Gig Reviews
Reasons why I prefer listening to records to meeting people or going to gigs: 1) it’s easier to check your memories of a record against the document itself; 2) you don’t have to chat loudly about banal topics whilst listening to records (or at least I
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Dan Barrow
14/05/2008
Familiarity may well breed contempt, but I wouldn’t know about it. From not knowing where the fucker was, The Gander's become almost a second home to me
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Dan Barrow
09/05/2008
There’s a few reasons why I enjoy gigs in churches: 1) I find churches very pleasant places to be in general, with their restful air and often interesting décor; 2) it’s much easier to chat in churches without being paralysed by part-drunken anxiety th
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Dan Barrow
06/05/2008
The sheer racket coming from the unassuming chap that is One Man Destruction Show (pictured) is
quite astonishing, as are the amount of instruments he can play. Ut
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Henrie
01/05/2008
With the late addition of a collaboration between My Broken 101 and Matt Shaw (Tex La Homa), this latest CuRioSiTy event was the first (to my knowledge) to only feature
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Tony Foster
29/04/2008
There’s nothing like a decent crisis to remind you of what your priorities are. In my own case, it would be something like setting in motion the process by which you’ll be removed from your own hometown in – ooh, how long is it now? – four months or so
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Dan Barrow
28/04/2008
Sludgefeast have left the building. Gone out in a blaze of mutha fuckers. Having seen the gig schedule prior to this, the final UK show by Sludgefeast, I must admit to f
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Tony Foster
18/04/2008
After hours of hearing he was outside having a fag, lots of 'oh he's here' rumours,
Har Mar Superstar finally appeared. However no one was really sure
when he too
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Henrie
17/04/2008
Electro-folk was promised at last night’s Merz gig in Borders bookshop. Unfortunately the word ‘electro’ only applied to the fact that lankly blonde solo-folk dude Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip in their hit ‘Thou Shalt Always Kill’. Judging by the enormous mix of p
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Lisa Willmot
07/04/2008
This weeks’ CuRioSiTy line-up at Mr.Kyps was possibly one of the most varied so far, but that
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Lisa Willmot
06/04/2008
You could tell he was having a bad night: Paul Hardsparrow, Club Anemone organiser an
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Dan Barrow
01/04/2008
“Well,” I thought to myself, “I can afford to miss the support acts, as long as I’m along for the main thing.” I needn’t have worried. Standing around upstairs chatting for about an hour before the first act came on, I started getting, as you might exp
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Dan Barrow
24/03/2008
Well, it's been at least six months since I last ventured into the plush and sedate surroundings of the Tudor Grange Hotel, welcomed into the warm bosom of family
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Tony Foster
photo by Fiona 19/03/2008
Perhaps honesty would be the best policy, for once. It’s almost a week since RECKNO; I’ve been listening to the new True Swamp Neglect album, Cloud Cloud Cloud alongside Di
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Dan Barrow
17/03/2008
Sidecar 46 are making their debut in Bournemouth tonight in a sparce The Gan
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Big Ross
17/03/2008
Testing, testing. One, two three. I’ve felt rather tired recently – not just tired of doing more or less the same exhausting thing every day, but tired of everything refusing to work out as I want it to. The notion of occasional creativity – cre
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Dan Barrow
12/03/2008
In five months time a large field in Sixpenny Handley will be visited by bus loads of punks, skins, rastas, hippies and gypsies. Once the bands have arrived, the punters will park up, pitch up and make the Endorse-It In-Dorset Festival what it is – the
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Tony Foster
05/03/2008
Well. I look around the room, and Frances, a.k.a. siren songstress Animal Magic Tricks is nowhere to be seen; neither is tonight’s other star attraction, B
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Dan Barrow
03/03/2008
It's Sunday night in The Gander as we await tonight's openers Giocan
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Big Ross
15/02/2008
Well, we’re back. Here, in church, it feels like winter and night will never leave us: I flit through these darkened and hollowed-out concert spaces like a ghost, unwilling or unable to leave its haunt, attracted by the warmth of lights and crowds. And
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Dan Barrow
11/02/2008
The last time I saw The Velvet Hearts was here at Centre Stage about eight months ago, with the band launching their new ep. The amount of time spent promoting
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Tony Foster
08/02/2008
Ahh shit. No Slate Caverns. A rare appearance from his pit is always a treat, but if musical diversity counts for anything then the rest of tonight's #Forbidden Planet# t
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Tony Foster
29/01/2008
It's sparse up at The Gander tonight and two of the bands have cancelled at the last minute. I don't catch the name of the guy who opens tonight's show
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Big Ross
27/01/2008
On the evening of the 16th of December in 2007, there occurred such an event as never to be met or surpassed (to my knowledge) before or since. This folks, was the D
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Niall Fealty
01/01/2008
Returning back to Mr.Kyps for another dose of CuRioSiTy expectations were high; this time for
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Tony Foster
27/12/2007
On a freezing cold night in Bournemouth, two of our best rock bands are warming us up for Christmas. Tonight's audience is sparse but wait patiently for openers Hoffman S
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Big Ross
23/12/2007
The room sparkles. The walls are covered with strings of fairy lights, coils of silver tinsel. There’s a fully-decked Christmas tree next to the tiny stage, which is being set up with vases full of flowers on wooden pedestals. The drinks are flowing, a
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Dan Barrow
17/12/2007
It's strangely quiet as we arrive just after the start of Funeral For A Friend's set; one wonders if the funeral 'tag' is to be taken literally. Thankfully they up the ante and the volume increases somewhat. Tonight's young audience are in full voice t
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Big Ross
16/12/2007
As just one of of many fringe events for the Sun, Sea and Sound event at the B.I.C, tonight's gig at Centre Stage was potentially a night to show
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Tony Foster
10/12/2007
Bloody hell: is it me, or is Sixty Million Postcards just a bit posh? This isn’t necessarily a bad thing – its plush décor, festive warmth and
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Dan Barrow
06/12/2007
If the Opera House marketing and promotion team tried just a tad harder they'd have put an ad on the front page of The Sun for this gig. Adverts were everywhere, so no fau
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Tony Foster
20/11/2007
“Artistic production begins with ceremonial objects destined to serve in a cult. One may assume that what mattered was their existence, not their being on view. The elk portrayed by the man of the Stone Age on the walls of his cave was an instrument of
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Dan Barrow
14/11/2007
Three firsts for me tonight. Nearly four, but I've seen Stuart O'Connor somewhere before, though where I can't remember. After the initial excitement of the opening Solid Air
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Tony Foster
14/11/2007
For more than one year I've been waiting for this. Since (the then) Matt Maher released his ridiculously sad and beautiful heartbreak album 'Beach In The Fallin' Rain' with his own E Street Band, 'The Robbers', I've been waiting to see 'that' album per
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Tony Foster
08/11/2007
Wander Phantom open tonight's show but don't leave any great memory of their set. Kind of Horrors meets Manson on an off day. The problem I have with Wander Phantom is their inability to decide whether they're indie, rock or goth. The band are shoegazi
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Big Ross
07/11/2007
One thousand Solid Air gigs. One THOUSAND. It would be easy to wax lyrical about this fantastic achievement, but we've already done that. Plus I'm sure Paul and Connie wo
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Tony Foster
30/10/2007
“There is no such thing as an empty space or an empty time. There is always something to see, something to hear. In fact, try as we may to make a silence, we cannot.” - John Cage.
One of the most fascinating ideas of the Situationists was the
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Dan Barrow
25/10/2007
Don't you just love it when you go to a gig expecting it to be okay, and it turns out to be fucking amazing. Such was the case at Mr.Kyps tonight, blown away as I was by the rid
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Tony Foster
17/10/2007
The squat bulk of St Aldhelms’ Church is still relatively impressive on the inside – despite being a rather ordinary, provincial example of the later Romanesque – when lit only by the candles and electric lights of the altar, and, in front, the Christm
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Dan Barrow
14/10/2007
Once again it's that time of year when the Old Firestation throws its doors open for Oxjam. Tonight's line-up comprises bands originating from the locality. Opening up are Bournemou
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Big Ross
13/10/2007
One beer: that’s all it takes for me to turn into the world’s worst bore. (Some might argue all it takes is a word processor, but they can fuck off back to their Noel Edmonds records.) Having spent the last few months trying to extend my period of enfo
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Dan Barrow
11/10/2007
On a humid Wednesday evening in Christchurch it's rather quiet as we await Giocanda Smile. Their first 'song' borrows the guitar riff from Ash's 'Kung Fu' but doesn
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Big Ross
08/10/2007
Well then. The final Forbidden Planet gig at the Portman Green Room – the majority of Solid Air's nights, excluding Exploding Plastic Inevitable, being shifted to the hip
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Dan Barrow
27/09/2007
“Wouldn't it be nice if we were older, then we wouldn't have to wait so long. And wouldn't it be nice to live together, in the kind of world where we belong ”.
Witnessing the seemingly reborn Brian Wilson (now 65 years young) tonight
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Tony Foster
24/09/2007
Isn’t it odd that in every movie, all that’s unsavoury – torture chambers, cells housing long-since-aged prisoners and the insane, Indian graves – is kept in the basement? I stumble down the I-Bar stairs into the sweating dark, the air humming with fre
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Dan Barrow
23/09/2007
The photographer, recordist and political activist Malachi Ritscher, a key figure in the Chicago free-improvisation scene, immolated himself in November 2006, ostensibly in protest against the ongoing carnage caused by the American presence in Iraq. A
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Dan Barrow
21/09/2007
For me, music has always been an almost entirely a social thing – a subject and map of private obsessions. The bedroom was my venue, headphones and stereo speakers the media. Lists of records, books and magazines on music pile up all around. That myste
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Dan Barrow
16/09/2007
For me, these monthly CuRioSiTy nights have become must see gigs. The standard of the music is not just consistently high, but the promoters are delivering on th
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Tony Foster
01/09/2007
In Michael Reeves’ 1967 film 'The Sorcerers', Ian Ogilvy, as the representative of the arrogant, self-indulgent youth of Swinging London - following his French girlfriend around the beat dungeons of Chelsea and Kensington - is taken home one night by h
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Dan Barrow
01/09/2007
David Lynch films I have seen (all the way through) – Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, Wild At Heart and Mulholland Drive (just). That's five out of about twenty-five that he's directed, and hardly makes me qualified to recognise the subtle u
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Tony Foster
30/08/2007
“This is happening without your permission!” - Huggy Bear, ‘Her Jazz’.
“Even now female voices are heard which – holy Aristophanes! – are frightening: they threaten with medical explicitness what woman wants from man, first and last.” - Fried
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Dan Barrow
22/08/2007
Some gigs look great on paper; marketing hype, glossy flyers and amazing tag lines. This one had all that, delivered by the team at Kyps, but as we have seen time and time again with more
Tony Foster
19/08/2007
Endorse-It In-Dorset is a proper festival. This is your working class Larmer Tree, the roots are all here but the thousands come covered with tattoos -
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Tony Foster
14/08/2007
Damn. It doesn't get any more DIY than this: CD-Rs sold off a table, people crammed into a pub backroom in various states of soberness, two tables in front of a stage, alive with wires and magic electronic boxes. Robotdog, two men (one looking suspicio
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Dan Barrow
12/08/2007
Hailing from the music hotbed that is New Milton, Fever Dog kick off tonight's Solid Air 'Amped Up' with their army of followers seated on the front row. What followed wa
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Tony Foster
08/08/2007
"Most of the machines that surround our lives – airliners, refrigerators, cars and typewriters – have streamlined their way into our affections. Now and then… we can see clearly the deep hostility of the mineral world. We are lucky that the organic rea
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Dan Barrow
(video courtesy of Trac) 02/08/2007
It's a damp Friday in Boscombe, but The Green Room is more than half full as we await tonight's openers, The Money Shot. With little fuss they amble onstage and deli
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Big Ross
01/08/2007
Well, that was fun wasn't it!? Yes? No? Those people who came tonight expecting anything other than, well... more or less what happened, were probably hoping for just a little too much. The legend that is Sly Stone has been a virtual recluse since 1987
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Tony Foster
30/07/2007
Like Sirius, but on a bigger scale, these Kyps nights where the the artist is brought forward, almost surrounded by the audience are wonderfully intimate. Such intimacy highlights the artist's talent, there is also no place to hide, and for the likes o
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Tony Foster
28/07/2007
Up until now Mr. Kyps' CuRioSiTy nights have been high on quality, offering a superb variety of local and out of town talent. The attendances have also been varied, bet
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Tony Foster
23/07/2007
Having recovered sufficiently and with mind and fingers back at the desk, an attempt at a Larmer Tree Festival overview can wait no longer. Apparently
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Tony Foster
18/07/2007
With their debut album just released and available for inspection, 'local lads making it good' Air Traffic return to their home town to play in front of a packed Opera H
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Tony Foster
17/07/2007
First on tonight at O'Neill's Undiscovered Live heat are Poole-based Pea
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Big Ross
10/07/2007
Having seen Kings Of Leon before I thought I knew what to expect. Did I fuck. I have never seen the BIC so full or a Bournemouth crowd so up for a gig. Even entering towards the end of the supports' set the place was pretty much full, by the time the F
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Tony Foster
05/07/2007
Well, at least there was no mud. The Bournemouth Live Music Festival may have suffered the same rainy fate as Glastonbury this year, but it was always going to
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Tony Foster
04/07/2007
One 'Fem Vox', five lady artistes (with some mixed-sex accompaniment), five different styles. Some wonderful singing, some average. Some great songs, some which passed me by. Several strange noises, many far more familiar. So, just your regular more
Tony Foster
20/06/2007
I'm not a big fan of Centre Stage as a rock music venue, there's something a little too clean, tidy and 'nice' about it. Don't get me wrong, their
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Catherine Burke
08/06/2007
So, its finally opened! After months of waiting and wondering, the newly refurbished Opera House swung open its doors for the first time and welcomed punters in to what c
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Sean Barker
07/06/2007
On a night when the live music competition was stiff, most notably the re-opening of the Opera House which took one or two thousand to another part of Boscombe, it was a little worrying when by gone nine The Green Room was decidedly empty for Betika's
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Tony Foster
04/06/2007
One thing Numidian Wish cannot be criticised for is a lack of self-promotion. Having pre-sold 200 tickets for the release of their 'Hometime' ep, their launch par
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Tony Foster
28/05/2007
Tonight's Solid Air Fem Vox brings a couple of new faces to the Green Room, including (all the way from Devon) Reckless Princess. Sliding in softly, somewhere in between
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Tony Foster
22/05/2007
One thing I'm not gonna try to do is pretend I'm anything other than a novice when it comes to reviewing a 'folk night'. Yet another reason for bh one to appeal to anyone who would like to write for the site. I can express my feelings here, but feel in
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Tony Foster
15/05/2007
The Bank Holiday weekend starts here - a Dutch Husband-curated EPi at The Portman. Swamp masks, small gangs, hard sparrows, laptops and the Dutch. Add Richard Pryor,
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Tony Foster
07/05/2007
Five days and counting. The end of The Gander as we currently know it is nigh, but it's not all doom and gloom cos, hey! Ethel are here! Releasing their brand spanking new ep 'G
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Tony Foster
06/05/2007
Six years and three months after Solid Air's first foray into Lower Parkstone's friendly bistro Le Bateau, Paul and Conrad said an emotional farewell on Sunday night, fit
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Tony Foster (photo by Grant Read)
02/05/2007
And still they keep coming. Week after week, Frankie gathers a line-up of fantastic singer/songwriters to Sirius, mostly local talent with the occasional foray further af
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Tony Foster
27/04/2007
Not that you ever really need an excuse to go and see Dutch Husband, but an Ejector Seat gig at the Joiners with three other bands sure looked good on paper.
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Tony Foster
23/04/2007
I have been looking forward to a Solid Air at the Portman filled with sexy husky voiced men and I certainly wasn't disappointed. Arriving too late to catch Julian Garner
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Catherine Burke
20/04/2007
Having been put off from writing a review at the latest Solid Air by a particularly inattentive audience, it was, as usual, a pleasure to watch and be able to listen to every breath from all of tonight's performers at Sirius.
Under the spotl
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Tony Foster
15/04/2007
Not content with some Toupe action at bh one Live on Friday, another dose at Southampton's Joiner's was very easy to swallow – despite some sourness beforehand. Having seen the more
Tony Foster
10/04/2007
They may be dirty, but they don't mess around these Rotten Scoundrels. Just five months after conception, tonight at Thomas Tripp's Late n Liv
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Tony Foster
06/04/2007
It seems odd that the 100th gig review on bh one starts with a little write-up (for the first time) about a film, but hey! Let's go crazy! Small Town Folk is a fantasy/horr
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Tony Foster
29/03/2007
A couple of years ago, Air Traffic - then Broken Cord - were just another Bournemouth band playing the local circuit, and hardly tearing up trees. With a change of name,
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Tony Foster
27/03/2007
I have seen Sarah Griffin play on a number of occasions as a solo act and really enjoyed her, but supporting Jackie Leven at Mr.Kyps, The Sarah Griffin Band real
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Catherine Burke
24/03/2007
If the name John Otway means as much to you as it did to me a few weeks ago (in short, nothing really), then there is one thing you need to know. John Otway is not your typ
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Jo Davies
23/03/2007
Bearing in mind the Blind Voyeurs only played their first gig a couple of months ago, to get a support slot with the likes of Maps and The Longcut is in itself a fant
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Tony Foster
21/03/2007
There's no bullshit with Adam Boucher, he cuts to the chase, what you see is what you get. Like Billy Bragg it's open and honest lyrically and hardcore strumming and no
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Tony Foster
17/03/2007
Having seen My Broken 101 a bunch of times and loved 'em I knew what to expect. Tonight at
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Tony Foster
15/03/2007
A Sancho-curated EPi looked great on paper, but with performances out of their hands and with such a feast of entertainment in store, could the night go hitch-free? Maybe not, but that just all added to the attraction really...
You can have
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Mike Stand
12/03/2007
For those who aren't aware of Sirius, it's a night run by Frankie Milner at the T
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Tony Foster
08/03/2007
Having listened to Conrad's mellow compere flow over the years, the fact that his singing voice has a tone of remarkable depth and warmth should have come as no surprise. Maybe the fact that the passion and emotion which also flowed by the bucket load
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Tony Foster
28/02/2007
When you've got a venue as good as Mr.Kyps, and promoters with a determination to not only put on top quality original bands, but just as importantly to put the ground work in to promote the ass out of the gig, you really should be on to a winner. Kat
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Tony Foster (picture by Damian Godley)
23/02/2007
Having seen Dirty Rotten Scoundrels play recently at The Green Room I was impressed and they were the main reason I took the time out to liste
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Edwin Lugg
21/02/2007
Decisions, decisions. Hoffman Sloth and Voodoo Vegas at O'Neills, or Sirpico, Butcher Blues Foundation, Beckett and Kings Of Hearts at the Old Firestation? The first one's a freebie, so we have “more money to spend on beer”, the other's three quid (or
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Tony Foster
12/02/2007
Whether it was the appeal of the three-band line-up, or the fact that more people are beginning to realise that The Green Room really is a decent venue, tonight's Amped-Up Monday brought in an audience to nearly match the previous Friday's EPi. With more
Tony Foster
09/02/2007
To start with, Black Bart walk on the country side of the musical road. Those with narrow minds can leave now. Those more open to musical exploration should read on. Th
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Tony Foster
06/02/2007
Having dramatically launched EPi last month with a mixed bag of audio/visuals at Centre Stage, Solid Air's Conrad Barr took things into his own hands to curate the event’s second coming under the guise of the Photosonic Muse Mind Machine. This time the
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Mike Stand
06/02/2007
Having recently seen James Harrison for the first time in the intimate surroundings at the Tudor Grange Hotel, and not being particularly blown away (wobbled slig
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Tony Foster
01/02/2007
Putting on Little Boat and Paper Cinema as the headline act could have been described as a
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Mike Stand
30/01/2007
Over the last few months Dutch Husband seem to have discovered the ability of playing their own brand of Pavement-inspired sub-pop with a new-found smile on their fa
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Tony Foster
24/01/2007
If comfy sofas, a relaxed ambience and an intimate and personal vibe between artist and audience sounds like your sort of musical setting, then Sirius at the Tudor Grange
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Tony Foster
12/01/2007
It's a new dawn, it's a new day, and Paul n Conrad's opening night of their new musical journey, the Warhol-inspired Exploding Plastic Inevitable has left many feelin' good. A night brought together by the recently formed Blind Voyeurs was the audio/vi
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Mike Stand
07/01/2007
Looking back over the year's local live music highlights, a few events stand out. Betika's album launch, Grooves On The Green, the Ejector Seat event involving Thomas Truax, and Michael Wookey supporting The Fall come to mind straight away. Tonight's 3
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Tony Foster
01/01/2007
So, it's the penultimate Rubber Soul and the pre-Christmas party. With Betika ending the night, we're expecting a lively finish. But on first are Southampton's more
Tony Foster
27/12/2006
Having been in existence for just over a year, indie-rockers Breaking The Girl have made quite a name for themselves. Playing sell-out gigs at The Joiners and the Wedgewood Rooms, as well as recently supporting Air Traffic at the Old Firestation, they
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Tony Foster
21/12/2006
After five and a half years of Rubber Soul, Paul and Connie have hand-picked three line-ups to see it off in style. If only every Rubber brought with it the quality in evidence tonight, and perhaps more importantly the crowd that came to be entertained
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Tony Foster
16/12/2006
Wednesday night saw Little Man Tate at The Old Firestation on their tour of the South coast. Sadly, their set marred the previously brilliant atmosphere of the night. This four-piece pseudo-punk band can only be described as Kaiser Chiefs without the h
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Jo Davies
08/12/2006
After the opening Kyps’ Curiosity night was disrupted by a late injury-caused cancellation by The Noisettes, this second event went without a hitch. The night is promoted by event organiser Kat as showcasing 'quality bands with energy, originality and
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Tony Foster
01/12/2006
Entering The Gander at twenty past eight for the previous Ejector Seat presen
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Tony Foster
28/11/2006
If ever there was a night which explained and justified Paul and Conrad's decision to axe Rubber Soul at the end of the year it was this one. The problems with the line-up were there, and the two that did play (despite their quality) failed to attrac
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Tony Foster
26/11/2006
Having recently moved to Bournemouth from Manchester (and bringing a certain Mancunian arrogance with me) I had preconceptions that the climax of Dorset’s live music was a cider-fuelled barn-dance. I now apologise for this. Tuesday night forced a recon
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Jo Davies
20/11/2006
Its 9pm at Mr Kyps as we await one of Britpops finest in the shape of The Bluetones. With just enough time to grab a pint they stride onstage to this sell-out crowd, triumphantly returning to this venue after last summer's debut performance here. They
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Big Ross
19/11/2006
Deerhoof are a San Francisco band who deliver poppy, nursery-rhyme hooks with stabs of guitar noise and wayward drums and vocals which can be best described as an acquired tas
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Lee Jones (Dutch Husband)
16/11/2006
After The Opera House had controversially pulled the plug on this WarChild benefit gig, originally planned for 28 October, it was a relief to see the event finally happen at The Portman Hotel's Green Room. The problems for this Bournemouth leg of the t
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Tony Foster
14/11/2006
Black Bart was probably the most notorious and successful pirate of his time, capturing over 400 ships and over £50,000,000 of loot. Tonight at The Gander our very own Blac
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Tony Foster
05/11/2006
See, I was always an Oasis man. I liked Blur but ‘Definitely Maybe’ is one of the best debut albums of all time. But the best thing to come out of either band is Graham Coxon. His solo albums have got better and better and for an old bastard like me wh
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Tony Foster
27/10/2006
The stage is set. Let the battle commence. It’s the finale, the cream of the crop are here and it’s a packed house at Mr.Kyps. Say what you want about Battle Of The Bands but it certainly draws in the punters. Okay, so I feel like I’m gatecrashing a fr
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Tony Foster
24/10/2006
Sometimes I find it hard to get excited watching gigs at the Portman Hotel, it can lack that certain something. But tonight was certainly a ray of light, and it came despite the loss of Dry Eye Scenario who had to pull out, replaced with Oposium.
< ...moreChristopher Kyriacou 18/10/2006
Openers David R. Black quietly amble onstage and announce themselves with opener ‘Jetfighters’- imagine Feeder fronted by Feargal Sharkey. Heavy symbal-led percussion, merging purposefully with intricate guitars and an underwhelming bass. The perfect o
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Big Ross
17/10/2006
Not since the recent Betika album launch party has a gig featuring local bands been so keenly anticipated. Ejector Seat Promotions managed to get together three of Bournemouth’s best, perfectly handpicked to precede enigmatic New Yorker Thomas Truax. <
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Tony Foster
16/10/2006
Having many a time marvelled at the ability of Karl Evans performing alongside Grant Sharkey and Jay Havelock in Toupe, the opportunity to take a peek at his ‘other’ band Caroline's
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Tony Foster
14/10/2006
Tonight’s openers Breaking The Girl decide to face away from the audience for their opening track until vocalist Joe decides to exercise his lungs. I listen intently trying to pigeonhole them somewhere but no one comes to mind. Joe’s hair reminds me of
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Big Ross
12/10/2006
Sometime towards the end of the last millennium, a local artist by the name of Denzil (pictured) released an album entitled ‘Pub’. Despite being released on either side of the
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Tony Foster
07/10/2006
Once again The Opera House decide we’re gonna wait another thirty minutes before entry, and after witnessing Taxidermists I wished I’d arrived later. It’s a case of image
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Big Ross
03/10/2006
Being introduced by Conrad as ‘The Shitehawks’ and a ‘work in progress,’ didn’t exactly raise expectations. The name was no doubt of the band’s choosing, and isn’t every band a ‘work in progress’? But anyway, The Shyhawks are just a few gigs in but the
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Tony Foster (photo by Steve Beck)
30/09/2006
Its 9.05, I’m late and miss my chance to blag a cheap entry from my mates and tonights openers Butcher Blues Foundation. I’m in time to catch the
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Big Ross
26/09/2006
“Some people are saying country music is the new punk,” states Jinder. Judging by tonight’s turnout he may just be right. The average age here for The Accolade’s album launch party is young enough to be a sweet child of mine, and no…I’m not that
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Tony Foster (photo by John Ralph)
21/09/2006
The sun shone as Boscombe Community Fair opened again for its 11th year. The festival this year on a new site behind Kings Park school was bigger and better than ever before and as the crowd anticipated the opening of the event you could feel a general
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Bert Burnell (BB Promotions)
19/09/2006
Having secured a support slot at The Opera House with the legendary Mark E. Smith and The Fall, it was unlikely that The Michael Wookey Band would let the opportunity to put on a show go to waste. Watching them enter the stage from the rear it was inst
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Tony Foster / Mooro (The Mezzotints)
13/09/2006
Johnny Truant get down to business following a couple of non-descript opening bands. There is an air of experience and confidence to these British metallers. Their vocalist announces that they've been drinking all evening but the delivery is none the w
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Bones
12/09/2006
Review No.1
At the end of the day it’s all a matter of taste. One man’s cup of tea is another man’s poison. Southampton’s All-Singing Razor Blades aren’t quite (in fact nowhere near) my poison, but I didn’t get it. From start to finish I was
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Review No1 - Tony Foster. Review No2 - Andy Dobbs
09/09/2006
It’s a balmy Bank Holiday Monday with summer reaching its climax, which can only mean one thing: the start of the great autumn line-up of bands coming to the The Opera House. For fans of the genre tonight what follows is ska/punk heaven.
Due to
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Review No1 - Big Ross. Review No2 - Bones
03/09/2006
Act one, scene one: Two men, two hats, an accordion and a drumbeat. A synth riff not a million miles away from Human League’s ‘Don’t You Want Me,’ and Steve Lake is off. ‘Time Time Time’ evolves as have The A+E Line (pictured). Not deterred by a broken
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Tony Foster (photo by Luke Grayson)
31/08/2006
Since being a founder member of Pink Floyd in 1965, subsequently leaving them just three years later, Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett became the quintessential ‘cult’ figure. The band’s debut album, ‘Piper At The Gates Of Dawn’ was penned almost entirely by
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Tony Foster
30/08/2006
Perhaps it was because he was caught unawares as being the first act on. Whatever the reason, Bob Fletcher did very little right for me. Lyrically there were a few things to admire, but pleasant on the ears this was not. Uninspired and unimpressive, th
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Tony Foster
21/08/2006
There are many reasons for being captivated by a particular band or artist’s live performance. Balls and energy, groove and rhythm, visual or musical individuality, or simply great songs and lyrics. In the case of Numidian Wish it is the vocal talents
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Tony Foster
16/08/2006
Three years in, the Endorse-It In-Dorset Festival is going from strength to strength. This year saw the first outdoor stage, with a line-up which included Neville Staples, Hayseed Dixie, The Beat, Eat Static, Senser and Mad Professor, as well as local
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Tony Foster
14/08/2006
Being able to perform in many guises is only one of Michael Wookey's (pictured) talents, and tonight he’s amped up, lamped up and at his bare-chested best. The cowboy and lone-ranger masks have now become staples of the band’s stagewear, though tonight
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Tony Foster
10/08/2006
“You scumbag, you nutsack, you stole our stuff to buy crack.” Just one of the many fine lines sweetly sung by a bird from The Family Buzzard (pictured), an unexpected treat of a last minute replacement to tonight’s Rubber Soul line-up.
For t
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Tony Foster
04/08/2006
To celebrate the release of their wonderful new album ‘Halflove’, Betika generously arranged a party! As if that wasn’t enough they only went and invited The Old Psychiatrist’s Club an
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Tony Foster (photo by Steve Beck)
31/07/2006
After a two year hiatus, Meatdraw are back and doing what they do best, punk and new wave covers and a smattering of originals. I catch the tail end of a song called ‘Voices’ before they give us XTC’s ‘Sgt. Rock’, I hadn’t heard it in years and a real
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Big Ross
30/07/2006
Following months of sadness last year having missed out on the recently reformed Lemonheads performing ‘It’s A Shame About Ray’ in it’s entirety at one of the Don’t Look Back gigs last year, my gloom was finally alleviated as news came through that the
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Kev (Parker/Jars)
25/07/2006
On the hottest night in living memory, two bands braved the tropical conditions and poured sweat in order to entertain the Green Room crowd. For that alone, both Parker and more
Tony Foster
20/07/2006
With the summer well and truly here, and Rubber Soul’s esteemed leader Conrad away at the Larmer Tree festival, his trusted associate and sound engineer Paul was MC for the evening’s events. His first introduction was for Tanglewood, an experimental fo
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Christopher Kyriacou
13/07/2006
With a performance at the Larmer Tree Festival just days away, Betika are apparently sharpening up their act tonight, or “rehearsing” as they put it. With a debut album ‘Halflove’ due for release at the end of the month and a lavish love-in style party
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Tony Foster
11/07/2006
Days like today can only warm the hearts and souls of all who attended Solid Air's sixth annual ‘Grooves On The Green.’ Whoever decided the outcome of the weather clearly had
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Tony Foster
10/07/2006
Opening up tonight is Bournemouth’s, or possibly Britain’s, hardest working soloist Jinder. On a night which promises an all-encompassing mix of sound we are treated to three cou
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Big Ross
09/07/2006
A lone drummer on stage. A heavy groovy beat brings his fellow band members to join him, as if to provide a ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ entrance. Well the drumming may have been good, but The Repercussion have to be one of the least rock ‘n’ roll bands you’re ever
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Tony Foster
07/07/2006
On the eve of America’s Day of Independence those who braved the deep-south climate were treated to an awesome mix of American roots music. The likes of Jinder are already well established and his ability comes as no surprise. What made tonight so spec
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Tony Foster
04/07/2006
Is there perhaps a competition amongst regular Forbidden Planet artists? Who can put the most mental into experimental sounds? Madmen (and woman) the lot of ‘em; crazy, dark, stupid, clever, not a mainstream sight in sound. The winner tonight (t
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Tony Foster
27/06/2006
From the view at the bar across the Square I counted at least ten musical similarities and, individually, Mohair seem to have all bases covered. Songs – tick. Ability – tick. Confidence – tick. Clothes – tick. Looks – tick. Hair – tick. So, what stands
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Mike Stand
26/06/2006
Blink 182 on speed would be one way to describe Odd One Out. A bunch of other similar bands sped up too, Taking Back Sunday, Fallout Boy in particular. They’ve got the loo
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Tony Foster
23/06/2006
On a humid night in the Opera House tonight’s openers Ten To Never take to the stage. Boosted by this large audience they launch into their first song. Just one look at
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Big Ross
17/06/2006
Having seen both Paul Weller and Bruce Foxton live (albeit the latter as a Stiff Little Finger) it was time to finish my Jam jigsaw as I go to see Rick Buckler’s band The Gift. On a night when the casual fan might have opted for Wimborne Folk Festival,
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Big Ross
11/06/2006
‘Teenage Rampage’ is a fantastic idea. A night to promote young, upcoming talent on a live stage with quality sound. To hold it during the middle of an exam period isn’t such a good idea. For that reason alone tonight’s audience was fairly sparse thoug
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Tony Foster
09/06/2006
From 1993 – 1995, Paul Holman was guitarist and vocalist with The Lemon Trees, a band that included the songwriting talents of a certain Guy Chambers. Minor success was achieved with a handful of singles which peaked just outside the Top 40, as well as
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Tony Foster
07/06/2006
The debate about tribute bands and their worthiness amongst a local music scene can be discussed until the cows come home (and I don’t live in a field). We all know there is no songwriting ability or individuality needed, as well as very little creativ
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Mike Stand
03/06/2006
Three bands with very little in common for tonight’s Rubber, all consisting of vocals, bass, guitar and drums; but the end results are far from similar.
My Brok
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Tony Foster
02/06/2006
With recent event The Camden Crawl a month or so behind us, Bournemouth decides to put on its very own crawl under the banner of the Spring Music Festival. A great concept, but would it work in a town more renowned for its clubland than live music scen
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Big Ross
31/05/2006
With new album ‘I’m Alive’ set to be released on July 31, Jinder is currently playing and promoting his good self to all who are lucky enough to listen. Tonight he is opening for
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Tony Foster
28/05/2006
Mirrorball are tonight’s openers. Its been a year or two since I saw these guys last and I’m wondering what to expect. A set full of indie influences maybe? Well yes and no.
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Big Ross
28/05/2006
A new-album inspired Death Valley Riders, a debut for ex-Hats, The M
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Tony Foster
26/05/2006
I haven't ventured to The Consortium since somebody took a demolition ball to the bar and dj booth, and it’s amazing how much extra space they have created downstairs. It’
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Woolly (The Jars)
23/05/2006
Modern Times is a 1936 Charlie Chaplin picture and was the last he ever made. Chaplin wrote, directed, produced and starred in the film, which took three years to make. It was one of the last films of the silent era of cinema. Chaplin also wrote the sc
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Nick Roseblade
21/05/2006
So, it’s the start of another new dawn for Rubber Soul, this time at The Green Room – which has proved a successful venue for Paul and Conrad’s Solid Air nights. Would the smaller, more intimate venue be able to cope with the larger, heavier sounds fro
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Tony Foster
14/05/2006
The crowd taking up every inch of floor in the Scala know that tonight is a
rare occasion. David Berman has built up a devotional fanbase over the
fifteen years he's been releasing skewed, literate alt. country under the
Silver Jews moniker, yet
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Lee (Dutch Husband)
12/05/2006
As a venue to showcase the combined talents of Little Boat and Paper Cinema, Pee-Pee and Lounge, The Centre Stage could not be more perfect, with excellent acoustics and an audience regularly keen to watch and listen. There are no distractions here. Of
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Tony Foster
10/05/2006
A few weeks ago I was given two free tickets for ‘This Is Elvis’ at the Pavilion by a friend who had also been given them, but couldn’t make it. After I thanked him I asked what it was. He replied it was a musical about Elvis from the 68 Comeback Speci
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Nick Roseblade
10/05/2006
The Jars, tonight’s openers, come on and play a set of original indie tunes. A first observation is how this five-piece create such a wall of sound, making me wonder if there’s really a need for two guitars. That aside the second song is reminiscent of
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Big Ross
08/05/2006
A Maheno no-show meant just a double bill at The Opera House tonight, a meagre but enthusiastic crowd were nonetheless royally entertained. The Fantastic A&E Line (pictured) are the musical equivalent to The League Of Gentlemen. Weird, eccentric, funny
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Tony Foster
27/04/2006
Toupe and Hoffman Sloth make a double thick stick of rock tonight, Fevertree cancelling meaning twice as much noise from two ends of the heavy spectrum. Hoffman Sloth rock from Bournemouth (England - The World.) Toupe (pictured) come from somewhere els
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Tony Foster
20/04/2006
So, what of South Coast favourites Get Amped? First impressions - good stage presence, all-black matching attire, lyrically sound and no bullshit between songs. These guys have clearly toured the circuit; know how to craft a song or two and could easil
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Big Ross
20/04/2006
Two no-shows effectively meant just a double-header tonight, The Old Psychiatrists’ former incarnation Silent Retriever making up a last minute third act, playing a short set as their former selves. Similar to OPC, but doing different things, with diff
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Tony Foster
13/04/2006
Numidian Wish are half size tonight, consisting of Elise on vocals and Will on guitar. The usual restrained full band sound loses nothing being further stripped back, if anything it further highlights Elise’s (pictured) incredible vocal sweetness.
The
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Tony Foster
11/04/2006
Local favourites True Swamp Neglect have attracted an enthusiastic local following for some time. Tonight they played an impressive triple header with Portsmouth-based Bluesky Research and The Michael Wookey Band, who have quickly built up a reputation
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Tony Foster
30/03/2006
The brainchild of Martin Kitcher, the compilation skills of Conrad Barr, the mastering genius of Carl Chamberlain and the artwork ability of Paul Tucker have all gone into creating a fantastic piece of recorded music wrapped up in a gorgeous package. I
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Tony Foster
27/03/2006
On a wet and windy night, in deepest, darkest Boscombe, three bands strode into Rubber Soul at Benedicts to spread the holy rockabilly gospel. Billed as a triple header including The Reverend Hotfoot Jackson, the line-up faced a literally last minute c
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Tony Foster
23/03/2006
The next time John Otway comes bouncing into town get a ticket and go and see him. Simple as that, and I promise that you will not be disappointed!
The evening kicks off with Otway’s guitar player Murray Torkildsen taking to the stage and im
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Sean (Maine Street)
21/03/2006
The Gander has a place high up in Bournemouth’s social history. When ‘shit happened’ last year and it disappeared as The Gander On The Green, it was a sad day for all that had sailed in her. Only The Gander name itself has been kept alive in the form o
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Tony Foster
02/03/2006
Julian Cope may have lost a few rungs off his trademark climbing frame microphone stand, but he has lost nothing as a showman, an entertainer, a self styled shaman who shoots from the hip.
So what were we expecting, a greatest hits show?
Th
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Mike Stand
16/02/2006
