Sound Premiere: Guide Dog, I Am The Daddy

by | Jun 11, 2017

“I Am The Daddy is the perfect representative soundbite to introduce Guide Dog and our debut album.”  Guide Dog told us “It’s a sprawling rambling reflection on parenthood, being in your mid thirties and working in accounts in the construction industry, set to a sleazy rumpy pumpy wedge of indie three piece rock”.

 

Guide Dog are Pete Roberts (vocals/ guitar), John Maloney (drums) and Ian Russell (bass).

So, Pete and John met in school and were part of the band Robot’s In The Sky, which first put out a red double A-Side 7″ in 1999 on the Cardiff Council funded label Complete Control. (What? A city council funded a record label…well it was in 1999)

Following on from that they put out their first LP as Tetra Splendour on EMI. Ian Russell then joined during a period as a five- piece called People In Planes and they signed to Wind Up Records in New York.

Following the aborted 3rd record on Wind Up – which was being recorded in Real World Studios, Bath – Pete moved to London and helped form the first incarnation of Cold Specks (MUTE) which was the brain child of Ladan Hussein and producer Jim Anderson. During his time making and touring the first two albums with Cold Specks, the initial electronic incarnations of what would become Guide Dog were spawned.

Quitting touring to start a family and moving back to Wales in the process, Pete Roberts teamed back up with John Maloney to flesh out some of the new Guide Dog songs.

Now with old friend and cohort Ian Russell bolstering the lineup, Guide Dog is a three pronged grunge (albeit slightly synth new grunge, post grunge, uh, Sponge Grunge?) attack with the loop pedal element adding the extra spice on top.

An album entitled Lovely Domestic Bliss which was produced by long term collaborator Dan Austin , and was recorded in three days in Rockfield Studio, is coming out on Pete’s own label Hi-Vis Records (digitally everywhere) and on 12″ Vinyl (through iamtheguidedog.bandcamp.com) on July 7th.

It is a grungy, tongue-in-cheek narrative on the perils of your mid-thirties, parenthood and working in accounts in the construction industry.

First single I Am The Daddy is out June 16th on Hi-Vis Records, digital only. www.iamtheguidedog.com

Debut Album ‘Lovely Domestic Bliss’ released July 7th on High-Vis Records

So, Sponge Grunge is back!

“What’s Sponge Grunge I hear you ask? It’s only the hottest new sound that all the mums and dads are talking about!” say Guide Dog

 

https://rockshotmagazine.com/25961/premiere-william-poyer-the-liars-the-bitches-the-crooks-the-thieves/

Gary Numan @ Hammersmith Apollo (Louise Phillips)

Grief, Glory & Grace – Gary Numan’s Heartbroken Homecoming Hammersmith Apollo

There are homecoming gigs, and then there are nights like Friday 21st November 2025 at the Hammersmith Apollo. For...
Lambrini Girls @ XOYO, Birmingham (Nick Allan)

Lambrini Girls Bring Controlled Chaos And Sharp-Edged Punk Energy To XOYO Birmingham

Lambrini Girls didn’t just play XOYO Birmingham, they detonated it. The Brighton punk trio have built a reputation for...
Stray From The Path @ O2 Institute, Birmingham (Nick Allan)

A Farewell On Fire: Stray From The Path Deliver One Last Earth-Shaking Set At The O2 Institute Birmingham

Stray From the Path’s final Birmingham appearance was never going to be a quiet goodbye but no one in the O2 Institute...
Bastille @ The O2 (Louise Phillips)

Good Grief, Bastille Show No Bad Blood At The O2 Arena

Tonight was a night of reflection. Of celebration. Fifteen years in, Bastille sound as good, and appeal to more people than ever. The fourth time the London band have played the biggest arena in the capital and they feel at home on this stage this size, with their visuals, their anthems and their devout relationship with their fans, they belong here.

Amy Macdonald @ Hammersmith Apollo (Kalpesh Patel)

Amy Macdonald Warms A Frozen Hammersmith Apollo With Heart, Humour & Huge Hits

“Are we having a nice time so far? Are we getting a bit warmer?” Amy Macdonald grins, peering out at a Hammersmith Apollo audience bundled into coats and scarves. It’s a question that becomes a running joke throughout the night — because despite the November chill and the decidedly frugal heating, Macdonald sets about warming the 5,000-capacity venue the only way she knows how: with humour, heart, and a powerhouse performance that leaves no seat unshaken.

&U&I @ Muthers Studio (Henry Finnegan / @finneganfoto)

&U&I: Back From The Break, In The Room, And In Their Element

There’s a particular kind of electricity that happens when a band reunites after years apart. Sometimes it’s cautious,...
&U&I @ Muthers Studio (Henry Finnegan / @finneganfoto)

&U&I, Back In Birmingham As If They Never Left

Some gigs feel significant before they even begin. The return of &U&I, after nearly a decade off the radar,...
Bad Nerves @ O2 Institute, Birmingham (Nick Allan)

Never Mind A Wet Night In Stoke, Bad Nerves Made The Best Of A Cold Tuesday Night At The O2 Institute Birmingham

Bad Nerves rolled into theBad Nerves tonight armed with a setlist built for chaos, and although the room was a little quieter than expected, the people who were there lit the place up. A smaller Tuesday night crowd didn’t dull the spark – instead it made the gig feel like a secret show shared only between the band and the diehards. And the band fed off it.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing