Robyn Writes

Live: The Midnight Beast – HMV Institute Birmingham, 16/2/11

The Midnight Beast. It’s very hard to escape that name if you are a British teenager. A YouTube phenomenon, the comedy troupe have taken the internet by storm. Trending on Twitter and garnering over 250,000 fans on Facebook is quite the achievement in our new cyber-age. Naturally though, YouTube can no longer confine them and it’s up to the live arena to show us just what The Midnight Beast is all about. A sold out tour all across the UK confirms that YouTube just isn’t enough – The Midnight Beast are more than just a passing craze.

The minute I entered the HMV Institute, I was aware of two things. Firstly, I was the oldest person in the room bar parents. At twenty years old, this is a highly impressive (or pathetic, depending on your viewpoint) feat. Secondly, over eighty per cent of the audience were female. Perhaps the pull of Ashley Horne and Stefan Abingdon (Dru Wakely doesn’t seem to be gathering quite so many fans amongst the ladies) is just too much; a ridiculous amount of cheerleading outfits, eyeliner hearts and initials on cheeks and shrieking that could pierce even the hardiest of eardrums is commonplace across the floor. Maybe it’s my hardcore sensibilities. Maybe it’s because I knew that I was never quite that irritating in my teenage years. Either way, I could have decimated half of the audience there and then. What had I let myself in for? My sister and I stood, trying to spot the scattered males in the room, groaning every time a new girl squealed. The band weren’t even on yet and it was fast approaching 8. A range of school disco tunes – The Vengaboys’ classic Boom Boom Boom – filled the floor. Everyone was singing and dancing. Was I a scrooge for not joining in? Quite probably, but I was far too irritated to debate it. Doors opened at 6:30, what was going on?

I spoke too soon. The most horrendous ‘rapper’ strolled onto the stage, pet DJ in tow. ‘DO YOU LIKE TINIE TEMPAH?’ Hype Man Sage screamed, before proceeding to take a huge shit all over a Tinie Tempah song. There were vague hints of original material, but they were mediocre at best; a ‘comedic’ song about bouncers barring you from clubs because you’re wearing shiny white trainers was the only thing I really remember, and it was pretty bad. At one point, he asked us all if we liked dubstep. Everyone shouted yes. I’m surprised most of these kids know what dubstep is. Or was it just the excitement? The anticipation, calling them to agree? Or desperation, to get him off stage? I know that was my reason. Ludicrous.

And finally, The Midnight Beast rose to the stage, launching into latest single, ‘Just Another Boyband’. Dancers in tow and everything. The crowd went wild. I could barely see anything for a sea of arms raised high. I could barely hear anything for a while for the two girls directly in front of me screeching ‘OH MY GAAAAAAWD!’ at each other. But apart from that, it was pretty sweet! The skits work well when transposed to the stage, with fake katanas for ‘Ninjas’, a couple of male cheerleaders for ‘Booty Call’ and more make the whole thing seem just as fun and just as silly as on the internet. The Midnight Beast sadly don’t have a large amount of material, possibly making this tour seem a bit premature, but they still managed to fill a set despite having to rely on the covers (although of course, Tik Tok is what they’re known for) and a couple of the smaller skits such as ‘Walk With Us’. Interestingly, ‘Use Ya Head’ didn’t make the cut (it was pretty dire). The boys themselves seemed to be loving it, in their trademark jerseys and children’s t-shirts. It’s clear that they are enjoying every minute; the screaming fangirls blissful to their ears, if not to mine. Debuting some new material, with guitars and basses and everything(!), they couldn’t have seemed more happy. It was infectious. The finish on Tik Tok, their most famous song, could probably be heard echoing around half of Birmingham. And it was good.

Eventually, I found myself having a good night. Is it the Year Of The Beast? According to the calendar, yes. Do I see The Midnight Beast lasting past this year? It’s hard to say. YouTube fame can be shortlived; the minute a group gets it wrong, they drop instantly off the page, never to be heard from again. However, from what I heard in Birmingham, The Midnight Beast are definitely getting it very, very right. Here’s hoping that as they progress, their audience might grow up a little bit too.

Nightmare, man.

I recently featured a laptop failure. As in everything broke. Screen wouldn’t turn on, I needed a reformat… everything. Luckily, I have a lovely boyfriend who did it all for me, but it did mean that I couldn’t update for a while as Kitteh can’t work the internet, bless her. However, there’s a new post just below this one, enjoy!

Also going to be working on getting as much new content out as possible in the next couple of months. Tell us what you want to see.

xoxo – Ripper

Review: Cobra Skulls – Bringing The War Home [EP]

Cobra Skulls fast became a staple in my listening habits straight away with their debut, Sitting Army. An incredible album where everything has ‘Cobra’ in the title. Every song sounded a little different and there were songs about the lack of a scene and well… preachers and manwhores. American Rubicon, the follow up was just as spectacular, and we were left begging for the Skulls to make an appearance in the UK. Now, they’ve come forth with a new EP, Bringing The War Home, representing the beginning of a new era as they move from Red Scare to Fat Wreck. Can it measure up to their previous genius?

The short answer, is of course, yes. It’s the Cobra Skulls you know and love, but unlike previous albums, it’s clear to see where some of the influences are from on this one. That said, it’s all while sounding completely original and is a great addition to their discography. As the name may suggest, it’s somewhat more politically driven than previous material, but this is barely surprising – politics has always featured in a Cobra Skulls CD, just not as prominently. Ultimately, it’s a great listen. It’s still fun, it’s still fist pumpingly brilliant.

The EP opens on Doomsday Parade. A brass section, in my Cobra Skulls? It’s more likely than you think. The brass section as the end, as indicated by the lyric “You’ll make me a trumpet in your doomsday parade”, works well, adding to that feeling of fury and brings a completely new dimension to the song. The song itself refers to recent and ongoing troubles in Africa and the importance of uniting nations against terrorism and dictatorships, a pretty noble endeavour. Bringing The War Home certainly means this throughout – every song connects an issue in the world to America, making it painfully aware that even if you think you’re disconnected from this world of danger, you really are not. ICE In The Night is an upbeat affair, its lyrics underlying something much more sinister, as people are kidnapped in their sleep. The juxtaposition of such a jangly guitar part and upbeat vocals next to such a dark subject simply serves to make it more poignant.

Hot Sand is possibly the central affair in this whole EP, both literally and lyrically. Written from the perspective of American soldiers and discussing the state of affairs back home as well as out in Afghanistan, it perfectly displays the problems arising from, well… everywhere. It’s certainly my favourite track on the EP for its furious sound and its hark back to a previous era – the Offspring influence over the end section can’t be denied. It’s short and sweet but truly packs a punch. Give You Nothing is a Bad Religion cover that fits well with the rest of the songs, and features Fat Mike as well. Cobra Skulls really make the song their own without losing any of the original sound that made the song so damn great in the first place. This song can also be found on the Bad Religion tribute album, Germs Of Perfection.

Closing track, Life In Vain, is the perfect ender. Right from the bass lead in, it’s a pretty dancey affair and while not quite as overtly political as the other tracks, it still tells of scene politics and the struggle of making it in a band. Truly, Cobra Skulls are one of the few bands that have to worry about being original, because there are no other bands quite like them out there right now. Life In Vain is definite proof of that. It’s not quite as forceful as some of the other songs but in that respect, it makes a better closing track – a peaceful, thoughtful lead out.

Every song is under three minutes, proving that you don’t need to provide some kind of epic in order to succeed. Every song is right to the point; an onslaught of awesome. For an EP, it’s pretty expensive in the UK, costing about £7 for a CD copy but trust me, it’s worth every penny. A fantastic return for the Skulls!

4.5 out of 5 high fives!

obligatory request update

Hello! I promised myself that I’d get something up this weekend. It would have been earlier but I’ve had a nasty cold/virus this week which pretty much knocked me out. So there should be something up later today.

If you’d like us to take a look at your work, don’t hesitate to email it to us – ripper[at]twobeatsoff.co.uk. Depending on what kind of music you are, either Kitteh or I will take a look at it and if it’s good, hopefully spread the word a bit!

xoxo – Ripper

Review: Opting For Oblivion – Tomorrow Starts Today EP

Opting For Oblivion, by their own description, are a ‘punk/rock/metal’ band, hailing from Stoke-On-Trent. Despite some lineup troubles, they’ve managed to get their act together and have recorded a new three track EP, Tomorrow Starts Today. It’s certainly an optimistic title, indicating a fresh start and a hopeful future, but does the EP provide that? That is the question.

Opening track, To Your Grave, was perhaps not the best choice of opener. I’m of the firm opinion that you open and finish with your strongest tracks, and To Your Grave is potentially the weakest song on the EP. From the offset, I’m struggling to find where the ‘punk’ is in this, or even the ‘metal’. Misclassification is a common thread in the British music scene, with bands often referring to their influences as opposed to their actual music. But that’s cool, I’ll let it slide. I refuse to let slide the quite frankly average guitar solo in the middle, which sadly permeates its way throughout the rest of the EP – it sounds a bit like a stuck record and admittedly, fairly grating. The vocals are somewhat tinny, possibly down to the production, but interestingly this doesn’t follow through the EP, which is something to look forward to. On the whole, the track has that generic rock feel, the kind you encounter all too often at ‘battle of the bands’ nights down your local. If you like that kind of thing, then this track’s for you. If not, skip to the next.

Next track up is 6/8 < 1. Interesting title, sadly uninteresting song. It starts out a bit more promising than To Your Grave, but ultimately becomes the same slow, plodding affair. Opening with an attempt at a cocky classic rock riff and a bit of melody, it sounds more commanding before sliding back into a slow vocal section, then back into the riff, and back again, then a bit of bass, but not a twiddly guitar solo – this one’s much improved on the last song, but it’s still pretty generic. It’s garage rock 101, but sadly not the kind to make you want to mosh hard. Or even really bang your head.

The best track on the EP is most definitely its last, The World Through A Broken Lense. Probably should point out that ‘lense’ is spelt wrong. The opening is faster paced, with less focus on the “rock!’ and more on the melody. It’s more impressive than the rest because it’s not trying to grab your attention straight away and in that, it actually succeeds to make itself noticed. The vocals are still a bit dicey; I’m struggling to make out a fair few lines. But it sounds right with the music and that’s what matters. However, the song reaches a logical end and then starts right back in again, extending it past what would have been the right length and drags it out, kicking and screaming. Despite this, it’s not a bad track and if Opting For Oblivion go with this kind of approach, the future will be much brighter.

The EP was recorded over the space of a couple of days, and if that means produced as well, then it makes sense as to why the production isn’t so great. On my ‘recently added’ playlist, it goes from this EP straight into a Youtube rip of the new Panic! At The Disco song, which in comparison sounds almost live. And we all know Youtube rips are not the audiophile’s first choice. The Opting For Oblivion EP is fuzzy in places, the vocals aren’t clear and the guitar solos are particularly painful. Whether that’s production or not is up to you, but personally, I think that this EP would be much more listenable if it was tightened up a bit and the levels were adjusted.

It’s not my kind of music, I’ll admit that right from the off. The kind of grungey, classic rock/garage rock doesn’t do it for me at all. The first two tracks are especially painful in that regard. However, the last track shows a lot more potential. If the band decide to take that kind of direction, they might just stand a chance.

1.5 out of 5 high fives.