ComEnts

My copy of Does It Offend You, Yeah?'s debut album arrived yesterday. I'm enjoying it a lot. I'm sure I've said it on here before but the surprising thing about DIOYY live is just how hard they rock. There are many types of music that are called Electro, and DIOYY are often referred to as an Electro band but I think of them more as a rock band. Perhaps one of their strengths is having such a wide range of influences that a lot of people can relate to something they do. I hear things that remind me of heavy bands, dance bands, electro bands, indie schmindie bands. It's quite a varied album, the first three songs are the kind of heavy electro you might expect from early singles, but then you get almost straight 80s pop songs and even what I can only describe as the theme from a noughties Japanese Austin Powers in Attack of the Lesbian Octopus. 2 minutes of instrumental fun that's one of my favourite tracks on the album.

It's been a brilliant year or so for Reading based bands. Long may it continue!

Tonight I'm off to see Six Nation State at the Rising Sun Arts Centre which is always carnage but I'm planning on taking it easy for a trip to the big smoke on Saturday. Woo

Labels: Does it Offend You Yeah, Six Nation State

Someone asked how the gig was. Well. It was pretty good.

My first experience of Bar Four as a venue and it worked quite well. The sound for the bands was good, there was a backstage area for us to sit in etc.

There were a few downsides. It was a bit confusing what was going on. We didn't know what the order of bands would be until we got there, we were on first, which was fine, but that wasn't until 9:30pm. I think the peak time for band watching on a school night in Reading is 8:30pm to 10:30pm, after that, people start wanting to go home for work the next day. The other problem with us going first, and so late, was that a lot of people who came to see us watched us, then as it was already gone ten, pretty much left straight away. Which was really tough for the other bands. The Cheddington Incident played to basically the other bands and a handful of other people.

I'd certainly go back as a punter on a Wednesday to watch bands there. Playing wise I think we did ok. Due to the late start time I was pretty drunk when we went on but a few people said some nice things which is always good to hear and the promoter said he'd like to have us back sometime, so that's good too.

Labels: gig, Joey Ultra

It's like I only blog when we've got a gig... we should have more gigs. Anyway... Joey Ultra are playing at Bar Four in Reading tomorrow. It's free entry, and I've never been to the pub when it's hosting gigs before so I don't quite know what to expect. I hope it's a really good night. Reading could use a really good regular free midweek gig. I'll let you know what it was like, if you can't come down.

The other bands are Echobeat and Chedington Incident.

I also got the Let's Wrestle EP, In Loving Memory Of... yesterday. Let's Wrestle are on Stolen Recordings and apparently formed a band after spending many Sunday evenings watching the Stolen gigs and being massive fans. Live they can be a bit shambolic but they've got great songs and both the shambolicness and the greatness comes across on the EP.

I can't remember what else I was going to tell you so I'll leave it at that and post again if it comes back to be.

Labels: gig, Joey Ultra, Let's Wrestle

Former KERRANG!!!!!!!!!!!!! writer Ian Winwood has an interesting blog in the Guardian today about his feud with Nickleback. Now I remember the Nickleback article at the time, it was shortly before I had to stop reading Kerrang due to it being almost completely unreadable and musically irrelevant.

Basically it recounts the time that he called Chad Kroeger a cunt (fully deserved) and Kroeger challenged him to a fight. Happy days.