Posted on: December 24, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 2

Alex Gavaghan – Guitar,Piano, Backing vocals,

Johhny Green – Guitar, harmonica,

Percy – Drums, Backing Vocals, Scissors

Craig Bell – Bass, Bass, Bass, Van

The Cubical are coming and you better run for cover!

This ostensibly blues/garage band will provide the long overdue kick in the teeth that the music scene has been desperately crying out for. Drawing on influences from the world of blues, jazz, folk and good old rock n roll this band truly have done their homework. Their debut album Poor ManÂ’s Disease recorded in Hollywood by the Grammy award winning producer Dave Sardy (Oasis, Jet, Marlyn Manson) pulls the listener by the lapels and drags them on a journey from the staccato heart pounding sounds of 60s psych (Beefheart, Bo Diddley) to the melancholic musings of folk infused country (Cohen, Cash.) This band truly are astounding. Get Funked! The band began in their hometown of St.Helens, (a place not normally associated with such cultural advances) where a dabble with Punk, experiments with the line up and a few personnel changes led them to up sticks and move to the city, Liverpool that is. It is here in the home of music that the band met bass player Craig Bell who proved to be the missing piece in the jigsaw.

This former trainee vicar who’d suffered major “faith issues” found salvation. He formed a formidable partnership with beat maker and overall rhythmical genius Mark Percy, their innate skill along with the mercurial guitar craftsmanship of twangmeister general Alex Gavaghan and the slide guitar and harmonica playing brilliance of hard man John Green helped perfect the arresting and volatile energy that became the bedrock of The Cubical sound. This provided the platform from which the lyrical majesty and devastating electricity of front man Dan Wilson could take shape. This son of a Playwright and Former Army Sgt is one of the most original voices to emerge from the UK in years. His role as Master of Ceremonies at Live Shows helped the band conquer all in its path and quickly establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with on the local scene. A support slot with heroes The Magic Band followed along with successful gigs throughout the EU and later that year earned them (according to Kelly Stoltz) the accolade of “coolest sound of the year” in Mojo Magazine. It was at another mesmerizing gig at the famous Zanzibar Club, where Noel Gallagher amongst others was in attendance, that the band finally got picked up by US label Record Collection.

They jetted off to LA wowed producer Dave Sardy with a live performance brimming with electricity and recorded their debut LP (in an astounding 4 days of blood sweat and beer) at Sunset Sound Studios, Hollywood in the same room that The Doors and The Rolling Stones had recorded. Not bad for a bunch of St. Helens tossers! They jetted off to tour Australia, signed to Inertia and caught the attention of Fender. After wowing crowds in Brisbane and Sydney they returned to the UK armed with Telecasters and the bit well and truly between their teeth. The following year they brought down the house with their performance at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas and now theyÂ’re about to bring down your living rooms with their debut EP Great White Lie coming out in December.

This collection of heart thumping blues, acoustic bliss and harmonica wailing madness will leave the listener salivating at the mouth and begging for more. Well donÂ’t worry folks their album will be out in Spring 08 and theyÂ’ll be hitting a town near you. Get Religion, your about to be converted! Wolfang H Schmidt..

Press Quotes:

The next generation of whisky soaked bluesmen have arrived led by the mesmerising CUBICAL.With twanging guitars, a shamanic lead singer, 1000 miles an hour white electricity. Oh the beer! The poetry! Simply astonishing. (MOJO MAGAZINE)

Liverpool, England’s THE CUBICAL has that dirty swamp sound that overtakes you. I mean, where the hell did this come from??? Signed to the Record Collection, they’re set to drop their record sometime this summer/fall in the US. Bluesy, nasty, tribal, and completely refreshing. TOM WAITS better look over his shoulder…… (futuresounds.com)

Great White Lie is the terrace classic that Bo Diddley forgot to write. The intro smacks you in the face like an electric eel, the guitars and rhythm section fly along stabbing at your very soul whilst the singer’s growl tears you apart from within. Claustraphobic garage head blues psych at its most terrifying! ( Dazed and Confused)

A drunken piano out on the town with a gang of fender twins throwing harmonicas at a tramp (Justin Meadows). Raw Genius (NME)

The coolest thing i heard all year came along just a few moments ago up on myspace……the Cubical – a great new band from liverpool. Im a bit sceptical about forming judgement on something as important as new music when heard through the tincan interweb, but these tracks transcended the medium. Out of tune guitars clang and the bass and drums shuffle just right enough to raise the ghost of willie dixon, track down captain eefheart circa safe as milk and have a chat with the la’s. And the singer’s raspy vocal might just shatter your lightbulbs. Cheers! (Kelley Stoltz, MOJO MAG)

I’ve just been listening to The Cubical’s album “Great White Lie” and it knocks bands like The Coral and The Zutons into a cocked hat. Fantastic Captain Beefheart style vocals backed up with great songs. A seriously good, seriously rockin’ album. If this band aren’t on the cover of the NME in a years time, then there’s no justice. I can’t wait to see them play live. (Gary Smith Bristol Uncovered on BBC Radio Bristol)

“Howlin’ Wolf on acid” (Uncle Dave Sardy)

A very necessary stab in the arm for the UK music scene which, Arctic Monkeys aside, has been dominated by formulaic indie tripe purveyed by the likes of Kaiser cheifs and Bloc party et al of late.These 5 young Londoners obviously have a lot of pent up aggression to get out of their systems and judging by their upcoming Great White Lie EP, which can be heard at myspace.com/thecubicalthecubical, it is the driving force behind their music. Lets hope that these boys dont calm down for a long time to come. Music to my cynical ears. (Dave Marther, Q USA)

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