Still crazy… after 4 years
It can safely be said that the over-four-years running End Of The Month Club is in danger of becoming an indie institution in Glasgow. If you ask any of its regular attendees, or indeed the many bands it has showcased, this can be no bad thing. Where else can one get the best in up-and-coming electro acts from all over Britain, satirical humour, an on-going saga involving a plastic stunt man, music video mishmashes, kitsch competitions and a jolly host who is not afraid to prance about in a wig? The original idea for EOTMC came to its host TJ due to his pet hate of “long gaps between bands when nothing happens or if you are lucky the soundperson digs out their favourite CD, that bares scant connection to the acts playing”. To combat this problem he decided to set up a night that would run from beginning to end like a show, with no boring gaps for the audience. He also decided to go against tradition and not hold this band night on the third Saturday or second Thursday but on the last date of every month, regardless of what day it fell on. This turned him on to the idea of reviewing events and culture of each month. It also provided an outlet for his creative juices, be it digital video, photoshopping, print or music. End Of The Month Club was born.
It is due to the insistence of TJ, his wife and his friends in making each of the nights an entertaining experience for all which is one of the main reasons for the continued popularity of the shows. This is not only achieved by the aforementioned multimedia delights and audience participation but also from the humorous and often touching tributes to celebrities and public gurus who have passed away during the month. Over the years there have been many of these including memorable ones for Japanese director Kinji Fukasaku (Battle Royale) and King Kong actress Fay Wray. However the warmest received was the tribute to the eccentric poet and storyteller Ivor Cutler who died earlier this year. The tribute took the form of a small show with guests performing some of his work. It has apparently inspired a few of those present that night who previously knew nothing of his work to go and seek out the recordings he made. As well as organising the monthly gigs, TJ also performs at them as part of electropop outfit Bozilla. Along with band mates Aimee and Adam, they have supported all the bands and artists EOTMC has hosted over the years. The host claims to have been very lucky in the selection of guests as “no-one has ever caused us problems with their attitude on the night”. Only minor problems have been encountered such as bands wasting time during by constant tuning up and then being surprised at having their last songs cut from the set or the stress in ensuring everything is accomplished before the venue’s curfew. Fortunately most bands have seemed to appreciate the uniqueness, atmosphere and the hard work which has gone into arranging the night which has resulted in many of them returning to play, even once they have become accustomed to venues much larger than the 13th Note.
Over the last few years there has been an online revolution in how people the world over access music, one of the main reasons for this being the massive rise in popularity of the networking service Myspace. This website allows bands to not only showcase their songs to a wider audience but also to interact with them in new and exciting ways which eager young bands could only have dreamed about in the late nineties. TJ, a great lover of technology, has embraced Myspace as a tool in his search to find the best new electro bands in Britain to showcase at EOTMC. Such has been the number of great bands discovered online that hardly a month goes by without there being at least one guest from out with the Glasgow area. For many this will be their first ever Scottish gig. He has been pleased at how successful the shows with travelling bands are “especially as we can’t offer them much in the way of money” which suggests the night has a good reputation for its treatment of bands that far exceeds any financial incentive. However useful Myspace has become for bands and promoters nowadays, TJ preaches caution for those who have become too reliant on it for exposure as in his experience it still tends to generate less interest than more traditional methods such as radio and podcasting. Bozilla themselves have found that the internet has brought them most success when music lovers have taken the time to track them down online after hearing their songs played on both online podcasts and national radio, including Steve Lamacq’s show on BBC 6. This keen interest has translated into a healthy number of downloads and EPs sold. TJ believes that this shows that DJs who deem only studio recorded material to be fit for radio broadcast to be talking nonsense as the remix track that Steve Lamacq played was simply downloaded from their site.
EOTMC has long established itself as being a great place to see new bands debut, grow and develop with bands such as Germlin, Motormark and The Flying Matchstick Men finding their feet there and going on to have greater success. As far as exciting new bands to watch out for in the future TJ expects great things from Aberdeen’s Colon Open Bracket and (more locally) exciting young disco punks Babybones. Even though the night will face great challenges as Aimee, singer with Bozilla, moves to Japan to teach English in October TJ is confident that this well loved night will continue to showcase new bands and entertain its faithful audience for many months to come. (Steff Allan)
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