Tin Angel, Coventry 25/11/09 - Review

Nice little place, literally tiny. about 10 chairs and a sofa. We played last about 10.40 for half an hour after a group that contained 2 percusionists, 3 guitars and a stylafonist. Playing after a built up group is never good and we felt it from the off. Nevewr really got in the swing of things. Crowd were muted, we tried our hardest to get them involved but it was the end-of-the-night syndrome. Finished and as usual got great response (wierd). On the upside we managed to ecure a deal with the Tin Angel to supply our album, so if you're in Cov, swing by and grab yourself one.
pretty much the last gig of 2009, apart from The Crown on 19th Dec which is only really a great big piss up. It's free too.

M

The Living Room, Oxford 22/11/09 - Review

Oxford is miles away. 71 to be precise. It was Sunday night, it was raining, it was pretty empty. Due to traffic it took nearly 2 hours and we still somehow got there before the promoter. Left to hang around for nearly an hour, i was pissed off. We played about 9.15, 5 songs to an appreciative, yet mellow audience. We actually played the best we have for ages. So what did we get out of this? A night of frustration, 5 hours out of our lives, £25 petrol spent plus ridiculous prices at the bar. Some gigs are worth travelling that extra mile (or miles), this was not.

Cox's Yard, Stratford 12/11/09 - Review

We had to play first last night as Jonathan needed to get back as He's going to Eastbourne today early, so when we drove through the pouring rain, went twice around the one-way system them turned up at 7.40 to 3 people it was a little dissheartening, as this place was supposed to be a great gig. Fear not though as not ten minutes had passed since we got their that it was completely full. Bizare.
We played well, my voice going after having the flu, but it was good, with some great feedback from the crowd. We hung around for ten minutes afterwards (meeting an actual fan who had come to see us, bril!) then left, got back at a very healthy 9.20.
We've been promised another slot next year as we had to leave early so keep an eye on the gig list, probably be around April/May time.

Watch 'Modern Family' on Sky 1, one of the funniest things I've seen in years. Thursdays at 8
M

A stange few weeks

Well it has been a strange week or two for us in team Barricades Rise. It started with an awful gig at Praha in Hinkley which is best left forgotten. All I will say is young Michael McEntee got a little mic happy after a few pints to many and spoke his mind about the bands on before us. We then had three decent gigs at Ditch the TV in Coventry, The Sunflower Lounge in Birmingham and The Oak in Burntwood which saw us sell a lot of albums and meet a few fans that had come to the gigs especially to see us.

We had our first bad review of the album which was a downer after so many outstanding reviews. Needless to say we wont be adding that to the site for all to see but if you are desperate to read our misery then it is out there somewhere on the world wide web.

We have been interviewed a few times recently. In the last Coventry City home game we had a Q&A session printed. Source student magazine in Coventry have just asked us a few questions and that should surface in December. Also we were interviewed for BBC Coventry and Warwickshire which is going out tonight between 8pm and 9pm. If you miss it then just go to the “listen again” section of their website.

Finally we had a massive realisation about the quality of gigs we were playing and have decided to get picky with our 2010 gig schedule. Gone are the open mic gigs and in are the better quality venues and well run gigs. If it means cutting our gigging down then so be it. We will be spending more time doing the “behind the scenes” stuff to hopefully move us up the ladder.

Sweet love to you all

Sunflower Lounge, Brum - 1/11/09

3 gigs in 4 days with a Halloween party in between had taken its toll. Still, we headed off down the M6. On the way we stopped for petrol and was approached by a guy who had broken down and wanted a lift up to the next island. Images of Friday 13th and Halloween crossed our minds before the bloke said he'd give us a few quid, at which point we very helpfully agreed. We dropped him off then with our memory flagging, got lost round Birmingham. Half an hour of roundabouts, one-way systems and loads of traffic we arrived. Jonathan went for a cigarette at one point and came back a good 25 minutes later as he had been approached by a film crew looking to interview people about the hard hitting political science that is porn phone lines (seriously). Anyway, we hit the stage, played alright, sold a few albums (thats about 13 in 3 gigs, not bad) and then stayed to watch Lee Carroll (recommended). Only about 4 or 5 gigs til the year is out.

We are playing a live set and interviewed on BBC Coventry and Warwickshire this Thursday 8-9 and repeated Saturday at 8-9 so tune in or listen to the BBC iplayer thing anytime.

M

Barricades Rise at Halloween

Ditch The TV - Coventry 30/10/09 - Review

After one of the worst gigs of our career (Praha) we turned up at Ditch the TV feeling a little down but due to the line up felt optimistic that this could be a good worthwhile gig. We had never played this venue before and expected a small pub with 10-20 people dotted around so when we got there and went to a secret room up stairs with around 50 people all there just to listen to music we were pleasantly surprised. An ill Kristy G took to the stage first and played a great set. We then followed and played a decent 35 minutes. The night was capped off with a great performance from April Elizabeth and fun was had by all. We sold a few albums and got some cash for playing which is a rarity for us.

2010 is really going to see us get picky with gigs. Venues like this is where we want to be playing and open mic nights are going to be completely off the agenda.