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One Day Elliott

One Day Elliott, Say No More, Junkyard Eddie, + Gladsack – Maidstone Corn Exchange 18.3.05

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This was to be Tom of Say No More’s first gig that he had ever put on, and because of this he was nervous for weeks before the gig thinking that no one would turn up. Of course, a fair amount of people did in fact turn up to the gig, but by this stage the nerves were kicking in for Tom and his band Say No More as this was only one of their first gigs, and their biggest gig to date by far.

The first band on were Gladsack – a band that are currently in the sixth form at MGS. I really don’t know how to describe their sound as it truly is a bit of a mystery but there you go. If you go on to their PureVolume account you will find describe themselves as Jazz/Experimental/Pop so there you go. I cant really remember much about them to be honest – probably because at the time I was running around finding people I know/going outside to sell people tickets who I’d promised I’d save some for but never mind – if you want to know more about this band then check them out for yourselves at http://www.purevolume.com/gladsack

The second band on were Junkyard Eddie – this band were well suited to the gigs Punky line up and shot through some great songs at a fast pace and with a fair amount of style. It started off a bit weirdly I thought with the band kicking off their set with a cover of Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’ but there you go – it got the crowds attention I guess, even if it was for the wrong reasons. I think Junkyard Eddie had quite a tough job because they were the first band of the night to play Punk so it was quite hard for them to get the crowd going and get them moving. I think they did a fairly good job however and put in a solid set.

Next up were the band of the moment – Say No More, a band that I have been quite pleased with despite never seeing them live as with their first Demo they really did produce something special. The band got through their Demo tracks as well as some new songs that they’d been writing to save themselves the embarrassment of having one of the shortest sets ever. I really like their new stuff – it seems to be coming along nicely, and it was a great enjoyment to see the crowd’s positive reaction to Say No More. The band were really nervous when they first came on stage and you could tell that they weren’t too comfortable up there, which isn’t too surprising considering it was their biggest gig so far – but when the crowd were loving their music the band seemed to loosen up a bit and really got stuck into their set. They definitely made a lot of new fans at this gig, with many people requesting their Demo after they’d finished playing.

Headlining tonight were the Maidstone legends One Day Elliott – love them or hate them, there is no denying that in the last year or so the band have really come on strong and are quickly developing into something special. Long gone are the sloppy sets of old, and in their place is a really tight band that would look good on any line up. The band managed to get through a fair amount of material from their recently released ‘Rule Number One’ CD which was good to see as I really like it, and it is definitely the best record that the band have ever recorded. As well as this, the band also got through a few of their old classics and even managed to dedicate a track to their recently departed drummer Jamie who was in attendance at the gig. They are definitely at their best at the moment and it is only a matter of time before they get snapped up to some sort of label with amazing new songs like ‘01622’ and ‘Two Night Stand’ to boot. Hopefully One Day Elliott will be playing again locally some time in the not too distant future as I really enjoy their gigs now and they’ve definitely got a lot to offer.

So, all in all Tom and the rest of Say No More’s gig was a major success with everyone having a great time and getting really into all of the bands that played. Hopefully they will be putting on some more gigs in and around Maidstone – probably not at the Corn Exchange though because of its high cost and small chance of breaking even. There was a curfew at this gig and people weren’t allowed in the venue after 9:15 – so a fair amount of people that wanted to go couldn’t, which is a shame as if there hadn’t been a curfew then the gig could have been an even greater success than it was.

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One Day Elliott – Rule Number One

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Well, One Day Elliott have certainly improved a lot recently. It really looks like things are on the up for this band – they have a new drummer, a new CD, and their live shows even sounding pretty tight now. When I saw them about 16 months ago I thought they were quite terrible – their live show was all a bit of a mess, and they just really didn’t sound very good. A lot has certainly changed in a short space of time, and maybe after all these years together as a band they might actually get signed to a decent label after word gets around about this CD.

There are seven tracks on display here, and on the basis of this the band really does deserve to get signed. There’s a lot of really good material on display in this CD, particularly in tracks ‘01622’ and ‘Two Night Stand.’ The band really is showing great promise now, and I’m pretty certain that before long this band will get recognised and be snapped up. ‘01622’ gives the CD a great start as it is a fiery track and really kicks the CD off with some great energy and power. This track has great guitars, some awesome drum beats, killer bass lines, and truly amazing vocals. To go with this, this track has some great lyrics also, and one of the catchiest choruses I have ever heard in my life! Its quality stuff – it really is, I never knew One Day Elliott could possibly be this good and write songs of such a high calibre. ‘Two Night Stand’ caught my attention as it really is a finely put together track, and right from the fast paced drum offset you know that it is going to be amazing. Again the vocals sound amazing, and the band are musically spot on producing another fine sing along anthem. They played this one live when I saw them the other week and it sounded great at the gig also – a real crowd pleaser. This whole CD is well written really, with no signs of weakness – it really is quite amazing.

I strongly suggest you check this CD out – it really is a fine piece of work with the band now showing great signs of improvement and as a result producing their best CD to date. I have a new found respect for this band – they really are sounding good now. Make sure you check this band out at one of their live shows – if you live in Maidstone then I strongly suggest that you come down to the gig on the 18th of March at the Corn Exchange as the band are playing with Say No More – an amazing up and coming Maidstone band, and it is sure to be a blinder of a gig.

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Over The Moon (part 2) – Maidstone Corn Exchange 16.11.03

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Ok, Maidstone isn’t exactly the sort of place that you would expect one of the finest bands in the country to be coming to at the moment but there you go – they did and I’m sure they gained many a new fan. If you don’t know what band I’m talking about here then it is none other than the mighty Solabeat Alliance – a band that have managed to put on one hell of a show every time that I have seen them.

The first band to take to the stage were ‘Shittingbourne’s very own Morgans Puff Adder – the local Ska Punk favourites who went down a treat in this Maidstone crowd. They put on a set full of songs both new and old and the crowd really seemed to be lapping it up – a few at the front showing their appreciation in a big mosh pit. I however felt that on this particular Sunday night – the band in question were somewhat average as they just didn’t seem to be able to get in to the full swing of things – this was probably due to the fact that they had the ever hard job of being the opening act so it was not really their fault, was just down to being placed at the bottom of the bill. (3)

The next band up were the home band – One Day Elliott, a band who once went to MGS, a school in Maidstone but now have long since left – yet still carry around the spirit of their youthful pop punk band to wherever they are wanted (based on this performance – probably nowhere!) They really were quite terrible on Sunday night but the Maidstone crowd still seemed to be eating out of their arses – they couldn’t seem to step a foot wrong but with me not being a fan of the band I just found it all to be a bit…well – SHIT! Their music just doesn’t seem to click and as a result comes out sounding awful – they are just one of those bands that are going to be playing the same venues for the rest of their careers if they keep it up as in a crowd they are the sort of band that would go unnoticed. (2)

Dumpster Pop were the first Moon Ska band of the night to grace the stage with their presence and came in with a really odd performance – I cant really think of a word to describe their performance or their genre for that matter but it was pretty weird anyway! I have to hand it to them – they did up the level a bit after the One Day Elliott performance but I think that if Busted had come onstage after them I would have been pleased to be honest! I don’t really think anyone knew what to do when they were on stage as it was so bizarre and left everyone pretty puzzled really – bar the few drunks at the front moshing around crazily. The performance was quite solid and you could tell when one song ended and the next one started but still they weren’t really anything special and failed to really make a big impression. (5)

The first decent band of the night finally took to the stage at 9:30 when it was Graveltrap’s turn to give it their best shot – and give it their best shot they did indeed! Graveltrap put out a fine performance on this cold November night playing great tracks off of their album such as Getaway, Kickin’ Chickens, Primal Fear, What About The Marigolds and the Scuzz TV classic – SRJ. They had a warm reception from the crowd for this track – most of whom had obviously never seen the band live before but just glimpsed them on TV a few times. They put on a crazy gig and I enjoyed myself quite a lot – and that was before the alcohol intake! I became a skanking and pogoing fool for this half hour set and by the end of it had a grin pinned on my face. (9)

Solabeat Alliance was the last band to take to the stage, and it was brilliant to listen to their amazing brand of Ska. I really love this band and that is why it was the fifth time that I have gone to see them live – I really think that they have a lot of chemistry going and are one of the best bands in the UK right now. Their new material from the ‘Island Fire’ album was sounding better than ever and I am sure that they revealed even more songs from it on this particular occasion – last time I saw them in Herts Showground they played ‘All Or Nothing’ and ‘People of the World´ and they were sounding amazing but this time they were sounding absolutely phenomenal and really did put on the performance of their life time! I was really pleased with what the guys had to offer me as after seeing in 12 months, 4 shows of extremely high quality they had a lot to live up to in my eyes and managed to pull it off with flying colours. I will definitely be going to many more Solabeat shows and will hopefully get a chance to go and see them live in the very near future – the Carling Academy gig is a definite possibility for me and I will be trying my hardest to get along to it for a Solabeat Alliance experience. (10)

Big thanks to Tom for bringing the rock to Maidstone by putting on a Solabeat Alliance show – it was a great experience and hopefully more bands will start coming to Maidstone as there is definitely a good scene going down here and we need a few more bands to fuel our addictions!

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