From https://www.upsettherhythm.co.uk/

"Huge day today! Normil Hawaiians’ first new album in 40 years will be coming out on Upset The Rhythm on May 3rd. Titled ‘Empires into Sand’, the record is an incredible patchwork cloak of ideas drawing on ambient drone, motorik impulse, folk idiom and a certain cosmic uncanny.

"A Windswept album recorded in a windswept Scottish coastal retreat, ‘Empires into Sand’ swims with short wave radio interference and overheard satellite transmissions. These are winding rivers of song, peopled with the displaced, determined, downhearted yet hopeful. Swirling atmospheres, field recordings, tape-looped drums, rapid synth flights and soaring vocals all abound in this echo from the now.

"‘Empires into Sand’ will be released on gatefold LP, CD and digitally on May 3rd, it is available to pre-order now from our shop now.

"Lead single ‘Exiles’ is released today, exploring the continuous movement of human beings, check out the video for more sublime signs from the firmament."

The first second of each of the 62 minutes... but not necessarily in the right order

‘More Wealth Than Money’ has been re-pressed on white vinyl and is back in stock at Upset The Rhythm - get it now before it goes out of stock again!

You can still get the download version from Bandcamp...

To Mark, our dear friend and brother who has just left us and returned home to the stars… We miss you!

'Dark World' - a collection of Hawaiians material from their early years of 1979-1981. A mixture of previously released singles, a John Peel session, and previously unreleased demos and outtakes.

You can order the CD/LP, and see more details @ Upset The Rhythm.

In case you missed the live broadcast of our DubLab mix, or you would like to listen again - here’s a link to the show...

https://dublab.de/broadcasts/sounds-unsaid-normil-hawaiians-june-2021/

The latest Hawaiians’ single – ‘In The Stone’ – was released on 11th September 2020. You can order the 7" single @ Upset The Rhythm, or download from Bandcamp.

During the last couple of months of Covid-19 lockdown Guy Smith, aka Smiffy, has collaborated with local musicians to create a new version of ‘We Stand Together’.

The track, originally written and recorded by the Normil Hawaiians in 2017, is planned for release with other new Hawaiians material in the future – though no date has yet been set.

Normil Hawaiians @ Death Disco, Ωγύγου 16, Ψυρρή, 10554 Athens, Greece. https://www.facebook.com/events/366351907617069/

Upset the Rhythm presents the Normil Hawaiians, with Rattle and Erasers. Cafe Oto, 18–22 Ashwin Street London E8 3DL.

https://www.cafeoto.co.uk/events/upset-the-rhythm-presents-normil-hawaiians/

‘What’s Going On?’, originally released in 1983, is due to be re-released this month – with bonus tracks included with both the CD and LP versions.

You can order @ Upset The Rhythm, or download from Bandcamp.

Supporting Richard Dawson @ Islington Assembly Hall, London N1 2UD on 20th December.

‘More Wealth Than Money’ is now re-released on the Upset The Rhythm label, with bonus tracks on the CD, and a download card for the extras on the vinyl version.

Extras include the original 20 minute version of Travelling West, featuring ex-Hawkwind and Amon Duul 2 bass player Dave Anderson.

You can buy it now @ Upset The Rhythm, and as a download via Bandcamp.

LYRIC SHEET AVAILABLE If you didn’t get a copy of the lyric sheet included with the LP/CD you can download the PDF here.

Friday 25 August & Saturday 26th August

DOK Artist Space, The Steel Shed, Ocean Drive, Edinburgh EH6 6JJ

The Return of the Ranters, originally recorded during the winter of 1985-86, is now available on Upset the Rhythm, and as a download via Bandcamp.

1. SIANNE, DON’T WORK IN A FACTORY
2. THE HISTORY OF COAL
3. SLUMS STILL STAND
4. THE SEARCH FOR UM GRIS
5. SLEIBHTE MACALLA
6. BATTLE OF STONEHENGE
7. PITON DE LA FRONAISE
8. STEAM
9. THE MOULDWARP’S JOURNEY
10. THE

Guy Smith, Simon Marchant, Alun ‘Wilf’ Williams, Noel Blanden, Jimmy Miller

Returning to Wales and now with children in tow, the collective embark on what is probably their finest work so far.

Two sessions lasting around a month in total – much again taken from improvisations encouraged by engineer Brian Snelling. A real product of the times – Thatcher, the miners’ strike – the battle for Stonehenge (as witnessed first hand by Guy and Wilf) all contribute to a powerful and emotive recording… The album opens amidst vast clouds of atmosphere before the tape looped violin of ‘Sianne Don’t Work In A Factory’ starts to drag the song out of itself and into a sparse yet tender love song, full of hope, exalted synths and mechanised drum patterns. Acoustic guitars and walls of keyboard drone provide a fitting acre of space for the raw polemics of ‘Slums Still Stand’, whilst ‘The Search For Um Gris’ follows in full head-down, motorik mode with a miraculously hypnotic drum beat and whirling mood. “What’s the colour of your heart?” sings Guy as the song spools out and grows onwards into the distance. ‘Battle Of Stonehenge’ is a powerful and emotive recording detailing the band’s personal experience of the aforementioned Police ransack of the Peace Convoy from the same year, and as a result provides the rallying point of album. Beginning bravely as a solitary spun-out voice, the song eventually becomes awash with choruses of guitar and reverberating synth, joined finally by adornments of violin and an entrancingly agile beat. ‘Mouldwarp’s Journey’ concludes the album with 10 minutes of epic improv, drawing on field recordings, murmured vocals, slowly-phasing tonal clusters, a miasma of percussion and wordless rapture.

The recording, now titled ‘Return of The Ranters’ is not released as with Guy, Jimmy and Wilf living in squatting communities in South London, and Simon and Noel re-locating their families to rural Kent – the Family Hawaii splinters…

Guy and partner Viv take to the road in an old Bedford bus with their children Sianne and Daisy, busking, playing mainly folk music and learning to juggle and performing street shows throughout Europe and Japan… Jimmy moves to Scotland fly posting…

Simon plays in bands Jacobs Ladder and Zinta and the Zoots, Jimmy writing tunes aplenty, Guy relocating with family to Wales living the good life… Wilf also leaves London with his family…

A new Century dawns, original Hawaiians Nick Rose and Jim Lusted die and are mourned……

Side 1.

1. QUIET VILLAGE
2. MARTIN
3. LOUIS MICHEL
4. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
5. BIG LIES

Side 2.

1. GOING DOWN
2. MARKET PLACE
3. FREE TIBET

Guy – usual shite, Simon – guitar and screwdriver, Alun ‘Wilf’ Williams – bass, Noel – drums, Sue Leeves – voice of Louise Michel, Jimmy Miller – background presence.

The world is changing fast – communal living in South London, demonstrations, Stonehenge and the free festivals, more political awareness and activity, hope, despair. Alun ‘Wilf’ Williams joins on bass and along with scouser Jimmy Miller moves into communal home – close friend Martin Pawson dies sending profound ripples to/from the heart of the band. Mark Tyler disappears into the ether… the Family Hawaii becoming embroiled in the local underworld… eventually to escape and return to the rolling hills of mid-Wales – but things have changed, Whats Going On? is a more anarchic collection of ideas, albeit with some extreme and powerful moments. Guy and Dave spend a couple of weeks in the editing room cutting and pasting the final mixes to create the finished article… good friend and photographer Tony Harrison emigrates to Australia after being savagely attacked and injured at a party in London. Illuminated records self destructs and again the album only available in a handful of shops in the U.K. Most of the 1250 albums pressed exported. Two different covers neither with any writing on front… but as Upset The Rhythms Chris Tipton says “even now sounds like it was beamed in from the future, the effortless experimentalism and tape collage nature of the album flows with grace and endless imagination”

Live sets continue to become more theatrical; Jim Lusted rejoins for a short tour of Switzerland culminating in headlining the Ton Zeit Ton alternative music festival in Basle with the boys resplendent in face paint, battle fatigues and – for the beginning of the set – total darkness…

Released early 1984 on Illuminated Records Jams 38

Side 1.

1. RED HARVEST 2.47
2. BRITISH WARM 10.00
3. YELLOW RAIN 4.45

Side 2.

1. NEW STANDARD 2.84 (sic)
2. AN OLD STANDARD 5.00
3. OTHER WAYS OF KNOWING 9.57

Side 3.

1. WORDS ARE NOT ENOUGH 1.51
2. RETURN OF HOLLOW LANDS 4.10
3. HA HA THE STORY OF A SUNKEN FENCE 2.41
4. SALLY IV 8.05

Side 4.

1. LEFT ALONE WITH HER PIPE 10.15
2. TRAVELLING WEST 10.05

Noel Blanden – drums, Simon Marchant, Guy Smith, Mark Tyler – the rest. Engineer – Dave Anderson. Vocals on ‘Ha Ha’ by Liz Blanden, Klaus and photographer Tony Harrison.

A new Collective spirit means that all music is communally credited. Most tracks on sides 1-3 are re-worked improvisations whilst both tracks on side 4 are in their original improvised form. Ex-Amon Duul and Hawkwind bassist Dave Anderson plays on some tracks, Guy, Mark and Simon play the easier bits! Cello screeching provided by total-allergy syndrome sufferer and Greenfield Leisure member Simon ‘Klaus Wunderkind’ Pritchard along for the fresh air… a return to London and gigging (Janet Armstrong, in the audience, walks out of one gig shouting “Fucking Hippies”)… ‘Sounds’ magazine’s Dave Henderson gives “More Wealth…” a 5-star review… other review snippets: “a huge slab of mindblowing overblown dark progressive acid psychedelia” “Freaked out Krautrock” “absolutely mesmerising double album travelling through progressive rock, via industrial folk to freaky art-punk whilst sounding delightfully coherent” “an absolute gem of an album”…big interest in Europe but no record sales in Britain – years later we discover that Illuminated Records never paid their bills and the Independent Cartel of record distributors wont take Illuminated Records records… so available abroad only…

1. STILL OBEDIENT (Smith)
2. SHOULD YOU FORGET (Smith)

Guy – vocals and guitar, Jim – bass, Kev Armstrong – guitar and drums.

Guy and Jim pulling in different directions – band splits to leave Guy with the name and some new ideas pushing the knobs as far as they will go, Jim and Kev help out…

Most of 1981 spent recruiting new travellers. From down the road and ‘Greenfield Leisure’ came Simon Marchant and pal Cliff McLenehan on guitar and bass and from fellow South London outfit ‘A Circle Charmed’ came Noel Blanden. Improvising along with Mark Tyler who appeared out of the ether with a string synth one day, joss sticks, hash, acid and patchouli were procured to further move further away from the new romantic, mod and punk clones… it was too much for Cliff but the remaining foursome spent a couple of weeks recording demos and then were given the green light by Iluminatus fanatic Keith Bagley to record a double album at Foel Studio in mid Wales. This was perfect as Foel was built and run by ex-Amon Duul and Hawkwind bass player Dave Anderson.

1. PARTY PARTY (Lusted)
2. LEVELS OF WATER
3. OBEDIENCE (Lusted)
4. THE RETURN (Smith, Lusted)
5. SANG SANG (Bertie)

Guy, Jim, Nick and Brian. Sang Sang sung by Bertie. Produced by Guy and Jim with Kev Armstrong and Pete Leggett.

Bertie Berlin would open the Hawaiians live sets with his own peculiar style of yodelling and poetry around this time. He took the name Bertie for this recording, which was picked up by Red Rhino records of York on the condition the recordings were issued as a 12″ e.p. with the Hawaiians responsible for everything including artwork for sleeve and labels.

Released February 1981 as GALA FAILED 12″ E.P. RED RHINO RECORDS RED 8

Despite delay and dodgy production; single makes #44 in newly launched independent chart (Nov 1980).

1. THE BEAT GOES ON
2. MEMORIES (Lusted, J.Armstrong)
3. LEVELS OF WATER (Lusted)
4. UNCLE GREEN GENES

Guy, Jim and Nick joined by drummer Brian Kealy with Sue on backing vocals.

Janet leaves to go solo. Session is broadcast 3 times over next six months.

1. THE BEAT GOES ON
2. VENTILATION (Smith,J Armstrong)

Guy and Jim – vocals and guitar, Janet – vocal, Nick Rose – bass, Chris – drums, Sue Leeves and Sarah Harley – backing vocals, The Famous Delfonso – sax, Roger Smith – violin.

Ex-Clash roadie and nice man Nick Rose joins on bass, The Heartbeats Chris ‘wacker’ Westerman continues to stand in on drums. An accapella version of ‘Heaven’ from the film ‘Eraserhead’ is uncredited at the end of ventilation on side 2 – ignorance of copyright laws.

Production by Nick Godwin – hmmm next time we’ll do it ourselves.

1. THE BEAT GOES ON (Smith)
2. COINCIDENCE (Smith, J. Armstrong)
3. DARK WORLD (Lusted)
4. I WANNA (Lusted)

Guy Smith – vocals and guitar, Jim Lusted – vocals and guitar, Janet Armstrong – vocals. With Kev Armstrong – guitar, Colin Donaldson – bass, Chris Westerman – drums.

Punk is dead. Guy, Jim and Janet survive to journey into the unknown… kicked offstage at first gig at The Brecnock in Camden for being too weird the south Londoners get pals Kev, Colin and Chris to lay down backing tracks whilst they direct and play with the controls. A John Peel session and first single deal are result…