The Definitive Review The Tuesdsay Club See You Next Tuesday - 2013

A slight departure from the usual stuff found here – was asked by those lovely people the Tuesday Club to rustle together something – i think the exact remit was a track by track commentary – of their forthcoming debut full length ‘see you next Tuesday’ which young folk with decent musical taste is due out on Record Store Day 2013 and will include a kind of social club gazette insert whereupon these etchings may or may not be found – i’m guessing not given they’ve gone all quiet on us……in case you need links and you do they came be found at –http://thisisthetuesdayclub.tumblr.com/ – resist purchasing naff represses by money grabbing bastards jumping on the RSD band wagon and buy this blighter and make them rich…….better than the Adam Ant album……

Welcome weary record store day patron. In your hands you hold a prized copy of the debuting long playing platter by the Tuesday Club, a multi talented pop combo (I get paid the princely sum of one pound sterling each time I say something nice about the band so read on for fond plaudits galore) who you may have occasioned upon playing at your local Darby and Joan social club – yes that was them just before the bingo and sandwiched between the parking announcement and the unsightly tete a tete between Charlene and Debs offering some impromptu entertainment for the attending masses in a three round scratching and screeching scrunchie shredding slap down.

The Tuesday Club used to be known as the Scratch who had a fair old habit of decorating listening spaces in all manner of addictively spruced up hook heavy day-glo punk pop that sound wise sat prettily between the Small Faces, Buzzcocks and the Flamin Groovies in a button badge swapping queue. Now on a sabbatical said band have grown in size enlisting friends and passers by – the latter by a quaint old method known as press ganging – and go by such names as the minx, glabrous fabulous, jerry berry (obviously not his real name), tittybar telski, andreas vanderbraindrain, wasabi penis, beautiful wolf and j-rod. The object you have in your hand is one of a small limited pressing of three hundred copies of their debut album titled ‘see you next Tuesday‘. You now have one and I have one which means there are just 298 left. Please treat gently and look after said artefact as though it were your prized pet however do not stroke (people are watching) and do not feed or water as contrary to populist belief as with costly discs or CD’s as they are better known, they do not take kindly to being spread in jam or watered.

Now for those of you whose venture today into your local record emporium was their first (how was it for you), then a few do’s and don’ts. What you have in your hand is a vinyl album (also commonly known as wax, platter and indeed record). This cannot be played on your I-pod or for that matter on any other mp3 playing device – and no it isn‘t an oversized CD. It is not to be worn on the head, neither is it to be used as a Frisbee (though occasions have arisen in the past where we have used said items as such however the onset of CD‘s has proven a boon in my discus thowing prowess especially ones coming glued to the front of certain monthly music magazines – no names no pack drill – ahem – Q), a tray either of the cups and plates carrying kind or of the ash variety (though on a personal note I did once occasion in turning my mate Tommy’s prized signed copies of Bay City Rollers platters into variously assorted misshapen animal crafts, a trumpet and even a dainty little bowl which was handy as we did all this while he hotfooted to the kitchen in search of savoury nibbles – sleeves are slightly more problematic but rest assured being a whiz at oragami I’m sure we can rustle up an instruction pamphlet – as a point of reference we found in protracted studies of Tommy’s record collection that anything by the Osmonds where ideal for cannibalising into arty objects. You can find such items loitering in flea markets, house clearances, thrift shops aplenty in exchange for mere trifling change and of course your uncle Neville‘s record collection.

So tasty toon seeking traveller what, I bet your wondering, have you got for your hard earned dosheroonies. Well as it happens the band have asked your dear old scribe to give you a – so to speak – flavour of what to expect by doing a super duper track by track guide. Yes I know what your thinking obviously those Lamacq, Radcliffe and Laverne types were all busy doing fab things like hobnobbing with the stars, going to award ceremonies or else generally unable to leave their exclusive pads for the mountains of fan mail blocking their escape route. Mind you holding our prized collection illegally taped ‘hit the north’ cassettes to ransom did kind of swing things and focus our minds a tad.

In short (and by way of looking through the P window) a fourteen track pop popsicle that playfully pukes, pogos, purrs, powers, preens, pouts, pows and prangs prettily upon your portable platter playing dansette unto which you‘ll hear……..

‘Dolly Dynamite’ – a stutter sprayed faux Bruce Forsything romp around a 50’s teen dreamed ballroom and succumbed to a becoming at the hop boog-a-loo bubble grooved in Cockney Rebel-esque shimmies with Rocky Sharpe and the Replays.

‘Ain’t got no Class’ – strut riddled glam pouting cool heavily scented in the freakish aroma of Rocky Horror Show’s ‘time warp’ albeit as though skadadled by a ballroom blitzed out meeting of Dr Feelgood types lamping seven kinds out of a prime era Roxy Music.

‘money means nothing’ – darker in intent and straying out of a classic ‘kings’ era Ants haze to shed its skin and psychosis to blossom into a knowing off centred nugget much like a primally pristine Brand Violet.

‘nananana’ – banana splits in head on collision with toy dolls do annoyingly daft and addictive speed freaking three chord romp – need I say more.

‘she splayed my teeth’ – a love crushed dandified dayglo dizzy ditty time travelled from a 1978 edition of Top of the Pops with Motors and Buzzcock-ian squaring up to each other for main attraction dues.

‘new regime (slow swing)’ – ready for some mellow mood muzak dipped in all manner of goonery, smoky jazz swing wonkiness with farm yard animal sounds galore – I kid ye not

‘replication and montage’ – scuzzily prowling lo-fi post new wave groove gouges and twinkling keys purred to a driving motorik motifs done on a slow cooking ‘dirk wears white sox’ backburner.

‘all you do is wow’ – our favourite thing here by a cats whisker – sci-fi twang transmissions cosmically rolled in space dust and flavoured with noodling 60’s spy thematic sounds from the vaults of TV21, astute radars will swoon to its astral array of meek meets man or astro man meets captain scarlet motifs.

‘new glamour’ – demented finger jabbing bad boy sea sawing precariously on a new wave framing cut to a disturbing stop start scowl as though a Dury fronted Stranglers applying playful psychosis.

‘wish my slate was cleaner’ – a dot joining agit pop-a- dillo drawing together the rezillos and buzzcocks.

‘’vinyl is a manifesto’ – mooching melodica, a stoned out Roxy caught rummaging through New York Dolls medicine bag and a rabid sonic rupturing that veers to its groove end assuming critical meltdown

Play loud……and at 33rpm…….

The Man in Grey has left the building…..

Reverse Family Songs About Life Mid Crisis - 2017

‘My songs about life mid crisis’ is shortly set for record counter action via perfect pop co-op – incidentally catalogue number PPCO50. In short here be fourteen tracks staring out of the late 70’s for all the world sounding as though they’ve been rifling through the best bits of your well-worn stash of prized 7 inch platters from back in the day whilst junking the bad ‘uns and then wiring copious amounts of angular riffage along with the applying of oodles of prickly pristine pop make up, the daubing of a fair amount off tongue in cheek candidness and then the dipping of the bugger in dayglo dye – which all adds up to – voila – a new wave party pack that sounds as though its torn its way from a vintage early issue of Smash Hits or Superpop. Where the Scratch wore their Buzzcocks /

Magazine affections like badges of honour, reverse family though grazing similar sonic fields appear more content in hooking their spike topped new wave communal tent to the likes of Wreckless Eric, Captain Sensible (see the gloriously dishevelled ‘alcopoppers on fast food’ which impishly comes wired upon a killer Beefheart / Fall coda unless i’m very much mistaken – and i’m not), Jona Lewie, Vic Goddard, the Leyton Buzzards and of course Adam Ant whose influence is clearly about this collection like a rash. Add to the mixture an impish kookily crooked pop dynamic that absorbs elements of glam and the bubble grooved echoes of an at times 50’s teen buzz (refer yourselves to WIREd out ‘plastic punks’) and you have a collection of cuts which from the power popped pub rocking zigginess of ‘business or pleasure’ to the previously mentioned here a while back ‘way it goes’ with its schizoid club rumbling cool – think Gary Wilson rewiring Robin Scott’s M – a set that fizzes, pops and crackles with a retro electricity. Elsewhere the dub doused ‘I sense their watching eyes’ under certain conditions wouldn’t look to far out of place on one of six sides of ‘Sandinista’ where it not for the fact that it’s waywardly cut in the likeness of Klark Kent which before the letters of concern start flying in – and they will believe you me – is no bad thing. ‘electronic 6’ is just, well quite frankly – pure classic era weird earness from Landscape while those with a thing for spaghetti western grandstanding with hints of Marco’s post Ants Wolfhound grooves might do well to amble over to the cool arrest of the bruising wound licking ‘higher power’. Elsewhere ‘hand of god’ side 2’s opening salvo is cut as a floor rumbling funk struck mirror ball very much channelling heavy on a Gary Wilson influence while distant echoes of ‘dirk wears white sox’s’ lacerates the grooves of the parting shot ‘odd mix newgabes’.

Listen

Faction Structure Buyin’ Into Fantasy - 2022

Buyin’ Into Fantasy - a record which caught assumptions unaware, took them to fresh and stimulating acceptance searching places yet all the while left us greedily devouring all within its vinyl brought walls.

How to describe the project’s sound? Old wave disco-rock has been used but truly it is a boldly individual amalgam of flavours past, present and newly imagined. It is art pop, post punk, experimental punk, avant-new wave… the list could continue but what emerges is a character of invention and breath of sound purely Faction Structure.

The Faction Structure moniker comes from a David Bowie interview for Mojo Magazine in 2002 about his hugely influential Diamond Dogs LP, a quote reflecting an apocalyptic breath within the world at the time which remains so apt in a time that Buyin’ Into Fantasy now explores and there is a definite Bowie essence to the album’s title track.

It is a compelling end to a record which gripped ears and imagination like no other this year. Though not pandemic inspired it does echo the aspects of darkness and dispute all have felt but primarily it is an echo of the world before and around it through knowing intimacy. More so it is an adventure of sound and enterprise which got under the skin in no time and left us greedy for the pleasure sparked and despite all the hints we gave in artist comparisons it is truly one unique and especial exploration.

Ringmaster Review

Faction Structure Circles - 2023

This is not an album to listen to whilst doing the housework or while you are on the school run. It requires your attention. You need to listen and invest in ‘Circles’ and if you do you’ll get your perks - you put the effort in and you will be rewarded with good melodies and sometimes surreal lyrics that just feel very appropriate for these bizarre times we are living in.

It’s a soundtrack for the disaffected and those who feel they don’t quite fit in with modern society, people who can’t relate to deceitful political charlatans, senseless wars, the erosion of common decency, and the utter fucking boredom of sanitised, safe modern popular culture and music.

‘Circles’ is not some ‘fun’, lightweight pop album, it’s dark, alternative, independent music that flys in the face of popularism with a massive ‘fuck you’. If this review has resonated with you, then maybe you need to obtain a copy of the record-it’s not going to resolve all the World’s problems, but it might make you feel a bit better knowing you are not the only one out there trying to make sense of it all.

Read the rest of the review here on page 24... In the Club BIG M - In The Club Magazine

Read more here: ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/ buyin-into-fantasy

Read more and BIG M’s interview with GAND? here: factionstructure.co.uk/gand-interview-in-theclub-magazine-big-ms-mighty-probe/ involving of participation as Brown’s enlivened bass and the vibrant guest tones of Miss Tiggy Pop, both returning again upon No one can stop you.

It will have been a year since the release of Buyin’ Into Fantasy, the debut album from UK outfit FACTION STRUCTURE. Released through Perfect Pop Co-op, it was the first in a five album project created by the mysterious GAND?; an experimental adventure created and cast in the shadows of a world in turmoil.

Before then though, The Face You see On Saturdays bears a Fad Gadget meets early Human League like hue within its electronic shuffle, the eighties seeding the album’s sound often embraces a ripe tempting in the track...

No one can stop you merges electro rock and pop in its contagious and fiery exploits. Like all songs, its challenges and seduces in equal measure, taking ears and imaginations to a place of aberrant enterprise and addictive infectiousness with the following

As its predecessor, Circles is seeded within a world tumult, its tracks written under lockdown and as the first echoing the deep anxieties, paranoias, and apocalyptic foreboding of the moment. Yet as the world continues its course of turbulence within a sense of normality from pandemic freedom, the tracks just as powerfully fit; their lyrical prowess enabling certain observation and musing of the now.

The album opens with its title track, Circles sauntering in on an electronic swing which soon had ears and hips involved. It is a controlled yet eager coaxing to which GAND? adds his familiar tones and individual lyrical weaving, the track never breaking into greater energy but relentlessly catchy all the while with its persistent gait driven by the bass of Dan K Brown of THE FIXX. Further veiled vocals skirt GANDS? tones, a vague but magnet flirtation making bolder impact across the album. The new wave jangle of the guitar only adds to the lip smacking enterprise surrounding ears before Skin on Skin launches its animated stroll of temptation and offbeat incitement to further manipulate our keenest attention; its declaration of desire just as

Though only two albums in, the five album cycle that Circles continues feels a journey and adventure of sound which will persistently spring surprising propositions and surprising reactions, and taking FACTION STRUCTURE’S new album as a thick marker, rich pleasure.

© RingMaster Review

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