DiS in-joke #43,873: Craine at the Dublin Castle, last night. Some comments.
So a friend sent me a txt msg while I was on the train back from a week in Scotchland and said he was going for booze in the Dublin Castle after going to a gig, cos it's right near his house you see. I said I'd see him there. I got home and checked and - oh yeah - there's a band on there tonight. What a happy accident! I just need to point that out so you know I was in no way heading to the venue just so I could make a hatchet job on an unsigned band – obviously that's far too easy as it's better to spend your time writing nice words, right? Perhaps if I was still a 19-year-old fanzine writer, it would've been a different case.
There is nothing remarkable about Craine. They are competent musicians, they look incredibly earnest (perhaps too much so), they obviously have their sight sets on the stadiums, and there's nothing wrong with a little ambition in bands. Will they get that far? No. Will they get a record deal? No. Have I seen worse bands? God yes. We've probably accidentally booked a few of them, although I'm not going to name names.
I don't know if they had many Sheffield people there. There seemed to be a couple of excitable girls but other than that it was a typical bored-looking midweek London crowd watching Yet Another Band - not standing too close to the stage, not looking terribly interested, watching a band with nothing to say. Another blow for the live scene.
My main problem is that Craine just seem to exist so they can GET SIGNED. There doesn't seem to be any genuine LOVE for what they do. Are there other bands with this attitude? Yes, of course there are. And that's the problem.
Obviously I don't know them as people so this is where them or their team come online and slate me for my comments. Fair enough, but that's the impression they give off on stage. Craine to chill out a little and perhaps some decent songs will come more naturally to them. Write what you feel, not what you think other people will like, because 99% of the time you'll be wrong.
Anyway well done, their people have achieved what they set out to do and got people talking about their favourite local boys. I think this is the point where they go through the list of bands I've rated or reviewed and pick them to shreds. Perhaps you could start with Scissor Sisters? Although I didn't much care for the second album.
Obviously the roof remained intact – well, it is in a residential area and the council have things to say about noise levels. I tried to get a picture but it just looks like black blob on a screen. I think the floor will also live another day... that's usually the only part of the venue (other than the damn lights) which has any kind of damage (hey, it's refurbishment is the reason we once had to move a Kaiser Chiefs gig from there to the Archway Tavern. Good times!).
Luckily the guy on the door was the chap who work for us on Tuesdays, so I didn't have to pay. High five.
I was drinking cider and black. It was pretty good.
INSANE IN THE MEM-CRAINE
:D
Great observation
My main problem is that Craine just seem to exist so they can GET SIGNED.
don't know anything
about Craine, but I like your even handed approach...
*****END OF IN-JOKE*****
^ That.
Let's banish this to a distant memory and look back fondly upon it in the future.
I can't take anymore CRAINE.
but
i dont think many bands play the dublin castle who dont 'just want to get signed'. unless you are a london based band, why would you ever want to drag your equipment and at least 20 paying friends with you into central london to play a gig you could have played back home? even if you are london based if its still bugbear that run the dc nights then the process of getting a gig there isnt 'easy' and as someone else pointed out on another thread often you just get 3 or 4 mix matched bands who play to their friends and no one else.
no band from sheffield who comes to london does it for love of what they do surely?
obviously most bands want to get signed
it's just not their sole reason for being.
and i don't get your point about bugbear
should i be saluting this band for getting a gig with bugbear? am i supposed to be impressed that an out-of-town band got a gig with a local promoter who run 6 nights a week at the venue (usually 4 bands a night, so you do the maths) as well as nights elsewhere?
i work full time for a promoter so sorry if i find this the least remarkable thing about CRAINE.
Bugbear will book pretty much anyone
The first band I was ever in got a gig with them, and they didn't ask for a demo so they clearly weren't all that bothered. They were just happy that we brought lots of people, and even happier to pay us bugger all.
i am not dissing them
i'm just saying... from march 2001, they gave up tuesday nights to us. only once in that time have they tried to take one of the nights back off us (it didn't happen in the end cos the band they desperately wanted ended up going to america instead). i think the pool of bands they can pick from is pretty large. bear in mind they also run the hope & anchor in highbury.
and by that i mean
the next band to say 'we can bring 30 mates' will also get a gig.
ugh, i've not had breakfast yet.
Shreddies?
I guess there are worse promoters out there than Bugbear. Last Rockers at Clockwork are quite appauling. We bought about 8 people and despite the promoter seeming to be genuinely enthusiastic about us playing, he completely turned on us when he saw how many people we'd bought with us.
Too many us's...
"bear in mind"
:D
i like bears
screw you. x
What's wrong with 'bear in mind'?
It's certainly not 'bare in mind'.
bugbear in mind
we made a conscious decision when embarking on this adventure never to play for bugbear, plum or their ilk. There just seems to be nothing to gain from playing these nights.
we have played some
horrible nights, haven't we? :-p
6 x 4 = 24
hold on
i wasnt saying that getting a gig with bugbear is some sort of accolade...
i just meant that if you were going to play a gig because you loved something why would you bother sending the demo, claiming to get 20 people, printing the flyers...
etc.
plus
im sure the sole being of craine is not just to get signed. they probably quite like being in a band etc... and writing the songs, i wouldnt imagine its like a job or something.
i understand what you mean about that being their main aim and that just means theyre probably a bit jaded about the music industry (something i know little about admitedly) however given their influences you can see why.
'they probably 'quite' like being in band'
You just don't get it!
It's not like Laser Quest, you can't be generally into it on occasion.
Either you fucking love it or don't bother.
i just dont get it?
well, since i am not a member of craine it would be kinda hard for me to come out with a statement like
'craine fucking love being in a band' etc...
so sorry for my cautious use of words.
i do get 'it', but arent there plenty of bands who don't 'fucking love it' and make it big? lots of bands look like theyre in it for the sex/drugs far more than the rock n roll. and i dont think that a band that has their own 'pr based web team' is into it only on occasion ok?
They
[CRAINE] all 'fucking love it'. And it's not just on occasion.
"i wouldnt imagine its like a job or something"
that, to me, is just the way they came across.
No
it's not like that. Like you said, you don't know them as people. They all have 'real jobs' as well as being part of the band.
^^music
is their passion.
What
are their jobs?
How
is that your business?
Just wondering!
Jeez!
omg
I'm SO snappy today. Lack of sleep. I guess what I mean is that it's not really my place to disclose that sort of personal info.
do any of them work with cranes?
It's personal!
:P
This
is getting old now
i think i need my shreddies
i STILL don't get yr point! surely they're claiming they can bring 20 people or wotever is because they wanted to get a gig in that magical london place where all the bands get signed? and printing flyers is so it gets yr name around, people can get in cheaper, and if you're handing in a craine flyer to the door person, that gets marked on the band's tick-sheet and they're closer to making the £75 required before they start making any petrol money.
people don't send demos anymore. they email myspace links. i probably get 5 of those a day. cds - maybe 5 a week at most. but that's by-the-by. actually i don't see how any of this comes into it really. it's just one of the things bands do.
ok
yeah i get this. i just meant that if bands did things for the love of music then they wouldnt bother with any of this. for a true artist its the creating that counts and people liking your stuff is a bonus. being in a band is not just creating music, its a whole package with image etc... i therefore think its unfair to single out craine as a band whose primary aim is to get signed and claim this is a bad thing? everyone on the toilet circuit wants a deal right? everyone jumps through the same hoops and gets ripped off in the same way? so what separates bands with 'a love' for what their doing from craine?
maybe i dont have a real point youre probably right. i just mean that i can see no reason for ANYONE to play the dc unless it was extremely local or there was a posibility of label interest.
ouch.
ok, not everyone loves the castle. obviously i do. i've been there most weeks since living in london and worked at a lot of the gigs. i like the staff and i actually like its disgusting smell. in short - i have a real soft spot for the place and know many others do, including one radio 1 dj who apparently has been wanting to buy the place for years. :-) the thought of us moving from that venue forever made me physically shriek a couple of months ago.
i'm sure you'll have been following the board's frivolities (if that's a word0 involving Craine and must realise why this is why i 'singled them out' for review? the point i was trying to make is that, NO, they're not the only band like this. there are FUCKING LOADS OF THEM. that's what i don't like.
i could've been reviewing any old boring indie band. the bands with a real passion and a glint in their eyes are the ones we'll remember. good songs helps too. it just so happens we'll remember the name Craine a bit longer because of all the silly fuss caused here over the last few days about a 'jag' (there's another one!) gone wrong. or is that right?
CRAINE!
also
the list of 'name' bands who've played the dublin castle may shock you.
sorry
im not good with words. i do like the dublin castle my old band played there a few times and i really enjoyed it. i know lots of big bands play there, im not completely out of the loop i might live in frankfurt but i come from london. when i said that i dont see why any bands would wanna play dc etc.... i meant because it is a lot of hassle compared to asking your local for a gig and playing to your mates there.
i dont like craine and i know they are generic/only want to get signed but i only thought it was worth mentioning that most bands playing the dc want to get signed. obviously some bands at the dc are better than others, but everyone is there to get signed and why hold this against them?
i have answered that
elsewhere. as have others.
so the real issue
is that theyre not very good.
muiscal integrity?
maybe?
" so what separates bands with 'a love' for what their doing from craine? "
kaiser chiefs at the archway tavern?
hahahahhaha. so they HAVE played a worse venue than earls court!
uhuh
http://www.clubfandango.co.uk/gig.php?GigsID=29
for some reason, their other gig isn't listed there. must've been before we started the database. i'm saving inputting the archive for a rainy day.
also
http://www.clubfandango.co.uk/gig.php?GigsID=46
:-D
i like that they're both
first on :D
i like that, coincidentally
the headliners for each gig also have references to brendan benson in their blurbs. WHAT ARE THE ODDS?!
first-on
oh yeh. the first-on thing really isn't a stigma anymore. especially when labels are involved (as was certainly the case with the kaisers this time, as it was when DiS was doing the single), they'll specifically ask for an early slot cos it's when the media people like to come out of the woodwork (before presumably heading off to a bigger gig the same night).
most people seem to hate the headline slot these days. go figure.
MySpace
is full of bands like this, it's like a whole new world...
MySpace can be good but it also has it's downsides.
great review.
I think it's the last time we should talk about them...
talk about who?
Bloc Party and Kaiser Chiefs...
Oops sorry, wrong thread...
jamie sample
all three of him
No passion?
'Write what you feel, not what you think other people will like'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSQIX4ViPfg
Evidently, you heard what you wanted to hear.
That's awful. Really just bad.
Also, this is passion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZagV69HujUY
Or maybe even
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NmR-oKdkGw
Right.
Yeh.
you're
REALLY not helping their cause.
no.
get over yourself now, luv.
and you must be joking
if you think that video is ANY good at all.
Jakester 2006 can shove their copyright up their arse because nobody in their right mind would want to reproduce it.
Jakester
is an 8 year old boy. His dad wrote that song for him. Again, nothing like a personal attack. Nice defense, 'luv'.
I think I remember seeing you there, actually. You were drinking cider & black, weren't you? Yes, I can see why craine aren't exactly your 'type' of music.
I think
It's time for you to run along now, this is getting a bit boring...
And...
The only reason I can think of why Craine aren't exactly Adie's type of music is because they're a steaming pile of dog's turd. Good day to you.
SHE'S ACCUSING YOU OF BEING A GOTH!
NOTHING LIKE A PERSONAL ATTACK!
oh right
hehe. yeah, goth juice. um, i'm not.
Hmmmm...
I'm going to have to hear a better excuse for cider & black than that.
Cider + black + Camden = goth
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
i guess i am quite pale.
:D
Goths >>>>>> CRAINE
haha!
you're getting more hilarious. how do you even know what i look like? i wasn't drinking when i was in the room watching the band, actually... and why would my appearance decide on what kind of band i like?
THIS IS NOT A PERSONAL ATTACK
you fucking cider drinking indie goth snob
*gasp*
Nothing like
a personal attack is there, 'luv'. Good critiqué skills you have there.
er
"Evidently you heard what you wanted to hear"
not a personal attack?
Perhaps
Craine approached a few clubs in London and none of them replied? Bugbear is the sort of evening which will reply to emails, some clubs do.
I was
putting a point accross, meaning each to their own - she obviously has her own opinion and is completely entitled to. It was in no way a personal attack - and completely different to me being reffered to as 'luv' and being told to 'get over myself'. This discussion is not about me, so therefore, it's a personal attack.
Emmi, you seem like a nice enough girl underneath it all.
I'm not sure how, but, CRAINE! managed to indoctrinate you into their sick cult.
But, it's not too late. Reall, it isn't! You're only 26, you've got time to escape and make a new life for yourself somewhere else.
There are people that can help you, I'm sure that a safehouse could be arranged, we could have your name changed, MySpace account deleted and record collection destroyed. You could begin a new life somewhere else and leave all this pub rock nonsense behind you.
:P
help is at hand!? :P
you're effectively saying his review
is clouded by small minded preconceptions about Craine, as opposed to an honest appraisal of what he saw. If someone said that to me I'd be pretty pissed off. Why can he not just disagree with your opinion?
There's definitely scope for a 2000AD style spin-off comic.....
'In the year 2060 there is no music, there is only CRAINE!'