Issue 8. October 2000
It's number one, it's Issue 8. (huh?) All the boss wordage as we crash into the second half of MM. So that'll be M then.
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We are in the plush back room at Glen Studios, post-gig. Paul Martin sits opposite with a pint pot full of Vimto and a handful of 'Percy Pigs'. SCARY have already chalked up twenty-five gigs this year.
Paul "Why not do as many gigs as humanly possible? I wouldn't mind doing this for a long, long time 'cos I really enjoy it. And there's not many other bands doing it, especially in England."
He pauses, smiling at his own determination and tenancy to forget why he started talking in the first place.
Paul "TV ADVERTISING! That's my point! We refused TV advertising for our gigs. Word of mouth is all we need and playing live is the only way we can guarantee people are getting what we are about. We don't make records 'cos the only reason to make records is to make money, and the only reason to make money is to sustain yourself and we don't need that 'cos I can get by on very little food and Roj just needs fresh blood now and again."
And the point of all these gigs is?
Paul "I think what you're getting at and what I want to clear up is that we're not in any way trying to select who our audience is going to be. I don't just want a load of cool people to be into it. I just want anyone who's into it for the value of the music, and what we are, and what we play live."
Is the band and music really a way of escaping from yourself?
Paul "Yeah, it is an escape. I find it relieving to play music myself and invent sounds. The more confusion there is, the more I just want to play. Even now I just want to put on a pair of headphones and disappear. That's the only thing that makes sense.
The only thing that is mysterious to me is the music - what it is, where it came from, why it came, what it's all about. It's the only thing that gives me a sensation or feeling. I can get into a state that's not normal. It's a state of absolute peace and contentment."
A replacement for spirituality even?
Paul "Of course. Although I don't necessarily believe there's nothingness out there. There's two ways of looking at the universe. You can look at it and go, like, we're a load of insects with absolute meaningless nothingness and the universe is so big, what's the point? Or you can look at it and think, there's nothing going on out there, it's all one boring expanse and the only thing worth looking at is us. I can see both points."
A 'Percy Pig' gets one ear bitten off. The effects of the rider are beginning to tell. The adrenaline high is still wasting their bodies. Chart positions, video rotation and tabloid patronage are concepts eschewed by this anti-commercial outfit. They don't need anyone except for the fans. Frankly, SCARY might never appeal to any of these things their peers covert. But their journey will be far more interesting. Be grateful it's only just started.
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:-
Once more a trail of technical difficulties have been dogging the heels of SCARY. During successive gigs held at Glen Studios the band suffered, firstly a microphone failure, and then the complete loss of signal from one of their guitars. Scary-bloke Roj explains:
"The microphone failure was quickly dealt with. We spotted the problem during the sound check. Since we always carry a spare we made a quick substitution and the gig continued. We've since replaced the unit.
The loss of signal was a bit more drastic. I had just finished a vocal set, and we launched into 'What's the Frequency Kenneth?'. By the end of the first verse we were both aware that that was something wrong and we stopped. The audience had no idea what was going on. I dropped down to the mini-mixer and was desperately re-seating plugs. Paul barked instructions and it all came back to life. I think one of the roadies had turned the volume off for my guitar. There was a huge cheer as I strummed an E-chord and then we carried on. For a moment there we both had our hearts in our mouths, but it worked out OK."
Following the success of free entry to three SCARY micro-gigs, the band have decided to extend the offer indefinitely. Scary-bloke Paul comments:
"We have been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of our fans. As you are aware, we are an anti-commercial band and we were never happy with the notion of charging fans to come to our shows. We will continue to operate on a no-charge basis for as long as we can financially sustain it."
Slippers and cheeseplants. Battered flight cases and scrambled feedback. Pictures of Lily, miniature pyramids, and sand-blasted pharaohs. In the free-flowing, every-man-for-himself rock circus that is the SCARY experience, there is but one fact of which we may be truly certain: SCARY, bless 'em are going to be huge.
For starters, the loudest twosome on this planet don't have songs; they have deconstructed the most popular covers they could find and re-stitched the bones into the most awesome, zombie soundscapes. And SCARY are the only band - sans beards and PhD's in prog-rock - who can play zombie soundscapes and get away with it.
What's more, while some bands become entangled in theory when attempting to justify their existence, the SCARY ones are clearly happy to just, well, be band number 20021866. They are a spectacularly impressive mess; with - gasp - discernible tunes emerging from the greenish fug, you may suspect that SCARY are heading for fame. But then you realise that the whole caboodle makes no sense at all, and you breathe a sigh of relief. Why settle for normality when SCARY offer a universe free from sense, with a peppering of their own warped souls, teeming with such wonderful preposterousness? Exactly.
The whispers have been gaining momentum across the town throughout the day. Oasis references are only valid in terms of attitude and within seconds of coming on-stage, SCARY front man Roj's attitude is clear. He wants his band to become the most destructive, aggressive and downright tumultuous live band to ever set foot on a stage. Paul tortures the fret into submission, resulting in the deafening cries of pain and ecstasy you've come to acknowledge as being the SCARY sound. By the time they get to "Acquiesce" the first three rows have been sent flying through the back wall with its sheer volume. The veins in Roj's neck stand out so far it looks at one point like a messy puncture could occur at any given second. It's clearly impossible to question whether or not they put their hearts and souls into their music. Whilst there is a healthy dose of acoustica throw in for good measure, subtlety here is not an option.
In the city of history, musical history is being written. Don't miss them.
Sara Marshmallow