Unused journalism, 2007 onwards

[stuhuggett]

Having been doing this part-time journalism lark for a couple of years now, I'm fairly sure there's a few unused odds & ends sitting in my Outbox that I could put online. I'll have a dig around. Bear in mind they could be unsued for being substandard, but hey.

[stuhuggett]

For a brief start, here's my original write-up (May '07) for the 10 bands I nominated for East's Top 25 Bands feature. I re-wrote the lot of them (for no good reason!) when it came to reviewing the final shortlist for the June issue:

1. ADMIRAL SIR CLOUDESLEY SHOVELL
www.myspace.com/admiralsircloudsleyshovell
Heavy psych-rock power-trio, formed by committed members of legendary Hastings groups Gorilla and Bronco Bullfrog. Very denim: the song-titles say it all ('Robot Colossus'!)
2. CH3VY
www.myspace.com/ch3vyspace
Funk-saturated breaks duo, with several cracking releases on Catskills and Jack To Phono Records. After a few years of bringing live hip-hop and funk to the masses at Brass Monkey, The Ch3vy Band are now making the transition from the DJ-booth to the stage.
3. THE CRAYONS
www.myspace.com/thecrayons1
Perennial stalwarts of the Hastings independent scene. Have had many in's and out's with the national media over the years, from Radio 1 to Channel 4 to the late Melody Maker, whilst retaining an unshakeable belief in the power of the pop-song.
4. TIM HOYTE
www.myspace.com/timhoyte
One of Hastings' finest songsmiths, with two fine albums of dreamy, psychedelic folk to his name. Tim's dedication to his craft extends to his self-taught mastery of every instrument he picks up.
5. ZOE KONEZ
www.myspace.com/zoekonez
Acoustic folk troubador, of the personal-is-political school. Crucially promotes the Listen acoustic nights at The Rooms, a magnet for like-minded artists.
6. TYMON DOGG & THE QUIKENING
www.myspace.com/thequikening
The Quikening are the current band of violinist & singer Tymon Dogg, whose musical path extends back over 40 years, most famously through his allegiance with Joe Strummer in The Clash and The Mescaleros. Tymon continues to be an inspirational and enthusiastic figure within Hastings' music community.
7. REGULAR JOHN
www.myspace.com/regularjohn1
Ultra-loud experimental rock band with a strong DIY ethic tied to an evil sense of humour. Amps self-destruct and venues crumble to dust at their approach.
8. RUMIKO JR
www.myspace.com/rumikojr
Ridiculouly prolific, beer-soaked country-rock band, with the emphasis on the rock. A vital cog in the Hastings scene through their Musical Xchange shop & recording studio, and leader Dean's burgeoning open-access acoustic gigging in venues such as Le Pattie Cafe and The Street.
9. SAILOR NO YOUTH
www.myspace.com/godsmightythumb
New project coupling Hastings's multi-tasking Del Vegas (The Candys, Burn Burn Burn, Midget Bardot, etc) with co-vocalist Lauren. Popmusic with an electro tinge, hopefully destined, once again, for great things.
10. SOUTHERNWOOD
www.myspace.com/southernwoodmusic
Lo-fi post-Riot Grrrl three-piece, all odd-shapes and wonkiness. Their occasional live appearances are all the more precious for their scarcity.

[stuhuggett]

Unused MySpace reviews (Feb '08):

FLEEING FROM FINALES
The songs on Fleeing From Finales’ Myspace appear to have been recorded prior to the departure of their singer, so these EP tracks probably don’t represent the present situation of the band. Even if they’re lacking their American-accented vocalist, the Bexhill band are still unmistakeably Transatlantic in their ambitions. It’s Too Big To Be An Arena is an anthem to stadium pop-punk, while Under Covers Over You has a rippling piano that betrays the influence of your parents’ Bruce Hornsby records. By the time the climactic Meatloaf-isms of Mighty Ducks Vs Thundercats (um?) turn-up, you just want Jim Steinman to get in touch. Bruce Dickinson’s a fan though, so, line-up troubles notwithstanding, Fleeing From Finales are ready to be embraced by the British Rock scene, at least. (6)

DROWNING BY NUMBERS
Well, Drowning By Numbers are certainly hoping you’re gonna actually buy their EP, as (pointless sampler fragments aside) they’ve only put one track from it on their Myspace. From Zero has an energetic mix of British Punk and American Rock influences, and some rapid interplay between the musicians (the guitarist and drummer are recent recruits, which comes as a surprise, as they’re locked-in tightly with the band as a whole), but the singer has yet to find his own voice, despite an impressive vocal range. In fairness, Drowning By Numbers are keeping busy with plenty of gigs outside the local area, which is where they’re going to sell themselves, as there’s simply not enough music online here to sway the opinion of passing music fans. (5)

[stuhuggett]

Unused MySpace review (Jul '08), for an out-of-the-area band visiting the Crypt.

LOCI
West Country outfit Loci fuse the boiling energy of a power-trio with billowing passages of aqueous guitar haze. On their Filtered To Function EP, the phased production diminishes the attack of their louder moments, but adds a warmly enveloping sense of psychedelic experience to the whole record. As a result, even when playing their straighter rock moments, Loci manage to achieve higher states of sonic interest as waves of shimmering wah-wah and ethereal backing vocals echo round the mix. Loci’s song-writing may be secondary to their focus on texture and dynamics, but on these tracks that’s no bad thing. (7)

[stuhuggett]

Unused live review (Aug '08):

SCREAM CLUB/NICKY CLICK/SPLEEN & THE FLESH MACHINE/LIANNE HALL, Komedia Studio Bar, Brighton . 29th July 2008.

Hastings’ Foxx L’Amore (aliases are everything here) created an “art & design gang” Salute last year, and for their first gig as promoters invited her favourite band Scream Club (from Olympia , Washington , and currently touring the UK with their friend Nicky Click) down to Brighton .

Lianne Hall started the evening solo, with her soft-voiced songs unexpectedly bolstered by looped electric guitar, fuzzy organ drones and basic beats. Those of us who’d arrived early enough were spellbound throughout, then with a wry glance round the room she was done. Having pegged her as a traditional folksinger previously, finally seeing her set live was a great surprise. Try and catch her next time she visits Hastings.

Following the apparent dissolution of The Flesh Happening, frontperson Oliva Spleen has teamed-up again with fellow Hastings man-about-town Del Vegas to perform some of his old band’s material, and new songs, in overdriven electronic form as Spleen & The Flesh Machine. Dressed in all-white, Oli & Del posed and thrashed their way through cock-shock favourites like Anal Joy and Useless Pumping, whilst Scream Club’s Cindy Wonderful cued-in noise and Burroughs vocal samples from a laptop on the floor, until Oliva’s contortions rendered this position unsafe.

Accompanied by masked dance troupe the International Flirties, and a laptop programmed with synth tones and old-school rave riffs, Nicky Click brought audience participation to the evening. In black swimsuit and pink bodystocking, she cheerleaded the crowd through clean and dirty electropop songs such as I'm On My Cell Phone and Chocolate Eclairs.

Finally, Cindy Wonderful and Sarah Adorable, now dressed in colour-matched sports casual, returned to the stage as Scream Club for some party-time hip-hop bouncing. Previous collaborators include Peaches and Beth Ditto, but tonight it was an over-excited Captain Steph who grabbed the mic in unconvincing wig (and even more unconvincing Southern accent), prior to Scream Club’s curveball cover of (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay. It was an entertainingly shambolic end to a joyous night of pre-Pride genre&gender smashing.

[stuhuggett]

Unused MySpace review (Oct '08):

ECHO STATE
With very few exceptions (Fishbone?) funk-rock can be a fairly redundant listening experience outside of a gig, its coupling of skilled musicianship with banal vocals (even the Chili Peppers can be guilty of this) an unrewarding combination. To their credit, Echo State play funk-rock very well, with some particularly fine texture to the bass on Static, but the lack of meaning to the lyrics of Over And Over doesn’t help them stand-out from the pack. With very few songs online, Echo State evidently focus more on playing live than recording, so, for now, try them in the flesh. (5)

[stuhuggett]

Unused MySpace review (Dec '08):

15TH DAY
Muse had one great idea when Matt Bellamy’s guitar began replicating the progressive rock keyboard workouts of Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman, bringing them the sort of stadium success not seen since Prog Rock’s heyday, and inspiring hundreds of groups to follow suit. 15th Day have a lot to thank them for, as the ridiculously fiddly but extremely catchy likes of Disgraced and Tremors (complete with synth fanfares) mark them out as front-runners for the potential Prog revival. Slower songs are weaker, although Here’s My Compromise successfully apes Queen’s trademark chorals. Guilty fun, to be sure. (6)