Communications Breakdown

These thoughts were prompted by a discussion with our Ignition gigs superintendent Stephen Robinson who noted the high number of bands taking part in the series who didn t seem to have set lists or biogs and often didn t bother to tell the audience who they were or what this or that song was called.
Of course I would reserve the right for anybody to remain as incommunicative as they wish, but on one condition: that I don t hear them later complaining because nobody wrote about them, or signed them or played their records or went to their gigs.
So what s the problem here? If you re in band playing a live gig, why would you not want every member of that audience to know who you are, where you re from, what you are currently up to, where you re playing next, etc.? If a song is worth playing to them is it not useful for them to know what it s called, just in case, say, they want to write about it, buy it or just tell their friends?
Fortunately, communications would appear to be no problem for guitarist John Gallagher who sent me a legible hand-written letter about his band The Daddys and in which he tells me that while the band have played all over Dublin they need a record contract to get anywhere, obviously forgetting that the achievements of David Gray and Ani di Franco among many would contradict this assumption. He also admits, a little unnecessarily I feel, that The Daddys self-produced demo CD is poorly produced and wants me to recommend a producer who won t break their collective piggy-bank. Having listened carefully to their guitar-lead intelligent rock I would recommend that they chat up either Pete Holiday or Chris O Brien.
As it happens, their CD is fine as demos go, so they may be fretting needlessly. Although Superman especially has elements of Travis and Ocean Colour Scene soundwise, in construction it owes a lot to The Doors but otherwise shows, as a demo ought to, that they can play, write and sing. So that s ok.
The CD demo from Armagh band abase arrives with a colourful compliment slip and headed paper and cheers me up no end as the trio s material successfully walks the thin line between boyband pop and cool, mainstream rock. First Day has a solid beat, poppy harmonies, a rather nifty organ, a neat guitar break and meaty strings. Don t You Cry opens with a chiming guitar pattern before it builds into a tour de force that could have tills ringing all over the globe. Play The Clown is a more jaunty funk-lite affair, but it proves that Abase can be as versatile as necessary. The only problem is that their demo has seventeen songs when they would impress and seduce more effectively by picking three or four.
Susan Bluechild is a singer-songwriter from Dublin but previously based in London. Her material and performance is straight down the line pop a la Kim Wilde or Kylie. On the evidence of the three songs she has little to worry about on the performing front, being endowed with a fine set of cheery pop tonsils, but the songs on initial hearing don t seem to have the necessary instant impact. Then again, maybe the producer The Daddys are looking for might be better employed helping to turn her harmless ditties into chart hits.
Corkonians Oswego are Indie rockers verging on mainstream and they too have a jolly biog sheet and a very well presented CD demo. Nouvista is a robust 5-track outing with generous hints of Radiohead and Red Hot Chilli Peppers throughout. Waiting On is another broody number that proves that Oswego generally know what they re about, but they might also like to consider putting choruses and hooklines into at least some of their songs and stop rambling on interminably.
None of the four acts mentioned above could be faulted on the communications front. Their demos were accompanied by contact names, phone numbers, track listings etc. so that when (if?) this column draws them to the attention of somebody else out there at least we know where they live.
This has been a public service announcement.

DEMO DIP GRADUATES UPDATE: Orlagh de Bhaldraithe, reviewed here last month, will release her debut album in February, with gigs planned too.