Live Review Of The Ace @ The Cavern Club, Liverpool, IPO May 2014

Here's a review of The Ace's recent live performance at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, for IPO 2014. The review is featured on the great gig blog, Minty And The Beeb Go Gigging.

http://mintyandthebeeb.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/international-pop-overthrow-tuesday-day.html

Across to the Club for the first time this year and in time to see a band we really like from Yorkshire on the Front Stage. The Ace are regulars at the IPO and we have also seen them play in Camden’s Dublin Castle. With an authentic garage/mod beat they really sound great and put the Power into Powerpop, drawing on The Dave Clark Five / The Knack beat. They really fired through their set, including old favourites such as “Yeah Yeah” and introducing new songs from an EP just out, with “Egil’s Head-Ransom” and “I’m Leaving You”. The drummer Daz, generates so much energy with his mad drumming, he could power a small town on his own! A fantastic set and thoroughly recommended.  Check them out on facebook

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Ace/110755562312226?ref=ts&fref=ts

The Ace live @ The Cavern, Liverpool, May 2014.
Photo is by Minty or The Beeb!

The Ace On Scootering Magazine's Recommended Listening For May 2013

For the second month in a row, The Ace have made the list of recommended listening, for the month of May 2013, in Scootering Magazine. A full review of our EP Another Top Pop features in May's edition of the magazine, but here's a slice of Paul Hooper-Keeley's review. Check out the link to Scootering Magazine here
http://www.scootering.com/news/recommended-listening-may-2013

'Released at the same time as their Next Time Around album (also on the We Dig This label), The Ace bring us the three-song Another Top Pop EP that doesn’t feature any of the songs already released on their long player.
The three songs on the EP are composed by Messrs Magus, Lee and Spencer (as is the album). Starting at the beginning (which is always a good place), Oh yeah! is a fantastic pop/ bubblegum/ garage beat number that is just so radio friendly it’s untrue...'
• Read the full feature in Scootering magazine - May 2013!
Paul Hooper-Keeley

The Ace Make Scootering Magazine Recommended Listening For April 2013

The Ace have made the list of recommended listening for the month of April 2013 in Scootering Magazine. A full reveiw of our album Next Time Around features in the April's edition of the magazine, but here's a slice of Paul Hooper-Keeley's review. Check out the link to Scootering Magazine here

http://www.scootering.com/news/recommended-listening-april-2013

The Ace - Next Time Around (We Dig This)

Blogspot

Featuring Nige Spencer (The Lost 45s), Jonny Magus (Freebooting Profiteers) and Daz Lee (The Lies), The Ace describe themselves as “Yorkshire’s most dynamic group” – and on this showing, they may not be far wrong!
Next Time Around, released on the We Dig This label, contains 12 slabs of fantastic Mod pop that will have you singing along and looking out for their next ‘live’ date (they have recently played Leeds, London, Birmingham and Liverpool, where they have been a regular feature at the International Pop Overthrow Festival at The Cavern Club).
The album opener, Love Looks Good, is a powerful, up-tempo, number that conjures up memories of The Moment in full flight back in the mid-80s. Go Go Girl, as you may deduce from the title, is a bit of a beat mover and groover and the thing that is instantly noticeable about The Ace is that they are great songwriters, very proficient musicians, have a wonderful vocal delivery and probably have dozens more songs written awaiting them booking more studio time. Some of the tracks on here, such as Waiting For My Baby and Sgt Major Neighbour (which is very reminiscent of The Direct Hits) are instant ‘sing along’ classics, while other songs have a slower burn but really get into your head – in fact a great combination for any album...
• Read the full feature in Scootering magazine - April 2013!
Paul Hooper-Keeley

The Ace Record Review From Happening Magazine Blog

Here's a review of The Ace's album Next Time Around from the now defunct Shindig Magazine blog offshoot Happening Magazine.

 

Record Review - The Ace

THE ACE
Next Time Around
self-released CD

This Leeds trio have this rather smart debut album to offer us, with a clean dozen tracks of effervescent power-pop meets West Coast 60s garage. There is the Moon-esque pummeling of the drums, the heavy riffing of a master, and some hyperventilating vocals..in other words, something for every rock’n’roll fan whose pulse can raise itself when needed.

They play a strange hand, these lads. The opening trio of songs here are the least appealing, falling into that easy trap of making upbeat but indistinguishable, forgettable, and cliched retro pop. Great live no doubt, but less great on record. Yet what follows is a delight. We get on the title track some frenetic, Joe Meek freakbeat echoed sounds that also recalls XTC-style new wave. Funky riffage a la Jon Spencer and The Black Keys makes a welcome appearance on blues rocker ‘Loose Cannon Woman’ that really should get a proper single release IMHO.

Then there’s the John’s Children-inspired beat of ‘Waiting For My Baby’, the punk chops of ‘Hard Graft’, the scorching psych rock of ‘Alone’ (with some nifty excellent fuzz lead guitar), and the acid punk sci-fi (with added theremin) on unhinged closer ‘Attack Of The Mosquitoes’. There’s even a satisfying extra emotional layer The Ace reveal on the tumultuous, tremelo-ing ‘Shipwrecked’.

This album will appeal to the 80s ex-mods, to fans of the post-Prisoners flood of well-crafted Hammond-drenched classic rock, and well, to all good Shindig-verse music fans in general.

Phil Istine

The Ace Reviews From Ice Cream Man Power Pop Blog

The Ace - Next Time Around

A couple of weeks ago, I received a really nice e-mail asking me if I would like to check out a Beat/Garage/Bubblegum band with a bit of psyche from a band called "The Ace."  I listened to the couple of tracks they had sent with the mail and was blown away.  The band had very kindly offered to send me  a CD if I was interested, I literally bit their hand off with their kind offer (if that is possible in an e-mail?) and eagerly awaited delivery.

The album, "Next Time Around" arrived yesterday with an additional 3 track EP and has barely been off the stereo since.

This 3 piece from Leeds truly evoke the sound and energy of the beat bands of the American west coast, every song here is driven forward with real style and panache.

If, like me, you are a keen collector of the Rubbles, Pebbles and Texas Flasbacks collections, then "The Ace" are a band that you will enjoy immensely.

This album is an absolute listening pleasure from start to finish, anyone who is passionate about the Freakbeat/Beat/Garage genres, will find hours, days, months, years of delight in this album, ace by name ace by nature! The Ice Cream Man

Another Top Pop EP Review From Spanish Blogzine Kick Out The Jams

Here is a review of The Ace's Another Top Pop EP from Spanish Blogzine Kick Out The Jams.

The original review can be seen here

http://oscarkotj.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/the-ace-another-top-pop-we-dig-this-cdep.html

 

The Ace – Another Top Pop (We Dig This Cdep)

Otro single que me tiene loco, en estas últimas semanas estos tres temas no dejan de sonar a la mínima ocasión. The Ace son un trío británico con claras influencias mods, pero con unas  canciones que tienen todo tipo de influencias desde el freakbeat al sonido chicletero del glam mas recomendable, pero con la capacidad de hacer un disco que no suena a refrito sin tener las ideas claras. Empiezan con un trallazo de vitamina en clave soul que parece sacado de una fraternidad universitaria yanki, “Oh yeah” es un revienta pistas en toda regla con un sonido demoledor, los coros beat de “Get me home on time” en linea Hollies pero con un sonido contundente, con la guitarras dándole al fuzz, con final apoteósico como si los Ramones en vena glam estuvieran despidiendo a la década de los 60’s, los toques de psicodelia llegan con “Strung out love strung” con voces en espiral, guitarras al revés, coros simples y entrega vocal. Un ep que regalan con su álbum “Next time around” al que tengo puesto el oído con total curiosidad y del que hablaremos en los próximos días. Oscar Garcia

 

Sgt.Major Neighbour By The Ace

Here's the tune Sgt. Major Neighbour off the Ace's album Next Time Around. Go ooooon, have a listen!

Next Time Around Album Review From The Modernist Society Blog

Here's a review of our album Next Time Around from The Modernist Society Blog.

http://modernistsociety.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/the-ace-next-time-around-cd-album-we.html

Featuring Nige Spencer (The Lost 45s), Jonny Magus (Freebooting Profiteers) and Daz Lee (The Lies), The Ace describe themselves as ‘Yorkshire’s most dynamic group’ – and on this showing, they may not be far wrong!

‘Next Time Around’, released on the We Dig This label, contains 12 slabs of fantastic Mod pop that will have you singing along and looking out for their next ‘live’ date (they have recently played Leeds, London, Birmingham and Liverpool, where they have been a regular feature at the International Pop Overthrow Festival at The Cavern Club).

The album opener, ‘Love Looks Good’, is a powerful, up-tempo, number that conjures up memories of The Moment in full flight back in the mid-eighties. ‘Go Go Girl’, as you may deduce from the title, is a bit of a beat mover & groover and the thing that is instantly noticeable about The Ace is that they are great songwriters, very proficient musicians, have a wonderful vocal delivery and probably have dozens more songs written waiting for them to book more studio time. Some of the tracks on here, such as ‘Waiting For My Baby’ and ‘Sgt. Major Neighbour’ (which is very reminiscent of The Direct Hits) are instant ‘sing along’ classics, whilst other songs have a slower burn but really get into your head – in fact a great combination for any album.

Already The Ace are getting radio/podcast play in Europe and the USA on shows such as Glory Boy Radio, Curiosity Shoppe, Stoned Circus, Primitive Show, Teenage Wasteland and Whole Lotta Shakin’ (where the album reached number 4 on the shows Boss 20 chart in December).

The Ace are one of the hottest purveyors of garage beat and bubblegum pop pysch in Yorkshire – with your help, they could reach the rest of the UK too.

Another Top Pop Review - Modernist Society Blog

Here's a review of our EP Another Top Pop from The Modernist Society Blog.

http://modernistsociety.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/the-ace-another-top-pop-cd-ep-we-dig.html

Released at the same time as their ‘Next Time Around’ album (also on the We Dig This label), The Ace bring us the 3-song ‘Another Top Pop’ EP that doesn’t feature any of the songs already released on their long player.

The three songs on the EP are ‘Oh Yeah!’, ‘Get Me Home On Time’ and ‘Strung Out Love Strung’ – all three composed by messrs. Magus, Lee and Spencer (as is the album).

Starting at the beginning (which is always a good place), ‘Oh Yeah!’ is a fantastic pop/bubblegum/garage beat number that is just so radio friendly it’s untrue. This is one of the best A-sides I have heard in a long while, which is high praise indeed.

‘Get Me Home On Time’ is another really instant number that has you singing along with it straight away. It’s a very mid-sixties, power pop sounding song that is just so infectious.

The final song on the EP, ‘Strung Out Love Strung’, is a more brooding, moody track, much in the same way that the slow version of ‘Honey’ was to Makin’ Time – but still powerful and it still in-beds itself into your brain.

Overall then, this is a really good EP that I know many of you will enjoy. And what’s even better is that if you buy The Ace’s album from them directly on the web (www.wedigthistheace.blogspot.co.uk ), they’ll send you a copy of this EP for free. 

Now that is ‘Ace’!!!