0605 Records Present: #W06ld Dominati05 Vol.1

17 Track compilation featuring some of the raddest & baddest independent music on the planet...

Download the album for FREE here:

 http://0605records.bandcamp.com/album/w06ld-domination-vol-01
Read the accompanying booklet here:  

http://issuu.com/0605records/docs/0605_wd_vol_1_booklet_final_new

It’s a bit hard (stupid? egotistical?) reviewing something that I helped put together and release, even more so reviewing something I’m actually on, so I’ll glide past the reviewing side of things, and just give this compilation a bit of history & publicity...
Me and Mike, who I do 0605 Records with spend a lot of time throwing darts and listening to music, the majority of it being punk rock and hip hop, its what we grew up on and still love to bits now. We wanted to put together a compilation of off the radar and underground bands from around the world, of great bands we’d listen to, and we wanted the compilation to represent the soundtrack to a good night. We also wanted to include a booklet, so that there’d be plenty to read about each band, links to all their stuff and all that good stuff. The mission was on, and after eventually agreeing on an hours worth of artists and songs (it’s probably worth noting, every single track on it by each artist was our first choice, no bands or songs are second choice, it came together exactly how we planned), the first 0605 Records #w06ld Dominat05 compilation was created late August 2013... We’re currently going through bands, and throwing around ideas for the second volume right now.
On with the artists:

Autopsy Boys - About Last Night
Our label, 0605 Records, came into existence with the help from this band from Leeds, so it seemed a perfect choice to have these guys open up the compilation. Laced with expletives and an uncontrollable anger towards Hollywood remakes of classic horror films, Autopsy Boys destroy your speakers with hardcore punk rock mixed up with some post-punk electro influence.
Nyiam - We See You
Laid back, red eyed hip hop from Canada. Nyiam crafts his perfect beats, and laces them with a perfect flow of rhymes, with a real ‘old school’ feel to it. Its one of those head bopping songs that will be stuck in your head from the first time you hear it. He has plenty of music out too, and its pretty much all for free, so be sure to go grab some.
Battle Born - Forget About Tomorrow
Hailing from Las Vegas, this four piece punk rock band have a powerful sound, but with enough tuneful melody and catchy hooks to keep anyone happy. Reminds us of the old punk bands we’d listen to back in our early teens, Bad Religion and their ilk, the perfect soundtrack to jump on a skateboard to, or dance around your house in a drunken stupor to.
Ded Rabbidz - Major League
One of the longest running, and most recognised bands on the album, Ded Rabbidz have shared stages and worked with everyone from Run DMC to Ozzy. Hard hitting, working class rap from Brooklyn, New York, this aint no half arsed pop music, this is as real as it gets. Whether you’re drinking Guinness, or getting into bare knuckle fist fights, this is the perfect soundtrack...
Against The Grain - Ride On
If Motorhead played punk rock, they would sound just like this band. Full speed, thrashy punk rock from Detroit, Michigan. This is music for whiskey drinking, car thrashing, beard owning real men, who love the smell of petrol and violence.

White Clouds & Gunfire - Turn Out The Lights
Sugar coated, female fronted pop punk from Peterborough. White Clouds & Gunfire are fast making a name for themselves on the UK punk scene, and are having great year after great year, with their debut album now out and tours lined up they are definitely one to watch out for. The perfect soundtrack to a sunshiny day.
 Madoa of Drop Squad - Sunshine
Modoa hails from North Carolina, and is part of hip hop group Drop Squad. Here he treats us to a perfect, uplifting track, with the help from MCs Nic Mercer & Jay Royale. And beautifully put together, soulful hip hop track, perfect for BBQs with the crew and good times.
Junior Bear - I Could’ve Been A Gangster
Junior Bear, from Leeds, was introduced to us by our buddies the Autopsy Boys. This guy has the Midas touch, anything he does is pure gold. This track has a soulful, hip hop feel to it, but has his own unique sound stamped all over it, and his perfect vocals shine through on it, telling the story of how life could’ve turned out.

DeadBeat At Dawn - Freedom
Both me and Mike sing for this band, 5 best buddies from Thirsk, North Yorkshire. A step away from our usual hardcore horror & ska-punk rap, this song lends more to bands like Fugazi, probably due to a session smoking salvia before writing it. One of the last songs we wrote, before taking a few years break.
Take Your Own - What The Hell Is Thug Hardcore Mosh Anyway?
Manic, heavy, technical skate punk from Melbourne, Australia. One of our favourite hardcore punk bands at present, and also featuring on the totally excellent ‘Restless Years’ compilation mention elsewhere on the blog. If this song doesn't have your adrenaline flowing, and have you smashing things up, then chances are you’re already dead.
Black Lodge Annihilation Squad - 5 In The Morning
Hailing from Parts Unknown, another band that are on our very own 0605 Records. Breakdance influenced electro rap, the masters of violent nerdcore doing what they do best, writing killer catchy tunes. This is the kind of music that will have you doing the robot to, best served loud in a room full of smoke and strobe lights.

Jaded Eyes - Divorce
Melodic, yet powerful hardcore punk, screaming emotional vocals and tight tuneful guitars. Jaded Eyes are friends from Leeds, and are making quite the name for themselves since appearing on this compilation, signing to Boss Tunage and releasing their debut album ‘Gods & Monsters’.
Freezy - All That Glitters
The raw talented MC known as Freezy, hailing from Connecticut, teams up with UK champion free style rapper Olde English on this laid back, head bopping hip hop track, telling the story of broken dreams. Excellent wordplay, great flows, and catchy as hell, this is well constructed underground hip hop at its best.
Trempant - Sempre Endavant
Trempant hail from the autonomous community of Catalonia, these rebels with a cause have 18 years of playing punk rock flowing through their veins, and enough anger, energy and positivity to write the perfect punk rock protest songs. Aimed at their anger at the Spanish government, this song will have you raising your fist with them, even if you cant understand a word they’re saying.

 Vanessa Vane - Freak (Put Me On)
With a totally unique sound, big beats and an uncompromising attitude, Vanessa Vane crushes the competition with this soundtrack to Friday night. In your face, tongue in cheek and with more balls than any of her male counter-parts, this youngster from Canada is flexible enough to pull any style off, and leave you with a classic.
Black Diamond - The Phantasm
Head banging hip hop, the MC known as Black Diamond, from Canada, delivers truth filled intelligent rap, with the accuracy and power of a boxers right hook. No compromising, unbreakable rap, with well constructed beats to match, this is as real as hip hop gets.
A Great Notion - Late Nights In The Morning Sun
To end the compilation, our good buddies from Peterborough, A Great Notion, see us out with a folk-punk influenced, drunken sing-a-long, that is uplifting and catchy as hell. This is stripped down, heart-felt, raw and just damn right awesome...

Visit us:

http://0605records.com

http://0605records.bandcamp.com

https://twitter.com/0605Records

http://facebook.com/0605records

Listen to or download the album: http://0605records.bandcamp.com/album/w06ld-domination-vol-01

View the booklet at: http://issuu.com/0605records/docs/0605_wd_vol_1_booklet_final_new

Eject (Interview)

Yorkshire based Graphic Designer/ Graffiti Artist/ Clothing designer.

I've been a fan of Ejects art since I first layed my glazed  red-eyes on it. Beautiful use of colours and texts, and a constant changing and evolving of styles and ideas. He did some graffitti that featured on our buddies the Autopsy Boys video 'Cheerleader Massacre', and has done plenty of art for the amazing Junior Bear, and seen as he's from Yorkshire too, I thought he'd be the prefect candidate for the first interview on this blog. Anyone from the Leeds area should keep an eye out for his art, it could be closer than you think. He also runs a clothing label, so do the man a favour and help him pay his rent with an order or two...

1: Have you always been interested in art? When did Eject make the change from 'vandal' to a brand to make a living? Was it a concious decision, or did it just evolve?

I've always been into art, cartoons, packaging, stickers, covers and posters since a child...I was always drawn towards things with crazy packaging with eye popping cartoon characters on them. My mum always took time to draw with my brother and I, we always had sheets of paper over the floor and paints out as a youngster ...it kept us quiet, was a no brainer!! 

As I got more into art and records covers, band logos etc, I was passed a book by a super cool art teacher we had at high school... the book was 'Subway Art', it was the first thing I ever stole, "sorry Miss Gaunt!!". This book changed my world, I copied traced and read this book every day.... there's quite a long story from getting into graffiti to getting arrested for graffiti, so we will probably have to leave that for another day/book ;). As for becoming a brand ,I always put up logos/symbols rather than tagging my name... I guess I didn't know it but I was creating some kind of brand awareness. Eject as a brand is hard to get away from really... I'm a one man band who creates a lot of varied work, some is commercial, some underground... after getting arrested, Eject was cooler than my real persona so it became the calling card for how to contact me. It's going to be bigger in the next few years though ;) .
It's just growing up as well I suppose, wanting to have a business of my own, obtain my own clients, and work doing the things I love best... I'd die in any other type of 9-5 or normal job... I think I'd crack up and end up going 'Falling down' on this bitch of a world ;) 

2: You don't just paint walls, you took your skills into designing clothes, creating graphics, making mixtapes. Is this because you always have the urge to create, or because graffiti alone isn't enough to establish an artist? Who/what are some of the more varied folk you've designed/worked for?

No to me every surface is getting your name up, whether it be a poster to a train to a commissioned wall, it's all relative to me... and I don't sleep much, the urge to create never sleeps. For me personally graffiti has helped me establish my name further than say if I was just Ian the designer, there's loads of designers called Ian... Eject is the one bringing cool colours and impact, the cool thing they can tell there friends about! It's grown from the underground and has been learned from sheer will, not a textbook or winning a competition... people want to be apart of that, shows they are as edgy as we are. 

I've worked with people from great beat poets in Liverpool, to reebok, to super clubs like gatecrasher, to food trailblazers like almost famous, and even warp records artists... My works very varied, covers lots of ground... Most days are different wondering what exciting new client or project might pop up. 

Things like the mixtapes are done out of sheer love of music and getting to work alongside friends and people I look up to... the mixes are there to let people into my world, the music I love, the music I create to, and to showcase some people folk may not of heard of... and kind of give them a platform to show off what they are about too.

 

Autopsy Boys 'Cheerleader Massacre' - Graffiti by Eject

For a HQ version of this video, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSxPU8oXW5U

3: You've recently been involved in youth workshops, teaching and offering advice to young ones about getting into art & design. What would you say are the most important things to remember for kids wanting to break into the art scene?  Is it a dream worth following, or should they just knuckle down and get a 'proper job'?

I always stepped in and out of youthwork really, I always saw people like 'Monkee'(leeds graffiti artist and mc) teaching the younger generations and even some of my friends how to paint and use a spraycan...we always respected him for it, back then they were starting the whole graffiti workshops movements, which we now take up. The people who have taught me and developed my mind in the past are always highly regarded in my view...I'd like people to look up to me oneday and say that I helped them on their way.  If you want to break into art...I don't think I even have myself yet?? But prepare to be skint...or find really good ways of being lucky ;) But ye it's not easy, most folk don't understand why you do it or even understand how you make money from it...My good buddy LSK once said to me "Just keep doing what your doing" people will notice eventually if you keep striving. It's not an easy world to be in, but if your creative don't let the fire die down in your belly...its burning for a reason. Keep learning, reading, looking and playing , keep your eyes open and just dive in!!
If it's a dream ...its defo worth following because otherwise your going to be chasing nightmares for a whole lot longer!!

What's a proper job? Are they just ones you don't like doing ? ;)

4. Is there a lot of rivalry amongst the graff scene, or is it very much based on respect for one another?

Graffiti is a funny ole game...everyone starts off hating on you if your styles whack, then you get good and people start hating on you, then you get up on more and more spots and everyone likes you, then you get up on too many spots and everyone stops liking you, then you go painting with a member of a rival team and everyone likes you again, then you take a few spots with your own team...and they hate you again...then someone in your team goes soggy and you hate them ...then you get arrested and stop giving a fuck....and then competition within styles, then thats a whole different story. But then theres the whole multitude of graf writers who are just safe as hell and lovely people and great drinking buddies. Even if you don't like a graffiti artist...you can still have loads of respect for the amount of work they have put out there. 

5: The classic 'My God...' question: With which folks would you most like to drink, fight & fuck?

The person I would most like to drink with would of been hunter s thompson I reckon...I know it wouldn't just be a quiet drink... it would end in lizards at bars, melting floors and all that good stuff ;)  I still want to get high with Howard Marks tho!
The person I'd most like to fight would probably be my shadow... the bastards been stalking me for years and can't shake him off... shady lurking character he is... oh and that Eject Ep... wait a minute... 

The person(s) I would like to fuck would probably have to be ...obvious ones like Beyonce(we love milfs!!) , Mila Kunis...Scarlett johansen, I have a weird thing for KT Tunstall...I like creative bitches!! Most females from Japan... That girl with turquiose adidas track top who drove past me once in Leeds...the girl at the pizza shop...the girl on the checkout at the supermarket...haha Ive said too much ...I need to stop working in closed bars spraypainting when everyones partying!! 

6: Where do you see yourself in 5 years time? How do you hope Eject evolves?
I hope to see Eject and Ejecto's grow as a brand, working busily on big projects hopefully for folk like adidas so they can finally make my Ejecto colourways for the world, since they got slack ;)  You be seeing Ejecto's grow bigger and stronger the next few years, creating large scale interiors, exteriors and large public works across the UK, Europe and hopefully the  world...outernationally.
I'd like a team of trusted creatives and blaggers to work alongside me with the clothing side of the business to help grow the business into something bigger...kick a few doors down and tag up the fashion show tings ;)  Eject as an artist will keep growing , strengthening styles, techniques and ideas...growing as an artist. I want to get my first solo show boxed of by the end of the year...a full one man show of personal work, this still excites me...I think im bottling it at the moment though. In the next few years or hopefully before I'm looking to relocate to Holland, buy a orange bike and have a studio, gallery and cafe all in the same building where I can work on design and paintings while enjoying my favourite place in the world.

DJ P-Nuts / Paul Cockcroft / Ejectos - Earn Your Ego

Scratch/Turntablism Routine 2013

For a HQ version of this video click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhYoCBvy_mU

7: And finally, plug your shit, let the kids know where they can find your works, what you have coming up in the pipeline, and any shout outs or other folk that we should be keeping an eye out for?

www.ejectos.com the main place to get me, or instagram @eject1, twitter for moody mondays and drunken hangover anecdotes @ejectos... or just genErally trawling the inner city streets looking for the perfect ramen spot. 

Shout outs to LSK (Faithless song writer and singer) always an inspiration and a friend, The Easy Peasy boys (EP graffiti crew) these guys are friends and family all rolled into one, John Young R.I.P , Topdog R.I.P, HARO R.I.P, My Dad for telling me to get a proper job so I could rebel against it, my Ma for always let us paint as a kid, and every graffiti artists/designer/illustrator/client who has ever been sound to us, Ian Anderson from the designers republic, and the guys at Almost Famous who let me scrawl the odd swear word on the walls ;) anyone else its written in white ink ... we still love ya ;) 

And to end the article with, what are your top 5 records to paint/party or chill to?
Thesedays I mainly just bruk out to dancehall... but heres a few faves:
'Going in circles' - Friends of distinction - Probably my favourite ever tune
'Futureghost' - Braintax - This used to play on rotation constantly
'Hold yuh' - shyfx-gyptian - I fucking love this tune, I dont care if you think it's cheesy!!
'Every man do his ting' a lil way different' - Errol Dunkley - This is a new one in my top 5, big ups to Bdawg from Big toes hifi for introducing me to it... puts things into perspective this track.
'Clampdown' - The Clash - Good tune to tell the world to piss right off haha!

For a HQ version of this video click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hYC5juC0tU

Eject | Graphic Designer/Graffiti Artist/Clothing Label Owner | Ejecto's 
Email: info@ejectos.com  Web: www.ejectos.com

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PLEASE NOTE: If we do not reply to you via email within 24 hours its likely we are away working on a project, up some scaffolding creating graffiti or sourcing more quality Ejecto's products. We try to get back to everybody as soon as possible, but sometimes things can get hectic so please gives us a nudge if you have not heard back from us.

Restless Years Compilation

A free 32-track celebration of proudly independent bands and artists from around Australia.

Download here: http://restlessyears.bandcamp.com/

When I started putting this blog together, sorting out artwork and typing up the first few pages, I pretty much had this compilation on repeat, so I thought it only fair and just that this was the first bit of music that I reviewed.
Restless Years is a label based in Australia, and this compilation is a collection of 32 underground/independent artists playing various styles, the majority of which are tied, albeit sometimes loosely, to the punk rock genre. Did I mention this compilation is free? Because that’s probably the first thing I should’ve said: it’s already more attractive to you now, isn’t it? Yes, just head on over to the Restless Years page on Bandcamp and you can download this little gem at absolutely zero cost, and increase the amount of Australian music on your mp3 player, itunes collection or whatever else by a big old bunch. I know a lot of people like a ‘physical’ release, something they can hold, rather than a load of ‘zeros & ones’ that don't actually really exist, but its free, innit? And if you’re that bothered, you can always burn it to a CD, print out the cover and slide it into your collection. It even comes with a PDF booklet, full of info about each band, which again, you can print off and hold in your sweaty little hands while you listen to the music...

So the bands, all 32 of them, I oughta mention them really... I’ll try not to compare bands to other bands, or try to pigeon hole their genres, we all listen to music with our hearts, and hear different things, so I’ll just say a little bit about each artist, hopefully just enough to give my feelings, and whet your whistle that little bit more, enough to tempt you to download the album (if you’re not doing that already). Also bare in mind, 32 bands, a lot of which play similar styles can get a bit hard to describe differently, but I’ll do my best, and not get too bogged down with a single band. The compilation kicks things off with a lot of punk rock bands, all having an almost similar style, but bringing a slight flavour of their own (as you’d expect). First up is The Sinking Teeth, who have a sound that blends melodic punk, shouty bits and great vocal harmonies so very superbly, and starts the compilation brilliantly, and is a great taste of what’s to come. Ride The Tiger follow with a similar style of music, but the accents sound so much more Australian, which is pretty unique (or it is at least over here, back in Australia it’ll be the same old same old), and has a great hook calling out the ‘faceless cowards and racists’ for the bunch of idiots they are. Next up are The Bennies, who have a more fun feel to them, very reminiscent of the old Nofx/Epitaph days, slightly rougher round the edges, a great song, and the chorus of ‘Im gonna ride my bike, where ever I fucking like’ will have you bursting to jump on your bmx and ride around in the sunshine. Japan For have a much more complex sound, tighter, with excellent breakdowns, bursting with energy and emotion, and has a totally rad gang chorus at the end, it just seems to be one of those songs that you don’t want to end. Straight after hearing this song, I went and found more of their stuff to download (which is pretty easy with the accompanying booklet that provides links to the artists other material). Damn Hearts and Angry Seas are up next, and both bands have a harder sound than the previous. More screamy, hardcore influenced, but still with plenty of tunes and melody behind them, they would go down a treat with the ‘Leeds scene sound’. Clowns follow, with a more Hives-influenced rock’n’roll sound, but still very hardcore influenced, angry and full of swear words, just how punk rock should be. Foxtrot almost have a bit of a ska edge to them, not that goofy ska pop punk, but just enough of a hint of it to add a bit extra to their great catchy, rough punk rock sound. Next up are Take Your Own, one of my favourite modern hardcore punk bands, they mix very technical guitar work, solid song writing and and uncompromisable energy and anger that just makes them stand out head and shoulders above so many modern hardcore bands. Army Of Champions have a much more stripped down sound, rough around the edges, but very melodic where it needs to be.  

 Harbourer, Initials and Speech Patterns follow, all three of these bands play well structured melodic hardcore punk, with shouty and sing-a-long bits. Stockades have more complex breakdowns, changes, and melodies than the previous 3 bands, with powerful, emotional vocals entwined, and even a bluesy sax towards the end. Next up is Summer Policy, with a more poppy melodic sound mixed with their brand of melodic punk. Del Lago have a more fun sound to them, still rough round the edges where it needs to be, but less intense than a lot of the previous bands. The Union Pacific lace their melodic punk rock track with plenty of ‘woah-ohs’, which you’ll soon find yourself singing along to. Hug Therapist have an almost Husker Du sound going on, which I’m sure will please a lot of people. The Hard Aches have provide more sing-a-long punk, a little more easy going and melodic than a lot of the bands on here. Next up are the great named Ted Danson With Wolves, who play a more emotional, slower punk rock, not really my cup of tea, but it breaks up the compilation nicely, and is a bit of a breath of fresh air. Oslow follow, a melodic post-hardcore sound, again, not really my thing, but it’s sure to work for some people. Summer Blood pick things up a bit more, still clinging to the emo/post-hardcore sound, but more energetic than the previous couple of bands. Next up are SecondHand Squad, who have a more straight forward, catchy punk rock sound, with hints of pop/skate punk, but still powerful and melodic in the right places, laced with sing-a-long bits. The Alamo have a more country sound to them, still very punk rock, a bit like Social Distortion in places, which is a very welcome change of pace. Shadow League strip it all back even further, more country influenced punk, with a bit of a folk tint to it. Slowing things right down are Adeline Pines, who provide a bluesy country style, the kind of music to drown in whiskey and tears to. The banjo driven Pinch Hitter continue the country theme, with a lovely little tune about being sick of working, or at least that's what I got from it. Next is the totally amazing Lucy Wilson, with (in my eyes at least) the stand out track of the compilation. She has such an amazing voice, your soul will just melt, and her acoustic love song is so perfectly written I could happily listen to nothing else but her for the rest of my life. I just love it so much, I can’t really express in words how rad it is. I’m almost crying typing that. The final four artists continue the acoustic theme, with a more alt-country/folk tinge, like Frank Turner, but better. Ben David, Nathan Seeckts, Tim Hampshire and finally Brad Vincent are all great song writers, with plenty of emotion, and bring the energy of the initial punk rock laced compilation to a nice chilled out close.

In short, this is a great introduction to some of the punk and underground sounds coming out of Australia. I’m sure a lot of folk reading this have no idea what’s going on in the Australian scene, and this really is a good a place as any to start. Well worth checking out, you may find a lot of bands blend into each other and sound similar, but if you enjoy their styles then that's not really going to be a problem. If you’re at all a fan of punk rock, I’m sure you’ll find a bunch of bands on here that you’ll just need to search for more stuff by, and because each band is given a good chunk of information & history in the PDF booklet, it won’t take you long to find more music by them. And I’m also sure there’ll be bands on here that you just won’t like, but that’s ok - we all have different tastes, and hell, it’s free, so stop your whining...

Restless Years Compilation: http://restlessyears.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/restlessyearscompilation

Twitter: https://twitter.com/restless_years

True Grit Wrestling - War Of The Roses

17th April 2014. Control, Leeds.

An evening of pro-wrestling, pitting Yorkshire against Lancashire athletes...

After managing to blag out of work an hour early, and making it on time to catch a reasonable train to Leeds, I arrived at the venue with plenty of time to have a catch up with Craig Anderson (my commentating colleague for Tidal, and presenter of DirtSheetMania podcast). We headed on over to a bar to meet up with a bunch of Grapple trainee wrestlers, and literally waited a good 20 minutes at the bar to get a Guinness, which pretty much left no time to relax, it was chug the pint and head on over to the venue. Inside it looked pretty sweet, a nightclub usually, it had a screen playing video clips of wrestling and it was all standing room, which I much prefer than seated wrestling venues. And then the dance music started. I could've killed the DJs myself, but I figured it was all they were used to playing, and I was in a good mood, so I let it slide and headed over to the bar for a Guinness which I was looking forward to drinking at a reasonable pace. "We have no Guinness" said the bar man, which added him to the list of people I wanted to kill, along with the DJ who I no longer had any tolerance for. I settled for a bottle of Amigo, because everything else in the fridges looked proper wack. I was here to watch wrestling, and not to kill innocent staff, so I wandered about, spoke to a few friends I'd made from the last few Tidal Wrestling shows and waited patiently for the wrestling to start. Some douchebag that looked like Timmy Mallet was walking around waving the Lancashire Flag and shouting down a megaphone at people, trying to rustle up some heat, but was getting ignored as best as the crowd could. It turned out he was one of the manager-types for the Lancashire wrestling team, and would be out with some of the wrestlers later on in the night. Then, out of the soulless generic dance music came some Guns & Roses, the crowd started cheering and the night was about to begin... After the ring announcer introduced the evening, and my second favourite referee of all time, Daniel Eagles entered the ring and got himself some cheers & chants, we were treated to a tribute to the recently deceased Ultimate Warrior. Although the video screen didn't work for it, so we just got to listen to his theme song for a bit, as the DJs looked nervous about the fact heavy guitars were blasting through the sound system instead of 'euphoric synths'. It amused me anyway. Thankfully this seemed to be the only time that the video screen wouldn't work, and as dry ice filled the air, it was time for our first contest of the evening...

Sam Wilder (Yorkshire) vs ‘The Model’ Joey Hayes (Lancashire)

I'd heard a lot about Joey Hayes, but I don't think I've ever seen him wrestle, however I'd seen Wilder a few times at Tidal, and despite his short time as a pro, he's never failed to impress me. As far as first matches go, this was good enough. Hayes set the tone of the evening, alongside manager Chris Egan (who was subject to numerous 'Timmy Mallet chants) pitting the Lancashire wrestlers as the heels, and thus the hometown Yorkshire wrestlers as 'the good guys'. Hayes was perfect as heel, just the right amount of brash cockyness, using cheating when needed and has that 'I want to smash his face in' look going about him. Wilder looked a little less comfortable playing the face, as most times Ive seen him he's played the heel, however I can't knock his skills, totally intense and smooth moves at a decent pace. The action went back and forth, some after interference by Egan (which resulted in the less offensive 'Timmy Mallet' chants being replaced by 'You're just a wanker with a flag', or something along those lines). Hayes eventually picked up the win via crossface submission, setting the score at 1-0 to Lancashire. 


Valkabious (Yorks) vs R.J.McKenzie (Lancs)

Both these men walked to the ring exuding confidence, and looking in great shape. I'd seen a few Valkabious matches before on YouTube, but never even heard of McKenzie, so was looking forward to what both men had to offer. It was pretty clear from the bell that Valkabious wasn't going to let Lancashire go 2-0 up, as he smashed his opponent all over the ring with powerful shots and devastating slams, rarely allowing McKensie to take an advantage. The crowd loved this beating, as chants of 'Beast! Beast! Beast!' filled the air. It wasn't long before Valkabious took the win, and levelled the score at 1-1.

Project Ego (Yorks) vs Blackpool Blondes (Lancs)

Tag team action next, as one of the UKs (if not the worlds) greatest teams - Kris Travis & Martin Kirby, better known as Project Ego went head to head with The Blackpool Blondes (James Drake and Axl Rag). Both teams were accompanied by a valet, The Blondes by Shax, and Project Ego only went and got themselves Fearn Wai, who I talk about way too much when I commentate for Tidal. The crowd switched between 'Sexy Travis' chants and 'Kirby Squats', and occasionally Motley Crue based insults aimed towards the Blondes. If you've never seen Project Ego before, you really need to, these guys work so fluidly together, its unreal, I bet they even breathe in time with each other. The action was great from the get go, and the audience loved every minute of it, and it heated up at a great pace until it eventually got out of control, and Shax & Fearn both got in the ring for a stare down, which turned into a cat-fight and the crowd lost control. After the two ladies had been separated, the action kicked off again, with the Blondes stealing the win after some of the usual heart stopping back and forth moves that are becoming synonymous with Project Ego finishes. An awesome match, and if we weren't already all standing, I'm sure they would've received a standing ovation.

Bonus Match - Big Daddy (Yorks) vs Giant Haystacks (Lancs)

We were then 'treated' to a bonus match, as two guys dressed like Daddy & Haystacks gave us a very fair tribute to two of the biggest names of UK wrestling of yester-year. The action was appalling, but that's exactly how it was back in the day, with a bunch of shoulder blocks, belly bounces and not a lot more. The action ended as both men collided in the centre of the ring, and knocked each other out, with neither man able to answer the ten count. In all honesty, it was a fun match, and the crowd seemed to enjoy chanting 'Easy Easy', and thankfully it didn't last long enough to out stay it's welcome. The score remained 2-1 to Lancashire, with two more bouts to take place...

Bubblegum (Lancs) Vs El Ligero (Mexico, via Yorkshire)

El Ligero, although originating from Los Sanchos, Mexico, spends most of his time in Leeds, and so was granted 'honoury Yorkshire citizenship' for the evening. I've got a soft spot for Ligero, he's one of the hardest working wrestlers on the UK circuit, and helped get me through commentary on my first Tidal show (is that breaking kayfabe?), so this was the match I was looking forward to the most of the evening. These two guys have faced each other plenty of times, and are even well accomplished as a tag team, under the moniker 'Hubba-Bubba-Lucha', so we all knew that this was going to be a great match, and we weren't disappointed. Bubblegum whined down the microphone, threatening to walk out, and eventually telling the crowd that their disrespect towards him was going to fuel him to beating Ligero. The action was fast paced, with some real breath-taking spots, the action spilt to the outside, as both men made their way to the entrance ramp, and battled back and forth over a suplex over the barrier, until Ligero dived over it and onto Bubblegum. The crowd were going mental for both guys, and both of them put on a great match, doing everything they could to keep the energy and entertainment flowing. At one point Bubblegum stooped to a wrestling low, by sticking his finger up his arse and attempting to shove it in the face of Ligero, however the Mexican wasn't going to allow such dastardly tactics and battled back even harder, and after a whole load of trading superb moves and near falls, he eventually scored the win. Another great match, I just love watching El Ligero work, and look forward to seeing more from Bubblegum.

Rampage Brown (Yorks) vs Cyanide (Lancs)

The final match of the night, and the score set at 2-2, this bout had a lot riding on it. Rampage was on the receiving end of cheers for a change, even cracking a few smiles (Rampage has a legit scary persona, he's a regular at Tidal shows and I barely dare look at him in case he pulls my limbs off). Cyanide, covered in green paint and with a very unattractive bit of side boob showing, was accompanied by that flag waving wanker, Chris Egan. This bout was unbelievable, seriously, you had to be there. Hard hitting from the get go, and soon spiralled out of control, and not only to the outside of the ring, but bursting through the barrier, crashing through the crowd, with beers and people spilling everywhere. Exchanging stiff shots, and throwing barriers, cans and anything else they could get their hands on, and even taking to the air a couple of times (no mean feat for guys of their size), they battled all over the venue as the crowd followed. Eventually the two behemoths took it back to the ring, where Rampage showed his uncanny power when he managed to hoist up Cyanide for a Samoan Drop from the turnbuckle. The action continued until referee Dan Eagles was caught by a shot, and was knocked to the ground unconscious. Cue The Blackpool Blondes, who raced out to give Cyanide a hand, beating down Rampage, until Project Ego came out for the save and chased The Blondes back to the locker room. With the venue in bits, the crowd exhausted from shouting, and both men half dead, Rampage managed to score the three count, to a huge pop, and taking Team Yorkshire to a 3-2 victory. The rest of the Yorkshire wrestlers headed out to the ring to celebrate with Rampage, as pryro-techics and a confetti machine exploded, ending a great night of wrestling to chants of 'Yorkshire Yorkshire Yorkshire!'.

 A superb debut show by True Grit, and despite my initial apprehensions due to crappy music and no Guinness (and my loyalty to Tidal), this show turned out to be totally rad, every match delivering the goods, and has left me really looking forward to what they do next. Definitely a promotion to keep an eye out for. The show will be available on DVD soon, filmed by the excellent IMedia, looking forward to seeing this all over again...

True Grit Wrestling: http://truegritwrestling.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/True-Grit-Wrestling
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TrueGritPromote

Photo Credits:
Thanks to Tony Knox & StuartsPhotographyLeeds for the photographs. You should check out both their Facebook pages & check out the full albums from the night, some amazing shots by some really talented photographers... Hopefully these links will work, if not just search on Facebook, or the True Grit Facebook page...
Tony Knox:
 https://www.facebook.com/tony.knox1/media_set?set=a.10151940507961353.1073741883.647501352&type=3
StuartsPhotographyLeeds:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.854940867864852.1073741880.117231214969158&type=1