Good news day

Picture the scene... It's a rainy Monday and I'm sitting in a cafe having a coffee and danish and surfing the net. I browse through my favourite news site (BBC) and through some of the better newspaper sites. A slow news day, it seems.

I'm getting bored, so I thought I'd visit one or two sites that I frequent, but not everyday, nor even every week. I type in www.iceband.net and have look around, but apart from a few gig updates there seems to be no news. I noticed that they'd been on the radio, however, Preston FM to be precise and so I thought that because work had prevented me from making the Preston gig, I'd have a listen to their interview.

Having found the Preston FM website and then found the podcasts I scrolled down until I found the one for ICE. 
What a treat! A bit of chat from Janie (doesn't she sound posh) a few mumbles from Paul, but loads of songs. 5 in total, virtually a gig, if you went to a short one.

Very unlike me, I forgot to write down the set, so I can't tell you what they played, but it was very enjoyable albeit a little different and quieter as they went all acoustic.

So, I'd better got to the point of this blog.....
Halfway through the interview Janie let slip a piece of major news. The ICE band are releasing a single. I don't know the date yet, although she said it would be around October time and it's called "Look Into My Eyes" It's a hell of a song, I don't know if the single is similar to the acoustic version on the radio, or if it will be a bigger affair, but either way it's a great sounding song and I can't wait to buy it.

I'll post more news when I can

Meanwhile, don't forget to have a look at http://www.iceband.net

The Ice Band review

These days it’s hard not to get blasé about music with every covers band playing the same songs, usually badly. Guys, if I want to listen to Jumping Jack Flash, I’ll put my Ipod on. Don’t get me wrong I love live music and whenever I’m passing somewhere that’s advertising it, I’ll pop in for a drink, just to sample the atmosphere, there’s something rather special about seeing a live band, even if they are playing Smoke on the Water….badly.
Cover bands aren’t really my bag as you may have guessed, but it’s hard to find decent original music these days, it’s wither punk / metal / heavy rock or standard indie bands that sound like an Oasis clone, there’s no originality in original music anymore.
Or so I thought.
Passing through Chorlton in mid-May I noticed that the Chorlton Arts Festival was on and as I went past the Lloyds Hotel I saw a band unloading their stuff, so I thought I’d hang around to see what they were like.
What I saw surprised me, a double keyboard stand and 2 electric guitars (one of which was a 12 string) – looked promising, then I noticed the drummer setting up what appeared to be a suitcase, but in reality was a set of electronic drum pads. This could be interesting.
And it was. The Ice Band are unique in blending so many different styles and genres. They started with a strange sythesized orchestra sound, played on the drums, which led into an extremely catchy first song, which having checked their web-site was called One of these Days, a great opening song, which builds from a reggae tinged opening to a full on punk style ending.
There followed an hour of great entertainment, great musicianship and great songs. 
The only problem with the Ice Band is that their songs are so damned catchy, you find yourself humming them for days later, trying to think where it was that you heard it. You wake up in the morning with the Da Da Dats of Dance with the Fire roaming around your head, you go to sleep singing Just a Man and you suddenly want to be a Weathergirl.
I urge you to find where this band are playing and go to see them before they become hot property and it starts to cost you money to get tickets.
You can find out where they’ll be here