OK, so maybe that's a bit harsh, some of the other songs are alright, and live they do exude a kind of hunched energy that makes them deserve to be a band- after all, they don't sound quite as terrible as Shed Seven, it's just such an easy pun to be negative with... so sorry.
Unfortunately that's what loving music is about:- being harsh to bands who don't have the requisite amazing qualities. Even if they're just patchy. And being good live is NO EXCUSE (unless you're Servotron, who are still pretty good on record but just can't afford to have people coming round to each customer's house dressed in robot costumes to berate them... I think). So I'm sorry, darlings... you're out.
Now, people who know me will probably smirking at this and nodding their heads. I come from Nottingham, you see. And so do Six By Seven. And I used to know them. To be more accurate, I used to think I knew them. But these smug personal historians of mine would be wrong to suggest they know why I'm writing this. Sure, the volte-face on their part sparked something, and made it closer to home (don't worry kids, I will be talking about that later), but this band are guilty of something so many others are, and I find it disgusting...
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In the beginning, there was Sensation. And lo, they were the biggest pile of wannabe Mancunian shite the world has come to see. But a shared schooling forced my fragile ears to be berated by this rape of culture repeatedly, until I was on the verge of insanity. This was not the first time, but it was to become the last (I hope). As the sound of filth subsided into the sewer of twattery once more, I was prepared to leave. But I was glad I did not.
For out of the darkness there shone a light. A giant drunk waiter ambled onto the stage, followed by some bald blokes and an ill child. Although the waiter appeared to be trying to sabotage this with the power of ROCK GUITAR, there was an amazing spectacle to be seen... One of the bald blokes was leaning over his Hammond Organ frantically squealing into a Saxophone; the child appeared to have been abducted from the Queen's Med hospital and handed instruments- he held drumsticks with which he battered his guitar into creating his own vomiting yelps... And then there was a disembodied voice, floating in and out of our consciousness... hollow and unclear through the sound system, it seemed to be encouraging thought into entering the Europian Community...
This was Six By Seven. This was what I believed of Six By Seven. What was to be their first single, "European Me", blew me away from the start...
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OK, basically, the story is that I thought there was at least some modicum of friendship there, they seemed really nice guys, etc etc... Then Reynolds got a gig supporting them at the Northampton Roadmender.
This was arranged by Reynolds and the venue, it had nothing whatsoever to do with me or 6x7. However, at that point I was instated as a sort of manager for Reynolds (I'd helped them out with a few gigs and been enthusiastic about them at people I knew in the industry), and being friendly with Six By Seven and their management I thought they might like a demo. So I asked them, and as it wasn't completely confirmed suggested that it would be nice if they could do it. They were happy enough (though I might point out that I never did get an address to send a demo to).
THEN the Roadmender got a telephone call. Six By Seven wanted nothing to do with me or the band, they thought Reynolds were awful, and apparently I'd been pestering them about gigs for ages. HOW they knew they didn't like Reynolds god only knows, as they'd never heard them. WHY they thought I'd been pestering them god only knows, as I'd never mentioned Reynolds or any other band to them before, except as passing conversation.
So we come to the conclusion that they are arseholes who think an interview in the NME is the basis to be wankers. I felt I had to say this, a) because I hate them, and b) it would be left an unsatisfying piece if I just let it hang in the air. This whole section is irrelevant to the main purpose of this page, but I thought I might let it hang as a warning- never trust bands, and if you are a band, don't do it. Doesn't matter who to, if you do, I shall find you and kill you.
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The point of this whole page is that Six By Seven are a band who got big, and yet have no real songs that are great. Scan the pages of the music press, you will find more bands the same. Of course there are more obvious targets, you need only point out The Bluetones, Shed Seven, Ocean Colour Scene etc... But Six By Seven had a good song. They had (dare I say it) potential. And then they got lazy. They will never live up to their first single.
On a much larger scale, Oasis had the same problem. They had a spark of something that vanished. They got in the public eye for doing something, for standing for a certain thing. Yes, they continued to deliver, but they delivered rehashed versions of what they were, eventually they started to deliver parodies.
If either band truly cared about music, about what they make a CAREER from, they would have done something with what they had. They could have made a difference. But they just never tried.
back to the main page... go on, be off with yous...
© 1997 emily@prima.net
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