Kippertronix
Posted by chips on Apr 26, 2010
A is for Ape, the Hostiles, Truebeat and the Steady Boys are all among the bazillions of cool bands at May Day Kippertronix fest this weekend. See the full line-up here.
Free song: A is for Ape
Posted by jamie on Jun 25, 2009
You can get End of an Era by A is for Ape as a free download here. The guys really want you to get the free song, and they’re a splendid bunch of chaps so please help us out. Thank you.
“Who can resist a dance in the sun?”
Posted by jamie on Apr 25, 2009
Nottingham’s A is for Ape have been one of the UK’s best underground bands for years now, storming their way through infectious horn riffs and inspiring high-speed skanking feet AND fists in pits wherever they’ve been, not least on this summer’s mini-jaunt through their native midlands.
Still tired, but visibly refreshed and carrying the beginnings of a promising tan, Nicky B (guitar/vocals) turned up after Jamie dangled some bread off a bridge on a fishing rod. We kept him for a quick chat, during which he lovingly referred to his band, A is for Ape, as “The Apes”, which gave us the giggles.
The apes are just home from their whistle-stop tour of the midlands, having taken in every metropolis from Derby to Leamington Spa that they found along the way. “One thing I realised on the road is how good the people of the ska and punk scene are. I mean I can’t imagine it’s our charisma, but people seemed to really go out of their way to help us along. We made some good friends and played with some awesome bands too”, he enthuses, scarcely topping for breath, “most notably Bigtopp, who rocked the Nottingham show with a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air mash up”.
“We’d be on the road more often but unfortunately our student days are over and until Fat Wreck come knocking on the door we have got day jobs to keep us alive, this tour was really a prelude to what we hope to achieve in the summer. We’re just starting to put together some dates and hope to get on a few festivals as that is really where this whole sweet genre really shines, who can resist a dance in the sun?”
There’s been talk of a follow-up to “Once More Over the 617” almost since it came out last May, and recent rumours *tease alert* even said that the classic “Winning a Loser’s Game” might get a new tarting up and an outing on the new album. “Since the last record we’ve been writing with the aim to put an album out later in the year”, says Nicky, “but what I’d like is to write, say, 30 songs and then cut them down to 15. That way we can have something that really shines, particularly as this genre is seeing some real talent emerge on the underground scene.
The guys are more encouraged since returning from the tour - we’ve had some good times along the way. However, we might have a couple of line-up changes heading our way as people struggle to mix band commitments with the rest of their lives. Hopefully this won’t happen, but, maybe, just maybe, prepare to see some new faces..
New faces, a new record, and some new tour dates. It’s all new for the Apes. After a summer of festivals and shows, of course. I mean, priorities, and all that..
