I Was A Cub Scout

+ This Town Needs Guns

Zodiac, Oxford - 3 Mar 2007

by Simon T Diplock

Promise and potential floods into Oxford

"If superstardom is growling in the distance for This Town Needs Guns, then its deafening rumble must be shaking the duo behind I Was A Cub Scout down to their bone marrow"

Tonight is all about promise and potential. On record, Oxford locals This Town Needs Guns make a great emotional indie racket but lack that certain special something, their inventive and inviting tunes stunted by low-budget production. On stage though, they soar. Cross the tight experimentalism of Minus The Bear with Hundred Reasons’ melodic British grit and you’re getting close. Pile a healthy disrespect of genre boundaries and no fear of the noise police into the deal and bigger things beckon.

And if superstardom is growling in the distance for This Town Needs Guns, then its deafening rumble must be shaking the duo behind I Was A Cub Scout down to their bone marrow. For only two people, Todd Marriott and William Bowerman have no problem making plenty of noise right back. Theirs is a beautiful sound, anchored by Bowerman’s stunning drum skills and Marriott creating all sorts of sublime pop oddness from behind his wall of keys and cables.

There are frequent hold-ups, Marriott always plugging or un-plugging something or asking the soundman to mess with some level or other, but far from ruin the flow of the show, the fastidious behaviour combines with the frontman’s strangely assured, awkward dancing, his faraway stare and the innocent charm of his voice and lyrics to make a man you can’t keep your eyes off. And for a small show in an Oxford backroom, it doesn’t half feel the greatest pop show on earth. Ever.

tom mendelsohn said on March 29th 2007 [report abuse]

i met the drummer. we had a conversation about how he believed in 'the one' and had met 'the one' and was going out with 'the one'. he proceded to try and fuck my friend in a deeply insidious fashion. he was a twat.

tlmms said on April 3rd 2007 [report abuse]

thankyou kindly for this review my friend, but to you below! for my brother william... you are an absolute dick head. the night you met us i believe you continously atempted to pull our band down at every possible point. saying how because we were an 'emo' band we must be heartbroken along with some other placid crap i cant really recall.  you are possibly the only human william said he had met that he truelly despised on an instant.

tlmms said on April 3rd 2007 [report abuse]

he is not going out with 'the one', but believes that the particular girl you have profoundly spoke of is right for him. you know when you meet those people who have a friend who is a girl, and they secretly are obsessed with them, and will say completely unnecassey things to try and salvage something out of it to get her to like them. that is you. prick. we are in ireland

mendelsohn said on April 3rd 2007 [report abuse]

'placid'? you mean calming? as far as i recall, i said i liked the band. i do. i also attempted what we in the real world call 'gags', riffing on the theme of emo. you know, suggesting that some people who are in emo bands are miserable? revolutionary stuff as i am sure you'll agree.

ditto said on April 3rd 2007 [report abuse]

of course you aren't anything like an ordinary emo band, fancying girls who don't like you, writing emo songs and not having a sense of humour about yourselves.

ditto said on April 3rd 2007 [report abuse]

sorry about the misunderstanding with the whole 'the one' thing. she is a popular girl; william may have to do battle with one out of air traffic for her hand, amongst, ooh, half a dozen other blokes after her. i can't deny that she is cute, but oddly, and i'm sure you'll find this baffling, i can just be friends with girls. i know! anyway, she clearly rolls in loftier circles than i do.

ditto said on April 3rd 2007 [report abuse]

personally, i am a bit surprised that william hated me. i was making polite conversation. touchy fellow, it would seem. he is also bit dull. anyway, my advice to you both is to stop being such dicks and learn to laugh at yourselves. also, remove that ridiculuous nose ring. good luck with her!

Rat said on April 3rd 2007 [report abuse]

Mendelsohn is brilliant. Timms can't spell or write for toffee. This is only heading one way.

Rat said on April 3rd 2007 [report abuse]

Mendelsohn is brilliant. Timms can't spell or write for toffee. This is only heading one way.

Rat said on April 3rd 2007 [report abuse]

Mendelsohn is brilliant. Timms can't spell or write for toffee. This is only heading one way.

Rat said on April 3rd 2007 [report abuse]

I believe that so vehemently I wrote it three times.

Marcellus said on April 3rd 2007 [report abuse]

"prick. we are in ireland" <br /> <br /> Is this geographical element really necessary? Does it reinforce tImms (somewhat iffy) point?<br /> <br /> Meanwhile this Mendelsohn certainly cuts a dash with his fine wordsmithery, and his acolyte, Rat, must be either a devotee of Molesworth or just a top chap if he writes "can't spell or write for toffee".<br /> <br /> Au revoir dudes.<br /> <br /> <br /> ps. Are all ex-Cubs so glum?<br />

Rat said on April 3rd 2007 [report abuse]

I like being an acolyte.

william said on April 4th 2007 [report abuse]

hello all...william here.<br /><br /><br /> i'll finish all this "argument" up.<br /><br /><br /> 1. this gerl is a good friend of mine... trying to "fuck" her, is not what I was trying to do...<br />

william said on April 4th 2007 [report abuse]

...seeing a friend that i had not seen in a while involves you talking to them for some time, and if you consider this flirting and trying to get my way with her in an insidious fashion, then thats fine mate.<br /><br /><br /> the way you came across in conversation sir was very rude. i am not normally dull, i just had no time for the shit that was puring out of your mouth.<br /><br /><br /> end of.

Mendelsohn said on April 6th 2007 [report abuse]

William old chap, I hate to piss on your rainbow, but I've met her more times today than you have in your entire life.

william said on April 6th 2007 [report abuse]

oh man, i guess your the winner!<br /> dammit, better go rip out my shitty nose ring and quit my emo band!<br /> xx

Cormac said on April 9th 2007 [report abuse]

Alright lads, great review, i thought the very same about ur Dublin gig! To all the naysayers, quell that negative shite, don't ya hate those bitter bastards who get off on tryin their best to pull back anyone they see experiencing any success,,, quite pathetic really... anyway gud to meet ya guys!

Lady said on April 10th 2007 [report abuse]

Unfortunately William your attempt at a witty putdown was overshadowed by your failure to understand the difference between your and you're.

william said on April 13th 2007 [report abuse]

oh, the insults are getting deep now!

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