The city has it’s fair share of bands around and about, but when it comes to acoustic work it’s also got it’s good choice, one songwriter who falls into this category is Mitchell Taylor, mixing acoustic tunes with social commentary and a bit of street poetry. In other words the comparisons to Billy Bragg are easy to make, maybe even too easy.
Ocean Bottom Nightmare look like a pretty normal band on the surface, no wierd haircuts, makeup or costumes, just three pretty normal looking guys. However, under the surface is a band that is game for a laugh, a band who released a single earlier in the year called “What Would Judas Do” which went well, displayed the bands blend of quirky rock. AMPjam nabs a quick chat with the lads.
Bands are a constant source of interviews on the AMPjam site, but there’s a whole other side to music and live gigs that we haven’t touched on yet, welcome to the world of the promoter! Making our way to the Sno! Bar, it’s fairly obvious that the crew we’re talking to are the Beatdown guys and there’s a fair amount to talk about with the past year seeing some fairly big changes down the line.
These interview things seem to get more and more relaxed as they go on, not that I’m complaining. Last Of Our Heroes were one of those bands that seemed to hit the ground running and have a knack for putting on some energetic punk sets. Today, me and the band aren’t exactly running around as we end up in Old Spoons and meander on and off topic about the band and American sitcoms.
Every so often we get a email/ letter from a band or promoter to showcase “the next big thing”, though this time it may actually be the case. Shogun Soundlords have been busy playing gigs and amassing a fair bit of a fanbase and look like they have the mettle to take on the big guns, and not just in MK either! Luckily we got to sit down with the guys at a “secret location” to discuss how things have rocketed off and where the next stop is.
It’s a quiet Sunday afternoon in Lloyds down at the city, a table for two, a pint and a dictaphone are obvious sign of an interview, but for who exactly? Before too long a wild-haired skinny bloke in skinny jeans, cowboy boots and a leather jacket walks down to the bar, none other than Lionsex’s Jef Leppard. Dressed to kill and with a few stories to tell about the band.
It had to happen sooner or later, of all places for doing an interview, we’re in a changing room. But it’s actually pretty much worth it as we get to catch up with what’s said to be one of the bands to watch out for, Arms Of Atlas made a good impression so far since we seen them at Backstage, and tonight we catch the band post sound-check for a gig at the Pitz, one which the guys hope will get a good crowd in .
Down at Newport Pagnell, we get the chance to catch up with a few fairly familiar faces, the guys from Frantic Alice are no strangers to the local scene, despite any name changes or anything Jack, Will and Allonby are fairly acquainted with the whole sleaze rock slants and stick out like a sore thumb sitting in a corner at a pub dressed up like an 80′s timewarp. But attracting the odd look is one of the things that the guys do, showmanship doesn’t quite stop off the stage, as we find out.
One important fact about a certain local festival that passed recently, Togfest was scorching, not just because of the weather but quite a few of the bands were hot stuff from around the country, not just the concrete city itself. One group in particular were the Soundcasters, a new young band from Kent who dress as sharp as their chords. AMPjam gets in touch with the lads early on the Sunday to talk about their quick rise and life in a scene that actually keeps you on your toes.
It’s a balmy Saturday evening, Waterside festival may be calming down but over at the Tombstone Bullet camp things are looking quite edgy with the band meeting a rather bi-polar fan. After the strange hassle has ended we walk down canal-side and take-five at an overused rock garden. We first seen the band at the Pitz in a Band Blitz heat last year, they didn’t make it through but they left quite an impression, in short, we loved them. It’s about a year down the line and we managed to have a word and discover more about the band as they discuss their upcoming album, black mages and the “Gay Nazi” look…
