Reviews

Luxury Pop (part 2)

rescuecat@rescuecatmusic.com (Rescue Cat) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:38:00 +0000

Meow!

So, I thought I might have to do a follow up blog after the last one! F*ck me you lot are picky! 'Wot no Sade?' 'Where are ABC?' etc etc. Time to put the Luxury Pop vibe into perspective once and for all. Let's break it down;

BANDS I LEFT OUT LAST TIME

ABC. Although part of me thinks they're 'Proto-Luxury' becasue of the date of the album, there's no mistaking the fact that Mr Fry and co make perfect luxury pop. Imagine a bar of Imperial Leather soap in song form...

Next up has to be The Style Council. I discarded them at first (I guess I thought they were more blue eyed soul than Luxury) but there's simply no denying how perfect Weller's brand of pop actually is....

Curiosity Killed The(Rescue)Cat...

Now, The Blow Monkeys. Here is a comment from the You Tube page. It says it all really...

'Terrific tune. It was a period of time during the 80's when soul music was blue-eyed bands. The sound was mature. England reinvented the soul music of the 70's with a very elaborated sound. Every period of time into the history of rock music is fascinating because it teaches a lot of. The problem today is that many people don't appreciate many good things and the reason is the poor intellectual societies that we have even in America'

Nicely put huh?! Luxury is definitely a British pop phenomonen. Anyway, here's the track....

Don't know about you but I fancy getting a job in the city, doing loads of coke and voting Tory.

Aztec Camera?! F*ck yes!

BANDS I'M NOT LETTING IN

Level 42. Although Mark King played bass for Swing Out Sister, they are just too 'Mondeo funk' for my liking. Here's some more about Mondeo Man...

'...We all know this bloke, right? Conservative at heart, New Labour by invention, upwardly mobile, a homeowner and a family guy, but, you know, not a total toolbag. Mondeo Man was the acceptable face of petit-bourgeois small mindedness..'

Harsh but you know where I'm coming from right?

Sade. This is tricky. She's smooth as an otter's codpiece but she's just a little bit too RnB/jazz for this category. Luxury is more about bands really. Oh I don't know, I'll happily change my mind about her if someone puts forward a decent argument...

Lloyd Cold and The Commotions. A bit too late and a bit too indie.

Frankie Goes To Hollywood are on the periphery but their roots are in dance pop really. The whole bondage/leather/military vibe isn't Luxury really either...

ONE HIT WONDERS

A few classics from the cannon, and then I REALLY do need to go and do some work...

Anyway, I've essembled a Luxury Pop playlist on MySpace if you want to have a listen.

CAT FACT NUMBER 84...

It has been scientifically proven that stroking a cat can lower one's blood pressure.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Luxury Pop (explained)

rescuecat@rescuecatmusic.com (Rescue Cat) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:04:00 +0000

Yes bruv!
I was p*ssed at a 30th birthday party the other night (friends of my older sister of course) and someone stupidly arxed me what kind of music I made as Rescue Cat. Without missing a beat, I replied 'Basically, it's called Luxury Pop'. Cue howls of derision and laughter from my friends. They obviously wanted me to explain such a statement and so I thought it best I try and do that via my blog...
Ok, so....

Luxury Pop in it's purest form is mid/late 80s pop/rock with a certain panoramic/widescreen feel to the production. It's also more cerebral in it's lyrical approach than other certain pop outfits of the time such as Wham! or Her Madjesty (obviously, Howard Jones' self help physco-babble might not strictly fit in with this).
For me, some of the bands that best sum up this genre (one that our keyboard player Bear made up a few weeks back) are as follows...

Scritti Politti

Howard Jones

Duran Duran of course. Although, they do also fit into a genre all of their own that I like to call 'Yacht Pop' which does crossover. Robert Palmer is often in this category too.

Nick Kershaw

Prefab Sprout

The wonderful Talk Talk

Swing Out Sister (extra points to them for having been part of Post-punk fucksters ACR

The Thompson Twins

And although they came out of the Synth Britannia school, the following bands definitely became luxury. I like to call them 'Proto Luxury'

Human League

Tears For Fears

Lennox and Stewart of course

A few people contested that the following bands were Luxury, and for one reason or another, they were wrong. I'll explain...

Although expansive and synthy, Depeche Mode had their roots in synth Brittania but were always a bit too S&M and gothy for Luxury.

New Order Because of where they started I have to turn them down. They are too Post-Punk/Synth Brittania I think. Perhaps Proto. I really don't know. The jury is out...

Bowie is a tricky one. He's much too much of a pop chameleon to be put into one category but for sure, Let's Dance was all about the luxury.

And as much as they fit into the category perfectly, I won't allow Go West to be involved because quite frankly they're rubbish really. Don't agree? Watch this..

I realised I've opened a MASSIVE can of worms here. I will of course welcome any debate on who should and shouldn't be allowed to be allowed in our Luxury Pop genre! Let me know if I've made any glaring omissions and I'll post them up on the next blog. Bear, Simply Red are not allowed for similar reasons to Go West. Also, the album Stars was 90s.

Speaking of Luxury Pop, Rescue Cat will be playing Mother Bar, 333 Old St next Wed the 2nd Dec. It's our last date before the New Year so come along and share a mince pie or two.

CAT FACT NUMBER 3:

Recent studies have shown that cats can see blue and green. There is disagreement as to whether they can see red.

That's good one huh?!

Later yeah?

Rescue Cat Loves Rescue Dog (and CC)

rescuecat@rescuecatmusic.com (Rescue Cat) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:43:00 +0000

I was struggling with topics to rant about for this blog when I was sent a link which made me re-examine the way I look at life, the unviverse and everything.
Poor doggy gets run over and then his little friend tries to drag him to safety. I can barely type this as my eyes are full of tears...

IN PRAISE OF CLAUDIA CARDINALE

I always like to bring sexy people from the past to your attention. My good friend Darkus (TM) and I are going to see a Western next week called Once Upon A Time In The West by the famous Sergio Leone and I swear the only reason we're both going (forget all that 'wonderful cinematography/stunning landscape/sombre themes of alienation' business) is for the titular talents of Miss Cardinale.
Despite having been in classics like 'The Pink Panther' and Federico Fellini's '8½', Cardinale never made a real attempt to break into the American market since she was not interested in leaving Europe for extended periods of time.
AND HERE'S THE COOL BIT, she has been UNESCO good will ambassador for the Defense of Women's Rights since 1999. In 2006 (World Water Year) she symbolically extended such a role for the Defense of the Rights of the Absolute Woman: Mother Earth while declaring her support for Powerstock, a sustainable electronic music festival that proposes a "water-consciousness" for youth culture and seeks to make sustainability an integral part of mainstream culture. She is involved in many humanitarian causes and currently lives in Paris. AND I LOVE HER.

Oh yeah, music stuff. We've got a gig with 'hot new Warner's signing' Animal Kingdom as part of a secret gig (not so secret now is it?) they're doing at Cross Kings on York Way NEXT WED the 28th Oct. It will be a very busy gig so please come down early, we should be on about 8.30pm. Please CLICK HERE for more info...

CAT FACT NUMBER 18:
The cat's clavicle (or collarbone) does not connect with other bones but is buried in the muscles of the shoulder region. This lack of a functioning collarbone allows them to fit through any opening the size of their head.

Later yeah?

RC x

Bardot's bum

rescuecat@rescuecatmusic.com (Rescue Cat) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:49:00 +0000

How are we?
First things first. Happy Birthday Bridget Bardot! So what if she turns 75 on Monday? So what if she looks like this now and is a complete f*cking loon? I probably still would (lucky her!).
Oh BB, only you could pull off a catsuit as God awful as the one in this video...

If you're as much of an obsessive Bardot fan as I am, it might interest you to know that a gallery in Mayfair is showing a collection of rare photos of the French sex kitten. God bless them. Here's a taster pic...

Oops! She's naked!

Anyway, Rescue Cat is playing a gig on Monday to wish Bardot a happy 75th. She likes animals and so do I. Come along to Proud Gallery in Camden to see the show. It's a stellar line up featuring electro pop from Columbia's new signing Dansette Junior and soul pop from Zarif. Should be ace. Check this link for more details.

Have a lovely weekend!

CAT FACT 39:
Ancient Egyptian family members shaved their eyebrows in mourning when the family cat died.

Strictly Martina's butt (and Cattersea)

rescuecat@rescuecatmusic.com (Rescue Cat) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:35:00 +0000

Yes bruv! What's good?
Instead of having to sit through Strictly Come Dancing to placate my girlfriend, I might choose to watch it this time around because sexy coked-up tennis ace Martina Hingis will be one of the contestants. I'm expecting big things from her...

Is she balancing a tennis ball on her arse? Amazing...

Right, standard sexist nonsense out of the way, let's talk about music and cats-two of my favourite things of course!
A couple of weeks ago Bear (our synth player) saw an article about the crisis facing the cattery at Battersea Dogs and Cats home. They were running out of space for the poor little kitties. He suggested doing a benefit show to raise some funds. Click here to see the heartbreaking story!
So, after pulling a few favours with a few people, we put on a show last night at The Abbey in Kentish Town and we managed to raise lots of money for our furry friends!
First up was a musician called Otto Fischer. Unfortunately, he decided to stop halfway through his set and leave so I didn't manage to take any photos of him. He said the immortal words 'Shut the f*ck up, I'm trying to sing' which didn't really help his cause. Anyway, fair play to him for showing up and playing. If I stopped everytime people were talking during my set it would sound like some John Cage opus named 'four hours of silence' or something.
Anyway, next up was yours truly. We introduced our new backing singer Cass to the world, she passed with flying colours. Here's a moody black and white shot..

You can't really make out my top but it's entirely covered in little cat heads. We offered a bottle of champagne for the best cat themed outfit of the night and I won hands down. There were no other entries but that's not the point.

Next up was brummie singer-songwriter David Garside. Lovely stuff from him as usual. His album comes out on Frizz records on the 28th Sept. Check out Rescue Cat's mascot Alan sneaking in the background...

Art terry was next to grace the stage. Imagine if Sly Stone was a children's storyteller or something. Anyway, weird and wonderful stuff from this Californian (via Berlin and London) singer-songwiter.

Last but not least, soulful ska from the lovely Joy Joseph with a guest appearance from Mc Angel and some joker with a cowbell...

Cat related tunes were spun by the famous Indie Dad. Here is the set list if you're interested..
Al Stewart - Year Of The Cat/Robert John - The Lion Sleeps Tonight/Carl
Perkins - Put Your Cat Clothes On/ABBA - The Tiger/Catatonia - I Am The
Mob/The Ramones - Pet Cemetary/Stiff Kittens - Fatboy/Cat -
Catpower/Kittenbirds - You, Me & Jesus/T-Rex - Cat Black/Tom Jones -
what's New Pussycat?/Cat Stevens - Wild World/Buck Owens - I've Got A
Tiger By The Tail/Stray Cats - Runaway Boys/Squeeze - Cool For Cats/Kits
- She's The Number One/The Rooftop Singers - Tom Cat/Chris Barber's Jazz
Band - Wild Cat Blues/Tiger - Race/Extradition Order -
Matches Meet Petrol (RESCUE CAT REMIX)

So, a very cool night. Massive thanks to those of you that got involved and made it down to support the cause, it was much appreciated and those kitties will love you forever! Someone showed me their cat socks at the end of the night but that champagne had my name ALL OVER IT!

CAT FACT NUMBER 34:
Recent studies have shown that cats can see blue and green. There is disagreement as to whether they can see red.

Later yeah?

RC x

'Does Barry Manilow know that you raid his wardrobe?'

rescuecat@rescuecatmusic.com (Rescue Cat) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:45:00 +0000

It's sad day for all 80s children when John Hughes kicks the bucket. The ultimate 'F*ck you I won't tidy my bedroom' teen-angst film director, Hughes is responsible for one of my all time favourite films, The Breakfast Club.
Aside from the very cheesy 'When you get old your soul dies' last 10 mins, there is some great dialogue and I'll bet, just like me, if you were an impressionable teenage boy watching this film, you wanted to be John Bender! Look how on trend he is with the shirt. Legend!

A little while ago I was arxed by The Mahogany Blog to give them my '10 songs that influenced me' list thing. He did a little profile piece on me and then provided links to the songs I'd chosen. Take a look. Not really sure what it says about my music taste but the AC/DC video is a treat! Please leave a comment on the site too.

Tidy bit on animation here. He's got the cat down to a tee! Especially the chirping noises. Enjoy!

Bored at work? Try this site! Just upload a photo of yourself and you'll be able to see what you would have looked like as a 1950s jock or even a 1960s hippy. Had I graduated high school in 1980, I would have looked like this!

CAT FACT NUMBER 6:

A cat will almost never "meow" at another cat. This sound is reserved for humans.

Later

Pet hates, pop star's nipples and your fortune!

rescuecat@rescuecatmusic.com (Rescue Cat) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:30:00 +0000

Wha'gwarn?
I'm afriad I'm not feeling that inspired today folks, so I think you all know what that means?! Yep....more tits! I know it's not very original but it's fun none the less I'm sure you'll agree?
Did anyone see those photos of Madonna looking like one of Gunther von Hagen's Bodyworld's pieces?

Ouch! Well, to take your mind of that, here's a picture of her way back in the late 70s when she modelled for some dodgy arty/soft porn photographer. Much better don't you think? Nice pussy too...

I actually owned the Playboy issue from 1985 that published those photos! I got in in New York from the same vintage store that Madge goes into in Desperately Seeking Susan and buys that weird pyramid jacket thing. Alas, the shop isn't there anymore and some f*cker stole my Playboy years ago. Life's a bitch huh?

CAT READS YOUR FORTUNE AND WISHES YOU HAPPITY HOCKS

No, I've no idea what that means either...

On a far more serious note, guardian.co.uk posted a blog a little while ago asking for people's most hated phrases. Unfortunately I couldn't remember my login details or I would have had a field day. Here are a short list of mine...

POPPED IN
'I just popped into the shop quickly'. Oh please f*ck off.

BUMPED INTO
'How funny, I just bumped into Jack in Budgens'. Really? You physically knocked into him? No, you SAW him didn't you? That's it. No f*cking 'bumping' was invloved.

CHAT
'Have you got time for a quick chat?' No, go away you dullard.

CUPPA (often used in conjunction with all of the above to great effect)
'Random! I popped into Starbucks and bumped into Sally. We had a nice chat and a cuppa' DO ONE CHUNKY!

I think the problem I have is that all of the above phrases are used by what I call Normal Bloke TM. The man on the street. Joe Normal. Do you know what I'm getting at? No, nobody else I know seems to understand either. I realise that all of you use these words all the time and have no problem with it. Sorry. Rant over. There are many more phrases that make me want to be sick on my white trousers but I've got more boobs to fit into this blog so I'll save them for next time...

Check dis out doe..

And these...

Jay-Z's done alright for himself considering he looks a bit like a camel.

Right, last but not least, Rescue Cat is playing at 93 Ft East NEXT Friday the 7th August at a club night called Slipped Disco. Should be lots of fun. Please come along. IT'S FREE!

CAT FACT NUMBER 18:

Cat's urine glows under a black light

Later yeah?

RC x

Yacht Rock Party 06/07/09

rescuecat@rescuecatmusic.com (Rescue Cat) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:25:00 +0000

What you sayin blaad?
A massive thanks for everyone who made it down to 93 Ft East last Monday to help celebrate the release of £10 Bag on itunes. I hope you all enjoyed the fine array of live music on show and the finest in yacht rock and 80s pop from our amazing DJs The Dallas Guild and Alex Morris.
I've got some excellent photos of the night courtesy of a very talented photographer called Ian Bines. Please check his shizzle out here.

Fiest up we had a few acoustic numbers from the delightful Aloosh who reminded me of late Talk Talk in places. Haunting and jazzy. Very nice. Apparently Aloosh is a Polish word for that grey/white fluff that gathers in your navel or something like that. Here's a picture of Jodie from the band...

Next up was a singer songwriter who had been highly recommended to me. Her name is Leila Adu and she's a Kiwi via Rome. Her music is very unique indeed and you'll have to go check out her myspace page as I can't really describe it properly. A bit blues, a bit performance art. She started the set singing from right at the back of the room which was funny. I could see that 'Oh here we go, another crack-head from the East End has wondered in off the street' look on a few people's faces but they soon got it...

Next up was some joker who dressed like he was sailing the Amalfi coast in some sort of 80s nightmare...

His band were good though and the cover of 'Don't Stop Believing' by Journey seemed to raise a smile-especially judging by backing singer Joanna's reaction here..

Next up were The Laurel Collective who never fail to fizz with energy and their melodic, twisting pop always makes me sit up and take notice. Their Keyboard player Mr Rainbow throws some great shapes too!...

Last, and arriving late as ever (but we'll forgive her as she was rehearsing with Kanyne West) was the brilliant Joy Joseph who once again had us skanking in the isles to her sunny blend of ska-tinged calypso. A great way to end the night...

Thanks to all those who gave up their time to play and all of you lovely people who made the effort to come along and support all the acts, it's appreciated. Now you can go and buy £10 Bag for all these free gigs I've given you! SEE BLOG BELOW FOR DETAILS!!!

Rescue Cat's next gig is at The Social on the 23rd July for Club Ugly. The night is free and it all kicks off at 8pm. We should be on nice and early.

CAT FACT NUMBER 14:

When a cat drinks, its tongue - which has tiny barbs on it - scoops the liquid up backwards!

In a bit yeah?..

Music that isn't free!

rescuecat@rescuecatmusic.com (Rescue Cat) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:52:00 +0000

Word up!
A couple of years ago I got all sentimental and wrote a song called £10 Bag. It's about friendship. It's about 80s computer games. It's also about heroin addiction. I like to cover many bases...

That's me on the left aged about 7. The girl in the bobble hat is called Beth. I don't know where she is now but I hope she's ok. £10 Bag is dedicated to her and to the memory of childhood friends.

Click on this button and you can buy a fully mixed and mastered version of £10 Bag on itunes.

You can also click on this button to buy the song featuring grime star Wretch 32

Weird concept buying music isn't it? Wonder if it'll catch on?..

By the way, have you seen this cat?...

Peace!

'No-one knows who they were. Or, what they were doing..'

rescuecat@rescuecatmusic.com (Rescue Cat) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:56:00 +0000

Yes bruv!
You enjoying this heatwave? I must say, it's tainted with a little sadness due to the fact that both Ana Ivanovic and Maria Sharipova are out of Wimbledon early AGAIN! I rememeber I wrote a similar post this time last year! Tedious!
I think instead of spending money on a new roof, they should promote the women's game more. Perhaps modify the dress code too? Something like this?..

Sorry, this weather is bringing out my baser instincts. You'll notice this blog is full of references to bottoms and stuff. Apologies...

So, I played at Glastonbury this year which is a nice touch. I was playing bass for the very talented Louise Golbey on the BBC Introducing stage. Click here to watch the performance. Luckily we got backstage passes which meant (a) no rubbing up against the great un-washed and (b) celeb spotting in the hospitality area. Well, I say celeb spotting but apart from the ginger one out of Girls Aloud, the most memorable moment was when Keith Allen asked me if I was in a queue for the food. Rock and f*cking roll man!
The musical highlight of the weekend, apart from Lady Gaga showing us all her arse.....

....was the return of the mighty Spinal Tap to the UK. I was standing next to these two guys who had built the original size model of Stonehenge as seen in the film (inches not feet) and it had taken them a week to do so! Good Effort!

Hopefully, this will expain all...

'Making a big thing of it would have been a good idea'. Classic!

So, don't forget, this Monday night at 93 Ft East I'll be throwing a little party to celebrate the digital release of £10 Bag. Bands and DJs all night for free plus edible CDs. Imagine that?! Please come down and say hello. If you can't make Monday, we are playing The lovely Abbey in Kentish Town the night after which is also free and has a great beer garden too.

See you at one or the other I hope?

Peas!

RC x

Just call me Vince Clarke!

rescuecat@rescuecatmusic.com (Rescue Cat) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 08:33:00 +0000

What's good?
It's Monday morning and it's cold and grey. At least we know where we stand. Not sure about you but this weather has thrown up a whole series of wardrobe challenges. Too hot for a cardigan, when wearing shorts do you wear socks or not? It's been tough I tell you.

'I too am extremely interested in this topic. I find not only the socks-and-shorts issue, but the entire sneaker universe, totally perplexing..' I couldn't agree more!

Anyroad, enough frivolity. Since you last read, I've played two whole gigs with my full band 'The Kittens'. Notting Hill Arts Club and The Tabernacle. They went well despite some angry lesbians and a Matt Bianco tribute band trying their best to f*ck us over. Long story, but if you were at The Tabernacle, YOU know what I'm talking about! Anyway, thanks to all of you who made it down to the gigs, I'm busy booking more as we speak. We have the 25th June booked at The Fence in Farringdon and the 7th July at The Abbey in Kentish Town. More details will follow..

Since I've been single, I spend my time making increasingly daft music. I suppose part of that is down to the fact that I'm drunk almost constantly. This weekend was no exception. It's another Alex Highton song called 'You Never Got To Me' that I've taken the vocals from and added my own 'special touch' too. The result is like a strange Eurasure-ish 80s nightmare. At least it's short I guess! Alex doesn't tend to write any songs that last longer than 2 minutes. If only more bands followed suit hey?!! It's yours to download as you see fit..

Right, I'm off to answer some telephones. Someone find me a girlfriend PLEASE. Then we can stop all this nonsense and I can write some proper songs again!
Speaking of girlfriends, I watched a film the other night, and this Spanish fella Javier Bardem (who to be fair looks like he's gone a few rounds with Ricky Hatton) was cracking on with..

Rebecca

Scarlett

AND Penelope!!!

As Joe Jackson once said, 'Is she really going out with him?'

In a bit yeah?

PEAS!

RC x

The Power of Twatter

rescuecat@rescuecatmusic.com (Rescue Cat) — Fri, 22 May 2009 10:12:00 +0000

Yes bluuhd!

In April 2009, one time model and star of 'that 70s show' Ashton Kutcher (now absurdly some kind of taste-maker) 'twittered' about my friend and fellow 'obscenely talented but unsigned' musician Alex Highton. It went something like 'Who passed on this guy Alex Highton's link to me? His stuff is amazing' and now, a month later, Alex has had 90,000 hits on his myspace page!

Never one to miss out on jumping on a bandwagon, I've done a collaboration with Alex untitled 'We Don't Need Your Disco'. Complete nonsense but it's got a nice bassline. It's also yours to download if you want it to come up occasionally when your ipod is on shuffle only for you to skip to the next tune. Check it here

Another reminder about my first full band show next Thursday 28th @ YOYO at Notting Hill Arts Club supporting I Blame Coco.

If you want to come in for £3, you've got to email otherwise you pay £5. On stage at 9pm.

Beofre I go, here's a tip for those of you who need something simple to spice up your love life. I only wish I needed one myself..

ENJOY!!!

Donnie Darko and COCO @ YOYO

rescuecat@rescuecatmusic.com (Rescue Cat) — Wed, 13 May 2009 10:18:00 +0000

Meow!

Do you ever get this feeling? When the new kid is in town?..

Anyway, hello to you please. Hope all is well. I just wanted to share my new promo video for the forthcoming digital release of £10 Bag. It was shot on a crappy little camera which was purchased from ebay for about £12. The shoot cost me the price of a quarter pounder with cheese meal. Maybe I was ripped off...

If you can, please rate and leave a comment on YouTube.

In other news, a date for the diary. I'm playing my first full-band show at YOYO at Notting Hill Arts Club on the 28th May. I'll be supporting Sting's daughter, the lovely Coco. So, COCO at YOYO! Nice thing! Here's a pointless banner that flashes..

Hopefully £10 Bag and special version of £10 Bag featuring grime starWretch 32 will be hitting itunes in the next 3-4 weeks. I'll spam the sh*t out of you about that so don't worry!
I also done a new tune on MySpizzle called 'What Happened To Us' about the long and slow and death of my last releationship! Don't worry, it's actually quite jolly! Click here to take a listen.

Gotta go, more pies to bake up, word up!

Please unsubscribe me from this list

rescuecat@rescuecatmusic.com (Rescue Cat) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:42:00 +0000

He's an interesting fact for you. Every time I've sent a link to my new blog post, I've had AT LEAST one email from someone asking me to remove them from my mailing list! F*cking cheek! It must mean I write really sh*t blogs because they will have put their email addresses down voluntarily in the first place at one of my gigs. I calculate that if I write another 200 or so blogs in the next few weeks, the only people still reading it will be my cousin in Scotland and Bryan and Luke at work. By the way, don't try and be funny and send me that very message..

While most of you spent Easter eating/seeing family/drinking/socialising etc, I spent it p*ssing off my housemates by attempting a cover of Journey's soft rock classic 'Don't Stop Believing'. F*cker took me two solid days to finish (most of that was through a drunken haze admittedly) and those are two days I won't ever get back. Was it worth it?! Is anything worth it really? Decide for yourself here

I was inspired by Shep Pettibone's 80s remixes for Madonna and the Pet Shop Boys with the cold, bleak sensibility of Nebraska era Springsteen. Obviously I missed the mark by a country mile. I mean, how can I compare? Look at him, JUST LOOK AT HIM!...

So, earlier this week I was mastering two versions of £10 Bag ready for digital download by the end of next month. I've also been rehearsing with a full band and I've booked my first show supporting I Blame Coco at YOYO in Notting Hill Arts Club on the 28th May. Sounds like a plan is beginning to hatch or something...

Anyway, it doesn't get much better than this next video. That f*cker Steve Perry isn't even straining for those top notes that nearly caused me a hernia. Ah, the 80s! They're coming back I reckon..

MEOW!!!!

Putting Archway Rd on the map!

rescuecat@rescuecatmusic.com (Rescue Cat) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:35:00 +0000

Me again!

After some fierce editing and re-touching by my good friend nick Palmer, my little promo video for 'Tom Is My Only friend' is finished!

Guest starring Louise Golbey as disgruntled passerby and Bruno Davey as common thief, the whole thing was shot in one afternoon (not that you would possibly guess) and features a special guest appearance by the original rescue cat my very own ginger tom Nigel.

Please leave a comment on YouTube if you have a account.

Peas!

A face only a mother could love

rescuecat@rescuecatmusic.com (Rescue Cat) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:20:00 +0000

I pride myself on being able to handle some pretty weird and scary stuff. One of my favourite films is Eraserhead. Check out this scene where the lead character Henry and his premature 'baby' share some quality time together...

I hope that's oatmeal..

So even though I find the dark, nightmarish side of life appealing, nothing prepared me for the results of my last photoshoot. My friend Brad is a very skilled photgrapher but I think he's repressing some issues somewhere. When he suggested we use a projector I said fine. When he suggested using masks I began thinking he was up to something sinister.

Here's the result of projecting my own face onto my own face.

I really want my mummy!

This is what happens when you put on a nice kiddie's cat mask...

'Hey Bru, how about we project some naked 50s burlesque girls onto you?'...

These, and some other dark visions can be found here and don't forget to lay off the cheese before bedtime.

Busy rehearsing and recording as usual. Will be gigging as a full band very soon..

'In heaven, everything is fine..'

Video Killed The Radio Star

rescuecat@rescuecatmusic.com (Rescue Cat) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 10:02:00 +0000

On the surface, my life seems prety dull. I work full-time answering phones (the Madonna style head-set is a delight to wear) and when I'm not doing that, I spend most of my free time listening to the same section of the same song over and over again while staring at a monitor which looks like this..

How cool is that?!

Anyway, last weekend I actually managed to do something rather exciting. I only went and shot a bloody video didn't I! Before you start picturing a crew of 20 media types standing around drinking big cups of coffee and wearing North Face puffer jackets while someone holds a long furry thing on the end of a pole, let me be the first to shatter that illusion. It was my friend Nick with a handheld camera, and me with a little dictaphone in my pocket miming to a song a could barely hear.
To be fair, we were joined by two friends who came to watch, laugh and take the best cameo roles but that was it. The idea was that I was hitching around various parts of North London but instead of holding up signs for 'Luton' or 'Stevenage' (to pick two very poor examples), I had destinations like 'Respect', 'Recognition' and 'Happiness'. Clever stuff huh?! Here are some stills from it..

We should have it finished in a week or so. Surprisingly little in the way of 'You sh*tty pink shoe b*stard' type abuse from motorists, but safe to say, nobody stopped to pick me up. To add to the excitement in my life, I did a photoshoot yesterday as well. Some very dark and disturbing images in there I'm telling you. Creepy cat masks and projectors! Will let you know about the results as and when I get them..

I'm going to leave you with a quite brilliant bit of footage. Pointless if you haven't got sound on your PC but if you have, you'll be squirming with delight. Some joker (and currently unemployed sound tech ) at this Van Halen gig managed to playback all the keyboard sounds for 'Jump' at slightly the wrong pitch which means that when the band start playing, the whole thing is a bombastic, tuneless mess! (some might say the original isn't much better) Enjoy!

Fisting The Night Away

rescuecat@rescuecatmusic.com (Rescue Cat) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 22:04:00 +0000

Sorry it's been so long but I was mad busy over Christmas. I wish I was more like my furry friend here..

So, while you've been sitting on the sofa pulling out your fillings with the toffee dregs of the Quality St while watching CBB6 (or CBeebies for those of you with kids), I've been spending every spare hour cycling to various parts of London to stare at computer monitors while listening to the same song over and over and over and over and over again. Some of the fruits of my labour can be found here

There's a new song wot I done with Ben Ash @ Think Tank called 'Pushing On A String' which should be available for you to download from the profile page. Drop me a line if you can't and I'll send the mp3 to you. It's maybe not in my usual maudlin druggy style, but it's got lots of energy and hey, it's free ain't it?!

By the way, Please keep March 1st, April 5th and May 3rd (bank holiday Sunday) free as I'm putting on my own nights at The Social. Lots of bands, DJs and a frikkin bubble machine for Christsakes! What more do you need? It's free to get in but we'll ask for donations to Cat's Protection on the door. Anyway, I'll bombard you sensless with more details in a couple of weeks.

By the way, here's the secret to the Obama's happy relationship. I keep trying to tell my girlfriend but she won't listen...

Later yeah?

Bless x

Don't it make you feel good? The Abbey 21/10/08

rescuecat@rescuecatmusic.com (Rescue Cat) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 10:58:00 +0000

So, I played the Sound Bites night at The Abbey in Kenny T this week. Alright already, I know I said I'd never play an open mic again, but I'm a complex and contrary guy, a bit like Joe Kinnear but without the good looks and easy charm. For example, I once said to a friend: “If I'm still trying to do music when I'm 30, kill me.” Only three years to go then…

Anyway, I recently drafted in two very gifted musicians to help me with the live set-up but they weren't available so my friends Lizzi and Bruno had to stand in. I'm joking of course.

Unfortunately, there are no pictures from the gig, but trust me, it was a sight to behold. There I was, wearing my best Stephan Dennis haircut, flanked on one side by some joker in Joy Division fancy dress with bedeviling salt and pepper hair, and on the other by a woman bearing more than a passing resemblance to the young Queen Victoria wearing a brown trench coat. Very sinister indeed.

Here are some photos to help you feel the vibe:

Get the idea?!

Indie Dad (TM) was filming the show. Check out the footage. Here's a shameless plug there for his superb I Blame The Parents label.

Now, normally with these blogs I review the other acts in a mildly sarcastic and cooler-than-though Vice mag manner, but with all this fearmongering talk of credit crunch, global recession, general Armageddon and Madge and Guy’s split, I think it’s time to put aside petty opinions and support my fellow artistes.

I can safely say the other acts were of a high standard.

Headlining was Kevin Molloy. He’s a smiley-eyed fellow with an excellent beard who plays easygoing drinking music with a folksy feel and shades of Dire Straits. Definitely no bad thing.

And Rescue Cat was no end of glad to see the first act, a Mr Ed Sheeran, using a Boss loop pedal to great effect. I wonder where he got that idea, eh? Oh, Doctor Didg? Right you are. Mr Sheeran also played the smallest guitar in the world, and what with his excellent human beatbox skills made a joyful Beardy Manonesque racket. Make sure you check him if you get the chance.

Anyway it seemed that the new Rescue Cat live show went down a storm, with one guy assuring me afterwards that it was “sick”. That’s “sick” as in “healthy” as in “bad” as in “good”, yeah? Ok, I’ll stop now.

One last thing. I've just posted the first of my new collaborations on MySpizzle. It's a song called Cut Copy Paste and has been produced with a very talented fella called Alex Morris in a warehouse loft overlooking the scenic Regent’s canal in Islington. I was told on a clear day you can see all the way to the shopping trolleys. My friend Ben said it's a cross between Talking Heads and Hot Chip. Although obviously it’s not as bad as all that! Hopefully there are more collaborations to come so I'll keep you posted. Take a lizzen, you know you want to.

That's it for now. Y’all come back now you hear?…

Disclaimer: This Rescue Cat blog has been edited by my keyboard bitch Bruno. He fancies himself as a bit of a writer and frankly has too much free time on his hands. Like I told him, you can't polish a turd...

Um...y'know...um...y'know...

rescuecat@rescuecatmusic.com (Rescue Cat) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:59:00 +0000

Hello my friends!
For any of you that know me, I sometimes follow the trials and tribulations of a football team called Tottenham Hotspur. A joyless task really but it can be entertaining, a bit like a soap opera. I recently saw a film called 'In Bruges' and there's a scene where Colin Farrell is looking at a painting depicting purgatory and he says '..it's a place where you end up if you're not really sh*t but you're not really good either. A bit like Tottenham..' That kind of sums it up really. Not a bad film either. The trailer looks shit but it's decent..

So, listening back to an post-match interview recently, I counted how many times Leadly King (sometime defender and captain) said the word 'y'know' in this bit of audio. It's 43 I think. In two and a half minutes, that's not bad going. Take a listen. Simply copy this link into your browser and be amazed!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/7639440.stm

Yep, I'm bored shitless as you can imagine. Anyway, back to music. I've been tarting myself about a bit recently. Trying to get some remixes and collaborations done with people who actually know what they're doing. At the moment, you can hear the results of one mix that Tim Holmes (Death In Vegas) did of 'I heart NY'. The link to my profile is bottom right of this page so it should start playing when you go there. I'm also waiting to hear back from guys in Japan, the US and Germany who are working on remixes. Should be interesting.
Been in rehearsals lately too. I've booked two gigs this month, both local, and hopefully the full band sound will work and it'll be goodbye forever to open mic, one-man band nonsense forever! Check out the gig details on my myspace page.
Lastly, again my hair and image have changed since you last saw me. I'm a bit West Side Story (jackets and pumps) meets Joy Division (70s office worker) meets 80s Breakfast Club hair. Imagine these three styles mixed together and you've got it pretty much..

Ah yes, it's a car crash alright!

See you at the gigs!

RC x

I Blame The Parents 14/06/08 (and tennis)

rescuecat@rescuecatmusic.com (Rescue Cat) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 10:03:00 +0000

Any interest I had in Wimbledon (Ivanovich and Sharipova) has now disappeared, so I might as well write this blog while I have a few minutes. Look at what you could have won though...

Anyway, I decided that last Tuesday was to be my last solo gig because I realised recently that if was going to have to play another open mic or acoustic night, I was going to either expose myself, or start self-harming at the soundcheck, and I thought that should be a good point to stop.
So, I was playing a showcase for Indie Dad's 'I Blame The Parents' records label. He's a 40-something music lover who travels into London (he's from Chesham-you know all about that readers) at least once a week to see bands and writes an excellent blog. He decided that he should try and do a single's club for the bands he likes. He puts out CDs or vinyl and does all the artwork himself. Please check it out Indie Dad's record label right here
The venue is the rough and ready Macbeth in Hoxton which I've already blogged about. Check my archives if you don't believe me. Indie dad had prepared sandwiches and crisps for the performers and set up his video camera ready to catch the action! Fiest up was a sweet wee bairn from Scotland called Ross Drummond A bit too intimate for a pub like the Macbeth but you could tell the songs were there. Cool guy and had the best belt I've seen in a long time..

Next up was A swell guy from Sheffield called Benjamin David he had a cool little boom box necklace thing on but I didn't take a photo of it. Sorry! He was acoustic as well but usually plays live with a glockenspiel player which sounds cool. Again, the stuff was good. I took a photo which looks like he's playing in a garden centre...

Next up was me. I was going for the 'electro Ivan Lendl' look but you can't really tell from this photo. I had shorts on and a little bit of neon in the t-shirt. I think I played well because I was glad it was the last time I would have to multi-task. Thank f*ck for that! My chin looks a bit soft for my liking here and I look proper p*ssed off...

Next up were a Spanish Pavement-esque outfit Docksud who were lead by a interesting looking singer and reminded me of good things. They had the quiet-noisy-quiet thing down to a tee. God bless them!

Last but not least a band I'd played with a this venue last year from Warrington called Extradition Order They're noisy mothers and no mistake. The singer plays a castrol GTX guitar a la Bo Diddly! Classic. I hope they get to go on their planned eastern European tour, I would love to see the audience's faces!

And that was it really. I fond farewell to my solo career. No more lugging equipment around London on my own, no more sh*tty acoustic nights, no more trying to do 3 things at once badly, no more playing to 4 people on a Tuesday night, and hopefully, no more running away from my own gigs!

Bring it on!

Rescue Cat Presents...25/05/08

rescuecat@rescuecatmusic.com (Rescue Cat) — Wed, 28 May 2008 12:00:00 +0000

Alright?
Does anyone actually read this sh*t?
Ok, after all the excitement of Euorvision (did anyone else feel let down by the Daft Punk produced Sebastien Tellier tune?) and the absolutely turd weather, I wasn't expecting much from my night at The Social. Let's put it this way, I wouldn't have ventured out of my house that night so big love to those of you who came along. We started with a little funk and soul courtesy of DJ Laughing Boy/The Silver Fox AKA Bruno Davey. Lovely stuff. Then Mr Husdon and Wilkie Wilkinson were up first. Ben played an acoustic number and then roped me in to play some out of time drums with him and Wilkie-who was playing a melodica but looked like Stephen Hawking at feeding time or something. Ben was wearing bright lumo orange contact lenses too...

http://www.myspace.com/mrhudson

Not really! My camera was on the wrong setting that's all. Next up were a group of charmless Americans called Michael Runion. The venue put them on, nothing to do with me. A miserable lot really. Plus they drunk and ate most of my tab at the bar. It's strange but American musicians expect a lot of free sh*t, and they're not shy about asking for it. Fair play to them I guess. To be fair, their music was ok. Nothing special but ok. Here's a photo if you really care...

http://www.myspace.com/michaelrunion

Next up a bit of mash-up dj action from Wilkie Wilkinson. Most of his CDs skipped but I don't think anyone noticed. I think they thought he was cutting it up on the turntables (as they say!) Time for some grime from my man Wretch 32. Went down really well too. We did one of our collabz which seemed to get people going. It's called 'Wretchro Bros' and it's on my myspace profile if you want to check it out. He's a really unclear photo of us both..

http://www.myspace.com/wretchclart

Next up Lizzi Beze with some spoken word action. Great stuff. We did a version of my song I heart NY where she raps in the verses. Super! Here she is giving it some..

http://www.myspace.com/lizzibeze

Then I did a couple of tunes and Bob's your uncle. Top night. I want to thank everyone who made it down on Sunday. Lots of old (and I mean really old looking) faces. Was cool. I might do it again sometime...
Other than that, I was recording in Olympic studio last week which was nice. Pete Tong was in the room next to mine. Not so cool I guess. His Range Rover is quite impressive though.
Last but not least you should check out Indie Dad on MySpace who's started 'I blame The Parents Records'. He's doing a singles club and he's putting out £10 Bag as a limited edition 100 CDs with brilliant artwork. Go seek him out..

http://www.myspace.com/indiedad

Can't get these links to work so you'll have to copy and paste. Sorry!

Gotta go, more pies to bake up, word up!

RC x

Never In A Month Of Sundays Pt 2

rescuecat@rescuecatmusic.com (Rescue Cat) — Mon, 12 May 2008 20:08:00 +0000

Word up!
Ok, I had the second of my four Sunday gigs last night at The Abbey in Kentish Town. To thoroughly prepare myself, I went out the night before, got absolutely hammered, and finally got to bed at 8am Sunday morning. Yeah, I felt like a pig shat in my head. Not good. I didn't need to worry too much because everyone was in the beer garden and I only had an audience of three. Fair play, I wouldn't have gone in to watch me either. A friend of mine persuaded four of her mates to come along but even they couldn't be arsed, and stayed outside for the whole night, as did most of the pub funnily enough.
Here's an arty shot of me through a beer glass...

I played quite well. I had a few technical problems but I was so hungover I just went with it. The guitar cutting out through the whole first three songs of my set gave it a certain minimalist edge. Apparently my voice sounded better than it's ever done! If that means I have to go and get w*nkered every night before a show, who am I to argue?
There was a decent act on the bill. They were a french duo, one boy and one girl, both quite cute, and they did an indie/electro/French/dreamy sort of set. It really suited my mood. When the set was over, he lent over and kissed her and you could hear all the guys in the room (all 6 of them) give a little sigh of disappointment! The guy had some Converse Starlon on though so fair play to him. They are high-tops that I'd never seen before. Remember Hi-Tec Manhattans? A bit like those. Anyway, to hear them, go to www.myspace.com/telegrammeaJane
Here's areally sh*t photo of them..

Finally, big up to my number one fan Jellyfish. He comes to every North London gig I play the crazy fool. He always get's the beers in and although he compares my stuff to some really dodgy bands, he keeps me going! We even got a veggie burger on the way home together as he helped carry my stuff up Kentish Town Rd! Here's a photo of him doing what he does best!...

Bless him!

Ok, so this Sunday's gig is in a basement bar. Chances of me getting an audience? Probably the same as Spurs qualifying for the Champion's League next season. Why do I bother I hear you ask? I do it for you dear reader! My blog would be dull otherwise wouldn't it?!!

In a bit yeah?

RC x

Never In A Month Of Sundays Pt 1

rescuecat@rescuecatmusic.com (Rescue Cat) — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:23:00 +0000

How are we?
Well, I finally moved back to London last week. From this....

To this...

Give me dogshit on the pavement, Eastern European brothels and hoodies on the corner any day. Boris The Clown may have just been elected mayor but still, it's my home so what can I do?
Anyway, I'm doing a gig every Sunday this month culminating in my own night at The Social in Little Portland St on 25th May. Should be a good night that one. So, to kick this month off, I played a pub called The Queen Bodicea near Angel. Little did I know until I turned up that it was an open mic night. Regular readers of my blog will know I have said, on more than one occasion, that I would never do an open mic ever again. I never listen to my own advice so I deserve everything I get.
There was the usual earnest bed-wetting dross, lots of it too. However, a few things stood out. First was a guy with a similar haircut to me, kind of WW2 pilot wave, but his looked less aysemetric and more unintentional than mine. His voice was like an angel. really ethereal. Very odd but stood out a mile. Go to http://www.myspace.com/skopjemusic and see if you agree. Next up, a Scando girl playing a saw and singing songs about getting her bike nicked. It actually sounds better than it was. Look, she's MENTAL!!!

I got up and played three songs just with a guitar. It was bit weird without the beats and bleeps and you could really hear my voice. I thought it was a bit shit to be honest. I sounded like everyone else. I need my Korg and my drum machine or I sound like James Taylor or some other middle of the road bollocks. People say I'm over-critical but it's my music so I'm allowed to be. Plus, if I get in there first, it looks better!
Last but not least, was a guy that was pretty terrible, but looked exactly like my oldest friend from secondary school, Mark Fuller. This photo will mean absolutely nothing to almost everyone of you, but if you know Sparky (I have never, ever called him that and neither has anyone else I know), you won't quite believe it..

See what I mean?!! Oh no, I guess not....

So, one down, three to go...

RC x

So near so Spa

rescuecat@rescuecatmusic.com (Rescue Cat) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 11:59:00 +0000

Not much to report over the Easter period really. I'm still living in Chesham. Here's a view of Chesham Tower..

Anyway, to relieve the boredom of being there at Easter, I decided to join my housemate as he went for an afternoon of steam, sauna and sunbeds at his local gym.
Let this be a warning to you. When the receptionist asks 'Do you tan easily?' don't be a pr*ck and say 'Oh yeah, I never burn..'

I'll blog again when I've got some news on recordings...

Tarra you sh*tter!