2000 News Archive
October 20th, 2000: '4001' a Bass Odyssey!
Andy
takes delivery of a new Rickenbacker 4001 V63 and is, understandably WELL CHUFFED
- not to mention broke. His new tool is a seriously smooth 1963 Vintage reissue
of what is widely regarded as the finest bass guitar EVER. Furnished in classic
fireglow red, it sounds as good as it looks and will give the band one helluva
CLUNK in the rhythm department, providing a rich power tone to compliment John's
kick and Dave's Stratocasting. This latest obsession with improving their sound
is just part of BAiT's radical transition from 3 to 4-piece, which has finally
thrust Dan into his rightful place as a mic-wielding frontman. Those lucky people
who came to their Beer Engine gig on Friday were treated to an exciting glimpse
into what is to come. Dan, leaping around the stage with his new Shure SM58
radio-microphone had the audience eating out of his proverbial, while John,
Andy and Dave provided the kind of solid back-up never before heard blasting
out of a BAiT back-line.
The boys are now writing and recording some more original material and hope to have a new EP released around Christmas. Watch out for this - as yet untitled gem - cos it's likely to be pretty special. And finally... a special message for the geek in the Vauxhall Cavalier who decided it would be a good idea to reverse at 30 mph - with limited rear visibility - into the front of Dan's car, which then did a Newton's cradle into John's after the gig... YOU'RE A PRAT!
September, 2000: Band Video - 'Boys on Flim.'
For the first time BAiT have been captured by the miracle of motion-picture technology courtesy of the professional video team at the King's Head in London. Their 1 hour set was filmed using a 7 camera set-up under full stage lights and in glorious Stolby Derio. I gotta tell you the results are pretty cool with Freefalling Sunshine and Thought Train coming off best.
The lads look set to use some of this material both for MPEG display on their website (coming soon!) and as captured stills for promotional purposes.
August, 2000: BAiT heads for the Smoke (Gawd Blimey Guvnor!)
BAiT are on the verge of signing a deal with London-based management agency WOCAB, which looks set to get their music aired in front of the right people in the right venues right in the heart of the capital. WOCAB's primary aim is to take on a select number of the most promising unsigned bands and steer them towards that elusive record contract ASAP. The pressure is now on for the lads to get their ORIGINAL act together in order to take on the most happening music-scene in the country. The first real serious WOCAB gigs are set for the end of August so WATCH THIS SPACE!!
July 12th, 2000: Da Boys iz Doin it AT HOME (AND AWAY)!!
Well you gotta have a system... and the boys seem to have found theirs. In addition to establishing a foothold on the London scene, BAiT´s quest to emerge as COVENTRY´S number-1 band seems to have kicked-off pretty well. With regular press coverage becoming the norm, the lad's reputation is spreading amongst those venues fortunate enough to have had this once club-bound stealth-band tread their boards.
People are now asking: where have these lads been hiding? Last Sunday, they left both the punters and management at the Rocket well and truly WOM´d (wide-open mouthed), as they gave a stunning (slightly hoarse) performance at what was their third gig that weekend.
London aside, the lads are growing in confidence all the time and with the addition of Dave on lead guitar plus subsequent re-arrangement of a tight 60 minute original set… well the local opposition had better watch out!!
By the way, we've also heard that Coventry City FC are getting in on the act playing excepts from the NIMBY album over their tanoy now….. GOAL!! - as Harry Hill would say.
June 13th, 2000: Exit BAiT's manager, Julian
It
is with mixed emotions that the lads bade farewell to their manager Julian on
John's birthday. Julian has been a key constituent in the BAiT organisation
since its conception and has helped with all matters administrative since BAiT
first got together. Recently, it became apparent to Julian that he could no
longer continue to serve BAiT whilst holding down a high-pressure job during
the day. BAiT's progress has been steady and the band now needs full-time management.
With this in mind, Julian 'handed in his notice'. The band would like to thank
him for all his hard work over the past four years and wishes him all the very
best with his future career. Julian's departure forces the band into seeking
out a full-time management agency / person and a move into the fast lane towards
professional banddom.
June 9th, 2000: Dave's first gig in BAiT - The Beer Engine, Coventry
BAiT steps up a gear with new super-guitarist Dave Perry, taking the stage
for the first time. Dave, who just flew in from Norway a few days prior to the
gig, somehow managed to learn 2 hours of music within the space of a week! The
perfomance was a clear demonstration of the future potential of BAiT as a four-piece
band.
Dave has many years musical experience with various bands across the globe and was instantly won over by the songs and energy of BAiT. In the little time the band has practiced together, it is clear that Dave has already brought and will continue to bring his experience to BAiT, adding a new dimension to BAiT's existing set and contributing greatly to future song-writing.
May 19th, 2000: BAiLEY GUiTAR SHOWCASE - Radford Hotel, Coventry
Surrounded by some fine examples of Mark Bailey´s luthierism (look it up), this was BAiT´s chance to strut their stuff in front of a group of fellow musicians and music press. Despite the kind of acoustics usually reserved for bathrooms and select wind-tunnels, the boys struggled on to give a live and kicking ORIGINAL SONGS performance in front of a packed house. Both Matt Swaine and Ben Bartlett (from Guitarist Magazine) were there and many photos were snapped off during the proceedings (bodes well for a future review methinks). I can tell you that they were both VERY impressed with our three BAiTers and asked to be kept informed of their steady rise to the top of the echo chamber. Andy & John also got to provide backing for a number of ´have a go´ guitar-makers including the most excellent bluesman Joe Beal, who made his thang sing... Thanks to Mark & Carol for a great night!!
April 20th, 2000
NEWSFLASH: Thumbs Up for NIMBY in National Press!! - The June 2000 issue of Guitarist Magazine has given BAiT´s debut album a resounding vote of confidence after featuring an article which included Dan´s guitar-building exploits. Their reviewer - Little Boy Bartlett - dubbed it a ´Great Debut Album´!! They also included the song ´Games´ as a track on their cover CD - which was nice. Click here to read the actual review on the press page.
January 23rd, 2000
Our sympathies go out to the family of Michael Bonham (the brother of
John Bonham - Led Zeppelin) who sadly passed away this week. Mike came
to see BAiT at the Queens Head Pub in Redditch last summer. He had some really
great things to say about us and we enjoyed chewing the fat with him. RIP
Bonzo.....
January 22nd, 2000: GIG at O'Neil's (Birmingham)
OK, so it was primarily a covers gig, however it was a 'good un'. BAiT take the stage (and part of the dance floor) in front of an absolutely packed-out bar in the centre of the city on a Saturday night. The new PA set-up works great, with the management taking a line-out from the back of the kit and piping the entire performance all around the pub. BAiT play their two new covers: The Boys are back in Town & Pride in the Name of Love (especially learned for the Irish crowd) The loud-and-proud encores give the boys an excuse for finishing with Fixed, which luckily goes down absolutely splendidly… TO BE SURE!!
January 2000 - Happy Armageddon
As you may have heard, our intrepid BAiTers are currently winding-down their year-long stint playing the clubs and pubs of Great Britain, in favour of launching a fresh assault on the original music scene in more prestigious locations (more of this in later editions).