After a hard weeks graft what better way to unwind than with a road-trip and a gig! Which was the case when the Moosemobile (rather than Wagon Woodstock) trundled up the A1M to Nottingham to be a part of the Still Dying promoted ‘all day’ event.

Mark, the man behind Still Dying, is one of the good guys on the scene so it is always good to support a promotion like this.

I always enjoy the anticipation of events like this. A chance to hear the familiar, catch up with friends and, hopefully, discover a couple of ‘never before heard’ bands to stick on the list of ‘ I rather liked that!’.

The omens that this was going to be a typical night were apparent the moment Mark arrived at the venue at 3pm to begin the setting up etc., to find that they couldn’t get access until 4pm! So already behind the clock before a punter had step over the threshold. So, albeit for the most unforeseen reasons( a family bereavement of one of the bands members) when The Human Targets were unable to play it did help relieve the time pressures.

However, I am 100% certain that Mark, and everyone else would rather have had to deal with time issue. Fraser (Vocals – The Human Targets) did pop in for a while to catch up with Mark and also Born To Destruct which was very much appreciated.

To business then.

Getting things under way were The Jet Boys, a local band, who have been round for a while if the member since date on MySpace is any indicator. Which actually surprised me as not only did they look too young to shave, I wouldn’t have been surprised if they needed a note from a “Parent or Legal Guardian” giving permission for them to take part! Oh to be young again!!
Musically – not at all bad.



The songs are decent, the band are reasonably tight, nothing too complex in construct but with enough touches here and there to keep you interested. Particularly liked the ‘in unison’ ‘riffing’ between guitar and bass that appears on a couple of songs. The drums keep everything honest and the vocals sit nicely on top of this foundation.

For me, based on what I heard on the night, I did find that there was a certain similarity about each of the songs. A certain bass rhythm seemed, to me at least, apparent in each of the songs. So it would good to hear the band to push beyond what obviously is its ‘comfort zone’.

I have noticed they have some demo's up on their MySpace so I shall take me off and have a listen in a bit. www.myspace.com/thejetboysofficial - Take a listen for yourself.

Overall a good band to start things off as they delivered I nice grungy/punky/rocky blend of music, perhaps not what the die-hards would class as punk, but what is punk? Surely it’s the ethic and the ethos as much as the ‘sound’? There was a decent sized crowd for a first band taking in to account it was 5:30pm on not just a Saturday but F.A. Cup Final Saturday!

The sound at the start of the set I didn’t think was as good as it was towards the end of the set but it certainly was not bad at any point. A couple of songs stood out for me – the 2nd on the set list (a new one) which for me didn’t help as they were all new! IT NEVER ENDS was my favourite of the lot, and the set closer also grabbed my attention.

The Jet Boys are; Alex Strongman Guitar/Vocals, Matthew Beech Guitars, Adam Crooks Bass Guitars/Backing Vocals and Robert Brighton Drums/Percussion

Next up where The Rutherfords. A band I know are a particular favourite of Mark's! So I was gutted when the start of the bands set coincided with needing to return to the car to put more money in the meter, I was less than chuffed, even more so when my attempt to buy a ticket for evening parking was unsuccessful, but as this is a review of a music event and not the trials and tribulations of parking in Nottingham I shall spare you the details! Now! Where was I? A yes! The Rutherfords.

A very entertaining pop punk/garage/power pop trio from Nottingham so two local bands to get things going. Not a bad move as it meant the crowd for the first couple of bands was fairly decent, the question was would it remain so for the others...

Back to the band! That this trio enjoy themselves is plain for all to see (and hear). All three contribute vocals in varying combinations and all can sing. They have a good ear for harmony too which they use to good effect none more so than in Victoria Inn where they even indulged in a bit of naked harmony (as in acapella not literally!) There is a great understanding amongst the members of the band, great interplay musically, great stage presence, and they deliver tight, powerful energetic punky pop with a smile on their face and passion in their hearts!.



As I mentioned I missed the first two or three songs but if they were on a par with the rest of the set then I missed some good stuff! Apart from the unaccompanied vocal bit in Victoria Inn this was my least favourite of the songs, and the cover was not on the same par in terms of quality as the self penned stuff, but I stress, again, this my take of what I heard on the night and everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Definitely a band I shall keep an eye on to see when our paths cross in the future, as they are firmly on my list of must see again.

The Rutherfords are; Glyn Rutherford - Mum guitar / Vocals, Lee Rutherford - Dad guitar / Vocals and Greg Rutherford - Drums / Vocals
www.myspace.com/therutherfordsband

First of the out of town bands was Born To Destruct a Cambridge based female fronted 4 piece pop punk band. Those that follow my reviews know how close I am to this band and have been privileged to part of their journey from the very first gig. I appreciate Born To Destruct are not everyone's 'cup of tea'. They are unusual in having a female 'singer' who does it her way rather than conform to stereo-type. So when I hear some ignoramus make their dislike known verbally I would like to say, as entitled as you are to your opinion, why not go outside with everyone else that decided to sit this band out, and wait until there is something more in keeping with your “narrow minded” taste. Rant out of the way!!



Those that did remain to see the band (once again big thanks to Fraser for popping in to catch the band), were privy to some more rather good pop punk. The set was well balanced and contained examples of the old, the new, and somewhere in between. If you like a bit of a musical journey that went from where they started to where they are now and how they got there! But as for most people watching this was the first time hearing the band, everything was new!

The sound was not too bad. There have been more than a few venues that have struggled with the fact that Kat Destruct (VOX) (a) sings and (b) uses a radio mike so it was great that the sound guy knew what he was doing (cheers!).

Woodstock Punkrock (GUITAR & B/VOX), Dr Stuart (BASS & B/VOX) and Richie Rich (DRUMS) delivered and fun doing it. There were a couple of slips including a missed vocal cue in Sick Scum and Apathy by Woodstock which is a rare and noteworthy happening. That aside, the band gave a good account of itself to a crowd that was on the small side (certainly smaller than for the first couple of bands.) NOTHING launched the set and was well received, FLYIN' with its brevity caught several by surprise and received a very muted reception (also the vocal was particularly quite too), LEECH, 24 HOURS, WE'RE BACK an SICK SCUM AND APATHY definitely grabbed the attention and had an impact as the band sold a few CD's on the back of it, which is encouraging!

www.myspace.com/borntodestructbtd is the place to find out more about the band!

With Born To Destruct kicking off what was to be a trio of female fronted bands GIRLFIXER were next up. A name I have seen regularly which always piques my interest as I like to see what 'the fuss' is about. Another local band, they had perhaps the largest crowd of the night.

There was a slight delay as it transpired that the guitar cab was not working meaning that instead of being able to use the Marshall head as hoped Antony (Guitar) had to use a combi and had a bit of a job getting the sound and volume required as feedback was never far away. In the true nature of these things some informed nob twiddling, some slightly less informed tweaks, and resigned shrug or two and the band were ready.

Nicola (Drums) and Lance (Bass) did an excellent job of laying the foundation for each song, the guitar was a little quiet on occasion but overall knitted with bass & drums intelligently. Natalie (VOX) is no shrinking violet. Plenty of attitude, bags of angst and an extremely full on style of vocal delivery, which for my tastes was a little too full on. There is no doubting that it fits the style of songs extremely well.

I found it a little frustrating that every now and then you'd hear a glimpse of a damn fine voice underneath all that pile driven ferocity and I kept hoping I'd hear a little more of it. A very good band that got a great reception and I can see why they are accompanying THE FRONT on their UK TOUR as they compliment each other well. So, nothing personal, just not for me.

Find out more about the band www.myspace.com/girlfixermusic and check out the tour dates at http://www.myspace.com/stilldyinguk

Completing the female fronted trio in the middle order was the aforementioned THE FRONT, the other 'out of town' band, hailing as it does from Casper, Wyoming in the 'wild west' of the US of A. Also being a distance of close on 4,000 miles I guess The Front could lay claim to the bragging rights on which band from out of town came the furthest!

This appearance at The Central Venue being the 2nd night of a potential 15 date tour of the UK. A band I knew very little about before the gig, in fact my sum knowledge consisted of the fact I knew Woodstock (Born To Destruct) had reviewed their Snake Oil Salesman Album recently, and catching the last 3 or four tracks of the CD when I arrived for lunch at BTD HQ!

Opening with the title track off their 2nd album, Snake Oil Salesman got the set off to an impressive start. This is no mere female fronted rawkus punk outfit. They are very much premier league contenders. Trust your own ears if you doubt mine. There is nothing hookey or hokum about this band, far from it they are the real deal and no mistake. From the first word of Snake Oil Salesman to last of White, Lauren (VOX) put on a master class of high energy, angst ridden, venom dripping vocal delivery. Yes it included some extremely full on screamed passages, but, there was contrast and balance and the voice behind the siren wails was allowed to break out like the sun after rain, lifting things to a new level and adding depth and texture to some very tasty songs. I loved the dirty rasping double picked bass lines that snapped and snarled every bit as much as Lauren's vocals. This was backed with some fine drum work and the guitar added the final ingredient in the mix to produce some high octane punk which correctly received rapt attention and wholesome appreciation. The set consisted of quiet a few tracks that can be found on the 2nd album and for the record the set was as follows (I think!)

SNAKE OIL SALESMAN*, FIRE AWAY*, DEATH DRESS*, COMMANDO, TAKE ME ON*
BLOOD MONEY, LOW INCOME LOVE*, TAKE BACK THE NIGHT*, ALL HAIL*
BE YOUR GIRL, WHITE*  * from the album Snake Oil Salesman

Favourites for me were SNAKE OIL SALESMAN, BLOOD MONEY, FIRE AWAY and ALL HAIL.

As I mentioned the band have just started a UK tour which ends on May 30th and takes in places like LONDON (The Bridgehouse II), KETTERING (Sawyers), NORWICH (B2 Venue) and several venues up North!. The Kettering gig is well worth a mention as also on that bill are MISPELT 2.0 another band with a shy retiring violet of a singer, N O T !!! What a night, Lauren, Natalie and Jen (Mispelt 2.0) now that is well worth a look/listen!

Full details of the dates are shown below. A couple of the dates are awaiting confirmation so may be worth contacting Mark at Still Dying to see what's what
http://www.myspace.com/stilldyinguk

The Front are; Lauren (VOX), Steve (GUITAR), Mike (BASS) and Dustan (DRUMS)
www.myspace.com/thefront

The band with the unenviable task of 'Follow That!' were Rebel City Radio which was another name with which I was familiar and similarly keen to check out. A highly energetic, balls out, pedal to the metal quartet that assault your ears with a blistering barrage of guitar lead, bass and drum driven, hard core rock/punk.

A veritable blitzkrieg! (Which spookily is the name of the band originally scheduled to headline this event.). Although a relatively new band (2008) they built up quite a following and have caught the ear of a several 'people' and in doing so have become 'serious players.' With plaudits from among others Radio 1, Kerrang Radio and the legendary Charlie Parker it's hard to argue against the bands pedigree. I have to agree they are indeed a highly energetic, excellent band, just not one that on the night did anything for me.

There were several that disagreed with me judging by the reaction they got to each of the first four or five songs. And so it was that with the prospect of a 2½ hour journey to get home that I left Rebel City Radio to a more receptive audience and headed for the Moosemobile to begin the trek home (via BTD HQ) to the bad lands of Ely in the Cambridgeshire Fens!

Rebel City Radio are: Robbie Sparks (GUITAR & LEAD VOX), Mac Mayhem (GUITAR & LEAD VOX), Al Stocker (BASS & B/VOX) and Joey “The Bastard” Briggs (DRUMS)
www.myspace.com/rebelcityradio

My apologies to The Maybeez for not staying to watch their set. I hope they got the reception they deserved, and going by what I saw earlier in terms of support for the local bands I am sure they did.

Thanks to:

• Mark @ Still Dying for promoting another excellent night of fine music. Good luck with the rest of the tour (THE FRONT'S UK TOUR)
• The sound guy. Great job.
• Special mention to Fraser for coming down to catch BTD
• To all the bands for playing their part in making it such a good night
• To everyone that came along and supported some/all of the bands.
• The venue and staff for providing a place to play and keep us all well hydrated with a range of different beverages!

As ever, respectfully submitted by


A Man Called Moose

It's not very often I enter a church these days so finding out that the venue was a church not as I had assumed a de-consecrated church being used as community building - but a functioning one I already had this pencilled in at the top of the most surreal venue 2010 list.

Then if you factor in NO ALCOHOL allowed on the premises and a 10PM curfew I think I can safely ink this gig in as the most surreal!

In keeping with a lot of mid 19th early 20th churches this one is built to impress and strike awe in to the souls who enter through its magnificent, dual towered facade to worship within its walls.

The Centenary Methodist Church also upholds another centuries old 'tradition' as being a safe haven for those seeking shelter, food, sanctuary - by working to help the homeless, running a soup kitchen amongst other pastoral work.

The church and popular music are uneasy bed fellows at the best of times, the works of several rock and metal bands being cited as proof that evil really does exist... so when you are talking about an unpopular genre of music - punk, if the two so much as nod at each briefly acknowledging the existence of the other it is a major step forward.

So take one old geezer that has been in to punk for over 30 years and who just so happens to have found/refound his faith, and get him to take a project that is there to combine presenting great punk rock, introducing young people to scene and in doing all this still riase money for Casa Alianza - a charity/not for profit organisations that works to safeguard the street kids in Latin American countries where kids can be founding living on the streets as they literally have NOTHING and NO ONE and as such are held in less reguard than sewer rats and exterminated as if they are vermin - and you get PUNK 4 THE HOMELESS.

A case of WHERE EAGLE DARES? Right back to purpose of this review!

ROADTRIP! Oh yes! Another new venue, another new town, 3 new bands plus BTD (should've been 4 new bands plus BTD, except there was a problem with the band van and therefore they couldn't make it - and stop that of course it wasn't coz they were going to be on first and felt they deserved to be higher up the bill, honestly!)

We arrived in the town of BOSTON deep in the Fenlands of Lincolnshire at around 5:30 and as we drove in to the car park of the church two things struck you - firstly the size of the building, and secondly the size of the queue at the caravan used as the soup kitchen.

We wandered through a maze of corridors to find the actual location of the stage etc, and although not in the church proper, the 'chapel' about the size of an average school or village hall was going to play host for the gig. That is wasn't just a village hall was apparent from the cross on the wall high above the 'stage' and the balcony that ran along bothsides and the end farthest from the stage.

The other thing we found was a rather ruffled Eagle (doing a Bono impersonation as he was sporting a rather interesting pair of yellow lensed shades) as he had just dealt with a small but not insignificant problem - when he went to collect the PA he was told he couldn't have it as he didn't book it - so then ensued much unneeded and unnecessary angst as efforts were made to rectify the situation. (The Bono thing was to do with a medical eye problem)

Added to that one of the bands (as mentioned earlier) were not able to make it!

As BTD had brought the drum kit, Rich (DRUMS - BTD) set about setting up the kit whilst others in the Destruction Crew set about sorting out something to eat and getting a cup of tea!)

Finally replete the Destruction Crew returned to the venue as SEPTIC PSYCHOS began sound checking. The PA had also arrived and was busily being set up so that by the time the boys had done a couple of bits to set up guitar and bass levels the mikes were on and in position! Now being a chapel and not just a hall, and one with a very high ceiling I would estimate about 30 feet at least this has an interesting effect acoustically as what you chuck out sound wise comes back to you as an echo a phenomenon that was causing MICK (GUITAR & VOX) a problem early doors!

With the sound check out of the way and a 6:30pm start pushed back to after 7pm due to there now being only four bands when OiZ II MEN took to the stage at 7ish we thought here we go, but no, just having a quick sound check. That was fun to watch/hear in his attempts to get the guitars and bass to turn down so they didn't drown everything out especially the vocal actually arrived at a point where the only thing you could here was the vocal! So with some wise advice from the gathered audience to crank the guitars up more they were ready to... go and have a fag/drink/pee.

Finally at around 7:25 Eagle climbed on to the stage to give a short speech about the project and the work of Casa Alianza before reading a poem written by one of the children the project is there to try and protect.

The way was then clear for OiZ II MEN to get things rocking. A five piece band that hail from down London way. JON, SYLVESTER, TOM, FROTHY and THE DRUMMER! (For some reason their myspace www.myspace.com/oiziimen shows 2 bass players! And no drummer) launched in to a set of some pretty fast paced punk with songs that were about drink, lots of drink, politics, politics and drink which was ironic as the strongest thing available in the venue was the orange squash!

The stage set up didn't help the guys with both guitar being on the same side (as this was were the amps were) Even so they played their hearts out and although from my perspective they seemed to struggle a bit with not being to hear each other properly it didn't stop them delivering a good set. I just feel that there was a lot more about the band that I didn't get to hear on the night may be next time, and there will be a next time. What's more this is a thoroughly decent bunch of lads who after they had played stayed and supported every other band that played on the night and had a jolly good time.

A bit more EAGLE followed and then BORN TO DESTRUCT took to the stage. First gig in Boston, first in a church! And given the more metal/oi flavour of other bands it was refreshing to see how those gathered to BTD to their hearts and had a great time listening to the band. As a seasoned observer of all things Born To Destruct this was up there with the very best performances. KAT (VOX), WOODSTOCK (GUITAR), DR STU (BASS) and RICH (DRUMS) all enjoyed themselves immensely and from early on in the set the band got people up and moving and it wasn't long before the first mosh of the evening was in full cry.

It was a particularly well balanced set that even had something new in it for the die hards (although as Woodstock pointed out it was new to those who had never seen the band!). And what a new song!! WE'RE BACK is one of the best they have written and it really well keep SICK SCUM & APATHY(dedicated to the local press at Eagle's behest) honest, as I truly believe there is a new alpha song in the pack! NOTHING, SICK SCUM & APATHY, WE'RE BACK, BEER and 24 HOURS were all stand outs, but in reality every song went down a storm. www.myspace.com/borntodestructbtd

Third band of the night were THE APOCALYPSE BABYS. A punk trio that call Mansfield home! All black leather and metal music. The most surreal image of the night was seeing ASTERIX (BASS & VOX) rocking his heart out and supping on a Robinson's Fruit Shoot ;). It was also a surprise to see a drummer, in the case MR K HILL, who has obviously had some sort of training going by the way he held his sticks! The trio is completed by JOOLS (GUITARS).

Their MySpace www.myspace.com/apocalypsebabysofficial states “THE MORE YOU DRINK, THE BETTER WE SOUND” . I shall have to put that to the test next time I see them! We were treated to some great metal infused punk rock n roll that got a great reception from the crowd and some serious moshing ensued. Great live band! Again not sure if it was the lack of monitors but just occasionally it seemed JOOLS was struggling a bit, or that could be down to the lack of alcohol, (although spookily he did seem to get back in the grove after a swig from his fruit shoot, eh!?) Another great set from a highly entertaining and energetic band.

So three down and one to go! Another quick word from EAGLE and the SEPTIC PSYCHOS set about bringing this rather interesting evening to a close. A seriously hard core Oi band of the finest quality. CHIZ (VOX), MICK (GUITAR & VOX), RICH (DRUMS) and PETE (BASS and very natty sideburns!) treated us to 30 minutes of full on, flat out, in yer face, fully fledged tunes that deservedly got them an encore.

The set list contained (I think) and in no particular order; BUY SOME SHIT; MAYBE TODAY; THE THATCHER; MORE BEER;I'M PSYCHO and DEATH RACE (which was the encore) plus a few others I didn't get the titles of on the night. This band won't be every ones cuppa, as they are pretty hard core, but they are also one of the tightest bands I have heard for a while. ROTTEN AND RANCID the bands new CD is on my desk awaiting a review! www.myspace.com/septicpsychos

Yet again there were lots a people up and giving it large in the pit. Fantastic.

The atmosphere all night was brilliant. EVERY band contributed to making it a very special night as did all those that came to support the night and listen to the bands. Made even more special by the respect and support all bands had/gave for each other! PUNK at it's very best!

The cherry on top of the cake was when EAGLE took the mic one last time to report that the event had made a PROFIT to the tune of roughly £35*. Which may not sound a lot but at £4 a ticket or what you could afford, and £70 going to the higher of the PA is a pretty fair result.

EAGLE is looking at ways he can raise money so that he can buy a PA so that he doesn't have the outlay for a PA each gig. So if anyone has any ideas, spare money, even a PA they'd like to donate I'm sure EAGLE would be only too glad to hear from you! http://www.myspace.com/punk4thehomeless

On the subject of sound. Well done to our friend at the sound desk, who made sure all the vocalists had great sound. And another hats off to the bands who all took in to account the high vaulted ceiling and general acoustics of the venue and notched the volume to a slightly emancipated 10.5 rather than the usual macho 11!

*in fact EAGLE made an extra £20 quid which he got back on the return of the PA so nearer £55 or so!

So thank you to EAGLE for putting on a quality punk show

Thanks to the bands and their friends and followers for bringing great music and fantastic support 'to the table'

Thanks to everyone else there on the night for their support of a great night and a worthy cause

Thanks to Andy the psycho photographer too!

Oh and thanks to the young lady who bought a BTD vest top and wore it for the rest of the night!!

Respectfully Submitted By


A Man Called Moose.

With no POTC event in March, Aprils event was even more eagerly anticipated and the fact that there were only 2 bands on show was not going to mke the evening any less enjoyable. One new band (for me) THE GUZZARDS, and an old favourite in THE FANNY PADS, good times.
 
So when WOODSTOCK PUNKROCK and I rolled up at The Corner House and found a band in residence setting up their gear, WOODSTOCK'S immediate thought was that co-promoter NICK GRANT had found a third band in WRONG PLANET (the band in residence!) and when NICK came in and saw WRONG PLANET setting up he thought that WOODSTOCK must have found a third band at the eleventh hour! So when both found out that neither had contacted the band they decided to find out just what was going on!

Without out going in to all the ins and outs of what happened the upshot was COCK UP - originally the date had been booked as a POTC event about a couple of months before, a later enquiry to see if the event could be moved to the Fri nite (23rd) was not possible and so POTC said ok no worries will leave it.

The venue were under the impression that the event had been cancelled on the Sat nite as well so did a bit of last minute phoning and got hold of WRONG PLANET who agreed to come and play. There was also meant to be a Solo artiste and a band of youngsters. The young guns arrived, but the solo guy did not.

So what could have been a cluster fuck of Royal proportions actually, through common sense and general air of "it's all about the music" all the bands present played, and provided the most eclectic line up POTC has mustered - memories of the last couple of VIVA LA LOCALS came flooding back as they too had very diverse line ups.

It was great to see how each of the bands supported each other as well as the crowd who did likewise no matter who they had primarily come to see.

A hastily re-jigged running order was drawn up which as it turned out was perfect.

AUDIO FIRE had the honour of kicking things off. A 2 piece band consisting of a guitarist/vocalist and a drummer. All I know about the band is they have a myspace page http://www.myspace.com/audiofireband and that it was the drummers birthday on Saturday.Their myspace is a little sparse in detail but they do have a couple of tracks up you can listen to.



A band firmly entrenched in the indie/rock genre they received a favourable response from the assembled crowd. As to the music, I would be surprised if they don't number the Artic Monkeys amongst their influences as there were some definite AMesque touches about some of the songs.
 
I'm not sure how many of the song titles I have got correct but here goes. I think their set consisted of six songs. The first ESCAPADE was a decent opener, the guitar work was good although I'm not sure the solo really fits the song. The next was NOTHING CHANGES(?),i think, again a another song that was basically sound what stood out in this song was the strange chord patterns, unusual can work, but not sure if it did here. The third song, which was not introduced, I DON'T MISS YOU (i think I got from song) whatever, I really liked this song.

The guitar work was solid, the vocal delivery was great and the drums more expansive. CRACKS IN THE GROUND had a real frozen primate feel about it, from the lyrical style to the guitar sound and vocal delivery. The 'Monkeys influence could also be clearly heard on their fifth song, for which I didn't have the title. Last up complete with grunged up guitar sound was (i think) BLOW BEFORE THE BLUES. Which of the set was my least favourite.In the main the band have a good musical ear and being a young and fairly new band the writing will get better as they mature and progress.

The biggest thing for me was the lack of a bass player. Now I'm not sure if this a circumstance thing as in they have not been able to find one, or a deliberate decision. However apart from thickening out the sound, bass acts like the glue that cements the drums and guitar together.

All in all, not bad at all. Like all new bands practise is great but playing live is where it is at, and this is where you learn your trade. Keep it tight, keep it simple, step outside of the box when it is right to do so - not just for the sake of it, and have fun... enjoy it. The more you do the more we this side of the stage will. A band for the future, especially for those who like their music more indie.

A quick switch from indie to some down and dirty punked up rock n roll.

THE GUZZARDS are a 4 piece from Norwich. I often speak of bands having energy but this lot have torn up my previous definition and wrote a new one. It's almost as if they stand still for a second they will not be able to move ever again. Whether it is the music that feeds their energy or vice versa who knows, and quite frankly, who cares.



The result is a full on frontal audio assault that takes your breath away. A band that is constantly gigging and making themself poor financial in the process but if winning new friends were a bankable commodity these boys would be raking it in. 
 
I will hold my hand up and admit that after the first couple of songs, which I liked, I wondered if they were a bit of a one trick pony. Nothing wrong with that at all but it is always encouraging when you hear a band do something different and not churn out song after song after song that are basically the same format etc. My worries were soon assuaged with songs that showed after some great harmony work vocally, some great guitar work including some terrific double axe men posing and even a harmonised guitar solo thrown in for good measure. In fact musically one of the tightest bands i have heard (and there have been 1 or 2). Even more encouraging was the fact they really enjoy themselves. And so were we!

The Corner House doesn't have the most capcious staging area but hats off to the band the just plugged in and got on with it and didn't let the lack of space kill the drive and power invested in each song. I purchased a copy of their 6 track EP which has not been out of the CD player since I bought it (another review coming on I feel!)

The band are;
MATT (GUITAR & VOX)
AARON (GUITAR & VOX)
JASE (BASS)
MEZ (DRUMS)
Check them out at www.myspace.com/theguzzards  www.theguzzards.com  or better still catch them live when they are next in a town near you!

Having punked up the party The Guzzards made way for another band that treat your lugholes to good old fashioned musical GBH! - namely THE FANNY PADS all the way from deepest darkest Sudbury.THE FANNY PADS are a band that never let you down. First on, mid bill, headlining, and/or playing to crowd of 2 or to hundreds they just deliver.



FLOCKY (VOX) and the boys PETE (BASS & B/VOX), WIGGS (DRUMS) and SPUD (GUITAR) took us by the scruff of the neck, got our attention, started the jet engine, brought the after burner on line and we were off on a madcap, manic, metalic maelstrom of a ride accompanied by
THE FANNY PADS, A BETTER LIFE, WHERE IT ENDS*, HOW LONG, EMERGENCY, WHY*, MID LIFE CRISIS, GLAIKIT*, TRUTH IS OUT, ID, TAKING LIBERTIES*, GET OUTTA MY WAY*, NICK GRIFFIN and DEAD CITIES. All delivered with power, pace and passion, and on occasion a slightly over lubricated guitar.

The stand outs for me are the ones marked*. Shame that NO CONFIDENCE was not on the list as this a personal favourite and DRINKING would not have been out of place!

Another great set from a great band. A band that does 'this' for all the right reasons which is always good to see. http://www.myspace.com/thefannys is the place to go to find out more about the band!

Having mentioned right at the start the 'mix up' with the scheduling and who was actually playing at the venue, the headline act were WRONG PLANET or at one point early doors WRONG BAND, WRONG VENUE, WRONG DATE, WRONG TIME etc etc.However a big thank you to WRONG PLANET and all the bands for not letting egos and a cock up get in the way and ensuring that we had a full night of music no matter what!Also they supported every band that was on before them as did there friends which is great to see and much appreciated.



WRONG PLANET - a band I saw first last September at The Haymakers in Cambridge - play what they self style as Pre Apocalyptic Rock. Wind the clock back to the late seventies and this is the sort of music you'd find tucked away on a late night Old Grey Whistle Test with that Maestro of air waves Mr Whispering Bob Harris introducing the band, or, if radio was more your thing the late and much lamented Mr John Peel was not adverse to giving this stuff a spin.

I personally hear it as an elcelctix mix of progressive rock, jazz fusion, a touch of alternative and avant garde with a pinch of wholesome rock n roll.

There are definite touches of early Pink Floyd, one of the songs had a very Sabbathesque riff of a War Pigs/Children of The Grave ilk and a few times I thought chuck in a Sax and there was something a touch COLLESIUM IIish going on. Musical extremely accomplished, mind you, they have been round the block a few times individually as muscians so you would expect nothingless. Also compared to when I last saw them in September they have grow together as a unit and much tighter as a unit.

However, now as then, the vocal delivery just didn't tick any boxes for me, (sorry Becky nothing personal) it's not that it's bad, it's not that it doesn't fit the style and others in the venue clearly did like what they were hearing it's just I didn't like it, but imagine a world where we all liked exactly the same things and had the same tastes in music how bland, boring and desolate would that be?

But don't just take my word for it, not that many do, find out for yourself. As I say this a talented and highly proficient group of muso's who play a more grown up and sophisticated type of rock music. They brought this rather discombobulated event to a fitting close.WRONG PLANET is BECKY (VOX & GUITAR), STUART (GUITAR & VOX), CHRIS (DRUMS)and DICK (BASS)
and you find out more about the band at http://www.wrongplanet.org

Thanks to everyone who came to The Corner House either to watch or play irrespective of which promotion you thought you were coming to see!

Big thanks to the bands for putting music before egos and allowing WOODSTOCK and NICK of POTC to snatch triumph from the jaws of a cluster fuck!  Roy(?) The Sound Guy - for doing his usual good job for the bands! And to the venue for being there!

Respectfully if some what tardily submitted by



A Man Called Moose!