Monday, May 20, 2013
Midnight at the Oasis
The overwhelming success of my press release regarding the imminent arrival of Midnight Messiah's debut album led on to another assignment gratefully received by yours truly. I am to attend a boozer located in the far from salubrious Maryland district of Stratford, lick the tip of my pencil, and scrawl down a few words on the debut performance of Midnight Messiah at the Cart and Horses.
So far so good. But why do several friends of mine start warning me that this isn't a place to wander around after dark, and to keep all valuables and jewellery out of sight? Gulp! I'm starting to worry for my propelling pencil!
And it is fair to say calling both Marlyand and the pub a dump would be doing a disservice to dumps. Shithole perhaps comes closer to the mark, and even in daylight the, thankfully short, walk from the tube station to the pub is a nerve wracker. The pub is definitely the infected sore on the arse of a particularly dirty tramp, but once inside, it doesn't improve. A pool table has pride of place in front of the stage, a stage which to call it small and bijou would put the wrong impression in your mind to how big it is. How five strapping blokes and all their gear will fit up there is beyond me. The floor is sticky and the pub has a peculiar odour thar is part sweat, part piss and part chip fat. Other than that it's a lovely place to start a career, and it did ok for Iron Maiden didn't it?
Despite all this, they do both types of wine, red and white, with a bottle of girly stuff hitting the scales at a mere £8, about the price of a couple of pints in the city, and so at least drowning out the surroundings is cheap. It's also nice to note that as gig time approaches the "venue" starts to fill up with some friendly faces which is a relief given the liveliness of some of the locals.
Fortunately the gig goes without a hitch, and the next morning I find, covered in spilt wine and footprints, the below review of the gig:
Cart & Horses , Maryland
So far so good. But why do several friends of mine start warning me that this isn't a place to wander around after dark, and to keep all valuables and jewellery out of sight? Gulp! I'm starting to worry for my propelling pencil!
And it is fair to say calling both Marlyand and the pub a dump would be doing a disservice to dumps. Shithole perhaps comes closer to the mark, and even in daylight the, thankfully short, walk from the tube station to the pub is a nerve wracker. The pub is definitely the infected sore on the arse of a particularly dirty tramp, but once inside, it doesn't improve. A pool table has pride of place in front of the stage, a stage which to call it small and bijou would put the wrong impression in your mind to how big it is. How five strapping blokes and all their gear will fit up there is beyond me. The floor is sticky and the pub has a peculiar odour thar is part sweat, part piss and part chip fat. Other than that it's a lovely place to start a career, and it did ok for Iron Maiden didn't it?
Despite all this, they do both types of wine, red and white, with a bottle of girly stuff hitting the scales at a mere £8, about the price of a couple of pints in the city, and so at least drowning out the surroundings is cheap. It's also nice to note that as gig time approaches the "venue" starts to fill up with some friendly faces which is a relief given the liveliness of some of the locals.
Fortunately the gig goes without a hitch, and the next morning I find, covered in spilt wine and footprints, the below review of the gig:
Midnight Messiah Warm Up Gig
Friday 19th April
Hailed as the birthplace of Iron Maiden, it’s seems fitting that Paul Taylor and Phil Denton, the creative heart of Elixir, which at one time featured Maiden alumni Clive Burr on drums, should choose to debut their new outfit at the very same venue.
Billed as a warm up gig ahead of their upcoming headline show in Belgium and series of festival performances in both UK and Europe , this show could be looked on as a shakedown to iron out any bugs before the bigger shows. A palpably nervous Taylor
He needn’t have worried. From the opening assault of Thirty Pieces of Silver and Damned for all Time, it’s obvious that the hard miles put in on the road over the years has paid off. The rhythm section, featuring a be-shaded Dusty Miller on bass and Darren Lee on drums, hold down a furious beat, while guitarists Denton and young maestro Dave Strange trade licks with virtuosic abandon. And as Taylor
Running through the rest of their debut disc with a hunger that outfits half their age would be hard pushed to match, it’s clear that this is a band who would give many of their more famous contemporaries a run for their money. The question and answer soloing in You’re no Friend of Mine has the pub shaking on its foundations and King of the Night has glasses, and voices raised high in the crowd. As the band head into the eponymous closing number, it is clear where much of this new found spark is from.
The new energy brought to the band by the addition of Strange is perfectly illustrated in the revised approach to former Elixir favourite Midnight Messiah. Faster, heavier and downright dirtier, the song is taken to a whole new level with a punch and swagger lacking in the original.
The band close out the show with a real treat for the assembled punters. Son of Odin classics The Star of Beshaan and Treachery are run through with a power rarely seen before, Strange’s precision guitar work lifting the songs to a whole new level, and bringing down the roof on an evening which bodes well for the future of the band.
Pressed for Press
Beacause of my various wafflings on here about anything that takes my fancy, a friend of mine decided to ask me if I could whip up a press release for their new album. Bribing me with an early copy of said disc, along with copious wine and Indian food, I found it difficult to resist! It was all a bit hush hush at first, but now the album has seen the light of day I can share with the you my pearls of wisdom, trusting I am not casting them before swine, for you possible enjoyment and delectation.......
From the era defining Son of Odin to the classic metal of All Hallows Eve, for 25 years Elixir was one of the most enduring and respected of all the NWOBHM bands, gracing stages across the globe and thrilling audiences with their incendiary live shows.
With positive reviews for their latest opus, a string of live shows arranged and their own British Steel Festival growing bigger every year, the future for the band looked set. It therefore came as a surprise to everyone when in early 2012 the band decided to call it a day.
With an album’s worth a material written, the creative heart of the band, Paul Taylor (vocals) and Phil Denton (guitars), felt the new songs were too good to leave on the shelf and decided to put a band together that could do the new songs justice. It wouldn’t be under the Elixir banner, but with a sound that was more evolution than revolution, a link to the past and a nod to future was needed. And so, taking its name from a firm fan favourite, Midnight Messiah was born.
To complement the band and complete the sound Phil and Paul turned to the experienced duo of Dusty Miller on bass and Aussie sticksmith Darren Lee, formerly of the Gwyn Ashton band, to form a formidable rhythm section.
The icing on the cake was then provided with the recruitment of hot shot young guitar slinger Dave Strange, whose crushing rhythms and searing chops round off the classic metal of the new songs perfectly, while allowing old favourites a new lease of life.
With the line up completed the band spent several weeks rehearsing the new material before decamping to The Lodge studios in Northampton
From the thunderous opening to Thirty Pieces of Silver to the sublime finger picked acoustic outro to You Put Me Through Hell - via the staccato rhythms of The Evil One and the epic, synth fuelled Destiny, this is an album the grabs you by the throat and never lets go.
With its soaring Byfordesque vocals, and influences from the classical sound of Rainbow, the darkness of Sabbath, the melody of Zeppelin, and the gallop of Maiden -along with, of course, the signature Elixir twin guitar attack - the record is one that will sit happily alongside its peers, while retaining an identity all of its own.
This first CD release on the CTR label comes as a hand-numbered limited edition in a 6 page full colour digi-pack and is due for release on 5th April 2013 .
