The new EP from The Sunshine Getaway, featuring ex-Unused Toys members will be released at the launch party at the Hub in Exeter on 4th Feb 2008! Visit www.myspace.com/thesunshinegetaway for more details.

The 'Sideshow' EP by Idiom is now available for sale on iTunes. To get your copy simply copy and paste the following link into your browser

http://www.apple.com/search/downloads/?q=idiom+sideshow.

The Respect 2007 festival is coming to Exeter with a mindblowing timetable of scheduled acts and attractions. Exeter Phoenix, The Quay, Great Hall, North Bridge Inn and the Picturehouse are just a small number of venues taking part. Performing artists include Mad Professor, Molara (Zion Train), Kampec, Jon Sterckx, Antigua Joe Sway, Killa Kela, DJ Food, Grooverider, Inme, Cyantific, Treva Whateva, Jonny Jonklaas’ Williams, Kat Francois, more TBA shortly.

Sunday 8th July sees Inme, Le Chat Noir, Zubina, Anonymous Tip, Barbar Luck and Kolo play the Exeter Phoenix, as well as many other acts at the Marquee, Voodoo Lounge and the terrace. For more details click here.

The festival runs a whopping 7 weeks from 8th June to 28th July. More details can be found by visiting www.exeter-respect.org!

The Sunshine Getaway are a fantastic new band on the Exeter music scene made up of former members of Unused Toys (Aaron, Ryan and Matt) and new drummer Sye. Recording their debut 3 track EP at Coombeshead Studios in February 2007, the tracks are now available as digital downloads from the DTR shop at only 59p each! Keep an eye out for upcoming TSG gigs!

Yes it has finally arrived. Idioms new and third EP has been completed and is now available from Dirt Track Records. Head over to the shop to purchase the tracks throughb Paypal now!

In the meantime, Idioms new website has gone live. Visit them at www.idiomuk.co.uk and don't forget to check their myspace page on www.myspace.com/idiomuk, where they received over 250 plays on the day of release, and show your support for the band!

Given the description 'Ragga-Punk-Metal! Simply unlike anything you've ever heard before' I was a little sceptical about what I was going to hear from Skindred.

Now, I've heard of Skindred; I've heard good things about Skindred; but I've never actually heard Skindred themselves. Until now. Supported by IDIOM and Multi Purpose Chemical, they proceeded to completely blow the main auditorium of the Phoenix Centre to pieces.

Obviously completely at home on any size stage, Multi Purpose Chemical ran us through a set of raucous, raving mad politically punk driven tracks. As well as leaving some of the audience a little dazed by the sudden wall of music, they got the crowd jumping, bouncing, dancing and most importantly - rocking the hell out.

Seeing over 350 people rocking out so hard to a support act is something of great beauty in Exeter; and something that only oftentimes happens. Including an interesting rendition of Edwin Starr's 'War' in their itinerary MPC launched the gig off in style; their Atlantic spanning punk-metal hybrid won over the audience in stylish fashion. They definitely know the meaning of fun; and they definitely don't do things lightly.

Often sounding like the mutant hybrid of System of a Down and Static-X combined with the heavy hitting grooves of Soulfly on a night out at a dancehall. Interesting, intense, absurd, enjoyable and one of the most merry minded set of individuals I've ever had the pleasure of watching. Even if you don't like the music, their energetic stage show will have you watching and moving all the way through.

Before there was time to wind-down from MPC, IDIOM hit the stage with a bang; a bit of an upgrade from their usual Exeter haunts, the Phoenix stage was overtaken in a burst of adrenaline fuelled funk-metal from one of Devon's best loved metal bands.

As is the case with IDIOM gigs, the crowd was lively, energetic and a little bit raucous in places; it didn't take long for the mosh pit to appear, and when it did the crowd were hanging on every guitar lick and vocal spurt that IDIOM produced.

No matter where they play it seems that IDIOM is accepted, appreciated and enjoyed by any and every metal fan that crosses their path; their distinctive Rage Against the Machine-cum-One Minute Silence blend of lyrical fistfights, nauseating guitar thrashing and the drumming equivalent of picking a fight with a pack of bears. Not to mention the intricate bass lines and a vocal range that could outdo even the most established of front men.

Forty-five minutes later and a very exuberant IDIOM are leaving the stage to vigorous applause and screams, making way for headliners Skindred. Now to say that the crowd were just a little bit anxious to see Skindred would be a little bit of an understatement. And to say that it would be a little bit of one would be a major understatement.

In the space of a few minutes, the entire crowd formed in to a can of sardines, all vying to get to the front of the barriers; what was before a relatively densely populated floor was now empty further than 2 meters from the stage. All for good reason of course though.

As Benji bounces on to the stage in his legendary sunglasses followed by a wall of guitars and a drum roll behind him, the crowd lift themselves up to get a glimpse; smashing their way around the stage they burst in to their first song, Skindred are here to prove that they really are the kings of the rap-Metal scene, and everything else that follows, bumps in to or even nods its head at it; Reggae tinged raps follow heavy metal drum sirens and a full-throttle guitar assault whilst a distortion-laden bass explosion keeps you on your toes throughout.

Their genre-hopping, multi-cultural melodies puncture the mind, plough through the conscience and dive head first for the nervous system; you want to get up, you want to move and you want to hear more.

As Benji scratches on a mixing desk, Mikey zips out a quick melody and a drumroll closely follows; the result is the high-octane adrenaline rush of ''Set it Off'' and ''Nobody'', a feeding frenzy for the crowd who glare on in awe and reverence at their favourite band.

Skindred's music is unique, and they know it. Playing to the fans on every song, Skindred are crowd pleasers; entertainers as well as musicians; a collective as well as a band; idols and martyrs to the young and ambitious; Skindred are making their mark all over the world with their hybrid brand of old-school hardcore punk, rap-metal and reggae; pioneers to the masses and blacksmiths to the genre. Skindred are here, and they sure as hell aren't going anywhere soon.

Skindred return to the Phoenix Centre on December 15th, be sure to get your tickets fast as they are on the verge of selling out - this is one show you do not want to miss!

November 2006 - Hysteria Magazine

RAGGA PUNK METAL! Skindred is quite simply unlike anything you’ve heard. Elements of Metal, Dancehall, Punk, and Drum & Bass, all swirling into a concoction of lethal addictiveness. Their debut CD Babylon was produced by Howard Benson (Papa Roach, Hoobastank, P.O.D), mixed by Rick Will (INCUBUS) and has to be one of the most important and impressive releases in heavy rock in years. In an era of fakes, frauds and imitators, Skindred delivers.

Skindred has already been winning over crowds worldwide with their intense RAGGA METAL sound. This band makes Metalheads, Punks and Dreadheads rock out to the same song; this is the true meaning of unity sound. Skindred are always busy writing & recording, and have built up quite an arsenal of Ragga Punk Classics. Opportunities to share the stage with bands such as Korn, Sevendust, Nonpoint, Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle, Voodoo Glow Skulls, POD, Soulfly (to name but a few), has allowed the band to build a rapidly growing international fanbase.

With songs like Nobody, Set It Off, Pressure and Selector this band is so far apart from the pack that any attempt to describe or categorize them is an exercise in futility. If Barrington Levy joined Pantera, where Bounty Killa met The Police, where Sublime met System Of A Down, you would find the sonic landscape Skindred calls home. US based label Lava Records leapt at the chance to sign Skindred; they offered the band a worldwide deal, which involved pushing their debut album BABYLON to all far reaches of the earth. "We firmly believe this band could change the face of rock music. Once in a very, very long while a band like Skindred comes along with a record this imaginative, fresh and cutting edge" said Jason Bieler of US management company, Bieler Group.

"For Skindred, its all about the Music, Education, Entertainment and 100% vibes. We deliver our live set more like a reggae sound system than a metal band but the punches power and hard heavy weight guitars hit just as nasty. All we try to do is bounce up the building, set the pit off making the place buzz with X-sightment, Dread heads rock metal heads skank and when we finish with the stage, YOU DONE KNOW that SKINDRED RULE the Original Ragga-Metal style." - Benji Webbe, Singer.

You'll have to look far & wide to find a band that encapsulates so many diverse styles, and unites different schools and cultures of music under one roof. In a desperate time where music fans are tired of the medio-core, starved for something new & striking, Skindred are the force that could sweep all generic adversaries aside.

Skindred will be supported at Exeter Phoenix on 28th July by up and coming Exeter funk-metalists Idiom.

Tickets are £8 in advance and £9 on the door (plus booking fee where appropriate).

Yes, DTR is now selling official 'Dirt Track Records' merchandise. Featuring T-Shirts, badges, digital downloads and of course albums by featured DTR artists, you can buy this quality gear online right now. Simply head over to our online shop here and see what we have to offer.

”MY SIDE OF THE STORY” TOUR KICKS OFF IN EXETER - Expect a night of catchy melodies with a hardcore edge as Stratford based Punk band Breakaway Charlie kick of their national “My Side of the Story” Tour with a gig at the Zephyr Bar on 10th March, hosted by Exeter’s Unused Toys, fresh from their own triumphant performance in front of a full house at Exeter Phoenix last month. They are joined by Redditch based melodic Punk band Three Years Hiding, who have travelled the length and breadth of the country getting lost, playing shows and having fun - sharing the stage with some awesome bands including Dopamine, The RiverClub, Fallout Theory, Keiko, Beat Union to name a few.

Unused Toys, who performed their own brand of energetic Pop-Punk live an amazing 58 times in 2005, then join the bands on the next legs of the tour in Taunton and Southampton on the following two nights.

Tickets for the Zephyr Bar gig on Friday 10th March are £3 and doors open at 7.30pm

www.unusedtoys.com
www.myspace.com/unusedtoys
www.myspace.com/breakawaycharlie
www.myspace.com/threeyearshiding

For more information, please contact: Grant Harrison at Dirt Track Records, Mount Pleasant House, Clyst Honiton, Exeter, EX5 2NE Tel: 07738 464744

8th March 2006 sees the official launch of Civilians first EP with a gig night at the Three Fat Fish in Exeter. Supported by Loveday and another band TBC, the night promises to be a energy filled performance that will have you up from your seats and dancing! Containing tracks Reveal, Tie Back The Sun, Heavy Head, Cream, Clown Song and Prey/Predator, it is a fantastic and rocking CD produced at Coombeshead Studios. Tickets are available from the bands direct at just £3 each, on the door or from Dirt Track Records (visit us at the 'contact' link!)

Dirt Track Records has officially released its first compilation CD featuring music from the label and many guests. Titled 'Making Tracks Volume 1', it contains 14 tracks from the finest of Devon's new bands. This is available from the featured bands themselves, Martian Records in Exeter and direct from Dirt Track Records at a cost of £2.50 including P+P where necessary. Tracklisting is as follows:

1. Mosquetta - Red Light - 2. Unused Toys - Just Too Much (Remix) - 3. Civilian - Tie Back The Sun - 4. Idiom - In Memory - 5. Rapeseed - Do I Care - 6. The Silk - Take 5 Waste Ten - 7. Kolo - Cambodia - 8. Loveday - Eyelit Smile - 9. Zubina - Turning Left - 10. The Candidates - Revolution On Display - 11. Detox - Follow The Leader - 12. No Profile - Running Scared - 13. Against All Reason - Cyan - 14. Entropy - Black and White.

The CD comes complete with a full colour 24 page booklet - order your copy now!

Dirt Track Records officially launched at 8pm on 10th February 2006 by celebrating with a gig night of bands, including 3 guests. The line up, in order of appearance was:

The Silk
Civilian
Mosquetta
Unused Toys
Zubina
Idiom
Rapeseed

The gig was successfully sold out with 450 tickets snapped up. Read the review here: www.rockbeast.com