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[Steven Milne]

THE REPTILES
ALAFU

10pm
£4
Thursday 26th July

THE REPTILES

WHAT THE REPTILES DO SHOULD BE A CLICHÉ. MANY BANDS BEFORE HAVE CLAIMED TO
DRAW A STRAIGHT LINE FROM THE ROOTS OF HIP HOP TO THE CAPTAIN'S STAR LOG.
BUT FEW HAVE COME ANYWHERE CLOSE. THE REPTILES HAVE THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT
LIKE BACK IN THE DAY, YET LEAVE YOU FEELING YOU'VE JUST TAKEN ONE SMALL HEAD
NOD FOR MAN. IF THAT OLD ADAGE 'YOU MUST KNOW WHERE YOU CAME FROM BEFORE YOU
CAN KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING' IS TRUE FOR HIP HOP, THEN IT'S UNSURPRISING
THAT THESE FORWARD THINKERS HAVE BEEN EMERSED IN HIP HOP FOR OVER TWO
DECADES NOW. MCS JUICE 126 AND ROUGH FIRST MET AT THE BRIDLINGTON WORLD
GRAFFITI CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 1988, A UNION THAT EVENTUALLY SAW THE TWO FORM
PART OF GRAFF SUPERGROUP; 'IKONOKLAST'. ROUGH WENT ON TO RHYME WITH
FREESTYLE LIVE BANDS BEFORE HOOKING UP WITH DV8. MEANWHILE IN ANOTHER PART
OF TOWN, JOSEPH BARNES WAS ROCKING THE FLOORBOARDS OF HIS BEDROOM, NOT ONLY
WITH HIS EDGE-SLICING RECORD COLLECTION, BUT ALSO HIS OWN ICONOCLASTIC
COMPOSITIONS. THE TWO MET UP THROUGH FRIENDS AND SET TO WORK IN JOSEPH'S
MAKESHIFT STUDIO WHICH INCLUDED AN OLD SCHOOL ATARI AND A BUSTED BLACK AND
WHITE TV SET AS A MONITOR. WHEN IT CAME TIME TO RECORD THEIR DEBUT EP, THE
BOYS CALLED IN JUICE TO THROW DOWN SOME GUEST VOCALS. KNOWING THEY'D HIT ON
SOMETHING MAGIC, JUICE JOINED AS FULL TIME MEMBER. THEIR DEBUT EP 'LIQUID
PLAYTHINGS' WAS SOON RELEASED ON US INDEPENDENT IMPRINT HIP HOP RECORDINGS,
WINNING LAVISH PRAISE FROM THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE HIP HOP COMMUNITY. WITH
ROUGH AND JOSEPH BASED IN LONDON AND JUICE IN BIRMINGHAM, THE BAND IS A SHOW
OF GEOGRAPHICAL SOLIDARITY. BUT THE BAND'S REAL STRENGTH IS IN THE DIFFERENT
MUSICAL WORLDS EACH MEMBER BRINGS TO IT. ALL THREE SHARE A LOVE OF HIP HOP,
BUT ROUGH HAS STUDIED THE SONGWRITING SKILLS OF PATTI SMITH AND PAUL WELLER,
JUICE IS A STUDIO 1 REGGAE FANATIC (BUT ALSO FIENDS FOR ROY BUDD AND LALO
SCHIFFRIN SOUNDTRACKS), WHILE JOSEPH'S MUSICAL SCOPE RUNS FROM OFF-KEY
GUITAR GODS TOOL TO THE ELECTRONIC REVOLUTION OF WARP. THE BAND'S MUSIC IS
DRENCHED IN HIP HOP, BUT THE REPTILES ARE ALL ABOUT EVOLUTION. JUICE AND
ROUGH AREN'T AFRAID TO TOUCH ON THE REAL DARKNESS OF HUMAN NATURE. ROUGH'S
DELIVERY IS FULL OF PASSIONATE VENOM, BUT JUICE'S CALMER STYLE IS JUST AS
DISTURBING. JOSEPH'S PRODUCTION AND ARRANGEMENTS LEAD YOU BY THE HEADPHONES
INTO A NEW WORLD BUBBLING WITH COLOUR AND TEXTURE.

http://www.roughe.com
http://www.myspace.com/remski
http://www.myspace.com/reptilestyles


SUPPORT FROM THE MASSIVELY TALENTED DJ ALAFU doing a live set of own material

This has not to be missed!

x

[Steven Milne]

k ak akak ak abump!

this is going to be ace!

[RockAustin]

Sounds amazing

Just listened to their myspace, really good tunes