NWB - Community Blog

@LGIT!
"''too drunk to Fuck''....oh no, that's got more that 3 chords hasn't it.....a bit naughty too eh.....better play safe eh.....
"

Now your being rude!
Theres some great muso's around!
what they choose to play doesn't mean they're not in a league some will never reach???????

You could say that about the whole of the top 10 in the set list chart - although theyre all good tunes theyre all well overplayed by a country mile.

1 sex on fire - kings of leon 73
2 Teenage Kicks - The Undertones 69
3 Wishing Well - Free 64
4 I Predict a Riot - Kaiser Chiefs 56
5 Paranoid - Black Sabbath 55
6 Hard to Handle - Black Crowes 52
7 Dakota - Stereophonics 50
8 You Really Got Me - Van Halen 48
9 MUSTANG SALLY - ANYBODYS? 44
10 Valerie - Mark Ronson/ Amy Winehouse 43

I think bands just put these on their repetoire to fill out their sets but dont necessarily play them at all their gigs. I mean "I predict a f**kin riot"....still??

Unfortunately the songs above still go down well.
If it aint broke dont fix it!!!!!!
its what alot of the punters want to hear.

we have one of those in our set!
Hard to ..kin Handle!
I hate it but the punters love it as does our Gob?
what can yer do?

personally i prefer 'ever fallen in love...'
but even thats over played.

It is very popular but could it also be because it's piss easy to play?

3 chords... I wish, how rude????
I know 4 now, got d nailed,thats a,c,g and d.....
bring on the good times.... can happily say we only do 2 out of top 10, but really who cares, if it's done well????
cant beat a good old classic!

We play play teenage kicks and ever fallen in love and used to play pretty vacant I think it caters for certain people in the audience, But looking at the top ten its more playing safe. I am not a big fan of I predict a Riot - ST hates it but it gets the drunks at the end of the night. Unfortuanetly they come to be entertained by music they know not self indulgent musci which I would personally like to play but once you seen one ten minute guitar solo you have seen them all.

We did try MC5'S Kick out the Jams as it was upbeat and class but it was only recognised by about 2 people in all the time we played it and mainly for Rage against the Machines version. There are other songs in the same genre but unless your a muso Mr Stella wouldnt know Van Halen from Van Damme. Good post though do agree I have took a year out come back and realised as Whatever said if it aint broke dont fix it.

I'm with the Hulk. You play to your audience. 95% of our venues are repeat bookings and they know what they're getting with us. We change the odd song here and there to suit. When a song's popularity starts to wane, we replace it with a newer one. It's not rocket surgery.

We pitch ourselves as a guitar jukebox anthems band in a deliberate attempt to avoid rock/indie/punk tags. Why limit your genre? It's all rock and roll folks.

For the record I can take or leave Teenage Kicks and I hate I Predict A Riot, but until they cease to get a reaction from the audience, we will continue to play them. It's the nature of the beast.

We play 'Ever Fallen in Love' depending on our audience - we played it on Sat at The Venue to a relatively younger crowd who loved it...its actually a great song when played properly.

Its the whole discussion about keeping your set fresh & maintaining your own enjoyment and keeping your audience happy. I'd say 3/4 of our set is well known mainstream 'classic' punk stuff, the rest are anthems in their own right but not as well known.

I was surprised how many rock bands play teen. kicks and/or ever fallen in love.Must be a big crowd pleasers. We play em from time to time, but that's our genre.

Mark

doesnt teenage kicks have 4 chords in it?

im so glad my little pal from lgit has piped up again i was missing you mate!!!
fair enough your a punk band (proper punk innit played with faux snarl and raggedy guitars not like us dickheads that actually get the guitar parts right and singing intune) only kidding!!!!!!!
so i can understand you probably hate the more popular punk tunes but surely thats why people get off on em in't it.
they are popular for a reason after all ya know.
we play ever fallen and tk and we've played em since we started and i never tire of seeing people buzzing off BOTH tunes at EVERY gig. they never fail. but does it make me a cock for playing em just coz i wasnt around in the 70's with safety clips in my jeans and all that tosh, i personally dont think so but i may be wrong and i may be the biggest cock on here, probably more likely!! haha
so to summarize i can kind of understand your opinion but think you may be slightly cutting your nose to spite your face by ignoring em completely pal. some food for thought eh?
love ya pal
ben

"As a 'Classic' punk band Last Gang In Town REFUSE to play this 'classic' punk tune because we're sick to death of hearing it played by almost everyone else....."
"So you lot can have Teenage Bloody Kicks cos we don't want it..... "

Good, thanks, glad that's cleared up. I'll pass on it as well though thanks.
Willow

Well I must say, what a lot of a todo about a very harmless little pop ditty.
Although it was of the late punk era, I really don't think you can call either ir or the band that spawned it 'punk' Mr LGIT - it's not even really new wave - and as for playing it because they think punk is alittle bit 'dangerous...ha, ha and ha again.
They all play it 'cos it's easy and guaranteed to get the audience going (I know I can't hear it and not sing along/bop to it).
As to 'you can have it 'cos we don't want it' oooh, handbags at 12 paces!! - who gave you exclusive rights on certain songs?
You're as narrow minded and opinionated as a certain cyborg type person who occasionally throws a wobbly.....of course all this is just 'my opinion' !

Devils Advocado here!

LGIT - Do you not play songs guaranteed to get YOUR audience going?
I take it your audiences like what you're doing - and as you do more of it you'll attract a bigger like-minded audience I assume.

How big an audience do you have to get before they can be called sheeple? Will you pack it in then?

Willow

i like teenage kicks cos its easy to play

Willow - welcome back with a bang in the sense that you are bang on the money there. This blog is on the slippery slope to US versus THEM and for that reason I'm steering well clear from hereon in. Thank you and good night.

Sorry LGIT, I know we kissed (metaphorically speaking) and made up, but I just can't see where you're going with this one.

Ta ST ... as you know I do like a good debate ... and, because I never know if I'm one of THEM or if I belong with US I'd like to feel I can contribute even handedly.
(that doesn't mean I can 'debate with either hand!!)
Willowstillinholidaymode

LGIT ... when you end a blog with ... "Over to you..." I think you can expect comments in return. Personally I don't tink anyone's been particularly touchy.
By the way ... ARE you ignoring me?? 'Cos you know that drives me MAD!!!
LOL
Willow

Grrr, drag me back into it why dont ya!! It's not a cop out song. It's a popular song. Sorry if that doesn't sit well with your "punk" attitude but each to their own.

I still don't see your point. If you don't like it and your audience don't like it, don't play it. That's your call. But then you can't criticise other bands for playing what they play (whether it's Teenage Kicks, Sex On Fire etc etc) because it appealing to their audience. It's horses for courses again and very much a nonsense argument.

<----- pushing ST out the door .....

----------> ST pushing back....

And just one last thing. I also don't agree with your labelling of classic punk, like punk is a massive genre that requires sub-genres. In my experience something is either punk or it isn't.

Willow - LGITs ignoring you.

LGIT - yeah, you got me. We agree to disagree this time my friend. Good to have an exchange without it getting personal. I suspect we both respect each others take on the matter (even if you are WRONG!)

LGIT .. sorry didn't see your response to my earlier comment.
But .. what??
I've completely taken your point that you choose what you play to a defined cafeteria. I've taken your point that TK doesn't fit in that cafeteria.
I find it hard to accept that Punk (now) is about being different, not conforming, as, as much as it probably was when first starting, it soon became another major "label" and ,as such, to be included under that banner people had to conform ...... didn't they??

However, I'm not here to start an argument .. yes you are, no i'm not etc etc ... but apart from your point that you don't like Teenage Kicks I fail to see what else the blog is about and quite frankly baffles me! Although I have enjoyed contributing so that's not a criticism by the way!

Willow

THE. VOICE. OF. REASON.

WILLOW FOR MODERATOR!!

I repeat my original question, Is there or isn't there 4 chords in teenage kicks? Cracking tune

<mutters> i'm doin' something wrong!!
wait til i start gerrin the post-holiday blues
Willowusuallymoregrumpy!

what about My Cousin Johnny and Subbutteo and all that? Is that any good??
WillownotreallySLFfan!

I sorry that the prospect of a band playing popular music offends your punk sensibilities. Sounds silly to me. I play it week in, week out and I don't play it to lap up the applause, I play it because people enjoy it and want to hear it. Horses for course as mentioned previously.

You know that scene from Life Of Brian?

[BRIAN] "You're all individuals"
[CROWD] "Yes, we ARE all individuals"
[MAN] "I'm not"

If played correctly theres actually 6 chords in the tune. d c# bm g g# and a..... although the g# is only strummed the once on the outro.

What i dont understand is why people keep harpin on about what other bands play and why.
ie whole lotta rosie... paranoid.....teenage kicks..... freebird and so on ....
As far as im concerned we play what we like but if someone in the audience shouts for teenage kicks or lady gaga's latest we will play it if we know it.... well maybe i exaggerate with the lady gaga but you get my point i hope. Actually i would very much like to 'do' lady gaga but thats another blog i think in the making.

Be kind to each other people and sheepleb :->

Lady ga ga's got a cock y'know

Mark

Yup. A proper cock. She's a man.

Infringement of the trade description act if ever there was one.

So they say
Video footage of it I heard, somewhat off topic, I know

Mark

Lady gaga hasn't got a cock that was all a publicity stunt thing. Out of 10 I'd give her one.

Then she'd ave two

Mark

one and a half, actually

ben your just jealous cos your in a band with people who arnt good enough to play too drunk to fuck

odin's blood-i sooooo LOVE mondays on nwb-always wake me up good and proper!!! ;-D

Bloody Hell - think I'll keep out of this one......anyone for 'Smoke on the Water'?

@lgit-mind-iffen the answer was both a) AND c)-it'd never get away with singing tfk, would it? be laughed off stage-"yeah-right, gaga-last time YOU got "teenage kicks" al jolson was lusting after his mother"!!! ;-D
(btw-agree totally with you-that song has far outlived it's "fifteen minutes"!! then again-i don't like "kiss", either, but don't tell anyone? ;-D )

Don't know what all the fuss is about, some people have got offended for some reason. I personally never deemed Undertones as a punk band, more power pop, so why all the kerfuffel? Anyhoo, I'm sure every band of every genre on here has a particular song they are sick to death of but I'm sure when you drop it, some bloke will come up at the end of the night and ask WHY DIDN'T YOU DO such and such.....hmmm

@lgit-thanks for that- i mentioned it once in another blog, but i think i got away with it? only problem i got now is this awful picci in my head of lady gaga's fanny mouthing the words to tfk. extremely scary!! ;-/

and/or "song number 2"-damnably awful! ;-/

@lgit-pmsl!!! ;-)

Oh my god what have I done, one innocent comment and holy hell has broke loose. Sorry chaps.
For the record, I only quite like TK, so wouldn't have missed it if it wasn't played last night, however Lazzy did do it well. :)

Mrs Wellington has nothing against you, but if you don't do that shall not be named I know one person who won't come, and even if she does she'll ask you for it cos it's the only one she knows (and no it's not me) :)

So to sum up

1)We wont see Teenage kicks in LGITs set list.

2)Nobody will remember us because all the punters had a hangover (See Kingpins repeat bookings)

I just listen to all the punters singing the chorus of "Sex on fire" which prob leads me to believe they have had a good time.When the hairs on the back of your neck stand up FOR THAT REASON then you can drive off into the night knowing you have done your job.There are bound to be songs that you are not keen on but that does not preclude the good people that have stayed in the pub / club to watch you,rather than lash into something completely random that nobody has heard of but the band gets off on playing it(Unless the crowd were expecting just that). Absolutely see where LGIT are coming from, they play "classic punk" and probably WYSIWYG but dont call other bands for doing it. Had a guy from the PRS in Ighten Leigh yesterday and he explained how "royalties" are calculated. Basically the PRS licence the venue pays for is divided up based on a formula that all the songs played by cover bands are counted and then they can allocate money based on popularity, not just whats played on the juke box.(He has printed the set list off our website and asked which ones we still did!) So, I supposed that means Fergal and Co should be still feckin millionaires!BTW he also had a decibel meter with him. Nice bloke and has a really interesting chat (When i found out it wasnt going to cost us :-)So now you know the PRS reads everybodies set lists!!!

TFL

Id feckin love to do a rocked up "Poker Face"

@Kingpin - WHAT!!!! Is that proper classic rock speak or have I lost the ability to assimilate the written word?

No Mr RATS you assimilated correctly (Are you a Borg?)I would like to do a rocked up version of "Poker Face"

Something in the same manner as this:-
http://www.myspace.com/letsmaketragedyhappen

Donna, you'll get the real thing on Saturday don't worry lol.

Big PANTS!!!

i've played it like many others on here loads over the years

because people like it.

Thanks for the support there Gary,
There's 69 bands on here that play TK...we really don't wanna be the 70th, but if there's enough people asking for it (like naked girls) you just never know. I'm sure people will be entertained whatever we play, we tend to have that effect on audiences you see.

hmm..only born in '74 so never really experienced the whole punk thing..by the time i realised that motown wasnt the only genre of music - everyone was wearing bottle tops on their shoes WTF!!!

# Posted by LAST GANG IN TOWN - 02/02/2010, 11:41 (GMT)

Dean
We got asked for it a while back and went into a really slow jazz/improv version of the first verse.....was funny at the time.

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Just undermined your whole argument of not playing it to "please the people".

ST - I think Gary meant they took the piss by playing a jazz version, hardly contradicts the argument IMO.

Yeah, spose. Damn you Sugar Bullets!! lol

This could be a new blog - Songs about Wanking.

My Ding-A-Ling by Chuck Berry.

I Touch Myself - The Divinyls

Keep it coming (so to speak)!!!!!

Sex on Fire....lubricant and deep heat mixed up.

Oh Bondage Up Yours - Xray Spex

I feel you - Depeche mode

First classic punk band that starts doing Throbbing Gristle covers gets my vote :o)

I can't see the problem here, if you like a song you play it, if the audience like a song and want to hear it then you play it if you can. Thats what you being paid for surely.

As for the tune and the band itself they were definetly regarded as a "proper" punk band during the seventies. Many of the tracks in your set list were disliked by punks at that time, for example anything by The Jam, The Stranglers, The Ramones was considered New Wave and not punk. The ANL, Crass and UK Subs were post punk really and only became popular at the end of of that genre.

Boredom boredom, bdum bdum

i like cheese.

ohhh whos a bit grumpy then, are you pissed cos some bands have 'pinched' a tune off you, they have no right playing punk tunes, cos thats what you do and they are stealing your limelight or summat...i dont really get your argument, i aint no LL but i reckon they know who to book for their gaff.
And i reckon if you were to play a punked up HM number some of your crowd would love it, cos they wont all be blinkered by this wierd prejudice YOU seem to have...

Mark E Smith knows:

"Went down the town
To a hm club
The sign had a cross
Through a couple well-dressed
They looked at my coat
They looked at my hair
An easy rider coot
Grabbed the edge of my coat
Said: youre too smart for here
I said: ill see the manager

He was the manager..." etc

OK point taken...what i will do is read through the whole blog, i must admit i havent done so yet. so to get a rounded view i will.

However, i will bet you a pound to a pich of shit i will still come to the same conclisions.
Prejudiced : you claim - (1)Any band who isnt a punk band and play Teenage kicks has no musical integrity and or respect.

(2) All the people/punters who do not go out to watch a punk band specifically but go out to watch a 'live band' in their local have no musical taste and no sense on idividuality.

will report back when finished reading... i might be while..

Thats in your experienced opinion... i however feel that if you were to do the tune in the spirit it was written for the time it was written in, you might find it goes down well. if you were to perform it in the unbastardised un-homogenised way a GOOD punk band should i think it would go down a storm, and any road what good punk gives a shit what any body else does!!! dont the saying go..."what you think of me is none of my business" surely that works both ways.
I will get back to my reading...it aint looking too well.

@LGiT ... when you say "I'd probably pick TK because is quick and easy to learn." .... can you give me more than 3 of your 62 song set list that may fall outside of this category?? Give me a handful of songs from your set that take you (as a band) more than a few hours to knock out .... and then tell me why Teenage Kicks is so different. Please. Thank you.
I still think this is a pointless blog by the way (you don't like the song - period - end of ... ) ...... so congrats for getting over 100 replies.
Willowstillbuzzingaftergig

LG you missed my point i think ....
the point i was making that in your last comment you singled out TK as being quick and easy to learn.
My point was that, looking at your set, most if not all of it are songs that I think would be quick and easy to learn (n.b. "most", "I think") Surely that was one of the selling points of punk?? quick, easy, energetic, no virtuosity necessary.
Admittedly I can't remember what relevance this has to your original stated dislike of TK, but I was just home from a gig and still a bit "excited"!! LOL
Willow

pleased don't reply - surely this blog can't go on much longer!!
haha

What makes me laugh the most about this post is someone who plays in a cover band talking about Musical Integrity and playing to the sheepies.

Now I for one have no problem with cover bands having playing in a few of them for half my life, however I wouldn't dream of calling into question any other bands integrity concerning choice of material when I am simply copying other peoples music to play for a targeted audience.

And since Punk was a style, attitude, cutural identity and not just a style of music I would say how can playing in a cover band possibly be construed as punk?

"And since Punk was a style, attitude, cutural identity and not just a style of music I would say how can playing in a cover band possibly be construed as punk?"

Well considering that the attitude of punk was "I'll do what I want and f*ck you" I don't think you have much of an argument there mate.

I have an acquaintance in Florida who is a lawyer. He's forever getting told by kids with green hair (in a bunch with other kids with green hair) that he's not punk. His answer? "Says who".

And of course, with the definition being "whatever the individual wants it to be", you and I AND LGIT are both right and wrong at the same time.

I'm going for a lie down.

Well considering that the attitude of punk was "I'll do what I want and f*ck you" I don't think you have much of an argument there mate.

Exactly :) which means playing TK can also be construed as punk can it not?

who cares? :-))))))))))))))

Exactly :) which means playing TK can also be construed as punk can it not?

Good point.

Unless it's played along to the juke box before soundcheck. There'd be some kind of explosion if that were allowed to happen....

And further to that

Saying " f*ck you I am going to play stuff the punters like" is just as punk as saying " f*ck you I am going to play stuff they don't like.

and on the opposite stance we could say playing what the audience like isn't very punk, but then again playing covers is not punk either in that regards.

And now we are getting in into the realms of the ridiculous
At the end of the day its all down to personal taste and chopice for every individual

My chopice is my own personal kingdom!

blimey its safety pins at dawn on here again :-)

Exactly :) which means playing TK can also be construed as punk can it not?

Good point.

Unless it's played along to the juke box before soundcheck. There'd be some kind of explosion if that were allowed to happen....

lol yeah there would be one or two on here throwing a wobbler lol

mick we dont want to hear what you do with your chopice in the comfort of your own kingdom.

My chopice is my own personal kingdom!

here here

I personally love punk. Being an old bastard I played in a Manchester punk band from 76 - 79. Since then of course I have sold my soul down the river many times (kept my arse intact though)but have always had a love of punk since I was 15

Valerie Leon's G-String:

This is totally off-topic, but your name inspired me to google Valerie Leon. Ding Dong! Almost as tasty as Caroline Munro.

ha ha , another convert!!, and caroline munro indeed, as Mr Moore says in the spy who loved me "what a handsome craft, such lovely lines"

I remember her well from the carry on films. Still prefer Jolene Blalock though

check out margaret nolan as well, before this comment gets deleted ha ha!!, she will be familiar from carry on movies as well

This pic of Caroline Munro is neither gratuitous nor off-topic, as she is what first inspired my Teenage Kicks! (Well, her and the blonde from Abba.)

yep relevant indeed and THANKYOU!!!!!

We used to do it in the early days of the band, but we got fed up of it after a short while. One of those where the words won't stick in my head. Don't miss it at all.

Always glad to hear it on the radio, though!

teenage kicks...great song if you can cover it properly ....

My band does Teenage Kicks- in the key of D and I do an Acoustic Version in the key of C like snow patrols live lounge version and I play 6 Chords in Both! Not 3???

Teenage Lobotomy could be the alternative...or the super sing-a-long Beat On The Brat?!?... ...1234!

BTW Massive Electric Storm's contribution is also very enlightening... ... ...

Teenage Lobotomy could be the alternative...or the super sing-a-long Beat On The Brat?!?... ...1234!

BTW Massive Electric Storm's contribution is also very enlightening... ... ...

They should all play Kepone Factory

Isn't it the same chord sequence as "Stand by Me" ??

Just swap the words from one to t'other if yer bored !

We open with TK because (a) yes it's easy to play (which means we have a safe song to warm up with) (b) it's SHORT (so if there are any sound probs not caught in the sound check we can quickly fix them) but most of all (c) WE LIKE IT and (d) the audiences tend to like it. As with all the covers we play, we do our own version of it, a bit slower than the original, in a different key, and with a more interesting guitar solo.
As a covers band we play a hugely varied set of more and less well-known covers, so there's always room for Smoke, Sugar, TK, Kinks, because that's what (we think) our audiences want to hear. How do we know this? Because THEY HAVE SAID SO.