The Joiners

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Wed, 22 May 2013 18:02:00 +0100

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The day Oasis played at The Joiners

Sun, 12 May 2013 19:16:37 +0100

The 29th of March 1994 was not destined to be a special day for music. It was Bobby Kimball’s birthday, mostly known as frontman of Toto, as well as Perry Farrell’s from Jane’s Addiction among other bands. It was also the birth anniversary of legendary British composer William Walton, and the death anniversary of Carl Orff, creator of the mythic Carmina Burana. Not too much…

…But as a matter of fact, that day would mean a turning point for the Oasis career, even if they couldn’t imagine that after what happened.

They arrived in Southampton as part of a tour organised by Creation Records in order to promote Whiteout, a band “tipped to be bigger than them at that time” according to Pat Muldowney, owner of The Joiners. They had only released a four-track demo barely known by people, but Muldowney remembers they were already “very arrogant”.

The tickets cost only three pounds. “The back room was busy, though not jammed,” says Martin McNeely, a Northern Irish music writer who used to near Winchester 19 years ago. It was a really cold night, so it the attendees were “glad to be inside”. Due to the twist of fate, Whiteout played first that day. They had a great sense of humour and jollied the crowd, “a complete contrast to what would come next” in McNeely’s words.

Oasis jumped into the stage and started playing gently, motionless. The concert kicked off with ‘Supersonic’, one of their best hits until the moment, and followed with ‘Shakermaker’ and ‘Columbia’. Liam, main vocalist, “stood still in his structured pose” throughout the show, while the rest of the band “hardly moved a muscle”. Some people didn’t understand what was going on, and others let the skin, a gesture that Liam appreciated and encouraged. The rest of the public, a majority, were really angry.

Moreover, Liam decided to “trade insults” with them. “It was just verbal abuse, nothing more,” explains McNeely. The atmosphere was getting hotter and hotter, although at times “his accent was strongly Manchester that no one understood” what he exclaimed.

To top it all, they ended the concert with ‘I Am The Walrus’, a Beatles’ cover that they usually stretched up indefinitely. Noel Gallagher, the guitarist, reminded to the BBC that they hadn’t composed songs enough “to earn the fucking 25 quid” they received for half an hour shows. That’s why they “figured” that they would pick up a song and “just make it really fucking long”. And so they did. The concert lasted no more than 40 minutes.

People, including McNeely, thought it was just “a break before the encore”. But it wasn’t, and after a long wait some of the attendees, furious because of what had just happened, went to the bar and asked for their money back. Nobody got away with it. The contract was signed and Oasis had already received their 35% of gross receipts: 150 pounds.

Nonce, the Gallagher brothers had gone out and started to discuss about the show. The conversation boiled up and they were about to come to blows. “They had a row in the alleyway. Noel and Liam almost had fisticuffs out there,” Muldowney describes.

It wasn’t the first quarrel of the day. Hours ago, when they were having dinner in the bar, Liam was bragging before the employees they would be better than The Beatles. Then the “girl who was working on the bar at that time told him to fuck off,” which lead into an unpleasant argument among them.

Somehow Oasis had to leave The Joiners through the back door. While people were still trying to absorb if that band was for real or not, McNeely had the chance to interview them. On the one hand, Noel was a “nice bloke who kept up the whole rock star thing very well”; on the other hand, Liam was “aggressive”, “disruptive”, “hyper” and “lippy”. The only common feature between them, besides the innate ability to forgive each other, was their self-confidence. And they proved to be right.

Months later, they were “hitting the stratosphere” in Knebworth, where they played the biggest concert in the history of music: 250.000 people among the audience and nearly 3 million ticket requests. “I’m not surprised they became massive; not at all. They had so much hype behind them… they were surefire cool,” McNeely points out.

The Oasis’ way would be followed in the future by other successful band the likes of Coldplay, Franz Ferdinand or the Arctic Monkeys, who considered The Joiners, in words for NME, “a place where you have to play to get started”. “It says something about The Joiners that the band had to be seen there on their way to the top,” McNeely adds.

“It’s curious. Whiteout, apparently better, went on to do nothing, and Oasis went on to be one of the biggest bands in the world,” Pat reflects with pride.

Manuel García

Weekly Agenda: April 29 – May 5

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:56:00 +0100

Monday 29 April: Trupped Under Ice (£10.00).

Formed in Baltimore, MD in 2007 and paying homage to Metallica’s song, Trapped Under Ice are a hardcore band that has composed three albums to date. Involved in a tour since the release of Big Kiss Goodnight, their last LP, the band is characterised by a powerful sound that reaches the utter brutality in most of their songs.

Support bands: Broken Teeth and Climates.

Tuesday 30 April: Infamous Nobody (£5.00).

Infamous Nobody is a metal band based in Southampton born in early 2011 with the aim of creating music to be enjoyed by all kinds of publics. After touring around Southern England, the band has obtained a solid fanbase that support them everywhere they go. They’ve been influenced by bands the likes of Bullet For My Valentine or Trivium.

Wednesday 1 May and Thursday 2 May: Solent Uni 2^nd Year Showcase (£2.00).

Solent Showcase is, according to their promoters, “the first major addition to Southampton’s emerging cultural quarter”. Opened in 2011, the organisation features “contemporary visual art that encourages engagement, discussion and participation with the whole community” in order to “provide examples of the best contemporary art” and “inspire students and a wider audience”. This time, Popular Music Performance students will perform sets containing “original material and cover versions”.

Friday 3 May: 13^th Floor EP Launch (£5.00).

Founded in 2012 in Southampton, 13^th Floor is a duo that tries to bridge the gap between R&B, pop and hip-hop. Since their first concert in July 2012, the band has been working hard to compose their first EP, which will be released next Friday.

Support bands: New Mantra and 4BZ

Sunday 5 May: Attack! Attack! (£7.50).

Attack! Attack! is a 7-year-old rock band formed in Wales whose influences include pop, punk and grunge. Attack! Attack are touring the UK for the last time, since they recently announced they would split after the planned gigs. The band will be presenting at The Joiners their new album, Long Road To Nowhere, released last April 1.

Support bands: Gavin Butler (The Blackout), Forever Can Wait and Pump Action Radio.

You can buy all tickets in advance (click here) or on the doors.

Weekly Agenda: April 22 – April 28

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:43:28 +0100

Monday 22 April: To The Bones (£4.00).

To The Bones compare themselves to Nirvana: “Singer Rhys possesses the most glorious guttural growl since Kurt Cobain shredded his larynx for our listening delight”. Besides that, the band stands out thanks to their mad riffs, which don’t hide a style that looks really similar to The Pixies.

Support bands: Gentry Underground and Witness The Phoenix.

Tuesday 23 April: Hope & Social (£5.00).

Hope & Social is an alternative, indie rock band created “one drunken night in the Grove pub in Leeds” in 2007. Their aim is to make real, meaningful and good music, not “just another set of love songs”. That’s why they have taken influences from the best: from Led Zeppelin to David Bowie.

Support bands: Cloudi Lewis, Flash Sundown and Charlemagne.

Wednesday 24 April: Dinosaur Pile-Up (£7.50).

Dinosaur Pile-Up is a worldwide popular indie rock band with grunge influences that comes to Southampton to exhibit some advances of their new album, Nature Nurture, which will be published next month. During its existence, the band has amassed a huge number of sales and has played along with bands the likes of Cage The Elephant.

Support bands: Tour support and Drawings.

Thursday 25 April: Silver Orchids (£5.00).

Silver Orchids is a based on Southampton alternative rock band that has taken influences from the most important models of the genre, especially Dave Grohl and his different bands –vide Nirvana, Foo Fighters… Their style revolves around the peculiar voice of Lara, the main vocalist.

Support bands: Kyshera and Inferior Complex.

Friday 26 April: Green Circles Club Night (£5.00).

Once again –as it’s planned to be done every last Friday of every month– the Green Circles Club Night will lodge a celebration in which all local musicians, promoters, independent music writers, music fans and revellers will have the opportunity to “come out and recreate the ‘scene’ of forgotten years and watch 2 of the best upcoming bands take to the well trodden stage and dance the night away” to the rhythm of all kinds of music.

Saturday 27 April: Muddy Wellies (£5.00).

Muddy Wellies is an initiative launched by Tom Muldowney, Craig Rogan and Fraser Thomas, three “house music fanatics” who decided that Southampton needs more and new nightlife opportunities. Their plan is to bring regular parties to The Joiners with the collaboration of the best local DJs. And so they will do next Saturday night.

Sunday 28 April: Crashdïet (£10.00).

Crashdïet is a 13-year-old band that comes from Sweden to delight the public with his classic glam rock style. Their fame have made them the first Swedish hard rock band to sign a contract with a major label, Universal. Now they’re in a new adventure with Frontier Records, which they released their new album earlier this year: The Savage Playground.

Support bands: Jettblack, Western Sand and Hollywood Trash.

You can buy all tickets in advance (click here) or on the doors.

Weekly Agenda: April 15 – April 21

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:00:29 +0100

Monday 15 April: Acoda (£5.00).

This week starts with Acoda, an alternative metal band founded in 2008 that has extended his aggressive rock style all around Europe and the UK. With a couple of singles and CDs off, available in all musical platforms, Acoda can boast of having played in festivals like Sonisphere 2011 –which counted on Metallica, Slayer, Antharx, Megadeth or Slipknot as headliners.

Support bands: Seething Akira, Set Your Sails and Griever.

Tuesday 16 April: Bleed From Within (£5.00).

The biggest show of the week will be starred by Bleed From Within, a Scottish deathcore band that in its 8 eight years of existence has become established as one of the most important bands of the genre. Their music is characterized by a mixture between sweet melodies and a devastating brutality. The band has already recorded three albums so far and have a promising future ahead.

Support bands: Heart Of A Coward.

Wednesday 17 April: The Modern Fool (£6.00).

The Modern Fool is a local band “struggling to survive in a society spinning out of control”, and has as raison d’etre ”criticise and occasionally enlighten on the topics of today”. Their music style uses an indie rock basis to include original influences like ska and reggae, among others.

Support bands: Heinous Pianist, Three Times Over, Cavaliers and 5 Lives Left.

Thursday 18 April: The Reservoirs (£6.50).

The Reservoirs is a Southampton local band formed in 2007 that has taken varied influences: from the lightest rock of Arctic Monkeys or the very Beatles to other purists like Gary Moore or Jimi Hendrix. That’s why they describe their sound this way: “If dogs could play instruments, they would sound similar to us”.

Support bands: Coburg’s Widow.

Friday 19 April: The Book Club (£7.00).

Native to Sheffield, The Book Club is an indie pop band with folk touches that describe themselves as something that is not “what you want”, but neither “what you need”. Their style is characterized by a prominent bass line and a completely original and different sound.

Support bands: Stirling, The Arrivals, Billy Vincent.

Saturday 20 April: The Valiant (£6.00).

The Valiant is a hardcore, metal band from Southampton. Their music line, like Bleed From Within’s, is distinguished by melodic choruses enveloped in fierce, savage strophes with a heavy instrumental load. Probably the closest big reference would be Bullet From My Vallentine.

Support bands: Aurora, When We Were Wolves, Prolong The Agony and Pandora.

Sunday 21 April: Frank Hamilton (£5.00).

To clausure this replete and excellent week we will count on the presence of Frank Hamilton. The songwriter is one of the wittiest artists of the scene, a necessary attribute to succeed in this global world. This can be seen in his project #OneSongAWeek, thanks to which he recorded 52 tracks in the last year with collaborators the likes of Ed Sheeran or Gary Kemp from Spandau Ballet.

Support bands: Nothing But Theives and Matthew Ablard.

You can buy all tickets in advance (click here) or on the doors.

Photo Gallery: The Ataris, Mike Herrera, Versus The World, The...

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 19:18:15 +0100

The Ataris

The Ataris

The Ataris

The Ataris

Mike Herrera

Mike Herrera

Versus The World

Versus The World

The Exposed

The Exposed

Photo Gallery: The Ataris, Mike Herrera, Versus The World, The Exposed (Apr 8)

Review: The Ataris (Apr 8)

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 18:56:44 +0100

It’s 17:30 in the afternoon and Erik Perkins, drummer of The Ataris, can’t wipe the smile off his face. He seems to be excited in his first tour with the band since he joined earlier this year. He still preserves the innocence and the eagerness of the first concerts. There’s nothing out of the ordinary during the soundcheck except for the Kristopher Roe’s perfectionist ambition of making the most of the means that the venue offers. He even calculates the echo and reverberation that the proximity of the walls originates.

Two hours and a half after that, the stage is occupied by The Exposed, a three member band distinguished by the prevailing bass line that underlays their songs. Their music is explosive, similar to Green Day at times, with an underexposed guitar that riffs gently during the tracks. The best thing to remark would probably be the ideal balance between leading and backing vocals.

The Exposed were followed by Versus The World, a much more mature band that proved their experience exhibiting a wide musical potency. The band, with three guitarists and up to four vocalists singing at the same time, also showed a strong domain of the pace and a high proficiency in guitar solos that reminded of the heaviest metal.

Then it was Mike Herrera’s turn to take command and reassure the fervid atmosphere. With his fully emotional lyrics and melancholic, rainy day rhythms, Herrera unfolded his best repertoire, which completed by the attendees demands. There was also time for the fun when, at request of a man form the public, he dedicated a song to… a tortoise.

But what everybody was waiting for is The Ataris performance. And they didn’t disappoint. The Ataris is one of the most eclectic bands on the scene as could be seen when they took the liberty to start with what they call an “echoey dreamy guitar part”. This gave rise to a long punk rock concert garnished by a sum of references, from math to post rock. All members gave free rein to his subconscious during the show and it ended up with instrumental orgies, guitar necks hitting cymbals and, above all, with a bunch of songs that speak by themselves but also for the public.

Interview: Kristopher Roe (The Ataris, 8 Apr)

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 09:43:00 +0100

Kristopher Roe (1977, “the year of punk rock”), is in the upper floor preparing a cup of tea. He feels a bit ill. After two minutes of awkward silence, in which he offers me one of the hundred bottles of water there are in the room, the water of the teapot is still cold, so we have to wait a little more. Meanwhile, he tries to strike up a conversation. He talks about beaches –he can’t swim– and gastronomy –he always wanted to eat in El Bulli, the most important Spanish restaurant until it closed down. Then, once the tea is ready, he suggests to seat on the middle of the corridor. He has the teacup on his right hand and a Coca-Cola Zero in his left one and drinks indistinctly.

Question: Why did you decide to create this band?

Answer: Well, for me music has always been a way to express your feelings and all the struggles that are growing up in small towns in America. I’ve grown in an area where there wasn’t a lot of musical culture, and when I discovered rock music it was the first thing it really inspired me to want to break out this small town and search for something more in the world. If it wasn’t for all the bands I loved when I was a kid, like The Smiths or The Cure, My Bloody Valentine or pop bands like The Ramones or The Clash or The Replacements… I’d probably be a completely different person. I started playing music when I was 12-13 years old, I started touring when I was 19… I’m 36 now, we put on about 6 albums and it’s still going. I feel very blessed that people still come and see us.

Q: So you still sing the same songs you composed when you were 19.

A: No, some of them, but the ones that mean something to me. I feel like, as a musician, you gotta find a balance between doing things on your own terms and also doing things that you want to give in a performance. You can’t be an old arsehole guy but you can’t be an entertainer. That wouldn’t be fulfilling for me. You have to find a balance. We play the songs that we want to play but we also give fans songs that they want to hear as well.

Q: And when you look back on your old songs, is there something that you regret or something that you don’t like from them anymore?

A: No, no, nothing. I’m definitely proud of everything I’ve written by myself, but there are some songs that I wrote when I was young that… When you are that age you can only capture that sort of emotion at one time in your life. When you first discover a band or see a painting for the first time, you don’t feel the same way the second time. It might be like a certain naked quality, like a virginal thing… It’s not the same as when you are 30 and you’ve heard every song. Sometimes it’s a sort of a little diamond in a rough that comes along when you discover some new artists, new songwriters and you say: “Wow, that’s just as fucking amazing as when I discovered The Ramones or when I first heard Radiohead”. But more often there’s a lot of music today that I just hate (laughs).

Q: You’re wearing a Radiohead t-shirt. What’s the link between them and you?

A: If you watch us tonight, you’ll see that. There is a lot of drone and shoegaze stuff in our songs and some fucking guitar parts. You can play rock songs that have dreamy echoey guitar. If you hear our songs, old records might not seem that way but if you listen newer ones we do. But at the same time, just because you like Iron Maiden doesn’t mean you play Iron Maiden songs (laughs).

Q: Why did you choose the name ‘The Ataris’?

A: Oh, it’s just a stupid name. I remember when I was a kid I used to play the Atari games. You remember? I mean: how old are you?

Q: No, I’m twenty.

A: Oh, you are twenty! Well, back when I was a kid we liked to play this stupid PlayStation shit that was like a little square, another square… And there was a game called ‘Atari’. Atari was a really, really big pop culture of the late 1970s and the early 1980s. So if you were a kid growing up in that time, Atari was a big thing. It’s a Japanese word that means “prepared to be attacked”. The air forces would say “Atari!” as they were killing each other doing the kamikaze. It’s just a silly word. The name doesn’t mean anything. It’s a terrible name.

Q: Since you created the band, you are the only original member…

A: Yeah, but the way the band works is that I record all the albums myself, so… I’ve always been the only original member because I record all the albums on my own. I put all the instruments, so… Except the drums. I write the drum parts, show them to my friend and he plays the drums.

Q: How many instruments can you play?

A: Just the guitar, bass, singing, a little bit of piano, keys… percussion. Everything except the drums.

Q: Your music style is punk rock, right?

No, no. We’re just a rock band, you know? I like punk rock music but I’m more into music that kind of pushes down. For me punk rock has become kind of safe. I just like music that is dangerous, or honest, or very natural. When I was a kid, punk rock thought that way. Now punk rock feels like too fucking perfect, like a fucking bunch of guys that are more interested in they way they look and not the way they feel in their hearts. So for me, we’re just a rock band. Call it what you want.

Q: What is your opinion about yourselves from the outside?

A: I feel like we are four really good friends creating music that makes us proud. It’s really sincere, honest from the heart. And ultimately we’re just out to have fun and… you know, we don’t really care of what people think of us. We’re just travelling and having a good time. I’m proud of what I do, and at the same time, what I listen to and what I play. I try to brace that gap but I like a lot of snobby fucking indie music. I try to incorporate my heart and my passion into everything I do.

Q: What is true about the myth of sex, drugs and rock and roll?

A: I don’t know much about that because I don’t do drugs, but for me I’ve dealt with a lot of people that did. I think if you wanna make the party and be the biggest party of your life, I think you’re gonna miss a lot really good things in life. But if you can find a balance between excess and actually seeing the world and having fun and not imposing on people around you, that’s great. But I guess no one who talked about that would call it excess. So… you know. I like sex, I’ve tried drugs before and I like rock. But, again, if you wanna play in a band like fucking Aerosmith or Mötley Crue, this isn’t the band (laughs). One drummer killed himself because he was addicted to heroine, and another drummer was addicted to painkillers, and another bass player addicted to cocaine… I try to keep my bands been equals and not putting the party first (laughs).

Q: Tell me a band you admire.

A: There is an American band called Wilco. The musicianship of that band is really incredible. My Bloody Valentine is also one of my favourite bands ever. When I was 15 years old there was an album called Loveless that changed my life. My first show ever was Metallica and the Justice For All tour… When I was a kid, like 7 or 9, my favourite band was Kiss and I disguised myself as Kiss for Halloween… It just changes such as your life. I also listen to a lot of old jazz like [John] Coltrane or Thelonious Monk. Anyone who pushes you to be a better artist or musician, I admire. The only music I don’t like I guess is music that comes from fashion… I mean [David] Bowie had fashion and he was a fucking genius. But I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about boys’ bands that it’s all about image and they’re out of tune or it’s bullshit.

Q: A perfect album?

A: (thinking) Mmmm… It’s a hard question, ‘cause I love music, but… probably… [The Rise And Fall Of] Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars. That album is fucking amazing, that Bowie album. Or Hunky Dory or Diamond Dogs. Maybe… But I don’t know.

Q: Your favourite song.

A: Probably ‘Thunder Road’ by [Bruce] Springsteen. It’s just a perfect narrative. The song doesn’t have a chorus at all, it’s just the story, and I think it’s kind of how I tell the stories. All my songs are me just telling a story about my life, and there’s a lot of depth and vivid imagery in my verses. And the chorus is something you can sing to. Springsteen managed to write songs that told a great story and they didn’t even have a singable chorus, but still is one of the best songs ever written. So that’s a great song.

Q: And the song you enjoy the most playing?

A: It’s ‘Fast Times At Drop-Out High’, because there is this big instrumental parts with lots of dreamy, echoey, delay stuff. We sound like Mogwai or Godspeed [You! Black Emperor] or those bands. We just play that instrumental part for four minutes in the song. For me sometimes as a musician, I sing and get stuck in the microphone the whole show because I’m always singing. I don’t tend to write songs that let me enough time to stand away from the mic and play guitar, but sometimes I just like to play guitar and I wish we had another singer that would take some vocals. But I think it’s good to have only one singer. I don’t like these bands that are always doing harmonising things… It’s good to get a little bit on the records, but one vocals is good. It’s not necessary to have four people up there on the microphone. It starts to sound too much moody.

Q: Tell me a present band that will leave a mark in the future.

A: Ok. There’s an American singer songwriter named A.A. Bondy. He’s a real dark folky guy. He used to be in a band called Verbena. He’s great. He has a record called When The Devil’s Loose’ and there are really good rainy days songs. He has left a mark in all of us. You know, there’s a lot of great music out there, but unfortunately sometimes the best songs you never heard (laughs). That’s the beauty I guess.

Q: And an overrated band?

A: Overrated band? Wow, that’s pretty easy! Well, the obvious would be all these American bands like Nickelback… but I don’t know. I don’t really care for naming names of people or hating anyone. Just like I said, any band that puts energy before substance. Particularly… I don’t know, just look on… the radio or the Internet and find anything that looks like Justin Bieber… It’s probably overrated.

Q: Justin Bieber… A genre of music you hate?

A: Pop-punk.

Q: Pop-punk?

A: Yeah.

Q: Something funny that happened to you during a tour?

A: I was gonna fly in Australia from Melbourne to Sidney and they grounded all the flights in the airport. They let like only five flights take off. And I was waiting to take off when they said they were gonna close the airport because there was a big giant storm, big monsoon. And I said: “Oh, please, don’t let us be one of the flights to take off”. But of course we were and then they closed the airport. And when I was waiting in the runway, the sky was turning black and the others were like: “This is gonna suck for bad”. And so we take off with the storm, the lightnings strike the plane with us on it and the plane loses power and starts falling 10.000 feet down. And we get stroke by a lighting again and people were screaming and crying. I’m fucking praying to God. The blast of the storm was pushing us to the ground and suddenly… (clap) we pick up and after twenty minutes we leave. It was kind of fun (laughs). It’s scary.

Q: An advice for new bands.

A: Just don’t listen what anyone says. Write your music just from the heart and don’t fall prey of all these trends about… You know, music is about music, not about who’s a good salesman and who can promote himself better than the other guy. I think that’s the problem. The Internet has let people a really good outlet to discover new bands but it’s also given people a lot of problems (laughs), because people don’t pay attention as much anymore. They’re so desensitised. So just be yourself and write music that makes you happy. And if it’s good, people will catch on to it.

Q: What does coming to The Joiners mean for you?

A: I like The Joiners, it’s a big club. I did a solo acoustic tour and I played here. It was really fun, a big pride to be here. This is the only type of places I like to play. Because to me, when there is crowd and it’s close and unified and people can sing along and get on stage, make it more like a family. It’s good if you can have this interactive experience, and this is one of my favourite clubs I’ve played in the UK. And that’s why I went out of my way to book a show here. I told my friend who books the gigs that I wanted to play at The Joiners, to please book a show. And sold out, and that’s good. I like it.

Q: Is there anything else you want to add?

A: Yeah, there are four new songs free to download in our Bandcamp, so if anyone wants to check them out, you can download them. (very slowly) Theataris.bandcamp.com. Check them out, it’s free music!

Q: And anything that you would like to ask yourself?

A: I guess I would ask for my fans: “Why does it take me so long to make the fucking new album?”. Because I’ve been writing songs for five or six years… And I guess my answer would be: “I recorded about twenty songs and I just have to finish vocals for these songs before I get the record completed. And when we finish this tour in the UK and Europe, I’ll go home and I’ll try my best to finish the album and hopefully make myself proud. But until then, people can wait” (laughs).

Weekly Agenda: April 8 – April 14

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 10:10:45 +0100

Monday 8 April: The Ataris (£14.00).

The Ataris, doubtlessly the biggest group The Joiners lodges this month, is an alternative rock band with punk touches led by the American songwriter Kristopher Roe. They have been playing since 1995 –that’s 18 years– and have taken influences from the most important heavyweights of the scene like Green Day, The Offspring or Blink-182. So don’t miss out!

Wednesday 10 April: Circle Of Contempt (£7.00).

Directly from Finland, Circle Of Contempt will bring their best progressive metal on Wednesday. Formed in 2006 under the name Thrust Moment, the band combines powerful and aggressive rhythms “into one unstoppable unit”. Their first album, Artifacts in Motion, was recorded in 2009 and is available in most of the musical platforms.

Friday 12 April: Bulletproof Donkey (£6.00).

Bulletproof Donkey is an alternative rock band formed in Southampton with more than two years of experience. The foursome mix influences from artists as opposite as Dream Theater and Skrillex, as well as other like Muse or Everything Everything. Bulletproof Donkey can play from acoustic, slow songs with piano basis to other heavier stuff with electronic influences.

Saturday 13 April: Mintsouth: Road To Blissfields (£6.00).

Southampton –The Joiners in this case– will have the opportunity again to decide what band deserves to win a place at the Blissfields Festival this summer. There will be a change to get tickets for it as well! We will count on Science of Eight Limbs as special guest and Skymarshal, Woven Bird, The Harlequin and Brother Goose as candidates.

Saturday 14 April: Masked Intruder (£5.00).

Masked Intruder define themselves as “the best pop-punk band you hope never gets out of prison” characterized by their vestment: they all wear a mask. That’s probably why their names are, according to their website, Blue, Green, Yellow and Red. Masked Intruder take influences from bands like Broken Hearts or The Criminal Justice System, and will be supported by Frighting Fiction, River Jumpers, Watch Commande and Plus More.

Review: Voodoo Six (Apr 3)

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 19:45:50 +0100

Tony Newton, bass player and Glorious Leader, according to the other members of the band, walks around the venue grinning and smiles at me while looking at my chest. We are casually wearing the same Iron Maiden t-shirt. At the same time, Matt Pearce, one of the guitarists, rehearses with the initial riff of ‘Supernaut’, by Black Sabbath, as Luke Purdie and Chris Jones, vocalist and guitarist respectively, look in awe to their new background “curtain”. It’s a portrait of Voodoo Six, a band that never forgets their masters.

And that’s exactly what Ravenous does as well –they all had t-shirts from different artists. The stage was gradually becoming full when the band started their show, in which they flaunted a style characterized by a splendid bass line occasionally eclipsed by swift, wild solos and a thunderous barrages of music. They are doubtlessly direct disciples of Slayer, gods of trash metal.

After Ravenous, Velvetine took the stage to the rhythm of an instrumental piece of music with epic tinges. Hoisting a pop-rock style with similarities to Steven Tyler in the vocals and a glam touch in the attires –probably My Chemical Romance’s legacy–, Velvetine played most of their repertoire for their public and growing female fan base, and also dared to perform covers like AC/DC’s ‘Whole Lotta Rosie’.

It was around 9:30pm and the attendees were awaiting the band that will support Iron Maiden on their European tour. That’s Voodoo Six, which showed up raising bottles of beer and sheltered by a cartoonish intro. Their music is a constant gallop, a sound that can’t let you stand still and obliges your body and extremities to keep up with the music. Voodoo Six play a sort of Alice In Chains grunge with some ingredients that bestow them an original, cracked and heavier sound.

Luke Purdie is the life of the party and can lead the crowds with his staging. Like old times, he makes people interact, sing and even feel happy. “Do you wanna make some noise back to me?”, he asked, and the mob answered with a massive shout. The guitarists also delighted them with cross-linked solos.

It as half an hour of concert that Voodoo Six had to close down with a joke full of pride: “Sorry, but we’re a bit tired because we’re touring with Iron Maiden next month”.

Interview: Luke Purdie (Voodoo Six, Apr 3)

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 20:54:00 +0100

Luke Purdie (1980) is the vocalist of Voodoo Six and almost obliged me to appear in the picture with him. We are sitting on the couch that he has suggested to be more comfortable –to the extent that we can’t even turn the neck to look at each other. A lot of portraits of different bands surround us. You can see the Gallagher brothers from Oasis in one or Coldplay members in another. And you can also see Voodoo Six.

Question: How do you feel when you see yourself in the posters?

Answer: I don’t think too much about it. If it’s a good picture, it’s good. And if it’s a bad picture then I think: “Oh, shit!”. But, you know, they put that on. But that’s a good picture, although it’s with the old drummer. We don’t have him anymore. Sometimes I’ve turned up to shows and they have the old singer in the picture… I guess I’m better than that (laughs).

Q: Tell us a bit about the band.

A: Well, the band was together for about for years before I joined. I joined three years ago, so they already had the name and that stuff. I came to replace the former singer.

Q: How did they get to you?

A: They called me. They found me in a tiny band I was working with, called Reculver. They tracked me down and found a number to call me and ask me if I was interested in joining the band. That was that.

Q: I’ve read that you are going to support Iron Maiden on their European tour. What does this mean for you?

A: It’s probably the biggest thing I ever had in my musical… everything, because I’ve ben a fan of Iron Maiden since I was a child, probably 10 years old, and I think everyone else in the band has been a fan since they were children as well. So as a band it’s the best thing that could happen, and personally is a huge thing to play.

Q: Had you been with them before?

A: The band played with Iron Maiden before I joined, they were supporting them for months. I just did it one show, not a whole tour. I’ve met Steve Harris once at Sonisphere, but I haven’t met the rest of them.

Q: Your music style had its peak around 30 years ago when the first bands started playing. Do you think you had been more successful at that time?

A: I guess so but… It’s a good question because, you know, we weren’t born in the 70s and we weren’t around in the 70s. So maybe if we were around in the 70s we would have different jobs, I don’t know. It does feel like now you’re kind of doing something that was a lot more popular in the past, but I think rock is coming back again. It’s been very popular for the last five years. You know, these venues still have got bands after bands, after bands… and Iron Maiden are selling out stadiums around the world. And so are AC/DC and Metallica and other big bands. So it’s as popular as it ever has been I think.

Q: What would you change in the world of music?

A: (thinking)… What would I change…? I think, to be a… (laughs)… to have any kind of position in a business, any kind of musical manager or agent or record, you should after pass a test (laughs).

Q: Why?

A: Because it seems like too many arseholes have got the job, if you know what I mean. There should be like a driving test, ‘cause a lot of them seem like they haven’t got a clue. Probably the corporate side of music is quite disappointing.

Q: What is your opinion about yourselves from outside?

A: I think I like Voodoo Six, but I don’t listen to too much rock music at home. I probably wouldn’t be… (laughs) I probably wouldn’t be at the gig in the first place, but if I did see them, I’d like them. Yeah! Cause I like watching the rest of the guys when I’m not there singing, I like watching the folks in the crowd as well. I think we are a good band. Yes, yes.

Q: What is true about the myth of sex, drugs and rock and roll?

A: It’s completely untrue (laughs). Today we were having lunch in Debenhams. You know Debenhams?

Q: Yes.

A: That’s what rock and roll is against: eating soup, trying to get an early night… that’s the reality. No! Every night something happens, every night we all have a bit of a party time and funny things happen. But to do it properly, you can’t be drunk and stoned all the time.

Q: Tell me a band you admire.

A: For me, Guns ‘N’ Roses are my favourite band of that time, of 80s and 90s. And I love The Black Crowes. Iron Maiden of course, AC/DC… the classic ones, you know. I don’t know many newish, but I really like The Mars Volta. That’s probably the most recent band I’d put into.

Q: And perfect album?

A: A perfect album for me has got to be Appetite for Destruction [by Guns ‘N’ Roses] or Of The Wall, by Michael Jackson.

Q: Favourite song?

A: What? In the world?

Q: Yes.

A: That’s impossible! But… ‘The Rain Song’, Led Zeppelin. Yeah. I forgot to mention Led Zeppelin and I’m a huge Led Zeppelin fan. Yeah, definitely. Led Zeppelin is one of my top-5 bands. ‘The Rain Song’ on Houses Of The Holy is my favourite song.

Q: The song you enjoy the most playing.

A: That’s a hard one as well. You’ve got smart questions. Probably, at the moment, ‘Stop’. I like the song ‘Stop’, a new song that we play. Yeah.

Q: A present band that will leave a mark in the future.

A: Well, I’m not sure in the rock side of things. I listen of quite a bit of soul and pop, R&B and stuff and I really like Bruno Mars, and I think he will be still around in fifteen years, twenty years. He’s a superstar.

Q: Ok. And an overrated band?

A: Overrated band? There’s too many. Coldplay! The most overrated band in the world.

Q: They’re right there, be careful.

A: (laughs) There’s just too many of them, you know? There’s too many of them. I can’t think of more, honestly.

Q: A genre of music you hate?

A: Probably the early 80’s… how do you call it? The jam, the whole thing, stuff like the punk, the early electronic stuff. That kind of stuff. I really can’t listen to any of that, there’s nothing musical about it for me.

Q: Something funny that happened to you during a tour?

A: A tour? (laughs)

Q: Besides going to Debenhams and eating soup.

A: I can tell you we hit a tree in the first hour we set out on this tour. So we drove from London to Holyhead, and halfway through we hit a tree that fell in the road. It was awful, it was all snowing. It was a blizzard, it was just the worst. I think we hit one and then another one fell on us an hour later. But it wasn’t funny at that time because we all thought that we were gonna die. But looking back on it now I’m starting to find it funny, quite funny. You know, you get silly things happening all the time, because everyday you are in a different venue, we’re playing and you get all sorts of things that happen on the stage. There is comedy everywhere when you are out, and there’s always funny conversations.

Q: An advice for new bands.

A: Become a vet.

Q: A what?

A: (laughs) I don’t know. What would you say? To get to this point, we wouldn’t have the Maiden tour if we hadn’t persist with the stuff. You have to keep giving things another try over and over. It’s persistence and keeping faith in yourself, in what you do. All I can say to the bands is just that you must keep going and be nice to everybody (laughs).

Q: What does coming to The Joiners mean for you?

A: This is the third time here and I look forward to coming here, because there is a good crowd in it and there’s always good people who come to this venue. I remember the first time I played. I was quite surprised ‘cause I was staying at Premier Inn, up the road, and I just came here a while before being on the stage and I could see a big queue outside. It was really full in it. And I thought: “Wow! This is quite a cool place!”. You need these venues before the bigger venues, ‘cause of course not everybody can just start playing the big venues because you need a lot of backup for that. Without these places, music wouldn’t exist. So it’s very, very important.

Q: And the last question: is there anything else you want to ask yourself?

A: Yeah! I wanna say: “Are you gonna be fit enough for next month?”. That’s what I wanna ask myself.

Q: And what’s the answer?

A: Absolutely. Yeah.

Did you know… (II)

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 11:31:54 +0100

…that such day as today, but 13 years ago –that’s in 2000–, a band called Coldplay came to The Joiners? By then, they hadn’t released any albums yet, and their first single, ‘Shiver’, had been diffused just a couple of weeks before. Their biggest hit until the moment, ‘Brothers & Sisters’, had only reached the 107th position in the UK charts. That’s why that day they were supporting Terris, a band that ended up ruined by hype. Coldplay would come back to Southampton as headliners two months later to present Parachutes.

Weekly Agenda: April 1 – April 7

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 10:00:30 +0100

Tuesday 2 April: Missing Andy (£7.00).

Missing Andy is a mod influenced indie rock band from Essex that has been consolidating step by step since its formation in 2007. They reached the 7th position in the UK Indie Chart with their single ‘The Way We’re Made (Made In England)’, and their first album, called Generation Silenced, was published last year.

Wednesday 3 April: Voodoo Six (£7.50).

Voodoo Six is one of the most promising hard rock groups from London, to the extent that have been recently announced to be touring with Iron Maiden in their European Tour. Their new album, Songs To Invade Countries To, whose first advances will be seen at The Joiners, will be released on April 29 by Universal Records.

Thursday 4 April: Brother Goose Ep Launch (£4.00).

Brother Goose is an eclectic synth pop/rock band formed in 2012 that has taken influences from the most important bands of the current indie scene. After supporting Theme Park last 12^th of March, they will take the lead next Thursday and present their new EP. Josh Bettridge and 13^th Floor will be with them.

Friday 5 April: Coburg’s Widow (£6.50).

Coburg’s Widow is a Hampshire funny band that writes and plays “decent tunes for you”, according to their website. After gathering more than 5.000 attendees at the final Portsmouth Bandstand of last summer season, Coburg’s Widows are coming to The Joiners accompanied by Tom Mann.

Saturday 6 April: The Gallery (£5.00).

Formed in Southampton, The Gallery is a local band with a huge number of influences that go from the 60s rock to the 90s brit-pop. After having released their first EP, Find Your Own Light, the band is working on their second one, called Change The Times, in which they exhibit a fresh, contemporary sound with great melodic rhythms.

Sunday 7 April: Mosh For Joiners – Drowned By Oceans Reunion Show (£4.00).

On Monday night, a benefit show will take place to help The Joiners Fund overcome these hard times. For that, the venue brings the hardcore-metal band Drowned By Oceans, a local group that holds similarities with other bands of the genre like Lamb of God. CBS and Offender will be the support bands.

Agenda: April

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:34:00 +0100

Musically speaking, April and May are two of the most prolific months of the year for bands. Many of them take the opportunity to promote themselves before summer holidays, and so it is reflected on The Joiners planning for April.

The first big band to appear, with Missing Andy’s (2^nd, £7.00) permission, is Voodoo Six (3^rd, £7.00), a hard rock group from London that has been recently announced to be touring with Iron Maiden in their European Tour. Their new album, Songs To Invade Countries To, will be released on next April 29 with Universal Records.

Five days after that, The Joiners will lodge the concert of the month in charge of The Ataris (8^th, £14.00), an alternative rock band with punk touches led by the American songwriter Kristopher Roe. The Ataris have been playing since 1995 –that’s 18 years– and have taken influences from other heavyweights of the scene like Green Day, The Offspring or Blink-182.

Then it will be time for the glorious week of this month: from Bleed From Within (16^th, £7.50), the successful Scottish death metal band, to Frank Hamilton (21^st, £5.00), the folk composer. In the middle, all chained, we will enjoy the great shows of The Modern Fool (17^th, £8.00), The Book Club (19^th, £7.00) –Milburn’s side project– and The Valiant (20^th, £6.00).

Dinosaur Pile-Up (24^th, £7.50), the indie rock band with grunge influences, will temper the frenzy with some advances of their new album Nature Nurture. During its existence, the band has amassed a huge number of sales and has played along with bands the likes of Cage The Elephant.

The ambient will turn a bit heavier again with the two shows that will close the month down. Crashdïet (28^th, £10.00) the prosperous Swedish glam rock band, will be followed by Trapped Under Ice (29^th, £10.00), a hardcore-punk band formed in Baltimore, Maryland.

This is the full calendar for the month of April:

2. Missing Andy – Indie, Pop, Rock (£7.00).

3. Voodoo Six – Classic Rock (£7.50).

4. Brother Goose EP Launch – Acoustic, Rock, Hip Hop, R&B (£5.00).

5. Coburgs Widow – Indie, Rock (£6.50).

6. The Gallery – Alternative, Indie, Rock, Rock’n’Roll, Mod, Pop (£5.00).

7. Mosh For Joiners, Drowned By Oceans Reunion Show – Hardcore, Metal (£4.00).

8. The Ataris – Pop, Rock, Acoustic (£14.00).

10. Circle of Contempt + Red Seas Fire – Progressive, Metal (£7.00).

12. Bulletproof Donkey – Alternative, Rock, Blues (£6.00).

13. Mintsouth: Road To Blissfields – Rock, Alternative, Indie, Pop, Acoustic (£6.00).

14. Masked Intruder – Pop, Punk, Rock, Alternative (£5.00).

15. Acoda – Metal, Rock (£5.00).

16. Bleed From Within – Metal (£7.50).

17. The Modern Fool – Electro, Pop (£8.00).

19. The Book Club – Indie, Rock’n’Roll, Alternative, Rock (£7.00).

20. The Valiant – Metalcore, Hardcore, Metal (£6.00).

21. Frank Hamilton – Acoustic, Folk, Rock (£5.00).

22. To The Bones – Alternative, Rock, Garage Punk (£4.00).

23. Hope & Social – Indie, Rock (£5.00).

24. Dinosaur Pile-up – Alternative, Grunge, Rock Indie (£7.50).

26. Green Circles Clubnight – Alternative, Mod, Rock (£5.00).

27. Muddy Wellies – Hip Hop, Rap, Rock (£5.00).

28. Crashdïet + Jett Black – Glam, Metal, Rock, Rock’n’Roll (£10.00).

29. Trapped Under Ice – Hardcore (£10.00).

30. Infamous Nobody – Metal, Rock (£5.00).

You can get hold of the tickets here.

Photo Gallery: Broadway Calls, Gnarwolves, Great Cynics, Young...

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 22:06:40 +0100

Broadway Calls

Broadway Calls

Broadway Calls

Broadway Calls

Gnarwolves

Gnarwolves

Great Cynics

Great Cynics

Young Attenborough

Young Attenborough

Photo Gallery: Broadway Calls, Gnarwolves, Great Cynics, Young Attenborough (Mar 29)

Review: Broadway Calls (Mar 29)

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 21:52:44 +0100

The night club Unit received last Friday the 29th of March the visit of Broadway Calls and their troupe. The troupe is composed of the bands Gnarwolves and the young Great Cynics, as well as the bunch of managers and assistants. They all have been traveling around the UK –and Europe– in the same van, and it’s easy to see and breath the good cheer that reigns in the atmosphere.

But this relaxed atmosphere started to change when people started to arrive desirous of good pop-punk. That was the overnight plan and that’s what they got from the first band to enter the scene: Young Attenborough. Made from Southampton and Brighton youngsters, the group showed the experience gained throughout its two years of existence with a mighty style of music, at times hard to define, with influences from post-rock and math in their convoluted guitar lines.

Young Attenborough were followed by Great Cynics, another three-member band with a girl between them. The Cynics compose and sing songs with pure rage and use apparently predictable rhythms that have in store all kind of surprises. Moreover, the blend of male and female voices makes a perfect combination and gives the band a rebellious touch.

After them, it was time for Gnarwolves, a much more mature band that enthralled the attendees with demoniac and frantic cadences made up by unbridled guitar solos and a prominent drums basis. Their style is not only based on the lyrics or how the music sounds, but also on the situations that their onomatopoeic clangs conjure up.

But what public was really waiting for is the Broadway Calls show. Public was waiting for their mad guitar riffs and street rhythms that give off strength and courage in abundance. Broadway Calls is one of the few bands that still keep up with the pop-punk tradition that Green Day left behind after plunging into the world of great sales and commercial music. The innate animosity of the band and their compositions fuse with the glorious bridges, probably their best bet.

It’s still complicated to determine if it was the public or the very members of Broadway Calls who were sadder because of the end of the show. Ty Vaughn, their lead vocalist, had been in the front row during all the previous shows singing along to the other bands. You could even see a point of melancholy in his glance. “I loved this time. It was really fun”, he had told us before.

Interview: Ty Vaughn (Broadway Calls, Mar 29)

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 18:44:24 +0000

Ty Vaughn (1982), guitarist and vocalist of Broadway Calls, is an introvert guy. He enters the bar silently and sits on the floor to serenely unpack his equipment. After accepting the interview request, he leads us downstairs and we end up in a corner of the lobby. “It should be fine here”, he says, “it’s too noisy up there”. Two minutes later we are sitting on a couch in the attic of Unit, a kind of empty and white boardroom with a real size cardboard cutout of the Queen.

Question: Where does the idea of creating this band come from?

Answer: The reason why we started this band is because all three of us were in a hardcore band together called Countdown To Life and … basically our singer couldn’t tour anymore so we just formed a new band (laughs). And I said: “Let’s start with the pop-punk”, because this is the kind of music that I listen to all the time, with bands the likes of Green Dray, Alkaline Trio… So I wanted to raise songs like that and it just worked out. We started touring more and more and it kind of became the main focus of what we do. Our other band… we haven’t played a show for years but the singer, Danny [Hoover], is still my best friend and we hang out all the time.

Q: What about the name?

A: Josh [Baird, the drummer] came up with the name. It’s based on the idea from a song by The Decemberists. They’re from Portland as well. They’re a huge band now, but by the time they had a song called ‘I Was Meant For The Stage’, and it’s a really beautiful sad song, so we took the idea from the lyrics of that song.

Q: Why do you think people come to your concerts?

A: I don’t know why they listen to us. I hope they listen to us because they like the songs. That’s really all that I have to offer: the songs. We don’t have a gimmick, we don’t have silly stage banter or something like that, we’re not like the funniest guys… Really the only we put out there is the songs, and I hope people react to that. I don’t think our music is very commercial right now. Maybe in 1994 it would have been commercial (laughs), but I don’t think it is now. I just write songs that I would wanna listen to. Our new album is a record that I really enjoy listening to. I know it’s not trendy this kind of music, this pop-punk style. That’s why our shows are small and our record sales are low (laughs). But that’s fine.

Q: Is punk dead?

A: I don’t know. I really have no idea if it’s dead or not. I think DIY is very much alive. I think that is a very important thing that happens all over the world. Kids put on shows in their basements, kids put on shows in the houses… They start bands and they don’t rely on anybody else to get shit done for them, they do it themselves. And that’s a very important thing. In that sense I would say: “No, punk is not dead”. But I would also say that is very, very beat up over the years (laughs).

Q: Do you think music now is better or worse than before?

A: I think there are a lot more bands nowadays. There are tonnes of bands, so there is a lot of awful music out there. But there is also a lot of good music because there are so many people playing music and starting bands… As long as that keeps happening, I’m cool.

Q: Why should people listen to Broadway Calls?

A: I don’t know why you should listen to us. You should listen to us just if you like the kind of music we play and you like honest lyrics. I try to raise songs I’m not embarrassed though. I hear other bands and their lyrics and I’m like: “Oh that’s so cringe worthy, why would you put that on tape?”. But it’s not my call; it’s their call. So if you’re looking for simple, honest pop-punk I guess we are a good band to listen to (laughs).

Q: And what is your opinion about yourselves from outside?

A: Oh! …That’s a good question… I would say we probably seem kind of standoffish, probably a little quiet and maybe even like snobbish if you don’t get to know us, because we are not very outgoing people. A lot of times we just hang out with ourselves. On stage I barely talk in the microphone between songs because I don’t want to, and if I did I wouldn’t have anything good to say (laughs). So… Maybe people think we are a little weird, but at the same time I’m not gonna fake it. I’m not gonna act like this crazy wacky guy to try to get people like me. I wouldn’t be able to. I’m a horrible actor (laughs).

Q: What can you tell me about the myth of sex, drugs and rock and roll?

A: It’s just like a silly thing that somebody probably made up. I don’t even know who made it up. It sounds like somebody shitty like Ted Nugent or some guy from Kiss, but it’s pretty boring to be on tour most of the times (laughs).

Q: Weird.

A: I don’t know. You show up every day, you load in all your gear, you play the songs and you hang out with your friends. Anything else that happens extra is just like a bonus, a nice surprise. But it’s definitely not routine (laughs).

Q: A band you admire.

A: There’s a band called Comadre from California. They’ve been a band for almost ten years. They’re starting their final tour tonight, I think. They’ve always done everything by themselves, they always had the same band guys from the beginning, they record all their music, they put out their own records, they put their own tours… and they are still happy guys. They are amazing people and good friends. I’m really sad to see them go. We’re done with this tour tonight and I’ll fly back to have a show with them in Portland in a couple of days.

Q: A perfect album?

A: …And Out Come The Wolves, by Rancid, is a perfect album in my opinion. It has 16 or 17 songs and you can’t skip any of them, it’s amazing. It’s the first vinyl I’ve owned and I still love it.

Q: And your favourite song?

A: In the world?

Q: Yes.

A: Oh, that’s hard! (laughs) First song in the world currently would be ‘Coma Girl’ by Joe Strummer.

Q: The song you enjoy the most playing.

A: I really enjoy playing ‘Back to Oregon’. It’s one of my favourite songs to play. It has a final rhythm… it’s like this gallop. It’s fun to play, fun to sing, not too hard… I still feel connected with whatever that song was about originally. And people also sing along to that song too.

Q: A present band that will leave a mark in the future.

A: That’s a tough one. I hope Comadre will. I hope people will look back and realise how amazing that band was and how amazing their last record is, because they spent a lot of time on it, they have a really original sound and they deserve it. The world is better with their music in it. I think also Paint It Black, in my opinion, is one of the last great hardcore bands, and Dan Yemin and his contribution to music are incredible.

Q: An overrated band.

A: (thinking)… There’s a lot. I’m trying to think of one.

Q: Just say as many as you want.

A: Oh, you want me to list them up (laughs). You’re just trying to get me to talk shit. I would say I don’t… I didn’t understand why bands like Four Year Strong were getting so big. And A Day To Remember. Stuff like that. I have no idea why these bands sell out these massive venues when their music is so boring and so subpar. I don’t know them personally, but we have a lot of mutual friends with those guys, and they claim they’re ok dudes. But I’d say these two bands are overrated. But I would also say most of them are overrated, most of the bands that sell out in giant venues are probably kind of overrated. They’re hyped up and it’s usually just… pop garbage, you know.

Q: A genre you hate.

A: Let’s say modern pop country in the States. Yeah, modern country. It’s just awful.

Q: An anecdote.

A: This whole tour has been funny. We share a van with Gnarwolves and Great Cynics in this tour and there are eleven people together for three weeks and it’s kind of a crazy circus, trying to organise everybody at that time, trying to make sure that everybody doesn’t rip each others heads off and trying to make sure everybody gets fed and have a warm place to sleep… It was chaotic and I’m really glad that this is coming to and end but I loved this time. It was really fun.

Q: An advice for new bands.

A: Just write the best songs you can write. Don’t put songs out there that you’re never gonna play live… and that’s basically it.

Q: What does coming to Southampton mean for you?

A: We came here a couple of years ago, I think it was in 2009. I believe all venues like this are important because people can go to shows regularly and discover new bands instead of having to rely on the radio or the TV or being told what to listen to. Bands live are really important. My life would have been different if I hadn’t go to see bands that I had never heard about. That’s how I discovered some of my favourite bands.

Q: And the last question: is there anything else you want to ask yourself?

A: No. Like I said, I’m not good at talking (laughs).

Q: We have the Queen here. Do you want to say anything to her?

A: No… She seems like she’s doing ok (laughs).

Did you know… (I)

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 14:46:45 +0000

…that such day as today, but 19 years ago –that’s in 1994–, a young band called Oasis came to The Joiners? By then, they had just released their fist album, Definitely Maybe, whence their greatest hit ‘Wonderwall’ was still in creation progress. Tickets costed £3.00 in advance, and the band collected £150 for the concert.

We’ll have further information soon.

Review: The Men They Couldn't Hang (Mar 26)

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 15:35:06 +0000

Folk and humour night last Tuesday the 26th of March at The Joiners. Everything commenced at 7pm, two hours later than usual, when The Men They Couldn’t Hang started warming the engines up in the soundcheck. At the same time, a broad bunch of adults waited in line the front door of the venue. It was like a memory of the old times when they crowded for hours to see their favourite bands; like reliving youth.

The first artist, in charge of opening the way, was Shane McGowan. The young songwriter modulates a voice that, together with the acoustic, certainly sounds like the very Mumford & Sons. But this happens in a much stiffer and harder way, without modifications of any kind. ‘I put my faith in these protest songs’, he sang with his rushed and original style before asking the public to please buy the CDs he had on sale. ‘If you don’t want to it’s ok, but I have to feed my kids’, he said getting the first guffaws from the attendees.

After his, Willowen entered the scene. The combination of instruments is one of the most atypical ones that has showed up lately at The Joiners –violin, acoustic guitar, cajon drum, a single cymbal and sophisticated maracas– and therefore so was the music and their humour. Music is made of a mixture between the most relaxing shoegaze and a folk stamp that reminds of the deepest traditions of Northern Spain; it’s a soft voice accompanied by strong and violent shakes outs of violin. As for the humor, you’ll better check the song called ‘There’s A Monster Living In My Paddling Pool’.

The fact of having just two support bands can only be explained by a concert like the one The Men They Couldn’t Hang gave. It was more than an hour and a half of musical enjoyment, a comedy show at intervals, a prod for people to get carried away, give their body to the spectacle and worship life and Bacchus, the God of wine, inspiring of the blessed madness and the ecstasy.

The six gentlemen played their classics all aligned in a horizontal line of five (the drummer was behind), but there was also time for their side projects –vide the one with Phil “Swill” Odgers and Paul Simmonds or the other with Stefan Cush and the so-called ‘Mr. New’, since they claimed not to remember his name.

People began acting shyly, saving their places, but it all ended up with a coral party, with all attendees dancing with each other and understanding that 12 pounds can buy a ticket to see you heroes, but they also can buy a little piece of happiness.

Interview: Stefan Cush (The Men They Couldn't Hang, Mar 26)

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 19:11:00 +0000

Stefan Cush (1960), vocalist and guitarist of The Men They Couldn’t Hang, is the perfect example of gentleman. He refuses to take a seat on the sofa and proposes to be interviewed in the bar. “Just like old times”, he says with a confident smile while relishing a small glass of wine. The experience gained over the years doesn’t fully hide the naughty spirit that distinguished the early years of the band.

Question: You’ve been playing for 30 years…

Answer: Next year 30 years, yes.

Q: …How do you stay motivated to keep on playing music?

A: It’s passion and enjoyment. We’ve got a big fan base and we are friends that know each other before we formed the band. It’s mutual kinship, we respect our music and what we do is our art, is our gift. It’s a duty to ourselves and to each other to continue making music, plus if it’s something that we all enjoy. It doesn’t pay a great deal of money but money has never been the key point. It helps, obviously. You have to make a living but we are very passionate about what we do. That’s what we’re here for.

Q: After all this time, do you think you have listened it all or you can still learn new things from other bands?

A: We’ve always listened to a huge range of different music, from soul to reggae, country… music from all over the world. And certainly we don’t incorporate every genre in what we do, because we can only do what we are comfortable with, and that’s what we should do. We know intrinsically for us what works and what doesn’t. We have our own musical direction and I can honestly say that there are no many bands that sound like us. We’ve ben influenced by people, but we sound different. But yeah, I think there is a lot of new music, like urban street music that is self-generated, and it’s progression, it’s quite ferocious. You’ve got hip-hop and rap or dubstep and it’s not like conservative folk or anything similar by any means.

Q: During this the music has also changed in terms of storage. First was the vinyl, then audiocassettes, the CD revolution and now we have the cloud and the streaming. How have you adapted yourselves to all these changes?

A: Personally, I’m a bit of a technophobe, I don’t spend a lot of time in front of the PC or doing Internet or media generated stuff. But as a way to get your product to the masses is crucial, especially bands. Everyone is in; the social network thing is vital. It’s amazing to think: ‘How did we manage before, twenty years ago?’. But saying that, we are comfortable with the rebirth of the vinyl as a tangible product, you can feel and hold the artwork. Stuff about the download things where you get something free in your PC, your iPod or your phone… it’s not the same. But it’s important that people can access to your stuff. It’s so much easier than the whole thing of going to the record shop and buying. So technology is wonderful. It’s how you use it, it’s up to you how to operate. I’m not an aficionado or a techno techno expert. Other guys in the band are a little bit more adapted. I’m not, but it doesn’t matter. It works out.

Q: I’ve read that you supported David Bowie in the 90s…

A: Yeah.

Q: …How was that?

A: It was great. It was just one festival. I can’t remember exactly how it came about but it was fantastic. Lovely character. We were gonna do work with Mick Ronson [David Bowie’s guitarist] as a producer in one of our albums, but that didn’t materialise. The David Bowie thing came after that. Of course we were grateful and we were handsomely rewarded financially. He was a really nice guy. We were all massy fans of David Bowie, we grew up in the 70s and he was the iconic shape shifter in music and he still is. He’s an awesome piece of creativity.

Q: How would you define your music?

A: It’s turbocharged folk rock with influences of country and attitude, basically. It’s rock and roll with some acoustic instruments, but it’s on fire. It’s our personality through music, that’s what we do.

Q: What is your opinion about yourselves?

A: I think we are an entertaining force. Sometimes we’re misunderstood, people don’t get the irony and the comedy that we impact on what we’re doing. A lot of people take us too seriously because of the political element and the canons of our musical catalogue. But we are five different people with different ideas about various things. We’ve got a common interest about humanity, socialism and care, nurture, not just financial gain and profit. We are a humorous band and a humourists band.

Q: What can you tell me about the myth of sex, drugs and rock and roll?

A: If I told you, I would have to kill you (laughs).

Q: Then tell us and kill me.

A: (laughs) No, I won’t kill you, honestly.

Q: A band you admire?

A: Ian Dury & The Block Heads, The Clash, loads of people. Chuck Berry, Johny Cash, lots of reggae stuff, U-Roy, and a lot of soul, Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack. Old stuff, I like loads of things. Also Kanye West or Ennio Morricone. You can hear something and say: “Oh, that’s great”. It’s all out there. It’s all in the wind. What would we do without it? If we had no access to any sound, any music, any rhythm patterns, anything, life would be fucking dim. It would be not worth living. It’s part of the human condition.

Q: A perfect album.

A: Ian Dury’s New Boots and Panties is one of my favourite albums all the time. Also Neil Young’s Harvest Moon… But I’ll say New Boots and Panties by Ian Dury.

Q: Your favourite song.

A: ‘Sweet Gene Vincent’ [by Ian Dury].

Q: The song you enjoy the most playing.

A: It depends on what night, but if we do it right it’s ‘Shirt of Blue’. It’s my cathartic moment in the night, when everything comes to focus.

Q: A present band that will leave a mark in the future.

A: The Disputes. They’re a new band, they’re gonna be huge and my son Stan is in it so… yeah.

Q: An overrated band.

A: I don’t really wanna go down that route. I don’t wanna be vindictive with other bands because you never know when you’re gonna meet them. I don’t know. Pussycat Dolls (laughs). No, no, no, I don’t know.

Q: A genre you hate.

A: I don’t really hate any. There’s always something to find that is positive. If people like it, I can’t really go to a teenager, skater, punk or whatever and say “Your music is shit and I hate it”, because they can go exactly the same way and say: “Well, who are you to tell me what to like?”

Q: An anecdote.

A: (thinking for a long while)…

Q: Is it that boring?

A: No, no. My mind is so blank… and I don’t wanna say anything to incriminate me (laughs). Oh, yeah, I remember once when I went to have breakfast naked in a hotel in Germany because they wouldn’t let me our room service. So I took my clothes off and went downstairs, in the breakfast room naked. And then they said: “No, I think maybe you can have breakfast now in your room”. And I said: “Oh, thank you”. It was quite a long time ago.

Q: An advice for new bands.

A: Keep the faith in yourselves, listen to advices, take advices, work together as a group. Don’t let egos overpower your vision or where you should be going. The power of everyone else rather than the power of one. And don’t argue about money: sort it out from the beginning. And be honest.

Q: What does The Joiners mean for you?

A: Every city of this size with everything cultural going on needs places like this any places putting on local music and talent… Live music is essential, is crucial. Just because it has been here for so long —I came here before even having a band, in the 1980 or something like that—, it should never die.

Q: Is there anything else you want to ask yourself?

A: No, I think you’ve covered everything. I just would like to say that we’re grateful for having a fan base supporting us for 30 years. I know sometimes we’ve been a little bit off, but at the moment we’ve got our 30^th anniversary coming out and we’re back in form again now, and you can look at the stuff we’re doing on the Internet and you see that the days of us staggering around and being like drunken buffoons are over. We are in a new mission now.