Taking on the World
Rosey R*E*P*E*A*T talks some end of year shite

Glory Glory – demo (myspace.com/Glorygloryband1)
As refreshing as a thaw after weeks of snow-enforced cabin fever, Glory Glory are a band to brush away any post Christmas blues. Hidden within the unprepossessing grooves of this home made 2 track CD are some of the finest girl-boy shouty sweary punk tunes you'll hear this side of …. well ummm actually Glory Glory seem to be friends with lots of other Norwich bands doing a similarly exciting Riot Grrl for 2010 thing, all with exuberance, joy and beauty as well as some insane individuality. Who'd have thought 2 people could make such a joyful, catchy, refreshing racket – Glory Glory are a band I hope will feature more in R*E*P*E*A*T in recent months. I don't know what it is they're putting in the mustard in Norwich, but I want some on my veggie sausages!



Greg McDonald : A Little Strange (myspace.com/gregmcdonalduk) Don't let Music Week's comparisons with 'Joe Strummer fronting Elbow' put you off, this is glamorous, yearning, melodic, stadium-fucking street folk which will jerk on your heart strings and have you in tears of longing and regret before its 4 minutes are up. After the revolution, Greg McDonald will be poet laureate and his songs will be blasted out lovingly every night at dusk to remind the revolutionary masses of their shared humanity, for “you only do the things you do to hide the things you are … [but] it's alright to feel a little strange … you can be a little strange … be you, be true, don't let them tame you.” I'd fight for that manifesto every time.


 

Bokaata – EP (myspace.com/bokaata)
Judging by the lyrics of 'Love Lost', I guess Bokaata must have grown up listening to Greg McDonald – more tales of teenage yearning and defeat and loss than you could wave a wilting chrysanthemum at. Other influences I also approve of – The Manics (spiky awkard Holy Bible verses seducing us into huge melody soaked choruses) , the surging, wonky electronica of The Automatic and the frantic guitars of Placebo all glued together by a taut vocal intensity. However, despite all this arresting electric guts-grabbing power, my favourite track has to be the acoustic lament 'Refugee'. A very impressive, professional sounding debut from this Cambridge based 3 piece; now the question is whether they have the energy, imagination and bottle to take on the mediocre tastemongers and fading scenesters to get their music the audience it requires.

Noisy Fanzine #9 - 4th Birthday Issue (£1 from noisyzine.co.uk )
Another blast of enthusiasm rammed up the backside of the complacent and easily pleased, Nosiy Zine seeks to cover all things indie, pop, punk, rock, alternative and more in the Essex area, and what's more, even after four years, they complete this apparently thankless task with energy, intelligence and good humour. Highlights of this issue include an interview with Trash Monroe in the studio, a piece on Fashoda Crisis, a mention of the rather wonderful Fever Fever and a very polite review of Elliot Minor playing a local school. And there's miles and miles more stuff Essex; if you want to get or go to a gig in the county, or if you want to get involved with the scene, I guess Noisy would be the place to start. Of course I have reservations about any organ whose raison d'etre is 'supporting the local scene' - bands and PRs who think that this applies to R*E*P*E*A*T often get a rude shock - but my curmudgeonly misgivings are made up for by the obvious enthusiasm of the writers, the pleasure of holding a real paper zine in my hands and of course the free 15 track CD given away with this issue, highlights of which are probably the political punk of R*E*P*E*A*T faves F451, Fashoda Crisis' abrasive 'Moremonkeythanmanman' and 'Fucksticks' by the unfortunately ubiquitous Kunt and the Gang. Here's to the next 4 years, Noisy Zinesters!

It's always a such a subversive joy to hold a real, photocopied, DIY fanzine in my hand - even after all these years - and it is a tribute to the creative power of grassroots music that such publications keep springing up. Despite being constantly offered a mindnumbing diet of blowdried brain dead celeb culture, ordinary people are always able to produce something much more intelligent, imaginative and just better...

And surely if we can topple the X Factor, we can take on the world?