Special Needs: 1999-2005

[imitationleather]

The Darkness wouldn't let them support them because of their name? A lucky escape, surely!

Personally, I think I already prefer The Needs. The logo's better, for a start.

[LadyDay]

And no more questions about why you named the band after a Placebo song.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

They should call themselves The Specials.

(Or has everyone made that joke?)

[LadyDay]

Pretty much everyone yeah

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

I admire bands who stick by uncommercial/unradiofriendly names though. And I speak as a fan of The Slits and The Mothers.

[LadyDay]

I admire bands with good songs meself. I don't really care what they're called.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

I don't see why it's an offensive name, anyway. Surely, if anything, they're reclaiming the term 'special needs' from the playground and giving it celebratory/exhilarating connotations?

[slim]

You try explaining that to everyone over and over. It was boring for me, it must've been really, really, really boring for them.

[LadyDay]

Exactly

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

If people didn't understand, who cares? It's their loss, not your's.

[hulahoops]

or the band's loss, if they miss out on potential fans because of their name.

[slim]

or the band's loss, if they miss out on potential fans because of their name.

Or distribution deals, or whatever.

I know where you're coming from ELW10, but some things just aren't worth the needless adherence to principle.

[slim]

Boing.

Are there any upcoming gig dates for The Needs?


Edit: Never mind, just realised it was on FF&HB.

[mayer]

They played Madame Jo Jo's on Monday, which was good. Expensive though at a tenner and the band and management were miffed at that according to the fansite, so they gave out a Demo CD with some new stuff on to take the sting out of it.

1. Miles Away

2. Into The Dark

3. Above The City

4. Motorbikin'


Hot off the presses. What nice boys they are.

They were also equally lovely at Reading last night.

[slim]

<blows kisses>

Fantastic. I hope I get to see them soon. I don't want to hear about rising attendance numbers and ticket costs, I have to see them whilst they're still modest. :)

Mind you, I suppose the Glasto set was quite small.

[slim]

Hmm, I hope I'm just not in the mood and they will grow on me, but I'm initially unimpressed by the first three tracks there. First impressions say "Wet.". :/

[lazyhour]

First impressions, three tracks, so that would make it...

Wet Wet Wet?


*bows*

[mayer]

Hmm, I hope I'm just not in the mood and they will grow on me, but I'm initially unimpressed by the first three tracks there. First impressions say "Wet.". :/

The first three are all new new things, I think they're quite nifty, though I would *winky* (EDIT: None of them'll be on the album though, so you should still get that :-) )

Motorbikin' is as old as the hills, they stopped playing it for a year odd, but it's back in the set now, and worth it for the bikey noises at the end if nothing else.

[slim]

Ah yeah, I knew they were new. Well, I guessed and then it turned out I guessed correctly, would be a more accurate way of putting it.

Given how I first reacted to Blue Skies, I'll reserve judgement until I play them again a few times, but I just got the feeling the bite, verve, panache and freshness that attracted me to the earlier, more raw sounding stuff is gone. Did someone new/different produce it or something?

I like Motorbikin' :) "The doctor came and waved a magic wand. And he was alive again!"*


* Or something like that.

[mayer]

I just got the feeling the bite, verve, panache and freshness that attracted me to the earlier, more raw sounding stuff is gone. Did someone new/different produce it or something?

I think they just knocked it out in a few hours themselves in a rehearsal room, cos it was a last-minute, "Ten quid? For us? Fuck off!" thankyou-CD for the kids who forked out to see them in a posh place that charged too much on the door.

They're more works in progress than anything else (probably), and yeah, not anywhere near as immidiate as the other stuff (yet :-) ).

I love Motorbikin', thrilled to bits they've started playing it again. It's a Death Disc with a happy ending!

[slim]

Ahhhh, that'd probably explain it. No time for panache when you're doing it at short notice.

Heh, "death disc". Is that a mayerism or am I frightfully out of touch?


Edit: Argh! New page death disc.

[mayer]

I read the phrase in a Spector biog or some other pop book to refer to those 60s songs where someone dies at the end, usually by being a rebel and falling off their bike, breaking their sweetheart's heart, the ultimate death disc being "Leader Of The Pack".

I don't make everything up y'know! :-)

[slim]

It's a good name for that kind of record. The title conveys the meaning so elegantly.

[imitationleather]

So, they've split up then...

[TraceyQ]

Oh yes, why so?

[imitationleather]

This what the lead singer said...

For all your love and attention we thank you but we're done.

We all feel that life hasn't destroyed us, especially me, since in the last two weeks I've been evicted, broken up with my girlfriend, lost my best friend, become properly penniless etc etc.

Thank you all and love you loads.

Zac xxx

I think they felt the band weren't going anywhere because they'd been dropped. I dunno, someone who knows more about it will come along soon.

Does he mean, "We all feel that life has destroyed us"?

[hulahoops]

Years plugging away and failure to really get anywhere, I think.  It'd been brewing for a while.  

Though they've not actually given any reasons, that's just what I gather.

It's a shame.

[LadyDay]

Hardly *years* plugging away!

Sad but inevitable.

[hulahoops]

They have been going for several years.

I'm not going to say anything about the quality of anything pre-about eighteen months ago though.  From the little I've seen, it's not pretty.

[slim]

GAH.

This is what happens when I like something.