo-fi-isms – academic notes
S01 E14 This week, Sam is broadcasating from darkened cathedral. Join him as he bumbles through a lo-fi essay on thoughts and his research on trv, kvlt black metal lo-fi-isms. Is the crapness of his recording and production due to budget and laziness, or is he being kvlt? Plus, a load of samples from the…
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Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii
S01 E13 Pink Floyd Live At Pompeii is a film that is packed with oddities, experiments, frustrations and a whole lot of sand. Live at Pompeii is required viewing for ‘heads’, but does this 52 year old film still have any relevance? How does it hold up against other legendary rock films? In this episode…
Bands who don’t translate from stage to record
S01 E12 Have you ever been to see a band that you had never heard before and been blown away, only to be confused when you got home and heard them on record? Maybe you were wandering from stage to stage at a festival, and an act stopped you in your tracks, but when you…
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Brighten the Corners Festival, day 2 review
S01 E11 Our review of day two of the Brighten the Corners festival in Ipswich, Suffolk.Go to the day 1 review Thanks to Callis, Emma and Luke Smith for their help with this episode. Find out more about the Brighten the Corners festival Bands mentioned in this podcast episode Anthony Smerick Moorish Idols Deathcrash Triptides…
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Brighten the Corners Festival, day 1 review
S01 E10 Brighten the Corners is a huge multi-venue festival in Ipswich, Suffolk, UK. Previously called ‘Sound City Ipswich’ the festival has a brilliant reputation for booking acts that almost immediately afterwards become huge. It’s a bit like the East Anglian version of The Great Escape festival in Brighton. This year the team behind the…
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Asunojokei + Lebrique + The Grey | Colchester Arts Centre | Review
S01 E09 The opportunities to witness Japanese black gaze bands playing live in the UK aren’t frequent. So when Asunojokei announced they would be ending their first European tour just down the road from us at Colchester Arts Centre tickets were bought as fast as our meaty fingers could hammer in card details on the…
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Never mind the melody, here’s the lightshow
S01 E08 What makes a good live performance? Forget about the songs and musicianship and think about the other stuff. For this episode of the Beat Motel podcast, we were going to talk about the best light shows we have ever seen, but we realised that a good gig is about more than how many…
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The Ballad of Blur
S01 E07 Blur have announced that they will soon be releasing a new album, so this seemed like the perfect time to look back over their long career and pick out some songs that highly the weirdness and glory of Colchester’s finest band with a four-letter name. We encourage you to listen to this episode…
Rival Consoles + Hainbach live at The Barbican | Review
S01 E06 Live gig review, 27th May 2023, London Barbican We’ve been fans of Rival Consoles for many years, so a Rival Consoles show at The Barbican in London was a no-brainer for us, and the fact that Hainbach was the support made this a gig we had to go to. We recorded this live…
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Why do good bands make bad recordings?
S01 E05 Why do bands mess up excellent songs with the wrong production choices? Why would any band choose to make their recordings sound deliberately terrible? Dr Sam Page and Andrew Culture answer these questions and many more in this episode of the Beat Motel podcast. If you expect objective facts and reasonable arguments, you…
Gateway Bands
S01 E04 What bands led you to discover an entirely new music genre, or scene, instrument or whatever? In this episode of the Beat Motel podcast Dr Sam Page and Andrew Culture lead us gently on a wobbly journey of discovery through their own gateway bands. But this is Beat Motel, so we set the…
Falling out of love with Rancid and musicians releasing too much music
S01 E03 Do musicians these days make too much music? If so, then why, and should they stop? In this episode of the Beat Motel, Sam springs an essay on us, and we discuss bands we used to love but have since stopped listening to. Also covered in this podcast episode: Bands who end up…
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Cuckoo Farm Studios Experimental Music All-Dayer
S01 E02 Robin Alderton and Jay Mills What do you get if you take a bunch of experimental noise musicians and put them in a barn in the Essex countryside with a loud PA? This. This is what you get. For this episode of the Beat Motel podcast, we take you on an occasionally aurally…
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Beat Motel Episode 1 – Knowing you, knowing us
S01 E01 Hey hey! It’s the first episode of the Beat Motel podcast. It’s your chance to meet your hosts Sam Page and Andrew Culture. We talk about our backgrounds in music journalism and our lives as musicians. Also covered in this episode: A love letter to Against Me Getting into bands after interviewing them…
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