12 / 04 / 2010

Its been a pretty savage week in terms of bands splitting up.  2 of our most loved and respected local acts have stomped their last boards:

First into the fire was Brighton/Staines pop-punk rascals OVER AND OUT who’ve delighted the Buckle Up crowds on many occasions with their pitch perfect 4 part harmonies and crafty lyrics about modern society.  Over And Out enjoyed a level of notoriety for their inclusion on a Punktastic Records compilation and worked with Hidden Talent booking agency in 2009. Patrons of the early Rockgoblin festivals will surely remember their appearances fondly. Rabble Rabble!!

Secondly is Guildford’s hardcore champions WITHOUT THOUGHT.  Buckle Up have been close friends and followers of these lot since the early days and watched them develop into a technically brillant and sonically devastating outfit. Surely there will be more to come from these most talented of musicians but until then,The Claw is on ice!

Brighton town provides the perfect backdrop for the street pop sounds, melody soaked vibes and 4-way harmonies that Over And Out have become known for both on record and live.

After spending most of 2009 off the radar, finding their feet and sorting their sound, Over And Out are now back in 2010 fairly fresh faced and ready to bring their chaos to the music world. Awaiting the imminent release of their new CD ‘The Heat’, Over And Out are heading back out on the road throughout the year so expect them to roll through your town soon!

Myspace / Facebook ]]> http://www.buckleuppromotions.com/V1/over-and-out/feed 0 http://www.buckleuppromotions.com/V1/los-28th-january-2010 http://www.buckleuppromotions.com/V1/los-28th-january-2010#comments Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:32:22 +0000 Phil Buckleup http://www.buckleuppromotions.com/V1/?p=1991

Currently promoting their brilliant ‘Whale EP’, an apt title given the sheer size and power of their live show tonight, this blues/grunge three-piece take to the stage and defy the limits of their stripped back line up.

Whilst melting into the general throng of Buckle Up gig-goers to watch tonight’s support acts, the eclectic and sometimes misunderstood genius of Arcane Roots followed by the cool rock sound of brother fronted band Fear No Fish (note to self: must find out if there is a story behind such a good band name) Los come across as friendly, unassuming music fans.

The band move to their instruments and after a quick glance over amp settings etc, are good to go. The set that follows should have come with a disclaimer: WARNING Seriously good music inside, excessive depth and sounds of a sexual nature.
From the very first fuzzy blues note that Chris Hamilton (guitar) plays, Dan Hale is there completely tuned in with his drums whilst systematically beating them to death (along with the overhead mike). The two of them displaying a chemistry and passion in their playing that is often posed but very rarely actually achieved. Through this, almost like smoke,the first few notes are uttered from singer Helen Sargent as she tears into their first song with a voice that puts the current list of fashionable singers in the charts to shame. Veering from punchy pop songs to blues laments the band truly are inspiring.

Such a tight bond is felt from the audience when they play together that watching would almost feels voyeuristic if Helen didn’t occasionally break the fourth wall to chat with the crowd. All in all, a very special band and a brilliant night. I heard the band and yes, I bought the T-shirt and I wouldn’t miss their next gig at the Hobgoblin for love nor money.

SAM PICKETT

I have seen this band a couple of times in bars and they were kinda underwhelming… but put that frizz and fizz on a big stage like Sticky Fungus, Staines and – KAPOW – Four Wheel Drive are sizzling sensations.

Strongly influenced by the blues of the South with its virile aggression and hard working honest-to-goodness energy, Four Wheel Drive are not really declaring musical independence or even starting their own confederacy… They just wanna have some fun playing some agreeable rock pieces to a smashed audience.

But ‘It’s not what they do, it’s the way that they do it’, that counts. On a damp Friday night in Staines town I am looking for a bag of excitement and passion. I am looking for a bit of boogie and a whole lotta woogie. And boy, this group fired me up like a stick of dynamite. If you, like me, enjoy the concept of sharing a bottle of acid-mash Tennessee liquor whilst hanging out with some unseemly can-can girls in the back-room bar of some sleazy no-good dive on Bourbon Street,  then this band is definitely for you. They put pepper in your pants…

Staines is a long way from Vicksburg, Mississippi and, in our wet world, where we experience fog, flu, fish-cakes, footie, ford fiestas and girls called Fiona we clamor for escapism. We want a dream. A desert. A cactus. A  rattlesnake. And a bit of moonshine. And that is what 4WD The Band provided for us at Sticky Fungus last night.

Distortion fuelled guitars (“Distortia” as  Rihanna would call it, whilst doing that mad thing with her hands) and rolling thunderous drums were the backdrop to Jamie Lailey’s superb ‘Brian Johnson’ style vocals.  Think of that rasping, high-pitched silver shafting energy in AC/DC songs such as  “Whole Lotta Rosie” to get the idea of the sound.   Lithe Ben Austwick and sleek Paddy Achtelik share the guitar duties admirably, and the quality and vitality of their exciting solos is inspirational. And this was truly a theatre of rock …. it was like having two frizzante haired ax wielding acrobats whirling around the stage in a blaze of psychedelic glory. It was like reliving the early days  of Led Zeppelin all over.

The crowd just stood and stared… not in a bad way either… it was through sheer astonishment and wonder. They wanted to focus and to be grateful. Towards the end of the set the Sticky Fungus crowd started to limber up a little but there was still a kinda magic on stage that held the audience in some kind of mysterious hypnotic trance.

The band plays songs like ‘White Lines’ with its chunky chords worn a bit like a hip 1970’s vicar. With thumping bass sound-tracks like those panadol adverts – you know the one with ‘constant throbbing pulsating pain’. And with the twangy southern feel of the muted lead guitars that start to creep into your head and play footsie with your sensitive and vulnerable parts. The band also has Jaggeresque vocals a la Mississippi Delta together with  singsong corn-bread chorus lines – helping to underline that their music is from the Great British southern-rock scrapbook.  Fuzzy-felt lead breaks are satisfying and accomplished … with  ‘sensible’ chugging rhythms from Will Richards on drums (sensible as in your younger sister wears ‘sensible’ shoes when she goes out clubbin’ on a Saturday night)

Other songs are Black Crowes-ish in feel and texture- with accomplished guitar lines i.e. like Black Oak Arkansas or Kentucky Headhunters. Other numbers have funky southern rhythms (and the blues) with yowser vocals similar to ‘Bad Company’ i.e. British Southern rather than ‘proper’ Southern drawl-rock. Other material was staple fare with plenty of classic sounding riffs and sing along verses.

If you are the kind of person who loves Aerosmith, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bad Company / Free and AC/DC, then you are gonna just lurve this band. When I saw Four Wheel Drive for the first time, a couple of years back, I thought that they were a bit like a musical version of a 1990’s Land-Rover Discovery. You know … the one in blue with nylon trim and chipped paint. It does the job- it gets you to work and back and gets you around town – at times it is fun even, it can keep things movin’ on a long hard day – but it doesn’t really make your heart sing and your jiggly bits shiver with excited anticipation…

But after that totally triumphant concert at Sticky Fungus Staines yesterday evening I have to admit that the band has now become a shiny top of the range Hummer softop with an expensive LA chop-shop paint job, screaming flame decals, roaring afterburner exhausts and decorated by leggy babes wearing cut down denims, cowboy boots and tiny polka-dot bras.

God,  I love  ‘em!

© Neil_Mach
May 2009

10 – 12th JULY

10% Discount when you book through Buckle Up Promotions!!

Come and support one of Staines’ favourite exports, Scott Raba at this year’s Guilfest.

Other acts also appearing include: Motorhead, The King Blues, The Charlatans and ska legends, The Beat.

Those of you interested in this discount please email us info@buckleuppromotions.com for more information. Put GUILFEST in the subject line.

25 – 26th JULY

We have 3 pairs of tickets to give away for this year’s Redfest!!

To enter the competition simply attend a Buckle Up show, either at The Hobgoblin or Sticky Fungus,  and submit a review.

The 3 best reviewers will recieve a pair of tickets each!

Please send all submissions to info@buckleuppromotions.com. Put REDFEST COMP in the subject line.

Stylistically the sound is closer to the ‘Roine Stolt’ vehicle ‘The Flower Kings’ than many contemporary bands but there are slices of ‘Dartz’ type guitarwork garnishing the cocktail of sounds and, I think, a ‘Vines’ type vibe with grown-up ‘Craig Nicholls’ sounding vocals. The Siegfried Sassoon seem to populate the vacuum left by 70’s prog-rock masters, especially ‘Gentle Giant’ (which, like Sassoon, are sophisticated enough to have their own literary muse in their form of François Rabelais.) Unexpected compositional twists, altering subtly in each repeat, and intelligent management of the transitions, mean that Sassoon could easily be placed into the Jazz-Fusion bargain-bucket alongside their (local) buddies Cats & cats & cats but this also means that they are forever to be placed into that difficult ‘unhummable’ slot that is reserved for the clever muso-headed brain-box crowd… so the chavs in Staines aren’t as fick as you might fink!

I instantly liked the (missing) single ‘Muscle Beach’ and that clever start with a supermarket check-out sounding beep-beep ( a little like the “Tricky” Stewart of ‘ella ‘ella fame new Beyonce track ‘Single Ladies’.)  This song envelopes a rich and fairly complex affair with a graceful conclusion very reminiscent of work by ‘The Flaming Lips’. Satisfyingly zingy elasticated chords from Adam Easton were stretched far beyond their tolerance and the frequent guitar highlights from Simon Gould reminded the crowd that they were listening to one of the few properly focussed Experimental / Psychedelic / Rock bands out there right now. It’s a shame that the B side could not be played live with a female lead singer though.

The track ‘I Galactico’ sees Chris Pratt (keyboards and lead vocals) take the band into magical territory. With Jim Carroll playing nimble bass guitar and Nick Owsianka playing steadily supporting percussion augmented by drum patterns by Chris. The smug faced crowds grunted and wriggled to that one! It was a jiggly ball of fun.

The whole Sassoon effect is spacey and neo-psychedelic with multi layered experimentations (including electro-acoustics) being the norm. The show was not (in any way) slick and could have been better managed. The performances were adequate but you get the feeling this lot prefer the studios and the rehearsal rooms to a live stage.  This band has a superior musical quality but they do seem to need some better leadership and / or  management if they want to get up to the next level.  Chris mentioned that the band had T shirts and other merch with them (but, even though I had a handful of cash in my greasy mitts I couldn’t get hold of any stuff) and he told the crowd “If you want a motorhead T shirt go to Top Man – if you want our stuff – hang around”. Yeah, I get it. You have to hang around and work for Sassoon. It is ‘thinking man’s’ music and doesn’t easily fall off the shelf and into your lap. Got it.  Give ‘em a whirl.

Here are some equally useful instructions for Staines newest band ‘Five Foot Something’. It’s easy. Get yourself a supporting role on a tour with someone famous (preferably Hard-Fi or their equivalent) then rise up. That’s about all there is to this game.

If they were a bar drink then ‘Five Foot Something’ would be fruity and non threatening fruit based beverage – an orange and  mango J20 perhaps ….or some kind of smoothie… but they are not a drink. They are a Staines flavored rock band. I over-emphasise that they are a Staines rock band because that is important to them- and to us. Their debut performance was at the Hob, Staines. (The Hob is the main place ‘to be seen’ in Staines.) And the whole population of Staines came out to see them and wish-them-well. (Maybe you were there, but if you were not, then it is “Your Look Out” as Mama used to say.)  They sing about Staines. They work in Staines. They drink in Staines. They go out with people in Staines. They look like they come from Staines. And they grew up. In Staines.

Yup. Staines. This is a recurrent theme in the 5’? song-book. Furthermore, to say that this band is breezy and cheerful is an understatement. If the band was your neighbour then he would be the kind of bloke who would bring your washing in from the line when it started raining because ‘you may have forgotten.’ Or he would ‘do your lawn’ because he has already got the flymo out, after all, and it’s no bother is it? The music is as light and refreshing as a pool-side shower on a stifling hot day in the Canaries. It is fizzy and quite bubbly. It eases your strains, soothes your tired muscles and cools you down. It is non-threatening. Undaunting. It is like a lunch-time drink with your mates. But then your Auntie shows up. But all your pals are actually fine with that. And she turns out to be very funny. So she stays. And we all have another drink.

Modish, in a kind of late 1960’s ‘Small Faces’ type way, the band can also remind you of latter years punk bands like ‘Green Day’ – with their plentiful tunes all tight and poppy – like a prep school hostess in her crisp clean shirt. Also, somewhere deep deep down, there is the soul of an R&B skeleton trying to clamber his way out. Maybe there is also some post punk lurking about down in those dark places too. The musicality is never far away; Ever so slightly whimsical, there is often a catchy beat or a heady vibe to bob you along…reminiscent of ‘The Searchers’ with strong lead vocals, tight arrangements and secondary harmonies. There is also some dream pop imagery in the mix too, reminding me of  ‘This Mortal Coil’ and even ‘David Bowie’ circa Hunky Dory, with the locomotive beats propelling each song along, past the gently frothing motifs that gently waft across the scenery.

There is a familiarity and a quaint ‘Englishness’ and earthiness to the songs and lyrics. At times it is almost as if Five Foot Something is trying to conceal the fact that they are actually a folk band struggling to get away from their self-imposed constraints – their rock n ‘roll ropes and chains- as it were. Naturally there is plenty of punk and indie stuff in their sound too… but the substance of this is unchallenging, undemanding even.  The songs lack any brashness or harshness in their style or mood. They certainly lack any bitterness. But the sounds do not lack finesse. There is a profusion of colours and textures. This music feels ‘good for you’ in the same way that goats cheese on crisp-bread feels good for you. Crunchy? Creamy? Smooth? Yes, yes, yes but a bit- shall I dare to suggest this- insubstantial? Maybe. Their music reminds me of those adverts where the fat bird suggests to her friend that she won’t feel ‘wicked’ or ‘naughty’ if she eats this (or, in the case of 5 Foot Something, listens to it.) Straight after a ‘Five Foot Something’ gig you would “just have to” knock over a police no waiting cone or wee on your mums shoes…merely to somehow re-balance the karma.

After a bit of a nervy start (but it was a big crowd for a debut performance, so I can forgive that,) Ravi’s lead vocals got stronger and more confident, gradually building up to master the performance by the second half of the set. Robert Hart (lead guitar and general ambience) was able to weave a genuinely fine and intricate framework of delicate and shimmering sounds from the outset. He also provided a series of robust and solid arrangements when required. Rob is, quite clearly, a very talented young musician. It would be nice to see him share the front of the platform a bit more, up there with Ravi.

And Ravi, looking like some cross between the young ‘Michael Corleone’ in The Godfather and the ‘Young Winston’ acted by Simon Ward (i.e. big eyes – no sleep,) played softly reliable rhythm guitar with Warren Pegley supporting on sensible bass. Jamie Heath completes the sound of the squad, on drums. But this outfit feels like it is Ravi’s baby. There were quite a few – if not Succotash moments then as near as damn it Succotash moments- in there. And, by fronting the band, Rav seemed to be imprinting the corporate sound of the others somehow.

The set was a good 45 minutes worth of entertainment and pleasure for the Staines crowd. There was a full album’s worth of material in there and at least two decent singles within the magic box of tricks presented to the audience. No shocks. No pain. No misfortunes. It was a good solid, workaday indie rock performance. By a band from the ‘burbs to the folk of the ‘burbs. If not instantly memorable, anthemic or immediate, there were at least one or two tunes in the show for each and every person to take home and put upon their mantelpiece. A capable and complete rock set.

Oh yeah, and the boys chose to wear matching tartan wool-look mountain shirts and short linen ties. The visual effect, certainly from way across the pub, was that the local B&Q had closed early for the evening and so all the trainee managers had popped in ‘for a quick one’ after a long hard day grafting on the shop floor. And soon, after a few orange and mango J20’s, they would be ready to scoot on home in their Astras, back to “Moormeads”, back to their lay-dees… back to Ash-lee, Kay-lee & Hay-lee, and to their nippers Jayne, Wayne, and Charmayne. It was a great look. Subtle, tongue-in-cheek Middlesex humour.

Give them their due- the boys have tried.  They got up and they did it. And, do you know what… I think they’re gonna make it!

Are we excited yet?

02 / 03 / 2010

Throwing a party, wedding or wake? Need bands or Djs? Then we’re pleased to announce that Buckle Up Promotions is now offering some bloody good deals on PA hire and all manner of party services.

We have a fully customisable, state of the art rig that is now available for hire along with stage lighting, sound engineers and your pick of an extensive roster of DJs if you so wish. This rig is versatile and powerful enough to accomodate your every need so check whats on offer HERE

Get in touch to discuss your needs, we guarantee we will be able to put together a package that’s affordable and perfect for your event!