* ROCKLANDS MUSIC WEBSITE MAIN PAGE* PROMOTIONS* MUSIC TOURIST BOARD *
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* ROCKLANDS MUSIC WEBSITE MAIN PAGE* PROMOTIONS* MUSIC TOURIST BOARD * | ||||||
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S*M*A*S*H | ||
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"Most Governments, Religions, Institutions,Weapons of War and stupid ideas were made by a man. Not me, I was made by a woman" * britpopshitpop oasisblurpulpoasisblurpulp... in 1994 the bluetones (a guitar band lazily lumped into "britpop" because they were british and played guitar pop) were asked by the music who they preferred. blur or oasis? they replied supergrass. 2005, the bluetones outlived the year of britpop, were on top of the pops last year and still playing sold out shows. ...and no, supergrass weren't "britpop either". how the fuck can british pop just be who nme and melody maker said it was. the whole thing was so crap that they've never been able to sustain a "scene" since.mind you, it did the job then, and you can't argue with that. i do though, but then i don't have to sell copies of printed opinion. in those days, most journalists didn't take the rock band from welwyn garden city seriously unless they had come to see them. if they just read about them they thought it was all some kind of press scam.they cringed in embarassed at the lyrics and the honesty attempt wanting to change things because public image often deals in fake posturing. music fans, on the other hand, were not so cynical. they could relate to three musicians from nowhere. unless you live in camden, mayfair or chelsea then most of us are from nowhere too.a band came along that made things happen.they were part of it all, and still are. with no s*m*a*s*h there would be no supergrass, the oxford trio told s*m*a*s*h that themselves. they were one of many. s*m*a*s*h are the band that got off their arse and played where nobody could be arsed to go.ed, rob and salv inspired a punky revolution just when "the kids" were being told (by the music press!!!) "guitar is dead, long live sonic the hedgehog". s*m*a*s*h came along, smashed their fucking system, then smashed up their own band, live on stage in an exit that was public suicide. in the 90s they lived fast, got fucked over, got fucked up, died and in the 21st century, they've not just risen from the ashes, but become a new rock band winning fans organically with songs that were always good enough to do just that. i was there. i still am. what the original 21st century punks of the 90s inspired has grown (courtesy of affordable sci fi technology - got a quid for a net cafe?) into the first definitive rock music movement of the new millenium. check out the networking and thriving activity of the cyber rock circuit at music tourist board for instance.... "My ambition is to get some recognition / For my band and its ideal / Without courting a wheel within a wheel" - s*m*a*s*h were the band with the fans who tore up and burnt copies of melody maker - at a melody maker gig, because the paper had slagged off the band then hypocritically asked them to headline a money-earning gig for them. s*m*a*s*h were the band that rolled into brixton high street on the anti nazi league's truck, stopping to play real surreal under the bridge like the cavalry were in town. the scene will never leave my head. right then i knew that revolution WAS possible. even in this day and age. s*m*a*s*h, along with these animal men defined the stupidly named new wave of new wave, with their collision-pop (which was what the bands called it). yet these two bands, that kicked the whole thing off, were the ones that would not get on day time radio and in glossy mags (bring in the safe punk-lite-indie jangle of menswear, gene, sleeper, shed 7, echobelly etc etc and hey presto new wave of new wave becomes britpop). fuck off. my friends disagree. some of them stil love those bands and i can respect that, i'm just self opinionated, that's all. if everybody's tastes were the same i'm sure the suicide rates would soar. apparently shed 7 did a comeback tour and split up again. simon from menswear managed the cling, who played the second night of our club in 2003. now he manages bloc party. sleeper bird is apparently writing 'indie bridget jones' type books and you can't go out in london without seeing that bloke from gene about. besides, i contradict myself. i like an echobelly song (give her a gun) and a shed 7 song (its getting better) and quite a few blurpulpoasis songs. seen them all live too. echobelly, gene and shed 7 once was enough, the dandys (yay!) were supporting shed 7 who started their set with my favourite song. i actually fell asleep not long after (which somebody reminded me about now long ago).seen oasis, pulp and blur at festivals and events. not bad... a statistician studies titian / the hand up his arse is a politician / red-headed women and a disraeli disposition / what lack of vision / i want to kill somebody / rebellion was wearing s*m*a*s*h camouflage (many a s*m*a*s*h t shirt STILL at underground rock gigs) and these animal men adidas. they even had it on tv's "the fashion show". take that wore adidas on top of the pops. all carefully diverted from collision pop as its roots. the inspired i want to kill somebody video, featured the hanging of margaret thatcher - i still think it should be shown on tv. billy corgan and joe strummer rated this band. rightly. so. also collision pop was too real for day time radio airplay (worried they might subvert people into thinking and talking for themselves?) radio 1 found themselves with a dilemma when i want to kill somebody charted - so without permission they edited the song beyond recognition for the chart rundown. hacked it to pieces.so much for respecting artist integrity. the watered down, politer pin up versions became media darlings and collision pop's 15 minutes were over. but in venues up and down the land it was still the two bandwagon pullers that were causing riots, blood, sweat, tears and naked adoration. crates of beer bottles thrown on stage at one gig, sometimes it was all too mental. There will always be people who measure success and influence in "units shifted". A career in marketing or politics beckons for them. But you can't beat going to a gig where people come away dazed,sparkly eyed, drenched, laughing and crying because rock'n'roll has hit them where they feel it.Besides, for selling millions, tabloid columns and lovey love ins you have Oasis and Blur etc... For serious chin stroking in your anorak you have Indie purists. (still explain "Indie" beyond the 80s to me). The Collisionpop bands weren't trying to be the Clash and The Pistols, much as they loved them and a spectrum of influence. They were just kicking life into death. And it worked.Note the number of dressed up, scissor kicking, arm windmiling bands that are still breaking through and try rounding them up and stopping them. Up yours establishment. I hope they're still here in the 22nd century (if the system hasnt killed us all by cuttiing down the trees.) s*m*a*s*h had brilliant things to say (and even got to state "shame on this government" when they played shame on top of the pops) and so many people were inspired to pick up an instrument that sonic the hedgehog has had an early retirement from public obsession. their album, self abused, sounded like it had been abused in the production process and was received as underwhelming. shame. ironically, many people worship dirty lo fi rock these days. see the thing is, that THE SONGS are there.They could write tunes and hooks.They were (hush!) talented song crafters and musicians. And then, it was time for their six months on the catwalk of minor fame to end. things were going mad and awry around then anyway. Mid 90s, s*m*a*s*h exited the music industry by commiting stage craft suicide supporting elastica in front of strangers at some do or other. a glass arced on stage, their own manager left the buiilding. s*m*a*s*h disappeared fuck, it was sad but they were always the real deal, 21st century punks for the end of the 20th...people loved them / hated them... drummer, rob, re-surfaced with the amazing mo solid gold - a s*m*a*s*h / these animal men hybrid fronted by the god like k - at the end of the 90s. with no exposure they sold 50,000 albums. that's how amazing. with that much potential, they were still dropped in a major label clear out.it was like chucking diamonds in a gutter.if that's all they cared, then maybe it was all for the best. s*m*a*s*h and friends were always from a different world to planet biz. 2004 and ten years after the release definitely maybe. people are asking if you were blur or oasis? both myself and the bluetones would still reply SUPERGRASS!!!. things were great then (frankly, i personally was into a lot more bands, but not blur and oasis particularly - nothing that manic street preachers and radiohead weren't invited to the cool "britpop" party). the early 90s blazed a trail, then the end of the century party began. when the alternative idols - richey, kurt, s*m*a*s*h - left the scene. uncool heroes (i.e. mansun, who split up in 2003 but still have an intense and dedicated following that persuaded a major label to release a box set late 2004) still keep coming.if any imaginative publisher would dare to start a magazine that wasnt about celebrity, tabloid gossip, endless lists and charts, swanky showbiz ligs, exotic trips (what, you weren't in TEXAS darling?) - but about MUSIC at ground level that would be as exciting as what is happening in the small venues right now. the new millenium came and pop idols entered right. hundreds of hours of prime time exposure for stylist and choreographer led karaoke. the equivalent of microwave meals for record labels.always something a little unreal about the flavour... the rebels, the articulate, the day dreamers, the people that WILL stand up and be counted, they STILL keep coming. the underground is reclaimiing it's throne. and some people don't care about who it's cool to like... roll on to saturday 11 sept 2004. i leave deptford for a night out. nobody will come with me.i'm not going to the north pole! it's only a tenner return to hitchin for one of the best and 4real punktastic gigs in the land. its hot, busy and wonderful in club 85 (amazing venue, go there for the hell of it) and it only gets better when s*m*a*s*h take to the stage and play as if their lives depend on it. there is a crazy, moshing audience singing like the lord has returned and the show is greatest of all because ed, rob and salv are enjoying themselves again. the fervent love of the band is still there from audience and musicians alike. freaked out that they look more or less the same, jostled from side to side by singing happy lunatics and totally blown away by one of the best new old bands in the country i am still on a high from hitchin back to south london.tonight is one of the few times that i don't wear my "s*o*u*l power" t shirt. the lettering has nearly all come off now. me? i'm not cool. i'm naff as fuck. and excited. "ooh please come and play our club"? i ask them. they bloody do it and all, return to london. only it's not real london, it's rocklands.the rock republic. they come and play.rhesus and optimist club - on the vibe - support them. it is a crowd of fans and friends. there's sid abuse (another original fan. memorably at one s*m*a*s*h gig in the 90s he gave a music press journalist the loudest torrent of feedback from a music fan i have ever heard. respect respect respect - aah, sid ABUSE!) and members of 80s matchbox b line disaster (managed by matt who used to manage these animal men) and nebraska (who set off later that month and took the diy rebellion vibe around the country with corporation:blend, who i first saw supporting mo solid gold!), on the rocklands rounded tour. sid now runs the excellent velocity recordings and puts on velocity club events in london and reading. the ripples from the pebble ten years ago are far reaching. the gig at pop of the tops, rocklands, in october is unreal. i'm not the only one to say so. i cant thank them enough for coming and playing. earlier this year rhesus, joyzine and myself joined up and put on a week of gigs to raise money for tsunami relief during valentines week. s*m*a*s*h headlined an amazing west end show at the metro (with m.a.s.s., electric shocks and patty winters show) helping towards over £4,000 raised so far and played velocity gigs with sid. and so i got to see them again. and i will do yet again next time i can afford it.the first time i'd put a gig on was in december 1993 at the 100 club. echobelly, these animal men, s*m*a*s*h and the flamingoes. members of kinky machine, elastica, shampoo and various soon-to-be nwonw and britpopoers were in the audience.by the night of the show, a very good friend and inspiration in my life had died. it was his funeral that very day. i know that his spirit drifted in and rocked. we all felt that something was happening. we were right. it is 2005 and we are still being proved right. the seeds were sown. friends old and new join the revolution that is beyond punk happening on the cyber rock circuit. d.i.y. is increasingly influential and thanks to the pioneers, even more sussed.including a band that i follow from welwyn garden city. system... 0. mcnaughty * bollocks to the industry circus that found them, fucked them and moved on. s*m*a*s*h have also moved on, to playing gigs for the reason that you're in a band. they've been djing and playing at one or two gigs locally in hertfordshire. this is one of the UK's most important rock and cult bands, miss them, miss out... pst! some of the original disque de popcor releases (the d.i.y. label of their early releases) were unearthed when the label cleared out and should be available while stocks last at the shows. you were real surreal man and its only now i'm beginning to understand that a tables not a table it's a chair you said so i'm not sad & you're not dead * join S*M*A*S*H chat* S*M*A*S*H website by Vu | ||
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