No-one said it was going to be easy. This is the ongoing story of The Disco Students - from Aylesbury 1978 to today, now. www.myspace.com/2006discostudents

Sunday, April 25, 2004

Back from Manchester where we played at The Kitchen Sink Disco. A really great night. The two other bands on the bill, The Retro Spankees and Stazi were by far the best we've played with. One thing I have noticed is just how homogenised the other groups we have played with have been. On Friday at the KSD there was a real feeling of innovation and energy. Maybe it is just the London "scene" - but the groups we have shared bills with in the capital - apart from a couple of exceptions - have been predictable and dull. Good musicians, no doubt - but sooooo boring. We pride ourselves on our originality and downright oddness - it was nice to share a bill with fellow pioneers.
We're now thinking about the recording of our next CD - aiming for a late summer release.

Tuesday, April 20, 2004

A friend who saw us at The Telegraph in Brixton has let me know that Sophie Ellis-Bextor was in the building as we performed. There was talk of us, at one stage, attempting a cover version of "Murder On The Dance Floor" - Ms E-B is currrently heavily pregnant ( Oh no) - perhaps witnessing our version of her song could have broken both her heart and her waters.
Preparations are now afoot for our trip to Manchester, our first venture outside London. I have , after three attempts, now settled on a sampler - a Roland JS 30 to be exact. This one cost me just £70 and seems to be perfect for our needs.

Friday, April 16, 2004

It's been a quiet week at Lake DiscoStudents. The gig at The Telegraph that produced a neat, strong set and an argument. And to top it all - the website Punk and Oi reviewed our CD. Now, they give marks out of 5 for the records they review. What do you think we got ? 3 ? 2 ? 1 ? No. 0.
0 out of 5 . That's relegation form.
I can only presume they are idiots.
By the way, I've written a new song "The North Is Bad" - rather fetching if I say so myself.

Thursday, April 15, 2004

Last night we played The Telegraph in Brixton. We played a strong tight set , but the place was empty. Not a complete surprise really, a Wednesday night south of the river. After we play in Manchester next week we'll then take another look at the gig situation . I feel we've now played enough dates to have got back into it - so we'll be a little more selective about where we appear.
The performance itself was a little stilted - mainly due to a couple of disagreements between myself and Richard. Oh yes, it was like 1980 all over again.

Monday, April 12, 2004

It's interesting to read what others think about the group. We've been described in the various listings magazines as "funsters", "Punksters" and "a waggish indie troupe" - all fine by me. The Kitchen Sink Disco have put out a press release to Manchester radio stations etc saying The Disco Students are fronted by "the firey but playful" Simon.
We're playing at The Telegraph in Brixton this coming Wednesday - but due to various commitments we have been unable to rehearse since our Bull & Gate appearance.

Sunday, April 04, 2004

The morning after our appearance at The Bull & Gate. A rather pressurised place to play. With four groups on the bill, there is a feel of being on a conveyor belt. I was a few minutes late to the stage, so straight away we were told we'd have to drop a song - "South Africa House" had to be axed. That atmosphere infected our whole performance. We did play well however , sold a few CDs and received a number of plaudits from the audience, so perhaps it was just me.

Saturday, April 03, 2004

We play the Bull and Gate in Kentish Town tonight. It did look as if we were going to be featured in "The Guardian" - the journalist contacted me and was very positive - promising an article in yesterday's edition. Yes, you're already ahead of me - oh well, maybe next time.
Kevin has been working hard on the website amd www.discostudents.com is getting better all the time.
For tonight's performance, "I ain't been with no prostitute" has been dropped , and there has been mixed feelings about my use of a big bra. I'm an artist - the bra stays.