:: Alls Quiet On The Homefront ::

Is that a dog barking I can hear three blocks over? Yeah, we're not doing a great deal round Brisbane City as a band at the moment. But as people, we're on fire. Dayjobs a plenty. Other people's shows a plenty. Monging on at home a plenty. All the plenty-related things we used to do more of before we started a band.

Outside of Brisbane, we're just like we used to be. This weekend we're playing our first ever show at the Gold Coast (Friday @ Club Cobra w/December Waiting and Arbuckle) and the I-Team (Iron On) is back in A-Town (Armidale) Saturday night. Then we're taking a break from all live outings for a while to write some new songs.

And we got reviewed overseas again. The online zine-a-thon Splendidezine.com reviewed 'Everybody Calm Down'. They liked The Understudy. They think ECD is boring.

"Iron On don't aspire to much beyond charming indie rock. Everybody Calm Down succeeds on that humble level, for the most part. The group's execution can't be faulted, especially given their modest ambition; I only wish they'd given me something more memorable.

These songs go down like smooth, lightly sugared plain yogurt. They open with simple chord changes, ride through on a mid-to-quick-tempo rhythm, then rely upon pretty vocals and two-four chords during the verses. After a safely executed bridge, most of them reach their climax at around four minutes...kind of like married couples' sex.

There are a few standout moments. "Watch Me Stumble"'s overdriven finale boasts some intricate fill work and a nice, meaty guitar attack. The first thirty seconds of "Butter on the Brakes" almost sounds like angry, inspired guitar fireworks, though it relies on well-produced power-chords. "Repetition, Repetition"'s chords border on being beautifully sinister, but the band slams a few power chords down your gullet for good measure. Vocalist Kate Cooper usually sings on pitch, and when Ross Hope shares the vocal duties, the girl-boy effect is predictably charming.

Unfortunately, the EP is musical junk food -- heavy on short term pleasures like power chords but almost completely devoid of the sort of ideas that reward long-term listening. When a band relies this heavily on formula and "safe" choices, the "please recycle" request on their one-sheet sounds suspiciously like a mission statement.
-- Amir Karim Nezar"

:: Our Rics Show Isn't Happening ::

Through absolutely mutual agreement, Rics and Iron On have decided not to go ahead with this Saturday's rock show. The reasons for this involve ongoing harassment from various bodies that the venue must appease in order to operate. Our music is loud. Rics are essentially prohibited from letting us play there. For further information check our Ian’s blog and we loathsomely also direct you to the official press release currently posted here to the Time Off Message Board.

At a time like this it is important to remember that what we do as a communuity (bands, punters, venue operators and other music workers alike) is entirely legitmate as a financial enterprise. Yeah bands don't live off their work, but a lot of other people in the scene do, and a lot of money travels around it. Terry Flew calls it 'The Night-Time Economy'. Various organisations and industry bodies prefer to ignore this in light of less subcultural micro economies. They much prefer the equally loud, yet less socially tangible microeconomies currently catering to the punchy jockular (formerly) inner city crowd that currently think the Valley is 'in Vogue'. The Valley is in vogue. But before it was 'hot' it was a place for live music, and when those wankers start watching the footy and yelling 'fags' out of taxis in another part of town, it will continue to be a place for live music. If Rics and venues like it can weather the storm, we will have our place for live music back one day. Fighting them outright is proving fruitless, but resisting them, holding ground anyway we can, is paramount.
Keep on keeping on,
-Ian

:: Thanks To Ben Kweller and His Audience ::

Title says it all. Thanks for coming early standing up close. You made us feel very...uhmmm...welcome. If not a little awkward as well, but that's our baggage (never played to so many people so close). You were all very generous and cool. If you didn't meet Ben, do it next time we recommend it. He's lovely.

Someone was talking photos during our set. Could that special someone please email us some of them (ironon@tpg.com.au), if they have the technology. Ian wants to see how his outfit looks from different angles and the rest of the band are just vain in general. Kidding. We'd like to put something up on the site with regard to the evening. Yeah, as you can tell, we had a really nice time. Over and out.

Cleveland All-Agers, you're next. Please pack 'it' and 'bring it' to the Community Hall this Saturday. You'll need 'it'.