Demo Dip

Some pay good money for it, some advertise in small print for it, and some recording artists send written requests for it. Put it down to a religious upbringing, or unrequited longings, but whatever the sad reasoning, some people seek abuse.

There are artists who revel in bad press, angry audiences, and in generally pissing off as many folk as possible. The Sex Pistols did it with style, executing a carefully manipulated battle plan, with timing, talent, and cash.

Check out The Great Rock And Roll Swindle at your coolest video shop for reference on the subject. No band since has managed to pull it off with quite the same bank manager-pleasing results.

Chances are your average member of the great unwashed recording masses does not have the marketing panache of a Malcolm McLaren, Tom Parker or P.T. Barnum. It’s not style or a genius for PR that makes a surprising number of bands start their cover letters to record companies with “We know you’re going to bin this anyway”. It’s a self fulfilling prophecy, and every bit as much a cliché as the “We are the greatest band it the world” chestnut.

First artist out of the Dip is Simon Wrest. Our boy is one who clearly adores the attention of bad press. He devotes an entire page of his biography to the wretched reviews his previous demos garnered, all the quotes coincidentally from female writers. It is no coincidence that there are no favourable mentions.

Simon includes a lyric sheet so we can have no doubt that his most favourite muses are disease, his arse, and pornography. Musically, he’s not bad (sorry Simon we know you enjoy vilification). The guitar playing is adequate, there is even a strong sense of rhythm and melody in the accompaniment. Trouble is, he can’t sing, but more to the point there is no real vocal distinction to his mumbling here.

Does Simon walk the streets of his home town in Co. Laois wearing a “KICK ME” sign? It might be easier than going to the actual trouble and expense of demo-ing new material. Just be glad there isn’t a web site or video – yet.

Melt from Dublin, next into the Dip, are all sweetness and light in comparison. There is something quite innocent and refreshing about their guitar-based pop sound, somewhat akin to Orange Juice. As it transpires, the singer and songwriter, Terry Lambert, is the brother of Dermot from Blink but presumably no relation to the Juice’s Edwyn Collins. Pop sensibilities are clearly a family inheritance with the Lamberts.

However, Melt need to develop their approach before they are quite ready for the world stage. The vocals and instruments are short of the sort of confidence that comes with experience. They do have a chemistry that bodes well for their future, and the song-writing of Terry Lambert is impressive.

Pharaoh House Crash, send their demo in the form of a CD, a format becoming more popular as prices for recordable CDs drop. The band are currently based in London and feature Belfast ex-pat Peter Lundy.

If the band release the first track ‘Four On The Floor’ commercially they will almost certainly get phone calls – from lawyers and publishers of ‘Lovely Day’. The band even “borrow” the title words and the chorus to the former chart hit. The best wisdom on this issue is that if you think it sounds like someone else’s song, chances are it is.

P.H.C. will have to rewrite the first track, and re-think their songwriting approach in general before demoing further. They need to make their own choruses stronger, and verses tighter. They could spend some time working on the vocals, which are slightly off key here, and produce a more distinct sound of their own.

Matinee Idyll, (formally Kayden) from Lucan, Co. Dublin have a definite ’80s sound about them with more than a nod to the Thin White Duke for vocal inspiration.

It’s both the Bowie-esque vocals and the instrumentation that gives them a rather dated sound. With the re-launch and re-union tours of ’80s hitmeisters Culture Club and Howard Jones, and the success of films like The Wedding Singer, it’s a sound that could well fill stadiums again (you have been warned). In their favour, Matinee Idyll can play their instruments well. Even with the hindrance of having a “borrowed” bass player who is not a full-time band member, they do manage to sound like a band.

• On Line – Contact Debbie Skhow at [email protected]

• Debbie Skhow hosts the Hot Press Hot Spot, Friday nights, 9-11 PM on East Coast Radio, Country Wicklow

• Send your demos, photos and band biogs to: Hot Press, Demo Dip,

13 Trinity Street, Dublin 2. All demos are chosen at random from those sent to Hot Press.