We've Got Badges

It finally had to happen. We now have badges. 

 

So if you want the world to know that you're a FUCKING COOL ARTIST or proudly display a doodle of Robin Nature-Bold upon your breast myspace us sharpish (www.myspace.com/bandism).  We've not got many of them so these badges are exclusive!  Get one before they go like the proverbial Hot Cake.

 

Peacock(ism) Remix(ism)

Hello good people. As we draw ever closer to the release of the Peacock exciting things are afoot. Manchester Superstar DJ Xander has given us the full Dancefloor Treatment with a remix so House it'll make you homeless. Check it out at his lovely myspace.

www.myspace.com/xanderphush

Other remixes are to follow so bate your breath.

Historic Reviews

Posterity is a great thing and a thing which strikes on Sunday afternoons when it's raining. In honour of this I'm going to start adding in past Reviews to this blog. I'm going to put them in quotes and they will be listed for reasons of study so no one can get upset about copyright and infringement and all that jive. By setting the dates historically hopefully the researchers of the future will be able to build up a definitive timeline of Band(ism) history through the ages.

1st Ever Band(ism) Gig at Beech Road Festival

1st Ever Band(ism) Gig at Beech Road Festival
Originally uploaded by bandism.

Today has been a day for archiving. And look. I have found the earliest Band(ism) relic, a photo of the fledgeling young men on stage at the Beech Road Festival back in 2004. Feel free to flick our flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bandism/) for more fond reminiscence. Feel free to email us with your photos of our performances or artworks based on our performances. We will lovingly embrace each and every one.

Fans of very early Band(ism) will be happy to know that I've also found a video of this performance but establishment of a youtube account can wait for another day.

High Voltage Review - Translation

High Voltage, a lovely Manchester Club Night / Record Label / Zine gave our single Peacock a review. While it contained words and I recognised those words as being English, that was where my comprehension ended. While I am flattered that our work has been reviewed in the style of Finnegans Wake and I'm thankful for the lack of Kubrick references, I wanted to know what the reviewer was saying.

The following translation is the result of many hours of scholarly study. If anyone disagrees with my interpretation please feel free to comment and correct me. We are all about discourse here. Please find the article below copied in full with translations in bold italics. For the original layout of the piece, please refer to the following page:
High Voltage Single Reviews: Band(ism) - Peacock
===

Band(ism) - Peacock b/w Margate (acoustic)

You could have it so much better when you have a debut single that opens with one of 'those' basslines that can send a dirty disco into simultaneous groove in just the opening bars. Actually, 'Peacock' has been knocking around for more than 18 months now, although it has never been so well realised as this.

Opening with an indie disco friendly bass line which reminds me of Franz Ferdinand, Band(ism)'s Peacock has been available on the web in various forms for 18 months. This single version brings out the best qualities of the song.

Since then, White Rose Movement have leapt from the shadows and shown us their worth, and all the while, Band(ism) have been preening their feathers in our backyard. This, their gingerly taken steps out into the open, is not as fizzily edgy as the aforementioned

Unfortunately in those 18 months White Rose Movement have shot to fame with a similar style while Band(ism) have been playing local gigs. This single has come out too late and looks pale in comparison.

Backed both acoustically and indie-poppily; it's difficult to see exactly where Band(ism)'s intentions will prove lying, meaning that you still have to go and see them on stage to grasp what they are. Frustrated as it is though, Peacock is (as it was) a strong enough sign that is yet to lead us astray.

The B-side is acoustic, indie-pop and therefore I cannot really get a good idea of what the band are actually like so I must go and see them. Peacock is a strong song from a band who may yet prove to be interesting.

This Monday Free Fun to all ITC goers!

Dear Bandista's

RE: In The City...
Yes, we gave in in the end and we are NOW happily playing In The City on a funday Monday 30th Oct with the mighty Generalissimos, The Maple State, Kni9hts and Beck's favorite myspace band The Delicate Hammers and according to the Blowout website we shall be gracing the stage at 9.30pm...

Other news:
We have sterilised our myspace page as it was looking like the back end of a car boot sale, we have also now uploaded our debut single Peacock which will be released by the mighty Guy Lovelady on his new karmic sauce imprint label Little bird on the 27th Nov with a little launch near you very soon!

There will be a single preview at Common's (Edge Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester) new free night 'Atomic Cocktail' on Friday 17th November, so you can hear it through a choice sound system whilst sipping your favorite poison!

Masks'n'wine later...
Mr. Nature-Bold
Director of Band(ism)


Monday 30th October @ The Bierkeller
Auto Test Pilot & Blowout present
In The City

The Maple State - 23.00
The Generalissimos - 22.15
Band(ism) - 21.30
Kni9hts - 8.45
Delicate Hammers - 8.00

Doors 7pm - late £5/free for ITC Delegates...

Band(ism) debut single set for 27th Nov '06

'Peacock' & b-side 'Margate (Acoustic)'

Part 1:
Monday 27th November 2006
Download (itunes & hmv) & CD

Part 2:
Monday 22nd January 2007
Limited Edition 7" Off-White Vinyl
(including an artwork print by Len Horsey)

On Guy Lovelady's Little Bird a new karmic sauce label

Band(ism) are a Manchester based pop-punk-folk, theatrical audio art project with edgy edges. They've been classed as "more surreal than Leigh Bowery and the Mighty Boosh" by Designer Magazine, whilst taking hints of "Devo, the Cure and the Buzzcocks in their sound" by High Voltage.

Peacock is an indie-disco tribute to misguided scenesters everywhere set to a driving bass riff so dirty that only its mother could love it. Grooving like a bastard, its infectious vocals will own you. In contrast, the B-side Margate is an acoustic jaunt through a live favourite. It describes an ill-advised trip to the washed up seaside town.

Carving through the ranks of miserabler-than-thou-power-chord-chugging-pub-rock bands are Band(ism). Any whiff of pretension indicated by the parenthetical name is confirmed by singer Robin Nature-Bold in a creepy Porno Whistling Bob Harris-esque drawl: "We are an audio art project, we dress in white to represent the blank canvas which then projects music. We wear masks as a ironic jab at the anonymous nature of the generic band member." Nature-Bold concludes: "Entertainment won't save you" but it does help to make your evenings a bit more exciting.
Teddy Astley, Flux Magazine, 06

Without straying too hard from their sheet-metal art-punk-funk there are actually things you could hum to here.
Cath Aubergine, ManchesterMusic.co.uk, 06

Band(ism) have supported the likes of The Young Knives, Archie Bronson Outfit, Viva Voce, Polytechnic, Wild Billy Childish & The Buff Medways, Bobby Conn & The Glass Gypsies, Holly Golightly, Edward Barton, Duke Garwood, The Three Johns, Protokoll, Chikinki and Pull Tiger Tail.

Details:
For more info on Band(ism) visit www.myspace.com/bandism
Mike E: mikechavezdawson@yahoo.com

New imprint Little bird continues label boss Guy Lovelady's tradition of releasing bold debut singles by exciting new Manchester bands (Elbow, I Am Kloot).
Guy E: guylovelady@gmail.com

'Peacock' & 'Margate (Acoustic Version)' has been recorded and produced by Strat Barrett.

All music/lyrics/songs have been written by the artist Mike Chavez-Dawson, except 'Peacock' lyrics written in collaboration with Jane Chavez-Dawson, 'Margate' lyrics & music written in collaboration with Edward Barton (based on a true account by Mr. Chavez-Dawson), all arrangements by Band(ism); vocals & electric guitar Robin Nature-Bold, electric & acoustic guitars Sam Space, bass & backing vocals Ben Space, drums Charlie Arson, 2006.

I've been told I've got a big nose...

Dear Bandista's

It's been an eventful year for us, so far, fending off unwanted adoration and unconducive record deals and creating new members from ex-lovers ribs and bits of plasticine! I now find myself with the tattoo of 'Entertainment Won't Save You!' on the inside of my eyelid - to round it off.

With new songs aplenty - we're about to release our first single through the exceptional and legendary Mr Guy Lovelady on the 27th November. But through our intoxication of over snorting white peacock milk, I stand still upon the peaks of a local skip thinking we haven't organised a launch-cum-shindig.

So, if you're a promoter and can be arsed, we'd be happy to support your Nan's karaoke night down the Dag's Arms!

See you this Friday (20/10/06) at Save Yourself at the Roadhouse.

Masks'n'time is a context we exist within later...

Mr. Nature-Bold
or fold I've been told

Director of Band(ism)

Dear Dr. Goose!

Re: 'Time Is A Medium That We Exist Within...'

I hope all is chipperello! I'm sorry to hear that your 'Conceptextual-Machine' has broken and that your deadline for 'The Someone Collective' is now imminent. I was originally hoping to elaborate upon a new plethora of performances in this letter, one being at the Tate Modern later this year, this shall have to wait until our next correspondence. Though I shall indulge you that one of the performances will involve being encased in the ground and lying upon 80 to 100 small teapots, the other is quite self-explanatory, titled 'Robin Nature-Bold Presents Band(ism) and Friends'.

So, to get back to the matter in hand, I've attempted to assist you with your imminent brief to use the 'Conceptextual-Machine' to create 50 original band names, thank you for sending the device special delivery - along with the Da Vinci diagrams, these helped me locate the problem. I realised the machine wasn't actually broken, but it was a misinterpretation in the alchemy of the 'spiced fuel', I think you may have added too much turmeric a little too late in the cooling process. I've modified the quantity and the time when it's added along with making it a couple of degrees higher - than your previous interpretation of Da Vinci's calculations, I must say I was confused by Dali's textual commentary, I think this is just coded psycho-babble!

OK, these are the names from the machine, before it conked out:

1. ist
2. Must it investigate!
3. If My
4. Angry Rigid Nude
5. Dry Try
6. Dust Symbol
7. Life Mess
8. Silhouette Studio
9. From Us
10. Empty Icon
11. Neo-Pad
12. Electric Rhythm
13. Instrument Cigarette
14. Experiment Aesthetic
15. They Stroke Ink
16. Glorious Model
17. Original Fashion
18. Passion Demand
19. Masterpiece Break
20. Waste Capture
21. Young, Drunk & Latex Absurd
22. Smoke Sculpture
23. I Scream
24. Miasma Balance
25. Form Junk
26. Chisel Throw
27. Shard Sense
28. Perform Think
29. Ate Concrete
30. Death Beer
31. Wood Pain
32. Almostism
33. Soon On
34. My Smear
35. Glass Draw
36. Make Suffer
37. Drug Sex
38. Mean Approach
39. Mad after Paint
40. Psychedelic Grace
41. Every Song
42. Old Raw
43. Shimmer Dazzle
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.

I'm sorry it conked out at 43, I'd send this on to 'The Someone Collective' ASAP! And see if you can get an extension for the other 7, I'll continue to assess the 'spiced fuel', though I do have several imminent deadlines to tackle myself.

I look forward to your correspondence in due course, and I'll promise to elaborate upon my future performances in my next letter.

Masks'n'wine later...

Mr. Nature-Bold
Director of Band(ism)

"Entertainment Wont Save You!"

P.S. I'm sending the 'Conceptextual-Machine' back first class, sorry I can't afford special delivery, I'll attach my notes, see if the machine can find out what type of band each name is, if you are able to fix it?

Indirect (Student Direct) May 2006 by Thom Gibbs

"... What strikes me at this point is how interchangeable these band members are. Faded jeans, tight shirts, suit jackets, complicated fringes. I'm sure this has got a lot to do with my choice of venues but the people on stage are overwhelmingly white and male. The music being produced is reasonably different, band from band, but most fits very snugly into the mainstream. That's no crime in itself but it's disappointing that so many new musicians seem to have no ambition beyond aping very well-worn sounds.

These thoughts are temporarily forgotten when headliners Band(ism) take to the stage. The group are dressed entirely in white and each member is rocking a different mask. I'm more inclinded to be positive when a band is offering something visually on stage, which may smack of shallowness but we talk of "seeing" bands right? Band(ism) seem to understand that becoming the 847th band who look a bit like the Strokes will endear you to precisely no-one. The music's palatable and catchy rock but where they differ from, say Lucky Soul is having tremendously well-written songs. "Margate" is an absolute hit and whilst singer Mike Chavez-Dawson doesn't have the strongest voice it's difficult not to find the slightly-frightening guys in white completely enjoyable. ..."