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| Iron Man Gorgeous | GORGEOUS check the official G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S. site here: This website is moving For Iron Man Records click here
‘CURSED WITH BEING......G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S’ From the city that gave you….. G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S released their debut album ‘Cursed with being’ in May 2001 on Birmingham based Iron Man Records This is the first official release for the oddball Midlands based iconoclasts who were formed three years ago by notorious indie maverick Peter Byrchmore - a man whose varied career to date has been responsible for ten or so indie chart hits and a brace or so of proper grown up chart moments. (You’ll have to do your own digging here cos Pete places little emphasis on anything to do with the past in general.) Peter’s guitar and vocalising is supported by Maria Harvey who plays the keyboards and also sings beautifully, Abi Bruton and her shiny trombone, Rick Shaw ,(honest) Sax God, John McQueen and his big bass guitars and Andy Nicklin who plays the drum kit. In gauntlets. The basic G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S tenet is to do with stamping out wet music in a way that transcends any stylistic elitism. They see no point aligning with any sub genre or half arsed movements because everyone is seen as a prospective G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S fan. Tired of a relentless diet of gutless, opinion free musical posturing , G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S make a gleefully opinionated , energetic, hook laden racket and are content to offer their intriguing views couched in dry, black wit rather than ram received opinions down throats. G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S have absolutely no intention of preaching to the converted. So there. ‘Cursed with being…’ was recorded in a week at the Magic Garden Studios and was produced by Gavin Monaghan who has worked with all manner of characters, (like Mercury Rev, Gold Blade and Terris). “Bit of a closet genius to be honest” said Peter of his producer, and who are we to disagree? G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S. "Cursed With Being…" Big, meaty, bouncy agit-pop. Love it to pieces. This has been out for over a year but, with a new one due out this year, a good time to catch up on lost time. Gorgeous are driving and engaging, with a knack of choruses that stick. Reminiscent of Chumbawumba's finer moments, Gorgeous have a lot to say and have fun saying it. It's the mixed male and female vocal turns along with horns that inspire the comparison but the anarcho sentiments are the capper. They quote Kevin Roland of Dexy's Midnight Runners - 'as Kevin said, 'burn it down''. In Out Of Season they tell us to 'kick down all yer idols and refute yer gods'. In Two Fingers they tip off the third world; 'why not eat your dead?' It's the sarky lyrics and intelligent pop that wires this into the brain and feet. That, and the live, infectious sound. Bad Missionaries has a go at WTO protesters that don't practice what they preach and laments the exchange of argument for riots. Lovely Bastard explores the dilemma of knowing what bastards men can be but still being turned on by them. And in World Hate Day, they propose a day, opposite to Christmas where, instead of pretending to love each other then hating each other all year, we can hate everyone then pretend to love each other the next 364 days. Consistently on the ball, Gorgeous are well worth taking a chance on |