KERBDOG Reviews

This is the gig that sold me. I'd never heard of them before, and 
basicly afterwards I bought every single I could get my hands on, as 
well as the album when it was released.

They stood out so much - a heavier Therapy? but with a (IMHO) more
talented line up, and a more cutting edge sound.

It's so long ago now, but all I really remember is just how blown 
away I was.. How excited I was about them, and how I wanted to
be in a band that sounded just like them.

Leeds Duchess of York, Sept ? (?96?)

                                       
NY Loose were the first band, at least the first band that I saw. Not bad, kinda 
punky sleaze sort of stuff I guess. Plenty of plugging for their debut album, Year of
the Rat, which might well be worth checking out. Spit and ... Suicide were the obvious 
standout tracks on first listen, but there could be potential there. And yeah,
there'll be guys drooling about the singer.

Starting up with the warning that you may get puked over due to a case of food 
poisoning may not be the wisest move in enticing the crowd to come down to the
front, but that's what Cormac Battle, what a classic name, does. And there's plenty 
of other little one liners thrown in by the Battle and partner in guitar instrument
crime, Mr Bass player, including an offer for volunteers to beat up said Mr Battle 
after he messes up a song. 

The band have of course shrunk in size to a 3 piece since their debut album and tour 
with The Wildhearts, but that hasn't diminshed the sound at all, and the new stuff
played, which was the majority of the set, sounds impressive. Maybe this time round 
things'll go better, and doing a lengthy tour such as this one can only help. End
of Green still has a wickedly good riff, despite people complaining that it sounded 
like Pearl Jam meets Metallica, at least it was old school Metallica, and the sound
is still there.

All in all, a pretty enjoyable evening, check them in your local pub.

Kerbdog Manchester - Roadhouse Monday 2nd September

Stiring the crowd up after claiming "nuclear war was iminent and you have 
24 hours left to go to as many gigs as possible" was as good as start as 
we've heard for a while. Hey, any rock band that has a singer/guitarist 
dressed in a Mickey Mouse T-shirt is fine by me. Rock hasn't been this 
much fun since Therapy? started pogoing in the isles. Now slimmed down to 
a three piece after shedding Billy Dalton, the guys have lost none of their 
'visceral wallop' as they put it. 'Visceral wallop' here translated into 
being smacked in the face with the fiercest guitar-pop in Christendom. The 
musical style weighing in somewhere between Therapy? and Helmet. What is it 
with crazy Irish guys writing ass kicking guitar- pop? Therapy?, Ash, 
Kerbdog? The new material here being slightly more commercial than on their 
debut album, though the band have still managed to accomplish this without 
losing their skill to sculpt and blend riffs into post-grunge masterpieces. 
The band drew on the stronger tracks such as Dry Riser and Schism from their 
1994 debut album, though the set concentrated mainly on the forthcoming album 
and the recent EP J.J.'s Song, which if the live airing is anything to go by, 
is f**king brilliant. The entire performance was conducted with confidence 
and style that suggests it won't be long before ticket prices rise and Kerbdog 
move onto bigger and better things. 

Kerbdog & (Sic) 16th February 1997 Fleece & Firkin

(Sic) are Ricky Warwick's new band. For anyone who doesn't
know he was the singer with one of the most successful british
bands that are really metal (not rock like Def Leppard or
Terrorvision etc.) in recent years. (Sic), who are actually
billed as 'Ricky Warwick' on half the posters and fliers, are 
a three piece, guitar bass and drummer. Remember that The
Almighty went punk? Well, (Sic) are a continuation of
that. Ricky is the longest-haired memeber of the band, and 
often all three of themshoutalong on the songs. A singing
drummer? Weird idea.

The Most obvious thing to do is o compare them to The Almighty,
but I am not well qualified to do so, because I don't have any of
the albums after 'Powertripping'. But for what its worth there are
similarities (it seems hard to imagine there not being when two
bands have a lead singer/guitarist in common), and one song in 
particular, the best of the set has a great quiet bit/shouty bit 
(I said great, not original) reminiscent of Addiction, and some 
other songs I can't remember right now. 

At one point in the set Ricky says "we'd like to thank
Kerbdog for looking after us". I
wonder if this was irony or just dumb.

Kerbdog are also a three-piece, but the contrast between
the two bands is great. Ricky Warwick spits all over the place,
knows all the rock-god poses and looks like a criminal. Cormac 
Battle (singer) is wearing a white tshirt, and trainers that he
must've stolen from a britpop-kid, glasses, hair that looks like 
it used to be in a bowl cut, and looks like someone I would
challenge to a fight. The bassist has as much personality as
him - can you imagine that, a mainman with as little personality 
as a bassist.

So, on first impressions, Kerbdog should be the sort of dire band
your little brother starts when he is in the fourth year at school, 
they have no right to sound this good, yet they do. Although somehow
not terribly moshable they are heavy enough, unfortunately they only 
play two songs from the first album (the only one I have), an brilliant
'End Of Green', despite Cormac's lapsing in to comedy voice midway
through, and an even better 'Dry Riser'. The crowd, who stangely avoided
the stage when (Sic) were on it so the normal attempts at stage-diving 
(hard to do when the crowd is so small, effectively they were just 
jumping off and hoping their mate catches them). The stage is quite
worrying actually, it is at groin-height and full of splinters, there's
a hospitalisation waiting to happen. Of the other songs, 'Sally' (the 
last single, not at all easy to find) is a great quiet/loud/quiet number,
about driving or something, the new song 'thank you for the roses'* is 
soso, unfortunately it had to be introduced as 'this is ironic', and
the set closer 'No Turn'** is unfortuantely disappointing. Alas
'Severed', which I heard the last time I saw them, doesn't get played.

All in all Kerbdog were great, and (Sic) could well become so.

terry

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EDITORS NOTE:
The reviewer got some names of songs wrong,
* should be 'Mexican Wave' (I think)
** should be 'On the TURN'

1/3/97 - sic / Kerbdog.. LEEDS Cockpit

Well, a late decision that all roads lead north meant that I managed 
to miss (sic), Ricky Warwicks post Almighty band. c'est la vie. 

Kerbdog are a band though that deserve some attention and respect, 
mainly because they play some decent music, partly because they are 
funny, get to that later, and partly because, unlike most other bands 
around these days, they are paying their dues. Not many others go out 
on near 60 dates tours of the UK toilets. And this is their second 
lengthy UK tour in six months, and the new album's still not been 
released yet. All credit to them for it, and not just sitting on their 
asses waiting for a wave of hype. 

Because of the immaculate decision of the record company not to release 
the new album until the tour is pretty much over, yeah, nice idea record 
company people, most of the set they play is new material. And given that 
it goes down pretty well with the crowd, makes you think how much better 
it would've been if people had actually had the chance to hear the stuff 
prior to the gig. Still, it's a pretty good reflection that a band can play 
for an hour, with only 2 old songs in it, and still retain the attention. 

Taking the stage with the first bit of wit of the night form Mr Battle, 
(aside from the name, Cormac Battle, puhlease, poor git,) about how nice a 
change it is to see women at the front, the band launch into their stuff. 
It still does have a grunge ring about it at times, but there's also that 
extra power there that they always seemed to have. And this time round, it 
sounds like they've got some better songs as well, which for the main part, 
was the failing of the first album. End of Green, which is served up as the 
second song, was of course, one of the successes of the first album, and 
it's  arrival tonight sparks the arrival of the first of a long line of
stagedivers. Tragically however, the second stagediver lost all hope of 
cred in wearing his sunglasses on stage in order to look cool. Sorry, but 
as it was so eloquantly put later on in the set by Mr Battle, 'if i stage 
dive now, i will look a twat'. That was another of his little gems, 
changing the lyrics on the spot. Along with a 'wow, that was so good, 
I've never seen that before' for another stagediver, and at the end a 
'dance, don't dive', for yet another. as you can tell, stagediving was 
in abundance tonight, or more a procession to get up onto the bass players 
side of the stage, and dive from the speakers. One by one they took their 
mark in their practice for the Olympic diving competition. 

A few more quips about their million selling debut album (it's called irony 
for those that don't understand), and how handsome the band are (see previous 
remark) and the unveiling of new single Mexican Wave as their next big hit 
single. Actually, given the right airplay it could well be, as it sounds a pretty 
top tune. Loads more of the new album is played and all sounds pretty good. A 
little bit of attempted match making for the soundman who 'got blown out the 
night before, but he's a lovely lad'.The band do return for an encore, and Sally 
finishes things off. 

All in all, a good evening. Certainly a good decision to travel up. If you get the 
chance to see them in your nearest toilet on this tour, then do so. They deserve 
your attention, and are one of the few bands around who seem to genuinely enjoy 
themselves and have fun, and be done it because they want to not because it's a 
career and a means to make money. Good fun. Go see. 

7/3/97 - sic / Kerbdog.. The Garage (UPSU)

This has to be one of the most eagerly awaited gigs in my life !!!! Away for 3 Years,
Kerbdog haven't been seen hide nor hair of.. but just when you thought good music no
longer exists, here they are - live and loud!!

To be honest, sic, Ricky Waricks new little baby (other than the one his girlf is expecting: 
you heard it here first..) were total wank. Just the Almighty by another name. They had a
bad attitude on stage - putting on Irish accents, and saying 'hoy ware frum Dublin..' Sorry
just wasnt into that sort of thing.

Kerbdog came on, and played a newie. They then anounced that the next song was from their
first album 'which was released about 4 million years ago' .. End of Green.. 'cool' I thought,
The rest of the set, save their encore, was new stuff.. all good, not much of which I can name
though. It all rocked, and if it's anything to go by their new Album will too.

Unfortunatly the bouncers at the Garage are arseholes, and they started to eject stage 
invaders from the venue, which pissed Cormac and colin off, probably Darragh too, but
I couldnt see him behind the drums.

On went the show, 'On the turn' was aired, and a little later, 'Sally'.

Then came the encore.. a bit of a teaser. Cormac starts to play 'what's the frequency
Kenneth', and gets just past the chorus, stopping abruptly and saying something like
'hey this isn't our song'. They then launched into Dry Riser... perfect end to a
totally awesome show.