{"title":"Zen FC","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"dark-days-peanuts","title":"Dark Days \/ Peanuts","description":"\u003cp\u003eRough Trade Shops tip and big prospect for 2021. Leeds outfit Yard Act release their second 7” “Dark Days \/ Peanuts” via their own label, Zen F.C. The first 7\" sold out instantly and easy to see why. Dark Days is another absolute gem with a locked in groove and scratching and itching guitar work. It has the feel of a classic 1979 post punk single that is part The Fall, part Sleaford Mods and part Andy Gill of Gang of Four's guitar work. The flip Peanuts is more laid back but just as essential and adds a twist of Half Man Half Biscuit. Bring on the album.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Zen FC","offers":[{"title":"Gold | 7\"","offer_id":50447377629515,"sku":"1111548","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/d91d68e8-9407-409f-94da-4bc08f988f9c_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727076765"},{"product_id":"flag-empire","title":"Flag \/ Empire","description":"\u003cp\u003eBenefits are an issues-based music collective from Teesside in the North East of England. They write songs about the urgencies that concern them, and they play them loud. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eForming in 2019 and consisting of Kingsley Hall on vocals, Robbie Major and Hugh Major on synths and noise, and Jonny Snowball on drums they quickly evolved from a standard shouty punk rock outfit into a minimalist, overtly political band that merges noise, hip hop and industrial rock, creating an effect that feels urgent, darkly hilarious and unsettling all at once. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThus far Benefits have been completely DIY, yet via a succession of digital singles and accompanying videos through 2021 they built a following that enabled them to complete a sold-out headline UK tour in March 2022. They also gained fans in high places including Sleaford Mods, Black Francis, Garbage and Elijah Wood and Steve \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlbini. James and Ryan of Yard Act were also instant admirers and that’s where their label Zen F.C. Ltd comes in. Using their ill gotten major label gains Zen F.C press Benefit’s single Flag (backed with Empire ) on vinyl, Benefit’s first non-digital offering, for release on 3 June in time for the Jubilee jamboree. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn working with Yard Act, Kingsley comments: “I think Benefits come at some of the same subject matter that they talk about but from a slightly different angle, (and by \"slightly different\" I really mean \"more frequent swearing\", though we've never said the C word in a song unlike...ahem.). We appreciate every bit of help we've had off them, we just wish we could somehow repay that kindness, (not monetarily mind, we're totally skint).” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYard Act’s James Smith says of the release: “Lots of bands are saying all this stuff so what makes Benefits so special? Why do I need to be told what I already know over and over again by a shouty man from Teesside? Well, because no one else is saying it with such physicality they sound like their voice box is about to leap from their throat and eat your eyeballs. With that little bit of influence we've garnered and the small fortune of money we now have kicking about, I'm so glad we can play a part in spreading the word on Benefits, because I think they're well on their way to a classic debut album, and I’m going to fucking love being able to brag about how important I was in making it all happen” \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Zen FC","offers":[{"title":"Black | 7\".","offer_id":50466034516299,"sku":"1152103","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Black | 7\"","offer_id":50466034647371,"sku":"1152104","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/4b7c4d54-b69c-4109-893f-6b93b386447a_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727301847"},{"product_id":"my-voice-eggshells","title":"My Voice \/ Eggshells","description":"\u003cp\u003eNuha Ruby Ra releases her double A-side 7” “My Voice \/ Eggshells” via Zen F.C., the label run by Yard Act members James Smith and Ryan Needham. Having bonded during her special guest slot on Yard Act’s May UK tour, Zen FC couldn’t resist asking Nuha to be the next artist in their series of 7”s, following on from Baba Ali and Benefits, not to mention Yard Act’s own early releases. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNuha says of the release: “Putting out My Voice on 7” with Eggshells on the flip side is a special little world at night in my head. They’re both purgatory in different ways. it’s a special song for me I wasn’t ready to part with. Until James asked me to be further a part of the Yard Act family and release something on Zen FC! I was in the middle of more crazy touring after I left them and decided giving them Eggshells right now is like giving your new best friend your new favourite toy, to show them you really love them. I sort of forgot other people will hear it. Also the toy is a bit weird. My love for Yard Act, as artists and humans is deep! They’ve grown to mean so much to me over the big tour we did together. I’ve found a real kindred spirit in all of them. Not least to say It’s a real honour to be alongside the brilliant artists on Zen FC, Baba Ali, Benefits, Acid Klaus, Elton John.. I think they’re all very good.” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYard Act’s James Smith says of the release: “I first witnessed the immense powers of Nuha Ruby Ra on the 31st July 2021, when we shared a new band bill together in the basement of YES Manchester. Covid restrictions had been lifted a week prior and the general etiquette of how to exist in crowded rooms was still being navigated. I watched Nuha's set from the back with a mask on, but the days of rubbing post-show shoulders in the green room were yet to return and so I became a fan, but not yet a friend. Her debut mini album came through the post not long after and I listened to it relentlessly. I played it to the band, and we unanimously agreed that if she was up for it we would take her on tour with us. She was up for it. Cosmic. Every member of Yard Act and our touring crew made a friend for life in Nuha when we toured together earlier this year. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe least we could do is help a friend and gain cool points by releasing such a banging record on our label. Long live Nuha Ruby Ra, the artist and the human.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Zen FC","offers":[{"title":"Black | 7\".","offer_id":50466798698827,"sku":"1168799","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Black | 7\"","offer_id":50466798502219,"sku":"1168797","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/06b73b61-51b4-4a9f-9cf0-5566f4d79606_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727322329"},{"product_id":"dark-days-ep","title":"Dark Days EP","description":"\u003cp\u003eHaving sold out their first two 7”s in double quick time, and in response to huge demand, Yard Act have compiled their first four tracks on an EP. Overflowing with satirical one-liners, A side of debut single\u003ci\u003e Fixer Upper\u003c\/i\u003e follows a cocksure fictional character, ‘Graeme’, planning some home renovations. Drafting in Ross Orton (who’s credits include Arctic Monkeys, Working Men's Club’s, MIA, Amyl and the Sniffers) on mixing duties, it is equal parts fearsome and funny and never less than breath-taking. On the flip side, \u003ci\u003eThe Trapper’s Pelts\u003c\/i\u003e is a satirical take on neoliberalism. Produced by Bill Ryder Jones (The Coral) prior to lockdown the recording process of the track “felt like a Happy Mondays thing, keeping the drums tight and high up in the mix like a dance mix.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eSingle two Dark Days\u003c\/i\u003e is another absolute gem with a locked in groove and scratching and itching guitar work. It has the feel of a classic 1979 post punk single that is part The Fall, part Sleaford Mods and part Andy Gill of Gang of Four's guitar work. The flip \u003ci\u003ePeanuts\u003c\/i\u003e is more laid back but just as essential and adds a twist of Half Man Half Biscuit. Bring on the album.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Zen FC","offers":[{"title":"Silver | Tape","offer_id":50467372695883,"sku":"1155112","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Silver 12\"","offer_id":50467367682379,"sku":"1155111","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Red | 12\"","offer_id":50467375153483,"sku":"1132147","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Red 12\"","offer_id":50467374137675,"sku":"1113666","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50467370205515,"sku":"1120711","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/2d708e19-8e70-460c-89fb-e9eb7d3edcfb_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727337530"},{"product_id":"step-on-my-travelator-the-imagined-career-trajectory-of-superstar-dj-and-dance-pop-producer-melvin-harris","title":"Step on My Travelator: The Imagined Career Trajectory of Superstar DJ and Dance Pop Producer, Melvin Harris","description":"\u003cp\u003eAcid Klaus, the new collaborative solo project from songwriter - producer and Northern England cult legend, Adrian Flanagan (The Moonlandingz, International Teachers of Pop, Eccentronic Research Council and lots more) releases his debut concept album co-produced with his music partner in the ERC, Dean Honer titled \u003ci\u003eStep On My Travelator: The Imagined Career Trajectory of Superstar DJ and Dance-Pop Producer, Melvin Harris\u003c\/i\u003e released on Yard Act's ZEN F.C. label.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe album features contributions from Adrian’s long-time collaborators and friends including actress, Maxine Peake, US musician and video director, Charlotte Kemp Muhl (Ghost of a Sabertooth Tiger), Maria Uzor from Sink Ya Teeth and the Bradford-born pop-noir singer (currently singing in The Specials), Hannah Hu who is joined on lap steel guitar on a track by Richard Hawley. The album is completed by a whole host of fresh and exciting artists (as well as the aforementioned Lieselot Elzinga) – there's the enigmatic Queen Bee of the Calder Valley, solo artist, Bianca Eddleston who goes under the name Soft Focus and finally from South Wales (and the current talk of the South London scene), the incredible welsh language singer-songwriter, Cat Rin.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFlanagan proclaims about the album: “I hereby herald in a masterclass of conceptual brilliance and sonic floor-shaking heroism. A record that is both mocking and hugging in its stance – a solid and weighty brick in the face to the horrid and cod sincere, brat histrionics of the easy-on-the-eye careerist indie minstrel. Where I, an invisible bruised and battered craftsman of high (and low) art for nigh on two decades is finally (and begrudgingly) held aloft like a prize-winning Champion Cock at a village fete whilst a demonically futurist\/modernist B-Boy B-Girl group bring the gathered throng, deep, penetrative, body music!”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor fans of Boy Harsher, Marie Davidson and Perel.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Zen FC","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50479335342411,"sku":"1159414","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Blue | LP","offer_id":50479335047499,"sku":"1159419","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Red | LP","offer_id":50479336948043,"sku":"1159415","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50479337242955,"sku":"1159413","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/584cf805-cab8-4bf2-bd47-b97c56dd8504_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727507358"},{"product_id":"living-it-up-black-and-blue","title":"Living It Up \/ Black and Blue","description":"\u003cp\u003eDanger Mouse protégé Baba Ali releases his double A-side 7” “Living It Up \/ Black and Blue” via Zen F.C., the label run by Yard Act members James Smith and Ryan Needham. It’s the first new music since Baba Ali’s much heralded Memphis Industries debut LP, 2021’s \u003ci\u003eMemory Device\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn the new single, Baba shares: “We first started work on ‘Living It Up’ and ‘Black and Blue’ during 2020, which was, in spite of all the challenges, a very fruitful creative period for us. At the end of the summer 2020, we decided to set these songs aside to work on the album, \u003ci\u003eMemory Device\u003c\/i\u003e with Al Doyle. After touring the new record in the fall, we returned to the abandoned songs and immediately realised that they felt even more relevant to how our live performances on stage have become. The songs also feel like a bridge between what we've released so far and the direction we are heading in. We're doubly excited that we've been able to share this release through Yard Act’s label Zen F.C.” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYard Act’s James Smith says of the release: “We loved Baba Ali's music from the moment we heard it. They're joining us for our debut album tour in February. When Baba sent through some new tunes he and his bandmate Nik were working on we saw an opportunity to reboot Zen F.C., and to preserve on wax and share some great music with the world. It was a no-brainer for us. We are honoured, we are buzzed to have Baba Ali as the first ever non-YA release on Zen F.C. - follow the label, there will be much more to come in the future.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Zen FC","offers":[{"title":"Black | 7\".","offer_id":50482459410763,"sku":"1141845","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Black | 7\"","offer_id":50482460393803,"sku":"1141516","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/530f81f5-6a59-4bf2-a7d6-a1a46822f2cb_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727552402"},{"product_id":"torture-cube-dead-dog-in-a-ditch","title":"Torture Cube \/ Dead Dog In A Ditch","description":"\u003cp\u003eLeeds band Thank return with a double A - side 7” “ Torture Cube \/ Dead Dog In A Ditch ”, out via Yard Act’s Zen F.C label. “Torture Cube \/ Dead Dog In A Ditch” is a slab of guitar fury filtered through Nine Inch Nails’ industrial metal and Full of Hell’s blunt - force hardcore plus a healthy dose of humour fed by one too many nights soundtracked by donk pranksters Lobsta B and DJ Finger.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThank formed in 2016 out of Leeds’ notorious DIY collective, Chunk. Over the next half - decade they gained acclaim for the EPs ‘Sexghost Hellscape’ and ‘Please’, toured in mainland Europe, and caught the attention of heavy hitters like Idles with their combination of anxious disco grooves and harsh noise freakouts. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThank become the latest in a string of artists to release via Yard Act’s Zen F.C. label, following on from the likes of Nuha Ruby Ra, Baba Ali, Benefits and Yard Act themselves all of who’s 7” broke into the UK vinyl singles charts and Sheffield’s one man rave collective Acid Klaus who’s Step On My Travelator LP.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Zen FC","offers":[{"title":"Black 7\" | Rough Trade Exclusive","offer_id":50482730008907,"sku":"2027428","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"7\"","offer_id":50482730893643,"sku":"2028189","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/iHvvekTQ_56a456a5_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727555383"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/collections\/zen-fc.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}