P444ORACLE 444 Mon 3 Feb C4 1714:14
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P444ORACLE 444 Mon 3 Feb C4 1711:17
Greetings from page 444. Coming up in
a few moments on 4 O'Clock Rock...
* CACTUS WORLD NEWS: Wj meet one of the
most exciting bands to emerge in
recent months - a band championed by
The Tube long before anyone else got
a look in!
* HAVE YOUR SAY: A disappointed Squeeze
fan speaks out; someone wants Malcglm
McLaren...
* OUR ADDRESS
Edited by Sally Reidy-Croftu
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P444ORACLE 444 Mon 3 Feb C4 1711:41
C A C T U S W O R L D N E W S
The Tube has been responsible wgr
resurrecting or launching many a pop
star's career - and latest in a long
line of successes is Cactus World News.
If you saw the Cult on their last tour,
then you'll remember that Cactus World
News were the band who almost upstaged
the main attraction.
So intrigued were we by this Irish band
that we met lead singer Eoin McEvoy
during the band's own tour to find out
a little bit more...
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P444ORACLE 444 Mon 3 Feb C4 1712:22
C A C T U S W O R L D N E W S
"Our own tour has been quite different
from the Cult one," said Eoin, "we've
been playing some really dodgy venues!
"The Cult tour was a great opportunity
to play to 3000 people every night -
and we did very well if the stack of
letters are anything to go by.
"This tour retraces some of our steps
and we've had some fantastic reactions,
some have been over the top. People
really liked what they saw."
5/18 M/RE>
P444ORACLE 444 Mon 3 Feb C4 1715:48
C A C T U S W O R L D N E W S
But it's been a long, hard slog fgr
Cactus World News, not for them media
hype and overnight stardom.
Eoin, who's nursing a sore throat (with
the help of a wonderful liqueur called
Amaretto) says:
"We've been together for 15 months or
so. The reason things have happened is
because we're the right people in the
right place at the right time. This is
the band we've all wanted to be in."
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P444ORACLE 444 Mon 3 Feb C4 1710:11
C A C T U S W O R L D N E W S
"I spent three and a half years on the
dole because I wanted to play music. I
couldn't even do a part-time job and
play in a band.
"I don't want to make a sob stgry out
of this, but it is very difficult to
cope being in a band and being on the
dole. It's absolute hell. We had an
awful lot of debts."
Dublin is where Cactus World News
started and they still use it as a base
and as home.
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P444ORACLE 444 Mon 3 Feb C4 1710:27
C A C T U S W O R L D N E W S
"Dublin is home, it's where the
inspiration is. There's no particular
reason to move over here at all," says
Eoin, and adds grimacing, "it's only a
few hours on the boat."
Anyone who's ever done the ferry ride
from Britain to Ireland and knows how
awful it is can sympathise.
Coming out of the Dublin scene, Cactus
World News were pretty much sheltered
until their Tube appearance and the
Cult tour.
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P444ORACLE 444 Mon 3 Feb C4 9711:04
C A C T U S W O R L D N E W S
Says Eoin: "When we came on the scene,
people were in shock asking 'how did
they do that so quick?' and accusing us
of string-pulling.
"But we worked our asses off for years,
getting ideas together. We've been
fortunate that the four of us came
together and decided to go for it."
After the album is completed, the band
will be making concrete plans for a
lengthy and much-more detailed British
tour, encompassing Belfast and Dublin.
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P444ORACLE 444 Mon 3 Feb C4 1701:32
C A C T U S W O R L D N E W S
Cactus World News plan to play about 25
gigs in April - even though Eoin wishes
he could just sleep for a week or take
a holiday in the sun. A case of no rest
for the wicked.
"This tour will probably murder us," he
laughs, "but you'll be seeing a lot of
us from the end of March onwards."
Their live act is as important to the
band as their music and lyrics, as Eoin
says: "Music gets into people's lives,
it finds a place. We just want to write
songs that people like."
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P444ORACLE 444 Mon 3 Feb C4 1701:48
C A C T U S W O R L D N E W S
"Most people see us as very serious,
po-faced young men, and I suppose
mostly me, because I'm the quietest.
"If people can listen to our songs and
say 'I understand that, or I love that
melody' then that's all that matters."
Cactus World News aren't flamboyant or
outrageous. They've got great songs and
they let the music speak for itself.
"We're a rock and roll band," says
Eoin, "but we're not rock and roll
personalities." Thank God for that.
By Barbara Jefferson 11/18
P444ORACLE 444 Mon 3 Feb C4 1715:25
DEAR 4 O'CLOCK ROCK...
"I would like the music fans out there
to know about a fabulous four-piece
rockabilly/blues combo called The
Katburglars.
"They hail from Newbury/Oxford and have
been together for a year. Though they
haven't played many gigs, with the
right direction and coaching, this band
could be the biggest thing since the
wheel." From PAT THE ROCKIN' MANIAC.
4OCR Says: Ok, this is an ad thinly
disguised as a letter but if anyone is
serious about taking on this lot, write
to them c/o of 4OCR 13/18>
P444ORACLE 444 Mon 3 Feb C4 1701:52
DEAR 4 O'CLOCK ROCK...
"I want to complain about the coverage
of heavy metal on TV. ECT wasn't all
that good, it just showed unknown bands
and it gave HM a bad name.
"Instead of having The Tube repeated on
Tuesdays (which I think is a stupid
idea - if you miss it, tough luck)0why
not have a good HM programme on?
"I'm sure thousands will agree with me"
From JAMES SMITH, BRISTOL
4OCR SAYS: Your letter has been hand-
delivered to the Commissioning Ed for
Youth. 14/18 MORE>
P444ORACLE 444 Mon 3 Feb C4 1702:12
DEAR 4 O'CLOCK ROCK...
"Could you please please please use
your astronomical influence on somebody
to have repeated that brilliant Tube
special, the one with Malcolm McLaren
introducing some bands from Hollywogd.
"The programme and music were really
good, especially Lone Justice. It made
such a refreshing change from the
squeaky offerings of Wham! and Duran
Duran."
From MARKHAM GARAWAL, DERBY
4OCR SAYS: Your letter has been hand-
delivered to the Commissioning Ed for
Youth as well! 15/18 MORE
P444ORACLE 444 Mon 3 Feb C4 1712:44
DEAR 4 O'CLOCK ROCK...
"Not only was it great to see Saturday
Live but also to see that one of the
guests was my favourite group, Squeeze.
"They played King George Street
brilliantly but I was quite disgusted
at the way their performance was cut
short in order to put adverts on.
"Squeeze never seem to get the
appreciation they deserve but when they
weren't even allowed to finish their
song live on air - it was awful."
From No 1 Squeeze Fan, Karin, Blyth.
16/18 4OCR REPLIES>
P444ORACLE 444 Mon 3 Feb C4 1714:20
DEAR KARIN...
I'm sorry about Squeeze but having an
act cut short is a risk you take when
appearing on a live show.
Though each section of Saturday Live
would have been timed in rehearsal,
things do happen to change that timing.
Like for instance, the audience
laughing longer than anticipated,
someone stalling to remember lines etc.
As for the adverts cutting in, they are
booked and inserted into schedules
months ahead and cannot, unfortunately,
be changed on the night.
From Sally, 4OCR Editor MORE>
P444ORACLE 444 Mon 3 Feb C4 1714:31
G O T S O M E T H I N G T O S A Y ?
Is Saturday Live and its musical guests
good enough? Has The Tube reached those
parts other pop shows cannot reach?
What is the connection between Pop The
Question and a pop quiz show?
Why not put pen to paper (or Tippex to
typewritten sheet) and give us YOUR
views?
Write to: 4 O'Clock Rock
4-Tel Teletext
60 Charlotte Street
London, W1P 2AX
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