Introducing The Rocket Dolls
Introducing The Rocket Dolls
Words by Heather Fitsell / photo by Tina K
The Rocket Dolls are one of my 21st Century grunge/rock weaknesses that put me at a cross roads between my teenage hankering after the likes of Nirvana, Green River and Soundgarden and my love of many of the classic rock bands that grace the pages of today’s music press. They manage to skillfully merge the two together on tracks like ‘Frame’ that has a Black Stone Cherry-esque opening but has Nikki Smash’s gravely vocals thrown on top.
Formed just over a year ago drummer Ben Knopfler ditched his skin head and bassist Steve Golder his short back and sides to bring some long haired, pronged rock blackness to the sunny Brighton seafront and they have kicked up a few pebbles along the way.
All three members were doing session work with other bands before coming together and in just a year they have matured a great deal from fresh youthful arrogance to realizing they have something really quite decent going on and giving a shit about their live shows.
They have already played with bands such as Slaves to Gravity, Zico Chain, Forever Never and Million Dollar Reload and are flattered to have been asked to play MND Rocks on 19th June, where they will be sharing the stage with Paradise Lost, Breed 77 and Gary Newman in support of Motor Neurone Disease.
During this short journey they have already entertained Mr. Jim Marshall of the Marshall Empire, when they in error, parked in his personal parking space at Marshall HQ, just before the man himself drove up. The moment was captured on camera, which Mr. Marshall has seen and found rather funny.
They have also made friends with Ace from Skunk Anansie who mastered their ‘Frame EP’, which gives us a taster of what we can expect from the first The Rocket Dolls album, which Clink Music Magazine can exclusively reveal we can expected in early 2011, with pre-production starting in April 2010. In support of this the band will be recording some music videos during 2010, so keep an eye out for those on Kerrang TV and Scuzz.
Drawing influence from bands such as The Exies, Zico Chain, Silverchair, Billy Talent and Nirvana, which is evident in tracks like ‘Delirium’, The Rocket Dolls have been upping Brighton’s rock scene a gear at The Engine Rooms and have also graced the stage London’s legendary Water Rats amongst other places. Although graceful was perhaps not the way to describe that gig, they can’t have done too badly as they have been asked to come back, so as Ben and Steve explode through the thundering musical powerhouse that is the opening to ‘Bleed’ and Nikki growls “….you’re on your own, you’re on your own…” I’m clearly not and I would happily get “…too close for comfort..” with this band in some dark venue, where my feet stick to the floor and the old men perv at my choice of apparel.
So fish out your old Nirvana t-shirt, don today’s skinny black jeans and head on down to catch these guys live at London’s iBar on 18th March and The Comedy Pub on 2nd April.
February 14th, 2011
you guys rocked last night well done xx
March 22nd, 2011
Ive heard you guys are amazing. kat smith told me ;D xx