WHO WE ARE
Eureka Machines formed in late 2007 and feature guitars and drums and voices playing songs with verses, choruses and middle 8s.
Singer/guitarist Chris Catalyst writes the tunes, then whistles them to the others. Chris has played in various bands, from rock overlords The Sisters Of Mercy, to Leeds punk'n'roll legends The Dead Pets, to glam metal kings AntiProduct (featuring Alex Kane out of Life, Sex And Death and Clam Abuse) to new-wave oddballs The God Damn Whores (featuring Jon Poole of Cardiacs and the Wildhearts, and Jase Edwards of Wolfsbane and Ginger and the Sonic Circus). He's also played alongside Ginger of the Wildhearts, Willie Dowling of Jackdaw4/Honeycrack/Duran Duran (!), various members of Kaiser Chiefs, Forward Russia, Mr Shiraz and Napoleon IIIrd. Bobby Ball of 'comedy' duo Cannon And Ball once called him 'last of the mohicans'. And Crispian Frigging Mills out of Kula Frigging Shaker once accused him of stealing his minidisc player.
Wayne Sowden plays big drums with a big heart. He's from Leeds and has played with bands including Orka (who became Your Vegas and moved to New York) and Vatican Jet. Wayne also has a mate who has another mate who is distantly related to Andi Peters.
Steven Morricone hails from the West Country but moved up to God's Own County a few years back. He plays bass in Huddersfield maulers The Scaramanga Six, sax in funk soul brothers Kava Kava and arse keyboard in nature pop wizards Being 747. Steven's dad once sold a modified caravan to Kenny Baker, who played R2-D2 in Star Wars.
Not a lot is known about the shady character of guitarist Davros. (Except that Spender star Jimmy Nail once pushed passed him in a hotel foyer.)
WHAT THE PAPERS SAY
'Chris Catalyst... has been playing regular away matches with THE SISTERS OF MERCY or ANTIPRODUCT or ROBOCHRIST. Tonight it becomes clear that these lives on the road have left him underemployed - and EUREKA MACHINES are making a debut as Chris's own band. It’s showy, choreographed, dramatic and totally engaging rock and roll, with sideburns, spats, beetle crushers and metal riffs. This is huge entertainment, with songs like "Red Wine Smile" that (under all the cheap tricks and sucker punches) carry a lot more than a stirring mosh beat. Imagine how good The Hives would have been if they had had better songs and a darker edge. Well. That's about how EUREKA MACHINES look and sound.' - Sam Saunders, www.whisperinandhollerin.com
'I once saw the original Eureka Machine at a museum; a 19th century invention capable of composing random verse, music and an 'abstract visual display'. I've got a feeling that behind this knowing nod to randomness, these boys have a far clearer idea of what they're doing. And in fact, if someone had slipped Archimedes this disc back in the day then he'd probably have given the bath a miss, only to later be found screaming Eureka back at the speakers instead.' - Alexander Rennie, www.leedsmusicscene.co.uk
'Eureka Machines, fronted by Chris Catalyst, were an unexpected bonus of the night. Having seen Robochrist - and been quite unmoved by the whole thing - I didn’t expect too much from Eureka Machines, however the music turned out to be very good and Catalyst was a genuinely likeable and engaging presence on stage. Dave on guitar 2 provided steady backing and bounced some banter back and forth with Catalyst. So, not only has Catalyst played with some modern-day gods - a.k.a. The Sisters of Mercy and Ginger - it seems he’s also a top bloke. Git.' - www.livemusicreview.co.uk
'a fine stripped-down set - 8/10' - Paul Raggity, Rock Sound Magazine, April 2008
‘It's chuffing marvellous. a bit power pop QOTSA, Mansun, and late 80s power pop. a nice Soulwax feel to it… it's all good.’ – Dan Morfitt, Kerrang! Radio, April 2008
'The younger members of the audience shuffle forward to catch sight of acoustic duo Eureka Machines, who look like punk rock sales reps, but their effortless twin harmonies quickly make up for their dubiously contrived sharp-shirted appearance' - Rob Bealey, Kerrang! Magazine, Issue 1203
‘close harmonies, barbed riffs and crowd repartee you only get from years honing your art, taking it seriously but never forgetting that it’s supposed to be fun… and an effortless ability to write catchy songs’ – Rob Wright, Sandman Magazine, March 2008
'Before he's even opened his mouth to sing or strum a single chord, all eyes are on him, not least because of his striking presence given his Mohawk haircut and killer sideburns. Slamming into a barrage of tight hard rock numbers, the rest of the Yorkshire-based quartet looked equally as great, decked in black suits for solidarity. ‘The Light At The End of The Tunnel is The Light of An Oncoming Train’ succeeded in being both the set highlight and the longest song title imaginable.' - Steve Rudd, www.screamingtarts.com
'Exciting stuff that delivers more drama and action than a Bond film – in fact maybe they should soundtrack the next one? Stranger things have happened.' - CD review, www.manchestermusic.co.uk
'A military tight rock and roll machine. Punchy anthems driven by critically timed harmonies are the bedrock of this entertaining troupe – they even have the same black and white beetlecrushers on. They might be sharply dressed but their music is as equally cutting and volumous.' - Live review, www.manchestermusic.co.uk
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Chris and Davros did an acoustic tour with Ginger out of The Wildhearts in February 2008. Here's a song called The One Who Wouldn't Change You that they did at the Water Rats, in that fancy London Town. Filmed by Vicki Jackson. Cheers Vicki. This featured Chris's favourite moment of the whole tour - in the bit where he sings on his own, the 300 people in the room all shut up and you could hear a pin drop. Later that evening we saw former EastEnders star Dean Gaffney outside a kebab shop in King's Cross. Anyway, here it is.
Eureka Machines use Ibanez, Gibson and Fender guitars, Rotosound strings, Marshall and Peavey amplification, Ludwig drums, Paiste cymbals and our outrageously lovely footwear come from TUK shoes. Thank you.
BUY STUFF
****BUY THE DEBUT ALBUM 'DO OR DIE' NOW - IN SHOPS 01/09/08*****
This album has been a true labour of love for over a year now, and we like to think that you'll like it. Drums recorded and mixed at Cottage Road Studios, everything else recorded, mixed and produced at, erm, Chris's House Studio.
Featuring:
1. Scream Eureka.
2. Being Good Is Okay (But Being Better's Better).
3. The Story Of My Life.
4. Red Wine Smile.
5. Everyone Loves You.
6. Going Down.
7. She Sings To Me.
8. The One Who Wouldn't Change You.
9. Do Or Die.
10. Yeah, I Feel Lucky.
11. The Light At The End Of The Tunnel.
All tracks written and produced by Chris Catalyst.
BUY IT NOW... ONLY TEN QUID PLUS A TINY 75p P&P! FIRST 50 ONLINE BUYERS GET A FREE LIVE ACOUSTIC SESSION CD! MINT!
*****BUY OUR 6-TRACK LIVE ACOUSTIC SESSION CD*****
Recorded live in February 2008, featuring:
1. Scream Eureka.
2. The Story Of My Life.
3. The Light At The End Of The Tunnel Is The Light Of An Oncoming Train.
4. Red Wine Smile.
5. The One Who Wouldn't Change You.
6. Wichita Lineman.
All tracks written by Chris Catalyst/Eureka Machines, except Wichita Lineman by Jimmy Webb.
BUY IT NOW... ONLY FOUR QUID INCLUDING P&P!
*****BUY A T-SHIRT*****
Available in various sizes on the drop-down menu, with the lightbulb on the front, and the name of the band (that's Eureka Machines) on the back. You too could be the envy of all your friends. I'm going to get the most unlikely celebrities to model these. Just you wait.
BUY ONE NOW, £10 plus £1.50 postage... They're pricey, but we're cool.
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