JULY & AUGUST 2004

THE CHARLATANS, RADIOHEAD & NOW THE PLYMOUTHS (Tuesday, 31st August 2004)
The Plymouths hit the road for their most prestigious gig to date ... at one of the South's premier live music venues, THE JOINERS in Southampton (St. Mary's Street, on stage 9pm, Ages 14+). Bands such as Suede, Radiohead, The Charlatans and Primal Scream played this venue in their early days, and now it's The Plymouths' turn to make their mark! (This info was extracted from Plymouths Community Communication (August 2004) - Buy your tickets online at £4 each - OR - £6.50 for a ticket + the brand new Plymouths EP.
For exact details, click here.)

POOLE PARK FESTIVAL - MONDAY
Another resounding success. Even the sun made occasional appearences. Maine Street were in excellent shape as always. Strong songs, strong melodies and nicely blended guitars. Dubheart were also in top form. Velvet basslines and hooky vocal harmonies that brought back memories of vintage Bob Marley, no less. Need I say more. Forpictures, click on the links below.
Maine Street
Dubheart
Paul & Conrad (& Maine Street in the background)

POOLE PARK FESTIVAL - SUNDAY
The Bowie Experience played a collection of classic Bowie tracks with incredible accuracy. Every detail was there. The vocals in particular, were just about as close as you can get.
Next up was 'Rockin' The Joint'. Totally authentic rock'n'roll, played just like they used to in the 50's. The band looked the part. The instruments looked the part. The playing was absolutely spot on. It possesed that hard to define, lazy, lolloping quality that is rarely achieved in these click-track days. At times it brought back memories of The Stray Cats, and that can't be bad.

PROTECTION RACKET
A nice gig from Protection Racket at The Malt & Hops on Thursday, August 26th. A nice dirty sound and a nice choice of rock classics from many different eras. Nice to see a band that doesn't take themselves too seriously. In fact, a nice time was had by all.
Click here and you'll see what I mean.

MEAT DRAW- CHECK 'EM OUT
I missed the excellently eccentric 'Meat Draw' at The George, Poole on Friday, August 27th. High energy moddish band fronted by the mad professor. Did you see them? Did you remember to wear a rain hat? To find out why I ask this strange question, click here.

TOTAL REJECT ???
Total Reject, otherwise known as Total Refund or even Total Recall played at
The Grange, Southbourne on Saturday, August 28th. This band plays classic 60's and 70's covers with total conviction. The dancefloor was on fire from start to finish. Definitely not just another run of the mill, over the hill, covers band. And their second set included monster versions of Rod Stewart's 'Maggie May' and Spencer Davis's 'Gimme Some Loving'. Catch them next time around on 23rd October at The Grange. The Grange is a nice venue. It has an extension 'til midnight and serves Ringwood '49-er' etc. at the bar. To sample the atmosphere, click here.

THE OAKDALE - CHECK IT OUT
The Juju Men played the Oakdale on Saturday night (21st August 2004). It was a highly successful gig. Con , the landlord was full of praises for the band. He says he has ambitious plans for live music in the future. And on the promotional picture postcard that he gave me it invites you all to 'Come and meet gail the Goat!'. Well, what are you waiting for? 'Where on Earth is The Oakdale?', I hear you ask. In Oakdale of course.
Seriously though, for full details, click here.

SHIRLEY TEMPLE ROCKS (Friday, 20th August 2004)
Blood on the pavement. Ambulance parked at right angles to the pavement. You've guessed it. Just another Friday night in binge-drinking capital of the UK, Bournemouth, where else? What the hell! Adjacent to that pavement - a haven of peace and good behaviour - The Gander, where else? And inside The Gander - Shirley Temple Pilots. A little bit of Zep and a little bit of Nirvana - A formula that never ever fails - Excellent - To sample the atmosphere, click here.

THESE GUYS ARE WICKED !!!
Quote - 'these guys are wicked, get your arses down to see them, they are the only serious act around!!!!!!!!!!!!' - Unquote. So sayeth a recent promo-mail regarding 'The Adored'.
Damn right! I'll go along with that 100%!. For pics, click here.

PITBULL STEAL THE SHOW (Thursday, 12th August 2004)
Thursday night at King Arthur's Court - a white-hot set from Pitbull - 'on the edge' power/pop/punk at its absolute best - to view a picture, click here - make sure you catch them next time around!

THE WORST VENUE IN BOURNEMOUTH (Summer 2004)
Is there a music venue in the area that you would never revisit in a million years? Bad beer, bad toilets or even danger of death! Perhaps you are in a band and have sickening memories of a past gig? Dreadful acoustics, attitude problems displayed by the local rednecks, flying pool cues, beerglasses, whatever. If the particular venue you have in mind is a pub, why not check out what other unlucky punters have to say about the place by visiting beerintheevening.com, where you can search for the pub in question. Believe me, it can make very interesting reading.

MR. KYP @ THOMAS TRIPP (Sunday, 8th August 2004)
Mr. Kyp (the man), owner of Mr. Kyp's (the venue), took a trip to The Thomas Tripp on Sunday night to see The Juju Men in action. Apparently he was suitably impressed with The Juju Men's recent appearence at his venue where they supported Paddy Milner. Well, many thanks, Mr. Kyp, for your kind words. If you have any vacant support slots coming up in the near future you know who to call.

THE RETURN OF THE BEWLEY BROTHERS (Saturday, 7th August 2004)
The Bewley Brothers played some beautiful mellow tracks to a tiny but enthusiastic crowd at the Gander on Saturday night. The bass, drums, acoustic guitar and keyboards line-up suited the material perfectly. Pink Floyd, Crowded House, Happy Mondays, Charlatans - all in there somewhere - or was that just my imagination? Whatever ... Very nice, anyway.

UNFORGIVEN KINGDOM @ THE GANDER (Friday, 6th August 2004)
Unforgiven Kingdom played a thunderous couple of sets at The Gander on Friday night. An unstoppable session of scooped out, bottom-heavy, head-banging, dark metal. Excellent value at only £2 entry fee. To sample the atmosphere, click here.

THE DORSET KNOB - NEW VENUE (Summer 2004)
A new live music venue that you might be interested in is The Dorset Knob, Alder Road, Parkstone. For info and some interesting feedback from customers, click here.

RUBBER SOUL - NEW VENUE - A RESOUNDING SUCCESS (August 2004)
Rubber Soul alternative music showcase has moved from The Gander to a new venue. Starting Thursday, August 5th, the regular weekly event has relocated to King Arthur's Court, West Hill Road, Bournemouth. The opening night, featuring 'The Adored' + 'Thrive' + 'Crime Rockets', was a resounding success. Excellent atmosphere, spooky lighting, bizarre architecture and above all, great music from the three featured bands. To view pictures, click here. Be there next week for 'Pitbull', 'Meatdraw' & 'TSH'.

JINDER - SLUMMING IT @ THE TALBOT (July 2004)
Bazuzu managed to sneak out of the dreaded Saturday night bingo session at Winton Liberal Club and have a quick pint at The Talbot, just a few doors away. And who should be sound checking at the other end of the room? None other than Jinder, sounding as strong as ever. I have to give it to the man. He is a real trouper. Doing a solo spot in The Talbot on a Saturday night. Now that takes real bravery.

LIQUOR & POKER - A RARE APPEARENCE (July 2004)
FRI, 30 JUL 2004 - Liquor & Poker @ The Green Room, Boscombe. Sorry, didn't manage to catch this one. I was taking a cold shower at The George at the time.

FLOOD ALERT !!! (Friday, 30th July 2004)
The show came to an abrupt halt at The George, Poole, on Friday night, as water started trickling through the ceiling on to the band and their equipment. So who fell asleep in the bath in the flat upstairs then? The band in question was called The Floaters. Do I detect a Freudian link making an unwelcome appearence here?

BOSCOMBE COMMUNITY FAIR (3rd, 4th & 5th September 2004)
17 Bands !!! Including the elusive 'Blinder', no less. More info coming soon.

THURSDAY NIGHTS AT THE GANDER (August 2004)
'Thursday nights at The Gander will showcase up and coming bands from out of town with a local support band. This event will be called 'Quadrophonia'. For info contact Lamma on 07818 402201'. This information is kindly supplied by Live Wire gig-guide.

THE GHOST OF HENDRIX (Friday, 23rd July 2004)
'Experience This', Jimi Hendrix tribute band, played to a small but appreciative crowd at The Gander on Friday, July 23rd. Their set included all the Hendrix classics plus many rare gems, such as 'Spanish Castle Magic' and 'Burning Of The Midnight Lamp'. Long live psychedelic blues - Long live the ghost of Hendrix.

THE ALTERNATIVE HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONG (Summer 2004)
Now included in the Bazuzu live set, the hideously hooky, bitterly sarcastic, 'If You Know What I Mean', also known as 'The Alternative Happy Birthday Song'.
Download the mp3.
Check out the lyrics.

THE LILLETTES + THRIVE @ THE GANDER, BOURNEMOUTH (Saturday, 17th July 2004)
Another great performance from Thrive. Strong songs and an awesome guitar sound. Plus girl-power-pop-bedlam from The Lillettes, no less. Excellent value for only £2. Shame there weren't many there to witness the show.

PARKSTONE PARK - GROOVES ON THE GREEN (Sunday, 11th July 2004, from 12.45pm)
A one day mini-fest. A highly recommended way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Many excellent bands, including Breeze, Thrive and the Marlins. Thrive played some excellent stuff. Every word of every song was perfectly audible thanks to good delivery from the band and a perfect sound, thanks to Paul Tucker. Breeze who were in particularly layed back mood threw a set together on the spur of the moment. Brilliant. But what happened to "Jungle Fever"??? And as I left to catch the 17.28pm train from Parkstone station, The Marlins were sounding really nice with their own special blend on of alternative britpop. Full details can be found in LIve Wire

THE JUJU MEN @ THE GANDER, BOURNEMOUTH (Sunday, 11th July 2004)
CANCELLED !!! No reflection on the band. Lammer tells me that, sadly, all Sunday night gigs at the Gander have been cancelled due to poor attendence. Such is life. Next appearence by The Juju Men will be at the Thomas Tripp, Christchurch, on Sunday, August 8th.

DUBHEART IN KINGS PARK (Saturday, 10th July 2004)

Dubheart were in fine form at the Kings Park Fest on Saturday. Great vocals, audio manipulations and general madness from Si, supported by that unstoppable bottom-heavy groove that is the trademark of Dubheart. Supported by a small but extremely enthusiastic crowd. I was one of that crowd. What better way to pass a Saturday afternoon?

CORDIA @ THE GANDER (Thursday, 8th July 2004)

The highly visual Cordia at The Gander, Bournemouth - A fantasic finale to another great Rubber Soul evening. A frenzy of hair-lashing, head-shaking, original stonking rock. Great tunes, great playing and above all these guys know how to have FUN ??? !!!. Ahh, yeah, I remember that word, from way back when. To view some photos of the band in action, please click here.

THE JOLLY SAILOR SPRINGS INTO ACTION (July 2004)

Good news for all live music fans! The Jolly Sailor on Poole Quay has just started a regular Sunday night slot for live music. And next door neighbour, the Lord Nelson has live music every Sunday afternoon from 3pm to 6pm, so the future looks bright down on Poole Quay.

MANDRAGARA @ THE MALT & HOPS (4th July 2004)

Mandragara - Like Hawkwind timeshifted into the 21st century - Complete with surreal dancing from Brigitte. Mandragara will also be performing at The Kings Park Fest' at 7.15pm on Saturday, July 10th.

THE REAPPEARENCE OF BAZUZU (2nd July 2004)

Bazuzu, the band that refuses to disappear, reared its ugly head again at The Green Room, Boscombe on Friday, July 2nd. For this gig Bazuzu played as a four-piece, ie: Bob Mace on drums, Al Palmer on bass, the legendary Dr. Zodiac on percussion and the oddly named Roj Agogo on guitar and vocals. The set consisted of experimental, stripped down versions of many Bazuzu faves, including all of the songs featured on the Bazuzu homepage. If you are interested, these tracks can all be downloaded as mp3s.

On this occasion Bazuzu were supported by the mysterious "edenlite", consisting of Carl Chamberlain, Bob Mace, Al Palmer and Dr. Zodiac. Do I detect something fishy going on here. The latter three names sound strangely familiar. Anyway, edenlite played rearranged versions of several much loved eden classics plus one excellent new track, if my ears did not deceive me.

Many thanks to everyone that came to witness this event. Without you it would have been a non-event. And to those of you that didn't show up, all I can say is "Where were you?" - at the Christchurch Music Festival watching the Absolute Darlings no doubt.

FUNHOUSE @ THE PINES, WINTON (1st July 2004)

If you weren't sure exactly where the Pines is, no problem. As I approached the neigbourhood I could here the unmistakable riffs of John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom" at the far side of Sainsburys car park. No neighbour problems round here. The pub doors and windows were wide open. And naturally, another blistering performance from the band and a little "lunatic dancing" thrown in for good measure by certain members of the audience. You should have been there.

Pitbull @ King Arthur's Court

Unforgiven Kingdom @ The Gander

Mayhem @ The Grange

My Hi-Fi Sister @ The Consortium

Bazuzu - Descending from cyberspace

Thrive @ King Arthur's Court

The Juju Men, featuring blues harp wizard, Hugh Budden

Dubheart in a marquee at Kings Park Fest

The Charlatans, Radiohead
& Now The Plymouths

Total Reject
Protection Racket
Shirley Temple Rocks
These Guys Are Wicked !!!
Pitbull Steal The Show
The Worst Venue In Bournemouth
The Return Of The Bewley Brothers
Unforgiven Kingdom @ The Gander
Jinder - Slumming It
Liquor & Poker - Rare Appearence
Flood Alert !!!
The Ghost of Hendrix
The Dorset Knob
Rubber Soul - New Venue
Cordia @ The Gander
Bazuzu - The Reappearence
Funhouse - A Blistering Performance
The Alternative Happy Birthday Song
Dubheart In Kings Park
Grooves On The Green
The Elusive Blinder
The Jolly Sailor Springs Into Action