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Aristocrash’s brand of glam pop is colourful and loud, with a charming sincerity at its most evident when they slow things down to a regal waltz. On stage, Aristocrash’s larger than life, heel stompingly ambitious sound, completed by an unashamedly slick live band, is a satisfying, well-drilled affair.

On tape, guitars sparkle and shine into life over thick, danceable bass lines and drums that demand your immediate and undivided attention. Each song opens a door into the unusual world of Johnston, guiding you towards almost, but never fully completing the Aristocrash puzzle.

A devious, sinister, talking bird: a laptop wielding romantic: a pack of dirty dogs bathed in seedy red light and an adversary to whom Johnston declares, “You’re dirty, you’re trashy...and you can’t dance!” – These are some of the characters loitering on the pages of the Aristocrash songbook. It’s not what you’d call normal, but it is definitely interesting.

REVIEWS

RECORD OF THE DAY REVIEW "Strong riffs, smart lyrics, a catchy chorus and audible influences from from Suede to Talking Heads - Computer Equals Love is a fine introduction to Aristocrash." WWW.RECORDOFTHEDAY.CO.UK - MAY 2008

GUESTLIST MUSIC PREVIEW With influences ranging from Slade to Suede (and anything from Bowie to Talking Heads inbetween) Aristocrash are a unique prospect on the unsigned music scene. Full of riffs, flying vocals, pounding drum beats and just the right enough of electronics they are a Prince meets Goldfrapp hybrid. Live, Aristocrash are not to be missed. Fronted by vampy vixen Pauline Johnston the stage really becomes their own. Your Computer Equals Love and the riff fetish that is I Want to Love You are instant favourites. Playing MAPS on the opening night Aristocrash will be a hard act for any band to follow. - GUESTLIST MUSIC - MAY 2008

MANCHESTER MUSIC REVIEW "Pauline Johnston's voice is powerful, melodic and rich and they wear their delightfully uncool influences (Alice Cooper? Slade?!) well, with big fat guitars and rock solid rhythms." WWW.MANCHESTERMUSIC.CO.UK- APRIL 2008

STUDENT DIRECT REVIEW "Aristocrash took to the stage at half past nine on the dot, in a flash, the venue and its occupants came to life. This was certainly no surprise; one look at the band on stage together and their nervous but highly infectious excitement could be felt radiating over the watching audience. Your eyes were instantly drawn to the striking singer Pauline Johnston, who tonight, was sporting sparkly 70’s make up, bouncing blonde curls and a fabulous double-breasted, knee-length red dress that looked suspiciously like a long jacket. After gesturing at her dress and apologising that she may “flash” us at some point, Johnson and the rest of the band, Sean O’Meara (lead guitar), Chris Gallimore (drums), Mike Pickstone (rhythm guitar), and Sarah Buckley (bass), proceeded to launch into the perfect attitude filled opener ‘Diamond Chameleon’. Going straight into ‘Maybe’ without a hesitation, it was almost like they wanted to utilise as much of their half hour set as possible and let their music do the talking. There were certainly no complaints about this; the building crowd were too tapping their feet and nodding their head along to the No Doubt-esque, rockabilly-punk melody and cutesy guitar riffs of ‘Computer Equals Love’. Their music has a clever way of keeping a likeable, poppy nature to even their rockiest songs, but without the sugary aftertaste that so many other bands leave in theirwake. Dirty Dogs, for example, sounded as filthy as advertised, but there still remained a feel good factor about it, and the realisation that the band was enjoying every second. 70’s glam influences were noticeable throughout their set, but did not seem copied or manufactured, just natural. Their musicianship was impressive too; it’s hard to believe that all but Johnson and O’Meara (the founding members) have only been with the band for 3 months. Aristocrash maintained their high level of energy throughout their performance, producing crowd pleaser after crowd pleaser, thankfully without an iota of the pretension apparent earlier. MARCH 2008 - STUDENT DIRECT NEWSPAPER