By Harsharan Hoonjan

After an epic couple of sets, for The Post Orgasmic Sunshine Band’s Christmas party on December 14th 2013, it was time to see the headline act hit the stage of Stereo Glasgow.

The band came on, however, and orchestrated a set that gave us all food for thought.

Something amazing was going on here, but it was not evident at first. There are two vocalists who have voices that are somewhat mismatched, there is the smoothness of the clarinet and saxophone, slick keys gliding over each beat, thick grooves coming from the bass, all the while laced with thumping drums and hearty guitar strings. Oh yes, and there is not one distinct sound either, the mish-mash of genres sparked my interest further, because like their recorded material, this band has created a new sound, and bring it to life with their on-stage banter.

I wanted to interview the band to find out a bit more about them, their formation, their ethos and their vision. The members that make up this Ska, Dub, Reggae, Celtic, Dirty Groove collaboration are: Al (Lead Vocals and Rhythm Guitar) Dr Eschaton (one of the founding members that occasionally joins the band on Guitar and Vocals), Josie (Backing Vocals), Frazer (Bass), Griff (Keyboard), Ja (Drums), Jay (Saxophone), Fi (Clarinet).  Since forming in 2012, the band has toured up and down the country. They had an impressive “fifteen members at one point” – Al.

With three different line ups of musicians in 2013 the band has now established: “the faithful few” – Frazer.

On speaking to members of The Post Orgasmic Sunshine Band after their dynamic performance it was easy to forget I was conducting an interview! I have to hold my hands up and admit defeat, ‘they definitely got me!’  Their story was in charge, I was merely an avid reader, and what a wonderful tale it is…

‘Finally a light tore from the crack in the door frame, leaving scars of bright white across the floor, as a group assembled outside.

“There’s no such thing as coincidence!” said the Magician. ‘

An excerpt from your biography (https://www.facebook.com/posbmusic?fref=ts)

Al: This was written by one of our founding members just to symbolise how we got together.  There was an element of new beginnings required. Elements from people and of bands they came from and bands they were still with. It was collaboration really; the idea was based around how many musicians we knew and how many we could get in the same room at the one time.

Only over the last several months have we felt we’ve got a group of people that aren’t going anywhere.  There were members of the band who enjoyed what they did but had other things going on.  When it came to last year we lost the bass player to go off and start a family.   From then on, we were quite apprehensive, that was when we thought that things this year were gonna be a bit difficult. Instantly it wasn’t difficult, Frazer just stepped from guitar to the bass.

So really it seems to have helped us and we did some good gigs last year and we’ve got a solid basis I believe for 2014.  I think we’re a better band than we were 12 months ago. I believe we’ve tried to rush certain aspects of our development and it’s not really worked. I think it will develop as quickly as it sees fit. With regards to the musicians in the band, even myself with regards to my instrumentation and stuff like that, things will happen exactly when they are supposed to happen. We tried to rush it and we can’t rush it. The band is still alive and it’s still existing and developing and changing every time we play.

I think one of the biggest things about us is we really really enjoy what we do!

Jay: Yea we all just do what Al does!

Fi: Which is to mostly moan, ‘Aww we’re not good enough!’

Al: You’ve got to push forward and give credit to the band because I’m quite an erratic performer. Songs that I write generally don’t stay the same. We’ve changed them gig by gig, you’ve gotta give credit to the band to act *clicks fingers* instantly on my behaviour which is pretty much what most of the band is based upon.

Frazer: Griff messaged me on Facebook and I got it on my lunch break from work. The message was:

‘Do you wanna join the sunshines? Three chords, easy peasy’

Al: One song has got four chords in it though

Jay: Ooooh four chords

Frazer: You’ll get done for that!

Al:  It was a natural development, a situation occurred and we needed another string man on guitar, next thing Frazer is in the room. It wasn’t something that we sat down and planned.  Frazer’s here because he’s meant to be here!

So we have Frazer and guys like Frazer, stepping up really interested in joining the band and experienced musicians like we’ve already got who travel from Edinburgh twice a week (Fi and Jay) that come to rehearsals, that’s a powerful thing!

We’ve got three members of family in the band. Jay and Fiona (Fi) are partners they might as well be married and Josie is Fiona’s daughter!

Jay: This is the first band Josie’s ever been in. We brought her along to a recording we were doing and she wasn’t involved.

Fi:She had never sang in front of anyone in her life before and we said to Al she can sing! Al goes, can she? Right, he put a mic in front of her and went, ‘Sing!’

Al: Fair f*ck to her she could sing!

Fi: She went from having never sung in front of anyone before in her life to recording with us and being at her first band practise two days later and doing her first gig at a festival 10 days later.

Unbelievable!

Frazer: One month of…

Jay: Baptism of fire! And now we cannae get her off the stage!

Fi: That’s how we got involved, although Jay and I are partners; we all work on a stage at Knockengorroch. Jay and I run the stage and Al came in five years ago as the sound guy and fell in love with it all so that’s how we all got involved you know.

They love what they do so much, sometimes not wanting to stop…

Fi: So we were playing this year at Knockengorroch and went a wee bit crazy and started jamming at 4 o’clock in the morning. Nobody in that tent and on that stage wanted to go anywhere so we just kept playing.  It poured all night; there was no leaving so we just kept playing!  At 8.20 in the morning, we went up to Al and said, “I think it’s time we stopped!!”  We just jammed solid for about four and a half hours!

Al:  I played blues music, all the time, and blues rock music! People I worked with at the Wickerman festival said:  “Listen we’ve got a gig happening in Dumfries you need to go see this”, and I was like: “You want me to do the sound that’s no problem”. Small system, small tent for four days, thinking what’s the worst that can happen?!   I got off at Knocky (Knockengorroch) at the grounds of the farm and I’m like man this is a different place. You’ve gotta drive half an hour to forty minutes to get to the actual tiny little venue!

Fi: It’s five miles north

Al: It’s bananas, It’s such a beautiful place and I remember feeling 24 hours into this, something is happening to me here, musically.  I was standing watching these different roots musicians playing and understanding yeah I do like roots music and I play blues but that’s not really who I am.  I would like to be more, I would like to expand, in my musical talent,my musical knowledge and watching these guys play, one of the greatest things they ever did and this is how this band started. One of the greatest things was, people on stage would be like ‘Dude, bring your clarinet!’

Jay: ‘Come on up!’

Al: ‘Can you mic this boy up so he’s not running about?’

Fi: It’s the ethos of the stage

Al: So then you’re going man! The next thing this clarinet player from some other band is jamming with the band on stage. Everyone is having a great time and everybody knows what’s happening. I’m standing watching these guys going…that’s not f*cking blues! That’s not 1357 what’s going on with these guys?! It’s like they know everything, for a moment I was like, ‘f*ck man!’

I wrote a song called ‘Young Brother’, it came to me, I’m very fortunate to have this song in my life, and it’s a beautiful folk song. It’s about the feeling that I got in Knocky. The feeling of togetherness, musical togetherness and being able to reach out and touch the musician next to you and go: “Do you know what this one’s in G”, and just start playing, that was a new thing for me.   The main scene is f*cking, so cut throat and it’s f*cking, people are out for themselves, people think, you know, that popular culture is the be all and end all.  That’s not the case for me as I’ve learned over the years.

What I thought once is not what I think now.  Knockengorroch was the trigger for me and I watched a band called Captain Slackship that played a song, it was in D minor and it was a Dub Reggae feeling, D minor with lots of effects. I was doing the sound and I looked about, the tent was full, in the middle of the night in this place and everybody was just there, you know,  in that moment in that place. It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever felt. It was better than any blues song I’ve ever played in my life.   I went home and I thought about it and I just kinda hoped that one day you know what, I wanna be like these guys, it was simple so I wrote Young Brother, folk song. Because that was what I did, I wrote folk songs, blues and blues songs but the band went from that and we developed into what we are and that’s how it started.

Brilliant story!

You look like you really enjoy yourselves on stage!

However, if you could jam with any other artist, who would it be?

Fi: They’re all dead! *laughing*

Jay: I’ve played with The Skatalites, The Godfather of Ska. I’ve played with The Specials (most of them) and I’ve played with Toots and Maytals, Toots and Laurel were my heroes. That was it for me but if we could ever play with somebody up to date it would be Radiohead. I don’t know if we’d ever be on the same bill as them!

Al: If we do a Radiodread style set, for me personally, Fat Freddy’s Drop.  You must get yourself involved!

Fi: They’re our kind of band, great at live gigs, they play everything completely different.

Al: They are exactly the same as what we are.

Jay: A New Zealand band and they’re just crazy, they really enjoy themselves.

Fi: A six minute song becomes fifteen minutes long.

Jay: We would not just support them; we would get on stage with them!

Al: One of the biggest things about where we are is, we cover a wide age range and we cover a wide style range. It was at points a wider style range; we had some blue grass and some other things happening. The band itself is developing into a genre which I feel is kinda dub reggae ska type music, we play some funk. We played blues stuff but we ditched all the blues stuff so it’s developing at its own pace, in its own time and do you know what? The band is in charge, not any of the individuals. The music is in charge. We are very fortunate, we’re just hopeful for plenty of gigs and plenty of things to happen for us.

Would you ever consider playing in someone’s living room?

Al: We’ll play anywhere man! Anywhere you can fit us in we’ll play. Of course

Jay: Yea

Frazer: Just fit us round the TV!

Al: We’re going to Morocco for a month in February, gonna do some Guerrilla stuff, we’re gonna be doing some writing, some practising, gonna take our acoustic instruments and we’re gonna bombard Morocco with some white reggae!

Jay: Running round bars going, giz a drink!

Al: I’ll play for 10 minutes, you give me a drink!

Fi: You let us play inside for half an hour, we’ll stop playing outside! *bursts of laughter*

Al: The music’s in charge!

Frazer: One full month in Morocco

Fi: Got a gig on 29th March for Audio Soup

Al: We’re back four days and we’ve got a gig! Audio Soup Equinox Party

Frazer: Always think it’s a good time to learn now that you have a gig.

Al: It’s a great thing to know you’re away for a month and then you’ve got a gig!

Fi: The Equinox party, this year will be its third year running. It’s a big barn party, an indoor festival because it’s too cold outside. First festival of the season, that’s the one we’re coming back from Morocco for.*

Fantastic!

Okay so what’s been your best performance or best gig to date?

Al: Something changed at Kelburn

Frazer: Yes!!

Al: This whole chaotic element to what we do was always there but bubbling under the surface. We were all very structured, doing what we do and then something happened. On stage it was a case of: ‘What we playing next?’ I just was in one of ma moods I think and was just like ‘I dunno what we’re playing next?’

So somebody picked, all of a sudden there was this thing where everybody was involved. Even though we always did it musically in between songs, all of a sudden outside of songs people had a say on what was happening on stage it wasn’t a set list, it was a discussion. Like tonight it was like:

‘I don’t want to do that’.

‘Well he’s picked it and the majority rules!!’ *laughs*

Something happened I remember standing on stage taking about missiles going: “Auch I wanna play missiles” and chat, chat chat and then you go f*ck there are people here!

“Sorry, we’re gonna play you a song – honest!”

I think that’s when we kinda embraced the element of chaos within who we are. There’s something beautiful about, you don’t know what’s gonna happen next.  Generally, you can only really do things like that with the right musicians. I’ve been in a lot of bands and it doesn’t f*cking happen all the time man.  You can’t just step into a band and feel as comfortable as we all feel and do the things that we do.

And even f*ck up on stage royally and then be able to go: ‘oh okay’

That’s pretty cool

Al: Coolest band, with other bands as soon as you make a mistake…

Jay: Everybody stops!!

So can I ask…what is your favourite track?

Frazer: Oooh

Al: What is our favourite track?

Jay: That’s a hard one!

Frazer: Oh it’s The Detective for me! It’s the reason I joined the band! Last year I was sitting with a broken ankle, I had to go to the hospital that night, I was at the gig and had to go to hospital right after it. I said: ‘No, I will endure the pain of this broken ankle to get to the end of their set!’

Then they played the detective twice once at the beginning and at the end

Al: We played the same riff of The Detective for nearly 25 minutes, it’s sick!

Frazer: Was that how long I was in pain for?!

Al: It was wrong man!  It’s interesting with Frazer; he is a multi-instrumentalist, talented musician. To use the word virtuoso when he’s sitting here is a bit strong.  Along with others, Frazer as an example had to wait a long time to join this band.

Frazer is also in a couple of other bands, what other bands do you listen to?

Al: We’re really big on who we know.  Again we’re not in charge; there are bands that are associated to us that other people play in… We’re very big with them man! We’re big with Victorian Trout Conspiracy, Sea Bass Kid, New Urban Frontier, Big Fat Panda

Fi: John Langan

Al: Chandra

Frazer: Mickey 9s!

Jay: Mickey 9s, who were playing tonight, that’s the first time I saw them and they’re f*cking brilliant!

Fi: Alba Roma

Al: Alba Roma!!

Jay: Great Band

Al: We’re very big on wavelength, and people on the same wavelength you know.

Like you can offer bands gigs and play at everything else, you know you get on well, gig goes great and everything’s brilliant!

With anything in life, you get a connection with someone you cannae take it away, especially musically, like the boy from the Big United and the lead from Mickey 9s – Dougie, he’s hooked.  I’ve only seen them twice and he likes what we do, he likes the attitude of what we do, he likes the idea of what we do and that’s it.

He’s a great musician in a great band and you know what? The music is in control! We’re no in charge of this! We can only organise gigs.

Fi: When you’re involved in the live music scene you’re constantly seeing bands you’ve never heard of and there are so many fantastic bands. There are lots of good bands and there are a percentage of exceptional bands, you find yourself at a gig or festival and you walk round the corner and you think: ‘Oh my gawd who are these guys?!’ You know what I mean and its people you’ve never heard of before and didn’t know existed.

Do you just go up to them and say: ‘Fancy playing with us sometime?!’

Fi: Well yea

Jay: Now is a good time to tell you I’ve invited Ella from the New Urban Frontiers to come and sing with us for a couple of songs

Fi: Aah nice one

Frazer: Excellent

Fi: We were playing a gig in Edinburgh last month we saw the New Urban Frontiers playing at that as we saw them at Kelburn.

I went straight up to Ella and said we’re putting a night on in Edinburgh in November, will you guys play?

Fantastic

What about rehearsals, ever rehearse on the road?

Al: We rehearse at gigs and we kinda just roll like that

Frazer: In Kelburn we rehearsed, unplugged, behind the stage in what I think was an old train station/museum.

Al: We’ve been on holiday and haven’t been together for 10 days/2 weeks and so we had a rehearsal this afternoon, so aye.

Fi: If we had the money for a van bus and a driver then we would rehearse on the road

Al: Yea I think it’s about a level of existence, if we had the finance to do things exactly the way we wanted to do them we would. We work with what we’ve got and we’re very thankful with the space time continuum, physically where you are, that thing, that’s really important.

If we had a million pound budget you bet you’re a** I’d be playing and rehearsing every single day and all that stuff but we don’t, we work with what we’ve got! We’re thankful for what we’ve got

Fi: We have to work day jobs, got to commute from Edinburgh and then you think,  f*ck I’ve got to get to practice, but soon as you get in the room you don’t want to leave.  You want to stay there forever. You go and you’re absolutely knackered and you’re like: ‘I’m too tired for this, I can’t do this’, but as soon as you’re in the room that all goes away cos you’re totally energised.

What’s next?

Frazer:  We’re planning to hibernate so we can write and record

Al: We’re only off for about 6/7 weeks till we go to Morocco and then come back

Fi: Focus on writing

Al: More of the same, the band changed a few months ago so more development of this line up

Have you discussed the next 3-5 years at all?

Al: What we’re talking about at the moment is what we need to compete in the modern market for festivals. We need press passes and all those things.

We’re dragging our feet, because it’s not really about that for us, it’s about that thing that we’ve all got but we need to be part of the scene and different scenes. The development of ourselves is fundamental to what gigs we play, the bigger gigs we play, the better we get the more experience we get with a wider range of scenarios and that’s pretty important. We’re expecting nothing.

Fi: I just want to spend the winter touring in pub places and the summer doing festivals in Britain!

Al: Yea sunshine!

Fi: Following the sunshine!

Sounds Good!

What’s your advice for people thinking of starting up a band?

Fi: Have fun

Frazer: Don’t take it too seriously

Jay: Enjoy it!

A few lyrics from your favourite song/s:

Al: ‘It’s not about how it looks it’s about how it sounds’

Frazer, Jay and Al:

‘We’ve all got common sense in give love, breed strength and confidence, give love, give love’

Fi: And of course

‘Living in the sunshine’

Al: ‘Standing on the beach in the sunshine do you feel small? But that doesn’t mean that your life means nothing at all cos you can make a change if you change yourself’

Fi: ‘Living in the sunshine, you can make the change!’

Oh wow, well I know P.O.S.B. can also stand for Part of Something Beautiful too, it definitely was a pleasure!

After their live performance I became increasingly fascinated with their work. Al’s voice is powerful, dynamic with a gritty edge and Josie’s tender, smooth tones are simply breath-taking! As for the rest of the band just…wow!  The band is exquisitely multi-talented, full of some of the best musicians I’ve come across. What a revelation indeed. I was lucky enough to listen to some compelling songs including The Guy, Fever, 4 letter word, Farady Cages and found a few new favourites in Chimps Tea Party, Howard Beale (the crowd loved the so called ‘mood killer’) and I thoroughly enjoyed The Detective too. The band have a clear message to spread to the world, I think it will be about making changes and radically improving the conditions and society that we live in, I believe this is what is so brilliant about this band, they are not just musicians, they stand for more than that and their stage presence is rhythm and harmony personified.

Not only does the band experiment on stage, they exchange banter, make you laugh, involve you, encourage each other and have fun. They are sensational to watch, the crowd loved it, leaving us hungry for more! This is a band in total control of their art, even if they do say that the music is in control.

It was an invigorating interview; I was intrigued by their story.  I understood their commitment and determination to excel collectively not competitively.  The members are cool, yet passionate about their work, and they draw you in because you can feel their work has heart and a whole lot of soul. I also believe their musical style is revolutionary, edgy and that they have the energy and enthusiasm to back it.

As long as their tale continues, I see success written in their future.  After all there can only be one The Post Orgasmic Sunshine Band.

Go along and see them next perform at:

The Citrus Club in Edinburgh on 2^nd March and

Audio Soup Equinox Party on 29^th March from 2pm

For more information, updates and events please visit:

https://www.facebook.com/posbmusic?fref=ts

*Information was correct at time of interview; however, The Post Orgasmic Sunshine Band have announced an earlier gig at The Citrus Club, Edinburgh (2^nd March, as above).

 

 

By Ashley Skye Watt

We have now seen Supa & Da Kryptonites perform on a variety of occasions to date, with every gig living up to their last and each one providing us with a night to remember! These guys never fail to deliver. Not only do they offer an incredible vibe when they take to the stage but also a unique and unforgettable array of catchy songs, performed with professionalism and oozing all kinds of talent. It for this reason we decided to arrange an interview with the lads to find out a bit more about their story and it was agreed that there seemed no better location for such a gathering as Nando’s!

First and foremost, we wanted to know how the band originated and how they have become what they are today. Although the boys originate from various different towns, they explain to us that Lochgelly is where they have dubbed their ‘HQ’. The band consisting of Jay Supa on lead vocal, Dean Mackie on Drums and vocal, Lee Soul Greenhorn on Bass, Scott Brydson on guitar and vocal, Dave Birrell also on Guitar and vocal and Matthew Edwards on trumpet told us They got together firstly as a group of friends, some of the boys were in a different band and Jay was working on his own music but they fell together when Jay and Dean met at a local skate-park. Jay tells us how he always had a vision for ‘Supa & Da Kryptonites’ but people he was working with before weren’t hungry enough to chase after their ambitions. One day he put it to the group, ‘we’re jamming, you guys are musicians and I’m a rapper, eventually we’re gonna get to the point where we’re socializing together, you’re gonna start playing music and I’m gonna start rapping along to it – its natural.’ And thus, Supa & Da Kryptonites was born.

Originally, Jay explains that as a solo artist he was one of the only rappers in Fife. This was at the time a struggle as there wasn’t a local ‘scene’ supporting that genre of music. He really had to work hard and pushed his music, getting Fife council to take part in creative rap workshops. It was at the point when the band came together that people began to take notice, it became easier to get gigs. For the first time Jay explains, I could tell people, ‘right we’re a live band, we play soul, we play funk, we play reggae and I didn’t even need to say hip-hop’.

From then the band coined the term ‘organic hip-hop’, after a radio DJ in London, who worked at Itch FM (one of the largest hip-hop radio stations in London with about 15,000 listeners a day) highly praised them for being ‘fresh’. He referred to them as an ‘organic hip-hop band’ and that is now a term the boys use to describe their genre. Dean adds that as there are so many of them and each of them has a different background, their tastes in music are extremely varied. This is partially what has led the band to develop such a mash-up of genres and ultimately such a unique, recognisable sound.

           Now the band feel they have reached a peak where they are settling, they have a strong six members who form a solid core and have began work with a media person, a DJ and are in the process of recording two music videos. The next step for the band is to publicise as much as they can, to be seen and to network. Dean tells us that they have never turned down a single gig they’ve been offered to play. It is this attitude that will see these hardworking lads go far in the future. They have only been together for ten months and have already completed twelve songs. A further fourteen are sitting ready to go which adds up to a massive twenty-seven songs in a very short space of time. The band laugh it off, ‘we don’t stop’ they say.

Each one of the members of the band is ‘power absorbing’ they all own the stage in their own way. In order to understand this you really need to catch a live Supa & Da Kryptonites set. Lee states that for him, although the music is a main goal, for him it’s all about the buzz of performing, he is most comfortable with a bass guitar in his hand. To see this guy on stage, rocking out alongside Scott, Lee, trumpet player Matthew, Dave on the cello and drummer Dean belting out brilliant vocals is to understand exactly how individual each corner of the stage is. Astonishingly it works perfectly!

One of the bands most notable songs is of course, My Love Fer Nandos. It was originally a throw away verse which became a song as the band were one song short when they were recording, they had nothing silly and never knew how popular it would become. The entire song was done in merely a couple of hours and recorded the next day. After that it was all about promoting the song, there were a few ups and downs but in the end the Dunfermline branch heard about the song and invited Supa & Da Kyrptonites along to hold this very interview with Voice Of Scotland, to get some photographs done and also to enjoy some free Nando’s! An all round success!

          We asked the band what their best moments as a band have been so far. Lee straight off named the stage invasion at the PJ Malloy’s Clutha gig, hosted by none other than Voice of Scotland and Eastwood. However, Jay also added that for him the boat party the band played at Loch Lomond was by far his highlight. With Scott agreeing that ‘it was like something out of a Jay Z video’.

So, what now for Supa & Da Kryptonites? We asked the boys what 2014 has in store for them. ‘World domination’, they joke. However, from this group of talented and passionate boys, it would certainly not surprise me. Aside from conquering the world, they reveal a year jam packed with gigs and travel. This begins with their CD launch at Sneaky Pete’s in Edinburgh on the 6^th of March, Buskers in Dundee on the 7^th and The Green Room in Perth on the 8^th.  Then they plan on doing a home-coming CD launch the weekend after back in Dunfermline, therefore promoting their CD across four cities.

Lastly, the bands greatest achievement in 2014 is that they have been asked to play in the US at Colorado’s Hemp Fest in June. (World Domination could be on the cards after all?) The band conveys to us how important it is to them to make a good impression at this and to make a name for themselves. After all, who knows what it could lead to! If any of you have the chance to catch Supa & Da Kryptonites at one of their gigs before the boys go global then do so! I guarantee you a fantastic night that you’ll want to repeat over and over.

By Harsharan Hoonjan

There is definitely something mysterious, and contagious about this band, and their music.

Mickey 9s mysterious vocalist; is known for wearing his signature yellow hoody (sometimes with matching bottoms); a metallic costume mask; paired with the Mickey 9s T-Shirt. He looks loud and he is not the only one, David Arnott the bass player whilst not as vibrantly dressed sports an impressive, although currently tamed, afro

Masked man (Vocalist), David Arnott (Bass guitarist), Antony Paul (Guitarist) and Ross McGroarty (Drummer) make up the Glasgow band. The answer to how their image was constructed is symbolised in their video, ‘Find a Thing’. Their use of dress and props to get into character is consistent in the singles that follow. The music videos lure us into Mickey 9s journey and provide insight into their playful nature, and present a taster of what to expect during a live show. I was ready and looking forward to seeing the band play at Stereo Café Bar where the Post Orgasmic Sunshine Band were headlining.

Mickey 9s was the first act of the evening; the yellow suited masked man was umissible from a distance and he was not wearing shoes on stage, just very thick black socks. Antony, David and Ross however were,(wearing shoes that is) and the band was ready to entertain.  There was singing, dancing and some funky psychedelic sounds.

We were treated to the likes of ‘Icarus’, it has a cool bass tone which works well with the minimal but punchy vocals and sounds quite intergalactic.  Another of my picks is the song ‘Ammunition’, sung with angered tones, and such exuberance, it can force a person to march on the spot! ‘Find a Thing’ is sure to appeal to the dancer in us all, it will have you nodding in agreement, singing along and yes dancing too. The words: ‘If you listen for it, you will hear everything has a beat to it, you just gotta know how to dance to it’, have never been truer.  ‘Mickey 999’ will stick in your mind and yes their fans were calling out to them.

We could hear enthusiastic and happy gig goers singing: ‘Nana nana nana na, Mickey, Mickey 9s, Mickey Mickey 9s’ in between tracks. The audience appeared to reflect the band’s fun, playful vibe, especially those who were bouncing around. An entertaining, playful and jovial bunch, the lads from the band don’t hold back. The front mans consistent jumping and grand gestures was reminiscent of their videos and in particular those few moments captured at Glasgow’s Central Station where he is seen to be ‘Prancing around’, as one member of staff put it. Fun, banter, and original music was the perfect antidote to the Christmas party with a funk difference.

One of Mickey 9s fans, Susan, was more than happy to share with us how she went from uninterested to adoring the band:

“I was utterly uninterested; I just thought this is not my thing, white boy, afro, funk, nah you’re awright! They were playing at King Tuts a couple of years ago and a friend of ours was over from America who was a huge fan of music and knew King Tuts was the place for music. I was like: ‘We’ve got a friend playing tonight, we’ll take you’, you know playing the big shot. I went to see them and I was completely blown away, I adore them, they make me so happy, I remember Davie (David Arnott) saying after that gig, ‘You just kept grinning all night long!’ They just make me smile and they make me dance and I’m 42, I don’t dance, I don’t do dancing, I cannot not dance, I tried tonight, I thought I’m reasonably sober, and I thought I’m not gonna do it anymore, and I just couldn’t. You cannot fail to dance to them, they are the funniest and I mean genuinely funny, they make you smile, they make you laugh. They are the funkiest, most enjoyable band I know and I’ve seen an awful lot of live music and they are right now my favourite live band, I adore them!”

As a result of one performance Susan was  able to appreciate the spirit of a band who promote high energy whilst creating brilliant catchy songs, and dance worthy beats. Mickey 9s are unique and if you are at one of their gigs you may think your show ticket price was wrong…you may think you have been undercharged.  In fact, the whole package of song, video and live performances work so well together. They really have nailed all three; it’s something of a revelation. You might just find you need to see them again, listen to them again and buy their T-Shirt.  I just can’t get the Mickey 9s feeling out of my head.   Is that because they know how to kick the ‘fun’ into funk? …. I think so!

The lads are back at Stereo Café Bar on February 28^th for the Glasgow Weekender, get involved!

 

For more information and updates on the band, please click here:

www.Facebook.com/Mickey9s

Website

http://www.mickey9s.com

ITunes download link:

www.Itunes.com/mickey9s