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/

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