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Sleevenotes
Joe Thompson and Hey Colossus have been part of the European underground scene since 2003, touring the hard miles round the continent and releasing twelve albums.
Seventeen tracks are explored here, with squats, empty rooms and rammed festivals played along the way. DIY by instinct, sonic and ethical influences from all who have pressed their own records, from Sun Ra to Wiley via Minor Threat are detailed. With funny, self-deprecating honesty Thompson nails a sometimes thankless, but always rewarding life making music in a community of friends; ageing gratefully and very, very noisily. Multiple voices tell the story and, refreshingly, fellow travellers are fully credited and valued.
“To this day I genuinely think these moments are worth the fight.”
Want to be in a band? Read this first.
Seventeen tracks are explored here, with squats, empty rooms and rammed festivals played along the way. DIY by instinct, sonic and ethical influences from all who have pressed their own records, from Sun Ra to Wiley via Minor Threat are detailed. With funny, self-deprecating honesty Thompson nails a sometimes thankless, but always rewarding life making music in a community of friends; ageing gratefully and very, very noisily. Multiple voices tell the story and, refreshingly, fellow travellers are fully credited and valued.
“To this day I genuinely think these moments are worth the fight.”
Want to be in a band? Read this first.
- GenresMusic
261 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2019
1 person is currently reading
25 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 24, 2019
Tremendously enjoyable. This is Joe's memoir of 15 years in an obscure (but excellent) band but also a revelatory portrait of the UK underground and the dedication that goes into it. He's pretty funny too. I might be biased - I'm nutty enough to own 4 Hey Colossus CDs.
February 1, 2021
Absolutely brilliant book - honestly found it hard to put down!
August 18, 2020
I hadn't heard of Hey Colossus, but that didn't matter. Whipped through this. Positive, insightful and often funny. Nice one Joe!
June 24, 2020
Great book. A wonderfully rambling account of being in the type of small scale band I love. This is about making music for the sake of making music and getting up to do a post round. It’s about the songs of Hey Colossus and, to a lesser extent, Henry Blacker and the background to their construction.
This isn’t a polished and precise book but that actually adds to its character. It’s full of gems and is messy like life is messy. It bounces around the history of his band in an engaging way. Concentrating on themes rather than linear history. Dropping in interviews and other pieces and remsins entertaining throughout.
Oh and listen to Hey Colossus. You may not regret it.
This isn’t a polished and precise book but that actually adds to its character. It’s full of gems and is messy like life is messy. It bounces around the history of his band in an engaging way. Concentrating on themes rather than linear history. Dropping in interviews and other pieces and remsins entertaining throughout.
Oh and listen to Hey Colossus. You may not regret it.
August 18, 2025
It may be relatively unlikely that anyone would come to this book cold – the bassist Joe Thompson, his excellent band Hey Colossus, and his delightful memoir Sleevenotes are all sufficiently obscure that it would be difficult to happen upon this knowing absolutely nothing about it.
So this review may be written more for the choir than the congregation. Still: I loved this book, and anyone who thinks they may like it almost certainly will. The key question the book seeks to answer: why would someone spend so much of their life on a hobby that gave them neither money nor fame? The answer is on every page: for the sheer love of it.
Thompson is the bassist, cofounder, and one of only two permanent members of the band Hey Colossus, a heavy rock band that has released something like 14 albums in 22 years. As he explains in the opening pages, the band has done this even while all the band members have had regular jobs and families, and they've essentially made no money, as they've put every penny they've made back into the band. He gives a good amount of detail on the economics that face an independent band that self-funds its own records and tours.
Thompson has also spent several decades running one or another independent record label, and he is deeply thoughtful about exactly what it takes: waking up at 4am, driving thousands of miles across Europe, performing occasionally to huge crowds and occasionally to near-empty rooms, sleeping sometimes in hotels and sometimes in homestays, then getting home late and waking up the next morning to work.
In his wry, understated way, he explains why it's all been worth it for him. For any fan of Hey Colossus, this will be a wonderful read.
So this review may be written more for the choir than the congregation. Still: I loved this book, and anyone who thinks they may like it almost certainly will. The key question the book seeks to answer: why would someone spend so much of their life on a hobby that gave them neither money nor fame? The answer is on every page: for the sheer love of it.
Thompson is the bassist, cofounder, and one of only two permanent members of the band Hey Colossus, a heavy rock band that has released something like 14 albums in 22 years. As he explains in the opening pages, the band has done this even while all the band members have had regular jobs and families, and they've essentially made no money, as they've put every penny they've made back into the band. He gives a good amount of detail on the economics that face an independent band that self-funds its own records and tours.
Thompson has also spent several decades running one or another independent record label, and he is deeply thoughtful about exactly what it takes: waking up at 4am, driving thousands of miles across Europe, performing occasionally to huge crowds and occasionally to near-empty rooms, sleeping sometimes in hotels and sometimes in homestays, then getting home late and waking up the next morning to work.
In his wry, understated way, he explains why it's all been worth it for him. For any fan of Hey Colossus, this will be a wonderful read.
August 16, 2021
Really good account of the UK and European hardcore/noise scene. Passionate, knowledgeable, relatable and quite funny. Hey Colossus and Henry Blacker; two very good bands and Mr Thompson plays in both.
May 15, 2021
So impressed with Joe and the bands hard work and commitment, his views on the music industry are completely understandable. I think he told the story of Hey Colossus in a warm, highly relatable human way 🙂
I enjoyed reading about some gigs and venues I have been to.
The music hunter in me got off checking out some of the bands and tunes mentioned in the book.
Make music for yourself, your friends/family and fuck the corporates basically.
ps I am proper crap at writing interesting reviews.
I brought another copy and sent it to a friend.
I have someone in mind to send my copy to aswell.
pps full respect to Joe's wife!
I enjoyed reading about some gigs and venues I have been to.
The music hunter in me got off checking out some of the bands and tunes mentioned in the book.
Make music for yourself, your friends/family and fuck the corporates basically.
ps I am proper crap at writing interesting reviews.
I brought another copy and sent it to a friend.
I have someone in mind to send my copy to aswell.
pps full respect to Joe's wife!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews