OFF THE RADAR formed in a rehearsal room on the edge of Benson airforce base in Oxfordshire in January 2001. By 2002 their promotional CD was being played on student and regional radio stations as far away as Italy, Holland, Germany, and Serbia-Motenegro.
Their second promotional CD ‘Here It Is’ was recorded in the now legendary, ‘Toerag’, studio (White Stripes/Datsuns/Supergrass) in London and this bagged them their first gigs in New York where they received an enthusiastic reception and made loads of new friends.
In 2004 a track from ‘Here It Is’ was included on a compilation album released by the Velocity Recordings label followed in 2005 by the debut album, ‘Seen From Space’, released on the same label.
All the hard work (and fun!) started to pay off in 2006 when two tracks were used by Channel 4 in national TV and radio adverts for the CH4 music web site ‘slashmusic’.
In recent months OTR have been working on their second album, 'Cut to the Chaser', recorded at TPot in Scotland by Robin Evans (The View/Manic Street Preachers/Dodgy/Sam Brown). It will be released early in 2007... watch this space...
What they say about OffTheRadar:
"One of the best bands around... the perfect ready-for-radio sound. Their fine-tuned rock has the horsepower of a ten-tonne truck. "
(Linda Serck, BBC, UK)
"Pure energy... This is power-pop at its very best! 12 great songs to jump about to. Remove all ornaments & PLAY LOUD!" (The Overflow Network, Holland/UK)
"'Seen From Space' is an absolute stormer - mellow, life affirming and essential. Buy your copy today" (Blah Blah magazine, UK)
" …this will no doubt be gracing our radio airwaves some time soon, and with the sun still trying its best to stay put, it’ll be a very welcome place for us and OTR" (Artrocker, UK)
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!!!
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
Club Velocity presents Sixth Birthday party number 2 SATURDAY MARCH 21ST at the Rising Sun Arts Centre 30 Silver Street Reading RG1 SIXTY WATT BAYONETS (Finest Reading female fronted hardcore pop tinged greatness. Think Gossip/Dickless/Frumpies) SUSPECT PARTS (From Portland USA featuring members of Briefs/Clorox Girls/Ripchord/The Shocks You will NOT hear a better powerPunk band this year)/SHITTY LIMITS (Best UK garage-hardcore-punk band currently in the UK.Fact!)/VICARS OF TWIDDLY(Debut Reading show.Dig the fuzz.Surf City Go Go dancers galore!!) THIS IS A GIG! DOORS 8PM ALL AGES £5.50 door £4.50 Advance www. wegottickets. com / flyer Free cake/ballons
Date Saturday March 14th 2008 Venue Plugnplay 35 Milford Road Reading RG1 Doors 8pm to 2am 16 plus LOSERS (if you dont know is Tom Copper Temple Clause and Eddie Temple Morris XFM dj-this is a live set NOT a dj set!!) MIDIMIDIS (2009 is looking like a good year-already good gigs coming in.Eddie above is now a huge fan.Tom has been in the studio with them and Mr Fogg.Their last three gigs have been life affirming. They could now be real contenders)HUNTING THE SHY (Poss the most exciting Reading band of 2009.Getting Mr Suit excited.Think Big Black/Nirvana/Fleet Foxes/Spaceman Three/Velvets) THE GOOD NATURED (All ove the dailies Guardian/Times.Confirms Kate Nash got lucky Just turned 18 too Yowsa) DJS MR FOGG/MIDIMIDIS/ANNABOLIC Advance tickets £6.50 www. wegotickets. com £7.50 door BRING THE NOISE!! www. wegottickets. com
We have a grat line up this week after taking a weeks sabitical to entertaining a gaggle of randy hens. As always its free entry, cheap drinks and friendly atmosphere, aswell as being the perfect starting place for the evening shenanigans!!
Opening up the evening will be young upstarts AUDIOPRISM www. myspace. com/audioprismband Ive been informed these kids are starting to make a real name for themselves. After their first live gigs in January 2009, Audioprism’s alternative psychedelic pop was niftily hailed as ‘psych punk’ and the four-piece is now blazing a trail through Reading’s new music scene. or so they say...
Next up, the return of Readings princes of psychedelia, SOON TO BE GHOSTS www. myspace. com/soontobeghosts after a long ol' break so it will be great to hear them again! Be sure not to miss them cos god knows how long theyll be around for this time.
headlining the night will be THE VEYGERS www. myspace. com/theveygers returning to headline the night after a cracking show back at the tailend of 2008. These boys have also taken a little break while they have been writing their ep and this will be their first gig this year. Should be a cracker.
CHIVALRY IS D**D! @ THE RED LION
FRIDAY 13TH FEBRUARY ------------------------------------
St Valentines Day Massacre at Plugnplay 35 Milford Road Reading RG1 www. plugnplay. tv Saturday Feb 14th 2009 Doors 8pm to 2am 16 plus Tax £5 door £4 flyer / advance www. wegottickets. com Bands MUNDANE MONDAY. The best band in Basingstoke at the minute claim those in the know. Very young, sexy they are buzzing with their frantic guitars and lovely vocals. Really tasty young guitar band ear fodder for your heart and soul www. myspace. com/themundanemondays ILLEGIMATE SONS OF THE KING Time Out claim they are Jamie T fronting Arctic Monkeys. Whilst Hype Magazine state they create a fresh sound, with songs/hooks that should be sung at 4am in the morning. Tipped by the Daily Mirror. To our ears they remind us for great old local bands like Pappa Brittle or EB and the System. A mix match of rap and guitars. Their cd is a huge breath of fresh air. This is their debut Reading show. Join on and enjoy the party. www. myspace. com/iskmusic CHIMES Sounding very tasty, again very young. These kids can write a song www. myspace. com/thechimespage ATTENTION THIEVES Played for us last month, where they ripped it up to the top. Especially as it was only their second show. Attention Thieves have something really good going on and we cant really pin them down musically. As a wise man said sitting in the corner this band are tighter than my trousers www. myspace. com/attentionthieves DJS ANNOBLIC AND MIDIMIDIS BRING YOUR LOVER!!!
Club Velocity presents Girl/Boy Revolution The final one Sarah The Good Natured 18th Birthday party January Friday 30th 2009 Rising Sun Arts Centre 30 Silver Street Reading RG1 All Ages Doors 8pm £5 door SIXTY WATT BAYONETS Female fronted sassy girl hardcore tinged pop sex. Think Mavis Staples fronting Minor Threat. www. myspace. com/sixtywattbayonets MIDIMIDIS 2009 is looking like its going to be there year. Their last few shows have been their best to date. Gigs already booked with the likes of Losers and Hadouken already booked. Debut single to go. Possibly the only ever 8 bit punk band with tunes to come of Reading. www. myspace. com/midimidis THE GOOD NATURED Sarah is 18 on January 25th. This will be her 18th birthday party. Cake already. Its looking good for 2009. Recently interviewed by indie Godfather Steve Lamacq live on 6 Music. Raved about such publications as The Sunday Times and Artrocker. Still confirming that Kate Nash got lucky www. myspace. com/thegoodnatured
I gots a bit lazy last week, so apologies for that..we had a brilliant night. Finally got hold of PAINTERMAN to come down and they were pretty good. no, they were fucking good!The gorgeously brilliant HARRIET ROCK also played, showing us all how big her lungs are with a superb set. THE CIRCUS SANDS also played, im in the band and dont really wanna blow my own trumpet...
This week, we possibly have the most EXCITING line up we have ever had down at the red lion!! Opening up the night will be electro upstarts ELLIOT TO HONG KONG. They played a few weeks back and the place was jumping..crowd sing-a-longs, crowd surfing the lot. Then after the bleeps, we have an ace new band all the way from london coming down called ENL. They won the metro newspaer unsigned band of the year 2008, so we all expect big things from these lot. Think Libertines with synths. Headlining the night and bringing everything to a messy head will be DIGBYS YARD. These boys are fast becoming our fave band, theyre always up for playing and always bring the house down! Liam also tells me he'll be wearing american football kit...
...lets hope so
FRIDAY 23RD JANUARY
CHIVALRY IS D**D! @ THE RED LION ------------------------------------------------
Theres honestly not a better place to start the friday night fun as its 5minute walk to the purple turtle or a 2minute stroll to the afterdark. Drinks are tasty and the faces are gorgeously friendly..
