ASCAP Presents... Some Great Bands!

By Daniel Moore

Chikini

2003 is the eighth year for which ASCAP has hosted ASCAP Presents..., a showcase that gives new acts a chance to perform in front of leading influential executives in the music industry. The occasions staged at the friendly Camden Monarch venue are gaining still more popularity and are attended by A&R people from both music publishing and record companies and agents and managers, all alert for promising new talent. The two showcases during 2002 demonstrated again the value of these presentations and provided a solid evening's entertainment into the bargain.

The first was back in July and opened with the hard-rocking, hip-hop metal of Flict, a five-piece unit from west London, who have just completed a large Metal Hammer-sponsored tour of the UK. Second on the bill were Little Nikita, a punky pop band from Peterborough whose debut single Jester was recently released. Closing the night in style was Junkstone, an electro-rock outfit from north London.

For the second showcase in September, ASCAP joined forces with the Music Managers Forum (MMF) to spotlight three bands managed by MMF members. It started with the pop lunacy and mischievous lyrics of The Naked Apes from London, followed by the Bristol seven-piece outfit CCQ with a great mix of drum and bass, hip-hop and jazz, and finally Dynamo Dresden, a Welsh lounge core trio who have since won the Best Up and Coming Artist category at the Welsh Music Awards.

Our showcases got off to a fantastic start in 2003. We had our first of the year at the end of January with music industry folk clambering over each other to get into a packed Barfly. Bristol-based "squelch beat noise-inks" Chikinki were up first with their very fresh sounding electro-rock. The band has just secured a record deal with the Island/Universal label. They were followed by the competent performance and accomplished songs of Dublin-based rock band Alligator. Finishing off a great night of new music were seven-piece London-based Saint Faith with their mix of 60s/70s psychedelia and alternative rock. No doubt you'll be hearing a lot more from these bands in the very near future.