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Monday 8th July, 2002: As I fought my way through
the rush hour human traffic on London’s underground
network I pondered what was waiting for me as The
D4 prepared for a 6pm ‘show-time’ at one of the
world’s major record store chains.
Was New Zealand’s finest, and as far as I know, only,
punk band about to sell its anti-corporate ethos for
the sake of selling a few extra records or were they
simply defying the system by playing a free gig for
their ‘real’ fans? As soon as they took to the stage
and hit the first chord of their 30 minute set I realised
The D4 are a band that has already sold out. The music
the band plays is simply offering a ‘garage punk’ alternative
to the Nu-Metal audience that likes a catchy sing-a-long
chorus. The D4 are not part of, and should never again
be linked with, the subversive punk scene which contains
acts such The Beatings, The Moonie Suzuki, The Kills,
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, et al., as this level of gross
misrepresentation is bordering on defemation.
By the time the current single, ‘Party’, rears its ugly
head the band are in full-on contrived punk mode – that’s
bubble-gum punk, not garage punk! And as the band’s
set draws to a close and they ready themselves to meet
their public and to sign whatever paraphernalia they
are given a predictable and hilarious moment ensues.
The D4’s lead guitarist and Greg Rusedski look-a-like
decides to climb on top of his Marshall Stack and then
pontificates for what seems like hours about whether
to jump or to simply slide off the amp back to the stage.
This moment of indecision is then surpassed when the
same offender raises his guitar behind his head and
deliberates for an age whether to smash his instrument.
Upon coming to the conclusion that he’s better advised
to smash it at a major festival gig rather than an in-store
promotional show he instead rips the strings off in
a fashion that reeks of pre-show planning.
Leaving with an empty feeling in my gut I wondered what
depths The Bellrays would sink to in order to please
and to satisfy potential record buyers the following
day?
Tuesday 9th July, 2002: Full of feelings of trepidation
rather than anticipation I set off on my same route
to the clinical and stale environment of Virgin Megastore
for The Bellrays. However, this time I was not
about to be disappointed. Immediately the band conveyed
their acknowledgement that they were playing an in-store
promotional gig and not some dirty late-night basement
gig and still exuded all the style you’d expect from
a garage punk band.
Although the band breaks the conventions of garage punk
by being fronted by an amazing soul singer, The Bellrays
are still a convincing and powerful punk band. They
are not a group driven by the youthful exuberance of
most punk bands but the anger of its ageing members
at having to wait so long for their specialist brand
of music to come into vogue again before they gained
recognition is behind every note they play.
It’s difficult to describe The Bellrays live show without
using comparative clichés like has been done a million
times over already. The majority of what’s been said
and written about the band boils down to them being
described as Aretha Franklin fronting The Stooges. While
this is a fair way to describe The Bellrays it’s lazy
as there’s many more dimensions than this to the band.
Jazz licks, tight rhythms coupled with slack trashy
interludes, heavy metal soloing and sweet soul music
all culminate throughout The Bellrays set. The 40 minute
set rises and intensifies as it nears its conclusion
with the single that the band’s promoting, ‘They Glued
Your Head on Upside Down’, standing out as an obvious
choice of track for chart release due to its traditional
arrangement. However, the awesome ‘Too Many Houses in
Here’ demonstrated all of the band’s complex dimensions
and transported the audience from the stark surroundings
of Virgin’s Megastore to a realm where they could believe
they were at a real gig.
The final irony of the gig was compounded when The Bellrays
bassist said into the mic: "Support your local Virgin
Megastore", before departing the stage and starting
the signing session. I can’t think of a better way to
end the bizarre event that is an in-store gig.
BELLRAYS MEDIA CLIPS: Windows
Media Clip - HI quality
Windows
Media Clip - LO quality
Real
Media Clip - HI quality
Real
Media Clip - LO quality Sample the full album streams of ‘Meet the Bellrays’
in their entirety, from start to finish, beginning to
end. Just follow the links below.
http://www.thebellrays.com
http://www.telstarrecords.co.uk/bellrays
Album Review
The
Bellrays - Meet The Bellrays 
Marc Sallis for Crud Magazine© 2002
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| 04/02 1 Giant Leap - My Culture
04/02 Elfpower Interview - Andrew Rieger - Creatures
04/02 Frou Frou Interview - Guy Sigsworth/Imogen Heap
04/02 Gomez Interview - Ian Ball
04/02 Idlewild - Live - London Astoria
04/02 K's Choice Interview
04/02 Leaves - Live - Camden Dingwall
04/02 Longwave Interview - Exit
04/02 Lucy Mongrel Interview
04/02 Oasis - The Hindu Times
04/02 Phantom Planet - Interview
04/02 Unwritten Law - Interview
04/02 VUE - Coordinates Interview
05/02 BRMC - LIve - Kentish Town, London
05/02 Breeders - Title K
05/02 FC Kahuna - Machine Says Yes
05/02 Moco - Live - London Monarch
05/02 Need New Body - Interview
05/02 The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Live - Soundhause, Northampton
05/02 The Bellrays - Meet The Bellrays
06/02 Fleadh Festival - Finsbury Park
06/02 Frou Frou Coordinates Interview
06/02 Incubus - Interview - Mark Einziger
06/02 North Mississippi Allstars - Interview
06/02 Papa Roach - She Loves Me Not
06/02 Proud Mary - Live - Northampton, Soundhaus
06/02 Pulp - Live - Sherwood Pines, Edwinstowe
06/02 Reindeer section - You Are My Joy
06/02 Silverchair - Diorama
|  | 06/02 Something Corporate - Leaving Through The Window
06/02 Soinc Youth - Interview
06/02 The Burn - The Smiling Face
06/02 The Coral - Live - Roadmender, Northampton
06/02 The LIbertines - Live - The Social, Nottingham
06/02 The Vines, Sheffield Leadmill
06/02 Trik Turner - Interview
06/02 Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Live, Soundhaus, Northampton
07/02 12 Stones Interview
07/02 Arolo -Interview
07/02 Buy To Let Doncaster - Anti Social Behaviour
07/02 Cassius - Interview
07/02 Farrah - Interview
07/02 Glassjaw - Interview
07/02 Neil Michael Haggerty - Interview
07/02 Hoobastank - Running Away
07/02 Leaves - Interview
07/02 LL Cool Jay Interview
07/02 Oasis - Live - Finsbury Park, London
07/02 Polyphonic Spree - Live - Camden Monarch
07/02 Queens of the Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf
07/02 Super Furry Animals - Interview
07/02 The Beatings - Live - Metro Club London
07/02 The Bellrays + The D4 - Virgin Megastore, Oxford Street London
January 2001
July - August 2001
September - October 2001
November - December 2001
January - March 2002
April - July 2002
August - December 2002 | |
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