One barmy evening during the summer of always, a group of renegade minstrels met at a beach hut in Benllech, all with the intended aim of making merry. Among their number were a dysfunctional bassoonist, a disaffected church organist, a disfigured banjo strummer, a disorientated frugal horn player and a distant drummer. Having achieved their aim, they lit a bonfire at Bwlch and decided upon a course of action they would live to forget. They would pool their manifest resources and become...... Colorama!
“Wow! This is great! In a wonderfully understated kind of way! Colorama are a four piece from Cardiff, and this is their debut single. "Sound", which was produced by Edwyn Collins, kicks off with heavy plucked strings and a wonderfully languid vocal reminiscent of Fred Neil, then, gradually, guitars, more vocals and a whole array of other instruments weave their way into the mix. Slow, clonking wood blocks give the song a laid back, kick-your-shoes-off feel, and the gently strummed guitars, sweet backing vocals and shimmering cymbal flourished give it a gorgeous psyche-folk feel, but it's the vocals that tie it all together so perfectly. On the flip "Turnham Green" is another gem, this time produced by Liam Watson at Toerag, These tracks could have been recorded in 1968 or 2008 they've got such a great timeless feel to them. My favourite single so far this year!” - Piccadilly Records
Papa Truck came together when Martin Selman brought his songwriting talents along to jam with newly converted banjoist, Dan Abram. Having played the guitar for over 20 years, Dan was charmed and inspired by the earthy sounds on the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" film and bought his 1st banjo (Beyonce) in 2004. (The Thrills are are also to blame for using the instrument on their fantastic 1st album.) Selman and Abram soon had a short set of 5 songs: Bledlow Ridge, about an infamous local robbery; Hurley Marina, the story of marriage and fishing; Bubba's Big Mama's Bar and Grill, about forgetting your wallet; Blue Kind of Something Nice, a description of some very tight jeans; and 500 Miles From Here, a song about cars and that.
They were soon joined by Simon R Poulton on upright bass and Mark Leppard on lead guitar (a Santa Cruz, no less!) but both met with bizarre skiing accidents.
Their replacements were Sparkie on double bass and Ryan Quartermaine on guitar and a new phase in Papa Truck's history was born. (can a "phase" be born? hmm...) The 2 new members brought with them fine harmony vocals and great arranging skills. Britney also took over from Beyonce.
By this time the band had written enough songs for the album you find here. As you can see, they have a wide range of influences which have produced an eclectic mix. Have a listen and buy it if you like it. Which you will, I am sure. (unless you have no taste, of course!)
Britney has now been superseded by Bjork the banjo. (A Nechville Nextar!)
'Black Bullets' live at The John Doe Medicine Show @ The Social, August 27th 2008. Courtesy of the Kind Nicky Francis. "You're such a Tim Burton band, aren't you?" Conceived on a midnight journey through the south of England, THEE SINGLE SPY is one man backed by a band of seven; a lone singer or a thumping, howling, melodica-touting band of rhythm afficionados. It's arthouse gothic-folk and clarinet-fuelled rioting. Songs about drowning towns, lyrical Christian campfire traditions and the smoking of herbal anxiety medications prevail, drawing comparisons with Tom Waits, Smog, Bright Eyes and Beirut. Thee Single Spy is the spirit of older, cracklier times and rhymes throughout.
Some say he was born on October 18th, 1985, to an owl and a bat. Some say he crawled out of the sea, a shining golden cherub with curly hair, child to Aphrodite and Appollo. There are those who believe he was cultivated in a petri dish in an underground laboratory in the wastes of Siberia, or a product of atomic experimentation in the Cold War. Still others report that his mother was in labour for 13 days and nights under a red moon, whence the midwife burst into flames and the doctor resigned instantly, saying "I'll quit while I'm ahead". Whatever his origins, he now flickers between London and Northern Ireland, seemingly in two places at once, the unearthly vibration of his voice creating a rift in the dimensions over the Irish sea. Those who claim to have seen him with their own eyes cannot recall how long for, or what words they heard. But they were all drunk at the time.
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Skeletons, O.Children, David Goo, Phantom + DJ's
Friday 5th December @ 93 Feet East
SKELETONS headline Hooked on Music at 93 Feet East. Friday December 5th sees Hooked on Music take over 90 Free Fridays at 93 Feet East. This is our first club night, so we're a little excited to tell you the truth. After months of planning we have 4 amazing live bands & loads of DJ's to keep you dancing all night.
Sheffield's Skeletons take the headline slot & they've have had a pretty successful 2008... When it began they had only played a small cameo role in Sheffield's thriving music scene with just two public appearances made. As the year draws to a close the band have been heralded by the NME as "...the next kings of Sheffield!" and recognised by the industry as a tip for the top. The BBC was happy to confirm this when they selected SKELETONS to headline their Introducing stage at the prestigious Reading & Leeds Festivals. They emerged from this as the highlight of many a weekend and with a 4 spot in NME's future heroes top ten to add to the momentum. The press have said some incredibly nice things about this explosive 5-piece and considering they are still less than 20 shows old it makes for impressive reading.
"Never in all my born years have I seen such an energetic band that kept their cool and style, while at the same time going completely off the wall."
"Forcing 10,000 volts into this Sheffield five-piece would barely muster the power for the keyboard, never mind the rest of the group!"
"Skeletons wield a staggering blues rock foot stomping sound whilst remaining within the realms of their Sheffield background"
"I truly believe if you're reading this article hoping to find a new favourite band, you don't have to read much further. The band are a rock n roll force to be reckoned with, the live domain is theirs!"
Make sure you catch their last show of 2008, as 2009 will be the year of Skeletons.
Main support comes from O.CHILDREN who are also whipping up a storm on the live circuit. Further support comes from DAVID GOO & PHANTOM LOVERS.
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Launched in October 2007 Hooked on Music takes inspiration from all the best aspects of other, more established showcases across London and brings them together to give a unique and special atmosphere.
Our most regular showcase takes place at 8pm every other Tuesday night, at The Big Chill House (Pentonville Road, Kings Cross, London). It's a free entry showcase featuring some of the finest folk, lo-fi, world & downbeat music around.
We also host larger sporadic nights at other venues.
We've set this night up to build a community of people that are passionate about music. Together we have over 20 years experience in promotions & the music industry. We only book bands that we are passionate about, so you can rest assured you'll have a good time, no matter who plays.
If you want to play our regular showcase, please check our info for bands section. If you want to play one of our larger nights, drop us a message.
We have also recently been put in charge of all events at the fantastic venue Canal 125. Its a 300 capacity bar set over 3 floors. If you've ever fancied curating an event/party/showcase, or need a venue for an EP/Album launch. Drop us a message.
Hooked on Music @ The Big Chill House
257-259 Pentonville Road
Kings Cross
London, N1 9NL
Free entry - Every other Tuesday night.
Hooked on Music @ 93 Feet East
150 Brick Lane
London, E1 6QL
£6/£4 entry - Sporadic special showcase nights... check our events for upcoming shows.
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INFO FOR ARTISTS
We’re starting are new residency at The Big Chill House on September 16th 2008.
These are going to be every other Tuesday night in the 400 capacity main room.
Due to the fact that we need to ensure that all our nights are busy, we have to insist that you bring a good crowd with you to guarantee a re-booking. These nights are going to be free entry and we need to guarantee a busy room, otherwise we can’t carry on.
In return for bringing a good crowd we:
Pay everyone that plays
Give free dinner
Give at least one free drink
We also work hard to build the reputation of the bands that we promote. If you bring a good crowd and we love your music, we will offer you showcases at larger venues/supporting bigger bands. We also send out weekly emails to our hundreds of members/industry contacts, with full myspace links/biogs of artists that we have coming up to get maximum artist exposure.
Please note: Due to the fact that The Big Chill House is quite a busy place, it may not be suitable for quieter acoustic acts. We ask you to bare this in mind before asking to play.
If this sounds good, send us a message or drop an email to tom@hookedonmusic.net. Due to the large amount to requests that we get, please don’t hate us if we haven’t had time to respond.
hm... david got us a gig on that day with dodgy in cardiff. I know we had a gig in december, I thought it was on the 10th and the other two coudn't remember the date either. we're a bit of a confused bunch and I'm really sorry for that. if you have any other dates though let us know.
Hey Tom! yeh it was a shame I missed that. I got round the corner and my friend was actually supporting the aweseome Bobby McGees, so I couldnt not watch them too! Thankyou so much for the show, it was fun fun. xx
Good Sunday, Semaphore the popular beat combo will be performing their groovy rock sounds at The Old Blue Last in Shoreditch, London town this Monday the 14th of July. Also performing will be bohemian French rapscallions Coming Soon, Doors are at eight and the door tax 5. Also some far-out live footage of the Semaphore chaps performing is up now in the interzone. Be Polite, loux
