Here are some reviews that Alcohol have received, we've had a few now so we thought we'd give them their own section! If you wish to submit a review then just let us know, we may include it on the site! We will include positive and negative reviews as long as they are fair and constructive!
First on was Alcohol, armed with a few new songs and a borrowed amp.
I have seen the Alcodudes a few times now and this was the best that Ive seen em play, cool as fcuk. Sometime the first band on kinda take time to get in to the swing of things but not Alcohol, oh no, high tempo fast punky rock like hanging onto a CR 500 crosser with the throttle full open, if your into bikes, you'll know what i mean. One of the new tunes, although it is a good song, sort of reminded me of a cross between placebo & muse (which I'm not that keen on) but maybe its a change of direction music style for the band? i was a bit gutted that they played the cover that no fuckers heard of and left out the entertaining girls aloud song but shit happens ;D All in all, a great performance and well worth checking out.
First of all I must apologise to Defacer, whom I missed because of the train service. However, if they were anywhere near as good as their recorded output I've heard, then they must have rocked like hell.
I was there in time for Alcohol however, whom I thought were still good despite some technical problems. The song they started with, Dead And Gone, was a brand spanking new one. It utilised Steve's innovative and experimentation with bass playing (he's one of a kind that guy), and was a really great song that shows more growth for the trio from Kirkby. Despite Tony's impending international megastar status, the guys were once again on good form, though not the best I've seen them.
They did joke about being the non-metal portion of the bill, but their set still worked nicely, because they have some really nice edgy riffs in a lot of their material. Also, the lyrics are enough to mix nicely. Drowning, the third song was sung by Steve. But, with Jim missing from pa at the time, his vocal was inaudible, unfortunately. I like Steve's voice, and Tony's coming in for the chorus added to what is an extraordinary song.
Hate And Hate is a real rocker of a song for a punk band (one of my faves), and I Believe is yet another well played and great song. There was a moderate sized crowd, and I was pleased to see lots of friends there (including Bill & Ellis from Abiotic, plus Uzi and Tommo from Acid Pope).
I'll be briefer now. Hard To Take was dedicated to Daisy (to understand this, check out punky radio - www.punkyradio.com). All in all, a great set, but the band were a little put off by sound problems they were having.
Now for something completely different! Alcohol...a punk/indie/pop/80's hair metal band. I have vague memories of these lads being a bit poo back in the day, but over the last year and a half, they've grown into one of my favourite bands on the local circuit. Every song is a catchy number and almost all are different in some way. Although Tony's voice is generally well suited to most of the songs, bass player Ste is harbouring an impressive set of pipes and adds a new dimension to some songs with his different vocal delivery. While not over-complicated technically (the odd nifty solo aside) the set was played flawlessly. Always an enjoyable band to watch with a few beers!
Next up is Alcohol. Not the pints of. The three piece �punk� band from Mansfield. In fact, the same Alcohol who�s frontman happens to be GIGGED�s Tony. It�s the same Alcohol that I�ve very, very successfully avoided seeing live in all the time I�ve known Tony. Until tonight. At least I was spared the tragedy for over a year..! I use the punk adjective in speech marks as it�s not a true description of the bands sound, but it�s the best category it can be put into- they sound more of a messy, skeletal UK grungy rock thing. But they have a catchyness to them- their tracks are lively, short and to the point, and the presence of a certain 10 o�clock Horses dance troop finishes off the almost bizarre image before us! The only issue I had with Alcohol�s set was that the sound was a bit on the lacking side, there was an empty feel to it- not normally a problem here at The Frog, and unfortunate that it should happen to ar� kid Tony�s band! Oh- the others in the group are called Steve and Cory. But they�re the drummer and bassist, so it don�t really matter..!
Sometimes music paints pictures, other times it evokes feelings, sometimes it just messes with your head abit. Alcohol have a very apt name. This music makes you feel like you have a head is a dark and stinky pub at closing. Your sat feeling like your brain might die any second, your eyes can't stay open and your mouth tastes of those last 6 beers and the 5 cheap whiskey chasers and you can hear a rumble of the jukebox but their is a buzzing in your ears and your head is tripping out as you remember that you have also had 2 shots of Absinthe. Then you hear something else, its that guy again. He is always in the bar and he is always off his head, he stares you in the eye and mumbles in your ear then shouts and burps and sputters out the words as tears run down he red bloated face 'I'm alone I'm alone'. Fuck I hate Alcohol.
I'm Alone (Track 1) starts with a simple 4 chord sort of guitar riff aka early Greenday or Nofx. Its very rough and the recording is also very simple with a dirty muddy distortion. Then its attacked by some good crashing drums and the most lazy and dispassionate of vocals, but the lyrics are fast and furious and it almost makes you laugh out loud at how stupidly bland the vocal is in its tone yet the lyrics are sharp and catchy and its certainly bouncy and catchy punk music. This song has little dynamics and stays pretty simple all the way through. Its nothing over exciting but its fun and catchy and well performed dirty pop punk.
Break down comes in with fast drum beat and on all the tracks the drumming is very tight and impressive I notice. They have drummers high in the mix too and it really pushes the music forward as the drums the engine of Alcohol's old rusty van, then the guitars are the wheels splatting passers-by with the mud as the vocalist laughs and shouts from the windows, you can't ignore this manic machine as it bungles down the road. The guitar riff is more interesting in this song using some nice scales and still has the same dirty distortion. The guitar sound is really nice for this sort of music. the vocals kick in and the riff speeds up and the vocals fit nicely round the guitar. The vocals are again really catchy and this sound has more dynamics than track 1 and the backing vocals are nice at the end too.
Track 3, Love Drug, is abit slower and again has some nice guitar scales but the over all feel is the same. Catchy lyrics, dirty guitars and driving drums. Alcohol really is a good name for these guys at first there music adds a buzz to you belly and makes you want to dance around and act silly, I can imagine that live these guys would be fun and you'd find yourself singing along 'If love is a drug then rejection is the comedown and rejection is the comedown then she is my drug' but just like the substance of which they get there name I can imagine that if I had to much Alcohol in bulk I might get abit sick of it!
Final track, I'm Free also follows a similar pattern to the first track ending in a fast and furious onslaught of punky, dirty, catchy madness and throwing your brain around like a fragile egg on a concrete playground. Its fun and emotional, its catchy and makes your head spin abit but its nothing ground breaking but its alot of fun and I think for what it is it does a good job. Its has some nice original production and it is once again catchy lyrics and is generally tight and good musically.
There is also a DVD with the demo, which I always like to see, abit of an extra bonus. It is the video to a track called useless and its shows that Alcohol do have good imagination and even though the track isn't great and follows similar lines to the other tracks on this offering but with less dynamics I felt, they do have a talent at making flash videos and it added to the fun and imaginative feel to Alcohols image.
This band are tight and do have a nice twist with infectious and fun lyrics and driving bouncy punk music that has a interesting and grungy production. If they really want to go places I think they will need to add a few more flavours to this cocktail and use a few more beverages but for a fun night out and a nice quick ear blasting thrill you can never beat a regular injection of Alcohol. I just hope I don't get a hangover tomorrow!
The first song, "I'm Alone", starts as it means to go on, with catchy guitar work and Tony's fantastic and instantly recognisable vocal. The words are fantastic and it's as tight as a gnat's ass! Is this the future of punk?
"Breakdown" features some more great guitar work, plus some interesting bass work from Steve. It also features some really good tempo changes, and again the words are really nicely written. This is a great song. Who would have thought it - an epic from Alcohol? Amazing. There's some fantastic guitar soloing in here, along with great harmony vocals by Tony & Steve (?) Tony's harmony is interesting - it comes out at you, and I thought someone was sat right next me singing.
"Love Drug" is my personal favourite if I have to pick one. There's some fantastic words, with great chord work and arrangement. Top vocals by Tony & Steve again, along with a great melody. Nice separation on here, and Tony's acoustic and electric guitar work is the stuff legends are made of. :-)
The final song, "I'm Free" has more great guitar work and a top rhythm section. I love the vocal delivery. The arrangement and songwriting are a lesson in great punk songwriting. Again some nice tempo work here.
This 'ep is like a masterclass. The production values are very original, with some inspired ideas that make you listen. Added bonus for me was that I got their video on DVD too - awesome!
Reviewed by Marv.
On last and the organisers of tonight�s gig were Alcohol. Like Weeble this was the first time I had seen them play, so I was looking forward to it. The band have a raw punk sound to them using simple but effective structures, loose playing and nasty guitar tones to create a punk/pop/rock hybrid, even throwing in a few Pearl Jam influenced riffs. The rhythm section were tight and did their job well, without going overboard by playing too much. The vocals didn�t stand out well on the night, but swapping between vocalists made it visually interesting. I enjoyed the laid back attitude they had on stage, they seem to really enjoy playing, not caring if they made a mistake or not, it�s nice to see this from a band.
Beginning another night of cringe-worthy sound levels at the Old Angel,Alcohol presented their stylings to the audience, and sadly, trying to hear past the ridiculously loud vocals was apparently going to be a bit of a challenge. The drums seemed to be quite a focal point in Alcohol's music, they were never repetitive and switched between simple punk rock to tribal/industrial sounding with a very prominent and well used bass drum. These drums were accompanied by a heavily distorted, rumbling bass and some chord thrashing guitar during the songs, but the frontman turning his hand to some impressive rock n roll intros to most songs. The sound let Alcohol down, the vocals were too loud, and they sounded monotonous and expressionless at such a level. There was no criticising the music though, it never stayed the same, and sounded busy and undoubtedly rock and roll throughout.
Next, Alcohol. A three piece who formed eight years ago and after taking two years out to get married and drunk � they�re back. Maybe they are still a little rusty, the performance wasn�t particularly tight. A bit �plastic� punk for me � they didn�t have the look or attitude on stage that a good punk band should. After speaking to them they obviously love making music. A little demonstration of this passion on stage would go a long way. As the name would suggest, they like a drink and opted for a fruit based beverage � Cheeky Vimto � one of my favourites. For those not already converted it�s a bottle of Blue WKD with a measure of port in the top�Lovely jubbly!