As a companion piece to the cross-disciplinary, multi-media publication Brewing Folk, this regular gathering is yet another feather in the pluming cap of our good friends Verdant Brewing Co’s extra-curricular activities. Encompassing a podcast, the Beer & Book Club, and regular parties at their Penryn taproom, not to mention their ongoing mission to bridge the worlds of music and beer with a steady flow of collaboration brews.
For anyone who couldn’t make it to Cornwall, Pour Decisions has come to London. Once a month, a carefully curated congregation of guests, ably hosted by resident DJ Doug Shipton, will share their wisdom and their wax, while the bar plays host to a line-up of your favourite hop-forward beers and special guest collaborations.
28 August
Mundo Ecléctico!
If you happen to have ventured south of the river to Lewisham or the surrounding boroughs over the past two years there’s a very good chance you may have stumbled upon the work of a mysterious one-man street team and guerrilla marketing machine promoting one of SE London’s premier vinyl throwdowns, Mundo Eclectico! Although the identity of the prolific double denim clad sticker bandit remains a secret, their gatherings at Deptford’s Villages Brewery taproom (amongst other fine establishments) have become a firm fixture in any discerning listener and drinker’s social calendar. Hosts Billy and Giles have been brothers in sound since their university days, with each bringing a unique party flavour to this bespoke break heavy melting pot - serving up a double helping of drums, fuzz with a healthy dash of beat juggling and scratching thrown in for good measure. Self-styled captains of psychedelic industry overseeing their very own booming branded merchandise empire, aided in no uncertain terms by the duo’s undeniable charm and an enviable pool of guests to draw from, the duo can regularly be found sharing needle time and fine beers with a host of likeminded wax obsessives and international DJs. Mondo Electico! mugs are available in the gift shop.
Mondo Fuzz
When you think of Reading four things undoubtedly spring to mind - the three b’s (biscuits, beer and bulbs) and Mondo Fuzz, the town’s finest purveyors of wonky psychedelic pop oddities. For almost two decades Chris and Paul have diligently held the underground gates open to Reading’s pubs and clubs, ushering through a global roster of bands and DJs, promoting one of the most exciting and necessary nights that side of the M25. At the drop of a flyer their amorphous night can flip effortlessly one event to the next from a kosmiche space fest, to a scratchy agit pop disco, or an acid drenched library listening session - making them perfect house guests for Pour Decisions. Between them there isn’t much they don’t know or don’t have when it comes to dusty black wax, but don’t be shy in asking what they are playing as there is a good chance Shazam will be coming up blank for the duration of their set.
Sounds Of Wonder
Combining forces for this ultra special one-night only blink and you’ll miss it super crew, custom built for this very special meeting of minds and wax, Sounds Of Wonder brings together two veritable vinyl heavyweights with almost twenty years of collaboration and sonic celebration between them - your very own resident DJ, Pour Decisions event programmer and Finders Keepers co-founder Doug Shipton, and NTS presenter, percussionist, recording artist and Paradise Bangkok label boss, Chris Menist. For a man who has spent so much time in the Indian sub continent and South East Asia, some might find it strange that not a single photograph exists of Chris with a sun tan. That’s because he spent every available spare moment on his various excursions digging through the dusty basements of far flung record shops. Never one to not share his spoils, together with Doug they have released a slew of compilations and releases on Finders Keepers (one of the which shares a name with this particular powerhouse combo), including the utterly essential Thai? Dai! compilation which features the infamous Sroeng Santi “cover version” of Black Sabbath’s Iron Man. His Paradise Bangkok label duly picked up where the compilations left off, releasing an incredible string of electrifying Luk thung, proto-dub Molam bangers and blistering Thai psych 45s, while touring as part of the Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band helped Chris and his partner Nattapon "Nat" Siangsukon cement their place at the forefront of the Thai collector scene. Those with an ear to ground will also have caught Chris’ monthly globetrotting NTS show, whilst the more observant of you might also know his records released under his alias Awkward Corners.
