Decadence in Berlin

The uncanny.

2010-11-02T14:53:00.001-07:00

Robert noticed the following similarity between us and a "charting artist":

PS. We wrote ours first.

Back on the game.

2010-10-29T07:05:00.000-07:00

After a brief haitus during which Lucy went on a boat, Robert came back to Telford, and I remained the Salopian constant, we've regrouped and started working on new material, the first for a long time. New songs currently in the works include a post-punk romp called 'Kill All Doubt' and a slowburning rocker called 'Eastern Promise, Western Compromise.' Hopefully we will be able to debut some of these soon. In the meantime Robert and I intend to withdraw money simultaneously in the hope that something magic will happen.

We played our first gig since August last Saturday, playing a lock-up party with the excellent God Damn (who feature two members of Your Biggest Fanclub). It was good fun, even if we may have been a little rusty at the whole live thing.

On Wednesday we had a band outing to the cinema to watch Easy A. I had a massive (and over priced) Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and Robert and I both picked up on what seemed to be a reference to The Room. "It's bullshit..." And on the subject of The Room, here's a lovely Kodak moment of Decadence in Berlin (and Mike) dressed to impress at the midnight screening of The Room earlier this month at The Electric:

Too tired to riot.

2010-10-14T21:58:00.000-07:00

We all went to see Fever Fever play in Birmingham last night. Lucy took some photos. She always takes photos.

PROOF WE MET FAMOUS PEOPLE

Rob told a funny

But seriously, love to Fever Fever. Go buy their record!

Out of sight, out of mind.

2010-07-30T13:50:00.000-07:00

Last week we played in London at The Enterprise in Camden. It was okay, nice to see some friendly faces. Cajole Cajole were on form as always. Robert and Graham bought pizza. I took a souvenir photo...

On the journey down, we were also accompanied by vermin.

More importantly, Monday saw our show at Alchemy in Wolverhampton where we opened the Out of Step 1st Birthday party. Above is the first sounds punters were treated to (Residents of Trench - failed percussion on the last 4 bars). We only had twenty minutes so we put our all into it and lived up to our previous Anti-Banter Band moniker. I even sang for the first time on stage. It was surreal, and a lot more intimidating than I had imagined. Thanks for clapping. Matt from Hot Club de Paris said we reminded him of fIREHOSE. Graham's flattered, I don't know what that means.

It was wonderful to catch up with our favourite Norwich trio Fever Fever, and Arthur, and their new sound guy who had a tattoo of Adidas minus one stripe (I feel like a complete cow for not remembering his name). Their sing-a-long set was completely wicked. I haven't danced so much since I went to see Panic! At The Disco in 2006 (twice). It was also nice to make new aquaintances with Aged Yummy (befriended on Facebook, which means we are now BFFs as apposed to acquaintances) and Men. If you haven't already, you absolutely HAVE to listen to Aged Yummy. They go in height order like ramma lamma lamma ka dinga da dinga dong.

All in all, a top night. Watch the related videos for more live treats from the bash, especially Joyous, who were a treat and provided birthday cake topped with Magic Stars (Daniel Findell is one hell of a cake baker). Kieran has sexy new hair which makes him look older too. Moving to London, getting new haircuts...what's next? Briefcases?

I broke my shoes but theirs nothing a bit of super glue can't sort. I love that solvent smell, I broke them on purpose. This week I will also be changing the skins on my drums for the first time since 2006 (it's all about 2006 nostalgia in this blog...) because it seemed we shared the stage with 6 metal bands...

Graham wore a ladies jacket and I spilt latté on him. He hasn't scarred, DON'T WORRY. He has also pur-chased a new Fender guitar which he wowed us with in London but kept it safe and sound in Trench for Out of Step.

Erm, Robert...
I bought myself a Fireman Sam outfit and bought some royal blue clothes for Robert to re-live the Postman Pat look (goodness me, royal blue clothes are SO difficult to shop for - it's as if the look below isn't fashionable...) so erm, I made him try them out for size. He said he looks more like Robert Winston as a Factory worker than Postman Pat. He also said i'm not allowed to put this photo online.

This/next Thursday we are returning to Actress & Bishop in Birmingham to support Violet Violet (how to generate a Norwich band name - think of a cool word and double it).
It's £5 entry which is WELL WORTH IT because Violet Violet are completely amazing.

Hope to see you there.

Kind regards/Many thanks/Best wishes/With ALL MY LOVE

Lucy Brown xxxxxxxxxx

Norbury Fields Forever.

2010-07-21T10:34:00.000-07:00

It would seem Norbury Fields Forever is real, and really is something to get hung about.

Just the day before the event, the Facebook guestlist reached an astounding 200 attendees, which was REALLY EXCITING. So we were getting ready to perform at the biggest festival of our 'career' so far. The er, first and last. It seems 199 teenagers prefer bands, paddling pools, portaloos and Mr Whippys to Newport Show. Gosh.

Me, Graham and Gill (Graham’s sister, not Robert’s replacement) left for Norbury via Asda at around 2pm, spending a good 17 minutes or so buying strawberry cider (ONLY because it's a festival), melon and Gill's last minute tent (£7.50! Good lord).

I hadn't prepared for the blazing rays of sun, having been told at least 24 times before the weekend that it was forecast rain (by my supervisor who was jetting off to Tenerife at the weekend). I love to hear people brag, it's my fave. No, no...50 factor sun cream which I haven't used since my holiday to Egypt last spring was left drying up like a Nun on my shelf instead of offering me protection, like Pedro. I only burnt my neck (gosh, i'm so revealing), BUT STILL.

We erected our tents on arrival then went to "watch" Weatherbird, whilst Graham brushed grass off his tights and showed off his newly styled facial hair-piece. Weatherbird - think young Nirvana tribute band meets Kasabian. Erm...yeah.

"Lucy, can I wear my sleeves like this because it's really hot". "No, you look like American trailer trash". Graham continued to do this anyway. He's officially a proper legend, man.

After doing nothing, we watched Pre Sleep Monologue. They were very good, and had the happiest drummer i've ever come across. The only other band of the day containing a girl. Completely jealous. Ouch, competition.

At 7.00pm we graced the stage, with Robert only arriving 10 minutes beforehand (I know right, so mental). We got crowds of screaming teenage fans for meters (two). It was the most fun! Robert did a brilliant tortoise impression during Gothic Dive-Bar Rag by lying on his back and kicking his legs in the air. IT WAS PRETTY DAMN CRAZY. Then I broke my bass drum pedal because i’m really quirky, and Graham spent the whole time impressing the teenagers with his facial hair/masculinity.

After us was Is This Paris? They were so completely amazing. I’m full of jealousy at their musical talent. Charles switched between accordion, autoharp, piano and harmonies, Dan is the mastermind front woman who lives by his title oh-so-well, Alex (bass) is so metal his fingers bled, and Joscelin is the next Vanessa Mae (although male, and not of oriental origin). I played drums for them after two practices since February and it went surprisingly well CONSIDERING. Then came Cajole Cajole – they’re completely wicked. Haircuts to make Graham envious, catchy songs and an embarrassingly talented drummer. Following that, Lady Fortune – the best thing to come out of Telford since erm...oh wait?

Camping always seems like a good idea, but never is. MOTTO.

Overall a top day. Holding out for NFF11.

In other irrelevant news, me and Graham went to see The Carpels/Bronze Medals/Tantrums/Scarlet Harlots last Wednesday at the Bulls Head in Moseley, completely missing The Carpels and Scarlet Harlots because of rising tiredness levels, but you should listen to Bronze Medals because they’re the best Birmingham band I saw last week. And listen to Tantrums’ brand new EP ‘Champloo’, IT’S WELL WICKED. Although it didn’t get a particularly good review in Artrocker. Until now, I would say Artrocker don’t know anything, but on the opposite page was the best single of the week they’ve ever published. As if I could write a blog without mentioning Fever Fever. Buy Monster and make them more famous.

This Friday we play our second ever show in London! This time in Camden at The Enterprise. On stage at 10.10pm...it would be amazing to see YOU. We’re excited. ALSO, Cajole Cajole are playing too! Which is pretty CRAZY.

Lastly, cannot wait until next Monday! We are playing the Out of Step First Birthday show at Alchemy Bar with Hot Club de Paris, Men, Holy State, Fever Fever, Joyous and Aged Yummy. It’s going to be mentalz. Word on the street – it’s Joyous’ last show in their home town of Wolverhampton for a while because they’re moving to the Big Smoke to MAKE IT BIG TIME.

Yours sincerely

LB. x xxx x x xx x x

Let me take you down...

2010-07-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

We're going to be playing at this awesome little festival on Saturday. We are very excited. We will be playing at around 7pm. Come camp with us, drink some beers, and sing/dance/freak-out to a fantastic array of acts from around the region.

More info on the facebook event page.

Would you have liked a present too?

2010-06-09T10:33:00.000-07:00

Tickets are now on sale for this exciting show, which sees us play alongside a whole host of amazing bands from around the country. I still can't quite believe we have been asked to play! Not only are Hot Club de Paris topping the bill, there will be performances by Holy State (of Holy Roar records fame), Men, the ever-lovely Fever Fever, Aged Yummy, and good pals Joyous. Tickets are available now at £8 (a steal!) from We Got Tickets, so make sure you get on the case and come on down for this one, it's not to be missed. And if you want to get yourself in the mood you can download both Aged Yummy and Men's albums from BandCamp! What are you waiting for?!

Aged Yummy - Pacific Reactions

Men - Everything So Far

Also, for those of you who check the Out of Step blog often (like myself), you may want to note the change of URL - they are now found at http://weareoutofstep.blogspot.com/

Thankyou please.

Said the Actress to the Bishop

2010-06-03T12:57:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 30th May 2010 left us with smiles for a day, or two. The day finally came, after looking at a pile of flyers for two weeks. At 6.10pm, we arrived at Actress & Bishop in Birmingham. Being a freebie, and no 9-5ers having work the next day, who could turn down the opportunity to see two talented bands and one trio of average people from Telford? This being the first time we have played a gig with Joyous, after going to eachothers gigs here and there, and the second opportunity to share the stage with our favourite band from Norwich, Fever Fever, we were excited.

After soundchecks, we wondered whether anyone was going to turn up, and all was a bit silent until I offered to lend my 'Drive Time with Lucy' CD-R to the sound guy (gosh, what a life saver), this time not including so many power ballads. Members of the public started to arrive not long after, which was wonderful to see, sometimes I like people. We were first to take to the stage. I managed to overcome the problem I had with arm-ache following sound check, and we proceeded to play the same set-list for the past two years, which two slightly more recent songs. Rob's dancing was on form, my cowbell stayed in tune, and Graham's keyboard worked, so overall it went reasonably well! Although Rob's banter didn't last as long as it normally does, this time only discussing two reasons I have previously been sacked from jobs (vomiting, and wearing a Fever Fever t-shirt to work*).

Second up, JOYOUS! Joyous are great and Joyous arrive on time. They play future chart-topping hits and sweat loads (a mix of terminal boogy and bright lights). More dance moves, more energy, better musicicans, very punctual - you should most definitely check 'em out.

Last, but not least - Fever Fever. Playing a gig with a hangover is a chore, and probably easier said than done. Although, you wouldn't have noticed (I wish we were real rockstars). Fever Fever will never fail to impress, their songs are amazing, they're extremely lovely people and they make you dance when you're sober. (Proven fact - Rob very rarely dances to live bands). We're very, very excited about Out of Step in July.

The evening was a huge success and the vibez were amazing. Many thanks, Arthur.

On a different note, we have three new tracks up on Myspace, courtesy of Nick & Laura at Guildford University. We're very pleased with them - and we would be so very grateful if you could take a listen and give us your (preferrably positive) feedback. AND, if you email me, I'll send them to you, just because we want more Last.fm scrobbles.

Hearts
LB x x xxxxxxx

*Not hactually true.

There is nothing finer

2010-05-30T08:36:00.001-07:00

image via Suicide Girls

Head on over to our Myspace page to hear our latest record of one of our oldest tracks, 'Gothic Dive-Bar Rag', which we recorded a few weeks back with Laura. Hopefully you will like it. We do.

Also, if you are out in Birmingham this evening we will be playing at the Actress & Bishop in the Jewellery Quater with Joyous and Fever Fever - two lovely bands - for a pricely sum of NOTHING. That's right, it's a free gig, put on by Catapult Club. Nice, eh?

Come party like it's 1999.

Fever to tell

2010-05-13T12:13:00.000-07:00

As previously mentioned, we are supporting the lovely Fever Fever on the 30th of May at the Actress & Bishop in Birmingham. We are very excited about this one, not just because we are getting to play alongside Norwich's finest a second time, but we are finally playing a show with the Joyous boys! What are the chances, eh? And if that line-up wasn't enough to tempt you, it's a free show too, on a Bank holiday, and there is a Silent Disco afterwards! No excuses, get yourself down for a fun night of troublesome noise-pop and alcohol consumption. Seriously, you won't regret it.

Thanks go out to Rosie Fever Fever for making the poster, she's done a splendid job I'm sure you'll agree.

More info over on the Facebook event page.

Sleep deprivation

2010-05-11T23:08:00.001-07:00

As I write this I have just passed the 24 hour mark. That's right, a whole day without sleep. And in the last 12 of those hours Decadence in Berlin made the trip down south to Guildford for a recording session, then came all the way home. It was a journey of lengthy proportions to say the least, but it was worth it as we have sown the musical seeds that will become a nicely recorded 'Gothic Dive-Bar Rag'. It's a bit odd recording this one, as it is an oldie and I don't think we ever thought it would make it to the studio. However, we often pull it out as an encore, and I still like playing it so I'm glad we found an opportunity to record it. The more I head it, the more it turned into the Velvet Underground - not sure why, but I kept thinking of 'Sister Ray' when we were playing it. We also popped our click-track cherry. Well done gang. So after 5 hours in the studio with the calm and patient Laura we had achieved some pleasing sounds which we've left in her capable hands to polish up. We also saw Nick who had just been to see Pavement (lucky git, he tells me they were "rad," obviously) and he played us the latest rough mix of 'Work > Play' which is sounding really great. Very excited to hear the final mix on that one.

Leaving the Guildford campus we got stuck and had to contact the security people a couple of times as we clearly did not understand their barriers. However, some minutes later we did work out a way to escape, and we went off to find food. We failed at this too. So we drove forth to Telford, via Cheltenham to drop off Robert, and ended up driving into daylight. It was a weird experience, watching it get lighter and the street lights turn themselves off. When we left Guildford people were still drinking in the clubs, getting back to Telford people were going to work.

One McDonalds breakfast stop later I'm back at home. I'm in two minds as if to try sleeping or not. May just watch Catterick on DVD as I haven't seen it in ages and I've got the day off work.

In other news we have two very exciting gigs coming up. The first is with Fever Fever who we played with last month, and that will be at The Actress & Bishop in Birmingham. The second is even more mental, as we are going to be playing with Hot Club de Paris. Oh yes!! It's for the Out of Step 1st Birthday party, and there are loads of other ace bands too including Men, Lady Fortune and Fever Fever. More info on that soon!

Now for some downtime.

I am the party

2010-05-05T23:53:00.000-07:00

Calling all Recession Kids, don't forget to use your vote.

Everybody in the discotheque

2010-05-05T10:54:00.000-07:00

illustration by James Nash - check him out!

Alright folks, just a little call to let you know that I'm going to be playing some rekkids tomorrow night at the Island Bar in Birmingham for this month's Brum edition of Out of Step. There will also be Andy Hall and Dan from Joyous playing some tunes. There are probably other guest DJs too, but I don't know that much. As always there will be a free zine and a chilled out compilation CD on entry. Check out Facey-B for more information.

And to get you in the dancing mood here's Stereo Total with a nice little song about discos:

Out of Step

2010-04-30T10:34:00.000-07:00

This is the first blog i've written for the page i've been a "member" of since 2008. Graham does all the hard work so I don't have to, just like Mr Muscle (looks fairly similar, too).

Due to Robert's orders, we're limited to one gig per month as train fare can be hard for a part-time minimum waged graduate, apparently. He also tries to be as recession-friendly as possible. (Recession, kids, do you know what that is?). So, on Monday we played our April gig at Alchemy Bar in Wolverhampton for 'Out of Step'. I really like Alchemy, I haven't been there since 2007 post-Good Shoes show at the Civic. I should spend more time there, I heart the bricks and the outdoor decking. (Coincidentally, I went to see Good Shoes on Tuesday in Wolverhampton. Bit of a let down, or maybe i've just stopped being into generic indie bands [actually, no...]. The support, Is Tropical were spectacular though, i'd listened to them a lot prior to the show so that was the main reason I went. Go listen).

Monday was so much better than that time in July 2007, we got to share the stage with two completely awesome bands! It took me forever to find somewhere to park though...Diversity were on at the Civic Hall, so free parking was limited. Fortunately I found a space at Light Bar, trekked up Broad Street to find Graham in the fast food establishment ordering masses of pizza. To look vain in public, I applied my hair volumizer on the walk up to Alchemy, which is disastrous when you apply too much without a mirror.

On arrival I went straight for the outdoor decking, and Graham shortly arrived with the pizza overload for all the bands. Rob didn't get to Wolverhampton until 20 minutes before our set. He called me while he was still in Cheltenham saying the fast food was taking longer than he originally had planned, so he would get the later train. I moaned, so he rushed for the train he was planning to catch (yessss). A good job I did whine to him like I have done all my life since i've had the ability to make noises, because the train was at stand-still for 30 minutes due to a "fire on the tracks". Then heroic Robert Brown turned up to Alchemy eventually without any burns.

First to take the stage were Worcester boys 'November and The Criminal' - MINT. They sounded to me like Bombay Bicycle Club, and a little bit Foals/Mystery Jets - A GOOD THING TO ME, I heart those three bands more than French Fancies. Check them out, and if you have a spare £3, buy their EP! The last track, Vials is absolutely wicked. All club together and the drummer might be able to pur-chase himself a new cymbal, which apparently he shattered at the gig. I wish I had the ability to be a rockstar, I play drums like a fairy.

Photo by Elspeth Van Der Hole

Oh and er...us.

Photo by Elspeth Van Der Hole

Headliners were my new favourite band, Fever Fever from Norwich (home of the Puppet Theatre, Mustard Shop, and from what i've discovered this week - awesome bands). They're absolutely amazing...amazing.amazing.amazing.amazing.amazing. I’m a big fan of girl-vocal bands anyway, but these are one of the best bands i've heard in ages, they deserve to be massive. Ridiculously talented musicians that make me want to take up guitar and be in a new band (i'm writing this on the wrong blog...). And very lovely people! Check them out. NOW. And buy all of their merchandise, it'll be an investment you won't regret.

Rumour has it they're also playing the Out of Step Birthday Show on July 29th too, and so are we and LADY FORTUNE! I'm very excited, it's gonna be mint. Come down for a dance.
Also see Everything Everything, Cajole Cajole, Django Django and Fever Fever recommendations – Violet Violet and Glory Glory for more double-named bands of excellence.

Photo by Elspeth Van Der Hole

Not a lot else to report...HOWEVER, we have been featured on the April Podcast for Liverpool's Antipop Records. And also Shropshire Star's Podcast (fame). Take a listen if you would!

Lastly, we should have some new recordings soon. We're off to Surrey again on May 11th to record a track or two, which is exciting.

ALSO, our friends Joyous have finally finished recording their first EP, and it's mint, so take a listen.
I'm out of recommendations, so errr...

Hearts,
Lucy x x

Is a man who catches owls an Owlerman?

2010-04-03T09:18:00.000-07:00

New poster designed by Christopher Wayne for our gig at Out of Step on the 26th. As you can see, we will be playing with Fever Fever which is very exciting. La La Vasquez were unable to make the evening, but not to worry though eh? Fever Fever are well worth checking out, and the line-up for the evening is coming together nicely due to the continued hard work of Rich and Ben coming to fruition with each event they put on. Me and Lucy went down to their latest night at the Island Bar in Birmingham last Thursday which was great fun and I even ended up dancing to The Rapture. Fantastic. The latest issue of the Out of Step zine is also out now and can be picked up at a few different places in the Midlands locale. Pop over to their blog for more. We even got mentioned in the latest issue, which is the first time we have ever been mentioned in any form of print media. Thanks boys!

Next gig is next Sunday at The Flapper in Brum. If you want to come along we got some cheaper tickets, so give us a shout over on Facebook using the link over to the right hand side somewhere.

It also appears we have gained a Twitter. I think Lucy may be updating it. If not, someone must be stalking me.

"Irritating as hell or absolutely brilliant"

2010-03-22T13:24:00.000-07:00

So, finally someone has realised our true potential and wrote some rad things about us on their blog. They are actually quite kind and indicate that 'Man-Moth' may be perfect for the ringtone market place, as, like our froggy friend above, we satisfy both the irritating and utter brilliance needed to make it in ringtones at the same time. Just like all the songs on the Crazy Frog's first album, Crazy Hits, I'd have you know! This is what the folks over at Another Form of Relief had to say:

"Holy shit. This is either irritating as hell or absolutely brilliant. It’s loud, aggressive and incredibly shouty. The repeated cries of “man-moth” (god knows) is pushing it a bit, but there’s something in the majority of it that recalls something along the lines of The Young Knives before they went all dull. Whether or not that’s a good thing is obviously down to your own taste, but as someone who enjoyed that bands early stuff quite a bit, this is a nice little throwback. Far from perfect, but there’s certainly enough here that I’d be curious to hear some more."

Just in case you, like us, can't believe it, you can read the article in it's natural habitat here. Or, alternatively, you could go check out the rest of the blog here. It's up to you folks!

Ding ding!

Hold the front page

2010-03-19T14:59:00.001-07:00

via Alex Perciville via Plenty of Ants

Thanks to those who came out to watch us last night with Lady Fortune at the Haygate. Much fun was had by all. Tonight I'm recovering from the week that has been by listening to a lot of XTC and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. May even watch a DVD. Watch out, I'm reckless!

Facts of Life

2010-03-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who came to watch us play in Aberystwyth on Monday, we all had a fantastic time and really enjoyed playing in the cramped setting of The Angel. Big cheers goes out to Bay Radio for putting us on, as well as doing a fantastic job with lighting, sound, and putting on an eclectic mix of bands. Also, must thank my sister Gill for putting me up for the night and dragging all of her friends along to watch. Nice one!

It's a bit short notice, but we have been asked to step in for Spindle & Wit tomorrow night at Lady Fortune's EP launch show at the Haygate. Of course, when asked by such lovely boys to support them at such an exciting event we couldn't refuse. It also happens to be their monthly indie night, dubbed 'Thursday Night Facts of Life', which we have been asked to play the last couple of months but have had to decline due to shows booked elsewhere, so it's great we are going to finally get to play and with Lady Fortune. Good times. As an added bonus they said some nice things about us on Facebook, like:

"Team Facts of Life are very pleased to announce that the brilliant Decadence in Berlin have offered to step in. What a gang! This local post-punk band are drawing lots of very positive buzz about the area and you're lucky to have 'em so come on down!"

How very kind, eh? So there's no excuses, it's £2 in and there are three bands (Lady Fortune, us, and new kids on the block Arcade Parade). And remember, it's the launch of the new Fortune EP, It Ends and It Starts in a Dark Room, which showcases long-awaited new material!

In other news we have also confirmed that we will be playing at Norbury Fields Forever this summer alongside a host of other awesome local acts as well as some from further, ahem, afield. Headline act has been confirmed as they noisy boys of Your Biggest Fanclub. It's gonna be full of win, but more on that in the future.

He awoke on a beach in Aberystwyth

2010-03-15T05:23:00.000-07:00

Tonight we are plying our musical wares across the border in Wales, in Aberystwyth to be exact. We are on with a host of other acts in the Angel (near the castle ruins) at the top of the high street as part of a show put on by Bay Radio, which is the student station. As a matter of fact back in my uni days I used to do quite a bit for Bay, including design the current logo. Really looking forward to this, and if you're in Aber you should come down. It's a pound in and theres 5 or so bands so you can't really lose.

We will also be handing out some special commemorative pamphlets which I've thrown together which are quite exciting and fold out into a very diy poster. That's a poster that I made myself with bits of paper, not a poster about diy. Sorry for the confusion.

Kicks off tonight at around 7.30pm.

Captured in a photograph

2010-03-13T10:34:00.000-08:00

A very kind gent by the name of Adrian took some photos of us playing at Free Rock & Roll the other night. Take a look at them over on our facebook page here or, alternatively, visit his myspace page and look at some of his other shots whilst you're at it.

They call me Mello Mello

2010-03-12T05:49:00.000-08:00

not our crowd, but it was a bit like this!

Had a really great time in Liverpool last night. I can honestly say out of everywhere we have played, Liverpool has been the best city to perform in. The crowd are always responsive and let you know what they thought. There were some familiar faces who had come down to watch which was nice too. Mello Mello is a small cafe/venue pretty much centre of the city and had a really good vibe. By looks of the menu and the range of drinks on offer the venue is proudly independent, serving organic food and drink, serving up homecooked vegetarian and vegan cuisine. Wish I had been able to get there a bit earlier to sample some of it.

We were on first, and went on stage just before 10pm. The place was pretty much packed which was fantastic and we played a very good set which we were all happy with. Everyone we spoke to seemed to be equally supportive, which was fab. One gent went as far as to describe our energy and sound as being like "XTC meets The Skids" which I rather liked... although I doubt it is an accurate description of us in reality!

I was very impressed by the bands we played with last night also, both of whom were Liverpool groups. It makes you realise how depressingly bland most of the music produced in the midlands is when you see these acts who are making interesting and fun music without worrying about falling into any percieved genre. After us was Lisa Locks & The Precious Boys (myspace), which featured Lisa of Bexy Sitch who I was reliably informed by one of the punters (who, coincidentaly, was at our last Liverpool gig) were an amazing group who have now split up into several high calibre groups. I was impressed by Lisa's distinctive guitar style, and musically was put in mind of both Altered Images and Sonic Youth with a hint of the Cocteau Twins for good measure, which I am sure you will agree is an unusual but arousing combination, and it certainly works.

Lovecraft (myspace), the headline act, were a 9 piece which meant the small stage was crammed to capacity. The Free Rock & Roll Pocket Philosophy pamphlet describes them as "Edwardian class English eccentric popsters stalked by the ghost of Vivian Stanshell." I think it's interesting that they mention Stanshall, as the group were eccentric in every sense. However, like Stanshall, there didn't seem to be anything forced about the group: they were just being themselves - and they were deliriously exciting. The had a rockabilly vibe, with a good shot of the macarbe, think Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster but a little more lighthearted - their frontman Craig reminded me a little of Art Brut's Eddie Argos. His general delivery and between song banter was amusing and engaging. All in all, it was a fantastic night of music, and the only downside was having the trek home afterwards and getting lost in Liverpool which seems to be a maze of redeveloped streets which sat-navs just don't know about.

Thanks goes out to Pete Bentham for inviting us to come down and play at Free Rock & Roll, it's a real honour that he gives us the opportunity to play to an interested crowd away from home turf. He has our continued support in all his future endevours and his ongoing mission to provide free rock and roll for all. If you want to find out more about it and Liverpool's great underground music scene check out myspace.com/freerockandroll

Free Rock and Roll

2010-03-11T08:37:00.000-08:00

Denizens of Liverpool: Tonight the boys and girl of Decadence in Berlin will be performing a selection of electronically amplified tunes for your enjoyment at the Mello Mello in Liverpool as part of Free Rock & Roll #3, an exciting night of free live music put on by the super amazing Mr Pete Bentham and his Dinner Ladies. We will be playing with two other well-dressed groups who go by the names of Lovecraft and Lisa Locks. The fun kicks off sometime around 8pm, and remember - it's free so there is no excuse not to pop down if Liverpool is your locale.

http://www.blogger.com/www.myspace.com/freerockandroll

It's only a poster (and I like it)

2010-03-10T07:53:00.000-08:00

After playing in this band for longer than any band I've played in before I can finally say we are going to be doing a show which actually has a decent poster to advertise it. So many promoters create crappy things that look like they've been knocked-out using word art. However, here we go, a pretty amazing poster for our show with La La Vasquez at Out of Step next month. Pretty flippin' cool, eh? It's been made by a guy called Christopher Wayne who is a graphic design student from London. Check out his work over on his blog, christopherwaynesandall.blogspot.com. I think it's rather special, and this one is my favourite:

Setbacks

2010-02-22T11:46:00.000-08:00

Here at Decadence in Berlin HQ we are feeling rather generous and are offering up some of our songs for free download. Why not, eh? They were recorded some time last year at the Smash Rooms in Ketley, and there is a run-down of the track listing somewhere in the past posts. you may want to read up about the songs. But here it is for your listening pleasure.

Decadence in Berlin - Setbacks EP (2009)

1. Atlantic Radio Fire

2. Man-Moth

3. I Am A Camera

In other news, it seems our gig this Sunday in Shrewsbury has been cancelled due to a double booking. But to make up for it we are going to be playing in Aberystwyth in March so keep yr eyes peeled on the myspace for that.

A work of art

2010-02-18T17:56:00.000-08:00

Look at these little beauties that came through my door today. My face lit up like a Christmas tree when I opened the bag.

If you're looking to get badges I highly recommend bandstickers.com. Affordable prices, good service, and a really fast turn-around.

Reasons to be cheerful

2010-02-18T05:45:00.000-08:00

Well, it turned out I couldn't rationalise which design was the best so I ordered all four. Yes, you read correctly, all four. They should be in some process of creation as I type, and hopefully next week they will arrive on my doorstep. Until the finished product comes however I got around to making some mock-ups.

Tonight Lucy and I are off to see Joyous at the new Little Civic. I'm quite interested to see what they are like as currently their myspace is a little barren (they are in the studio at the mo), so this will be my first taste of what they have to offer. You can read a little more about them and check out their très cool t-shirts over on their myspace or read their amusing blog - link over on the right.

Next gig for us is a week on Sunday at the Source bar in Shrewsbury - a double headline with Is This Paris? It's a tale of two cities, so to speak. Stay tuned for further information.

Pin badge of honour

2010-02-13T16:28:00.000-08:00

So this evening has been spent playing around with badge designs which are a long time over due whilst drinking some lovely Jim Beam I bought at Christmas and listening to Yeasayer's new LP and (wait for it...) Ke$ha's album, which is my obligatory pop album of the year. It's actually very enjoyable, although it does sadden me that she has basically ripped Uffie off and made a career of it whilst Uffie... well, what did Uffie do? Did she ever release a record? Who knows.

Anyway, I digress. Above are four badge designs for you to ponder. Which do you like best? Let me know, as I am going to be getting them made during the week. You'll have to use your imagination to think of them as circles, as I couldn't be bothered to spend any more time fighting Paint Shop Pro.

Out of Step

2010-02-08T05:18:00.000-08:00

illustration by Abigail Mckenzie

It's seems very rare that I come across someone local that is doing anything remotely different to the same-old, same-old alternative nights that burn out and fade away faster than the NME's latest fad band. However, just when I think that all is lost, along comes Out of Step to provide a breath of fresh air on the stagnant Wolverhampton scene. Promoter Rich Cartwright has been doing a stellar job in creating not only a club night which embraces more experimental and lo-fi outfits rather than mainstream mainstays, but also acknowledges the work of local artists and writers who they work with in the design of their posters, various compilations and, most recently, the Out of Step zine. With plans to bring in up-and-coming buzz bands from out of town and even a tape cassette label, 2010 looks to be a promising year for Wolverhampton's independent scene. The club night runs monthly on the last monday of the month at Alchemy, a couple of doors down from the Old Little Civic. The next night is February 22nd and has a post-hardcore vibe going down with Advantage and Still Bust. Make sure to go support the night and pick up a copy of the current zine which can be found in various locations around the West Midland region (I found mine in The Victoria, Brum). If you do get a copy keep your eyes peeled for my three life changing records.

I can also confirm that we will be playing at Out of Step on April 26th with La La Vasquez, a lo-fi three-piece all-girl noise-pop group. I am looking forward to that immensely. Read more about them here.

You can find out more about Out of Step over at outofstepalchemy.blogspot.com/ or by clicking the link on the sidebar.

The best made plans

2010-02-01T10:58:00.000-08:00

So Saturday saw quite a busy day for us. First up was a trip out Walsall way to JJM studios for a meeting with a chappy called Leon for the Surface Unsigned competition which we have unwittingly decided to enter. We got lost on route as A: I was driving, B: I don't have satellite navigation, and C: Walsall is a maze of crazy junctions, traffic lights and multiple lanes. We got there eventually however and watched a motivational video which made me question the true reason people want to be in a band, but still, we booked ourselves into the competition and our first competition gig will be at the Flapper in Brum on April 11th, exciting. We've got tickets so scream if you want to go faster... I mean, holler if you want to come watch us "rock in" (in the words of the man from Copperhead in the video).

After driving home and a couple of hours respite, we headed back out, this time for our gig in Oakengates at the launch of a new rock/alternative night at Eden nightclub. Sadly, nothing seemed to go to plan and it ended up us not playing (or any other acts for that matter) due to the small problem of their being no P.A system. D'oh! Thanks must go to Ol' Man Smash at the Smash Rooms for hooking us up with some mic stands at short notice, but all in vain. We did consider a mime set but decided against it out of common decency. We did however take the opportunity to continue our fast food odyssey earlier in the evening by making a trip into TFC (Tender Fried Chicken, surely not copyright infringement in any way) for some tasty treats. I had chicken nuggets and chips. The nuggets were very hot and were some of the best reconsitituted chicken parts I've had in ages. Can't fault them. Lucy had the same, Robert declined food as he had already eaten. Back at the club it was clear that we weren't going to be able to play so we packed up. Rob and Lucy headed off but I stayed around for my DJ set which was enjoyable and saw me play some old favourites (which may have been a little self-indulgent) like Taking Back Sunday and Hell is for Heroes. It was a busy night, just a shame about the bands not being able to play, so sorry to anyone who came especially for the live music!

Back to the present. Chew Lips released their album (physically) today so I popped into HMV to bag myself a copy, as did the Lucy Brown. It's cracking, image Karen O fronting some minimalist electro and you'd be on the right lines. Here's the video for current single Play Together:

Always the bridesmaid

2010-01-29T04:53:00.001-08:00

Well, we didn't get through. I think we came second, which means that is two years running we have came second in the first heat. Anyway, it was a good night and I felt our set was pretty solid (although there was a tiny hiccup with the keyboard during I am a Camera). This is what Dan of Joyous thought:

Their sound is.. like really hard to describe which is a good thing, sound abit like wire/crossed with elements of young knives but abit more like sonic youth but more like pop songs with shout along/sing-along what ever you want to call it. Just go watch them and you will see what i mean.

We had a decent turn out, including the Wednesday night cinema club, Dan from Is This Paris? (with trusty Jack), Dan and Dan from Joyous, Thom from Your Biggest Fanclub (who doesn't like Calories), DJ Dave and Ali, and my mom and dad. Bonza. My mom was particularly verbal about us not winning, which amused Lucy. Dan and Jack also helped us take some photos as I'm bored with our myspace photo. I'll be posting some of the results over the weekend. Thanks boys!

Before I forget I wanted to mention the pizza I ate before we played. It was called Pepperoni Pefection. Robert had a Veggie Burner. They were 2 for the price of 1 and were a whole 9". So, we got 18" for a humble £5.99. Now that's the real deal, and probably one of the best instalments in the Decadence in Berlin fast food odyssey. Sadly I can't remember the name of this pizza palace. It's about two doors up from The Little Civic next to the pool hall. Oh yes, and we also soundchecked sans bass (because I left it at home), so Rob played bass on my guitar and I played on the keyboard. This resulted in a surf version of I am a Camera which was rather splendid.

Props to Dan Joyous for this video link... and if you're wondering this wasn't our inspiration:

Next gig is tomorrow night at Eden Nightclub in Oakengates, with Damaged Gods. We'll be on about 9.30 I believe. Also, DiB DJ set FTW.

First gig of the decade

2010-01-28T05:04:00.000-08:00

Tonight we are playing our first gig of the new decade at the new Little Civic (now known by the slightly shocking name, The Slade Rooms) in Wolverhampton. It's the first round of this years Battle of the Bands competition. Last year we came second in our heat which was nice - but meant we didn't get through to the second round. We would really like to get through this year, especially after our success in the Shropshire Star Battle of the Bands (where we came second in the whole competition), however with many of these things it will probably come down to how many people come through the door. So tonight, if you are at a loss for what to do pop on down and watch us play our little hearts out, we promise we will raise a smile.

In other news, I (Graham) checked out my Casio last night and was very happy to find it is still in working order after it pretty much died at our last show in Shrewsbury with Calebra just before Christmas. That was a fun gig, as everything that could go wrong did, I kissed a girl on the cheek (of the face, not ass) and the same girl stroked Lucy's hair (on her head, not pubic), we drew songs out of a hat, and we sang all of the verses in the wrong place on nearly every track. Hilarity indeed.

This weekend we are going to be playing the launch of a new alternative club night in Oakengates. We are playing with Damaged Gods (who look a bit nu metal) and there will also be a Decadence in Berlin DJ set sometime around midnight. It all kicks off around 9pm at Eden (once known as Minnesota Fats apparently) and it costs £5 on the door.

I'm currently working on a new track called 'Runners'. I will probably never finish it.

Don't panic!

2009-12-03T23:24:00.000-08:00

More recording news

2009-11-27T23:58:00.000-08:00

Today we went to a studio at the University of Guildford and recorded some songs with an old friend (his name is Nick) and it was good. After an early start and an evening spent sleeping on Rob's sofa in Cheltenham we hit the road and made good time, arriving at the studio around 10. After setting up in the studio things went a bit wrong (the desk died) and we went to Starbucks and pretended to be students.

When things were fixed we recorded some songs and it was fun. Here's a bit of low-down on the tracks we laid down:

Work > Play:
Been knocking around for awhile this one. We stopped playing it for ages then resurrected it with a new bridge section. Sounds quite nice when it all comes together and after numerous attempts I even managed to play the solo right (which I normally don't). Vocals nearly killed me (there was about a hundred takes of me shouting, I could taste iron in the back of my throat), but when we added the backing vocals from Rob and Luce it sounded pretty mint. I wish we had got some girl vocal action going on in the session we did with Ben now!

The Recession Kids:
Instant classic. Recording this was a nightmare, multiple takes and what-not trying to nail it. In the end I think we just about got it. Rob's vocal was hilariously good. This is going to make people weep.

Residents of Trench:
With about 20 minutes of studio time to go we roughly demoed this bad boy. Not sure how it will turn out but it was quite fun and I did some ridiculous Hulk Hogan voices... by this time my voice was gone.

Looking forward to hearing the fruits of our labour. Bet you are too. x

The dreams of Smith are over now

2009-07-11T06:55:00.000-07:00

New song, 'The Recession Kids', at Free Rock & Roll at the Caledonia in Liverpool, 9th July 2009.

We laugh in the face of infectious diseases

2009-07-04T18:10:00.000-07:00

We recently played a gig at the Public, a big massive pink building in the middle of West Brom. It was a good night, nice sound system and the staff all helpful. Seemed a shame more people didn't turn up but still. Anyway, the guys at Major Key studios recorded one of our tracks and made a video. It's quite cool really, and in typical Graham fashion I play the solo wrong. Whoops. Enjoy my mistakes!

You can check out more of Major Key's upcoming shows and videos over at their myspace: www.myspace.com/mks_captured

Second best band in Shropshire

2009-06-25T12:59:00.000-07:00

Thankyou to everyone who voted for us in the competition, your hard work got us through to the final, where we got to play in front to 150+ people in the Severn Theatre. We had a fantastic evening, which was topped off by us coming second in the competition overall. Not an easy feat, when you consider nearly 50 acts entered.

You can see a little clip of us playing in this video from the Shropshire Stars website:

We also got several mentions in the paper, and you can read a little review of the event over on Shropshirestar.com

Thanks again everyone who voted. Listen to BBC Radio Shropshire on Friday 26th June for a Friday Night Gerbil special on the event which includes a little interview with us as well as some of our tunes hopefully!

Regards, as always,
Graham x

Purveyors of quality and distinction

2009-03-11T13:05:00.000-07:00

Hello cyberpals,

We here at Decadence in Berlin have finally took the plunge and had three of our songs recorded at the Smash Rooms studio in Ketley by Mr Ben Millington of Ever the Joker (nee NewBreed) fame. You can hear them on our myspace right now, and we would love to hear what you think.

The recordings form part of our first EP, tentively titled 'Setbacks' which will see light of day sometime in the future. The three tracks up for your aural pleasure are:

Atlantic Radio Fire
- One of our oldest songs finally polished up into a delectable gem, with shiny harmonies and given a kick up the proverbial with the added guitars.

Man-Moth
- Fan favourite, now with extra guitar courtesey of Robert and chorus harmony inspired by Gang of Four. Jazz ending!

I Am A Camera
- Never before have we recorded this track, live or otherwise. Some killer rhythmic work from Luce, this track differs slightly than what you hear live. We hope you like.

Yours,
Decadence in Berlin x

The feeling in the pit of yr belly when the bass kicks in...

2009-02-17T12:12:00.000-08:00

Day one of the Decadence in Berlin recording programme. Today we hit the Smash Rooms in Ketley to lay down some tracks which will compose our first demo to entice the lovely promoters out there to give us a gig. And so far so good!

We are fortunate to have Ben Millington of NewBreed fame in the producer's chair, and so far everything has gone smoothly - much due to his help and advice. After an early start we began recording at around 9.30am and by 6pm we had lain down the instrument tracks for 'Atlantic Radio Fire', 'Man-Moth' and 'I Am a Camera'. The most lengthy part of this process was the recording of the guitars, multi-tracking them, and finding the bestest ever sound that made the tracks sound tops. It's weird hearing yr song played through the stereo how you imagined it in yr head, and at the same time sounding totally unlike what it sounded like before. It's almost as if we got someone else in to record our sounds and present them to us. Really pleased with the days progress, fingers crossed by end of Saturday we will have a shiny CD with our tracks on, mixed with vocals, ready for yr aural consumption. I can't wait.

Pictures to follow of some of the studio funsies we had.

PS// We came second in our heat of the Battle of the Bands. Remind me to post the link where you can vote us into the final. Don't let the dream die yet!

A beginning...

2009-02-08T12:24:00.000-08:00

Hello, and welcome to the Decadence in Berlin blog. We probably won't write here much because we don't really know what to say. However there is a chance we may.

I've got a new toy, namely a MicroKorg synthesiser which I'm going to start writing new material with. It makes sounds like space and dying robots and is pretty much the most fun you can have with two hands apart from many other things which I won't mention here out of common decency. This will probably replace the ancient Casiotone keyboard that I've been using, although for the recording of 'I Am a Camera' I shall probably stick to the Casio, just because I wrote it on that poor old thing. Anyway, here's a little photo of the glorious noise machine.

Ah yes, recording. It looks like we may be doing that very soon, maybe next week. We hope to record a halfdozen tracks for an EP which we've tentively titled 'Setbacks'. But I'll write more about that in the future. Before then we've got a couple of gigs: tomorrow night (Monday 9th Feb) we are playing at Rasputin's in Wellington as part of the ScallyWags clubnight. We shall be playing with Inertia, the recently reformed PennyFamous, and the reworked Nylon Shark. On Wednesday night (11th) we will be down the road at The Haygate, Wellington, this time with Ricochet, Someone Else and Nylon Shark.

Last weeks Battle of the Bands at Wolverhampton went relitively well, with us coming second in our heat, and whilst this means we didn't get through into the second round we can still get into the final at the Civic Hall if we get enough people to get over to http://botb1.wolvescivic.co.uk/ and vote for us (HINT! HINT! HINT!). It doesn't take long and we will love you lots if you do spend a couple of minutes helping us out!

That's all I can think of at the moment, so I shall leave you with a nice photo of us looking rather spiffing after hearing we came second last Wednesday.

Warm emotions,
Graham x