Subculture is undeniably shit.

Saterday was amazingly bad.

It was 'Ladies Night' so all girls dressed as slags got a free shot (pretty sure that that was for the guys...) and they had the UK Dream Men on stage... 2 things very wrong with this.

1. Guys performing choreographed strip routines is not, and never will be, sexy. It's very homo-erotic, and I'm sure the subs girls loved it, but after 3 minutes the comedy value wore off, for a lot of the girls as well as the boys. Yet those pricks were up there three times in the night, each time for about 20 minutes. Time wasted that could have been spent with decent music; bringing me to

2. Woefully poor playlist. Barely anything good all night, just the god awful subculture 'classics' if you've been more than once, you'll know what these are... there's the metal tunes that everyone's bored of (Disturbed, Slipknot, 36 Crazyfists...) there's the poppy shite that everyone's bored of (Feeder, Foo Fighters...) there's the emo shit no-one even liked in the first place (Panic at the Disco, My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy) and then... there's the hip-hop/dance section which is new. BUT EVERYONE HATES IT... EVERYONE HATE HATE EVERYONE HATE HATE EVERYONE HATES IT. I think I made my point there.

It's funny, because the week before, which was the New Found Glory after party, was awesome. A good hour of punk and ska right at the start, including actual real BRITISH PUNK BANDS :O then a good mix of metal, hardcore, emo even a touch of DnB (even if it was pendulum again) I barely went to the bar that night!

It just goes to show that the guys behind subs do know how to put on a good mix. They just don't want to...


Which reminds me of another thing.

LEARN TO MIX YOU TWATS! A real DJ actually mixes songs together, you know, like playing both at once in time with each other in a way that sounds good. NOT pressing play on CD deck two when the song on CD deck one is over. And stop playing boring songs all the way through. Sure it's nice to hear some metallica, or Beastie Boys but we don't like it so much that we need to hear the middle break and last chorus. Just skip it! Please! Just play the next song and keep the attention!

I've not seen many good DJs in my life, but one was the legend that support Enter Shikari on their last tour. Mixing DnB with alt tunes and real classics, just a pity it was a shitty atmosphere for dancing...

go listen to DJ Pdex

http://www.myspace.com/djpdex

well go see him, it's pointless listening to him unless you're gunna dance your tits off.

Fuck Scene!

Mini rant first.

Why is it that when you say to someone (this is in birmingham exclusively) 'Do you fancy going to the pub on the xth?', they will say yes. But if you ask the same person, 'Do you fancy coming to see my band (or my friends band, or this band that are really fucking good) on the xth?' they'll say 'Yeah, maybe.' and then not show up.

Is it because everyone in Birmingham is a twat? No, but there really is a serious lack of music scene here, and a serious lack of support for what might actually make the scene less lacking! So next time my friend says, hey man, my band are playing on the xth, I'm going to go, and I hope you all do too! Support your friends, Hell, they might even be good!

Speaking of which, my good friends the Tie Dye Quartet are playing on weds, go and see them, they're good and you've nothing better to do.

Rant over.

Scene

ScenexScenexScene

What the fuck is scene? Is it only liking the bands which are scene? Is it dressing scene? Is it acting scene? 

Well, yes and no to all of the above. But unfortunately it seems to me that most scene kids (and believe me I saw enough tonight!) don't really have a fucking clue about their actual music scene! Instead of 'scene' being a word to describe a certain area or cities musical subculture it is now a term that is an extension on emo. Like emo, there are certain defining styles both in music and appearance, but also like emo it is possible to dress in many scene clothes without being scene, and to not dress scene at all but still be scene as fuck. I guess a lot of it is attitude, and clothing combinations but looking scene is fine. I look scene I guess, people say I do certainly, but I only look this way so people think I am scene, and then when I tell them about Allucinere or I Have Clones, they might actually listen. See my post on marketing for more on this theory!

For some reason scene is cooler than emo, mostly because you can't be 14 and scene, there's an age thing going on. But by being scene you're credability is rated higher than if you're emo and therefore people supposedly are more likely to believe your recomendations (I may have done a post about credability too, go find that and read it too) 

But (and this is the big one!)

As far as I can tell, with only a few exceptions, every scene kid in Birmingham likes the same bands. Nothing local, nothing that's not scene. So when at Bring Me The Horizon tonight I found myself surrounded by hundreds of incredably similar, yet subtly different fringes, and I found them all hating The Secret Handshake (who were fucking shit to be honest) but loving Deez Nutz (who were also fucking shit) it became clear. A band has too look uber-fucking scene, and play brutal. A band that does not do this are either too wussy and emo, too poppy and wussy, to metal and hairy or some other shitty reason. It doesn't even really matter if the band are very good, so long as all your scene mates like them too, they're scene. But, if like so many bands in Birmingham, there isn't enough scene cred flying around your band, well, then you're fucked. The Scene kids don't know and don't care, you're nothing to them till you've toured with xallxIxwantxisxtoxdiex the ubercore band from the US.

Well, fuck you scene kids, maybe you should start listening to music in Birmingham for a change - it may not be perfect but it's at least as good as some of the shite you're listening to.

Go listen to

The Archer Home

Random Conflict

Blakfish

Kneale Brown

and of course Allucinere

I Have Clones

and then go to some fucking gigs, you pieces of shit!

God, I hate this city sometimes.

Rant 2 over.

pleasure pain

emo title I know...

But I had a thought on the bus. And it in many ways supports the idea that there is a god (me, supporting religion? Whatever next!) and it's essentially that good people are happy, and bad people have shitty lives. 

Think of all those shitty chavy wankers there are, they beat people up, and steal things, and in return they go to jail, live in shitty flats and live shitty lives. Where as good people tend to be happier, their friends aren't wankers, they live in nice places and have decent jobs. 

Of course there are more exceptions to this rules than there are expamples that support it. But I like the principle. Be nice, have nice things happen to you. Be a shit, live a shit life. I believe it is capable for everyone to live a happy life, they've just got to take the right steps towards it. 

go to www.isowish.com for a good way to start working on a new way to improve your life. 

Maybe I want to live in a nicer place! See ya later kids

Stress

Right now, I feel awful. I don't normally feel awful, but there are a few things that really really fuck me off.

and what's fucking me off right now? The fact that niether of my house mates will do any FUCKING CLEANING! Having a house in a mess really stresses me out, I mean, really fucking stresses me out. I can't concentrate unless I hide in my room and pretend it's not there. But do either of my housemates give a shit about this? Clearly not, because despite asking nicely, whining like a bitch, complaining a lot, telling them to do it directly, and shouting at them, one has fucked off to do coursework and the other is sitting in the longue doing fuck all.

They had a band practice this weekend, so understandably they couldn't do much cleaning, and the house got in a mess with the extra people and the lack of time to tidy. BUT one person had time to make a fucking roast dinner, and leave shit all over the kitchen in the process, and when I got home today they were both dicking about. Leaving my PA on, wasting electricity and leaving the band room as a fucking shit tip.

I Hope this rant will make them realise how much this gets to me.

I FUCKING HATE MESS. SO FUCKING CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSLEVES!

When I come home I want to be able to relax, and I cannot relax in this shithole.

this blog is not the blog it was supposed to be

but fuck you.

I don't care.

So, I was thinking while sat in the Hello Digital thing I went to this morning (between lectures - I am that hardcore) that blogs aren't really blogs, but columns. Just like the ones in the paper, and increasingly so, they are replacing columns. In many ways they are much better, you can find the column that is perfect for you, not just the shitty one clarkson is writing this week. Each blog has a beautifully unique style and content, so there's one out there for everyone and everything. 

One problem - they're free. No one profits from them (except the host site) people use them as shops and adverts of course, but there's no reward for the actual content. 

So where does that leave us? In my eyes, with a completely open and non-exclusive community spanning the whole world. 

Sweet.

What If Punk Never Happened

So, first up, Props to rob @ Ihaveclones.com for linking this first

I have just been to see The King Blues and I know the PUNK WILL NEVER DIE

So long as we have have inpirational bands like themselves amazing support act the Skint, and even the highly impressive brum lads Tempting Rosie then I will be happy sleeping knowing that somewhere out there are people that are those that make the nessesary changes.

I suppose I am the kind of person they hate, I'm love punk, I 'am' Punk, but I do fuck all, I'm far too lazy! So thank fuck for all the bands that Itch namechecks, and of course for current UK Punk bands.

And I mean PUNK bands, roots back in the old school, but putting a spin on things that makes it their own. If you have no idea what I'm on about, chances are you never will.

So, in my rambling way I move on to those bands which I think every person that thinks of themselves needs to know about.

Old...

Crass

Minor Threat

Operation Ivy

Agnostic Front

Sick of it All

Madball

Ramones

Oldish...

No Comply

Lightyear

Refused

Rancid

NOFX

F-Minus

Fucked Up

NOW...

The King Blues

Sonic Boom Six

The Skint

Failsafe

The Mercury League (or whatever they're calling themselves these days...)

don't tell me what bands I've missed, I'm sure there's loads, and most importantly, listen to the last lot. If you don't I don't like you.

Oh yeah, and read Last Hours mag. it's good.

bye bye, and sorry for not being able to structure my rants.

maybe that's part of the charm?

Pay to Play - fucktarded

Yeah, so my friends band asked me to play drums for them for a gig.

The gig they were playing was for a colleague as a favour as the night needed another band.

After hearing very little about the gig they were told hours before the details (location, times, little bits like that) and that in order to play they would have to bring their own gear, or pay to hire the gear that was there...

I think any of you reading this would think at this point "Fuck this" and I agree.

It worked out that we played, the members of the band have to work with the promoter in the future, and the hire costs were £30 between 3 bands (although it was charged per person rather than band) so not too much to worry about. 

However, the simple principle of having to pay for gig seems riduculous. I'm sure you all agree.

BUT

How many of you have play a Surface Unsigned gig? How many have sold tickets for a venue without seeing any of the money? How many have you have worked your ass of to get your mates to a gig only to see no credit or reward?

STOP FUCKING PAYING!!!!

Allucinere paid the £25 entry fee into Surface Unsigned two years ago, we brought over 30 people to the first show @ £5 a ticket, all pre-sold. We brought over 25 people to the next show @ £6 a tickets. We saw none of that money once SU got hold of it, and we recieved nothing, not even a fair judging system. We gave them over £300! For two gigs... We could've held two gig on our own, and used that money to record another 3 songs to make our EP an Album. But it was wasted.

My advice - Anyone ever asks you to pay - SAY NO!

This industry is shitty enough without giving the money you are earning to a fucking company! 

PS - this is not a dig at the promotor, he was only trying to re-coop his loses, and the gig was free. I got a free pint out of it, and the gig was fun, this post is about trying to stop shitty companies and asshole promoters fucking bands over. It's bad enough the record companies are doing it...