Backstage have one last blast this year to put on a gig, though it hasn’t exactly gone to plan so far, the original lineup finished with Firetone, but the plug for that one was pulled about a month back, Heart Of A Coward were also due to cover, but again no dice for that, leaving the goodbye gig with just three bands, Symbo, Rusty G’s and Equinox.
I bring it up pretty much every time I write about these guys these days, but when a band who mixes hard rock with a melodic touch diverges into two separate bands, those two elements are usually the ones to detach from each other, both resulting offshoots evolving into something else. But mainly formed by old tunes with a new sound, the question does come to mind if this Ep is just a place-marker for the band in their new format.
Rock School was definitely one of the biggest work-outs last year, eleven young bands with only two songs to get the votes from the audience, a lot of running around not just on our end but also for the stage hands and bands backstage. The turnout seems to make it worth it though, the place is near enough packed with young peeps supporting their school mates. Still, with eleven bands on it’s going to be a bit of a long night, and incidentally quite a lot to read, don’t let that put you off though…
The Craufurd was once again a venue to check out on the last weekend, the name tonight being the Japanese Voyeurs. Unlike what you might find from a Google search (as the Frantic Alice crew found…) these guys are a London-based, sleazy grunge-fest who bring teenage angst back to the forefront of music. Along for the ride are the sleaze of Lionsex and Frantic Alice, plus also a bit of a wild card with Equinox and their new lineup being on the bill too. Downtune your guitars and hold on, this one could get bumpy…
Summer’s over, or almost at least. But it seems that the good spirits are still around by the end of the night with a brand new promoter, the name to follow for this one is “New Town Promotions” who started up their first gig down in Bletchely at the Working Mens Club. It’s good to see a few familiar faces around too, with some of the Peartree Bridge/Rock Hard crew down who helped out with the sound. Though New Town hasn’t settled on a particular venue yet, this one seems a bit unorthodox, looking more like a bingo hall but still working out fairly well…
Jul.18.09
I was quite priveleged at Parklife this year, I wasn’t just doing photos and writing but was also invited by Ryan Pink to be a member of the festival team, mainly doing work relating to the website though being quite overwhelmed by how many people and how much work was involved in getting it together. I was also worried on the night before too, the rain hammered it down like no tomorrow, but it left us with some amazing sunshine for the festival, which already has some people sat down waiting for some bands, luckily for them it’s not exactly a long wait for most of them…
Jul.05.09
I find it amazing how history can repeat itself, just like last year Saturday was a good one for the weather, then just like last year, the clouds look a bit menacing for the Sunday. Weather aside, today is looking as equally busy as the Saturday was and the bands are looking like another good mix of rock, metal, experimental and soul acts. Yesterday was a bit of a blast, so it’s time to see if today can follow suit despite the dreary weather and a bit of a hangover from last night’s barbecue…
Jun.21.09
It’s a little expected, but the weather has taken a turn for the better and is beating it’s way down on the fields of Great Linford. Unfortunately my band was playing a gig at noon so we missed a little bit of the festival, though the late arrival did have a couple of good sides, with New Pollution’s Warren and Sean of Anti-Vigilante getting there at the same time and I managed to catch a local legend in action, namely the irrepressible Big Laundry Bill. Saturday was a good runaround, but Sunday was pretty damn random towards the end, if you dare follow…
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a huge fan of metal but I have a certain respect for the bands that can pull it off, it would be fair to say over the year so far a lot of new local bands that have been up on the map have centred around the genre. But a few bands that are cropping up now are trying something different, Without Consent, Graveline and Equinox being three of them and this review being on the demo of the latter. This four piece have decided to inject a bit of pop-rock into the scene and if Waterside was anything to go by, they’re being received well.
Mar. 28. 2009
“Madness: The quality or condition of being insane.” Or in other words the Pitz last weekend as Monkey Vision took hold of the venue, it was definitely a bit of a bit of a workout for myself and the idea itself seems a bit out-of-the-box, even if it was planned down to the very last details, but all in a good way mind you. The idea is simple on paper, twenty bands represent twenty areas within the city, each have one song to make their appeal to the audience and judges. Oh, and they also only have three minutes to set themselves up, so you can imagine that the night was a bit of a rush for everyone. Still, it’s a unique night so it gets it’s own unique style of review, still, it’s a hell of a lot of bands so fasten your seatbelts…
