27
Apr

So it was announced. Orchard Popfest is happening on July 16 in North Down Orchard, a Somerset cider farm! Tickets are selling for 22.15 pounds and there will be food, drinks and a record stall. But you care about the bands, right? So yes, a fine lineup at this Popfest in the UK. Bands playing include The Monochrome Set, The June Brides, The Chesterfields, Palooka 5, Helen McCookerybook and The Rhynes. Here is the Facebook event page.

Sinaïve: what a great release on Hidden Bay Records from Toulouse! “Super 45 T.”  is up for pre-orders on the label’s website. It is a 12″ EP that will have 4 songs. Right now you can preview the opening song “Ténèbres” which is superb!

Breakup Haircut: this London band sounds ace! Their album “Punk Dancing for Self Defence” is coming out on July 15. 15 songs of upbeat punky pop! The album is coming out on CD and right now you can preview three tracks, “Marie Kondo”, “Why Can’t I Be Cool Enough to Move to Berlin?” and “Out of My Way (I’m Not Getting on the Nightbus)”. Great song titles too!

The Bug Club: now to Wales! Two new songs by this three-piece combo. “Lay Down Your Roses” and “Pretty as a Dog in the Light”. Both songs are great, but I especially like the first one,  upbeat, catchy, they leave you hoping for more. The band announces their debut album for later this year. That’s good news!

Mishca: now a quick look at Galaxy Train Records from Japan. One of their latest releases that I have enjoyed is the flexidisc by this Nagoya-based band. The flexi is limited to just 200 copies and has only one song, “Baskets”, which you can preview on Bandcamp.

Flores de Uranio: and lastly I am recommending a three-song tape by Flores de Uranio from Madrid. The band’s latest release is “La Condición Humana”, a 9-song cassette. On Bandcamp the band has only shared three of these tracks. The edition is very limited, 50 copies, thanks to the label Nemutal Samurai. Only a few are remaining.

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A band that used to be part of the Edinburgh scene with Jesse Garon & the Desperadoes and The Fizzbombs. A band that played at the legendary Onion Cellar. A band that supported the Television Personalities on several occasions. How come I had never heard of them before?! Have you?!

There is a Soundcloud by one of their members, Robert Jones, with a bunch of songs! This is a tremendous discovery!

We find here songs like “The Acid Tree”, “Holiday House”, “Diving for the Brick”, “Children’s TV”, “Darkness Before Dawn”, “I’m Leaving on the 7.52”, “I’ve Got a Friend”, “Nothing To Live For”, “The First Day of Spring” and “The Frightened Girl”.

There are also 12 songs by Robert as a solo artist worth checking out. But yeah, I am totally impressed and in love with The Catburgers today.

So it turns out Robert has a blog called “Learning Stuff About Stuff“. In there he tells us he knows French, German, Latin and Spanish. That he had traveled in a car with Nico and that he is a Buddhist. But he also has a post about The Catburgers. It dates from 2007 and there are some interesting facts and details about the band.

The drummer was called Jeff. Duffy. Interesting enough in the early days of The Catburgers Angus McPake from Jesse Garon & the Desperadoes and The Fizzbombs played drums for them. Seems for a rehearsal or two, and maybe even a gig at the Queen Margaret.

As mentioned the band played at the Onion Cellar. Someone has posted lots of photos of a gig they played there on Flickr.

We also learn that three of the songs I mentioned earlier, “The Acid Tree”, “Holiday House” and “Diving for the Brick” were recorded at a session produced by the mighty Jowe Head in London in 1987! Dan from the TVPs had paid for the recording (or at least Robert remembers it that way!).

Knowing this it is so hard to believe the band didn’t get to release a record. The songs are ace. Doesn’t make sense!

Speed 3 is another club that comes up. I believe Robert djed there. Then another name pops up, Stu Cant. Was he in The Catburgers? A name that we know was for sure in The Catburgers was that of Keith Burns. Keith would later be in a Rush tribute band called Tobes of Hades.

It also seems these same people were in another band called The Mysterons (also known as Jeff and the Hasbeens).

And that’s what I could find out. The songs speak for themselves. So many good ones!!

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Listen
The Catburgers – Children’s TV