FURTHER PRESS QUOTATIONS FOR VENUS BOGARDUS: Gothic Beauty Magazine #28; Drunken Werewolf Issue #6; Wig Wam Bam zine 08/09; The Onion, Austin ed.; Richard Hell; Paperthinwalls/Chuck Eddy; Shrag (band); Noize Makes Enemies; Drowned in Sound; Artrocker; Michael Eavis (Glastonbury Festivals founder); Drunken Werewolf zine; Bristol Rocks; Just Gimme Indie Rock; The Organ; Charleyspace.com; BBC Radio Bristol; Die! Die! Die! (band); Hugh Gulland (Bucketfull of Brains); eFestivals; The Birds who Picked the Bullets Up poetry collective; OppositionT; Venue Magazine; Tony Heywood, MusicOMH (Clash magazine , Highway 5);
New review of TOURIST - Gothic Beauty Magazine #28:
"One of the more interesting British bands to come along in far too long...Often reminiscent of earlier Sonic Youth and Blood on the Wall, Venus Bogardus play giddy no wave art pop noise with a freshness and ferocity that has been sorely missed." - Gothic Beauty Magazine
New review of TOURIST - Drunken Werewolf Fanzine, Issue #6 (extracts):
"The eloquence and snotty playfulness is a real joy throughout...heightened by abstract descriptions alongside stark and realistic imagery. The result is simultaneously familiar and surreal, an new slant on the known, in short, the way art works...
...It's easy to praise Venus Bogardus for being choc-a-bloc of Beat spirit and No Wave winks, but Tourist will happily wipe the floor with the overwhelming majority of bands on anyone's terms. Not to acknowledge just how thrilling these songs are on an instant, primal, nod-your-head-and-shake-your-hips level is to do great disservice to what is infinitely more than a Trojan horse..."
- Colin Clements, Drunken Werewolf Fanzine #6
New reviews by Albuquerque zine Wig Wam Bam - December and February issues:
2 JAN 2009 LIVE REVIEW "Venus Bogardus’ music speaks for itself and had an awful lot to say tonight. They pulled out some new material which is impressive since they’ve recently moved here from abroad and I’d guess have enough to deal with already. That’s going above and beyond.
Its no overstatement to say they’re the best band in years--maybe forever-- based in Satan Fe and already towards the top of my local favorites on the strength of two shows I’ve witnessed to date. It was a hot set, a more urgent Prids (minus the snyth) versus the Pretenders circa 1981.
New drummer (as of a few weeks ago!) Luke ruthlessly whips the band on from behind while Hannah’s bass holds rhythm & melody together in thrall. James’ guitar packs a powerful punch --sans useless wanking -- with beautiful but deadly turns like those of founding Pretender James Honeyman Scott-- whose untimely junkie death is still mourned by Chrissie Hynde and, if you’re in the know, you too.
I’m ancient enough to remember that rock n’ roll is supposed to make you move your body, not just jump up and down and hit people. Venus Bogardus won’t let me stand still and best of all also moves my mind."
28 NOV 2008 LIVE REVIEW "From Bath, England Venus Bogardus are almost a local band in that they are soon moving to Satan Fe. I wish them all the luck (they're gonna need it) up in that market that holds little attention for anyone who likes intelligent and challenging music. Still I'm betting we can talk James & Hannah into playing down here more often than not.
Good guitar crunch like Sonic Youth at their most accessible, melodic bassfuzz with riffs sorta like Elastica's Annie Holland and overall a nice full sound for a three-piece with male/ female (husband/wife) vocals. Toss in a little No Wave, Eno & Cale flavors with a deep & solid groove and it adds up to an impressive package. I'd say we're fortunate since no one around here plays anything like it.
I didn't catch the full story but somewhere along the tour they lost their drummer. Nothing new there, drummers are as notoriously short-lived as a drunken grope on a beer-y summer night. But glory of glories, the duo met a drummer the very morning of the show.
Holy hell! I didn't catch his name but the man slam-bammed his way through the set adding an urgency only hinted at on their continental 2008 release Tourist. The guy was fuckin' incredible. He sounded like he knew the band's catalogue and attitude backwards and forwards. No word on if he will take the seat permanently when Venus Bogardus settles in the City Indifferent but I'm hoping and praying."
RETURN TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE/REVIEWS INDEX
"Many bands claim to be "art rock," but bristling British trio Venus Bogardus has the breadth to back it up: It derives its name from an obscure piece of '50s lesbian pulp fiction, claims "experimental literature" as a major influence, and even penned an ode to Dadaist author Jacques Rigaut. It would be easy to dismiss it as pretentious if the group's acid-washed post-punk shards weren't so compelling and primal. That two of its members met on a Richard Hell fan site isn't surprising considering the band's razored guitar shapes and romantically louche, Rimbaud-in-the-alleyway lyricism. What is remarkable is how effortlessly, even indifferently, Venus Bogardus conjures its timeless cool, which for once seems tailored to thinkers rather than dancers-although you'll see plenty of those too." - The Onion, Starred weekly gig pick, The Beauty Bar, Austin appearance (December 2008)
"The band is skillful, interesting, and ambitious. Check them out." - Richard Hell, Richardhell.com web forum (7 October 2008)
"I haven't liked any Brits this artsy-farsty since. well, it's been a long time. 8/10" - Chuck Eddy, PaperThinWalls review of Motorman (Village Voice, Rolling Stone, etc.)
"They must be one of the best -read bands in existence (check the lyrics!) and they make this driving Sonic Youthy noise which is somehow also totally pop, we loved them." - Shrag, interviewed by Noize Makes Enemies
RETURN TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE/REVIEWS INDEX
"DIY's coolest couple, Venus Bogardus." - Noize Makes Enemies
"Artrock epitomised.Suffocatingly intense. Bloody brilliant!" - Drowned in Sound, review of Jacques Rigaut single
"Layers of noise-making... grunge meets art meets rock meets art." - Artrocker, live review
"That was fantastic! Were you kicked out of the choir?" -Michael Eavis
"They have the kind of songs that can't be confined to headphones.I'm not going to gush anymore about how much more interesting it is than, well, you know all that tepid other stuff... I'll just tell you to buy Motorman. Because it's a great album, deep and complex, literary and rocking." (Chris Glynn, Drunken Werewolf zine feature)
"I was thrilled to learn that art-punk trio Venus Bogardus were kicking off tonight's billing. I've written about Venus Bogardus before, simply because they're one of the most original British indie bands I've heard in years. At a time when many of today's UK indie wannabes struggle to venture beyond the lyrical confines of loutish laddishness, Venus Bogardus are busy writing songs about people such as Jacques Rigaut. For anyone whose knowledge of French Dadaism is a little rusty (and that probably accounts for most of us), Jacques Rigaut was a surrealist poet until his death in 1929.
Venus Bogardus offer a refreshing change from today's over-hyped crop of tracksuit wielding art-punk copyists...
"Indeed, the Bath based three-piece are one band who can truly claim to sound like no-one but themselves - and after all, Dear Reader, isn't that exactly what 'art' should be about? The band's warm, fuzzy carpet-of-noise floats on a subtle gothic underbelly, neatly joining the dots between Pre-Creation My Bloody Valentine and Yo La Tengo. To date, the band have a couple of CDs on their own Patchoque Records imprint. However, my attention was mostly drawn to the band's debut vinyl 7" which features the aforementioned noir classic 'Jacques Rigaut' together with the equally gritty, lo-fi fuzz-tone menace of 'Epoch Zero' on the flip-side. Complete with gothic tinged artwork, this neatly packaged vinyl platter will have you rushing back to Argos to exchange that iPod for a trusty turntable. These days, claiming to be original, and actually being original are poles apart, but Venus Bogardus are in posession of a sound, and a brilliantly crafted lyrical flair, that is truly of their own design." - Paul Towler, Bristol Rocks, Feb. 2008
RETURN TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE/REVIEWS INDEX
"I can't tell you how much i love this bands new album... they sound like all of my favourite bands rolled into one. Think Mission of Burma, Firehose, Husker Du, Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, Madder Rose, Throwing Muses and X." - Mr. Rossy, Just Gimme Indie Rock, Album of the week, 7 Jan 2008
"Motorman, the album, is a wired up rush of post-punk psych-edged swirling energy. An urgent trip that never stops...sliced to hell glam-slammed psychedelic punk rock...sleep is no longer an option - on to the layers of Venus acid-pop grunge-art psychic TV intensity and oh look just go explore and taste for yourselves." - The Organ
"Venus Bogardus have the image and song subjects of a cerebral art band, but they rock with a capital R on stage. The engine that powers this left-bank 'Who' is the guitar of James Reich who eschews the jangle and lo-fi clank of many art bands for deliciously overdriven long tones, penetrating treble and heart-stopping chunk." - Charley Dunlap, Bath Chronicle, charleyspace.com, live review
"If I only had one word to describe what I think of them I'd have to use the word 'thrilling'. I can't get enough of them." - Gary Smith, BBC Radio Bristol, BBC Introducing
"Venus Bogardus are the best band we've seen in Britain. I'm fucking ecstatic." - Die! Die! Die!, from stage, June 2008
"Artful pop-punk shards linked together with bizarre snippets of pseudo-pulp dialogue.like a caffeine driven narrative of wired hipster poetry.summoning up shades of Blank Generation angst with pedal-on-the-gas nuggets such as Birds, Autoclave, Analog Underground, or the Age of Sinatra, the latter of which has to be a hit single waiting to happen." - Hugh Gulland, BucketFull of Brains
RETURN TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE/REVIEWS INDEX
"(Venus Bogardus) rocks. Art-house punk! Gloriously good.Despite the frenetic pace and fuzzed up sound it's actually terrifically popcentric. Great stuff." -eFestivals
"I've said it a thousand times to a thousand different people, [Venus Bogardus] are the most, if not the only, interesting band around at the moment." - The Birds Who Picked the Bullets Up (poetry collective)
"Venus Bogardus prove that electricity comes from other planets." - OppositionT live review
"Thank the muses, then, for Venus Bogardus, rising from the spume and foam of the Bath music scene with their vision of a furious, bellicose post-grunge punk infused with symbolist poetry and science fiction dreams.all doubts are dispelled when experiencing the controlled chaos of the live show. It's frantic, urgent rock'n'roll that just happens to come alive on the page as well." -Venue Magazine feature, January 2007
"Venus Bogardus are something special...This is no-wave jamming with classic pop harmonies...Art, noise, heavens above something to write home about." -Tony Heywood, (Clash magazine, Music OMH, Highway Five)
"One of the most exciting live bands around, without a doubt." - Bristol Uncovered
RETURN TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE/REVIEWS INDEX
"Some people are just cool. Bath's Venus Bogardus are effortlessly so; the type to look like they're wearing sunglasses even when they're not...impassively raucous, louche rock'n'roll." - Venue Magazine live review, January 2006
"In their first gig -opening for Forward/Russia- they pretty much stole the show; everyone I talked to liked them best.Future stars." - Bath Chronicle live review
"Venus Bogardus just bring post-punk, grunge, fuzz pop, metal, and poetry to a standstill. Cool as fuck!" - Decode Magazine
"I fell in love with music all over again upon discovering this band. Intricate and in your face simultaneously.A taste of the future" - iTunes review
"Call it art rock or call it popular music. It delivers the powerful vibration of the heart, and the exquisite passion of the mind...I want Venus Bogardus on every radio station and disc player on Earth!" - Owen Ames, poet
"Without a doubt the highlight of the night!" - Grrr Grrr! zine
"Catchily fuzzy, lo-fi, this is guitar pop surfin' on No Wave.Music that bridges punk, goth and psychedelic rock'n'roll, elements borrowed from Siouxsie and the Banshees, Talking Heads, Bis, Sonic Youth and the Pixies. An overwhelming impression of pounding rhythms, swirling guitar and diffident expressions." - OppositionT live review
"I have tried and failed at not talking about this band!! Venus Bogardus are the definition of CBGB's circa 1977 with a smoking mix of early 90's grunge texture.Theirs is a sound that insists and persuades at the same time as rocking and thrashing! Guitar harmonics, killer riffs, big bass lines, pink hair, cardigans, and lyrics so good you can see them. These guys 'spit it out' so to speak, and they do so in a literary punk way! Yes that CAN exist and does in Venus Bogardus- get listening!" -Moles Club live review
RETURN TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE/REVIEWS INDEX
"Another amiable discovery--the name of Venus Bogardus lives on in your terrific band. I can tell you from personal knowledge that Venus would love it. I did go to your website (both of them, actually) and listened to several cuts. The music is wonderful--inventive, harmonious, and intelligent. And your voices blend like maple syrup. You have come up with a beguiling sound, and I like knowing that Venus is your presiding goddess." - Personal response from Ann Bannon, iconic author of Beebo Brinker and other works of classic lesbian pulp fiction
"I've been listening to this Arcade Fire band, but I think you have much better songs." - Mark Levbarg, Attorney at Law!
"That was amazing! We were just saying to each other, that's it, we've had our night out, we can go back to London, now." - Lizzie, singer for Striplight, after the Venus Bogardus set in a Bristol bill which Striplight were headlining later
"Their music makes me feel like rock'n'roll." - Ava, 3 years old
MYSPACE MESSAGES AND COMMENTS:
"hey your music is really amazing. i read what you wrote under 'sounds like' and i thought wow they must be pretty good. then i listened to your songs and it was true. really hope i get to see you live sometime!
also, your blog commenting on the homophobic 'punks' - that's so true and so many people don't care enough. I think it's really good to make that statement.
keep up the great work!
ed xx" - message from young Oxford fan
"thanks for being friends.
i didn't realize how great you guys were.
i went to your page and listened to motorman. it's on my profile now. i love that book. i've got it here and with cows are freaky when they look at you, and mortified man. i think it's awesome you guys did music for it. thanks for being out there. are you in austin?
i'm also in texas.
hope you're doing well. good luck with your music."
-Denton Welch tribute/fan site maintainer/David Ohle enthusiast
RETURN TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE/REVIEWS INDEX
