I did a calculation the other day, and alarmingly it's been around 20 years since I last saw The Embrooks play at The Narrow Boat in Nottingham. I chatted with guitarist / vocalist Alessandro and asked, apart from other things, what's up with those flares? 

After our first reunion show on Dec 31st 2015 as part of Hipsville NYE party in London (Camden), we have been committed to a few shows in the UK (Norwich, London, Bristol, etc.) in the summer and the Gambeat Festival in Barcelona in September this year. We recorded a new original track backed by a brand new version of our classic 'Helen' for a 45 release on State Records. We are looking forward to do as much as possible in the near future. There are already offers to do more shows in 2017.

Debbie: How did you guys meet and evolve?

We met in the summer of 1995, when Mole’s group at the time, The Mystreated, played with the group Alessandro was playing then, Head & the Hares, at the Italian beat festival in Castel San Giovanni (Piacenza). In September of the same year, Alessandro moved to London to study and stayed in touch. Mole and Lois first created The Lyds (Lois on drums, Merv on guitar and Mole on bass and vocals), they released one single as Lyds then Merv left and Alessandro was invited to join. The group really began to exist at the end of 1996 and lasted until the summer of 2005 (our last show was in Liverpool as part of The International Pop Overthrow Festival). We have reformed since September 2015 with the same lineup (Mole, Lois and Alessandro).

Debbie: Walk us through your main influences...

We are influenced by the aggressive '60s pop (Easybeats, The Who, The Small Faces, Move, The Yardbirds), '60s freakbeat/psych bands (Eyes, Creation, Game, Smoke, Open Mind, The Koobas, anything on the Rubble compilation series), the rock of the late '60s early '70s (Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath), classic pop (The Beatles, Zombies, Left Banke), the US garage rock (Love, 13th Floor Elevators) but also lots of European and Australian beat. Many different things as you can see!

Debbie: The Embrooks are playing on Saturday evening of the Franklin Fest weekend, what can we expect to see? 

Our shows are known to be loud and highly energetic. Freakbeat is no longer in ‘fashion’ these days and there are not many bands that sound like us around. In addition, we believe that our music has potential to be appealing outside the usual niche of '60s aficionados.

Debbie: What you are looking forward to the most about playing at the Franklin Fest?

One of us (Mole) played the Festival last year so we know that it will certainly be a lot of fun. We expect to re-unite with some of our historical fans who live up North and Scotland but also to conquer ‘new generations’ of freakbeat-ers and rockers who have not heard or seen us live before!

Debbie: Last question, where did you get those flares? 

Ha ha…..I stole those from my ex-wife!

More info (and less personal questions) about the band can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/theembrooks/

The Embrooks will be playing on Saturday 25th June at The Franklin Fest from 7pm with the likes of Oh! Gunquit, Thee Jezebels, The Mindreaders and The Sine Waves! Tickets can be purchased here... tickets-scotland.com

In the run up to this years Franklin Fest in Edinburgh, our very own Girl in the Garage @ Muso's Guide will be profiling some of the acts taking part, as well as chatting to the organisers and DJ's (or at least the one's who replied to my questions!).   

First up are Brazilian and Danish garage rock duo - The Courettes, who will be playing on Friday 24th June (that's a week on Friday already!) before hot-footing it down to the Big Smoke to play at the Weirdsville club night with Les Darlings on Saturday 25th. 

Daringly describing themselves as 'A blast of Jungle wildness & Scandinavian rock 'n' roll! and ‘Riot grrrl in the garage’. Let me introduce to you Flavia Couri on atomic fuzz guitar and screaming raw vocals, and ‘Beat! Beat! Beat! man’ Martin Couri on loud as hell drums. They are one of the busiest bands on the scene. Juggling gigs and family life, is just a walk in the park... 

Debbie: What are you guys up to at the moment in terms of gigs/releases?

The Courettes will bring the brand new single 'Boom! Dynamite!' + B-side killer 'T-C-H-A-U' recorded at Toe Rag Studios and produced by Liam Watson. And for those who still don't have we're also bringing our debut album Here are The Courettes, released in 2015. Still unreleased split 7' 'Hoodoo Ho' by The Courettes + 'Big Butt Bonnie' by Powersolo is also in our suitcase.

We played this year at The Cosmic Trip Festival in France, the Garageville in Germany, the SPOT Festival in Denmark - from where we got a great review by Rolling Stone's David Fricke  - and we are gonna be at Gutter Island Festival in Denmark and the great Franklin Fest in Scotland. We have one more show in the UK the 25th in London at Weirdsville.

Debbie: For those not in the know, would you like to tell our readers a bit about yourselves? 

The Courettes' history is full of interesting facts! It all began 10.000 km apart. Flavia (from Brazil) met Martin (from Denmark) on a tour in Brazil in 2013 with our former bands and fell in love. Now together in life and music, we are The Courettes! In February this year, two became three with the arrival of our baby boy Lennon (Debbie: sweeet!! congratulations!!). The very day after his birth, we played a show! We went straight from the hospital to the soundcheck. We're always up to some full-speed garage madness!

Debbie: Love it. Why should we come and see you play at the Franklin Fest (if the above is not reason enough!)?

You should come and see us play at the Franklin Fest if you're up to some wild fuzz guitars, go-go rhythms and riot grrrrl from Ipanema screaming! And I bet you never saw a half Danish half Brazilian band before, huh?

Debbie: You've sold me. What you are looking forward to the most about playing at the Franklin Fest?

We are really looking forward to play in Scotland for the first time! And also to play with so many cool bands, it's really a great line up!

We can't disagree with that. Thank you so much to Flavia and Martin for taking the time out to chat to Muso's Guide.

Links for tickets to the Franklin Fest can be purchased here:

http://www.franklinfest.co.uk/franklinfest2015/ticket-sales/

https://www.facebook.com/courettes

https://soundcloud.com/thecourettes