Doors 7.30

Gresham Flyers 8.00

Coy Tosa 8.45

Documentary Screening 9.30

Scarce 10.30

 

It's like this: Scarce was a genius, dead sexy band from Rhode Island. Scarce - a trio comprising Chick Graning, Joyce Raskin and a series of drummers who never remained long enough to catch their names - a band that fired imaginations and moved as if possessed by their libidos, who took all the bits that David Bowie and R.E.M left out and mutated them into a searing, mesmerizing whole. Fugazi once snagged a plectrum bassist Joyce had been using, claiming they'd never seen so much blood on one. Chick was straight out of the Marcel Marceau school of expression. His grimaces, the way he thrust his guitar into the air, his leaps & bounds, were inspirational. His silken shirt & jacket didn't just get soaked. Little rivulets of sweat would continue to form on his back an hour after Scarce had finished playing. Scarce were so cool; they would grab hold of all the cracks other bands fall through and make something of them. 

 

In 1995, following a support tour with Hole in Europe and on the verge of seriously breaking it big with their debut album 'Deadsexy', Chick suffered a brain aneurysm and lapsed into a coma for several weeks. He recovered, and astonishingly Scarce kept going as a band till 1997, playing two major US tours, even though this meant Chick relearning all his guitar parts and vocals from scratch. But the strain of his illness took it's toll on the band and they went their separate ways. 

 

Back to the future: Writing a book about the band called 'Aching To Be' led to Joyce contacting Chick, and then to Scarce's re-forming, ending nine years of silence. With no expectations but to savor being a real band again, and no one to answer to but themselves, Scarce finally have the happy new beginning they deserved all along. Their new album 'No One Likes You' will be available at the show. 

 

"Dead sexy motherfuckers. Scarce sounded like all those parts of R.E.M and Bowie no one is supposed to like. Scarce had such passion and self-belief it hurt." - Everett True, Live Through This American Rock Music in the '90s 

 

"On a lesser night Scarce were a fine rock band; on a good night they were a force of nature." - Brett Milano, Boston Phoenix 

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Scarce - Days Like These (Documentary Screening) 

Director: Sally Irvine 

 

Days Like These is the story of the rise and fall, and rise again of the band Scarce. Admired by musicians and fans alike 

for their unique brand of rock and roll and blistering live performances, they appeared destined for stardom before tragedy struck and a brain aneurysm left guitarist Chick Graning fighting for his life. Fast forward ten years and Scarce are back to prove their passion still resonates today. The biopic contains never seen before footage of Scarce including studio sessions, archive and early footage, interviews with Scarce; disciples such as Kristin Hersh (Throwing Muses), Joe Lally (Fugazi), friends and fans new and old, and Industry cohorts that never stopped believing in Scarce. Sally Irvine's film is a celebration of Scarce, past, present and future. 

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Supporting are Sundayschool, a three piece, just like all you favourite bands are and were. 

 

"A blessed combination of gentle distortion, knowing lyrics and insane two-footed drumming. Go visit sundayschool over at their MySpace, grab a piece before there's not enough magic to go around. Sex, Drugs And Sundayschool!" - Mojophenia 

 

"Johnny Marr-esque guitar and anthemic vocals...yet another fine example of sundayschool's sonic diversity and adeptness" - A Future in Noise 

 

"It can only be a matter of time before they are snapped up as their songwriting ability and raw sound suggest huge success could be just around the corner. sundayschool epitomise everything that is great about rock music" - Daily Music Guide 

 

"Fuzzed out danger music" - The 405 

 

Opening are The Gresham Flyers. To say that The Gresham Flyers have a wide breadth of influence is an understatement; they may not agree on which bands are primary influences (indeed, there is not one band that they all agree on liking), but what they create reflects the best part of their record collections. Initially likened to Belle & Sebastian, a closer description would now be somewhere between Pulp's claustrophobic, synthetic sleaze and The Arcade Fire's anthemic histrionics, with a dash of Prolapse's dual vocal approach thrown in for good measure. 

 

Live, the band have picked up a devoted following thanks to their outstanding performances with bands such as Bearsuit, Saturday Looks Good To Me, Lucky Luke, Ladybug Transistor, Persil, MJ Hibbett, The Loves and Kristeen Young. Currently working towards their second album, The Gresham Flyers are constantly working up new material, both in the studio and on stage.