Back in 2008 Dorset Self Abuser Andy Nazer formed a new Garage/Punk power trio called C-30s, recruiting friends Dom Upchuck on drums and Paul “Sonic” Mackenzie on bass. The noisy trio have put themselves out there quite a bit, performing at a host of local festivals along with some notable support slots. Up to now they have recorded five EP’s, kicking off with their debut self-titled recording in 2008. The band have recently taken themselves to the prestigious Echotown Studio in Dorchester and with the help of Gareth Matthews’ fine production skills; they have recorded the sixth EP, imaginably titled “No 6”. The six-track firecracker features songs that regulars will recognise as a number the band have regularly played live.
Andy takes up the story with some background on the recording: “After the pandemic we started thinking about working on some new songs and hit a proper studio rather than record ourselves, which we had done for our last couple of releases. Sadly the stars just didn’t seem to line up and then we were beset by some serious health problems of family members and I got struck down by Covid, along with a serious illness myself. After a few months recovery time at the end of 2023/early 2024, we started playing again in May 2024 and once some confidence had returned, we decided to actually crack on with a new studio recording”.
“We had already demoed 2 new songs, “Pleased To Meet You” and “I Quit” in Summer 2023; so chose those songs, along with the songs “Danger UXB” and the Sludgefeast song “It’s On”, both of which had long been a staple of the C-30s live set. Sonic wanted to do another version of “Wake Up” as it had been hurriedly recorded as a very new song during the “In Space…No One Can Hear You Smell” recording sessions. We just thought we’d like to put our own C-30s stamp on them with newly recorded versions”.
“We chose Echotown Studio in Dorchester to record in as we were very impressed with the equipment there [both fully analogue and digital], the facilities are excellent and the rates were reasonable. Gareth Matthews the engineer seemed to know his onions. Plus, it was very convenient for me if any health issues came up at home as he lives in Dorchester, so I could nip home if needed. We recorded all the songs in one day during December 2024, with only minimal backing vocals and guitar overdubs. Mixing was done the following January in 4 hours. Suffice to say we didn’t dick about.”
The EP opens with a polite greeting “Pleased to Meet You”, where we are greeted by the full force of the band’s rudiments. Firstly Andy’s fast-paced guitar opens before the significant bass and drums join to great effect, it sounds quite 90’s Pixies while still flirting with 1970’s Punk. Andy’s forthright vocals are reassuring and the catchy lyrics provide a great opening number. The tune was inspired by a friend of Andy’s who he hadn’t seen in some years who kind of dropped out of circulation and recently passed away. He introduced Andy to so many great bands that he hadn’t heard of, kind of like his own personal John Peel at the time! So the song is a thank you to him and all those friends who inspire them with their records and musical discoveries and influences.
“Wake Up” I must say is quite possibly one of my favourite tunes by the band. I’ve been fortunate in seeing these guys many times and each time this brooding number is performed, they get a great reaction from the audience who usually sing the lyrics right back at the band. It’s a song that was created by Sonic and clearly it’s about getting tired, something that regularly happens to men of a certain age. “Danger UXB” is a powerful number with instrumentation that creates an angry undertone. The song really matches the subject matter, about trying not lose the plot when a relationship goes wrong. The smouldering guitar slowly meanders, Andy’s somewhat agitated vocal joins along with powerfully effective rhythms and as the song progresses, Andy’s vocals become a ticking time bomb with some suitable guitar riffs to match.
Virtually everyone at one point in their life has had a dead end job and wants to jack in their Job because the boss is a complete arsehole and two-faced wanker (Andy’s words). Just think of Jimmy in Quadrophenia with his “I’ll tell what you can do with your high teeth and your job” speech (just remember the look on his boss’s face!!). “I Quit” is about one such experience, the song opens with a pummelling wall of sound; guitars, bass and drums coming at you from all angles. I can just imagine octopus Dom’s arms all over the place as he hits the skins with ferocious force, Sonic’s sex face gurns as he plucks his thundering basslines and Andy mustering energy like a WD40-covered coiled spring as he gets exciting sounds from his mature six-string. These three guys when they get into a room have a solid chemistry and this is a proper tune that anyone can associate with. For the final cut we get a C-30’s version of a Sludgefeast song “It’s On”, which was originally released in 2003 on 7″ vinyl. It’s a song that the band have always loved playing live and this recorded version expresses the spirit of the original.
This EP really captures the essence of the trio’s live experience. They are not hiding behind any technology, there’s no smoke and mirrors here and that is as it should be. Gareth at Echotown has clearly understood the band’s remit and has put together five tracks that encapsulate the true spirit of this much loved Dorset band.
Track Listing
Pleased to Meet You
Wake Up
Danger UXB
I Quit
It’s On (Sludgefeast Cover)
Links
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100046525303092
https://c-30s.bandcamp.com
Andy Nazer – Guitar, Vocals
Paul “Sonic” Mackenzie – Bass, Vocals
Dom Upchuck – Drums
