14/10/07 11:40

London Gig

Cats Against The Bomb debut in London village

Here's the who what why where when how and woah of it all:

Cats Against The Bomb will be playing at Catch in Shoreditch for Headphonesoff.

£3 on list (follow myspace link) on £4 on door

Playing with Magic 8 and Royal Treatment Plant.

My Panda Can Fly DJ set.

Doors: 8pm

http://www.myspace.com/headphonesoff for the £3 list.

Here is the facebook event by Headphones off.

Here is the Cats Against The Bomb facebook group and facebook event.

19/08/07 12:40

Shop Open!

Advanced Lawnmower Simulator Shop Open For Business

Records by Cats Against The Bomb and others available over at Advanced Lawnmower Simulator

Get some now!

06/08/07 19:40

More Upcoming Gigs...

Jim Robinson Memorial Jukebox Gig

Colchester - The Twist, Saturday 29th September 2007

Special Guests at a scene reunion gig for a venue I have never had anything to do with.

This will be a special set, most likely all covers done CATB style, of material from the time.

Total one-off, only chance to see CATB cover Nirvana!

More details here

It is likely there will be another Colchester gig in October, but this will be original material.

17/07/07 19:27

Swanfest is done and dusted (Saturday July 28th), and was a swansong for the now former landlords, which is a shame as they were nice people running a friendly pub.

NEW! Pictures of the gig "Plug It In" @ Studio 3 Bury St Edmunds (Friday July 13th ) can be found in the gallery.

27/05/07 13:20

Vids! (finally)

Here are a couple of videos from the recent Digital Vomit gig.

14/05/07 21:10

A Song For Europe?

Does anyone know how to enter the Eurovision Song Contest?

If you do, send me an email.

The whole procedure seems to take place behind closed doors, it makes the tele-voting seem fair. I can't find anything on the BBC website, or Radio 2's forum. I can't say I expected to find anything on Eurovision or the EBU's site, but somebody must know something...

I remember hearing years back that you had to have entries for Making Your Mind Up in by December, but I have no idea if this is true.

29/04/07

Cascadingly Super Sexy

We're back. Yes indeedy, the Cats Against The Bomb site redesign is now complete. Now with added CSS for cascading super sexiness.

The first ever Digital Vomit gig went well last weekend. Massive thanks to everyone involved, especially Mixomatosis, The Fez and Solypsis who flew in from Chicago(!) for the performance. I hope the PA in the Cambridge Arms gets replaced for the next band to play there. The current PA could be improved by being placed in the nearest skip.

Photos can be seen on the gallery page

21/03/07 20:52

Party Till You Puke

Well, the Ipswich gig was one of technical fun. If it weren't blown up for CATB, Cutting Pink With Knives, Esquillax and Gay Against You did a fucking good job last Wednesday. It took till saturday to get my hearing back.

CBML2 is still in the shops, but CBML3 is work in progress. Here's an extract.

Random Musings

Oh well, so long Top Of The Pops.

KLF with ENT Top Of The Pops Christmas Day (not aired, considered unsuitable for daytime TV)

Can Buy Me Love Volume 2 Limited Copies Available!

Gig dates:

17/08/06 Colchester Arts Centre with Duran Duran Duran

18/06/06 Cambridge Man On The Moon for Cambridge Rocksoc for the May Brawl event! With Descretation, Legion of Doom and Sons of Merrick - you missed it!

Went down waaay better than expected. A strong varied line up. Hopefully something in London with the Sons of Merrick.

The most drunk I think I have seen any band. How they were able to even stand up, let alone perform, I shall never know.

DJ Set at Ipswich Drum and Monkey 18/03/06 for Fiddler Crab Music (see picture). Bands playing are The Resistance, Jack Rundell, and Polariss.

A great night, the DJing went down really well, and was a huge relief as the afternoon was beset by technical issues. Nightmare!

Cats Against The Bomb played at Braincandy at Ipswich Corn Exchange for IP1zine on Jan 16th. The BBC were even kind enough to write a review and post some pictures. Worst sound. Ever. Official. All of the bands I spoke to felt this, but I'm not going into why.

The very next week, CATB and one half of The Blitters went to see the other half of The Blitters in Canada. Toronto is a great city, and Allen is doing well for himself. The thinking caps are on for a UK tour kinda-thing.

Hopefully out this month (at a push) will be Can Buy Me Love Volume 2 on Digital Vomit. This will be a double CD (proper CD, not CD-R) and features all of the artists listed below.

Cats Against The Bomb are also excited about the re-opening of Ipswich's Drum and Monkey, a venue that has been rocked before. Expect some more live action soon.

Cats Against The Bomb to feature on Can Buy Me Love Volume 2 on Digital Vomit which is being organised by Solypsis. This is due out at some point in the new year, and will feature:

Cats Against The Bomb next gig at Ipswich Corn Exchange Monday January 16th 2006. More details soon.

THE BANNER AD HAS GONE! YES, THAT CRAPPY ADVERTISING IS NO MORE! Cats Against The Bomb site actually upgraded!

BUT WAIT! There's more! Webspace has been located! And new media is due to be uploaded! Including some videos!

Cats Against The Bomb playing Colchester Arts Centre October 2nd (THIS SUNDAY!) with Cassetteboy and DJ Rubbish.

CATB on at approx 8.30pm. On the strength of "Inside A Whales Cock Vol 1", this should be a good one. Tickets available from Colchester Arts Centre Box Office 01206 500900.

Cats Against The Bomb will be away for the last three weeks in October, if anyone would like to book CATB for November through to January, please get in touch.

OK, so what's up in the Cats camp? Well, its been busy, but not with Cats live stuff unfortunately. Recording has been in progress on a few new tracks, as well as a new experimental recording "Songs of W(h)ales", which was recorded live from the Avril Lavignatory!

I've recently returned from County Clare, from surfing, and a (mercifully) brief one and a half song acoustic cover set! "Very unhearsed" would be a good description...

This weekend is the Supersonic experimental music festival in Birmingham. CATB are NOT playing, but will be touting for gigs.

First up, there was due to be a gig at Ipswich Steamboat on April 1st. Unfortunately this is now off, as the PA won't take the strain! Hopefully this should be sorted in a few months.

There is however, a Cats Against The Bomb show at the Palomino in Newmarket on April 27th - don't know what time or who with as yet.

Spring has arrived, which means outdoor gigs if you're dull enough to impress the local council. Cats Against The Bomb will be rectifying the problem this summer, although not in this area.

Congratulations to Justin and Helen of Badhand records and their recent engagement. Cats Against The Bomb are booked to play the engagement bash, with an extra special set, Love from Cliff himself.

Queens Of The Stoneage - Lullabies to Paralyse. 3 years wait, and that's it? Eagles of Death Metal - Peace Love Death Metal was a much better record. Maybe it will grow on me, if not then its eBay time.

Being stuck inside when the weather is good. (In a concrete-bastard-windowless-bunker)

Two gigs in two weeks, and bleeding at the end of both of them. The Bury gig was particularly bloody, and I still have the scab on my hand. Nice.

January 29th will see Cats Against The Bomb play a short set at Colchester Arts Centre with Extreme Noise Terror, The Secret Hairdresser, The Dawn Parade, and Steve Harley(!) as a tribute to John Peel.

The gig is free, but attendance is limited. Contact the Arts Centre Box Office on 01206 500900 or go to http://www.colchesterartscentre.com for tickets.

Quick Update, Cats Against The Bomb new gig dates: Ipswich Steamboat Friday January 7th with the Secret Hairdresser , and headlining Electrobeet at Bury St Edmunds Priors Sunday January 16th, with Jack Nicholson.

26/10/04: I feel absolutely devastated. John Peel has passed away. I met John only once, when he came to my sixth form to talk about music and radio media. He was humble, and so obviously excited by music even in the awkward confines of a classroom full of media studies students!

Three years later, he phoned me and asked me to do a session. It was broadcast almost four and a half years ago. I have always been incredibly grateful for such an amazing experience, and had always looked forward to meeting or speaking to him again to thank him for it. I feel a great sadness that I will never get that opportunity.

Only a few months my good friends The Blitters were broadcast on his show. It reminded me again of that amazing feeling of having your music broadcast to so many people, and being part of the whole John Peel thing.

Having spoken to my friends I know I am not alone in feeling that British music will never be the same again.

Check out the Stuff Page There is a new page with some experiences of inifinite guitar sustain.

On July 27th there was a very impromptu gig in Nottingham with the Blitters and Gobsausage. The Social was terrorised with possibly the loudest CATB gig ever. My ears took at least 2 days to recover. The set has been described as "Fucking Punishing". Maybe its time to ease off a bit...

Thanks to the Blitters and for encouraging me to blag my way on, loan of equipment, and giving me a slot.

Speakers Push The Air also has a Cliff Richard review. I've always liked the term "unlistenable", they use it like its a bad thing.

Apologies for not updating the website sooner, but its been a long week or so. I've just spent the day in the real world in a TV Station technical room with some Dell rackmount equipment deafening me. Amazingly I'm still using a computer despite having been awake since 0630 (and woken at 0230 by housemates going to Glasto).

The gig last saturday, Colchester Arts Centre Saturday June 19th 2004, went without a hitch. This was probably helped by the slimmed down FX rig (no homemade stuff at the moment, its a bit buggered) and no instrument changing. The set was the "Back To The Future Special" - which consisted of the BTTF theme, Mr Sandman and Huey Lewis "The Power Of Love" synthed up, along with the Cats Against The Bomb Remix "Johnny B Enraged" performed live for the first time.

The full lineup for the gig was Hirameka Hi Fi, The Blitters, Bilge Pump and Cats Against The Bomb!

It was a excellent night for all involved, and good to hear that The Blitters enjoyed being booed. (I know the bloke and can shame him if you like.) "No Friend Of Mine" and "Dischotic Antiantibiotic" sounded particularly good.

I enjoyed Bilge Pump despite not having heard anything by them before. Cool stuff.

It was the definite last ever gig by Hirameka Hi Fi, and a bit of an evening of reminiscence for myself (through the haze of lager). Read this bit here to see what I'm on about.

Big whoop birthday maseeve to Mix Master Mick and flatmate Beav for coming along...

Thanks to Staff for letting me stay at his place on saturday. Look Around You...

Jo Searles, what the hell do you put in those evian bottles? I have these vague recollections of junior school science and things being "An Ecumenical Matter" Arrrrgh!

Apologies for the delay to the website update, but I've been just a tad busy. This week has been interesting, for good and bad reasons. I have now seen Guitar Wolf, and they ROCK! I feel a strange compulsion to grow a quiff, and shout "JET ROCK ZERO!" at everyone.

Big Thanks to Stargreen ticket agency for NOT INFORMING ME that the GW date had changed to Tuesday from Monday. THEY SUCK. I found out about this on Monday after arriving at the venue! Made me feel like giving them an earbashing, except for the fact that I would be wasting my breath. Twunts. I won't use them again.

Anyway, back to business. Apologies to Richard and Lizzy in Bury for the shorter and somewhat different than expected set on the 10th. MBA have apparently lost a drummer, and cancelled for this gig. Djevara (don't get me to pronounce it) were somewhat disappointed by the low turnout, but played on anyway.

The "normal" CATB set was totally screwed by a complete lack of monitors - and was ditched after the first track in favour of four or five off the cuff covers performed in my best Billy Bragg style.

I got a bit of a buzz from this as I have never busked before, maybe I'll have to give it a go?

May 10th will not go down in history as Cats Against The Bomb's finest moment, but at least there weren't too many there to see it.

May 18th at Colchester Arts Centre was a different state of affairs entirely!

Another sober gig for me, but at this one the bass amp I use for guitar was not making a sound. I suspect the bass player from Djevara (Bury gig) had kindly switched off the limiter and cranked the bugger up! My suspicion is that the valve has gone, although due to Marshall's super-tough construction its hard to tell as I can't get into the amp at all.

With the amp acting as an expensive table, I DI (direct input to you folks) into the mixing desk. It sounds great, like Territorial Pissings, the only good track on Nevermind.

Unfortunately the batteries in the distortion pedals give up in the second song, so I wing it. After some faffing, I find the solution is to play the rest of the set using the power drill. The set culminates in cutting the strings off the guitar, and playing without any strings using the drill. I've always wanted to do that, and it was a blast. Even flogged some CDs, covering petrol costs nicely.

May 19th saw a return to the Arts Centre for an entirely different (and more alcohol influenced night). CLIFF RICHARD AND THE DARK SIDE debut live set, a last minute replacement for Baron Bum Blood - 20 minutes of mangled Cliff tracks, with power drill / lighter / smashing fun.

Its strangely liberating to play Cliff Richard's devil woman backwards and at the wrong speed, and then be able to frisbee the record into the audience for them to enjoy. I like to "give something back" as they say...

I feel the need to play gigs in the outer reaches of East Anglia, like Norwich, Cambridge, and London village. Anywhere else will be considered too!