DEMO: PIERCE CHRISTIAN
(www.myspace.com/piercechristian)
Having received as good a musical grounding as any chipping away at the original punk coalface from the unlikely vantage point of Southend On Sea, Pierce now spreads his bread with an altogether more melancholy topping. Retaining some of the gothic splendour of a latter day Dave Vanian, he’s nonetheless clearly more Richard Hawley than Richard Hell as his songs sing to sumptuous strings and echoing rockabilly tremelo. A clear emphasis on genuine songwriting craft helps this stand out from your usual pub crooner. (NC)

DEMO: GRASSCUT
(www.myspace.com/grasscutmusic)
Perhaps it’s wrong to judge a band by the cultural references on their MySpace page, but on this occasion Grasscut’s sound is truly representative of their literary and filmic influences. Anyone who has read Sebald or Pynchon will recognize the sparse, democratic beauty of tracks like Muppet and 1946; each glitch and sample (bits of old films, vinyl and conversations recorded on a mobile phone are amongst the contributors) is given the space to resonate in its simple splendor. Electronic music that makes you realise you’re alive. (LB)

DEMO: UNCLE ARTHUR
(www.myspace.com/unclearthurmusic)
To some of us, the name of the band will summon up memories of a Laughing Gnome-era Bowie song. To others, it might suggest a pipe, slippers and Werther’s Originals. But whatever their reasoning for their nom de plume they’re an accomplished live outfit with hooks and fills in all the right places, and each member has his own apparent trademark take on facial hair with a moustache common denominator, which is always a good thing. (NC)