Ryan's Gig Guide - February 2018

r gg Feb 2018 - p.7 WWW. R YA N S G I G G U I D E . C OM that caught the attention of LA promotor, David Bash.The band were invited to play the International Pop Overthrow, a global festival that stops via The Cavern in Liverpool. The show was an opportunity to showcase the current line-up: Carl Bayliss’ formidable talents on drums and Simon Muttitt’s driving bass.They went down a storm and Bash has invited them back. Amoeba Teen strike me as a band that have finally come of age. Late bloomers, yes, but they prove that good things do come to those who wait . With Amoeba Teen’s new single, (Coming On) Stronger, now out, a hotly awaited new album, and a homecoming gig at Claptrap in Stourbridge on Friday 2 March, I’m happy to report that the guitar is very much alive and kicking, Eric. Photo by Matt Peers Cocker, we focused on perfecting our craft.We had two cheap guitars, a glitchy synthesiser, tapped beer bottle tops for drums and captured the mess on a noisy tape recorder.We kept working until we struck gold.” Erstwhile mobile phone makers, Nokia, wanted to feature their music on a TV ad campaign. But Britton and Turner rejected the opportunity. It was a noble move, as the windfall would have rescued them from their damp living conditions at the time.“It was tricky to record above the neighbour’s noisy sex games, while mice scratched behind skirting boards,” Britton recalls. Further setbacks ensued as Turner explains: “Our previous drummer ran away to New Zealand after we chose to play a cover song. And the bass player never recovered from a gig that triggered a vicious pub brawl. He now lives a quiet life in Southampton.” But in recent years, fortunes changed. Last year Amoeba Teen attracted favourable reviews in the US MARCH 2 www.amoebateen.com r gg 23 YEARS 1995-2018