ALUNAH @ The Varsity. Thursday 3rd June 2010

Ok. Lets get something straight. There is a differance between being 'shocked' and being 'astonished.'

At hearing the recent news that 'Big Ron, infamous quote; "he is what is known in some schools as a lazy thick n****r," Atkinson' had been inducted into the League Managers Association's Hall of Fame,  we were shocked. At realising that Gee Brown's saying goodbye would lead to Cameron and Clegg introducing us to the 'Con' 'Dem' nation, we were unashameably shocked. At watching midlands combo rock band 'Alunah' perform live at The Varsity in Wolverhampton? Astonished!!!

Sophie and the guys have a busy schedule ahead with gigs across the Midlands and down south in the big city. And when you can produce the kind of  dark and tasty muso vibes that this band do, being in demand is one of the last things you need to concern yourself about. Getting gigs just cannot be a problem for Alunah. Getting decent worthwhile gigs, well that may be another story.

For now let's focus on the positives. Imagine, you are stood on a rock overlooking a mighty waterfall. When you take a closer look you notice that the water is blackcurrant dark and emenating an exotic alluring aroma. "Would it be safe to dive in ?", you ask yourself. Then someone pushes you over the edge.

By the time we had realised what the Alunah experience was all about we were already in above our heads, drifting like seaweed just beneath the surface of the liquorice black Alunah waves. As helpless as we were there was no coming up for air. We didn't want to come up for air. We thought we could breath under water. And we did, drawing in and savouring the lush dark sweetness through open mouths and expanded nostrils. 'In An Ancient Land,' "yes", 'Call of Avernus', "Yes", 'Eternal Sea' "YES!!!" Alunah have some truly fantastic songs and within moments of meeting the band you realise that they love what they do and there's every chance that you will too.

                                                                    

Now as you know, the Bandzine is not a collection of rocket scientists and we are not particularly overflowing in the skills and knowledge department, but it doesn't take an awful lot of mental arithmatic to recognise a dud promotion when we see one. And that's a real shame ~ especially for all of the talented musos in attendance. The Varsity is a likeable live muso venue that, on this occassion fell well short of being anywhere near to bagging the bragging rights for being the hottest ticket in town. "Where are all the people?", one muso lover was heard to exclaim, "next door in the 'Gals & Geezers: Bingers On The Pull  Convention", we reply. Its a bizarre situation but not one that bands such as Alunah will have much time to ponder over. All that they can and should do is exactly what they do do...turn up, plug in and blow our minds!!! Lead vocalist Sophie is a muso phenomena and someone that the Bandzine would pay to interview (or atleast be tempted to).

Like we said earlier, 'Astonishing!!!'

Magic Moments: A front row seat and a signed CD on the same night. Cool!!!

Moments of Madness: Four packets of Walkers on the trot is never a good sign! What was he thinking!?!

The Black and Reds @ The Stein Bar Saturday 22 May 2010

The Stein Bar is amongst the more modern and attractive of Walsall's live music venues and perhaps therefore the ideal location for 'The Black and Reds' homecoming gig. Who wouldn't want to play a garden party at midnight on the hottest night of the year (so far) in front of a packed muso loving audience in the heart of the town? Don't answer that...instead imagine our joy at being liberated from the comms and norms of the society treadmill  by the "we don't give a monkey's" exuberance of Walsall's own 'The Black and Reds.'

Contrary to their outward demeanour of being a band that would happily trash their gear  in seconds for effect, T.B n R obviously do give a darn. You don't become as extraordirily talented as Ash Black (drums & vox) and Greg Red (guitar & vox) by spending any spare time that you have getting back up to date with 'Eastenders', 'Heroes' or 'Emmerdale.' Here, we are talking talented muso's of the almost supernatural kind.

T.B n R tore into their set  in the same way that you'd expect a starving Gary Lineker to rip into a bag of Walkers. Organised chaos ensued, and by the time that the boom and clatter of muso madness finally came to a standstill (maybe around 1am) one was left with no doubt that headline slots were made for this band ~ not the other way round.

It's difficult to argue with the band's claim that they sound like 'the best thing you ever heard - but better' and it would be an interesting debate. Keeping it simple we'd prefer to say that in their style and approach T.B n R has something for almost everyone. They can funky groove and they can heavy rock.  They can make you laugh and they can perhaps make you feel like shedding the odd tear. They can quickly sway you between admiration for their dedication and disgust at their antics. They kiss you passionately on the cheeks and kick you viciously in the groin at the same time. And if you see any drumsticks poking out of  your guttering, they'll belong to 'Ash Black.'

Back to the Stein Bar. On the outside, classy black

country garden party, on the inside, cool bar with a distinctly American diner feel to it. (We almost expected to be offered coffee, black with two sugars by a gum chewing waitress in a sensible blue/white outfit and oversized writing pad to hand). By being at the forefront of the borough's live muso scene the Stein Bar and its sat night promoters 'Glow' have backed a winner.

Whilst Walsall's love / hate relationship with live music continues the Glow Crew were able to produce a muso experience during which Walsall's love for live music shone through. As the sectioned crowd sang along to the final number competitively, with Ash Black in his element ~ pulling the strings, there were fleeting moments that Wembley Arena wouldn't have seemed out of place as a backdrop to the muso party. As it was The Stein Bar was more than good enough. 

Truly Cool ~ 'Back Door' is an ace song, as is 'World of Lies'. The band doesn't keep a set list so forget about any possibility of knowing remotely what could happen next when you watch them. Plus we were treated like Goth Gods by the staff and promoters - which was especially cool.

Not So Hot ~ Comeon Walsall...let yourselves go. We're only 10 miles from the UK's second city. Don't be afraid of enjoying yourselves. If and when these guys return lets make sure our screams of joy tear a hole in the night sky. They are worth the effort!!!
Peace.

The Illuminations @ Base Studios Friday 30th April 2010

Peeps may have noticed a slight lull in the Bandzine activity of late. It's true. There has been a period of slumber which has been down to the need for physical rest (we are only human) but also down to the fact that my band The Illuminations made their first outing appearing live at Base Studios in Stourbridge in Friday 30th April.

Base Studios is the kinda music venue that I imagine most towns would like to have. A simple set up. Clean and attractive with a significant amount of young input. In fact when we arrived the room's wrinkle count must have shot up by over 500%. Needless to say that we initially felt slightly out of place, but staff were fantastically friendly and accommodating and there was obviously on the part of the young muso audience, a desire to hear and support live music. Every town should have a venue that is able to record live vids and stream them to an internet audience giving musos a real opportunity to reach out to fans near and far. These are the kinds of initiatives that younger generations tend to bring to the party.

One of our favourite sayings is "music is music is music." In Blakenall terms, good music will go down well wherever it's played. And in The Illuminations, on account of the exceptional songwriting and riff busting talents of Allan 'Bones' Tranter there is no doubt that musos will hear good music.

Some local musos may remember 'Bones' from his previous outings with the fabulous 80's band 'Ron's Neighbours.'

In those days the Walsall music scene was a vibrant living entity, breathing heart and soul into local events that brought the borough's generations enthusiastically together.  And Ron's Neighbours were at the forefront of Walsall's musical revolution alongside bands like 'Bliss The Pocket Opera' and 'The Young Doctors.' It would be unfair to suggest that Walsall's bands of today lack the same enthusiasm as their yester-year counterparts, but what doesn't seem as apparent these days is the comraderie that was shared amongst musos during the Ron's Neighbours era. With the invention of internet and web technology artists can afford to broaden their horizons and focus on creating fan bases outside of their home town without even leaving their living rooms. Curse or a blessing? Who can tell?

And so, alonside 'Bones' and our ace drummer Tom 'Toad' Mitchell, I and thus, 'The Illuminations' performed four songs for the Stourbridge muso lovers. It wasn't a packed house but it was a pleasurable evening and we were warmly recieved (even described as exciting!?!)
Thanx Stourbridge.

And so with many more gigs on the horizon, (thanx to all of you guys who have sent the Bandzine invites to your forthcoming events) and having felt the benefits of lavendar and radox (amongst other pleasurable remedies)  it's back to work for the Bandzine.
See you soon.

Truly positive ~ watching 'The Gruber'  and the band that was on before us (sorry guys ~ can't remember your name!!!)

Kinda messed up ~ thinking we could think of a better route to Stourbridge than the Sat Nav. Now we know, she was only trying to help!!!

Grey Goose Blues Band @ The Robin 2 Wed 28th April 2010

If there's one thing that we absolutely love about Frankie Williams and the G.G.B.B it has to be their committment to the well known maxim that 'actions speak louder than words.' How this translates for cash strapped gig heads like us who spend the days leading up to the next gig pondering on whether the ticket money would be better spent on a bogof boxer shorts bargain or a chips n' curry sauce laced dvd night in, is at least we know that at a G.G.B.B gig, no matter the ticket cost, we'll get our money's worth.

One can do much worse than being the support for Matt 'Sifting Thru Ashes' Schofield at the Robin 2 on a wednesday night in front of 200 or so peeps. (Much worse!!!). And the Grey Goose were able to handle both the opportunity and the occassion with apparent ease. Frankie Williams is an amazingly talented and dedicated muso who knows the blues genre well enough to be able to cultivate an entertaining blend of original, cult and classic material. What was also particularly pleasing to see was the return of drummer 'Chuddy' Mitchell to the four piece line up, proving ever so loosley that bands can survive several changes to their personnel and still come out of it looking and (perhaps more importantly) sounding good.
Going back to our original point, as a front man,  Frankie Williams keeps it simple. No tangled web of musical deceipt to speak of here. The songs were craftily woven together with some smart and sharp verbal introductions that simply translated said, "we ain't come to talk, we come to play!", a point gratefully received by an obviously appreciative audience. Dancing to blues at 9pm in the evening might seem slightly out of context to some people but dance we did - into the night as it happens. The G.G.B.B has that affect on you.

Best Moments:
Several come to mind all deserving of a mention but instead we'll just say thanx to the band for a great gig and thanx to the staff at The Robin 2 for making us feel so warmly welcomed and for introducing us to the dry white wine and soda combo.

Worst Moments:
Erm...can we still catch the 339 Bus back to Walsall at 11.30pm?

Caught Off Guard @ The Wharf Bar ~ Friday 23rd April 2010

Caught Off Guard @ Wharf Bar Friday 23rd April 2010

Well this was the plan. Leave JJM studios at around 10.15pm. Maybe stop off on the walk to town for a junk food hit. Hang around outside 'The Rising Sun' for at least 5 mins - long enough to hear a bostin' tune from the front door step, before heading towards one of the three live muso venues within easy walking distance of the town centre, to catch a stomping gig. Well, empty belly and no bostin' tunes later I found myself on the waterfront paradise that is Walsall's Wharf Bar.

In football they say that a team is as good as it's last match. I guess it's fair to say on that basis that a band is as good as their last gig. And whereas teams rely on their manager to shape, motivate and inspire them, the fate of performing musos is often in the hands of the often forgotten engineer. Ok, I'll come back to this point later. For now, let's talk 'Caught Off Guard.'

If you like your musos to be loud and proud, oozing in teenage bravado, bright and colourful yet dark and meaningful, you'll like C.O.G.

Ask them about their style and they'll say "punkish", ask us and we'll say "edgy thrash punk that will tear off your lobes if you stand too close to the speakers."

Lee (Guitar/Vox), Si (Bass), Matt (Guitar/Vox) and Dan (Drums) make up a formidable muso four piece that packs a formidable muso punch. No surprise to see their mainly feminine fanship making waves at the front line.

We quite expect to see C.O.G shaking up a few venues over the next few years ~ if they don't happen to implode like so many young bands tend to do. They certainly have the talent, they just need the will.

Now for the gripes...
C.O.Gs songs came fast and furious. They obviously have no problems in the songwriting department, but to be honest it was more than difficult trying to understand any of the words. So unless you were a life long C.O.G fan or was fortunate to be crashed out near by when the fab four were putting pen to paper, then, fantastic melodys aside you were in for a rough ride. Not the band's fault I hasten to add. The Wharf Bar needs to invest in some equipment that will bring out the best in the talent that it appears so willing to promote. Either that or the engineer needs his ears waxing. (Or maybe I do?).
Nevertheless, we did somehow manage to hear enough of 'Mewtins' and 'Armageddon' to be able to say, this band have some pretty good songs that will probably grow on us the more we hear them. Keep up the good work lads!!!

High points:  'Open To Fire' drummer jumps on stage to join Lee in a battle for the mic contest. And who's the party animal in the paper hat? Nice one guys!!!

Low point: We don't mind the Wharf Bar deciding to close earlier than usual. They have their reasons. But we don't like being told the bad news by a miserable bar maid who seemed more interested in packing up and making for the door than being warm and friendly to her customers. Don't work behind a bar if you don't know how to smile luv!

Golden Oldie

Anyone recognise this muso?
Here's a clue...

His track "Terminator", released under the name Metalheads in 1992 was a huge hit in the jungle scene, and is noted for pioneering the use of timestretching. In 1993 he released "Angel", another 12" on the Synthetic Hardcore Phonography label. 1994 saw him setting up his own record label, Metalheadz. The label was a huge success, releasing some of the most important 12"s of that era.

If we were being intensly artistic we might say that this picture, taken outside Walsall College (St Paul's Street) back in the 80's perhaps captures the yearning for freedom and expression that drove this muso to becoming a worldwide name in the years that followed. On the other hand we might just say, "hmmm, that's an interesting shot ennit!?!"

Find out more about this Walsall Icon

Venue Watch ~ The Latest at Rock Steady Eddies

Rock Steady Eddies
184 Stafford Street. Walsall.
WS2 8EA

 “Stafford Street, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the musical enterprise. Her life long mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no band has gone before.”


Cue the music...

Dedicated Walsall muso's will have noticed in the April edition of Ryan's Gig Guide the familiar sight of local public house, 'Rock Steady Eddies' sitting neatly on page 22. Across the page a staggering line up of mainly Midlands based bands provide the reasononing behind the warm smiles subtly emanating, like the pleasant aroma of a gently heated glass of mulled wine, from the glossy picture of pub managers Eddie and Emma.

On potential alone, RSE cannot be ignored. A ten minute walk from the town centre; sat on a main bus route which connects some of the towns most well known district centres (i.e Bloxwich, North Walsall, Birchills, etc), within arms reach of a snatch of various types of takeaways, spacious and clean both inside and out and subscribed to by what appears to be a good blend of clientele. What more could a typical muso lover want? Well time will tell actually. Walsall has a strange habit of falling in and out of love with the live music scene. It seems an absolute age since bands like The Real Thing and UB40 packed the Town Hall. (Shite!!! It IS an absolute age!!!) Promoting and supporting live music in Walsall has its risks but fortunately they are risks that RSE are willing to take for the foreseeable futurama.

 

"Getting a friday night booking here is going to be hard for bands now because we are booked solid through to the end of November." Eddie somehow manages to share with me between pulling pints.
 
Although he admits to particularly liking classic rock bands (nothing wrong with that!) he is keen to see some diversity built into the schedule. Muso's should definately not be surprised to see bands like Japanese ska and rockabilly outfit 'Asakusa Jinta' roll into town at some point if Eddie gets his way. Until then though the focus will be on  providing a solid stream of high standard and perhaps more familiar entertainment in the form of such bands as 'Barrel House Blues Band', 'Trigger','Planet Rock UK' and the eagerly awaited 'Dizzy Lizzy / 51 Stone' special.
 

 
 
 
One thing is for sure. RSE is a really nice venue. The staff are friendly and the beer is moreish. So we will definately be returning on a friday night in the near future to review a band or two.
 
As far as we are concerned it's Ready 'Rock Steady Eddie' ~ Go!!!
 
(We realise that that was slightly cheesy but it was a toss up between that and 'Live long and prosper' !)
 
Peace.

The Monicas @ The Wharf Bar ~ Saturday 18th April 2010

The Monicas @ The Wharf Bar
Saturday 18th April 2010

The weekend's highlight had to be The Monicas performing a next to no-one gig at The Wharf Bar. Great band. Poor promotion. Not the band's fault in any way shape or form. As a muso the best you can is turn up and play outta ya skin, and The Monicas are not short of talent. Ya gotta love their in ya face riffs, banging beats and ave some a dis lyrics. If the Monicas are not the most under-rated band in the borough who is? But with promotions like this it's no wonder Midlands bands up sticks and head for the bright lights of the big cities. Lack of serious marketing and hence poor turnout aside, the night was not an utter waste simply because The Monicas put on a splendid show. Pete Maley will win a lot a hearts with his take it or leave it style that smacks a bit of Paul Weller in his prime. Dean (Deano) Barker who always flatters to decieve in our books, is the sharpest, funkiest bass player ol saddle town is gonna see for a good while and, Allan Freeth was easily able to combine a few cheesy grins into the sparce crowd with the type of drumming that surely belongs to a much larger platform.

There are no excuses. Any Walsallians worth their salt should make sure they are at The Custard Factory in Birmingham on 18th June 2010 to make sure The Monicas make it through to the next round of the Zimbaland Surface Unsigned Festival or never be seen in the Saddlers Centre again!!!

Best moments: Rocking our socks off to  'Going Blind', 'The Architect', and 'She Said'

Worst moments: We hate it when decent bands don't get a proper introduction to the stage.