Sons of Cain by Kenny Maclean

Martin - It's always great when Kenny sends me over a review, I never know what I'm getting and it's good to sit and read something interesting every once in a while. I'm going to warn you though, the following article is not for the easily offended. If you are offended by the harsh truth or fowl language then I suggest perhaps going to read another one of the blogs. 

For those of you who know me personally, and judging from my generally mellow disposition, it may surprise you to know that my first ‘favorite’ band as a teenager was Metallica. When I first started playing bass it was because I wanted to be in a Thrash Metal band, the first Bass lines that I learned were by Cliff Burton, Steve Harris, Tom Araya and David Ellefson, Metal forms the basis for what a fellow respected musician once called a ‘Bass style very much of my own’. This is why I feel I am the perfect person to write a few words on Lochmaben 3 piece Sons of Cain.

Formed in 2009 and currently on the cusp of releasing their first recorded material, Sons of Cain describe their music as a mix between Metal and Rock, Mock if you will. Coincidently this is a fitting term to describe the song I’ve been given and the task of reviewing ‘Cursed Apocalypse’. 

I know this is a young band and they are just finding their feet musically, but I have to be honest from the get go, this song didn’t do it for me. If you’re going to play Metal you have to play from the Balls, there has to be a sense of being on the fringes of something massive. Reductively, for me Metal is the antithesis of groove, it’s the music of a youth who want to shout but don’t know quite at who or what to shout at. At its worst Metal is an annoyance, something created from the bowls of society to make you feel violated, but when Metal is good, it makes you feel immortal.

Take an archetypical Metal God, I’ll use Phil Anselmo as an example, he’s a total cunt, he looks like a cunt, acts like a cunt and sings like a cunt, but that cuntish mutherfucker has something. He believes in every growling cuntism that flop’s out of his cuntish mouth and that draws you in, to look at a performer who is so sincere in what he does is hypnotising. It should be the goal of every front man to become an ‘irresistible’ performer and for me somebody like Phil Anselmo achieves this. It may be an unfair comparison but from chord one, Sons of Cain lack any of this conviction. 

So lets get too it, The opening riff is the opening riff to The Wicker Man by Iron Maiden, It’s a great powerful riff, when Iron Maiden play it, but If you are going to ‘borrow’ try and tart it up a bit, make it a bit less obvious. It may just be the quality of the recording but the band  need to tighten up a bit, the tempo drags in places and there are some untidy bass fills in there. Also playing as a trio often comes with the problem of making the music interesting with the limitations that come with the instrumentation. A band such as ‘Fall of Troy’ gets away with it through sheer musicality and the ability to play interesting musical figures, judging from this effort I don’t really have confidence that this band would have the chops to create something truly innovative as a trio.  

Traditionally Metal lyrics as prose are awful, and this song is no exception. Metal vocalists get away with awful lyrics because its all in the delivery, going back to Phil Anselmo, he could sing Mary had a Little Lamb and it would sound brutal. The vocal’s here have a nervousness and thinness too them, The singer needs a few years of screaming into a wheely bin, only stopping to smoke Cubans and gurgle gin in an effort to strengthen those metal vocal chords and disguise his poorly worded Raymond E.Feist style tales of gods and whores.

I don’t have much else to say regarding the song because as a song there's not much to write about, its very short and quite uninteresting. I feel this review has been harsh but this is Metal, it’s a fuck you world and I want to do my bit for these kids by toughening them up. I'm sure if they really looked deep inside themselves they could find the seeds of a good band, I believe everybody has inert musical ability, im just not sure Sons of Cain have found there niche quite yet.

As a little apocryphal end note, I realised my dream of being in a Thrash Metal band when I left school, we were fucking awful.10 years later I found myself in the Blue Note Club in New York listening to Monty Alexander play some of the best Jazz you’ll hear anywhere in the world, The music I listen to today and play is such a contrast to those Metal beginnings. As a 16 year old I never would have considered playing anything but Metal but it turned out that Metal just became a doorway to a wider world of musical styles. Maybe for Sons of Cain this will be a learning experience and they will go on to greatness, but as they are now, they’re not for me.  

Life on Standby: Baltimore League: Mechanical Smile

It has been such a long time since I've been in King Tuts. It's a strange venue for me, sometimes I love it and sometimes I hate it. From a performers point of view I love it, there's a great sound and plus the green room has a TV which you can watch Family Guy on (that's how I spent my last gig there) from an audience member point of view I always find it a hit or a miss.

Last night I went along to see Mechanical Smile kick off their UK tour, something which I hope goes well for them, they're such a hard working band I've no doubt that they'll make the most of every date they play up and down the country. I took Sam along to do the review, I kind of wanted to just enjoy the night but after being there I decided I'm just going to write the review myself. Sam's review is still there and I'll put it up at some point.

Unfortunately I didn't make it in time to see the first band perform, so I can't really comment on them, it's disappointing when that happens, but it's sometimes just the way of the world.

Life on Standby however, I did manage to see. Straight away the comparisons were swimming about my head, they're reminiscent of 'The Downtown Fiction' with a female vocalist. The band have a very 'rock'n'roll freedom fighters' vibe about them, which translates across the stage perfectly. An energetic set from the four piece who know how to work the room to perfection. Some of their songs are the perfect balance of sing-a-longs, choppy guitars and thrashy beats which blend together to form tracks that sweat hunger and ambition. For me personally Life on Standby were the standout act of the night, such a mass of raw energy and emotion. Although, I did lose a bit of respect with the whole 'let's get the crowd to split into two and be our puppets' but that's just me, I go to gigs to enjoy the music not to be ordered about. Life on Standby are a terrific band and I think with a few tweaks here and there they could really go far. Outstanding performance.

Next up were Baltimore League, a band who I keep meaning to go and see and I've just never gotten around to it. For me the band ooze that 2002 'Brand New-esque' sound. In actual fact, after coming home and listening to Brand New's 'Your Favourite Weapon' album, the similarities are endless. Baltimore League are clearly a four piece who are driven by passion and enthusiasm, pulling out a show stopping set. Baltimore League tackled King Tuts with all the vigor and willingness you would expect any band with the opportunity to add a few more fans to do.

Finally the time had come for the band we all came to see. Mechanical Smile took to the stage at around half ten and straight from the off King Tuts was buzzing. Fan favourites 'Afterlife' and 'Close your eyes' really set off the audience who had quite clearly had a great night so far. If there's one thing about Mechanical Smile it's that they have built such a loyal following of fans, clearly evident from looking around the room last night. Big riffs, hard rocking drums, energetic, passionate and professional are just some of the words I could use to describe Mechanical Smile. There are some points in the set where you just slightly feel that Dawn loses control of her voice, but in all honesty that's probably down to the fact that she throws so much energy into her performance. As front as a front person goes in a band, Dawn is probably up there with some of the best of them, there's no over the top song introductions, there's no arrogance, there's a connection with who's at the front of that stage. Nic and Garry fill up the stage space perfectly, both in appearance and musically while Murray, although hidden at the back behind his kit makes sure his voice is heard. Everything Mechanical Smile have done up to this point have seen them grow as a band and last night at King Tuts they played outstanding and kicked off a UK tour in style. A five star performance from the Kilmarnock outfit.

The Showcase!

The Showcase featured six acts, each one of them bringing something incredible to the table. Out of almost 200 entries we managed to whittle it down to six, and last night at Stereo they all came together for an amazing show. Tonight at 7pm we will announce who goes on to open the show for Jiezuberband and Preacher at the o2 abc1 on April 27^th.

I was exceptionally busy last night with the whole organising malarkey (stressed out my box is another way to put it) so I brought Sam along to write the review. So instead of me prattling on (I done enough of that last night with the whole ‘public speaking’ thing, I’ll just hand over to him.

First of all came Jay Ingram, I think musicians and civilians alike would agree there is nothing this man’s voice cannot do, he began his set strongly and performed what was my favourite track of the night; Ms Daisy which he wrote about his car and announced that in actual fact his car, was trashed. That’s beside the point though as he wrote it when his car wasn’t in the wreck and in actual fact expressed through his voice, tone, lyrics and melody how such a minute thing to some people may provoke the most magnificent track. I wish Jay had a full band however as the combination of vocals, acoustic guitar and Macbook PC sounded far too polished. Still, however, I do hope to see this promising young artist in the future and I’m in no doubt that he has a very promising career in doing what he enjoys the most.

Second on the hot-spot came The Detours. The band itself was spectacular and the performance they produced was magnificent although there are a couple points in which I would like to express about them. First off the harmonies, they continued throughout the whole set and as much as I enjoy the power of combined vocals I felt that sometimes they could have made a much bigger impact if they played the spaces rather than fitting it all into one big mash up. What they played was precise, on the ball and without a doubt very powerful. The energy of this band was the best I’ve seen all night and the guitar solos found a fitting end within all their songs.

Suspire made my night if nothing else, they reminded me of Fleetwood Mac, if they had turned up the distortion once in a while, a very promising band with a very promising future ahead of them. If I could pick one flaw then it would be that they need more stage presence as a whole. The one thing that did catch  my attention was the distortion on the bass when they were setting up and that immediately set my eyes on what they were up to, they had an amazing start and a very nice change in the first song from what appeared to be soft rock, quickly changed into soft/hard rock and epic roll! There was one stand out thing that caught my attention and that was the drummer whose sheer enthusiasm shone through the crowd like a light.

Next up was Dee who seemed very much like Suspire in the respect that they need more stage presence, the music; phenomenal, the structure; brilliant, and the band; couldn't be tighter. It was obvious to me by this point that every band who comes here were obviously aiming for the top. And if they couldn't get the top then they would shoot down anyone who opposes them, of course I mean that in the most non-literal way possible. From what I could tell from Dee, they knew what they were doing and should feel very proud for everything they did! An exceptional talent who has big things coming in the future if there’s any justice in the world.

Then Sonic Templars hit the stage, at first thought they were very aggressive in their approach and definitely wanted to be known. As their set-list progressed it was obvious that they knew what they were aiming for and as a final punch ended in a way that was unmatched all night. They had it. And I mean they had whatever it is that attracts a crowd and gets the riled up, they could be described as powerful, but I would say that they should be described as professional. That however could be said for every band on the bill.

The last band that played was called Jesus Trip who was introduced by Martin with extreme etiquette (a gentle ‘Fuck You’ to the crowd). Their best song of the night was called “Believer” which I can quite happily say, blew my mind! There are many things I could say about Jesus Trip but I should keep it short and sweet, they are awesome, they are original, although people would argue their style isn't  I would argue their style is just the first thing you pick up on about this band. After listening to their set, I can say that they sure do know (or at least I hope they know) that their style is unmatched in the sense that no one could copy this band, no one could pull of what they did tonight and as a whole, I’m glad that I was able to come see them.

The whole night turned out as a success and the last thing I can say about it all was that Stereo in Glasgow is a hot venue for hot bands, I shall be returning here regularly to see what else this place has to offer.

Martin – I would just like to say that my ‘Fuck You’ was called for. It was a great night, amazing bands on the bill. Putting six acts on was a gamble, but one that I hope paid off. Everyone who was there seemed to enjoy it. The artists were phenomenal to work with and chat to, all professionals and hard workers, all extremely talented and more importantly all entertaining. 7pm tonight we will make the announcement on the UUC Management website and then the Facebook, and believe me it’s such a hard decision to make. Tell you what though, I think I’m going to have more nights like that, and if I can I might just get the same acts along to do another blinder of a show! Right now however I’m away to make an egg in a cup, a cup of coffee and chill the feck out before I start getting hounded by people to do stuff.

Big thanks to Dee, The Detours, Suspire, Jay Ingram, Jesus Trip and the Sonic Templars for playing, to Alistair Mulhearn for bringing his photographic machinery along, to Stevey Murray for being left on the door to collect tickets all night and having to endure some Jiezuberband Madness (people attaching themselves to coat hangers and hanging themselves up) to Stereo, To Preacher and Jiezuberband and you know what, thanks to everyone! Next stop…………….o2 abc1

Pivo Pivo - The Changes by Sam Adgo

(Martin) It's strange for me, I'm really letting go of this reviewing Malarky ever so slightly and giving the work to some other people. It's hard for me to let go just that little bit, but it allows me to concentrate a bit more on some other aspects of UUC Management. Don't worry though, I'll still be posting reviews every week. Anyway tonight Sam took himself along to see 'The Changes' live at Pivo Pivo, So I'll hand over to him and let him fill you in.

At first glance The Changes were a mystery to me, I had no idea what to expect. I wasn’t really sure how or if I could put this band into the spotlight.

Now, I simply just can't get enough of them.

 Intricate guitar solos, perfectly bass fitting with sheer simplicity, yet every note struck was powerful.

I attended the gig and listened to whatever bands have gotten up and displayed their potential as artists, each act bringing their skills to the table. The only thing I can say is different about The Changes is that it's exactly what you would hope for, for any upcoming band, they're innovativen, outstanding and the way the whole band performs is almost too perfect to be true.

As the night progressed I learnt that they vary enough to keep it fresh, full, and every song I have heard so far has turned out to be a dream.

I was particularly keen on the lead guitarist, his craftsmanship shows that he's the type of player who knows what he's doing and has known for quite some time.

What I can say about the other members however is that they all fill their parts perfectly, the way that they pull the set together makes the music link together precisely and neatly.

Each song has been neatly brought into contrast with one another, constantly changing but never growing dull. Sometimes they remind me of punk music that's technical, other times they even remind me of Neil Young.

I suppose I should talk about the drummer, bassist and rhythm guitarist/vocalist more. The first thing that catches my attention is the sheer power of the bass, it never drops a note and can fill up any lost space in the music.

The drums are piercing and you can feel them shooting through your body with every tap of your foot, you could say they were perfect for the feel of the night. Not too powerful but THEY WERE THERE!!!

Finally I come to the rhythm guitarist/vocalist whose personality and stage confidence elude me, you can clearly see he's at home with everything he does and knows these songs all too well. He dances and interacts with the crowd brilliantly, I couldn't have picked a better front man for this band if I tried.

I can see why people call this band a psychedelic rockgroup, but in my mind they could fit a multitude of genres

All in all these guys knew what they were doing and I would class them as the best band that performed on the night. There’s nothing I love more than a band that can introduce themselves and just get on with it like there's not a care in the world, I deeply respect these guys and hope to get along to a lot more shows  in the future!

They call themselves Psychedelic Monster, I would say the beast inside them amplifies that perfectly.

'The Changes' - Reviewed by Kenny Maclean

Firstly, and as this is my first review for UUC, I feel that I should give myself a short introduction. I’m Kenny, pleased to meet you…Now let us begin.

‘The Changes’ are a self described 4 piece Psychedelic rock and roll outfit from Livingston who have been gigging steadily for the past 6 months. The song in question ‘The Illusion’ is from the bands first double AA side, which is due for release sometime in early 2013. 

The track opens with the musical equivalent of going into a job interview, saying fuck you then pissing in the plant pot, e.g. feedback then 25 seconds of drum noise and guitar noodling. It’s a tried, tested, and effective way of introducing your band to the world, and I like it.

After that’s out of the way the song unravels as a slow/mid tempo rocker, it has that kind of laid back northern white boy feel, like they picked E minor so the Bassist could play his bass with his right hand and eat a meat and potato pie with his left during the verses. Not that that’s a bad thing, I do like the implied harmonies between Harrington’s Guitar and Livingstone’s Vocals over this lazy groove, it creates a nice Hippy Trippy vibe reminiscent of the Verve back when they were a good band (‘A Storm in Heaven’ anyone?).

This then leads us to the chorus and the overall sentiment of the song, ‘I send a message out to ya…I’m gonna get it back’, an ambiguous chant of mild rebellion, then verse then more mild rebellion, its at this point you think ‘I hope this song goes somewhere’.

Its at this point the song goes somewhere, from a standard rock song into a pop philosophy master class. Livingstone dictates a spoken word ramble about a man on a boat and on the boat is his own mind and in his mind is a sandwich and on that sandwich is cheese and pickle, but he doesn’t like cheese and pickle, why would his own mind do this to him, he then finds a map, heads to a lagoon, but then he realises ‘He’s been here before’. Yeah, I like this bit the best.

In conclusion ‘The Illusion’ is a very listenable track and the band has some nice chops. Its hard to Judge a band from one song but I hope on subsequent releases they lean more towards the psychedelic and less towards the mod pop. Overall I’d say, Give it a go.

Check them out at www.thechangeslive.co.uk 

Law of the Chord

As most people know last night the UUC Management website was launched, and the feedback has been phenomenal. Getting a website seemed like the best idea, it makes it easier for musicians to get in contact and also easier to find out what's going on in UUC land.

www.uucmanagement.com

There's also an upload form on the page which allows for artists to upload their tracks to be reviewed here, which again makes it so much easier to keep on top of. I decided to pick one of the acts that have submitted music already at random and get the process underway.

Law of the Chord a band from Aberfeldy who's music centres around the Indie genre. The three piece formed back in 2007 and just from listening to their music you can hear that this band haven't just came together.

The track they sent over was 'Desert Skies' and in the first few moments of the tracks I was instantly reminded of some of the mid to late ninties Indie bands such as 'Mazzy Star' and 'Built to Spill'

'Desert Skies' is a chilled back, hard hitting song that wouldn't be out of place in 1996 but at the same point has that timeless feel which really gives it the edge over what a lot of artists out there are doing. The guitar craftsmanship is nothing elaborate and yet really brings life to the track. The clever use of guitar effects combined with  a well built bassline really makes the song get its own groove which is hard not to enjoy. For a three piece the band give off such a 'full' sound that is rare for three piece acts these days.

The vocals on their own are brilliant, there's the right amount of rawness to them which personally I love in a vocalist. I'm a big hater of too much reverb, so when you have raw vocals appearing the way they do on this track it's so refreshing to hear something natural.

Sometimes bands don't need to be performing together for years to make great music, however, sometimes it pays off and it really shines through. 'Law of the Chord' are 6 years strong and the music is nothing but talent through and through.

This is a band all music lovers can appreciate and a band who should have a really bright future in front of them.


Check them out:

www.facebook.com/lawofthechord

www.lawofthechord.com

A bit chaotic!

I think it's sometimes difficult to review an act and try and make them appeal to a mass market. For some artists it's easy, for example take Anna Sweeney, The Detours or even Jay Ingram. It's so easy to put things down and make them appeal to an audience that spans such an obscure and eclectic demographic. When it comes to the Metal Genre it's so much harder to put it down in a way that people can understand. That is: if when you're reviewing it, it appeals to you in the first place.

Not long ago I reviewed the first release from Chaos! Ayrshire's newest metal band. I felt that even then I was struggling to make them appeal to a mass market, but then I realised that I shouldn't worry about making my words appealing, the music speaks for itself. The first two tracks I reviewed were "Running Away" and "Let me go" you can read that blog HERE. 

Since the release of those two tracks Chaos! have exploded over the internet in a 'Music Releasing Frenzy' as I like to call it, so much so that my news feed often gets cluttered up. Not that I'm complaining, I make a joke of it now and again but I do love seeing bands work hard to get their music out there because it's not an easy task.

More recently the band release 'Fall' from their upcoming E.P (although with the way things are going, I can see this E.P turning into a debut album)

Once again Anna's vocals are nothing short of outstanding. I commented a few months back that Anna just had to get a bit more control over her voice and that is exactly what she's done. She's taken an already strong voice and built on it with precision and grace to bring out something that isn't far removed from Cristina Scabbia who is one of my all time favourite vocalists in this genre.

Instrumentation is another part of Chaos that seems to have dramatically improved over the last couple of months. There's something very precise about the way that the guitar has evolved over the course of the last couple of tracks. 'Fall' is a song that doesn't have to rely on over the top Metal Riffs, it has such a balance of Riff and Melody that it makes it such a strong piece of music. Metal music has evolved over time and I think that Chaos! have managed to bring together a lot of the various styles together in one EP.

Listening to 'Fall' I couldn't help think of Breaking Benjamin with a Female Vocalist and a bit more metal. So simple yet so complex at the same time. So captivating that even the non-metal fan would love it. In my opinion it's their best so far. Hopefully they can keep it up.

AND

You can catch them at the 13th Note on February 12th! For a mere £4 (UUC Presents).......yes it's a shameless plug and I don't care

The Colour of Logic

As I said before I've been so busy that I've not had time to get any reviews typed up so I'm determined that this week I will work through every single thing that I've been sent and any gigs that I've been to. I'm going to start with 'The Colour of Logic'

I actually went along to 'Box' on Sauchiehall Street back in December to see this band perform in what was their first outing as a band. I know from experience that the first show as a band can be a nerve wracking experience, especially when you're performing in front of a crowd who have never heard of you or heard any of your material. However 'TCOL' managed to pull it out of the bag and then some. To watch them perform you would have thought that this band had been together for a number of years. If only they managed to fill up a bit more of the stage rather than looking stiff at certain points then this band could be up there with some of the best acts I've witnessed in the last twelve months.

I was actually sent some tracks a good while back to listen to and as most people do, you end up getting a favourite track and that's the one that really sticks with you. So I'm going to start with that one right now.

'Traveler in Time' just hit me like a car the first time I heard it. It has a strange sort of R.E.M feel about it, I can't quite place my finger on it. The composition of the track is really well crafted from start to finish and it really personifies the band as a whole.

'Beyond the stars' is another track from 'TCOL' which really is a stand out track. The song is not a heavy vocal based track like 'Traveler in Time' instead 'Beyond the Stars' really makes the craftsmanship on guitar stand through. There's actually something very Sam Pacetti'ish about the guitar work on this track that makes me love it.

The Colour of Logic are a fantastic group of musicians who appear to have came together and brought all their skills to the table. There's no over the top instrumentation, no hard to connect with lyrics. There's nothing but  pure talent within this group and it's a group who quite frankly could keep releasing tracks like what I've heard and I would buy every single one. I think to really get to know how fantastic this band are you really need to see them perform live. I for one am definitely a fan!

You can check out their Facebook by clicking right here!

A whole lot of updates

It's been an incredibly busy couple of weeks. Sometimes I start to wonder how time manages to let me fit everything in. Of course I'm not the only who's busy recently, Rose Parade launched their Debut Video last week and last night they launched the Album at the 13th Note in Glasgow. Unfortunately I wasn't able to make it, but I have heard that it was a terrific show. Facebook was loaded with people talking about it and it really just makes me wish that I had managed to be there.

I've discovered quite a few new acts over the last couple of weeks as well. 'Burn the Maps' are really standing out for me at the moment, and I would urge everyone to go and have a listen, I see big things from them in the future. They are going to be a huge hit in 2013 and I'm hopefully going to get along to a good few events.

Another piece of news I've had is that 'Twisted Illusion' (a band who really stood out for me last year) are taking the band in a whole new direction. I have no idea what direction they plan on going in, but I'm interested to see where it goes. They are apparently doing a preview of the new material in Box on the 20th of February so I'm going to try and get along and it would be good to see some other happy faces there.

I'm going to be busy on the 20th because on the same night I'm going to run around to King Tuts to see the fabulous Anna Sweeney perform. Anyone who follows my blog will know that I rate Anna higher than most performers on the circuit at the moment. She's just got such a big talent, and she's such a tiny person. I love her music and on top of that she's such a nice person to know that it makes it hard not to be a fan.

I also went to see 'Slutcake' last Friday. They're a band I've never saw live and in actual fact I probably wouldn't have heard of them if I hadn't been dragged to the gig by Mr Grant of Jiezuberband, but I really enjoyed it. I'm not a big covers band fan but they really know how to put on a show. Mo is a terrific front woman and the rest of the band are extremely talented in their field. It was a thoroughly enjoyable performance and a band who I would go and see again, possibly for all the wrong reasons but hey, we're all allowed our guilty pleasures.

I also finally managed to get a hold of Brendan Benson's newest album 'What Kind of World' For those of you who don't know, Brendan is in the band 'The Raconteurs' who to be honest I'm not a massive fan of but Brendan's solo work completely blows me away. It's very melodramatic and completely encapsulating. If you happen to come across the album I would definitely recommend buying it, or adding it to your wish list for the year.

Moving away from Music just for a moment;

The finale of Fringe was two weeks ago and I have to say I'm sad that it's ended. It was one of my favourite television shows of the last decade and it really gave me something to think about at the end of every episode. Walter Bishop is without doubt one of the best characters ever created for a television show and had given me countless hours of laughter and nonsensical enjoyment.

I'm still a bit undecided on WWE at the moment..........yes I still watch wrestling, no I don't care that you think it makes me a child, yes I know it's scripted!!.......The Rock as WWE Champion again? Not what I wanted to see, not that I have anything against The Rock but CM Punk really brought credibility back to that Championship with a terrific reign that lasted well over a year and is the longest reign in the modern day era.


Back to music;

Suspire, The Detours, Dee, Sonic Templars, Jay Ingram and Jesus Trip all take part in The Showcase at Stereo on the 24th of this month to find the Support Act for the o2 ABC show featuring Jiezuberband and Preacher. All six acts are truly outstanding and so it will be interesting to see who gets the slot.

February is a month full of some amazing gigs, I'm going to try and get along to as many as I can. I get invites to gigs every single day and I know how annoying it is when you try and promote a show and nobody shows up, but I promise I will try my hardest to get a long to many more this month than I did in January.

Music Reviews - I've been sent a lot of music to review recently, I've just been so busy with other stuff that I haven't really had the chance to get them done. Saying that though, I will work my through them this week and have them all up. Remember if you want your tracks reviewed send them over to uucmanagement@hotmail.co.uk

So that's all for just now, I'm going to leave you with a little bit of Brendan Benson to get your teeth into.