Issue 5. November 1999
Hello fans and welcome to Issue 5, our pre-Xmas dash of madness. Bookmark our home page so that you can enjoy a SCARY on-line experience.
At the bottom of this page you will find more band photographs! And in a deliberate take on our old friend the NME we ask the boys about Songs that have been Key in their Lives.
First record you can remember 'Paranoid' by Black Sabbath. The first album I ever bought. I only heard it through once and I just knew that it would be one of the all-time greats.
Record that reminds you of school 'Meddle' by Pink Floyd. At my school, when you became a sixth-form student, you were allowed access to the sixth-form common room. It was about ten foot square, had six chairs and a turntable. This was one of the few albums that we possessed and it was played incessantly. I remember sitting on the window ledge (we were on the ground floor) and just being mesmerised by the music. Far out man!
Record you fell in love to 'These Foolish Things' covered by Brian Ferry. That's what love is, foolishness.
Heartbreak record 'Dirty Love' by Thunder. For me this just epitomises my attitude to heartbreak. Rejection, denial then put it all behind you. Dust yourself down and get on with life.
Record that evokes the greatest summer of your life 'Peaches' by The Stranglers. The ultimate Summer track. During the day walking along the beaches looking at the babes, the pier, the amusement arcades. Grabbing some tea from a 'greasy spoon'. Then in the evening, the sea front coming alive as the pubs and clubs open their doors. Sadly, I saw The Stranglers gig at the Portsmouth Mecca and was massively disappointed with their live act. I went off them after that.
Anthem for a night on the tiles 'The boys are back in town' by Thin Lizzy. This track just fires me up, tells me to go out and hit the town, with loads of attitude. I caught Thin Lizzy on the Black Rose tour. Everybody at that gig danced their hearts out. Lynott was an inspiration, the encores, breathtaking. Everyone wished it would never end.
Record that inspired you to form a band 'Definitely Maybe' by Oasis. I've had to choose an album again for this category, I can't pin on just one track. I used to play guitar (badly) when I was quite young. There was a real hairy whose name I forget, and he was a huge T.Rex fan. We would sit in his bedroom armed with three-quarter sized acoustic guitars and play along to T.Rex tracks. We taught ourselves how to play, no technique at all. Later I got into Gary Numan and Japan but couldn't do keyboards for toffees, and guitars didn't fit well into that kind of music. But when Oasis released 'Definitely Maybe', that was it. I had to play again, and somehow it just worked this time. For me, this album revitalised the British music scene.
Record guaranteed to clear the tour bus Anything by Black Lace or Terry Wogan. Nuff said.
New Year's Eve 1999 - what's on the Hi-Fi? Anything off Scary's new album MM.
Record you would like played at your funeral? 'I forgive you' by Sam Brown. The daughter of legendary Joe Brown. Sometimes singer with Jools Holland. She has her own band and her voice is amazing. If you've never seen her there is a major chunk missing from your life. This track is one of her few singles and is an incredibly powerful piece of singing.
First record you can remember 'Baby, I Love Your Way' off Frampton Comes Alive. My Dad played it incessantly.
Record that reminds you of school 'Message in a bottle' by The Police. Great at the school discos
Record you fell in love to 'One Step Beyond' by Madness. Indeed, it's madness
Heartbreak record That would be 'One Step Beyond' by Madness. Told you
Record that evokes the greatest summer of your life 'Jump' by Van Halen. Top!
Anthem for a night on the tiles 'Basket Case' by Green Day Even more so, when Scary do it
Record that inspired you to form a band Anything by Rush, not that we play any (except when Roj puts the kettle on)
Record guaranteed to clear the tour bus Some would say anything by Rush, I say anything by The Nolans
New Year's Eve 1999 - what's on the Hi-Fi? Anything off Scary's new album MM
Record you would like played at your funeral? 'For Crying Out Loud' by Meat Loaf
SCARY is a rock band based in York, England. The band currently consists of two full-time members; lead guitarist Paul "Noodler" Martin and rhythm guitarist Roger "Sorry" Butler-Ellis. They both double up on vocals.
No band can exist in isolation, and even musical minimalists such as SCARY need a back-up team to provide vital assistance. So here are the folks that help make us rock:-
SCARY lead guitarist Paul 'Noodler' Martin has just returned from a tour of the west coast of the USA. In the process he has assisted on the compilation of two albums due for release later this month. Paul is said to be 'over the moon' at the tour, "I've come back full of new songs that I can't wait to get down on paper." He said.
It was a dream come true for one fan at the Glen Studios gig on Thursday 28th October when the band invited him up on stage to play along. Spontaneous crowd-surfing broke out and security had to move quickly to restrain revelers before anyone got hurt. The fan, in awe of his heroes, barely strummed a few chords before joining the crowd once more.
Meanwhile, the boys are slowly fitting out the studio to their own specifications. The band are extremely grateful for the donation of high quality Powertech™ instrument cables which have been donated by a wealthy Scottish biker.
You only need four riffs to be in a great rock band. Just ask York rockers SCARY, they've only got three and they're still one of the most blistering live acts you're likely to catch this year.
Sounding like Black Sabbath beating the Stooges to death with a rusty car jack, SCARY may stick to tried and tested methods of rocking our world, but they do it with such ferocity that it's a poor soul who can't feel their magik.
Because these rockers - who count guitarist Paul Martin among their ranks - have the lot. Songs, dynamics, attitude and 100 per cent unrefined rock power. Our malnourished, anaemic rock scene demands more bands like this and on the strength of tonight's show, SCARY - along with the likes of Fu Manchu, Queens Of The Stone Age and Unida - look the most likely contenders to break through the stoner underground scene and give the outside world a taste of total energy rock. God knows we need it.
When show opener 'Cigarettes and Alcohol' kicks in, a packed Glen Studio full of metallers, indie kids, squares and townies go ape shit. They can't help but be rocked by the 100mph Harley Davidson riffs and front man Roj Butler-Ellis' wasted "You gotta/you gotta/you gotta make it" drawl. Thank Christ, we're at a proper rock show.
For the uninitiated, their live rock experience can be a difficult one, but SCARY have enough tricks up their sleeves to entertain and convert even the most lily-livered among us. Just give them an hour when they come back next week and see what they can do for you. Come on, you pasty-faced jessies. Sell your soul to heavy rock'n'roll.
Andy Crapper