Fuzz Club: An Obituary (1999-2009)

My first encounter with Fuzz Club was actually more belated than it could have been. Such was the buzz around the place that by the time I had decided to go on arriving in Sheffield, the night was sold out. Of course this was the Fuzz of 2004 which found fame through the bands that played and the 'minor celebrities' that loved it.

There's no need to recount the fame that many bands who came through the Foundry later went on to achieve, indeed when the doors closed on the night for the last time in the early hours of the 12th June 2009, many of those who had just departed the venue would not have seen the most famous of those who played, such was the length of time that has passed since most (but not all) performed.

Looking back, the eventual first time I attended was easily one of the best nights I witnessed. Headlining band The Bees, a indie stalwart appearing on several 'best of' albums for the genre, played to a packed room of over a thousand who left to tell the tale of an epic gig. Where else, for less than £5 entry could a better night of music be found? And this was its success, selling a cheap, enjoyable night of music to any who would come and listen.

The heart and soul of the night came from those running it, who's passion for the music was clear throughout. Penny and those who helped her, worked tirelessly to keep the night current within a genre that is renowned for its constant evolution, whilst also chasing down the bands that drew the crowds into the venue. The art of booking an up-and-coming act before they breakthrough is clearly not straightforward, but the success that the organisers of the night had in this area was unprecedented and should be commended. There were several artists who were drawn back time and time again, almost certainly because of the respect there was for the organisers and their honesty over what they were trying to achieve. Although names such as Steve Lamacq or MJ Hibbert may not be the biggest draws in the entertainment industry, they were those that the Fuzz customers kept coming back to see. These individuals in particular will probably be among those who miss the night the most.

Both main DJ's and their stand-ins when away also deserve a mention, as they were firm fixtures of the nights tasked with balancing firm fan favorites with more current and possibly less widely accepted songs. For myself, with my focus generally within the main room, songs such as 'Float On' by Modest Mouse, 'Suspicious Character' by The Blood Arm and various songs by The Strokes will be forever associated with the night as the place where I heard them first. Other bands such as The Libertines, The White Stripes and even Razorlight (the first album at least) are also synonymous with being in the Foundry on a Thursday night for myself at least. Quite how the night kept its finger on the pulse so well and often ahead of more widely heard media will forever remain a mystery to me as its recognition of genuinely good music was achieved without feeling the need to 'sell out' to such artists that are found on the shelves of supermarkets.

Returning to the live side of the night, memorable performances by bands such as The Subways, Los Campesinos!, ¡Forward, Russia! and The Features will be remembered by myself for years to come with these nights in particular providing a launch pad for my interest in the bands themselves. Sadly though it was arguably this side of the night that led ultimately to the night's demise, not to the discredit of those running the night. Particular periods where bands frequently dropped out of playing the night at the last minute, did harm to the reputation of the live aspect and was not helped by the drop in quality of some acts compared to their predecessors in previous years. That being said, this side of the night did re-find itself in more recent times with more established acts such as Art Brut, Brakes and Young Knives coming in to bring the crowds back to the Foundry.

In addition to its obvious draws, Fuzz also aimed to provide a night for those who like their music a little heavier through its second room (Bleach). The history of this room has not been uneventful either, but is better to be recounted by someone with a closer connection to it than myself. Fuzz also gave a chance for potential sound and light engineers to learn their trade through TSC. Whilst this opportunity will probably continue in other nights I expect the frequency of working closely with so many genuine artists to almost certainly decline, particularly given the current trend of artists moving to play at specialist or 'branded' venues.

Even with the presence of the quieter periods over the last few years it is not an understatement to say that there will be many who will miss the night. Understandably, tears were shed by some and I myself felt some emotion whilst realising I would not have the opportunity to experience new music in this environment again. But whilst these moments will stick with those who were there, it should be the performances and music that should be remembered, of which every individual will have their own unique experiences (even if it was how bad The Red Stripes were!). For the record, it should be stated that the final song performed by a band at the night was The Young Knives blistering through 'She's Attracted To' and the final record spun was The Smith's 'I Know It's Over'. With that, Fuzz was indeed over, however one thing for certain is that its spirit will 'Float On' in all of those who passed through its doors...

"
Alright already we'll all float on.
Alright already we'll all float on.
Alright don't worry even if things end up a bit too heavy.
We'll all float on...alright.
"

Week 2 - 'Do You Like Rock Music?' by British Sea Power

Ok, those of you who have been paying attention will realise that I am a little behind on writing these reviews. Believe me this is not through not wanting to write, I just try and do too much at once. Anyway with all that in the past I shall try and get the ball rolling again (seeing as I have all the CDs) starting with British Sea Power.

Hopefully a band that are more recognised than Tom Baxter from last week, British Sea Power could almost be called respectable for the way that they have reached this third album without troubling the charts too much, whilst still being held with a high regard in the musical community. Currently a four-piece following the departure of Eamon Hamilton to Brakes, British Sea Power are definitely a band who have a tendency to live on the side of obscurity by playing tiny venues and carrying around branches. Despite this, the sound displayed in their early material such as 'Carrion' and 'Remember Me' screams out for fans of real tuneful music to buy them, but that success has yet to find them.

British Sea Power are one of those bands who you often hear mentioned on the indie grapevine as one that you should go and see live, and a few years back at that wonderful festival in Bramham I chose to do just that. In amongst all the foliage I found a band who were eager to perform and impress but at the same time doing all this with a smile on their faces. Their music, characterised by a full sound with striking guitar riffs would have been hard not to be impressed by. Shockingly since that day 'Do You Like Rock Music?' is the first of their material I have actually got my hands on, so when it came to choosing an album for this week, it was an easy choice to make.

The title of this album is particularly intriguing as regardless of whether you answer yes or no I'm not sure how you would know whether to buy the album or not. At the risk of being shot down, I would very much describe this album as one of two halves. From tracks one to six we have what I would have hoped for as the next steps for British Sea Power, continuing where they left off but also daring to write some striking songs that are musically brilliant and also completely unexpected. 'No Lucifer' is one song that falls into the unexpected category where singing what almost sounds like a love song to the devil combined with a chant enjoyed by many Burberry wearing football fans somehow ends up as the best song on the album. Sadly after track six the album just fades out with the brief exception of 'Atom'. 'A Trip Out' in particular is very lyrically poor and almost seems to just be included to make numbers up. All of this aside, existing Sea Power fans will no doubt enjoy the album if only for tracks such as 'Waving Flags' and the lengthy but enjoyable 'Lights Out For Darker Skies' and although this is not their best effort it is sure to keep them going towards further albums in the future.

The final question lies with how does it compare to 'Skybound' last week. Well as much as I'd like to love it simply for 'No Lucifer', it is by no means as complete an album as 'Skybound' and so, for now, 'Do You Like Rock Music?' goes to the bottom of the pile.

Week 1 - 'Skybound' by Tom Baxter

So here it is, the first of the 52. Each week I'm going to try and cover the same things, namely who the artist is, why I chose this album and then a general review of what the music is like. I'll also look to see how it fits in with others from across the year by attempting to rank it amongst all others I have heard - how long that part lasts will remain to be seen!

The name Tom Baxter is not really one that would be synonymous with Radio 1 listeners or in fact listeners of any radio station that I can think of. He is an male solo artist by trade and I am led to believe he originates from our (sometimes) glorious capital city of London. From what I can tell from the album's booklet, to call him a solo artist is in fact a bit of lie. Inside you find photos and messages that give somewhat of a family feel including the whole band, producer and manager. There's even a love message from Tom to his (male) violinist giving the feeling that a lot of emotion has gone into this album. Of course how much of this is real and how much is a cunning marketing ploy remains to be seen, I hope it is the former.

So why 'Skybound'? I have to admit, for this particular week my options were limited to... well... this album. Apparently the music industry thinks that no-one actually buys cds at this time of the year. However I may have been drawn to it anyway. From the limited information I found about Tom (mainly from favourite site www.last.fm) I found similarities with some artists I already listen to such as Ed Harcourt and so it was chosen.

The most striking thing about the album is its good use of acoustic music throughout. So often these days do bands do the odd acoustic track to add a bit of variety but often that just boils down to an electro-acoustic guitar being brought out instead of the usual stratocaster. Here acoustic music is done properly creating an atmosphere not found in many current releases. The vocals on the record are strong throughout and this is definately Tom's strong point. He sounds mature beyond the years that he appears to have seen, indeed this debut record could easily be his fifth, such is the quality of the recording. If fault has to be found at some point it should be said that some of the songs feel overly long. Indeed this album, only 10 tracks long, lasts four minutes short of an hour making this album hardly one you can listen to for quick blast on your generic white mp3 player. Stand out tracks are 'Miracle', the title track as well as the opener 'A Night Like This'.

How does it compare to the rest of this years releases? Well I think that doesn't really need saying yet but it is a strong release to say the least. The fact that Jem said it was the best record I'd bought in a long time shows that it definitely has some appeal to a certain section of the population. I'm not sure I'd agree its the best I've bought but if he were to support someone like Damien Rice on tour, 'Skybound' would probably start flying off the shelves. So here's an idea to leave you with, if you're really stuck on Valentines Eve and its a toss up between chocolates and 'Skybound', go for the latter and your lass will almost certainly not regret your choice.

Week 0 - One Musical Idea

Last week, just before New Year I had an idea. I was thinking about the music from the last year (undoubtedly brought upon by Lee's notes) and I was struggling to remember what my musical highlights were, so this is what I am going to do about it. For every week of 2008 I intend to buy (not download!) an album released in that week, so by the end I will hopefully have seen the best of what the music industry has to offer this year. Inevitably I will buy some written by artists of which I have never heard, and probably will come across some that I buy that I do not like but I hope that this musical journey will be rewarding nonetheless.

So what is there to look forward to? New albums by bands such as The Subways and Los Campesinos! first spring to mind as well as offerings by The Futureheads and maybe even Franz or the Arctic Monkeys. As for the first few weeks I've pencilled in British Sea Power but also an album by Tom Baxter who I only came across in thinking about this project but I find (through Last.fm) may be similar to other artists I've bought before.

From what I can remember of last year the outstanding album was The Cribs' third offering. It rose above other challengers such as the Monkey's second and new ones from The Hives and Ash and while the Klaxons debut was an impressive musical feat, their failure to actually make a noise that was actually in tune took the edge off all but about three songs. How any of these will compare to any of the 2008 releases remains to be seen and that is what I hope to find out over the next 52 weeks.