Rigo Jancsi

Kingsley Harris

Office bound this week, I decided to spend some time checking out Myspace. Its still the tool of choice for many bands, signed and unsigned. Facebook seems to have died down and Bebo didn't really ever get a look in.

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Office bound this week, I decided to spend some time checking out Myspace. Its still the tool of choice for many bands, signed and unsigned. Facebook seems to have died down and Bebo didn't really ever get a look in.

There is certainly a double-edged sword as to the effect Myspace has had on the industry in general. It's clear that the digital age has devalued the record buying market but offset against this is the amount of bands that are now getting breaks.

For me it really is all about the music, the pie can't get sliced much thinner, so as long as you don't want to become a millionaire and just want to make music you are onto a winner.

I first surfed my way onto the site of Lot 55, just to check on progress. The band hasn't played for a while but they have added The Overkill to their play list.

A pace perfect piece of indie/rock with a great guitar hook and a Climie Fisher meets Richard Marx vocal delivery. The great thing about the tune is it has no boredom factor. www.myspace.com/lot55

Next I hop over to Blighters site. These guys are churning out quality retro 80's sounds. The track that has me buzzing on there at the moment is The Exam, a mixture of Men At Work with a distinct feel of The Police.

Another great track is Boys In Motion. I hope the group gets signed this year; they are incredibly talented. www.myspace.com/blightersmusic

Another band with a retro slant, albeit with a slightly harder edge is Rigo Jancsi, with their Duran Duran meets The Sex Pistols approach, check out Twinn Town and Checkmate at www.myspace.com/rigojancsi

But wait! If you want the ultimate retro experience then tune into Magpied, for Love Crumbs is cheese-tastic; this should be a release. Split Enz were right, history always repeats, if you don't want to bop to this then you are ready for your lobotomy. www.myspace.com/magpiedmusic

I then found myself on Cold Hands page; they used to be called Rupert. I really like the sound of 126, you could name a hundred bands in their musical genre but this track does hit the mark for pleasant repartition. They also are in the bracket of one of the most improved bands on the scene. www.myspace.com/cameronmoandjamesband

This led me to the site of new Norwich band Lunaire; I wasn't impressed here at all. Yes I can appreciate lo-fi recordings but the material is bordering on the emperor's new cloths.

Finally I finished on the Vanilla Kick page, new track The Escape is now up but pick of the bunch is This Is, a deep chasm of sound with heart wrenching vocals. www.myspace.com/vanillakick

I'm no stranger to hunting down local music, but it appears the wealth of talent in my backyard is growing exponentially.