Oceans upon us

1. How did you come up with the name Oceans upon us?
The Atlantic Ocean was literally upon us when we had to change our name from our previous alias!

2. How long have you been together?
We have been together since Mid March this year! [2008]

3. What are your main influences?
Wow, we have a lot of influences... I guess we can name a few... Funeral For A Friend, Fightstar, The Future... Joe has a fetish for 'The Fall of Troy', but don't tell anyone we said that... I guess besides that, sheep. We like sheep. That’s why we go to Wales to record... It's all about the sheep!

4. What best describes what the band is about?
We just wanna enjoy what we can produce before we become fat and bald (Its okay ladies, we're taking every precaution to stop that from happening!). So, we go out there, we play the best shows we can possibly pull off, and we promote our selves like mad to show you lot what we're made of!

5. What has been one of your main highlights as a band?
We've actually started to pull a decent crowd to shows now and people know our lyrics back to back. It's insane. We played UPLOAD ALLDAYER two Saturdays ago and from the moment we walked on stage to the moment we walked off the screams were deafening! We had a great response from that show and things are really starting to kick off now, we really appreciate all the time people have taken to come and see us in our first 20 shows!

6. What are your planes for the future?
Our plans for the future! Well, we're gunner sit down over the next couple of months and calm the gigging down by a step over Christmas to get some new material on the go. We have a lot of 'written material' it’s just a matter of sitting down and putting all the pieces together so to speak. The new stuff is so much better, every song we write seems to have an extra layer of polish on it, it’s a sick feeling, and we think your gunner frikken love it just as much as we do!

7. Any last words?
We'd just like to thank a few people (yeah, its cheesy but we think a few people deserve a mention)
-All the ladies and gents that have made time to check us out and come to our shows
-All the bands we have played with and had such great times with already
-Never Means Maybe for being such a sick and twisted, yet hilariously funny lot
-Neak Young for producing our EP
-And Natalia for drawing up the artwork on our debut EP
And just one last thank you to everyone past, present and future who has given us the inspiration to really get this whole thing off the ground and been behind us every step of the way pushing just as hard as we are. It's almost like we have a family behind us! - Cheerssss guys!

33 Revolutions

1. How did you come up with the name 33 Revolutions?

We'd been thinking about band names for a while, and just couldn't find one that was right for us (and that didn't make us sound pretentious)! Brad had been in a charity shop and picked up an old record player. We saw the rpm settings and it fit in with the name ideas that we'd had before...but it just worked better. The name 33Revolutions was born.

2. How long have you been together?

Just under a year now.

3. What’s been your best gig so far?

Our first local one! We played in Quattroz in Harlow, wasn't really expecting it to be anything special to be honest, but it was awesome. We had a great turn out and everyone went crazy. Our set was finished by Brad being carried off of the stage and held up whilst he drummed on the ceiling with some sticks he'd stolen from Elliot. Great night!

4. Any albums or Ep’s out yet or in the making?

Not yet, hopefully sometime in the near future! We have a new demo though, it can be found on our myspace www.myspace.com/thirtythreerevolutions

5. What are your main band influences?

Pink Floyd, Biffy Clyro, Oceansize, Rage against the Machine and Muse. Too many to name!

6. What type of fans do you normally get at your shows?

Crazy ones. They're great people, if a little hard to control at times!

7. Where would you like to be in 5 years time?

A very cliché answer is to be supporting the Foo's at Wembley, a dream for pretty much everyone in our position. We want to be successful.

8. Any last words?

If you think you'll like our music you can hear it on our myspace page...But a better option would be to see us live and join our crazy crowd. You can find our upcoming gig dates on our website www.33revolutions.co.uk. Thank you! 33Revs x

I really like this bands music and they were awesome when I saw them on the 15^th of September. Check this band out on myspace www.myspace.com/thirtythreerevolutions

Marcus G Hurley

1. What made you decide to become a Dj?

I have always been into music and from an early age was in lots of bands as a drummer. I was at an under 18's event in 1990 and the organizers had lost their headphones and ask if anyone had any, of course being a musician I had some. Grabbed them from home and they gave me ago on their turntables. I was hooked on Djing and as a result became a resident there from the age of 14.

2. What’s the best place you have played for?

The best place was The Sanctuary in Milton Keynes which sadly has been flatten foe the MK dons stadium and Ikea. This for those who do not know was the best all purpose Rave venue in the country. I was lucky enough to jump on the decks at an early Helter Skelter this was a dream come true. I have Dj's with all al the best Dj's about from Grooverider, Nicky blackmarket to Ratpack and Judge Jules,

3. What’s been the worse?

I was booked to Dj an Oldskool reunion in crawly djing with Ratpack, Slipmatt, Phantasy and Elisdee but the organizers for some reason did not bother to promote this very well. A bad turnout was an understatement.

4. What type of music do you play?

I love playing drum and bass I get most of my music straight form Nicky Black market as he is a friend so sorts me right out with some pealers sure to smash any dance floor. I also play alot of funk/break which I Dj at Rhythms of the World in Hitchin from my Bluntbeats stage.

5. What would be your ideal place to play at be?

My ideal place to play at is any venue where the crowd is up for it. There is nothing worse for a Dj than a moody, no responsive crowd. As long as you have them ingredients then your onto a winner.

6. What would you suggest for young Dj's to do to get sets?

The only way nowadays to get a Dj set is to be creative with what you’re playing. Anyone a beat match the music it’s all about hunting out rare tunes and creating a unique sound of your own. Produce music and put the tunes out there before too long the phone will be ringing and you will be playing. Finally start your own night and then you have the say what goes on and who Dj's for you.

7. Any last words?

The scene is a tough industry to get into, but don't be put off by people telling you, you are never going to make it. Have fun and enjoy the ride.

Watch out for the Deck Angles and the hangers on. Oh and if you want to book me give me a call 07810 808050. Peace!

Check this guy out! He’s an amazing Dj and also check out the Bluntbeats website http://www.bluntbeats.com/

Steve x from Songs From The Shows

1. How did you come up with the name Songs From The Shows?

Normally you'd get a stupid answer to that question, but I'm on a train that's running to time, and the sun is out, I'm not hungover, and I'm in a less-sarcastic mood than normal, so I'll try and give you sensible answers to all these questions.

To be honest, I didn't come up with the name. None of us did. About 3 years ago, I was talking to my friend Zoë, who's a hotshot TV director, about band names. She suggested that "Songs From The Shows" would be the best band name ever because of the confusion it would cause. Next time some newspaper for Tory idiots like the Mail on Sunday comes with a free CD of dreck from West End musicals, it'll hopefully be called "Songs From The Shows" too. I promised her that the next band I was involved with would use the name. So, here we are.

We have t-shirts that read "I only listen to Songs From The Shows", and I've already had a fantastically-beautiful girl start a conversation with me based on my favourite show tune. It really pained me to tell her that I can't stand musicals, and that the T-shirt is a pisstake. She wouldn't talk to me anymore after that. Bloody band name.

2. What’s the best way to describe what the band's about?

Songs From The Shows is about getting rid of the traditional guitarist, with his personality disorders, egomania and preening self-obsession, from rock. We don't have one person writing the songs and treating the rest of the band as unpaid session musicians; We all contribute equally. We don't have anyone demanding a solo. Ever. We don't have anyone doing the traditional guitarist thing of going "Look at me! Look at me!" and then doing something shit. Instead we have two bass players, alternately holding the tunes together and ripping them apart, Ania teasing and caressing the drums, and Ben playing baritone guitar. Ben's a very special guitarist – he wrings some incredible sounds out of his gear, and he doesn't have any of the neediness of a traditional guitarist. He's like a good bass player or drummer, in that he does what's right for the song, rather than what's right for his own ego.

Any guitarists, who are reading this and getting angry, go and take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror. Any metal guitarists reading this and getting angry, would you like me to explain it again in shorter words?

3. What are your main influences?

We're all quite different, musically. There's stuff in there from bands like Slint, Joy Division, Rollins Band, QOTSA, Mogwai, Sonic Youth and The Cure. I also have to tip my cap to the great 2-bass bands, and especially Cop Shoot Cop who are obviously a big influence. We're trying to live up to the legacy of people like Disco Inferno in terms of the name and some of the conceptual thinking behind the music, too.

Personally the thing that affects how I go about making music, why I make it, and what it sounds like, is probably rage. There's nothing like being really pissed-off to make you pick up the bass and start banging out a new tune. And no gig is better than an angry gig. I think rage is something we've lost in rock. I'm tired of bands made up of good-looking smug guys making competent, mediocre, smug music. With shit like Coldplay and similar landfill Indie, as well as all the electro toss made by posh London kids, we've lost passion, and intensity. We've lost rage.

And I don't mean angry like metal bands are angry. They're just angry because they're stupid and don't quite understand how the world works, so are vaguely aware that they're not getting the most out of it. And that anger comes through as an over-compressed mush of a sound with no focus and no dynamic range. I mean angry like Big Black were angry. The kind of angry that makes you produce music that sounds like a Stanley knife. The kind of angry that means you have to make music or write or SOMETHING to take part in a meaningful creative act.

4. How long have you been together for?

Its 4 months since Jim walked into our rehearsal space and thought 'what the fuck have I got myself into here?’ I've known Ania for a couple of years, and Ben and I played together last year in a short-lived instrumental band called Inemuri.

5. Will you be recording an album or EP anytime soon?

Hopefully. I'm just trying to find the right engineer and studio. I'd like to find someone who hasn't grown up listening to MTV, and can understand what records are meant to sound like, rather than compressing everything to fuck, overdubbing loads of times, mixing the bass out, and all those other things that make every single guitar track on TV sound exactly the fuc king same. We'll probably do an EP first.

6. Any last words?

Yeah, for those who haven't got time to read all the above, I shall summarise:

Metal licks balls.

This is an amazing band that I look forward to seeing sometime in the near future. Check them out on myspace www.myspace.com/songsfromtheshows

The October games gig on the 15th of September 2008

As the October game walked into Hertford marquee the first thing that I noticed was the fact they were all eating fruit. I found that pretty damn Rock n’ Roll. Before they played their gig I was chatting to them before hand, and I have to say that they are really nice, genuine guys. After the first two bands had played there set it was now The October Games go. They all seemed really fired up and as Owen Stephen (bass) put it “I feel like a dream.” As they took to the stage they started off with Heartlines. This is a good song for them to start off with because to me it has everything that this band is about. It has the two guitar parts, the catchy rhythms and the way in which Luke (lead singer) uses his voice. They then went on to play Cast These Waves. Both these songs are on the current EP. They then played a new song called Where the Devil. This song is on the new album that they are going to record rather soon. I liked the song and I can’t really wait to hear how the new album sounds. They then played one of my favourite songs by them called No Time For Feelings. This is a personal favourite of mine that is on their first album. I think this song is really upbeat and is one of those types of songs that when you have a listen to it, it makes you want to smile no matter what your mood is. Then then played Slowburn. This song sounded so good live. I didn’t really think that they would have played it live but they did. It is a slow song and the emotion in the song is nicely expressed by Luke’s voice. To finish off their set they played Concrete (When We Were Invincible). This song has a different ending live then on the Ep. They have this amazing breakdown which they are all playing percussion instruments and then they finish off the song. You really have to hear this song live to believe it. You can download Concrete from The October Games wed site which is http://www.theoctobergame.com/. I think if you like how they sound and the songs then you would enjoy them even more live.

Will

TV on the Radio Dear Science

by Brad Barrett

 

There's no sense in analysing the oblique album title - is it an endearment or the opening to a scathing missive? - anymore than it is resisting the black hole gravity of the music. TV On The Radio have streamlined the inflamed and ravaging noise of 2006's Return To Cookie Mountain, developing their blend of myriad genres into a unique attempt at a self-confessed "dance record".

Of course this was always going to be wildly different to other such examples. For one, they haven't abandoned that gorgeous sense of asphyixation and shadowy threat that billows from their previous work. It creeps from David Sitek's squadron of guitars and Tunde Adebimpe's soulful, tear-wringing vocals. It's even in the ghostly backwards percussion on Crying, and the silhouetted synth and violin-plucking on the breathtaking Stork & Owl.

Nevertheless, Prince-spattered basslines and funk-guitar paintjobs run like a rebellious streak through the album, most notably on forthcoming single Golden Age, where Sitek's unexpectedly sparse production brings lightness to their steps. It's testament to their unashamed musical-magpie attitude that the sudden rush of haunting backing vocals, vibrant horns and buzzing fuzz bass come the chorus sound natural in what seems initially to be a sensual pop song.

It's this exceptional talent for layering songs with tiers of ideas, nuances and melodic or textural counterparts which brings this five-piece's undeniable chemistry violently to life. Whether they are crafting lush, piano-led daydreams like Family Tree, or intimidatingly-rendered nightmares like standout DLZ, it's clear that TV On The Radio are unassailable in fusing elements that don't fit into any typical periodic table.

Hold Fire Interview

1. How did you come up with the name hold fire?

Obviously, like any band, we needed a name we all liked and felt good about. We had a short list of 4 or 5. Around the same time as this we were recording some new demos. After their parts were done, for a laugh Sam (bass)drew a "tattoo" on Steve's (drums) arm and in the middle of it wrote one of the short listed names...for some reason that was the moment that Hold Fire felt like the right name.

2. What's the best way to describe what the bands about?

We're really about writing great, melodic, catchy and interesting pop/rock tunes that hopefully lots of people will love! And when people come to see us live we want them to have a good, fun night out with lots of dancing and singing along!

3. What are your main influences?

We're all into and influenced by so much. Just recently, whilst driving to a gig we were listening to stuff like Mansun, Radiohead, Dr Dre, and Oasis amongst other random songs. Seriously Richard (guitar) has an iPod that’s just like a pub jukebox! I don't think we sound that much like the things we are really into though. By far the first big influences for me growing up and probably still now were Prince and Blur. My earliest memories are of listening to Sign 'O' The Times.

4. Where was your best gig played at? And what made it so good?

Well we once played to 11,000 people in Brighton but we only got to play one song that probably doesn't really count. Recently we've played a few good'uns! One at the Metro in London that earned us a shout out on daytime Radio 1 and another good one was supporting One Night Only. I think we won over their 500 excited fans! It was great.

5. What's the worst gig you played? And what made it so bad?

HA! We've played so many silly gigs! Worst one? Maybe Asda car park. There are two Asda's in Brighton. One Saturday they had a charity event. One Asda had Louise Redknapp the other had us! That was quite a few years ago now though...

6. Where do you want to be in 5 years time?

Wembley! Ha!

I think like most bands we do sort of dream of being massive and having loads of fans! Although I guess these days just having a 5 year career in music is a massive achievement!

7. What should we look out for with your new single Power cuts?

Well apart from the fact it’s a great tune we're all proud of, look out for the very special format!

It’s very limited and only available through a link on our myspace from 22nd September. Keep checking the myspace for more details and the unveiling of the special format! Trust me; it’s quite cool and different!

8. Any last words?

We're booking loads of gigs all around the country for the rest of the year so if we're playing in your area please come and say hello!



I really like this band and think you should check them out on myspace http://www.myspace.com/weareholdfire