Live music listings: July 2006

Doors 8.00
£4 advance via here
£5 door

Backlash Magazine has relocated from Norwich to London. And they are celebrating. A quarterly, glossy, 7” record-sized zine, the idea of Backlash is to write articulately about music with an open mind, whatever its genre and whatever the current trends or fashions. They want to celebrate musical diversity and show that it’s possible to like and be interested in a wide and eclectic range of music, rather than have to succumb to the limitations of scenes, or just be into one particular genre. So, Placebo, Alkaline Trio, Jeffrey Lewis, The Raveonettes, The Get Up Kids, My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday, Athlete, Bic Runga and Eels, to name just a few, have all had a look- in. Each issue comes with a free CD with a wide range of songs by some of the best bands around, both signed and unsigned.
After having to postpone the original launch night due to band illness, a night where all the original bands who were to play and the Luminaire are all free has finally been found. There won't be a new issue for the launch (the next isn't due until late August), but just having the launch itself will be enough of a celebration - of the move, of the zine and of a vast variety of fantastic music. To highlight and represent the importance (and Backlash's love of) that musical diversity, three very different but brilliant bands will provide the live entertainment. 2005 Diesel-U-Music Award winners The Pistolas (Best Rock Act and Best Live Act) headline the launch. Fresh from another NME Club Tour and with their debut single recently out on Fierce Panda, The Pistolas are fast gaining a reputation as being one of the best live acts around at the moment, their onstage performances only equalled by their blistering, powerful songs. “Onstage the band members throw themselves around in a near-collision course manner, winding themselves up in the process into a state of spectacular nervous energy and edgy tension. They clearly love the noise they make and throw themselves into it in a thoroughly impassioned manner – and while this sort of thing has of course been done before, it hasn’t often been done better.” [Drowned in Sound]
Support comes from Stagecoach, a London-based alt country outfit who play beautiful, bittersweet melodies with echoes of the Shins and Wilco. The band, who say they play “sunny music for rainy days,” were finalists in the June 2005 Lee Sounds Unsigned showcase event.
The Ladies, who, confusingly, are actually one man, will be opening the night with a set of gorgeous, acoustic, intelligently pain-riddled songs.
The night will finish at 01.00, with Stoplight DJs providing an eclectic selection of music to dance and listen to, and there will be free goodie bags containing early issues of the zine, record label CD samplers, badges, sweets and all sorts of other surprises, like pints of Carling £2.50 all night, though given we've just told you, it's not so much of a surprise. There will also, of course, be back issues - all with free CDs - for sale on the night.