The people have voted Girl Spit Doncaster’s best band for the year 2009…

Sugar³ were an infamous punk band around the Doncaster area and when this rough around the edges, ramshackle and, at times, visually shocking band imploded they left behind a two devilish souls… These charming young men went on to create the band we know today as Girl Spit.

Quickly gathering an army of converts and with a reputation for cacophonic, incendiary live sets in their first year together, I recommend you take a trip to see them before they too implode. The Priory saw their coming of age on January 27th and its hard to believe that there is only one candle on this band’s celebration cake.

Girlspit MySpace

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First listen: AFI – “Medicate”
Whilst I may not be considered by many to be in AFI’s “target audience” anymore, they are a band I will always have a place in my heart for. I was lucky enough to see them play in early ‘00 on the “Black Sails In The Sunset” tour at (in my opinion) the peak of their powers. I can honestly say I have never been so instantly blown away by a band before or since. It was passion it was aggression it was bodies flying everywhere… in short, it was ace!
Its easy to forget now but AFI, in the early part of this decade, really gave hardcore a shake up and inspired a whole new generation of tattooed, eyeliner wearing pretenders, which in turn helped shape the identikit “emo” image we all know and *ahem* love? today. . . . Read More

Above Them – Those Who Paved The Way

Inhaler Records

Recently named by The Guardian as the frontrunners of the ‘Northern Grunge’ scene, Above Them are bound to come with a few demons. Labelled as the Biffy Clyro/ Hundred Reasons band from Pontefract, the group have been fighting upstream in a time where synth led indie dominates the live circuit.

Therefore it comes as a surprise to find ‘Those Who Paved The Way’ the most polished, perfected track the band have created so far. Laminated in a glossy production ‘Those Who Paved The Way’ is a slice of anti-rock which screams to its contemporaries. With a perfected vocal growl and a guitar hook to convert any conflicting fan, ‘Those Who Paved….’ is a track which swells with ease, and is about to present Above Them with their biggest fanbase yet.

Ruth Offord

Links
Inhaler Records Above Them page
Above Them Myspace

Cocean: Thick as thieves
Lines in Sand: Moving away to start again

Split Single / Inhaler Records

I love vinyl records – I love the feeling of having a tangible, proper ‘record’ in your hand. It’s a romantic ideology that vinyl is the best format to release music to the masses, but the truth is that vinyl can be expensive and to be honest, even the vinyl freaks I know are buying CDs as their laziness of unwrapping a record sets in. People just sling CDs on a player – if you did this with vinyl, certainly in my house, you’d be doing three laps of the shrubbery in your pants.

Anyway… the Cocean track on this split starts with the . . . Read More

Three Torches

!_Archive Post_

Originally published in Doncaster Live Magazine 2007

Analogue Recordings is a studio known for its back to basics approach. For refusing to resort to computer technology for recording, its unique traditions attract a variety of bands. Tonight promises to display some of the best talent to have walked through the studio’s doors with six bands taking the stage in The leopard.

Trio Walker are the first to step up, with an epic, progressive set. Their powerful sound has surprising depth, and the band are striking, with bassist and vocalist Jack radiating a Warhol-esque air of mystery. next up is . . . Read More

Following on from the DIY or Die post, it seems ironic that today saw the sad news that the most stubbornly independent rock an label our generation make this announcement:

“It is with great sadness that we are reporting some major changes here at Touch and Go Records. Many of you may not be aware, but for nearly 2 decades, Touch and Go has provided manufacturing and distribution services for a select yet diverse group of other important independent record labels. . . . Read More

Copycat Vigilante – Kill My Ambition

Available on the _DbR_ Jukebox

For what feels like the umpteenth time, Doncaster mainstays Geoff Rogers and Mark West, both formerly of feedback merchants Bright Paper Werewolves and the blink-and-you-missed-it Self Destruct Sequence, have reunited.

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