They're stronger, more interesting and certainly more vital than ever... Artrocker
E.S.P. @ Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, 7.12.05 by Victoria
E.S.P. Acoustic November 2005 by Kirstie
With Villa Real & Matt Eaton (of Actress Hands) More info and Main Website
The Greys, Brighton 7/11/05 by Ian According to the venue they could have sold it out four times over. Proof then if needed that the band have lost none of their popularity with the local Brighton crowd... you can't fail to enjoy and be won over by Tom and Alex’s genuine enthusiasm for the music they’re making (click link to read)
With Dusty Sound System + Restlesslist More info and Main website
ESP @ the Troubadour by SeeBass with photos (livejournal entry) Tom and Alex were really chatty with the crowd, and there was lots of banter, and pisstakes of todays popular music. No-one was safe from the wrath of ESP - Kaiser Chiefs, Hard Fi, James Cunt, Babyshambles even Brakes recieved a brief blast from the ESP boys (click link to read)
Truck Mailout: Our fabulous new signings Electric Soft Parade are playing a very special semi-acoustic set at The Troubadour in London tonight (8th) They will be playing tracks from their forthcoming EP, as well as some old favourites. They will be supported by Truck's very own Dusty Sound System (myspace.com/dustysoundsystem) It promises to be a busy one as it's Metro's gig of the week.
ESP own and Tom White is a Legend (click link for full review) Snippets: The set opened with a song off the new EP (which I now own!!) “Beating Heart” seemed to be a good solid track and was a great introduction for what looks set to be a great “album”... Then came a dual of existing tracks “Biting The Soles Of My Feet” and “Lose Your Frown” both delivered with an expertise and a raw live sound that has the potential to ruin even the best of songs but seemed to adhere itself perfectly to the songs giving the distinct impression that ESP were never a churn out albums type of band which is, in my opinion, their strongest trait (whatever BMG may say!) ...As well as these came the song that guaranteed I would be buying the new EP “So Much Love” this song really has a touch of genius to it and is a truly brilliant ballad and was sung by Tom with real feeling ... once the gig was over I asked Tom for the setlist on Alex’s side only for someone else to nick that too, Tom (being the legend he is) was genuinely upset for me and went rummaging around and emerged with the drummers setlist from under his kit. I was chuffed shook Tom by the hand with the comment “Thanks, you really are a legend!”. Photos are up if anyone cares some good ones: click here (scroll through the pics with the button at the right to get to them, there's Restlesslist, ESP and the setlist too)
Email from Adam: (reprinted with permission) Just been watching ESP down in York at Fibbers - absolutely fantastic! I'd only heard songs from Holes in the Wall... I thoroughly enjoyed the tracks from that album plus the rest of the stuff I didn't know was truly impressive. The tracks I heard from The American Adventure plus the new EP were great enough to have my girlfriend and I buy both the The American Adventure LP and the new Human Body EP between us.
What made my night though was discovering Restlesslist! Absolutely fantastic - they made my brain melt! They were truly, fantastically amazing and at the end of it all I was just laughing out of sheer hysterical happiness, brilliant stuff.
Tom and Alex talked to The Skinny before their gig at Cabaret Voltaire.
(with Restlesslist) Website
Electric Soft Parade + Flannel + Los Albertos & more
ESP, Trademark, Dusty Sound System, The Black Madonnas & The Walkoff. Schla DJs, drinks and other inappropriate behaviour.
ESP continue to play new material live in 2005 enlisting Mathew Priest from Dodgy on drums (having written around 100 songs in the last year) They also appear on the Isle Of Wight Festival 2004 DVD with Silent To The Dark.
The Captain from the Brighton Live compilation (Dec 2004)
Would you be the captain of the sinking ship
When it all points to a future that you know you'll never see in
Still you can be my girl and we could share the world
And it would mean nothing to anyone but us
It took a while to understand just what it meant to be your friend
We've lost the boy he's gone for sure
Reminds me of a dream I had, you were there, waving at the ships, coming in
(keyboard/guitar break)
Would you be the captain of the sinking ship
When it all points to a future that you know you'll never see in
Still you can be the last one, still carrying the dream
Or were you put out like the first ones, and fell apart at the seams
It took a while to understand just what it meant to be your friend
We've lost the boy he's gone for sure
Reminds me of a dream I had, you were there, waving at the ships, coming in
It's like The (later) Beatles crossed with Nirvana. Classic ESP with lots of harmonies alternating between quieter vocal sections that become gradually more rocking... The lyrics are as good as I can make out (may not be 100% right) The song appeared on a compilation that came with a Brighton magazine, on the CD it's called "Captain". Carole says when they played it at the Isle Of Wight they said it was called "The Captain Of A Sinking Ship" (and they added that it was dedicated to George Bush) Also on the setlists from their October tour (2004) they wrote "The Captain" (now confirmed as the title) The magazine was probably published Dec 2004/Jan 2005.
You can now hear this song at the band's Myspace page and it's a bonus track on the US release of The Human Body EP released on May 9th 2006.
Britpop - Where are they now? (from the section on Dodgy) Drummer Mathew Priest and guitarist Andy Miller asked fans to fund a fourth Dodgy album, which came out in 2001... Priest manages Misty's Big Adventure and drums for The Electric Soft Parade and Ian McNabb.
ESP were Britpop inspired, and there's an interview with their hero Martin Carr of the Boo Radleys: click here He says: "I was gutted when Creation signed to Sony, I'd never wanted to be on a major label". Carr now records and plays live under the moniker Brave Captain. "I'm much happier. Much poorer but much happier and I wouldn't go back"
There's a recent thread on the Dodgy forum (27.7.05) in which ESP's drummer replies. News Hound: Did anyone else hear Math doing a sterling job on Radio 6 Music on Friday night? He featured as one of the Round Table panelists and put the other two boring git panelists to shame with his stunning wit and repartee. Good on him! And has anyone been following the fortunes of the amazing Electric Soft Parade with whom Math is drummisting? Doing very blimming well aksheloi and I'd advise all of you that you could do much worse than invest in a ticket to see them when they're next a-giggin'.
Later in the thread (6.8.05) Math says: Everyone from Dodgy is busy doing something in music, because everyone who was in Dodgy is bloody talented.
ESP have released two fantastic albums before they were cruelly dropped by the evil fat cats at BMG... They MUST be offered a deal before I go mad waiting for their certain-to-be-awesome third album. Amazing stuff (click link to read it all)
ESP completely making up for the absense of Clor with a sublime display of riffing... Band of the weekend was a toss-up between Biffy Clyro, Goldrush and The Electric Soft Parade.
ESP mentioned in Truck review at tohellwith.co.uk In the smelly, smelly barn, the brilliant Clor should have been performing, but had not so brilliantly decided to cancel their performance at the 11th hour due to 'commitments in Germany'. Thankfully the Electric Soft Parade proved a more than adequate replacement. Playing better than ever these days, and with a clutch of very promising new songs, I expect this lot will be back to the lofty heights they scaled in 2002 as the darlings of the music press. I look forward very much to the new album when they finally find a suitable label to release it on!
Click the link for the full review. Extracts: Some of the best tunes we have heard since the days of Lennon and McCartney... every new song played is at very least a solid singalong, head-bobbing delight on the ear, and often an instant pleasure, the brothers White working perfectly in vocal harmony tandem. They play near note perfect all night, Tom remembers all the words, the equipment works smoothly, the soundman doesn't mess up... as Tom simply put it "I don't believe it, we are actually playing a good gig!". If they can continue to play gigs this good, they will be beating off the label interest like a game of french cricket. Hopefully they will make the right choice, and finally get the support and recognition they deserve. The recognition they deserve far more than most popular bands at the moment.
Well here yer go... I shall tell you about last nights gig as best I can!
First up was Actress Hands (with Alex White on drum duties). I'd not seen them before but really enjoyed them. They deserve to be more well known as they put on a good show and have some very rocking catchy songs. To me they sounded kinda like "Catholic Education" era Teenage Fanclub. Good stuff.
Next on was The Tenderfoot. I've never really got into this lot despite seeing them live a fair few times. I can't tell you what songs they played as I don't know them but they had some nice lil songs and from what they were saying they played a fair few tunes off their latest mini album. Overall a pretty good set although seemed to trail off towards the end a bit. Whether true or not I don't know, but the band commented on stage that "this will be our last gig for a while, maybe forever, who knows we might get lucky".
Finally, the return of the Electric Soft Parade! It's been a while but was worth the wait. Stage setup wise, they were a lot different to when I last saw them. Gone are the keyboards and in come a new drummer, allowing Tom to take on lead guitar and co-vocal duties. It all seemed a very low key affair, with the band seeming genuinely glad to be back playing again.
They kicked things off with a crackin version of 'Bruxellisation' which was followed by the first of a handful of new songs they'd play. On the evidence of all the new songs played last night, the new record will be well worth the wait!
The new band setup (is it new?!) seemed to work really well with Tom stage left, bassist Matt in centre and Alex on the right and overall they all sounded great. Who needs keyboards! Due to the whole evening running a wee bit behind schedule, I had to miss the last 10 mins of their set to get the last train home (dammit!).
But before that they played: (not in order)
Bruxellisation
Things I've Done Before
Silent To The Dark
Biting The Soles Of My Feet
Wrongest Thing In Town
As well as this there was five or so new songs.
Despite missing the end, it was a great evening and good to have the Soft Parade back again!
There's also an interview with Alex about the gig below.
"We had jellied sweets at our first birthday," says Simon Parker, "but all the bands complained about having stomach ache. Apparently they didn't mix too well with the beer."
Tonight, Cable Club, the original weekly showcase for unsigned local bands, will celebrate its third birthday with a line-up headlined by returning indie kings Electric Soft Parade.
But since a themed menu is off the cards (as promoter Parker points out, "everyone would be eating bits of wire"), it'll most likely, as always, be about the music and the beer. Held every Thursday and some Mondays at Pressure Point, Parker started Cable Club because he sensed that while "it's okay playing on the floor of a pub, it's much better to show off on a stage."
For many of the unsigned acts, it's the first time they've encountered even Pressure Point's diminutive four-foot drop, resulting in many a disappearing singer over the years. For others, Cable Club provides just the leg-up they need, with the likes of The Upper Room and The Tenderfoot (who support tonight, along with Actress Hands) going on to sign deals and record albums after being spotted here.
As Parker points out, the success of his venture has gone hand in hand with the re-establishment of Pressure Point as a key Brighton venue and with a national resurgence of interest in seeing live music. "Pressure Point's got an amazing history," he says. "There's a room downstairs that's still got some graffiti done by Blur. But towards the end of the Nineties, club culture got big and there was a lull in live music. When Gareth Gwynne-Smith took it over three years ago, it was just a big echoey room upstairs. Now people are out to see bands again and Brighton has the biggest scene I've witnessed outside of London and Manchester. So we're riding the crest of a wave."
Although he has his own group, Villareal, and works as a booker and promoter for signed bands, running Cable Club is what Parker loves best. "Well, I've spent half my life in unsigned bands," he laughs, "so I kind of know what they're going through. We can't phone up all the A&R folk for them but, if a band tell me they've had a bit of interest, we'll try and really look after them on the night - like not leaving them stranded with bad sound and no lights. The bands make successes out of themselves - we just make sure we give them the best Brighton gig they could have."
Parker, who also funds a yearly Cable Club compilation album and presents a monthly demos show on Radio Reverb, has inevitably become something of a guru for Brighton's unsigned hordes. And his advice is always the same. "Don't gig or make a demo until you are really ready," he says. "Even if you want to be the most ramshackle band in the world, you'll need to be rehearsed up with 20-30 minutes of great stuff. Keep it under wraps until you know what you've got is absolutely brilliant - then go and inflict it on people."
Whatever happened to Electric Soft Parade? Following the release of massively well-received debut album Holes In The Wall, NME declared that the band "may just have saved British pop music" and they were hailed as one of the best new bands around. But the follow up, The American Adventure, fared less well and the band were dropped by BMG, with little heard from them since.
Now, however, they're reappearing on the Brighton scene, headlining a show to mark the third birthday of local band showcase The Cable Club. Held at the Pressure Point, many would regard it as a downward step for a band who have previously played far larger local venues.
"It could be seen as a bit of a step back", admits frontman Alex White, "but we're happy with that. You can't expect thousands of people to show up at your gigs when you haven't been touring or releasing records. We've written 80 or 100 songs in the past year and I'm just really looking forward to playing them live"
Several record label representatives are expected to be in attendance at the show and manager Dick O'Dell seems confident of securing the band a new record deal. But the group themselves seem happy to do the show regardless of commercial considerations.
"The Tenderfoot and Actress Hands were our own choice of support" explains Alex, "and they're both bands we love. We're also really happy to be part of the Cable Club celebration. So many promoters are just in it for the money but Simon, who runs it, is a genuine music fan who really knows what he's doing"
For his part, Cable Club head honcho Simon Parker says his aim, three years in, is simply to maintain the quality of the bands and "not sit back and think, great, now I can go and buy a Rolls Royce". He will continue to present the Cable Club show on Radio Reverb (last Saturday of the month, 3pm) and will be bringing out another Cable Club sampler CD later this year.
ESP feature on yewknee.com's Summer Mix with Bruxellisation (the whole download will be a very large file, the previous one was 100 mb's)
ESP also have a track on stylusmagazine.com's Seaside Mix tape with Broadcast: a slice of oddly-composed tenderness, which recalls The Flaming Lips if they’d had a computer as teenagers.
Overly serious introduction summer '05 before ESP had a new label: I've put the following in ESP's section as most of it's about them. I'll put the Brakes mention on their reviews page. I had a little rant at the end but what can you do... I'm in 2 minds at the moment. I'd be happy if Brakes became ESP's main band forever. But then there's the "terrifyingly good" (according to their drummer) unreleased 3rd album just waiting for a label who really cares. But then thinking about it, I don't ever want ESP to sign to anything like BMG or Sony ever again so... Brakes it is then. It's just... well, if you clicked on this link, you KNOW what I'm failing miserably to express. I'd love to see their 3rd album on a really decent indie label (the Brothers White are currently having a fantastically good time in a band called Brakes on Rough Trade)
(transcription of an audio link from the Brakes board)
What have you got for us this week? Steve: A lot of bands will get signed and will probably have an album out, they may even get to 2 albums, but then once the press buzz has gone and people aren't that interested then the bands tend to not sell very much and we're turning over too many groups, too many bands are getting deals and being dropped too quickly.
And unfortunately one of the bands who I really liked over the last 3 or 4 years, a band called Electric Soft Parade, went through this whole process where they made a great first album, they made a really good second album but the second album didn't sell and it got lost in a whole heap of releases...
And what's happened is the 2 brothers from Electric Soft Parade have gone away, and for a laugh almost, put together this side project which is called Brakes. Brakes features one of British Sea Power, a band who in this country are touted as a kind of post Smiths band, there's one guy who's in a group called The Tenderfoot - who come from Brighton - who obviously knows the White Brothers because they're both from Brighton - but they've gone away and they've made an album in 8 days.
The entire album takes 29 minutes to listen to and that has 16 tracks within those 29 minutes. It's one of the freshest, most exciting don't-give-a-darn-about-your-label albums I've heard in ages. One of my favourite records of the year so far.
So I'll play you a track off this, we could've picked anything really but we'll go for the opening track. So it's Brakes, it's from an album called Give Blood on KCRW 89.9. Have a listen to this, this is Ring A Ding Ding.
So the album is called Give Blood, in the UK it's coming out on the Rough Trade record label. It's by Brakes and the website for more information is simply brakesbrakesbrakes - all one word - dot com. That track which opens the album, Ring A Ding Ding.
DJ: We had our engineer Mario pogoing next door while that was going on which is not an easy thing to do, I have to say. Now erm, talking about Electric Soft Parade, we played a little bit of their first album here as well, it never really sort of found any legs in the States at all to be honest with you. I'm presuming that band is done, is that right?
Steve: I guess so, I mean I think they went away to lick their wounds after the second album and after being dropped by their label so I think this is just something to almost revitalise their own interest in music as much as anything.
DJ: Taking a leaf out of the Ramones book obviously, 16 tracks in 29 minutes, the Brakes, thanks Steve, always a pleasure to catch up with you.
Me: As an ESP fan that last bit touched a nerve with me (as long as ESP fans believe they're not dead that's all that matters) Why should music be on some big fancy label to mean something. The fact they don't even have a label at the moment doesn't matter to me. I suppose it matters in the grand scheme of things... to me ESP are still very much "alive" (in statis maybe - on hold for a while but not forever)
Corrections: ESP's new song IS called Cold World (Code Wode is what was written on their setlists) And also the official title of another new song is The Captain.
Carole has just sent me a list of ESP's new song titles so here it is:
Carole: There are about nine or ten new songs: The Captain, Cold World, Have You Ever Felt Like It's Too Late, Come Back Inside, Life In The Backseat, Misunderstanding, Woken By A Kiss, If That's the Case Then I Don't Know, Appropriate Ending.
Me: Now we just need a record label who really wants to release the music ESP want to make. No "media training" or whatever it was the old label made ESP do (!!) Just let them be ESP... By the way I came across an article about media training and it's horrific - click here to find out. Although it does finish with this: Then I remember something the editor of Q magazine told me about band branding: "Ultimately, I'm not sure that audiences really care that much whether an artist has been manufactured or not. I think they care about good songs" (me: YES! That is all that matters)
ESP News at soundofviolence.net (French, translation) 17.03.05: Alex and Tom White, members of The Electric Soft Parade and Brakes seem well creative at the moment. The two brothers have in fact recorded two new titles with their first group (ESP) Appropriate Ending and Have You Ever Felt Like It's Too Late? An album by their second group (Brakes) goes out in September (update: now released July 4th) on the label Rough Trade!
There’s only so much energetic guitar bashing the crowd can take in this sticky heat though, and now seems like the right time to cool down with some lighthearted indie-pop from ELECTRIC SOFT PARADE. Image-wise, they send out confusing messages with a mix of baggy laid back style and suited-up indie-boy... But the tunes speak for themselves, such as the radio friendly ‘Things I’ve done before’ and ‘Lose Yr Frown’ which sees the boys loosen up a little towards the end, bouncing around to some sweet melodic pop-rock which sounds, quite surprisingly, a lot like Ash.
They also played Camden KOKO on March 24th.
Tom solo on Wed 6 April: (from Tom beforehand) I've just booked a wee solo gig at the Polar Central Bar (used to be called The Lift) in sunny Brighton, for this Wednesday coming.... just playing a short set of covers and maybe a coupla newies. Had a really good gig at Koko. Tom x
Message from Tom 16/02/05: Only info I have at the moment is that we (me and Alex) have just finished recording an album under the name Brakes with Eamon from British Sea Power and Marc from the Tenderfoot at Metropolis Studios in Chiswick. That's coming out probably around September on Rough Trade (update: debut album Give Blood is released on July 4th) As ESP, we've been talking to a few labels (V2, 679, Domino) but nothing has come of any of that so far, so I think the plan is to record some singles with our own money, and bargain with them. We also played two shows in March: 7th @ Concorde 2, Brighton and March 24th @ Koko a.k.a. Camden Palace, London.