Now before I dive into the tracks you should be ware that there are two musical stakes which are always threating to destroy the glam-punk heart of Goth - Cheesey Industrial and Rawk / Metal. Spiderbaby could be accused of flirting with both of these, but I think they stay clear of falling in the embarressing mess that is most mainstream alleged 'Goth' music today. Sure they are by no means Deathrock or Batcave, if anything they are Glam, but they show a remarkable range.

First track 'The Great Audition' is an intro filler, fair enough. So we are keen to move onto 'Dead Chavs'. Now I am not sure about the subject matter here. Chav is a culture on the way out, and if you dress funny, be it glam, goth, punk or indie then you have always got hassle on the streets. But musically this is a catchy track. The vocal combination is strong, with Shannon's and Ashleigh's voices hitting a more punk edge over a sleazy rock musical underpinning. Yes the guitar chords chug away and there is one excursion into guitar twiddling towards the end of the track, which just stops short of being embarrassing , but the drumming is strong bringing together punk and metal techniques with a slightly tribal edge at points. Synths are also neatly done. I imagine this is a storming track live, and despite flirting with 'the enemy' (or at least Rob Zombie) the overall result is pretty fantastic.

The songs on the EP flow into each other (nice production job Nathan) 'Climbing the Walls' actually gives me goosebumps. A nice minimal EBM sequenced intro and when the guitars come in you might almost think they were going to hit industrial metal territory, but a delicious bass line (wish it was a bit higher in the mix) and synth work rescues the track and propels it to great heights. Catchy vox again, this is kind of glam punk at its best and had me reaching for my Rachel Stamp collection - actually listening to this song this band could be as good as Rachel Stamp. 2:39 and it is over; pity I reckon they could have pushed this a bit further with an extra verse, but they have got punk points with the EP's standout track.

'The Restless' has a kind of electro thing going on with tinkly guitars and a basic darker bassline. The sequencing work is really neat here, pulling in some neat 80's synthpop twists to deliver disco-goth. I would however like to hear Ashleigh sing lead on this one rather than Shannon 'Baby Doll' sounds very Android Lust, but it is nicely done. A slower electronic driven track and we get to hear Ashleigh's voice on its own. In fact this is soulful piece is a pretty good vehicle for her vocal talents, and with some indieish guitars this is very pretty indeed. A very different side to the band and touching lyrics.

'Crucify' I have to say I am not so keen on. The sequenced backing is nice and neat but I find the lyrics venture on the to the tacky side and the song doesn't really go anywhere apart from into a pity pointless guitar solo (shred not less you be shredded). I reckon this song speeded up and punked up would work a hell of a lot better - overall it just sounds unfinished compared to the other material.

'21st Vampire Fashion Show', a nice twee intro flows into some delicious acoustic guitar works, and I'm feeling a bit Bowie all of a sudden. Lovely vocals, the track picks up halfway through its length, although I keep wanting to sing "Five Years" over it. Can't complain about this track. 'Le Danse Des Femmes De Serpent De Mutant' is a bonus track. I will leave this one as a surprise for you. It is worth it. An instrumental track which really demonstrates this bands wide range.

The CD also has a video on of the band talking about the writing of the songs and some live clips as well as some promo shots. Which is a nice bonus.

So overall this is a pretty neat EP which flows smoothly from track to track. 'Climbing the Walls' is the high point, with 'Crucify' being the most disappointing effort. Is it Goth? Well I don't think they pretend to be, and yet they are in the neighborhood, much like Rachel Stamp. It is not all lipstick rock as the breadth in this EP shows, behind the PVC and eyeliner there is a huge well of music potential. I would like to see Spiderbaby at a few Goth gigs to get a feel for how they would go down.

Check them out - I imagine they are a ball live!

Spiderbaby: The Death of Spiderbaby

1. The Great Audition
2. Dead Chavs
3. Climbing the Walls
4. The Restless
5. Babydoll
6. Crucify
7. 21st Century Vampire Fashion Show
8. La Danse des Femmes de Sepent de Mutant (Bouns Track)

Spiderbaby on Myspace

Myspace

On TrashVogue

Mostly fairly chilled and downtempo stuff. But worth a listen for the Indiephiles.

79 minutes, to order your copy for 6 EUR (+p&p) go here or write the man a message via cyberpagan[at]death-rock.de.

It features 21 great tracks by great bands from 13 different countries

THE TRACKLIST:

Myspace

Check out the Batcave Myspace for more.

Read more for the video ...

So don't be surprised if scores are frequently high. We don't tend to buy music that we don't think is up to much!

We are happy to review unsolicited submissions that fall roughly in the genres we cover. This includes the artier and edgier end of the indie scene, different varieties of punk, minimal and experimental industrial and electronica, and 'goth' that is in the spirit of '79-'83 rather than closer to dark trance or stadium rock. We don't do metal, although sleaze and bluesy rock may find an ear here.

We tend to prefer to work with CD quality audio that will sound good through a hi-fi system rather than MP3's that are suitable for PC speakers or headphones.

If you would like something reviewed drop us a line by email.

The Brides bring together a range of musical influences, Goth, Post-Punk, Caberet, Rockabilly, Glam, New-Wave and it is hard to think of many equivalent artists - The Soho Dolls have tried to do the same think in the UK with some mainstream sucess, but The Brides just seem to pull the whole thing off so much better.

The Intro and first track 'Needs and Luxuries' fit together to deliver a piano driven Rockabilly piece with a dancable rhythm, a strong opener. A shift in style marks 'New Shocks' and 'Who Cares if you Dance', both offering punk based tribal drumming overlaid with disco sequences holding onto to a 'billy edge. Disco-billy perhaps? Although the disco-punk ground has been covered before The Brides manage to keep it distinctive and interesting with good mixed male and female vocal work.

'Got It' opens with Brit-pop-esque synths with progressibe guitars leading up to an Indie-Pop chorus. Great Vocal work, but The Scissor Sisters keep coming to mind, which may not be what everyone is up for. So it may be a relief that 'Fifty Years' leaves the bright lights of the Disco behind for more familiar post-punk bass and drum patterns. Synth fans won't be disappointed as it cuts back in during the chorus to produce something that makes She Wants Revenge look like cheap generic cigarettes to The Bride's Cuban cigarillo's. Both are addictive, but the latter is the real deal, especially with the mid song break using acoustic guitar, finger clicks, neat bass, layered vocals, building up to that synth driven chorus again. 'Fifty Years' ends with a stadium-rock guitar crescendo marking this out as one of the albums stand out tracks.

'Too Touchy-Feely', hangs of a Hammond organ type sound and more Indie Chorus structure. 'Chances with Girls' has a delicious tribal drum structure and a soft punky feel. Yet again The Brides knock out a killer chorus. 'Just Because Your Days are Numbered' is another rockier number with more enticing drumming. The organ sound returns with 'Adult Entertainment' for another stand out track. Again with the tribal drum sounds, and some fun synth-work in the cracking chorus. Yes, there is more than a trace of Brit-Pop here, almost as if Goth had actually done something in the 90's rather than knocking out tired Sisters of Mercy clones.

'Put Me Back to Sleep' is a bit Goth really, with female ethereal vocals, a lumbering gripping bass line and a nice line in tambourine. More minimal but the synths are still there. Another mid-song break is used to good effect. 'Raven's from Crows' is a piano-guitar pop-punk partnership, a great number for dancing. 'Tripoly City' heads in a more 'billy horror-punk direction with a thumping drum beat stolen from a gabba club that wasn't looking. At 1:35 it is short, catchy and a lot of fun, especially the hand-bells. 'Noir Aware' brings the organ back for more punk shenanigans. 'Soviette Vogue' is a good finish to the album, another catchy chorus, sweet vocal work, and some darker moments.

Sofa City Sweetheart is well produced, yet elements of rawness creep in, with string slides being picked up from time to time, the sort of little thing that makes a studio recording come alive. It is hard to review an album without having heard the band's journey towards it through their back catalogue, but from this showing The Brides acquit themselves well as masters of a catchy chorus who are certainly not afraid to experiment and go beyond the limitations of one musical genre. Yes there are other Indie bands out there doing this sort of thing, but somehow this fourpiece feels like they are living it rather than simply knicking ideas they couldn't be bothered to have themselves. Above all they are listenable and fun. Try them out. 4/5

The Brides : Sofa City Sweetheart

1 Sofa intro
2 Needs and Luxuries
3 New Shocks
4 Who Cares If You Dance
5 Got It
6 Fifty Years
7 Too Touchy-Feely
8 Chances with Girls
9 Just Because Your Days are Numbered
10 Adult Entertainment
11 Put Me Back to Sleep
12 Ravens from Crows
13 Triopoly City
14 Noir Aware
15 Soviet Vogue

The Brides Merch Page

The Brides Myspace

Well that is an interesting question. I guess you can go back to the garage rock of The Modern Lovers, through the glam of The New York Dolls, to the art-school influenced work of Adam and the Ants, Wire and all the other acts that spawned Art-Punk and Post-Punk. Punk is raw energetic rock and roll with an intelectual edge that subverts traditional gender and societal roles. From a British perspective it is riddled with folks like me, people from Working Class backgrounds who go to university thanks to a socialist taxation system and want to Rip it up and Start again.

In the US art-school and university have never been such a viable option for those who don't come from wealthier backgrounds. American Hardcore was butch as hell, and a million miles from the androgyny of aspects of Brit-Punk. Then you have Oi, Anarcho-Punk and Ska, this latter being the one of the greatest ideas in the history of music. Now this stuff isn't quite my thing, sure American Hardcore spawned the Emotive Hardcore of Rites of Spring, and without it Bikini Kill and other bands wouldn't have brought Riot-Grrrl into the world. We could blame American Hardcore for the worst of Pop-Punk and Emo, but there is still some good stuff in these genres that we shouldn't ignore.

So here we have 29 tracks of the Punk I don't listen to. For £2 delivered, or downloadable from Myspace, or £1 from a gig. Bargain.

One thing that ties Punk together is innovation. Wheras some genres are so technically obsessed that they can never innovate without hybridizing with other genres (and let's face it the whole New Wave of British Heavy Metal owes more to Punk than any other genre), Punk has always provided a space for new ideas and saying something. Soicialist, Anarchist, Feminist, Anti-Racist and Queer all go in front of the word Punk. And some rawk fans wonder why real music fans laught at them.

These are real acts brimming with energy and ideas and tension. Don't expect too much intelectualism , or wonders of technical creativity. Stop being an art-ponce and just enjoy Rock and Roll from people with something to say that doesn't involve continental philosophy for once.

There are some standout artists. Cambridge based The Tagnuts open the CD with a slice of high energy Ska, and they are on my list to catch a live gig. Dumpster Pop offer pop-punk that is all about smiling I guess, and sing about Zombies which is bound to go down well in my book. Worm are what I think Emo should sound like, grabbing you by the heart and wrecking your body. Burnt Cross are both politicaly and musically interesting.

The Transmission sound like a a bunch of Street Punks colided with some Crusties, and about time. Hotwired lay out Oi injected with some lessons learnt from Joy Division. Red Button offer 70's brit-punk vocals (rrrrrr) with some solid ska rythms which I challenge you not to dance to. The A.C.'s manage to make harder-punk sound kind of interesting with Reggae influences, and the lyrics are worth listening to.

And that is just what I liked. You might like something different. This compilation is easilly a match for anything that Hellcat or Hopeless Records can knock together. And to quote The Bullet Kings, it is about Punk not Profit.

This CD is an education. Punk is not Dead, and there is lots that those of us at the Artier end of things can learn from and just enjoy. It costs practically nothing. So go and get it. 4/5

Sound for a Pound Collection 2007

1) The Tagnuts - Laugh In Your Own Time
2) Hotwired - Control Freak
3) Dead Batteries - Media
4) Dumpster Pop - Drink Song
5) WORM - Fao Ceo
6) Dirty Protest - Fishhead Rice
7) Burnt Cross - Freedom Of Speech
8) The Transmission - Hate
9) Hotwired - Friday Night
10) Near The Knuckle - Jeremy
11) Hotwired - Love You Baby
12) Red Button Contingency Band - MF Stop ’n Go
13) Near The Knuckle - Needs A Remix
14) WORM - No1 International
15) Red Butten Contingecny Band - Nobody Breathe
16) Officer Down - We are Not the Enemy
17) The Deadenders - Pissed up, shattered
18) Power Is Poison - War On Freedom
19) PUS - A Life In Fear
20) Burnt Cross - Smash the Labs 21) The Deadenders - Squaddy Scum
22) The Transmission - Summer Nights Dream
23) The A.C’s - Burying Jerrusalem
24) The A.C’s -No control
25) The A.C’s -TA
26) The Bullet Kings - London Town Burnout
27) The Bullet Kings - Punk Not Profit
28) Dirty Protest - Wake Up
29) Dumpster Pop - Zombies

Sound for Pound Myspace

Order via PayPal

The venue was the Junction 2 in Cambridge. With a capacity of over 200, and about that many there, this was a bit larger than my preference for gigs. Give me the back room in a pub any day.

First up were Violet Violet. I must admit this is the band I went to see, an all female threepiece whose energetic punk pop debut Bitchbox has had me grinning like a rabid hamster for the last few months. On stage they did not dissapoint, hammering through their infectious material with energy, drive and lots of movement on stage. It's great to see a band that work great live and in the studio and clearly take a simple joy in what they are doing. With no lead, the combination of all three on vocals enriches the rawer three piece sound. This being an all age gig it was also satisfying to see that teenagers don't just consume commercially prepackaged stadium rock, but actualy care about real bands too. Sadly the set was cut short, as sound checking had overrun and the second support weren't willing to compromise on their set. 5/5

These New Puritans seemed to have some issues with the sound set-up, but to be honest there is not much going on here. If you are going to do electronica mixed with indie then at least pick interesting indie and interesting electronica. I gave up with these folks and sat it out in the bar instead. If you want this sort of thing, check out The Resistance instead. Not Rated

The headliners Blood Red Shoes I hadn't seen since they became a bit famous. The last time was in the back room of a pub, and they were one of the bands that made me realise that the Indie scene was alive and kicking after years of beige tripe. That first gig is still the one I will remember them by. Sure the two piece are tighter and smoother now, but it struck me that the edge had been blunted, and some of the material displayed a milder tendency so common when these sorts of Art Rock bands begin to get popular. It's like the difference between late 70's Adam and the Ants Peel sessions and the studio albums. So yeah the songs are catchy, punky, with traces of metal, they are a joy to watch still, the drumming still sends shivers, the album will hopefully be fantastic ... but they have lost a certain something. 4/5

Still the kids are alright, with the band ending the set with a stage full of teenagers loving every minute of it.

Oh and I was invited to the after-show party with The Long Blondes who were playing Juntion 1. But I had better things to do!

Read on for full download links ...

Frustration	Too Many Questions	3:38
Charles de Goal	Procession	3:42
Dorcel	Black Human Cells	5:18
Object	Dead Man	3:23
We Are The Romans !	Great White North	3:55
No Tears	Senso	4:36
Press Gang Metropol	Anna	5:14
Guerre Froide	Hommage	4:17
Noctule Sorix	Nonsense	4:10
Body Snatcher	Hide'n Seek	3:00
Joy Disaster	Whispers	3:30
Wallenberg	Merely Sleeping	4:13
Tue Pogo E 64	Bobby Fisher	6:17
Poisoned Dead Frogs #1 (83Mo)
Ain Soph Aur	Panser Les Plaies	4:53
Lacrima Necromanzia	Simulacre	4:08
Popoï Sdioh	My w...	3:06
Deadchovsky	Sacred (In Memoria cover)	3:51
Jacquy Bitch	L'Adieu	4:03
The Dark	Alien Sexy Dance	3:36
Camp Z	The Casualty II (Manic Depression mix)	3:31
Soror Dolorosa	American Chronicle	5:36
False Faces	The Gates	4:19
The Cemetary Girl Z	Chimères	4:05
Crimson Muddle	The Fury	2:40
Varsovie	Varsovie	3:33
Helloz	Rubbish Slippers
Violet Sky	Temptation	4:12
Poisoned Dead Frogs #2 (55Mo)

http://www.myspace.com/thethoughtcriminals

Also a useful printout, cut out and keep proof of your subversive art-punk leanings. (click for bigga!)