HAILING FROM Macroom, Co. Cork are the recently formed Coil, a four-piece who trade in a type of narcotic Goth pop music. The group’s line-up is Ann-Marie Ryan (vocals), Mark Tangney (guitar), Paul Kelleher (bass) and Rory Hanly (drums).

This three song tape is their first demo and it opens with ‘Caterpillar’, a song with a similar feel to some of the material on The Stone Roses first LP. The bass and drums lock into a solid groove with shards of guitar overlain. Ryan’s plaintive voice is quite beautiful, although to my ears it deserves to be a little higher in the mix. It’s a good opening shot though. ‘Brontë Turned On’ is a frothier pop affair. This is almost like Blondie on valium with the supremely laid back delivery of its very catchy melody. Pick of the bunch though, is the closer, ‘Sixteen’. This is mogodam pop at its best. The repetitive guitar lines are hypnotic and Ryan’s melody gives the whole thing an ethereal feel. Coil have, in a short period of time, managed to find a cohesive band sound and one with a deadly commercial edge.

Next, from Clonmel in Tipp, we have Changling. This five-piece guitar/pop group have been around for two years now. They have gigged consistently and have received considerable air play from Dave Fanning on 2FM. The three songs on this tape represent the group’s first recorded output. ‘What You Want’ opens with some Stonesy guitar interplay and then the harmonising vocals of Tommy Foran (lead vocals and guitar) and Eugene Ryan (bass and backing vocals) carry the melody away. Marvellous intro aside, ‘Reach’ does not have the strength of the previous song. Musically, once again, the band are on the button but I would have to say, the vocal melody could be a lot stronger. ‘Rise’ closes this collection in a frantically up-tempo manner. The rhythm section interplay is excellent with a special mention to Paddy O’Haloran’s superb flailing drumming. Good solid work from Changling but a lot more concentration on the melodies wouldn’t go amiss.

Arcane Asylum are an Irish band who are currently creating a lot of interest on the London club scene and on the strength of this excellent three-song demo, it’s not hard to see why. ‘God To Give’ is the first song and it’s quite stunning. Imagine the power and barely restrained evil of Nine Inch Nails married to the nightmare sounds of heavy techno and you are somewhere close to the Arcane Asylum. The song opens with industrial percussion, various strange bleeps and brooding synths, then the awesome wall of noise guitar heralds the chorus. In the midst of all this are the heavily effected vocals of Emmet O’Connell. The overall effect is dark, heavy and dancey. Anyone for dance metal? ‘Seeds Of Doubt’ opens like the Prodigy and then mutates into Metallica in Techno land. Their use of effects and samples is awesome. The ever so aptly titled ‘Toxic Youth’ brings this superb demo to an end. You can’t help but get the impression that this is the sound of future metal. Arcane Asylum are undoubtedly indebted to Nine Inch Nails but on the strength of this collection they won’t be long in forging their own identity.

A warm welcome back to the Orange Fettishes with ‘Lillian Gish’, their second demo. The Orange Fettishes write quality songs in a mainly acoustic-driven early Prefab Sprout style. The three piece of Roy O’Driscoll (bass, vocals), Conor O’Toole (guitar, vocals) and Jason O’Driscoll (drums, vocals) are joined on ‘Red Brick Romance’ by Jane Daly on cello. This is a beautiful plaintive song which is greatly enhanced by the gently entwining cello. ‘Flat Hearse’ has a snappy, almost Latin rhythm. The bass playing is beautifully fluid and perfectly matched by the subtle drum rhythm. Throw the sublime melody into the stew, et voilà – a gem! The quirky ‘Lilian Gish’ brings the proceedings to a close. Once again the Fettishes show their unerring ability to make the absolute most of their three-piece set up. Their use of dynamics and their obvious songwriting craftsmanship is bound to see them progress still further in the future.

Until next time . . .