tom waits
charles bukowski
ian dury
chet baker
scott walker
miles davis
lee hazelwood
madness
elbow
emir kusturica
Sounds Like
Widescreen cinematic epic... truly interesting.... cant stop playing it.... a real touch of class - Tom Robinson (BBC6)
Live, its Van Morrison fronting the Sex Pistols, and Ian Dury fronting Dexys Midnight Runners - Pat Gilbert (The Clash biographer, Mojo, etc)
Nutshells follow...
The BBC say - like nothing youve heard before... blinding... pop, but not as we know it... like james bond themes on LSD... I havent heard anything as entertaining or original as this for a long time-
Amazon.co.uk say -Brilliant!! The most orginal band to come out of the UK for decades. This may be an indie release, but it’s damned fine album!-
The Guardian say -bidding for rock immortality... stadium ready, post punk power pop... they confound our expectations if what an indie band should be... distinct...sinister electro-funk... music theatre...anthemic ballads... they amuse and entertain... they have taken the base metal of pop1s past- psychedlia, pomp-rock, electro, dance-pop- and turned it into tarnished gold... writes clever pop songs that are smartly reminiscent of all your favourite bands. Sixty-something frontman Roger Winslet adds suavity and cognitive dissonance. -
Gigwise.com say -as if someone has let Hard-Fi’s dads loose in their son’s studio with nothing but Ray Davies and Roni Size records for inspiration. Bizarre? Yes; but very entertaining with it. -
Full Frontal Recordings say -Bidgie Reef and the Gas are a unique phenomenon in that they fly in the face of alternative convention but have managed to infiltrate the London’s Burning scene - modern day Dick Turpins showing up some of the mockney top shop urchins surrounding them a thing or two about soul, wit and floor-filling. A bizarre mix of Sparks meets Blockheads, they dress as if for cocktails with Sinatra, and whilst frontman Roger Winslet passed the NME target age demographic some 30 years ago, his after-dinner anecdotes are twisted, funny and moving paeans to a world gone mad around him - sheer class.-
Time Out say -an arty hybrid of early English punk and R+B... alterno-pop-
The NME say -the blockheads rucking with the happy mondays-
Webzine www.Josaka.com say -Bidgie Reef play music like no other band I have ever heard, their lyrics, often spoken, are blunt but poetic and humorous. They write about stoned teddy bears and china town whores, polythene obsessions and bedroom DJs, subjects rarely touched by others. Singer Roger Winslet is not your average front man, as Bidgie Reef are not your average band, he reminded me lyrically of Ian Dury and vocally of a Frank Sinatra impersonator dressed up in his dinners suit ready to face Las Vegas.
John L Walters in The Guardian - Roger Winslet is the most unlikely-looking front man since Ian Dury. With his unfashionable haircut and glasses, the former actor looks like a market trader on karaoke night. But for Bidgie Reef and the Gas, it"s all part of their bid for rock immortality. Winslets asides are brief - This is about the movie business, or You"ll see what a sad old bastard I am - and the lyrics sound similarly bitter, but bloody hell, the band really rocks.-
John Otway’s mum says - Theyre crap.
The Organ Fanzine say Rather eccentric very English almost spoken word lounge lizard pop of slightly bitter sweet cold fading wallpaper bedroom polythene obsessed Ian Dury/David Devant 701s sounding pre-punk beige R&B leapfrogging over astro physics nature.-
From JONESFEST 23.02.08 -
This was a fundraising gig to raise money for the Cancer Ward where our original bass player, the late Garry Jones, was being treated last summer - the photographer Pete Rowe, who filmed the whole gig has set up a tribute myspace page to Garry, with a huge amount of pics from Garry's life, which can be found here:
GARRY JONES
Please add this page to your Friends
Bidgie Reef & The Gas full band Reunion with 9 piece band - POLYTHENE - filmed by Pete Rowe
Bidgie doing Umbrellas, same night, also filmed by Pete Rowe:
You can download for free 2 pf the 4 tracks you can hear playing, plus...
PINSTRIPES AND PROMISES (the debut album) was out on XXiV RECORDS thru CARGO and is pretty difficult to get hold of now, since the label disappeared and took our album with it. You can get it from us at gigs, or email us, we have about 20 copies left. You can also try the normal thing at Ebay or Amazon Marketplace.
However, you can hear all the tracks and buy 'em as MP3s here on The Arkade
Also available is the Bidgification track on the I SWEAR I WAS THERE compilation album featuring bands from the NEW CROSS scene. These are pretty rare now. We have about 10 of these left, if you want to email us.
Bidgie Reef & The Gas are currently working with a new direction, new vision, a new producer and a new manager. Things are changing... All live shows are piano and vocal. And kinda special. Watch this space....
Bidgie Reef And The Gas are from Reading, UK.
They have won fans in big national UK newspapers - The Guardian did a huge full page article and glowing review for the album, and included the album on the Essential Christmas Presents for 2005 List.
They are not a boy band.
They are currently unsigned. And looking...
And for a bit of history.....
Bidgie Reef and The Gas began with a song for consideration for Guy Ritchies Snatch movie. But it wasnt used. Undaunted, Roger and Pete continued to write; WOMAD heard the demo and wanted a gig. A band was put together and WOMAD were wowed. That December, the local paper ran a poll on the music of the year - on the strength of one gig, Bidgie Reef & The Gas beat Gorillaz, Stereophonics and PJ Harvey in the Best Band category, beat The Cooper Temple Clause in the Best Reading Band category and beat Paul Weller, Craig David, Toploader and Gary Numan in the Best Gig in Reading category...
So they disbanded, and concentrated on writing better songs and shaping sounds for the next 12 months
Bidgie Reef and The Gas have now been together since June 2002.
They have opened for and toured/played with Julian Cope, Acoustic Ladyland, Art Brut, David Byrne, M Ward, Robyn Hitchcock, The Race, The Blockheads, Morning Runner, John Otway, Rumble Strips, Wolfman and The Bays to name a few.
And Jay Leno has talked about them on his Tonight show in the USA.
Kind words of advice -
I order you to see them as soon as you can for they are simply the most original band that I have witnessed in a very long time. - Joel Priest on www.josaka.com
Come to 'a landscape of charms and machines', a weekend of music making in Reading by Tim Hill 12th Nov, solo sax meditations at kennet mouth 9pm 13th Nov Tongues of Fire concert St laurences Church, next to town hall 8pm featuring new pieces for 8 piece ensemble 14th Nov talk about new work 2pm, concert with jonathan coleclough and geoff sawers 8.30pm Rising Sun Arts Centre
Hello, it's always a pleasure to contact my friends. First, thanks for your support and if you have time, there are some new videos on my page. Life is beautiful. All the best - Pat.
WAHOOOOOOOOOOO! SPIRITUAL EMBLEM IS ABOUT TO BE RELEASED - 2 of the tracks are up and you can order the record for FREEEEEEEE from MEEEEEEE by emailing MEEEEEEE an address to send it to THEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE ---- by Sept 15th latest!!
The tracks up are Pounce out prance and Rainbow warrior.
This album is officially my swan song.
No more three stringness after this so grab it whilst yeeee can!!!!
yes i drew the orangataun - and noo thats not how you spell it.
What a corker we have for you next Friday, July 10th, at our usual haunt The Rising Sun Arts Centre in Reading.
£4 entry gets you an evening of fun with:
BIDGIE REEF making a very very welcome Untidy return.
Celebrating the relase of their new album and warming up for a big Festival gig the VERY next day DARRELL MITCHELL & THE OCCASIONAL ORCHESTRA
The first sighting of a harmonium at Big Untidy comes from A BAND OF HOPE
Described by Nightshift Magazine as “An amazing and dynamic voice – with all the grace and emotion of Jeff Buckley & Damien Rice” - THE MEDECINE travel down from Oxford to say Hello.
And, on the very welcome recommendation of Pete from Bidgie Reef there's another Untidy debut this time from SALVADORE SUNHONEY
no way!! that's amazin!! have you been to the barbers? aw thank you- it was a bit rabbits in headlights but blimey hats done alright eh? ah sorry had to delete the comment cos the long html monkeyed with the formatting, please send again if you can tiny url it!! xxxxx
Just wanted to let you know that round 1 of the this year's People's Music Awards kicks off THIS FRIDAY! And we are putting the call out to all NEW AND UNSIGNED BANDS to enter their best song into this years awards.
So if you want to hear some of the best new-music in the world and have your say in who is crowned the people's choice, then check out our myspace page, or go straight to the website: www.thepeoplesmusicawards.com
Club Velocity with BlahBlah presents READING ON FIRE (CELEBRATING THE BEST IN NEW LOCAL TALTENT) Saturday June 13th 2009 at Plugnplay 35 Milford Road Reading RG1 Doors 8pm Tax £5 door £4 advance www.wegottickets.com MIDIMIDIS (Two piece 8 bit punks, creating music like no one else. Championed by Eddy Temple-Morris/Frank Musisk/Your mother) MR FOGG ("Astounding," Tom Robinson 6 Music "Ace,ace,ace," Huw Stephens (Radio 1)) OM CORPORATION (Like no other band around. They may only have a cello, drums and an acoustic, but these guys rock HARD!) VIENNA DITTO ("Portishead doing a Taranito soundtrack," Huw Stephens Radio 1) Shitty Limits djs Bring yr mum!!!
Fellow miserabalists The Worms here. Come and see us play the Big Untidy on June 12th. You are still my 'gig of the year' when you did your stint there in March...and i see a lot of bands!
I know.....i just figured no one can download mp3s anymore.........so just mail me if you would like a free copy of 'Locked To Magnetic Skylines' - a funky 11 track remix including the amazing new tracks 'Never THe Twain Shall Meet' and 'The Milk In Heaven'.............
You will also get this cd free if you order a copy of the amazin 'Mirrors of the Speaker' albyum (£5each -just mail me).
A Big Club Velocity show Friday April 24th Rising Sun Arts Centre 30 Silver Street Reading RG1 Limited to 100 tickets TOM HINGLEY (lead singer of Inspiral Carperts, one of the most successful bands not only to come out of Manchester,but the UK. The Carperts had more hit singles than THE STONE ROSES or HAPPY MONDAYS, they headlined Reading Festival in 1990, sold out G Mex in Manchester, toured the world and Noel Gallagher used to be their roadie. This will be one of the smallest shows he has done in many a year.It will be very special. Tom will be playing solo and has promised he will play the hits!!)/ Ben Marwood/Jay Newton will support Doors 8pm All Ages Advance £10 www.wegottickets.com £12 door
