Sandwiches For Everyone!

As far as Aussie music blogs go, The Sandwich Club are the heavyweights. They’ve got a respectful following and a name that’s actually recognised in the real world. They’re dedicated to supporting the underdog and with a team ten strong, they can keep the content flowing on a regular basis. I’ve always checked in on their site to see what they’re rambling about, but I recently realised that I was never downloading the songs. This was partly because I’m restricted to dial up most of the time (the pain!), but still, that’s no excuse. I was instantly forgetting about the bands they recommended, putting all their effort to waste. And so I decided to go on a treasure hunt, downloading every song I could and seeing which took my fancy. Here are the choice picks:

Favourite Favourites
Like everybody, The Sandwich Club have their select group of underprivileged bands which they like to champion. If Sandwich Club rave is any measure to go by (and it is) you should really check these guys out.

Poly And The Statics – Symphony
I’ve heard so many good reports about this band that every moment I have to live without them pains me. Their sound is so diverse, it borders on ridiculous. This song could probably be classified as The Strokes song, but their music covers territory all the way out to Pavement. The good news is that this Adelaide bunch will be treating us with their presence on May 4th with support from The Seabellies. Must see gig!

Tic Toc Tokyo - Everything I Told You Was A Lie
Ignore the fact that they’re yet another Tokyo band, these guys have got potential. They have a dark, energetic indie rock sound, which they seem to have nailed down really well. Just like Poly, I can’t wait to see these guys live.

Exotic Discoveries
These are a few songs that would really grab my attention when they went through. They’re not perfect but they’ve all got that spark that promises much to come. Finding unknown gems like these can be extremely difficult, but The Sandwich Club make it look easy.

The Coshercot Honeys – Mr Dangerous
This band comes from Auckland meaning we can pretty much call them our own. I know little (ie nothing) about them beyond this song, but I’m definitely intrigued. I love it when that chorus erupts.

Cajun Dance Party – Colourful Life
These guys are a mere 17 but they’re already beginning to create a buzz over in the UK. Their normal sound is a bit rockier (see there debut single: The Next Untouchable), but this gleeful number shows they’ve got a bit of depth.

Plastic Palace Alice – Empire Falls
You’ve gotta give this band credit, purely for the amount of rhyming and alliteration they’ve got going in their name. The intro to this song is interesting to say the least. For the first few seconds I think it’s Bishop Allen, then all of a sudden it sounds like The Temper Trap. However testimony to its quality, it is gradually overwriting my memory so that it has become the norm. Great song all round.

You could hardly consider yourself a collective of any weight unless you had a regular band night. The Sandwich Club have just that. On the last Thursday of every month they take over Candy’s Apartment in Kings Cross and present the public with a platter of scrumptious local talent. Apart from being a lot of fun, they can also be a launching pad for little known bands. It’s nice to see their power being used for good and not evil (hey baby, I run a music blog about sandwiches). Well if you thought that was impressive (and I did) you were wrong, because The Sandwich Club have gone one step further and will be holding their very own mini festival (for those whose eyes hadn’t already wandered 5cm to the left). This festival is great for me because not only does it contain a number of bands I’ve been meaning to check out (Dead Letter Chorus, Marching Room, Walrus) but also a few which I’ve seen only once and crave more….

Brian Campeau – Montreal
This guy must be seen to be believed, his recordings simply do no justice to his on-stage performances. He is an entertainer in every sense of the word. Not only does he have an incredible voice and way cool guitar skills, but when I saw him, he was expertly tapping his acoustic for percussion. Genius.

Cuthbert & The Night-Walkers – Red Frogs
Similarly, I doubt that recordings are where these guys excel. With 10 members, including a 5-piece choir, Cuthbert & The Night Walkers are all about the spectacle. When I saw them, I only caught the last few songs songs, so ever since, I've been wanting more.

Well. This was never meant to be such an extensive puff piece (looking back, it sure is extensive and puffy), but I guess I got carried away. However, hopefully the message still got through. Whenever you read a music blog, be it this or any one of the other excellent blogs out there, don’t just read, nod and forget. Regularly gather all the songs you can and give them a thorough listen through. This is why I always prefer downloads to streams; our brains (well mine at least) require excessive repetition before they get the point. Chances are, there’s a wealth of great music sitting right under your nose!

To the Sandwich Clubbers: Thanks (retrospectively) for letting me rehash your material. While you may be using your influence for good, I’m still disappointed that you haven’t taken control of Tasmania yet. Keep up the good work.