Friday, August 30, 2013

Hey, that's me on the Lamacq Show.....(for 7 days only)

Good Day/ Bad Day caller - that's me that is!

Scuse the brevity of the blog-post pals, but it's one handed typing all the way at the mo..

How about this. After a nippy tweet from me to the Lamacq Show last week - they were looking for guests for the Good Day/ Bad Day feature - I was booked in for a spot yesterday's show.

Which way did I choose? Tune in below at 50 minutes in for the reveal...as well as first singles, gigs and album info.

Steve Lamacq - 6 Music 29th August

Do you know I can feel a Pop-Master revisit calling

The Quinn Martin style epilogue - Pal Lamacq gave me a 'callback' as they say - an unprompted shout and dedication on tonight's show.too at 2hr 34 mins...

Steve Lamacq - 6 Music 30th August

All will become clear

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

A temporary (shoulder) break in service...

 

Apologies for the sudden silence blog-pals, but I took a recent tumble while biking. Slam! Straight down, left shoulder-side.. which turned out be a broken humerus - and in several places.

The couple of weeks since have seen amazing technicolour shoulder to elbow bruising, a swollen arm - and hand inflamed like a cricket glove

.  

Hopefully back to all the usual soon, but until then - lend an ear to the flip of Eight Rounds Rapid new single...

 

 And if you like what you hear - bag a copy from Norman Records


Friday, August 16, 2013

How was last week's 'Writeabout' launch at Southend Central's most rocking assembly point - you ask?

Photos by Paul Hughes

Swishy, sweaty and spectacular - is the answer! And where we were joined by London based label bosses, journalists, DJs - and our surprise, special guest, watching from side-stage - Mr Wilko Johnson..



Round One... Swindle.
With fourteen songs, one set list to sequence and only two evenings for me to rehearse (at home, playing along to the records) - we set up our stall of seditious and subversive standards, opening with a triple-fisted slam of Bodies, I Fought the Law, and Neat Neat Neat - exiting stage left, one plectrum-snapping, sweat-heavy, sticky-steaming hour later. -  closing with a sing-a-long final lap of Pretty Vacant, Blitzkrieg Bop and Another Girl Another Planet (for the encore)



Round Two - Eight Rounds Rapid
The last time Eight Rounds stepped onto a Southend stage,  prior to Wilko's Farewell tour - was for our Podrophenia/8RR/Thee Faction team-up. During the course of a sixty minute set mixing known faves and new songs (Bully Boy) 8RR took The Railway apart track by track. Of course there are shadows of the Feelgoods in the sour expressions and ruffled 'n' dusty suits, but these boys are an all-new threat, with the heavy-level menace and cocksure manner of villains at a secret speakeasy planning an international blag.

 Lee Watkins jabs and batters his kit like a boxer at a sparring session. Bass player Juju prowls, grins and winks like a card sharp, while Simon Johnson is all fidgets and tics, hoovering around the stage crackling and overcharged as if he's been wired directly into to the national grid. By contrast Dave Alexander's static, crisp 'n' dry delivery, face-front manner and unblinking stare have the command and control of Michael Caine's performance in Get Carter. A game-raising display that saw the Eight Rounders literally drawing blood, sweat and tear-ups for the assembled home crowd and visiting London callers



Round Three - Podrophenia
For the after-show in bar from 11 onwards, Piley and I tag-teamed between nineties indie-bits and obscure popsters, to soul shakers, funky covers and something that's becoming a standard - passing the disco baton from K C (me) to Donna Summer (Piley).. And behold - as Mike Herbage, he of Department S, takes a breather from shaking a Podrophonic leg to our tunes… (stage right, glasses - holding a drink)

For the full glory and gallery of the evening (and until we re-group again in December) have a thumb threw Paul Hughes Flickr sets hereabouts

Friday, August 9, 2013

Launched today: Eight Rounds Rapid new single Writeabout - the first release on Podrophenia Records



Break out the hats and hooters! The night has finally arrived for the wrappers to be removed from Eight Rounds Rapids vinyl debut and Podrophenia Record's first release 'Writeabout/Steve' - where live, tonight at Southend's Railway Hotel  (a venue fanfared in a recent Sunday Time supplement) - we have a three way wing-ding arranged for you….

From 9 (ish) Swindle - Southend's premier ballroom-blitzkreig-bopping punk tribute band covering the sounds of the suburbs heard during the Punk Wars. And in the tradition of Podrophenia switcheroos - I'll be joing the band on bass for tonight!

From 10 (ish) Eight Rounds Rapid - estuary bred rock 'n' rollers returning their first home-town gig since….(see reason 1)

From 11 (ish) The Podrophenia Roadshow -a muti-coloured pop-swap of double-decking from Piley and the other one



Still unsure? Have a listen to 8RR's Writeabout as featured on Steve Lamacq's show last Tuesday at 47 mins in - ' I recognise that venom' says Lammo

And Eight Reasons Rapid why you should haul your boogie Railway-wards tonight

1) It's the Eight Rounders *first* hometown show since supporting Wilko on his Farewell Tour. A homecoming gig you could say...

2) Writeabout/Steve is the band's vinyl debut.

3) This limited edition single is the only place you will be able to get Writeabout. Hand-numbered copies will be on sale tonight

4) They sounded fab on Gideon Coe last week (5 mins in). They sounded fab on Steve Lamacq (see above)

5) Eight Rounds Rapid sound even more devastating live - come and check them out

6) The glowing single review by Kelly Buckley in The Echo


7) There's a hot-rocking support band (Swindle) before. There'll be a podrophonic shindig afterwards with tunes such as....



8) It's all free

So get there early and you may grab a low number edition. We'll be seeing you from 8 tonight then....?

All the info you need to know about writeabout, tonight-about is hereabouts

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Podrophenia on BBC 6 Music!


That's right - Podrophenia Records in fact.

Our debut Pod-Rec release by Eight Rounds Rapid - Writeabout  (ltd edt) was given a spin last Wednesday on the Gideon Coe 6 Music show. And you know what - it sounds blooming fab blasting from a radiogram. You can poke a listening ear in here (at the five mins mark)

However, should you fancy lending both ears to both sides of the single - plus some back story, info and facts on the tracks by the band - simply help yourself to a free copy of the latest Podrophenia themed around the letter Q. It's all free and can be grabbed hereabouts. Or via iTunes.



How do you bag a copy of this limited edition single? Very simply, they're available from Friday 9th August, with a launch night at Southend's Railway Hotel. Come on down and get your hands on a seven incher