CITIZEN KANE + JUST LIKE JIMMY
@ BARCO, SOLIHULL 3rd December 2003
Far too quiet at BarCo this evening which is of course a real shame.
Undeterred the 'bands play on'.
JUST LIKE JIMMY are a band of youngsters just starting to thread
their way. With an interesting mix of pop/punk, rock and a little ska
thrown in JUST LIKE JIMMY managed to be very good indeed. Bright and
lively, full of enthusiasm and a very loose sound that grew on me. The
keyboard was not made the most of through most of the set and added an
extra dimension when it was used well. Good use of vocals with two and
three voice harmonies (or just joining in). Great fun and not quite
sounding like a lot of others. Definitely a band to watch develop.
CITIZEN KANE are an excellent duo making a sound so big and full
it is great to watch. Was not going to hear the whole set due to other
commitments but with CITIZEN KANE you just knew it would be quality. A
rock band with drums and guitar only (and of course the mad thing in a
box for the base line?). The vocals are the key, with power and meaning,
always delivered brilliantly. Excellent. http://www.citizenkane.org.uk/
Neil A. Bromley
SANCHEZ @ BARCO, Solihull - 22nd October 2003
Due to unknown circumstances Soni Quella were not available this
evening which left SANCHEZ to entertain us all.
A small crowd of SANCHEZ faithful were in so it was not going to be as
quiet as it may have been.
SANCHEZ more than made up for the other bands absence with an
excellent performance. The rock band that is SANCHEZ play tight and
strong with quality vocals and good melodies and harmonies. A blend that
is great on the ears, not too heavy, not too punky but sits with either
genres, yet provide us with glimpses of both. A very good mix of songs
that changes tempo and focus keeping you interested. This is the first
time I have seen SANCHEZ and it won't be the last. Their EP entitled
'the long walk' is possibly the best sound I have heard from an unsigned
band for a long time. A lot of effort has gone into SANCHEZs' overall
sound and it is worth it with no criticisms whatsoever. A great band, go
see them play live and spend your money on the CD.
Neil A. Bromley
CD Review - 25 years of Punk Rock (From in and around Birmingham)
Though the title implies it is an anthology, Punkshit Records claim to
have compiled this CD with intention of bringing together some sort of
history. They achieve this by spanning 25 years of bands that received
some sort of notoriety at the time or still have it. There is a lot more
out there and I look forward to Volume 2. With GBH on there doing what
they do so well and the awesome Sensa Yuma covering Jasper Carrotts'
Funky Moped you could be forgiven for not taking the compilation
seriously yet at the same time there are some very serious bands on this
that are still making an impact every time they play. Ageless old school
punk and new hardcore style are all on this with a little ska too. An
excellent CD, I think Punkshit Records will need to do about a dozen of
these to cover all that is and has been good, from punk bands in the
region.
Neil A. Bromley
CARINA ROUND + MURDOCH + SNOWFIELD
THE FLAPPER AND FIRKIN - 17th October 2003
I Arrive to a warm welcome from Jackie of Zoot Promotions and look
through the packed room for someone to buy me a Guinness. As luck would
have it one was forthcoming. Cheers mate.
SNOWFIELD were most of the way through a hard edged indie type
groove that had metal edges to it and sounded great. I liked what I
heard and will try and see them soon to get a real taste of what they
have to offer. Get the feel of what is going on with SNOWFIELD first by
visiting:
http://www.snowfield.co.uk/
MURDOCH I think, are a punk band. They are tight and solid and
punchy yet the rock'n'roll style and lack of definition in the set left
me a little cold. Maybe because I knew what was coming up I was not in
the right frame of mind. Find out for yourself by visiting:
http://www.murdochmusic.com/
CARINA ROUND I had never seen live and was looking forward to it
enormously. When they began to play to the full house the class was
immediately obvious. All the performances were stunning, with none
standing out particularly yet it made the whole set absolutely
excellent. There cannot be high enough praise for CARINA ROUND and the
small ensemble that she has with her. With tracks that go from Jazz to
Hard Rock within the same song and the haunting vocals flowing so
smoothly it is wonderful to listen to. The whole feel to this was of
quality and something special. Somewhere between P. J. Harvey and
Morcheeba is a big space that CARINA ROUND fills if you need some sort
of comparison. There is subtlety, there is punch and there is moodiness
you could crawl through. Excellent band, superb songs and a quality
performance. I also bought the CD. Find out how bad you should feel
about missing this gig and what more CARINA ROUND has to offer:
http://www.carinaround.co.uk/
Neil A. Bromley
BLUE NATION + THE BLEEDING GROOVES + THE DAWN
BARCO - September 24th 2003
I walk into BarCo and there are loads of people in for this
evenings' entertainment. Word of mouth meant that this gig was going to
be a cracker. First off there was a kindly Guinness from Dean of Blue
Nation, this whole evening was definitely going to be a cracker.
THE DAWN took to the stage with what can only be viewed as abject
terror, a bunch of good looking teenagers with the guts to get up and
show the filling room what they can do. THE DAWN managed to fly through
their set of covers probably quicker than they intended but to the
delight of the gathered crowd. Despite missed beats, a few dodgy chords
and a missed note here and there THE DAWN managed to entertain to a
justifiably tremendous applause. Great to see them.
THE BLEEDING GROOVES appeared to have brought everyone they knew
to the gig and the screaming and shouting began before the band had
played a note. THE BLEEDING GROOVES provided the masses with some
excellent renditions of the newer style rock songs that got the audience
singing along. Not a traditional covers band with many of the set not
being what you would expect, which is a nice change. THE BLEEDING
GROOVES were really tight, with stunning vocals, quality drumming and
quality guitar work. The crowd loved them and will guarantee a good
night next time they play.
BLUE NATION I have seen before and the quality of their songs and
musicianship still makes me wonder why a record deal has not arrived
yet. BLUE NATION play a blend of up-tempo acoustic style that is rock
music at the same time. Vocally the band stand out as the songs are what
are important here and BLUE NATION as a band provide an ensemble that
has a clarity borne of good rehearsals and knowing what they are trying
to achieve. They have a CD out at the moment that will be a must in the
collection. Find out when they are out and about again at:
http://www.bluenation.co.uk/
An Excellent evening at BarCo once again, cheers for the Guinness Dean.
Of course a special thanks to Matt King for making the evening available
for us all to enjoy live music.
Neil A. Bromley
DAMN DIRTY APES + LAST UNDER THE SUN + F**K HATE PROPAGANDA
+ HATEWORK at THE OLD RAILWAY - 28th September 2003
Battling slippery roads and brand new tyres I managed to avoid the
nations finest taxi drivers to arrive at the Old Railway in one piece
and quaff my Guinness far too quickly and sadly miss the first band on.
Sorry HATEWORK. Fortunately I was able to get hold of a CD with a
number of tracks by them on it, and damn good it is too, with 37 tracks
by 6 different bands, you cannot go wrong. You can get one yourselves
from Punk Sh*t Records. Entitled 'MIDDLEGROUND' it is well worth an
e-mail to see how you can get your copy:
punkshitrecords@hotmail.com
FHP blast onto stage and my ears began ringing immediately and I
barely caught a note after that. FHP are loud, very loud and for me, too
loud. Very few of the lyrics where discernable through the crashing
guitars and relentless overpowering sound that FHP brought with them.
The screaming vocals began to grind a little but I was carried along
with the power and energy that FHP had, yet was still grateful for the
short gaps between songs. I must have missed the plot.
LAST UNDER THE SUN I can understand, so with a short breather
after FHP's assault for a drum change I settle next to the piano to be
entertained. As always LAST UNDER THE SUN manage to do just that, with
their own brand of music that is hard rock, punk and avant-garde too.
Great songs with meaning and passion are delivered with power and skill
and despite seeing only the back of the base player for the entire set,
even manage to produce a stage presence. Brilliant, high quality music,
with stunning vocals and great T-shirts. Go buy the CD now. 8 tracks of
excellence, I reckon LAST UNDER THE SUN are the most autonomous
republican democratic band around.
http://www.geocities.com/alanzimbabwe/sunshop.html
DAMN DIRTY APES are adding new material to what is already a
great set. Punk/hard rock, call it what you will but DAMN DIRTY APES are
quality. Their performance as a band is exceptional and with the lead
singer commanding the stage, demanding your attention it is difficult
not to be drawn in. The tempo changes from fast to very fast to
blistering with the vocals remaining clear and powerful throughout.
Stunning drumming powers the sound without becoming overbearing yet at
the same time you know you are listening to a rock band. DAMN DIRTY APES
are excellent and will shortly have a CD available, so go see them and
enjoy, then get a CD and take some quality home with you.
http://www.geocities.com/alanzimbabwe/sunshop.html
Thanks to Simon for putting the gig on, keep the good stuff coming.
Neil A. Bromley
JESSE JAMES + THE PLANET SMASHERS at ACADEMY 2 - 26th September 2003
Not looking forward to Guinness in a plastic glass, I decide it will be
worth it for the evenings' entertainment.
THE PLANET SMASHERS are from Canada and play ska in what can only
be described as the fun style. THE PLANET SMASHERS are first and
importantly a very tight band, allowing them to mess about and have fun
while providing us with quality ska, great chorus's, really tidy wind
section and even a rather brilliant base solo.
Excellent musically throughout, I had their first CD already so I was
looking forward to hearing live some of my favourites. THE PLANET
SMASHERS did not disappoint, with their live versions adding to what is
already extremely good. Great fun and real class:
http://planetsmashers.cdevco.net/en/news.php
JESSE JAMES have been in Birmingham before and I caught them at
Edwards No. 8 about 18 months ago. Not as tight as I recall but loud and
brash and as 'in your face' as any punk band on the scene. JESSE JAMES
showed that they know what they are doing. Strong, clear vocals and an
almost violent use of the guitars made for a gig with passion and power.
Songs seemed to blend into each other a little but a great gig
nonetheless with JESSE JAMES showing that they are a quality band with a
superb end to the evening. Find out when they are in your area so you
can check them out for yourselves:
http://www.jessejames.co.uk
Neil A. Bromley
Mr Projectile (Toytronic/MAS/Parotic/Merck)
Adam Johnson (Merck/Parotic)
Dave Olsen
@ THE BULLS HEAD, MOSELEY - 17th September 2003
Did not arrive at the Bulls Head until about ten o-clock so I missed
a fair bit of what was going on but there were plenty of people in there
and the atmosphere was good and welcoming. Thanks to the guys of Default
for making evenings like this happen:
http://www.defaultresponse.com
With Guinness in hand I soak up some vibes from the attentive Mr
Projectile who was manning the Apple Mac. With a computer full of loops,
samples, beats and goodness knows what else Mr Projectile kept the room
buzzing with tunes and rhythms, changing from industrial crunching beats
to clavell bells and voice samples with practiced ease, keeping the many
listeners rapt and the talkers tapping their feet. Great stuff, a little
odd not having someone bashing something with a stick though.
Maybe I will get used to it. There was definitely a good atmosphere in
there so I will be back again when they have the other room open and
these guys can really let fly with some 'obtuse beatage'.
Neil A. Bromley
JASON MORPHEW + PALOMAR 13 - THE ROYAL GEORGE, DIGBETH 14 Sept 03
Having done the usual battle with taxi drivers and the like into
Birmingham I was pleasantly surprised to find Reece at the mixing desk
doing what he does so well. Despite the £4 entrance fee that was another
less pleasant surprise, I got the lonely Guinness and caught four songs
of the support band.
PALOMAR 13. Punk band, lively, energetic and exciting. Not quite
classic old school and not 'nu-rock' either. Roaming around somewhere in
between with some decent musicianship to carry it off. Particularly good
drumming supported decent guitar work though the vocals were lost a
little. With no punters to get in the way the foursome jumped around the
stage and floor, much to the detriment of the music but they were having
a lot of fun nonetheless. I will make the effort to see a full set by
these guys as I am sure with a crowd in to scream and shout they will
seem a lot better and I will get a better idea as to what PALOMAR 13 are
really like.
JASON MORPHEW heads an American trio with guitar, slide guitar
and beat box/base/keyboards. This was an interesting start and with the
sound of an electric slide guitar I was painfully expecting a Country
and Western style. Thankfully I need not have worried as the sound did
not even seem to be influenced by it at all. There were loops and
samples that augmented the beautifully presented songs that were sung
with such clarity and purpose that you could not fail to listen to the
lyrics that were superbly crafted. The confidence that the music and
songs portrayed to the assembled few was of such a high quality it is a
real shame that they were at the George with virtually no punters. There
was a feeling that I was witnessing something almost jazzy and hi-brow,
an extremely subtle base made the mellow sound full and balanced. Great
songs like 'Drugs and drink' were played brilliantly and the base
players solo cover version was done so well, it quietened the audience
to silence. This is absolutely great stuff. Find out more from:
http://jasonmorphew.com
Neil A. Bromley
Funkpig + friends at The Pat Kavanagh, Moseley, Friday 12th September
2003
This was the second time that I'd heard the porky purveyors of prime
power-funk (just practising my alliteration here!). After the last time,
also at the same venue, I thought it would be a hard task finding
anything new to say about their show. Luckily I was proved totally
wrong.
You see, the secret of Funkig's appeal is their approach to the music.
While they have a large repertoire of superb original material, none of
it is cast in stone. Every tune is merely a snapshot of a work in
progress, in a constant state of creative flux. This goes much further
than the usual musicians' tweaks to not let the music go stale. To
further stir the aural brew, the nucleus of Mark Hartley (bass) and Phil
"Minal P" Minal (drums and everything else) are regularly joined by a
roster of talent from right across the musical spectrum.
Funkpig's Credo is "Carbon-based Funk", which underlines their intention
to use all the latest technology, but still retain that vital human
element to keep the spontaneity and unpredictability that so often gets
thrown out in mainstream music. Before the gig, Phil demonstrated to me
some of this sampling, sequencing and multi-effects technology, and I
was impressed not only by the sheer amount of gadgetry involved, but by
how much manual control he maintains over the process, courtesy of a
pair of Chaotic Sounds control pads. Let's get this straight - they are
not tied down to a set sequencer pattern, everything is up for change as
the mood takes them. How on earth Phil manages to do all this at the
same time as holding down his intricate patterns is beyond me - must be
a drummer thing!
The band were introduced by a bizarre sample of Bing Crosby doing "Would
you like to swing on a star". I couldn't figure out what relevance this
had until it got to the line "or would you rather be a pig?", at which
point it must have suddenly clicked for everyone in the audience, and
the band kicked straight in with their opener "Tuesday".
This brooding monster starts with some industrial percussion from Phil,
and a growling bass sound that only be described as "organic".
Most (probably all, actually) of the "Live at Hanger 18" repertoire was
covered tonight. Next up was "Pig Latin", with its wonderful South
American feel to the bass lines.
"Pigskin Bus" featured guest "Auntie" Paul on Stratocaster - but his
guitar was too quiet to make out most of the time. What we did hear was
tasteful and Gilmour-esque, so this was a shame.
Then John and Andy from "Swivel" (the group which begat Funkpig) came
up, and we were treated to a very heavy version of their "Mirrored Box"
barnstormer. More please!
Next up to bat was vocalist Sarah, accompanied by Swerve with his "Porky
scratchings" on the decks. There were connection problems here, so the
vinyl input was sadly lacking for "Mixed Up", but back up for "Horny
Thing" (joined again by Paul on the guitar). Sarah's vocals were subtle
and introspective
The complex sonic structures created by Phil's arsenal of samples
reminded me a bit of Jean-Michel Jarre's "Zoolook"
Paul stayed on for "Just a ride". This featured Laura on vocals, who
delivered a powerful and memorable performance, despite having only just
rushed into the room seconds earlier.
Sarah returned for the atmospheric "Poodles", which reminded me of
Portishead at their best. The set closer was "Tit for Tat" with Paul on
guitar (now clearly audible thanks to a last-minute tweak). As an
encore, they did "Microwaves", with its telecoms sound-effect samples.
John Pierpoint
THE DHOBIES + WE LOVE YOU + FEAR OF STRING
At THE JUG OF ALE, Moseley - 3rd September 2003
With a quid in and drinks from only a quid too, the Jug of Ale was
full with plenty of punters upstairs to see the bands. Great to see.
FEAR OF STRING play funky rock with a twist or two and they did it
with more creativity than usual with some of their songs sounding
different from last time I heard them.
FEAR OF STRING are young and creative and have a lot going for them as a
band and as they play they get better and better. Great Funk riffs and
beats and excellent vocals make FEAR OF STRING a great band.
www.fearofstring.co.uk
| WE LOVE YOU are a rock band that I had never
seen before and I was taken aback with the quality. Rock beats and
pop harmonies blended with some superb musicianship throughout. A
mix of all rock styles without being too heavy and into hardcore
class and not too light for easy listening. WE LOVE YOU are real
class, definitely a cut above a lot of what is about at the moment.
www.weloveu.co.uk |
 |
THE DHOBIES are in a world of their own in the punk scene and
deserve much praise. They managed to clear out most of the faint hearted
and then pummelled the remaining supporters with their version of 'In
Yer Face' punk. The usually superb vocals were spoiled by a bad mike or
something, but the performance as always, was great.
Great tunes thrashed out with energy and enthusiasm just the way punk is
supposed to be. I like THE DHOBIES and really enjoy them giving
everything to each gig that they do.
http://www.thedhobies.com
Thanks to Arthur Tapp of The Catapult Club for making the effort and
putting on this and many other gigs around Birmingham.
www.catapultclub.freeserve.co.uk
Neil A. Bromley
MAPATAZI BOB + INSANIAC at THE ROYAL GEORGE - 27 August 2003
Driven by a need for Guinness and Live Music I endure ten miles on
the A34 to get to the George in time for a quick chat before the
evenings entertainment. Life is truly a joyous thing.
INSANIAC a three piece from Norwich that travelled down just for
this gig, they must be very keen or mad! They describe themselves as
Metal meets Punk, and I think that is a good description. INSANIAC have
a great sound that does actually border on 'Nu-Metal' yet retains a punk
feel to it. With tempo changes, excellent drumming and stunning vocals,
INSANIAC manage to entertain with every song. There is a lot of maturity
to INSANIAC that makes their sound rich and strong making you feel that
you want to get out there and flail your arms about like a lunatic. Real
class.
Find out when they will be back at:
http://www.insaniac.co.uk/
MAPATAZI BOB make a sound like a 70's punk band and are at
present, gigging like crazy around Birmingham. MAPATAZI BOB play very
loose with enthusiasm and energy. The songs didn't leave any indelible
marks despite the powerful vocals and decent musicianship. Fast and
furious, MAPATAZI BOB deliver their songs like a 'Garage Band' (70's
version) and you could not listen without the hyperactive vibe rubbing
off. MAPATAZI BOB are great fun and will improve as they gig more and
more. Well worth checking out another gig.
Find out when they are near you at:
http://www.mapatazi-bob.co.uk/index.php
Thanks again to Tony of Loop Promotions for making the effort
http://www.loop-promotions.co.uk
Neil A. Bromley
CAT CHINN + REECE + SPOZ at THE Chesnut Tree, Sheldon, August 25th
2003
The Chestnut Tree had a fair few people in when I arrive early
evening, so a warm welcome was felt as I order my Guinness and wave at
friendly faces. Some of which had been there since 2.00pm for the early
performers.
CAT CHINN was already singing her wonderful songs. I missed the
first couple, which is truly a bad thing to do. I must confess to being
a fan of Cat and she could sing 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' for all I care as
she has a fabulous voice that she puts to great effect particularly when
singing her own songs. There is more and more quality to her performance
every time I see her and her abilities are blossoming through these gigs
as she improves. CAT CHINN is more confident than a few months ago, with
only a guitar and herself on stage CAT CHINN is able to grab hold of an
audience and keep them there.
REECE brings his guitar on stage saying that he should have been
part of a duo, so he was going to try and go solo for the evenings
entertainment. This he accomplished without any difficulty, some good
guitar work helped with the predominance of covers that were performed
efficiently rather than brilliantly. It was good to hear some songs that
were not 'standards' though. The one self-written song seemed to lack
something but then again I thought the Radio Head cover lacked
'something' too.
SPOZ looks like Harry Potter after ten years and five seasons
playing rugby. He already has my interest as he has a book that he is
going to read poems from? With liberal use of all of the English
language without resorting to flowery descriptions SPOZ takes you into a
dimension that is at best lavatorial and at its worst downright
disgusting. I loved it and so did my daughter (11). I couldn't stop
grinning and at times even laughed out loud. Very funny, very crude, not
quite the wordsmith that John Cooper Clarke is, but great stuff
nonetheless. He then has the audacity to call upon all of his best
friends to duet with him, doing one song with Dave King that was of his
own which again was very amusing. SPOZ went on to do a number of cover
versions of various sing along numbers that seem to please the crowd. It
was pleasant to hear 'The Man Who Sold The World' despite my preference
for artist's own work. Loved the poems.
Unfortunately had to leave then and take my Loop Promotions T-Shirt with
me before it was raffled off.
A special thanks to Tony of Loop Promotions for making this event
possible. It was an obvious success so I hope that there will be many
more at The Chestnut Tree as it is a great venue.
www.loop-promotions.cjb.net
Neil A. Bromley
AFTERGLOW + STEVE LEE + THE CELTURIAN
@ THE CHESTNUT TREE, SHELDON - 18th August 2003
Arrived late and everyone looked, that will teach me. A young guy
finishes his set with a Travis number and fluffs it a bit so we'll let
that one go for now. So with Guinness in hand I settle nicely within a
large room but a small audience.
AFTERGLOW performed some of their own stuff and some covers that
suited the excellent voice of Tracy the singer. An acoustic guitar and
base player accompaniment provided a pleasant sound that did not quite
reach all the desired places. Despite this, their wonderfully moody self
penned song 'Through Eternity' (their closing number) proved that there
is a lot more to AFTERGLOW than first thought.
STEVE LEE, solo guitarist took the stage with many pedals and
punched out some high quality cover versions of songs we all know and
love. Strong, distinctive vocals and solid guitar made his set
enjoyable. I felt that if STEVE LEE got his guitar out and played in a
crowded pub he would have everyone singing along within seconds.
THE CELTURIAN morphs onto the stage and presents himself with the
self-confidence of someone ordained to be in the spotlight. Having seen
THE CELTURIAN do his stuff before I was looking forward to a longer set
and he kindly obliged. A mix of Celtic and Blues, that ran into the
Highlands and back, drawing you into the guitar virtuosity that is THE
CELTURIAN. Some epic tunes lost me for a while and I wondered if the
music had become over complicated and lost the impact a little? It is
truly unbelievable and wonderful stuff that is great to watch and listen
to. There is a strange earthiness to the sound that is both comforting
and invigorating at the same time. I don't know what 'school' of guitar
playing this used to be, but I do know that is all CELTURIAN now.
Neil A. Bromley
THE B91 MUSIC FESTIVAL - 1st- 3rd August
THE RUNWAY CLUB - FIELD LANE, SOLIHULL
You could pitch your tent and stay all weekend, which seemed an
excellent idea. Unfortunately I could not even make the whole weekend
but I made the most of what I could get to see. A superb list of
bands/artists and musicians were lined up so I knew there was going to
be something to enjoy while I soaked up the sun. There was loads of
great stuff that I missed Including Gordon Giltrap and Simon Mastrantone
but here is some of what I managed to catch, just to give you a taste.
FRIDAY 1st August
GILLY DARBY was headlining the Friday evening set and she very
kindly came on first to warm us all up. Her bright and sparkling
performance was only outshined by her superb voice that is clear, strong
and delightful. She sung her own songs and threw a few renditions of
other artists in along the way that I must confess I did not recognise
but it does show that her own are equally as good. Keep an eye out for
her at The Runway Club as she is asked back regularly.
ISAMBARDE are a four piece with guitar, violin, whistle and
clarinet and probably more that I forget. I only forget because I was so
taken by such a wonderful sound these people make that it stops being
relevant. Lovely songs, beautifully performed with humour, class and
quality. Whether classic folk tunes or their own penned ditties
ISAMBARDE are a joy to watch and listen to. ISAMBARDE were resident here
for a while and they appear regularly at The Runway Club Friday
evenings.
SUNDAY 3rd August
Blistering sun heralded the last day of the B91 Festival and all was
quiet. After what I was told was a brilliant Saturday with the whole of
the Festival grounds filled with people, Sunday appeared to be a day of
rest for all except the organisers. When I arrived shortly after 1.00
some people were packing their stalls up, leaving the diehards and live
music to entertain the few that stayed. This being the case, I waited
for the barbeque to warm up and wandered over to the open stage to see
who was doing their stuff.
THE CELTURIAN has not only a commanding appearance on stage but
manages to play the guitar like someone possessed. There are a lot of
people out there who can play the guitar but few are born to play. THE
CELTURIAN manages to sound like he was destined to play and play to me
in particular. Everyone in the crowd gets a personal performance every
time this guy takes the stage. Excellent stuff.
Back in the bar the wonderful and excellent PETE SMITH & JOHN BUCKLEY
(see pictures) took the stage, so armed with a bottle of Newcastle Brown
Ale I sit back and enjoy. This superb duo, are what I think The Runway
Club is all about. They are fun, talented and here nearly every week.
Again, magnificent guitar playing and extremely entertaining banter
makes whatever SMITH & BUCKLEY play; just come alive. Wonderful,
wonderful stuff.
HOI POLLOI took the stage late and what appeared to be still
bickering. A full line up of instruments made a great sound that
unfortunately was spoilt by a continuous fiddling with levels and one
guitar being significantly louder than all the rest of the instruments.
With a mixture of styles, ranging from a French ballad to a 400 year old
traditional English folk song. HOI POLLOI (see pictures) had all the
ingredients of an excellent group but fell very short, due what could
only be called lack of professionalism; and forgetting that they were
there to entertain, and not to be exalted. A great shame, they are far
better than this.
Tony Taylor of Loop Promotions was around a lot, I think it was
something to do with pluging stuff in?
http://www.loop-promotions.cjb.net/
TONY WARE of Transmusic who is Head Honcho and the organiser of the B91
Festival, needs to be applauded for the extraordinary effort that went
into this weekend and to the success that it was.
http://www.transmusic.co.uk
Neil A. Bromley
LAST UNDER THE SUN + DAMN DIRTY APES + KARAMELLA
SCRUFFY MURPHY'S - 2nd AUGUST 2003
Full of Chardonnay and sweating buckets, I arrive at Scruffy's in
plenty of time to get a Guinness and flick through Xposed Magazine
before the entertainment begins downstairs.
KARMELLA begin the night with some run of the mill rock. This
changed, developed and became great rock. Sometimes it takes a while?
KARMELLA are a hard rock band, yet seem to manage to throw in some funky
stuff and incredible vocals and fine tunes. With tempo changes that keep
you interested and quality musicianship that holds it all together
KARMELLA were doing a fine job. This being their first gig at Scruffy's
and will definitely not be their last. Great start to the evening.
DAMN DIRTY APES are still mad, strong, powerful and brilliant.
DAMN DIRTY APES have taken attitude and punk and rock and made it into a
language of their own. Not only are they damn fine performers, they have
a damn fine repertoire of great hard rock songs to ram into your
eardrums. Not subtle, not clean, not gentle, just in your face and
AWESOME.
LAST UNDER THE SUN are getting even better, their style which is
moody, and dark yet wonderfully uplifting. Some great songs that show
there is humour in there too. The power that this trio produce with
superb musicianship all round is phenomenal and the vocals that will not
give in makes you take a step back and believe that you are in the
presence of Extreme Republican Heroism. I confess I am biased. I am a
fan. I also bought the T-shirt. You must see them live and you must buy
the CD "Windfall". 8 tracks of absolute quality.
http://www.geocities.com/alanzimbabwe/Lastunderthesun.html
Neil A. Bromley
CITIZEN KANE + SUMO at BARCO, Solihull - 30th July 2003
Destined to pour with rain, so I ride out to BARCO at short notice to
catch what they have to offer. First a Guinness and the soundcheck and a
look around at the small but attentive crowd.
SUMO a four piece with three microphones? Already interesting. They had
already given a taster with a whole song as their sound check and I know
I am going to enjoy this. The vocals were very good indeed, all three
singers had obviously thought about what they wanted to sound like and
really went for it with superb harmonies. We are listening to the SUMO
version of indie that has progressed and got a real hard edge to it.
SUMO seemed to play this short set with two halves, the first being
lighter and more up-tempo and the second half far more aggressive and
harder. A big difference to my ears and tracks like Camanche (spelling?)
a real slow grinding guitar song and Brass Monkey were excellent. A must
to see again. You can find out where and when at:
http://www.sumo.uk.com/sumo1.htm
CITIZEN KANE were a trio called The Kinells and now are a duo with
vocals/guitar and drums. You have to admire the audacity for a start.
Then again with the talent that they have between them it is no wonder
they feel brave. So CITIZEN KANE are a rock band. There is a mad thing
going on with the guitar playing a base line at the same time as some
wonderful riffs but I won't go into that. Incredible and very restrained
drumming and splendid guitar work adds to the powerful vocals that are
the trade-mark of CITIZEN KANE. Some excellent songs that are punched
out with such style it was great to watch. The faster rock numbers lost
some definition but the slower tracks were real quality and performed
superbly. These guys are very good indeed, it is going to be very
interesting to see what more there is to come. They have a great track
on the forthcoming Loop Promotions CD 'Inside Out' which is also
excellent. Catch up with them if you can by checking out:
http://www.citizenkane.org.uk/
A BIG THANK YOU to Matt King at BARCO, Solihull for making all the effort
to make this live event possible.
Neil A. Bromley
|
