Action And Action

We are five men in our twenties making a racket with our bodies, our voices and some instruments.
You can find said racket by turning up to a gig, or by buying something we've recorded and put out on CD, or better yet, vinyl.
You can read the various reviews, but this essentially sums up our band:
"I remain a little surprised that this band doesn't quite seem to get much recognition in the "scene" I inhabit" - Andy Malcolm, Collective Zine
We're not very good at putting ourselves out there, but we do like doing what we do!
Review of Double-A-side 7" by Dan Jones at Rock Midgets :
"Ever since At The Drive-In burst into popular consciousness back in 2000 with their era shaping Relationship Of Command opus, an avalanche of acts with spiky angular guitars and impassioned screams have emerged in their wake on both sides of the pond, with the likes of Meet Me In St. Louis and Days Ago currently perfecting the formula and setting the UK underground scene alight with their intelligent aural assaults. Uxbridge / Winchester quintet Action And Action are one of the latest acts to arrive on the overcrowded scene but proceed to tick all the right boxes with this double A-Side release. 'Nineteen Twenty-Two' flows along gently before mutating into a multitude of different directions, while 'Reflective Clothing' sticks in the mind by way of its clever but subtle use of keyboards.In the long run, Action And Action will have to offer something with a little more distinction to truly stick out from the crowd, but this is a mighty fine start." ------------------------------------------------------------ -----------
Review of Double-A-side 7" by Matthew Stanley at Die Shellsuit Die :
"...I was left with the tantalising suggestion that the band had moved into a more experimental direction and whilst not hitting full on prog rock here, the improvement in recording quality and actual musicianship is telling. Nineteen Twenty-Two has the same angular and spiky qualities that lead to my This Aint Vegas comparison before midway through it evolves and the song metamorphoses into a jangly set of jumps, twiddles and clashes before lulling you into the almost soothing ending that is ripped away by a chaotic outbreak of sound. Its an interesting listen certainly.
However Reflective Clothing suggests more of a progression, the angry and strong vocals hint towards Bear Vs. Shark, whilst it plays towards the Million Dead end of the spectrum and certainly if they get noticed they seem excellently placed to take on the now empty throne. If Action and Action can keep on producing the goods, then they deserve to go far." ------------------------------------------------------------ -----------
Review of Double-A-side 7" by Suzie Ireland in Spill Magazine :
"...I was innocently minding my own business when I got knocked for six by a DIY 7 single this month. Action and Action are releasing Nineteen Twenty-Two/Reflective Clothing on 31st July. These jagged, hectic little ditties about being stuck or stranded somewhere where youd rather not be are available via mail-order through Norman Records (Leeds) and Rough Trade. If you get a chance, go and see them on 12th August at The Roundabout in High Wycombe along with Psyche Out + You Me and the Atom Bomb + RBAP + Circus Act + Wink and the Gun." ------------------------------------------------------------ -----------Review of The Wheatsheaf gig in Oxford by Nightshift Magazine :
"Action and Action, the first of tonights fresh and very high quality line-up, batter the Million Dead legacy with sharp unpredictable rhythms and earwax-melting drums. Like Spy Vs Spy moshing with Burning Airlines, and a singer who sounds like James Dean Bradfield fronting Mineral, A&A beggar belief how hard and tight a band can play without collapsing" ------------------------------------------------------------ ----------- Review by The Cherwell student newspaper:
"When things finally kicked off with opening band Action and Action, any grievances about being kept waiting were swiftly forgotten. As soon as they opened their set, At The Drive-In sprang to mind. Indeed, they claim to be primarily influenced by At The Drive-In, Cursive and The Gloria Record, and Id say this is a fair assessment, although the vocals did remind me of Colin Doran of Hundred Reasons. Loud and raw, they pack a hell of a lot of emotion behind every single song. At only six songs long, the set was arguably too short, but then its always good to leave the crowd wanting more."
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Collective Zine Review of 'A Fire in An Obscure Building' EP by Andy Malcom
"I really like the packaging on this little cd, very indiemo! Action and Action's music actually manages to fit in with the indiemo design too, with the band playing a very nice brand of melodic post-hardcore. This is some of the better music of this style I have heard from the UK in rather a while. Its nice and complex, with a solid dose of the bounce, and great strained / sung vocals and backing. On the opener they handily throw in some messy mid-westmo, similar to the Kossabone Red and suchlike. The following track mellows out and fiddles around in a fashion similar to early Promise Ring with jangling guitars and softness winding all around. Lovely, though they build up to some noisier parts later
....And that's the kind of thing you get sprinkled through out this cd, a blend of the grooving, more chuggy post-hc, and the fun tunefulness of midwestmo bands of yore
....If you enjoyed Spy vs Spy, the Green Acre or Itch, you really should check these guys out. I'd peg them as better than the latter two though not quite up there with the Spies (then again, not many bands are). Nice ep, a super little surprise as this was sent in for review, its been a while since I heard something in that fashion that I was really impressed by, but A&A defy that tradition. Good uns!"
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A Fire in an Obscure Building CDEP Review from Pastepunk.com by Matt St John
"ACTION AND ACTION managed to create an enjoyable release that adequately picks up where BRAID left off. The band has a talent for utilizing contrasting influences, which can be heard in the song Omega, as spastic yelling and off kilter drumming transition into beautiful guitar picking, jointed with an instantly memorable melodic chorus. While many bands struggle to integrate elements of heavy music with melodic singing, ACTION AND ACTION use the conflicting styles to their advantage, turning what couldve been a major embarrassment, into an exciting dosage of post-hardcore goodness ... the lo-fi mix works well with the music, adding an authentic feel to the already prominent mid nineties emo vibe"
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A Fire in an Obscure Building CDEP Review from dieshellsuit.co.uk By Matthew Stanley.
Action And Action obviously care about the music that their making and producing. They compare themselves to early Cursive, At The Drive In, etc which is all well and fair but they have a jangly, angular quality that is particularly apparent on Third Party Fire and Theft that hints at This Aint Vegas. In five songs they dont break any new ground, but they do provide a very solid and assured EP.
Opener Square is a rough and heavy but with catchy hooks and sets the tone for much of the rest of the album. Ink in Ink is short and sharp, perhaps with a hint of Biffy Clyro in its distressed chords. Omega shows the high levels of musicianship and the ability to play very good songs.
There is a sincerity in everything Action and Action do and play that makes me hope some people start taking notice in these boys. Sure its not really all that new but its done very well on a shoestring and apparently the next release well see will be in a more experimental vein. Hopefully something in a Mars Volta vein perhaps?
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A Fire in an Obscure Building CDEP Review from Punker Mentality zine By Fij.
Action and Action are an Uxbridge based post-hardcore group that you may recall from their interview in Issue ..1.
This is their debut EP and features songs written over the first year or so of the band's existance. The five songs on display clock in at a shade under 20 minutes and - for a demo recording - are of a bewilderingly high quality. Action and Action's sound brings to mind the likes of Itch, Vaya-era At The Drive-In and early Cursive. This is complimented by the occasional jagged indie rhythm and a tendancy to veer towards a kind of mid-90s emo vibe.
The band have a really big sound and lots of energy which is typified by the chaotic nature of parts of their songs where stabbing off kilter guitars are set to a really driving groove based rhythm section. Whats more impressive about their songs is that they are actually very melodic at the same time as capturing that punky intensity. For me, the vocals are what really set Action and Action apart from the crowd. Lead singer Ambrose has a fantastic gruff shout/sing type voice which really gets accross the emotion and energy of the songs. He is backed up by the four other members who contribute to both backing and secondary lead vocals.
The lyrics are equally outstanding and are intelligently written with a nice unpretentious yet flowery and poetic style. This is really a superlative EP and certainly one of the best debuts I've come across. Well worth checking out!
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To purchase anything...go to counter culture in high wycombe, norman records or rough trade online, or show up to a gig or contact us for other queries