Ward Thomas-Country / Americana duo from Hampshire, England who spent most of 2013 in Nashville playing shows and recording with the likes of Vince Gill, Michael Omartian and Chris Rodriquez. Their most recent visit in the autumn of 2013 saw a series of radio appearances and further recording. The girls, who have been singing together since childhood, have a fantastic vocal blend and already the likes of Alan Cackett from Maverick Magazine has given them his seal of approval: “Young, country-pop duo with terrific original songs, and the delivery to make them unforgettable.”Simon Kent- A band not merely an individual and a good stab at turning the Coldplay style into something a lot more biting, care of a genuinely fresh and impassioned vocal style- coming on somewhere between Jon Anderson and Julian Cope a la falsetto…nice vocal, highly accomplished music played by top musicians, superb. The Duplettes-  a very attractive dusky toned boy/girl duo, he plays the guitar she sings and looks fabulous…hey!, they both look fabulous! A blend of interestingly selected covers and perky originals. Yes she can sing really good and he can fashion some deft jazz/flamenco guitar.

The second of our Spring offensive for Magic Brothers in which they take on half a dozen shows in a  thoroughly North London nice to be nice manner. The Dublin Castle of course being The Ancestral Seat Of Madness…  The nutty apple don’t fall too far from the Madness tree for sure but there’s a symphonic side to the ska and soul tinged pop here that has great beauty and depth, perhaps most obviously seen in the ‘Rise And Fall‘ Nutty Boys era. Wonderfully crafted pop songs like ‘You Don’t Have To Hide Your Love Away’ and ‘Do What You Wanna Do’ also recall artists as diverse as  The Colourfield, Dusty Springfield and Elvis Costello, and certainly wont disappoint fans of Woody’s other superfine pop act Voice Of The Beehive. Beautifully orchestrated but still gritty and dance friendly and certainly not to be missed in the bijoux sweatbox pheremone rich atmosphere of the Dublin…  Madness drummer Woody Woodgate and his younger brother Nick truly are Magic Brothers.

Empire Signal-Tough yet highly melodic indie rock, with some searing lead guitar, great harmonies and fantastic performances all round. Kinda reminds of the nosier tunes on the 2nd Stone Roses via Kasabian at their rockiest.-And Or Not- Hailing from UK, Portugal and the US of and or A, And Or Not play dirty Numanesque synth rock with driving drum and bass lines, gutsy girl vocals and guitar that punches you in the gut.   Nitzer Ebb dunking a Blondie biscuit in a cup of QOTSA Jack Ruby- Fierce alt rock happening with groove baby Seeking 7- Stephie Peeka‘s griity femme pop punk vehicle returns…somewhere between Blondie and Transvision Vamp. Band Of Jackals- got a lovely prowling feel to the sinister sounding tunes here- nice overloaded guitar sounds with quirky rhythms and something akin to Arctic Monkeys meet Thin Lizzy- strange but true, the indie and the heaviosity meet half way… bit of Nirvana, bit of garage toned exotica, good act.

Learn To Swim- very much doing the butterfly stroke of crafted pop having masterd the doggy crawl of indie rock.  Stone Thief- Manic Street Preachers melodic alt rock meets the indiness of The Coral with a twist of neo britpop a la Graham Coxon. Herculean- chiming resonant guitars recalling early Verve or The Chameleons, tribally rhythmic in the drums area with a keening impassioned vocal…you could mention U2 but this trumps Bongo and co with gutsiness and grit. Potentially the kind of anthemic indie rock that could bust outta XFM and grab a lot of listens. Good band. Jack Knife Daisy- crisp white boy reggae with Vampire Weekend style tropical guitar interplay and something akin to a dark and narcoleptic take on Arctic Monkeys with  some fine and dandy ideas that often sound like something off Peel circa 1982. .

Our favourite supercool femme fronted punk rocknroll double header happening…Pussycat And The DJs mix raw rancid riffology with a post psychobilly garage sensibility and the fiercest punk kitten vocalizing care of the wunderbar Puss yelping and scaring the hounds up front. Always a kicking live act, and their latest Dirty RocknRoll longplayer is a joy n all. The Dogbones feature former Queen Adrena and Daisy Chainsaw guitar shredder and rocknroll icon Crispin- sorry Johnny Orion- and the wunnerfully wonky Nomi upfront and still rock blitzkriegingly pleasing double drummer joy n all. Throbbing, snaking bass holds it altogether, though it may just fall apart, beautifully.

 Kloq-Rock meets hiphop but this is way better than most- a very American rappy vocal that echoes Run DMC and other old school exponents whilst the music is a soulful funky shunky soul rock groove metal with a genuine drrrty vibe..N*E*R*D at their heaviest meets AC/DC via Metallica and some timely squelchy ‘dub step’ bits. Neat. Killatrix- funked up alt rock with sassy squeaky female vocals, exciting drummer and a guitarist on a mission to rawk beatifically. Like a Brit No Doubt kinda…Scout Killers- Good name for a band! Bath based outfit with some heavy rockings and emotive vocals a la Soundgarden/Pearl Jam… neato completo.. Proud Honey-alt rock with a Kasabian goes Whitesnake vibe…the fizzy buzzsaw Buzzcocks meets Hawkwind guitars are most agreeable too. Bohemian Embassy- Edgy alt-pop with a muscular but highly melodic sound, like as harder rocked-up Dandy Warhols, plus a little of what I can only describe as skiffle-core, but achieved with punk tood, nothing like Bumford And Daughters..

La Mouche- diggable twangy guitar with plenty slink factor and jazzbo touches via a cabaret vocal dual male and female…the guy sounds like a kool n kooky mockernee Marc Almond, the gal good n brassy…bar room piano, plenty of dramatic flourishes and nice ideas all round. They even have a prog out guitar solo here and there. This is grand work! Jenavive- sultry diva performs a kind of pop gothique with a misty psychedelic feel via a little post rave rock grooviness and a hint of Jim Steinman shaped rocknroll epicness. The Good Tenants-scratchy guitars and a bluesy female vocal and some snappy percussion. The bluesiness builds and it all gets pretty righteous.. God Blesss The Devil she sings. She can really sing too, and this all gets pretty dang funky. Skyway Avenue- sugar coated pop punk nouveau emo with lots of synthpop production helping it along towards teen adoration.

The Star Men- Amazing glam rock tribute- all your 1970s fave raves specially tailored for your Paddy’s Nite party so expect plenty of Lizzy and maybe even Pogues tunes reinvented for glam rock stompin’…plus special craictastic guests TBA….Angus And Annaliisa- beautifully honed jazz and bossa tones from Angus’ wicked guitar work and Annaliisa’s amazing vocal prowess.

Maybe Neverland- original, eclectic music, MBNL strive to not to fit into a genre, but wish to deliver a different show, with different music and sounds, every time they perform. And the music stands up.  A downbeat DJ Shadow via Burial vibe with a nod to Mike Skinner in his more reflective mode via Roots Manuva shaped vocals. Really interesting and engaging stuff,  sorta thing you might imagine Tom Ravenscroft playing on his excellent BBC 6Music shows..Blackhackr- Atmospheric indie-tronica with a wash of ambient noise, pulsing bass and catchy beats. Pretty trippy…sounds a bit like Aphex Twin or Fourtet in places, but they’ve lots in the way of  pop friendly hooks. Sound Manifesto- Zippy electropop that pumps along 4 to the floor style and features some cool Orbital type ravey sounds- totally dancefloor friendly with a soulful female vocal redolent of Annie Lennox in the better Eurythmics stuff..see also Goldfrapp…this is nice and deep sounding, and can definitely picture this tune doing some bigtime club dancefloor action (‘Stuck’)  Husky Loops- skanking popped up Arctic Monkey style tunesmithery but via some nice dubby breakdowns and passages that veer towards cool baggy aloofness. Sound like Metronomy rather too. New Vinyl-  Rootsy Americana infused indie-blues-rock with a bit of a nod to Kings Of Leon but it’s a gritty North Country Boy indie take on things.

TBelly- Brightonians rocking a Tom Waits vis blues hollerers of old aplenty..Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy…piano, guitar, harp- all very authentic sounding…Richard De Soussa Silva-  ”Richard De Soussa Silva was born on July 18th 1993 in Sao Luis, Brazil. Since the age of 7 after being introduced to his first guitar, Richard has grown to love and be influenced by all genres of music.” Not half..   jazz and latin tinged acoustic bluesy pop with distant echoes of Paolo Nuttini,  impassioned work…Wednesday’s Wolves- female fronted plaintive folk acoustic fare…early Fairports, Judy Sill etc…good harmonies…lovely feel. Jacques Caramac And The Sweet Generation- well, the Sweet Generation may be resting up tonite with a box of Heroes and some red liquorice laces whilst Monsieur Caramac takes the wonderful new long player selection out to offer around you good munchies frenzied peoples… Imagine the luxuriant chocolate coating of a Fall bar encasing the delicious nougat of Jonathan Richman

Goat Leaf- ‘No class rocknroll’…so biker imagery Sabs and Stooges riffs, drrrty grooves and a singer from skool of Rob Tyner of MC5 meets …I dunno- Pink Fairies? They do it raw and unruly, loads of bite to the guitar…rock out like few can. Top hole. Dead Shed Jokers- fierce alt rock with a metally edge indeed proggy almost – so think Mars Volta via Muse with a bit of Faith No More.   The band released a well acclaimed debut in 2011, Classic Rock magazine called them “one of the hottest new bands in Britain”. Mojo Breakdown- Picture Metallica with da blues- which is no bad thing… a powerful hoarse voiced super heavy rocknroll happening imbued with snaky slide and chugging riffs that pulse along very nicely as the singer bangs on about oh you know whisky, being a renegade and enjoying all the fruits of life with good good friends…what’s not to freaking like? Mitchell Perera- optimistic shiny happy pop with a croony vocal recounting pleasing catchy refrains and tales of love and loss.

The Loose Hearts-low slung, slunking about artful pop rock with a killer guitar sound that sounds like The Edge with a rocket up his arse and a dirty rocket at that…this has some bollocks and the tunes are decent too. Sort of mid way between angsty post punk, prime Bowie and classic Thin Lizzy gone indie…neat  Lifecycle- ’UK Tribal fusion band’ Lifecycle have recently been out on tour across the UK with The Crazy World of Arthur Brown…free from jazz workouts abound, free drumming, flutes etc- picture the end part of that track off Satanic Majesties...The more outre bits of Airforce or Graham Bond…Rip Rig And Panic even…but it is a full band…bass player is a dead ringer for that girl who plays for Bowie- surely not?….alluring stuff anyway, all instrumental, a groovier, funkier Tortoise kinda ting

Special Kinda Madness are a Specials and Madness tribute band playing one set from each band. We don’t need to remind you of The Dublin Castle /Madness association! This will definitely be a heaving heavenly happening, so book early! Plus ska, soul and reggae DJ action til 2am….

White Valentine-  Northern rock pop checking the melodic, rhapsodic end of The Verve and other adult oriented musics. Melodic, yes, heart felt too…see Doves, Elbow etc…Vera Black- hippie chick plays acoustic (piano and or guitar)  stuff a la Carly Simon and Carole King, and the Brill Building essence seeps through in the song craft here too. Eli- Nu rmb soul artiste with a winningly freash approach to beats and croons alike.

Blind Racketeers- a hearty husky female vocal with some soulful gravitas in the delivery in the post Adele manner- also Joss Stone…a swinging indie rock veering towards soul vibe from the band , done well and with feeling.  The Rembrandts, natch)…or Don Henley overdriven for indie kids. Tom Petty, John Cougar Mellencamp gone jangle indie even. Spot on. Gangs- From Dublin - mod/Britpop/powerpop type fare…they moodily stroll along a reet moody old beach as their early Who meets Secret Affair via Oasis stuff chimes around and about in a rather marvellous manner. From Dublin...Are they singing ‘Big Billy Bollocks are bringing me down‘ or do I need my ears syringing? Boundary–  nu prog meets uber pop of the post emo persuassion. Melodic, radiant riffing, like a rock Bombay Bicycle Club.

Jerry Afraid- ”Sounds like Bob Dylan being raped by a fax machine” his words, not mine. Something of Thom Yorke here too, plus the experimental techno wash of Autechre and the lofi balladeering of Beck. Terry Emm- Singer songwriter backed up with sweet n swish strings in the style of Nick Drake though his oeuvre recalls more Beatles alike stylings and may hap yer chap outta The Beta Band….Stefano Giorgini- blue collar rock given a mainstream pop sheen/makeover, all very euphoric and uplifting fists a pumpin’ stuff.

 We Came From Wolves- chiming guitars, flimmedy flam drums and over driven starry eyed nouveau indie- a bit proggy, a bit grungey We Came From Wolves effortlessly blend their influences on second EP Paradise Place, writing accessible, youthful rock that balances anthemic sing-along choruses and awe inspiring melodies. The EP is released via Saraseto Records on 3rd March 2014. Biffy Clyro-esque  at times and with support already coming from Rock Sound, BBC Radio 1’s Ally McCrae, Amazing Radio’s Jim Gellatly and mentions on Drowned in Sound and strong local support in Scotland, We Came From Wolves are ready to make 2014 their year. Kingfishers Catch Fire- extremely poptabulous stuff with Beatles touches and some Smiths winsomeness via a bit of 4 to the floor action and a vocal that sounds like Green outta Scritti Politti meets Neil Tennant …a lovely blend. Michael Ainsley Band-interesting approach to the old indie rock here, rousing shouty choruses but there’s some intricate arranging and nuances, clever harmonizing and simple but hooky guitar line, good stuff. Clay Cats- Firehose like skittering rhythms and post U.S punk angstiness and raw attack, but with Vampire Weekend-esque guitar and pop appeal.

Show numero 3 in our Magic Brothers residency. The Dublin Castle of course being The Ancestral Seat Of Madness…  The nutty apple don’t fall too far from the Madness tree for sure but there’s a symphonic side to the ska and soul tinged pop here that has great beauty and depth, perhaps most obviously seen in the ‘Rise And Fall‘ Nutty Boys era. Wonderfully crafted pop songs like ‘You Don’t Have To Hide Your Love Away’ and ‘Do What You Wanna Do’ also recall artists as diverse as  The Colourfield, Dusty Springfield and Elvis Costello, and certainly wont disappoint fans of Woody’s other superfine pop act Voice Of The Beehive. Beautifully orchestrated but still gritty and dance friendly and certainly not to be missed in the bijoux sweatbox pheremone rich atmosphere of the Dublin…  Madness drummer Woody Woodgate and his younger brother Nick truly are Magic Brothers.

Moonrakers in the house…if you come from somewhere between the two River Avons you’ll know the myth of the cheese smugglers pretending to be thick in order to fox the taxman (No we waz just tryna get the moon outta the village pond kind gentlemen sir…)…all the bands tonite come from in or around Salisbury, Wilts so expect plenty of strong in the arm thick in the talent ska and indie pop flavours as speraheaded and exemplified tonite by the ever wonderful Intercepteurs..their masterful blend of The Beat, The Specials and a hint of 1960s pop is glorious.

The very welcome return of On-U Sound proclaimer and deranger Gary Clail and his brand new Nail It To The Mast Sound System.…. after a myriad of brilliant releases on Adrian Sherwood‘s classic post punk dub and funk 1980s/90s outlet including brilliant collaborations with Tackhead, Jah Wobble and Keith Levene from Public Image Ltd, Mark Stewart from The Pop Group and The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy amongst many others. Gary produced some ground breaking cutting edge work as evinced by the utter classic high water mark of The End Of The Century Party LP. Gary has kept busy helping others since his Keep the Faith record of 1996 but has now fashioned his very own Sound System and the album ‘Nail It To The Mast’ is about to arrive…just in time for this fabulous night out for dubheads, punkers and funkers alike. Immigrant007-  Dark and delirious electronica meets post punk embracing all the best bits of Ultravox!, Joy Division, Magazine and OMD. And the 007 suffix gets a certain nod and a wink too with the filmic/soundtrackesque qualities of some of the play here. From the ashes of Czech alterno poppers Mastermindz, purveyors of a trulywonderful sound.  Dry Lunch Club- effortlessly cool post punk flavoured doings from school of Wire, Magazine and The Scars. Fab.

Ryder-corny pop metal with punkishness and wonderful schlockiness too. This is kinda like Thin Lizzy re-imagined as hair metal gone punk?!  Rhubarb Bomb  said of their “Smokers Paradise EP (self released) When you check up on a band and see that their influences includes AC/DC, The Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Who, it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise when they turn out to be such a noisy lot. This is real Up And At ‘Em stuff. Roger Green” — Rhubarb Bomb..plus their singer was also in the BBC drama Peaky Blinders and the Great Train Robbery! Internal Skars- Post hardcore stuff with a perky, punky element. Alexisonfire meets AFI via Thrice.  Nice. Past The Fall-Stonking groove metal with a nod to the likes of Pantera… plenty of attack and conviction, with some slick but heavy riffage. Hence the esteemed Terrorizer rate ‘em…Vicolo Inferno-Belgian Hardcore Metal mob who are well seasoned in the touring department. Out in support of their fifth album now, the band have already toured all over Europe as tour support to the likes of Sepultura, All Shall Perish, Vader etc..

Having taken over Madame JoJo’s in Soho every Monday for 13 weeks last Summer, FFRUK recently did likewise with their Reggae Punk Mondays  at The 12 Bar- now here’s another punk nroll marriage made in beery heaven- FFRUK in The Dublin Castle. Seggs the bass ace from Ruts DC etc will certainly provide some platters that matter and The Duel‘s fabulous and fierce femme fronted punk rock attack is well known throughout anarchy loving UK and beyond… plus very special guests!

Silver Tongue Bandoliers-artfully executed irreverent indie rock with some nice floaty vibes but played on blues tinged acoustics like some kind of indie Beatles meets Brian Jonestown type thing. Good tunes, interesting delivery, nice feel.Swoons- 3 piece bright eyed bushy tailed indie outfit with anthemic intensified songs with a hint of Foals and a smidge of Bloc Party via something not unlike a Teenies update of The Police. Moriaty-White Stripes, with a Led Zep undertow via something a bit blusier, not Black Keys maybe Grand Funk Railroad, Blue Cheer or summit, sounds a bit like a heavier version of Pop Levi in places.  Not The Future- 3 piece guitar band… give it some welly, big hitting drums and indie classiquesong structures and some catchy little melodies.

Black Lights- emotive indie with a whiff of Jeff Buckley as well as Elbow… nicely understated and easy on the ear, washes over one nice and warmly. Trail-Pretty eclectic mix of on the one hand bluesey indie rock a-la k.o.l. and t’other yer widescreen emotive stuff, coldplay, keane and inevitably u2, very well done though nice strong soulful vocal and sonically radio-ready.

The Dublin Castle is of course The Ancestral Seat Of Madness…  thus we welcome back Woody and his likewise magical bro…The nutty apple don’t fall too far from the Madness tree for sure but there’s a symphonic side to the ska and soul tinged pop here that has great beauty and depth, perhaps most obviously seen in the ‘Rise And Fall‘ Nutty Boys era. Wonderfully crafted pop songs like ‘You Don’t Have To Hide Your Love Away’ and ‘Do What You Wanna Do’ also recall artists as diverse as  The Colourfield, Dusty Springfield and Elvis Costello, and certainly wont disappoint fans of Woody’s other superfine pop act Voice Of The Beehive. Beautifully orchestrated but still gritty and dance friendly and certainly not to be missed in the bijoux sweatbox pheremone rich atmosphere of the Dublin…  Madness drummer Woody Woodgate and his younger brother Nick truly are Magic Brothers.

Heman Sheman-Sublime, widescreen al-indie with a lovely wash of Eno-esque ambience, shimmering tunes with emotive vocals, doesnt really sound like anyone else, which is a neat trick. There’s a possible nod to the more experimental Radiohead stuff, but pretty much a unique sound. Fine Work. Toshes- These green clad psychedelic Frenchies have impressed us already at Buggerbear… A sort of prog rock thru stoner Metal reworking of Janes Addiction, quite an unusual sound, shades of the heavier side of Pink Floyd and Led Zep too, interesting band. Fish Hook- stonking rock a boogie band with girl singer..50s wannabes but playing it at a right old pace…so punked up rockabilly- covers of Johnny B Goode…Smoke On The Water! but also great originals -doo wop touches, a keening female lead vocal and Jersey boys like back up… then wham into a cracking skifflabilly beat with some marvellous Joe Meek like piano and an all round joyous grooviness. Thorughly old school with beautiful florid guitar flourishes and whacky backing vox…the tunes are great and don’t go where you expect them to whilst maintaing a rootsy rhythm n blues feel. Fresh! Dragons That Make Love to Pandas- fizzy buzzy indiepop played fast but not furious…almost jazz chords on the guitar but the urgent nasally vocal and syncopated drums are like something out of one of them Django Everything type bands…then they break down into a weird little modern jazz instro passage with samples..interesting…very, very interesting. Reminding me now of Laughing Clowns and The Feelies.. look ‘em up kids, look ‘em up!

Lucky Funeral- tight hardcore thrash with rocknroll element, musically not unlike prime Rollins Band only there’s a scream cum growl metal vocal interspersed with something a bit more croony. Still the funky bass,  psychotic guitar lines and adept changes in time signature and keys are a wonder to behold.  Get a bit dreamy and psych before bringing it back to Sabsy doominess and apocalyptic wailing only to waft off  on an early Floyd type trip out segment! Add grunge lord bits and titles like  ’Tantalus Is Alive’ and you know all is well with rock and bastard roll!  Isolated Atoms- Glammed up grebo rock, sounds like early 80′s bands like Zodiac Mindwarp and Crazyhead, but with a bit of modern indie swagger, possibly from a Kasabian angle, have pretty catchy tunes too with genuinely rousing choruses.The Legendary Too Drunk- 25 years of mixing and matching the punk rocks of Mid West parking lot struttin’ USA 1966 with British car park scrappin’ 1977  brilliantly for over 25 years now, and still legendary, still drunk. Respeck!   

Caddy Cooper-Country pop , slick and slinky, female troubadour with a hint of pre pop Shania Twain, something of Emmylou Harris n all… fully formed and poptabulous. Hamptons- Pop rock with a hint of a folk element in some of the songs. Frank Turner and Mumford & Sons, and a bit of U2 in some of their more laid-back tunes. Good stuff.

Damn Vandals- New single ‘Twist And Tangle’ maintains the high quality Dv’s standard, new LP ‘Rocket Out Of London’ is hot to drop and ready to burn holes in your intelligent rocknroll craving critical faculties. The band that do it best, rock out like mothers with blistering dual guitars and thump ass riddim section but with the wit and wisdom of your more bookish indie rock turns. A clever trock to pull off. The West Midlands- “High concept, low cost, ‘super natural power pop’ “featuring  members of The Winter Olympics. And to add more quotation marks, as they rightly say ‘We sound a bit like Redd Kross and a bit like Belinda Carlisle’ Birdhead- intense dentist drill synth and sharp cyclical guitar patterns make out with perky motorik drums and probing bass to produce a prog cum post punk metronomic groove rock thing with plenty of intensity- something of Nought or Public Broadcasting or Plank plus some unhinged sparse yelpy vox…great stuff..Krautrock reborn with balls. Iain Stewart And The  Repeat Offenders will totally get the nite off to a swinging party start care of their massive trunk full of Funtime punk rock covers and stuff.

The Show- Lo-slung blues rock with the soulfullness of Black Keys, the swagger of Oasis and the attitood of Guns n Roses. Anthemic tunes played with bags of coviction. The Badheads- eclectic range of influences in here from Talking Heads, Morriseys solo stuff, Vampire Weekend..they’ve certainly got the  tunes too so ..result!! Fluid Root- Intriguing stuff. Dark sound, darker lyrics. A bit of a spoken word inclination in places and full of poetic intent. Spooky organ synth carries it along. A bit shoegazy in places. Reminiscent of The Horrors first album. CircleCircleSquare-Post hardcore with a possible nod to Fugazi, dynamic stuff, good use of light n shade and a snarling lead vocal somewhere between John Lydon and the fellah from Gallows.

The Ganders- With something in their vibe reminiscent of Jet, and with a serious low slung rocknroll look to match, yer Ganders delve deeper with their heaviosity, soulfully born as it is outta late 1960s British stuff like Cream and Deep Purple. I’d list Grand Funk Railroad and Dirty Pretty Things as a couple more influences. In their own words, “Original, sleazy and excellent hard hitting blues rock at its best.” Iccas Belle- Psychedelia infused prog rock that takes you back to a heavier version of Jefferson’s Airplane meets King Crimson with Jim Morrison’s and Tom Waits‘ love child on the vocals.’…..some hard riffin action that’s part Zep part ZZ Top, some Cream like grooviness, a bit Purps n Doors….the vocal almost Edgar Broughton like at times. A hairy freaky rocknroll sound, yowsah yowsah. 

Yeallow-Decent post punk, scathing guitar, funky basslines that remind of Firehose and some of the Pixies light n shade dynamic, with the occasionaly deadpan vocal (which lifts in the choruses) and underlying malevolence to the tunes i’m hearing Magazine as well, good stuff The Relays-Strokes cum New order. A strange blend you might think, but that’s what I’m hearing. urgent fizzing pop rock with dramatic leanings a la Killers and a little laconic Manc looseness to keep it attractive Phil Black-Art punk cum yop punk cum garage punk solo bod- sounds very 1977 it must be said and all done on his tod-so looped up onstage presumably…trashy 60s keys make it stand out, the vocal is standard retard tells it how it is defiantly fare somewhere between Mark P and Suggs gone pooonk..quite like it! A cover of Bring It To Jerome and Smashed Blocked too!

Heg And The Wolf Chorus-  Marvellous home spun rustic folk music..a quirky female vocal from school of La Bush with the luverly Ms Heg and all ably supported by low key instrumentation led by piano but chock full of bucolic medieval type things and a violin…and talk about good reviews…“drama-filled, atmospheric vocal explorations” Folk Words Magazine “A wonderful Bristolian five-piece peddling dramatic folk music with incredibly strong vocals and a fantastic sense of scale and show” For Folks Sake “Heg has got this really original, quite distinctive…different sound” Sam Bonham, BBC Introducing  

The Talks- upbeat ska with a soul undertow, old school but also a bit 2-tone, very danceable and, hey! great tunes…. do a grand versh of Skinhead Moonstomp that takes the Symarip original and updates it ..so bouncetastic ska/skin’ead reggae is the order of the day. Contrastingly… Silver Story- well executed punk pop featuring nice driving guitars You Me At Six etc very USA sounding and tunes tunes tunes with right rippin’ rousing choruses. Age Of Pilots- Grunge pop with a decidedly Foo Fighters vibe, but with a lot more verve, hooks and conviction than most mere copyists, great effort. Rossi Noise-  Geordie 5-piece with a fresh crossover of dubstep and rap rock.. rockstep perhaps?. And they’re certainly ‘’radio friendly’’, with BBC Introducing already on it.  Like they say- ‘We are 5 piece band, from North East England, heavy in beats with dub influences, fusing Dubstep, Dance, Drum and Bass, Hip Hop and Rock into cinematic proportions’ Sounds a bit fluffy n light weight but it’s well done-wot used to get called rave rock- it powers long with a pretty zippy rap now and then. Chase And Status meets Pendulum but with real good soulful vox and a lickle hard rock dynamics to propel tings…good.

My Own Ghost- Admirably accomplished female fronted rock pop outta Luxembourg…Evanessence meets Fleetwood Mac with indie touches. Obelisks- tribal drumming and proggy synths abound via Santana guitar and the Copacana goes indie vocal….makes for an agreeable combination in fact.  Get some techno synth action going and beef up the sound for some kinda anthemic hard rock qwith grooove…

The Dropper’s Neck-  Combining a raw garage rock sound with elements of punk and rockabilly/psychobilly, comparisons range from 60s/70s punk pioneers The Stooges, The Cramps and Misfits through to more modern acts such as The Eighties B-Line Matchbox Disaster, Gallows and Pulled Apart By Horses. They have honed in on their own unique sound with pounding strong bass and guitar riffs, awesome noisy guitar solos, powerful lyrics delivered by deep harmonic vocals and chaotic growling and screaming. Cassius Blue- Catchy 4 piece with low slung riffs, punchy rhythms and a captivating triple vocal attack. Thumbs up and much support by XFM no less…Japanese Fighting Fish- Picture the more linear aspects of The Pop Group andother post punk influences (Bauhaus, Joy Division)getting it on with some tough malevolent snarling rocknroll with dirty cyclical guitars, rolling drums (very Joy Division those) and your musical aquarium is replete.Featuring FutureAges-Natasha Fox who has performed with Scroobius Pip – and has a great voice too…this is a very attention grabbing mix of hard rock, spooky FX and contemporary post rnb pop sheen- plus that superb belting voice….a kind of psychedelic space rock for the now..like this.

In Pixels…have a sound embracing some of the lovelorn twang and Romanticism of The Coral and Last Shadow Pups combined with some taut tight indie rock informed ny yer Monkeys maybe but it’s the choir boy clarity of the singer that totally impresses,  clear as a bell and effortless. Return To The Sun-Electic and emotive indie rock, there’s a whole raft of influences here, withiout sounding like anyone in particular, you can detect Muse, Radiohead, Manics. Strong tunes excellently executed. Poppy’s Field- been played on Gary Crowley’s BBC London radio happening…nice tunes in here, a folk troubadour (with backing) rocking a strange Billy Bragg goes soft spoken and erudite type vocal- actually very original and pleasant on the lugs...Wax Ersatz- angular art rock makes out with softer focused West Coast type leanings and a little rocknroll wigging out to make for an alluring concoction.

XOVA- Digi dancehall with a crisp soul vocal all done with genuine feel and vibrant arrangements and pulsating riddomatic playing. Sangally- French black dude soul singer with a nice crisp style somewhere between Prince and an Afrobeat Paul Simon….lots of classic soul resonance and a nice guitar style (played by him in an Afro pop manner)..very different, very good in fact.

We’re proud to welcome back again Magic Brothers … The Dublin Castle of course being The Ancestral Seat Of Madness…  The nutty apple don’t fall too far from the Madness tree for sure but there’s a symphonic side to the ska and soul tinged pop here that has great beauty and depth, perhaps most obviously seen in the ‘Rise And Fall‘ Nutty Boys era. Wonderfully crafted pop songs like ‘You Don’t Have To Hide Your Love Away’ and ‘Do What You Wanna Do’ also recall artists as diverse as  The Colourfield, Dusty Springfield and Elvis Costello, and certainly wont disappoint fans of Woody’s other superfine pop act Voice Of The Beehive. Beautifully orchestrated but still gritty and dance friendly and certainly not to be missed in the bijoux sweatbox pheremone rich atmosphere of the Dublin…  Madness drummer Woody Woodgate and his younger brother Nick truly are Magic Brothers.

The BlueStrip- corking bar room rocknroll with a bit of new wave tood sang in Croatian what them being Croatian…Stones rendered rockers, raw rocknrolling guitars, bashed out piano…Wayne County And The Electric Chairs gone Euro rawk- stonkingly well done hence their powerful profile back home. Almanacs- a raw riffing garagey style combo, could be compared to Kings Of Leon in places, but also references 60′s garage, without sounding like anyone in particular, rousing sing along choruses. All played with plenty of conviction. Blooom- putting a big ‘ooo’ intp proceedings, formerly The Band from Oddworld… a fabulous psych rocknroll concoction embracing a who’s who of influences whilsy always sounding like themselves..so.. Deus/Floyd/Prince/REM/PiNk Floyd/Nirvana!!….all with a wonderful song craft and an adventurous roving sense of musicality.SexWax-Dreamy, lo fi indie, Really nice. Sounds like a lot of the stuff coming out of Birmingham. Ie Peace, Jaws, Swim Deep etc. Very mature sound, well produced, great!  Subtitle- mad for it clattersome alt rock with wonderfully wayward intensity pitching up in some strange but beautiful place where Pere Ubu, Queens Of The Stone Age and punk rock classique coalesce.

The Effect- punk rock and grunge elements combine fitfully- so, a bit Ruts cum Damned but then again a healthy dollop of Nirvana plus a little late ’60s blues rock wigging out in the Free/Cream bracket- great band. The Tennysons- The Tennysons are a indie rock trio from Leicester, and describe themselves as “Laddish guitar music in an angry f*ckin’ Rock ‘n’ Roll style”. Their tracks are oozing with angular aggression and pay homage to The Clash and Oasis, with hints of Courteeners….. Bird Head- intense dentist drill synth and sharp cyclical guitar patterns make out with perky motorik drums and probing bass to produce a prog cum post punk metronomic groove rock thing with plenty of intensity- something of Nought or Public Broadcasting or Plank plus some unhinged sparse yelpy vox…great stuff..Krautrock reborn with balls. Murmur-  Bloc Party and post punk influences chime with some mellower nigh on balladeering moments and Killers type anthemics.

Sienna-  Groovy jazzy house flavours with a Japanese female vocal suggesting Roni Size via stabs of Jimmy Smith organ and dislocated brass and general ambience. They  have also collaborated with the living psychedelic legend from Norway Nils, Petter Molvaer and the late British legend and Japan bass ace Mick Karn, just to name a few… With a vastly multicultural background, electro avant-garde nu-jazz phenomenon Sienná have roots spreading from Europe to Japan. Frontlady Sienná hails from Kyoto, Japan. She now resides in Norway, where she met band mates Hallvard and Fredrik. She hasn’t forgotten where she comes from, especially after recent events in Fukushima….   The band bring their positive vibes to the UK in May, including a showcase at Brighton’s prestigious Great Escape Festival, after releasing the new single ’Gion’ on Monday 5th May. Karmakoma- twangy bass, beefy drums and piping synth action from this 1980s informed band. INXS meets Duran Duran romo rock. Have a lot of muscle amidst the ace tuneage too. Finding K9- Airy pop with fresh Alpine goodness…well the scent of the fjords- and they do sound like Aha- or rather it’s a Morton Harkett alike vocal with a proggy take on synthpop textures…bits of Ultravox, Muse, even a touch of Keane- Norway in da house! And Ukraine…Slow Earth-  evident in their approach to music and their social attitudes that they are looking to break out of a country that gave us Chernobyl, a place that exists on the decaying infrastructure of Soviet technology; where industrial pollution often makes it hard to breathe and right now as they prepare to pack their bags to tour their debut UK release their fellow people are in the middle of a military incursion.  It is no wonder that they are looking multi-nationally with their music – and trying to shake the shackles of conformity that come from developing as people within a recent history of old communism. ‘Latitude and 023’ reflects this.  Recorded in Prague, the EP has been post-produced in Los Angeles by Dan Leffler (Muse/Red Hot Chilli Peppers/U2).  For the artwork they employed he talents of legendary designer Storm Thorgerson.   This tough, thought driven band are the full artistic package – epic stadium rock leaning on indie and smooth ambient melodies with catchy phrases.

Plastic Pop Records kick off their DC curating New Britpop Revival weekender this evening  in conjunction today with Merc Clothing.

Plastic Pop Records are at the forefront of the New Britpop Revival and Bugbear are overjoyed to welcome them back to the DC for this May Bank Holiday extravaganza in conjunction today with Merc Clothing. With their ace face roster rehearsed and suited n booted and well and truly in the place to be we kick off at 4pm this arvo, so arrive nice and early to get the most out of this fine, fine music. Going right through til 2am with Djs Dave Edwards and Alan May (6 Towns Radio)

The Remnants- Outta Bournmouth and born to boogie in a post Fabs fashion…yes, these fellas admire The Beatles in all their guises for sure but their beat n rnb is all their own, suitably sleek of trouser and suave of shoe..The Exploding Sound Machine- Britishly psychedelic like The Pretty Things of SF Sorrow…plus some Procul Harum, Ogdens era Small Faces, early Purple- that English dolorous end of psych… A fuzzed out, Hammond drenched, 60s inspired psychedelic band dripping in paisley and crushed velvet playing tones of purple and orange majestically covered in oil wheels…….The Tones-  Jake Cunningham, Daniel Foreman, Joem Opina and James Morris are The Tones: A mod rock band, with roots such as The Who and The Small Faces while adding modern influences like Oasis and The Arctic Monkeys. “Might give Weller a run for his money” – Vive le Rock.  

.Practical Lovers-biscuit tin riddim box, Joy Div basslines and a vocal that has post punkness written all over it and is also Ian Curtis like but with an odd and rather endearing slight wrinkle in it…like he has a half eaten pork scratching in his mouth. Nice perky little keyboards too. Reminds me of early OMD too though not as electro – really charming and ‘Textbook romance’ is a great tune.

Satsangi-“Satsangi are a British indie rock band with roots in Kerala, India. They have gigged extensively, including with The Kills, The Primitives, The Moons. Their sound has been described as blending rock ‘n’ roll, new wave and punk riffs to tripped out jazz & psych. Rolling Stone magazine describes their music in the feature ‘Satsangi Come To India’ as, “charged by guitar romp and fiery vocals, the sound is fresh, crisp and aggressive, Menon offers a compelling mash of vocal styles; rewind to Dolores O’Riordan, Grace Slick, Sinead O’Connor and fast forward to the likes of Bjork and Karen O and add to that the bizarre temperament of the likes of Tori Amos and Regina Spektor.”

Back at the Thatch-Going-Increasingly- Gaga end of the 1980s, when DLT still roamed the earth, a fabulous comedic punk country duo called The Panic Brothers were a regular feature in The Dublin Castle. Pre-dating the sizzling stand up career of one Rich Morton and the singer songer workings of the other bruv Reg Meuross, The Panic Bros created the 1987 mini LP ‘In The Red’ and made some high-profile TV appearances, notably on ‘Friday Night Live’ , Channel 4‘s highly influential flagship comedy vehicle of the time. Later we saw Rich on TV with the likes of Jack Dee and Jools Holland whilst Reg garnered plaudits on the live scene- Rich likewise still rocking a cheekily plucked guitar in many of his routines. The Panics- if I may be so bold- opened for such diverse musical icons as Chuck Berry, John Martyn and Richard Thompson and also acted as tour support for comedy stars like Lenny Henry, Harry Enfield, Jeremy Hardy and Mark Steel….their comedic rockabilly punk pop shtick resonates beautifully today, hence they’re back together and you lucky bleeders get to go wibble wobble wibble harp strings a plucking back in time to the source of so many fantastic Panic Brothers shows, The Dublin Castle. What a wonderful thing. Crafted songs that make you grin broadly, jig about a bit and then belly laugh your way into a full on ’80s style chicken dance…. See you down the front. Porky The Poet- Those of you who attended numerous indie and post punk shows in the 1980s, often featuring Go Discs artistes natch may know instantly who this is in support mode tonite. A big star of TV and stage and not one to be at all bothered by The Buzzcocks, oh no….