 08/12/2007 With a name that explains the dichotomy infused in their music, Brighton based four-piece Cat The Dog are a curious prospect. An uneasy but brutally beguiling fusion of filthy swaggering, raunchy rock and melody driven guitar pop, Cat The Dog are the very definition of the eternal struggle, a perennial tug-of-war between harmony and aggression. Singer Chris Mellion explains, ‘You can’t take names too seriously now; we thought that Cat The Dog was pretty funny but it does reflect the music. There’s a feeling that something’s not quite right, it’s unusual...’
Vocalist and guitarist Chris and drummer Andy Newton met at school in Vancouver, Canada. Both had already been expelled from their previousschools and after a touch more trouble they dropped out all togetherand flew to England to pursue a rock n roll dream. Having escaped thestranglehold of Vancouver’s limited opportunities, the pair made their wayfrom Manchester to London. Finding themselves destitute they attemptedto stay at a hostel working for their board. When they didn’t show up for theirshifts they were thrown out and began sleeping rough in a park and then,when that got boring, a cemetery. ‘We came here to make a mess of it;’ saysChris, ‘we didn’t mind, we were seeing so much fucked up shit, we loved it,it definitely came out in the writing.’
Eventually making it to Brighton, Chris and Andy found kindred spirits in guitarist Darryl Pruess and bass player Dan Logan, and began exploring the possibilities of their unique take on a classic blueprint. Having left their respective homes in search of inspiration, Darryl and Dan were the perfect fit for the Canadian refugees. Starting out with an art school Sonic Youth feel, the band gradually added elements of 60s beat music, robot rock and sinewy post punk to their audio brew, each ingredient taking them a step closer to the singular sound that gives them their effortless appeal. Drawing on their collective outsider experiences, one of the first songs that the band wrote is live favourite and future single, ‘Gotta Leave’. Capturing the essence of Cat The Dog, it demonstrates the duality at the core of their being, as the track’s ferocious verses are topped and tailed by the sugarsweet harmonies of its infectious chorus.
The band’s debut double A-side single, ‘I’m A Romantic’ / ‘Devil In Me’,continues the theme, with a visceral chunk of heads-down primal riffingproduced by the renowned Jack Douglas. With a past that takes in productionand engineering duties for The Who’s classic ‘Who’s Next,’ and Aerosmith’sseminal ‘Toys In The Attic’, as well as The New York Dolls, Cheap Trick and along association with John Lennon on his solo output, Douglas is a masterfulsonic manipulator who still gives the band space to let their raw and powerfulprogressions do their own talking. ‘He’s a legend, it was such an honour andprivilege to work with him. We adore the stuff he’s done with people like theDolls and he was right up our street - he got the band straight away.’
Live, the band have been working hard, with a country-wide tour throughout the summer, an appearance at Download and the support slot for The Bravery’s recent tour. ‘You never know what’s going to happen at our gigs, we’re not the sort of band that are just going to go up there and play it exactly like the record, we live it; if we’re angry then you’re going to see it! We’re not ones to go through the motions...’
NEW SINGLE ‘GOTTA LEAVE’ IS OUT 19TH NOV
(VIRGIN)
|
