The Scratch are TunAtheDay today!

Big thanks to Ade at TunAtheDay for making X-Ray eyes TunAtheDay today!!!
http://www.tunatheday.com

and also to Andy Cordy who reviewed it thus, this very morning!

The vocals are what make the difference here, I think, though they're done very well with the guitar sounds. The voice and humor of Daman Albarn comes to mind.

I think the spikiness is a very British thing and would prevent this being a mass market commodity in most countries, certainly the States and sadly, probably here (Radio 2?)too.

I loved it!

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Great start to a Monday Scratch fans!

Still number 2

Thanks again for all your votes/downloads this week enabling XRay Eyes to remain at number 2 in the tourdates chart!... keep up the good work, lets see where next week leads us... thanks to Recharged radio for featuring the track in its Friday Forum show this week too!

A Hug(e)hly enjoyable night

last night saw a stripped down Scratch (Filthy, being on a stag do) play a storming set in the small village of Blisworth, Towcester (Northants) in honour of our DJ mate (and Radio Goliath) Hugh Davenport who was celebrating his 5th decade with close friends and family. A lively set that included 3 newies, Biting on my lip, Let there be us and Staving off the where's or the wise and also featured a rare cover ...this time the Nirvana classic 'Come as you are' was brilliantly well received by the assembled revellers and saw post gig sales of Whatever Happened to Friday night, beat all previous records since the Launch Party last October. It was great to be asked by main man Hugh, whose dedication to music comes so close to ours that he has fast become an honourary top table scratcher!

You have a chance to meet the man on May 13th, when he will be doing a 'fly on the wall' gorilla radio special for us and Recharged Radio, so if you fancy getting in on the action... get your B&B booked sharpish!

Losing today tell it like it is!!!

Monday, April 19, 2010

the scratch
Category: Music
The Scratch ‘x-ray eyes’ (pony land). Frankly too cool for their own good. Much loved and obsessed at the losing today record shed are the Scratch that we actually foolishly forgot to actually review this blighter given we were having so much of a wheeze dancing around the kitchen CD player and neatly exhibiting our prowling and preening panache of the foot shuffle to all and sundry - in fact there have been press reports and we hear - much hoo-ha at the hastily convened impromptu ad hoc midnight committee meetings at the funny hand shakes are us local council (tabled no doubt after the under dimmed lights submission of expense receipts and some nifty double entry reconciliations). Ah well I digress - the Scratch - from St Albans - as you should all know - have graced these pages much over the years - informed by a late 70’s new wave long since passed and blessed with a knowing knack for kicking out day-glow dinked three minute killer cuts en masse the band have now retrained their sights on their recorded past and decided to polish, re-master and re-release their teasingly limited debut full length ’diy’ (streuth and gadzooks even we don’t have a copy of that one - a pox upon your houses sire or some such foolish nonsense). as a taster for said event they sent out this nifty number entitled ‘x-ray eyes’ on a reconnaissance mission. Ah be it the dog bollocks I say - originally commented upon way back at missive 35 wherein we described said funky bug as -
‘X-Ray eyes’ sees them cocking a snook at the dance floor crowd, an unrelenting beauty that channels the grittier elements of the Gang of Four’s trademark grind and marries it to the dub / disco crossover that Strummer and Co aimed for on the often overlooked ‘Sandinista’ throw in for good measure Big Audio Dynamite, a taster of Pigbag a few sly Ry Cooder sliding hooks and you have something of a dirty disco assassin that Bobby Gillespie you’d imagine would be happy to be caught in the line of fire of.’
Wise words and still they hold true given its exactly the same track on the player right now playing as I write (okay copy n’ paste) mind you we neglected to mention the seriously loose limbed and mooching R L Burnside blues blissed side winds and the tightly drilled cornucopia of hot n’ horny early 80’s NY dance floor vibe - oh yea and add in A Certain Ratio factor to proceedings. Limited to just 100 copies - can I have one please.
A video of them….
www.myspace.com/ponylandrecords

X-Ray Eyes edges up one to number 2 in the tourdates chart

X-ray Eyes has edged closer to the number 1 spot this week, as it rises up 1 place to number 2. Huge thanks to everyone who has continued to download it over the last week, please forward the link onto to all of your friends to see if we can hit top spot this time next week www.tourdates.co.uk/the-scratch.

Also, Don't forget if you want a copy of the highly limited 10" single version which is officially released tomorrow (Mon 19th April), you can buy it from:

Sister Ray (London)
34-35 Berwick Street
LONDON
W1V 8RP

Jumbo (Leeds)
5/6 St.Johns centre
Leeds
LS2 8LQ

Crash (Leeds)
35 The Headrow
Leeds
LS1 6PU
United Kingdom

Resident (Brighton)
28 Kensington Gardens
Brighton
BN1 4AL

Spillers (Cardiff)
36 The Hayes
Cardiff
CF10 1AJ

Reflex (Newcastle)
Reflex CD 23 Nun Street
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 5AG

Action (Preston)
46 Church Street
Preston
PR1 3DH
United Kingdom

Avalanche (Edinburgh)
63 Cockburn Street
Edinburgh
EH1 1BS

Norman Records
Leeds Mailorder

Bands in the basement CD, 10" Singles and Awards show all tonight!!!

As previously mentioned Ponyland records, have teamed up with the guys at rechargedradio.com to put together a release of their live 'in the basement' radio sessions, recorded in London during 2009.

It's a 12 track CD and features The Scratch's - Whatever Happened to Friday Night?, heard like it never has been before! (except on Recharged's myspace of course!)

The CD is going to be a FREE yes 'FREE' giveaway and will see light of day for the first time at the first ever Recharged Radio Awards show tonight at 93 Feet East. A show that will also feature a 30 minute live set from The Scratch (with rumours of new material being readied for the performance!) the event kicks off at 7.30 and is also FREE to get in!... as an exclusive freebie for the night the band will also be in possession of 10 copies of the highly limited edition 10" vinyl versions of X-RAY EYES, which isn't in the shops until Monday!!! (There's only 100 available in total, so beat the rush!!!!)

Rumour has it that the band will also be giving 50 'goody bags' to the first 50 'Scratchers' through the door, these contain not only one of 4 free singles, but exclusive ponyland records badges, made specially to mark the event!!!

HOW CAN YOU AFFORD TO MISS THIS!!!

Andy on Recharged Radio

Go to www.ponylandrecords.co.uk to hear Andy and Jordan discuss all things Scratch

New live Photos by the legendary Mark Looby!

If you get a minute, check our 2010 folder in our myspace pics (www.myspace.com/thescratch) for photo's of our Bar 62 gig on Sunday... big thanks to Mark Looby for his great work!

Recharged Radio session tonight!

Don't forget to tune in tonight between 7 and 8 pm to rechargedradio.com to hear Andy talking about all things The Scratch and playing tracks from all three albums! This will no doubt be followed by a trip with Jordan to the local for a celebatory beer, following the bands number 3 entry into this weeks Tourdates chart!!! So if you're passing drop in and say hi!

Straight in at number 3 on the tourdates top 40!!!

We just wanted to say a huge thanks to everyone who has downloaded X-Ray Eyes this week on the tourdates.co.uk chart. We've have gone straight in at number 3 our highest ever first week in the chart. Let's hope with The Scratch special and the Recharged Awards show this week, we can push on all the way to number 1 next Sunday. Don't forget to keep spreading the word!!! www.tourdates.co.uk/thescratch

don't forget if you want 1 of only 100 ltd edition vinyl versions you will be able to buy it from a host of indie stores from Monday 19th April!

Sister Ray (London)
34-35 Berwick Street
LONDON
W1V 8RP


Jumbo (Leeds)

5/6 St.Johns centre

Leeds

LS2 8LQ


Crash (Leeds)

35 The Headrow

Leeds

LS1 6PU

United Kingdom


Resident (Brighton)

28 Kensington Gardens

Brighton

BN1 4AL



Spillers (Cardiff)

36 The Hayes

Cardiff

CF10 1AJ


Reflex (Newcastle)

Reflex CD 23 Nun Street

Newcastle upon Tyne

NE1 5AG



Action (Preston)

46 Church Street

Preston

PR1 3DH

United Kingdom



Avalanche (Edinburgh)

63 Cockburn Street

Edinburgh

EH1 1BS


Norman Records
Leeds Mailorder


Rock'n'Roll!!!
x

GREAT ESCAPE FESTIVAL DATE!!! - MAY 13TH

We're extremely excited to announce that The Scratch have just secured a place on the Recharged Radio stage at the Live Room in Brighton, as yet we have no more details other than the shows will start at 7pm.

This date completes a brilliant hat-trick of gigs to make a mini spring tour for the new look Scratch.

As soon as we get more info, we'll be mailing it your way!

XRAY play tonight on CRMK

Big thanks to Hugh(gie) D for an XRAY play tonight on his show. Meanwhile, Andy and TC have been at Farm Factory rehearsing new material and a (shock horror!) mystery cover for Hugh's forthcoming birthday bash!!