IT ALL BEGAN IN LONDON 1998

The Vertical Smile ) are four like-minded individuals:

D McHugh
Guitar, Effects, Keyboards, Vocals

S Brown
Guitar, Effects, Keyboards, Harmonica, Vocals

P Murdoch
Guitar, Effects, Vocals

A Memon
Drums, Percussion, Keyboards, Vocals


The Vertical Smile mix their heavy influences of Spaceman 3, Gram Parsons' country stylings, 
the Beach Boys, Galaxie 500 and the guitar driven indie rock of the much loved (and missed) 
Dinosaur Jr to create some spaced out groovy tunes that pierce your arteries, to fill you with 
melancholic drops of glee. 

Here are two upcoming gigs: 

Monday 26th July 1999
Tattybogle Club
11 Kingley Court, off Beak Street
London W1

Telephone: 0171 734 4475
The band is on 10:30pm pronto.

£4.00 w/flyer, £4.50 without

and at The Bull & Gate we support Dream City Film Club (official Beggars Banquet site)
"Nerveshot" (a Dream City Film Club fan site)


Thursday 5th August 1999 
The Bull and Gate (right next to The Forum)
389 Kentish Town Road
Kentish Town
NW5

Doors open at 8pm
The Vertical Smile ) start playing at 8:45pm

£4.00 w/flyer, £5.00 without

(If you want, email me, and I'll sort you out with a flyer)

In May this year, Dominic of Earworm Records released a 2 CD set of music. 
Disk 1 was made up of previously released or sold out singles, and Disk 2 
featured music that would have been singles had time and money permitted 
Dominic to do so. Anyway, we're grateful to him for releasing our song
"A Return To Satisfy" (Opium Tears Mix) on Disk 2, and hope to continue to 
have music released through Earworm.

You can order the CD from Norman Records.

www.normrecs.u-net.com/ (NORMAN RECORDS)

Or find it in the cooler record shops that don't have the word Tower or Price
in them, or the letters H,M or V. It's been distributed by Cargo and is for sale
at a good price of £10.99 UK Pounds. The catalogue number is Worm 43 . 

The Avrocar website had some nice words to say about our track. 
Check out their site as Avrocar also contribute two songs to the CD.

[Molten paragraphs of descriptive juice]

This is basically a literary perception of some Vertical Smile songs. 
Q: Do they actually sound like this? 
A: YES!

"A Return To Satisfy" is a dreamy instrumental made up of lulling rhythm guitar, punctuated by
light drums, soaring feedback and some soothing picking. Definitely a song for an emotional
moment. This is available on "The Tell-Tale Signs of Earworm" cheap double CD set on 
Earworm Records. Worm 43 is the catalogue number.

"Luke's Tune" - a violent memory which you wish to expel in similar circumstances. Starting
from scratch seems to be the best option. 

"August Works" and "Nothing Lasts That Long" both bridge the space between the understanding of 
what's just been, and the fear of what's around the corner, without getting stuck thinking about
it all. If you want to, it's alright, but when you've heard the tunes, you know what's around 
the corner.

David's singing style on "One Big Comedown" has always reminded me of Lou Reed. It tells a story
too. It's like that summer feeling without the summer. Imagine it's a bookmark, in the middle of 
your favourite book, and someone has ripped the best chapter from it. 

"Guess I'm Dumb" brings to mind an optimistic visual of "everthing being alright
forever." Part country, but just as easily a chugging sparkle of sundrenched guitar pop, via the
Beach Boys, this could take you to higher plains if you let it. And I think you will.

"Denny's Drums" showcases the louder, or maybe sinister side of the band. Built around a 
Dennis Wilson drumbeat, everything gets freed in this song - frustration, anger, love, peace, 
hate and justification of the age in which we live.

"Repeat To Fade" 6 AM and it's a crisp morning. The sun hurts your tired eyes, and the cold air
bites at your bare arms. You're yet to sleep, but you can't help but admire how quiet your street
is at this time of the day. You feel like changing your lifestyle to see this everyday, but you 
don't. You want it to remain just out of reach. It's always there if you need it, and you do.

"The First of Spring" (debuted at the last gig on 1st May 1999)
Ice. I see, hear and feel it melting. It's the end of winter, and the beginning of spring. Change
is inevitable. 

More of The Vertical Smile ) ....and some stuff