Nothing to lose with the Van Doos.

`

We've all heard that age old story before, young musicians moving towards the bright lights of New York City, kids from Maine travelling through the Wild West to settle at the golden shores of LA. All of them chasing a dream, a dream to be somebody. It was similar circumstances with the 'Van Doos.' A trio of lads from the sleepy hills of Yorkshire, packing up their lives' in their rusty Volkswagen Beetle and cruising down the motorway to the fresh air of the big smoke, London Town. And they are chasing a dream, a dream that I think will come true.

I first met Mr Simon Hutchinson in a pub just off Oxford Circus. He was an interesting chap with a glint in his eye. Sporting a Beatles hair cut and wearing drainpipe jeans teamed with a fitted corduroy blazer; Simon looked like a mix between Brian Jones and Jarvis Cocker. There was an aura around the lad; guys wanted to chat to him, girls liked to look at him. We chatted over pints of Alpine, talked about sixties music, smoked cigarettes and generally got on very well. A Fine Art graduate and down to earth guy, I knew I wanted to keep in contact with the lad and hear some of the songs he was writing with his band.

The original trio of the 'Van Doos' consisted of Simon, Louis and Charlie, all Yorkshire boys with an affinity for the same type of music. The 'Van Doos' name came from a Canadian Military Regiment called the 'Royal Twenty Second', its nickname being the 'Van Doos' after the French 'Vingt Deux.' A name that struck a chord with all the boys.



The 'Van Doos' has a gritty edge to the demo tracks they have produced. A sound that is very different to the many average bands floating around the airwaves today.






'Under the Noise' merges a psychedelic background with a more mainstream vocal front. A sound that shows a maturity and evolutionary quality in its construction, proving the fact that the 'Van Doos' is developing as the London music scene changes.






'Tenterhooks' has a more rock 'n' roll feel to its melody. 'And when you stop moving, I stop moving too, you put me on tenterhooks.' The indie pop of yesteryear seems to have been updated with a 'Van Doos' edge. A melodramatic sound delivered with toe tapping abandon.



'Goodbye Love' has a blues undercurrent lifted by the presence of Simon's voice. A slowed down piece commenting on a lost love that 'hypnotised' Simon under her spell. The song comes to an abrupt end, much like the failed relationship being written about. 'Goodbye Love' adds a depth to the 'Van Doos' catalogue, a wisdom that only comes with age.

Most up and coming bands like to state influences and harp on about bands that 'changed their lives' as they were growing up. Simon, on the other hand, cannot pin point a particular musician that inspired the 'Van Doos' sound. 'I just want to write good songs. Trends in music come and go but a good song will always be a good song, whether it's Abba or Metallica!' Simon has always been and will always be his own man.

There is a passion in the 'Van Doos' music. A drive to succeed and a willingness to do what it takes to hit the big time. As Simon argues; they are individual and forward thinking. The 'Van Doos' do not harp back to an era when the spirit of rock 'n' roll was alive and kicking; they are pushing the boundaries and taking huge steps forward. I for one will be checking their gigging schedules and will be trawling the pubs and bars of East London to hear them perform.


The 'Van Doos' will hopefully be playing at a venue near you in the next month or so, and with a digital release on Young and Lost's website, their sound will hopefully be hitting the mainstream very soon. So watch this space and listen to their myspace- www.myspace.com/thevandoos. They're a band that is going places, and hopefully I'll be there to witness their rise.

Dead End street with the Dead Royals.

'The Dead Royals' is a punk influenced band started by Al James, a fine Aussie fella who I met drinking one night at the Cock Tavern, Oxford Circus. I used to spend many a night there, chewing his ear off over vodka and sodas, and on some occasions woke up on his bedroom floor, feeling a deep hatred for myself.


Anyway, this guy has a passion for music. Hailing from Cairns, Australia, a relatively sleepy town, the man decided to sail the seven seas and come back to his spiritual home, England. I count him as a true Londoner. Talk about music, he'll know his shit. And with a love for the legend Iggy Pop, and a talent for strumming the guitar, I knew he'd eventually form a band that would make more than ripples on the music scene.

So it all happened about a year ago at a Stooges gig. Al met a guy called Keiran, they chatted, they drank, and they decided to write some songs together. A band had to be created. A friend called Gregg joined the party on drums and Nick plucked the bass. They were ready to hit the studio, and last August began rehearsing a few things they had written. They cut a demo, 'Broke,' last November, and have been furiously playing gigs around our great city for the last few months. Nick went missing in action, didn't answer his phone, maybe made it big in Hollywood, no one knows. So Tom came in. And the 'Dead Royals' as we know it were born.

Harping back to the raw guitar playing of the punk era, and dynamic presence of Iggy Pop's stage performances, the 'Dead Royals' are an explosion of energy, owning the room and its audience. For such a laid back fella, Al attacks his guitar with ferocity and immerses himself into all that he has written. The first verse of the track titled 'Strong' focuses on the struggle to be noticed and how your background can dictate what you will achieve in life. 'Take from me, what you will, take it, I don't care........... I was raised into tenancy, education made a fool of me, cause I'm from a broken family.' Describing all his lyrics as 'meaningful and equally powerful,' there is an obvious confidence in Al's words.

Kieran, with his flowing black hair, and a strut that even Mick Jagger would be proud of, delivers each line with determination and clarity. As a foursome, this tight unit, with music running through their veins, live and breathe their craft. A night with the 'Dead Royals' will both stimulate and exhaust you at the same time.

So if you wanna listen to some music that has the passion of Sabbath, and the cleverness of Joy Division, hit up Al and the 'Dead Royals.' If not, go and have a pint with him down the Cock, either way I'm sure he'll be happy.

Spare change guv'ner?