Not Accepted Anywhere
Encyclopedia
Not Accepted Anywhere is the debut album from Welsh rock
band The Automatic
, originally released on June 19, 2006. Working with producers Stephen Harris
, Richard Jackson
and Ian Broudie
on different tracks at a variety of studies around the United Kingdom
the album was released through a joint deal between B-Unique Records
and Polydor Records
.
The album spawned 5 singles, all of which charted in the UK top 40; "Recover" - which was originally released in 2005, then again in 2006, "Raoul
" in 2006 and again in 2007, and "Monster" in 2006.
Not Accepted Anywhere charted at #3 in the UK top 40, being awarded platinum
certification in music sales. The BBC
named it amongst the top 10 greatest Welsh albums of the noughties.
Recording the album took place in late 2005 - through to early 2006 over a six week period. The six weeks of recording were split into four blocks, taking place in Cardiff
at Stir studio, Liverpool
at The Elevator studio, South Thoresby
at The Chapel studio and Hammersmith
at The Peace Rooms. Over the four locations the band worked with 3 different producers, including Richard Jackson in Cardiff, Ian Broudie
in Liverpool and Stephen Harris
- who worked for the bands label.
For release of Not Accepted Anywhere in the United States a year later the band along with Leon Zervos at Sterling Studios in New York re-worked and re-mixed the entire record, changing various levels of previous recordings to sound how they had originally envisioned; "The production is different, its been mixed to sound a bit more raw and a bit more rock, which is probably more reflective of the way we are live than the UK version is".
's promotional phrase "Accepted Everywhere". The band originally considered calling the album Now Here in Nowhere.
Lead track "That's What She Said" makes references to pop culture and the drones of day-to-day lives - waiting for the weekend to begin, "Raoul" similarly is about being stuck in routines - with Raoul's being a sandwich shop in Cardiff
were the band would escape during studio time. "You Shout You Shout You Shout You Shout" also deals with pop culture - specifically pop music
and those who listen to it. "Recover" is about trying to motivate yourself and do something other than sit in front of the TV.
"Monster" is about binge drinking
and being intoxicated on alcohol- which reveals the monster in people. Both "Seriously...I Hate You Guys" and "Team Drama" were written about people in the bands lives who "force their problems onto you". "On The Campaign Trail" was written about the bands first experiences of touring in the United Kingdom, with the title referencing Hunter S. Thompson
's Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72
.
Not Accepted Anywhere combined elements of dance punk, indie rock
and hard rock
. Much of the heavier distorted guitars originally recorded for the album were either removed or made less prominent in the first release of Not Accepted Anywhere. The band used 3 different synthesizers during the recording of the album - an Alesis Micron, Roland Juno-106
and an Alesis Andromeda. Vocal parts were split between Rob Hawkins who sings the lead vocal on each track, whilst James Frost provides backing vocals and Alex Pennie provides both screams and flat vocals. Many albums tracks have three distinctly separate vocal parts, using call and response
style layering.
, whilst "Recover" is represented by a megaphone - a reference to the original music video directed by Phaelon. "Monster" is referenced by a pill
, a sign
with "home" written on it refers to "Lost at Home". "Keep Your Eyes Peeled" is represented by the eyeballs, "Seriously...I Hate You Guys" is depicted by a piece of screwed up paper with "hate" scrawled on it. A baseball bat with "drama" written on it refers to track "Team Drama". On-top of the "The Automatic" banner sits a rat
, referring to the track "Rats".
For the albums release in the Japan
and the United States the artwork is yellow, as opposed to green, with the United States version also changed to The Automatic Automatic due to the legal issues surrounding using the title The Automatic in America. Richard Stockton also designed artwork for the singles from Not Accepted Anywhere, "Monster", "Raoul" and "Recover".
and through the bands website. The first completed album track to be released was "Recover" on November 21, 2005 as a limited 7" vinyl
and limited CD single, featuring "Jack Daniel's" and "Song6" as b-side's. Second single "Raoul
" was released with b-side "Trophy Wives" and album track "On The Campaign Trail" on March 27, 2006 as a standard non-limited CD/vinyl single.
The albums title, track-listing and release date was revealed on April 27, 2006, along with release details for the bands third single "Monster", with an album release of June 19, 2006 and a single release on June 5, 2006. After the albums release a compilation EP
, titled also titled Raoul
was released, featuring singles "Monster", "Raoul" and "Recover", as well as album track "On The Campaign Trail" and b-sides "Jack Daniel's", "Song6", "High Tide On Caroline Street", "Trophy Wives" and "Night Drive".
Debut single "Recover" was re-recorded and re-released on September 18, 2006, similarly second single "Raoul" was re-worked slightly and received a re-release on January 8, 2007, along with a studio-recording of the bands cover of Kanye West
's single "Gold Digger
" and a new b-side "Easy Target". The re-release was made on a limited 7" picture disc.
In support of the bands 2007 tour of the United States of America the album was set for release on June 26, 2007, proceeded by a USA release of single "Monster" on June 5, 2007, and an EP So Nice Say It Twice
on June 19, 2007.
, becoming the first band to make a return performance on the show in August performing "Recover". on 24 February 2006 and again on 18 March on The Album Chart Show
. The band appeared on Popworld
multiple times, performing "Raoul", "Recover" and "Monster" - all on separate occasions, as well as being featured in a behind the scenes look at the music video for "Monster", trying out pig farming
, and a behind the scenes look at the 2007 NME Tour.
On March 18, 2006 the band performed "Raoul" on The Album Chart Show
, returning again weeks later performing "Recover". The band also appeared on Transmission
, T4 On the Beach
, Soccer AM
, Never Mind The Buzzcocks
, Fuse TV
's 'The Vinnie Langdon Show and headlined Later with Jools Holland
after Keane were unable to play. Festival performances from Reading and Leeds 2006 were Glastonbury Festival
2007 also shown on the BBC
.
Amongst this tour the band on 21 July were asked to perform on GMTV
at around 9:00am, with a performance the night before at Carling Academy Bristol
and being unhappy with performing on GMTV the next day James Frost
stated that the band "decided to stay up all night after the gig". The performance resulted in James Frost and Alex Pennie
destroying their rented equipment, diving into the drum kit, and getting undressed, whilst singer/bassist Rob Hawkins and drummer Iwan continued to mime along to "Monster", Pennie later explained "Frost was pretty drunk when we started Monster, and I'm easily led. Before we knew it I was standing in my boxer shorts in the GMTV garden and Frost had trashed all the equipment". During the incident a cameraman allegedly received a glancing injury from guitarist James Frost and threatened the band with legal action. This matter was later resolved. The band have stated that they doubt they will ever be asked back, although they have 'not been banned' by GMTV.
The band appeared in radio session for Zane Lowe
's BBC Radio 1
show on February 22, 2006 on, performing tracks in session. The band covered Kanye West
's song "Gold Digger" in BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge
in summer 2006. Their performance at the Lemon Grove in Exeter
was also broadcast on Steve Lamacq
's BBC 6 Music
show on October 3, 2006.
, Kaiser Chiefs
, The Ordinary Boys
and Goldie Lookin Chain
. The band were billed on the NME 2006 New Music Tour, along opening for Boy Kill Boy
, before extensively headlining their own tours across the United Kingdom. In the summer of 2006 the band performed at T4 On The Beach
, Oxegen Festival, T in the Park
, Cardiff Big Weekend
, Reading and Leeds Festivals
amongst others. Touring also took places in other parts of Europe
and in Japan
, before in 2007 headlining the NME Indie Rock Tour 2007, with support coming from The View
, The Horrors
and Mumm-Ra. For the majority of 2007 the band toured the United States of America, playing South by Southwest Festival, Warped Tour
and headlining their own USA tour, whilst returning for sporadic UK dates, such as Glastonbury Festival
and The Full Ponty
festival. Touring and promotion for Not Accepted Anywhere ended on August 26, 2007 at Get Loaded In The Park, which was the final live appearance with Alex Pennie as a member of The Automatic.
highly praised Not Accepted Anywhere "there’s no slow bits; instead, every single tune has pop, punk, emo, techno, electro and funk rammed in, and there’s 12 of these melt-in-the-mouth morsels", pointing out vocalist and keyboardist Alex Pennie as one of the bands unique selling points claiming "soon all bands will have an Alex Pennie" describing him as a "borderline Tourette’s bashing a keyboard with his fists and screeching backing vocals, have made him sound like a new instrument all of its own." The BBC
ranked the album as one of the top-10 albums to come out of Wales
from 2000 to 2010 with Tom Smith claiming they had produced an album full of three minute pop jewels. This Is Fake DIY in a positive review stated it takes just 30 seconds before the first "yelping, jerking irresistible hook line, trashing the hype machine in the process". Gigwise.com
's Jeff Ando claimed that "The Automatic could be the band of 2006", comparing their music to that of The Killers and Kaiser Chiefs
, also commenting that any of the 12 tracks could stand release as a single
. The Guardian
awarded Not Accepted Anywhere 3 out of 5 commenting "your standard four-piece band is now doing the guitar and drums thing at twice the speed, powered by an urgent rage" believing that the band had the potential and recipe to take their music into top 5 of the UK music charts
. Jon Seller of Scottish music magazine The Skinny praised the albums originality and interesting vocal arrangements, awarding 4 out of 5 stars.
Drowned In Sound
reviewer Dom Gourlay awarded the album 5 out of 10, labeling single "Monster" as a great pop song "big, dumb and totally unforgettable", however questioned why a band who could write such a catchy song would write an album which "reeks of such depressing déjà vu". Steve Jelbert of The Times
called Not Accepted Anywhere a "reasonable debut album", yet "already dated". Reviewing the 2007 re-release in the United States multi-media site IGN
called the album repetitive, awarding only 5 out of 10 stars, calling single "Raoul" a Kaiser Chiefs throwaway, only praising track "You Shout You Shout You Shout You Shout".
Production
Artwork
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band The Automatic
The Automatic
The Automatic , are a Welsh rock band. The band is composed of Robin Hawkins on vocals, bass and synthesizers, James Frost on guitar, synthesizers, backing vocals and occasional bass, Iwan Griffiths on drums and Paul Mullen on vocals, guitar and synthesizer - since 2007...
, originally released on June 19, 2006. Working with producers Stephen Harris
Stephen Harris
Stephen Harris may refer to:* Stephen Harris , British painter* Stephen Harris , British record producer* Stephen Harris, musician, also known as Kid Chaos and Haggis...
, Richard Jackson
Richard Jackson
Richard Jackson is an English professional footballer.-Scarborough:Jackson was born in Whitby and began his career at the then Natiowide Division Three club, Scarborough, as a trainee in August 1997. He made his first appearance for the club in a league game in November 1997 against Doncaster...
and Ian Broudie
Ian Broudie
Ian Broudie is a British singer-songwriter, musician and record producer from Liverpool, England. After emerging from the post punk scene in Liverpool in the late 1970s as a member of Big in Japan, Broudie went on to form the short-lived groups Original Mirrors and Care in the early 1980s as well...
on different tracks at a variety of studies around the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
the album was released through a joint deal between B-Unique Records
B-Unique Records
B-Unique Records is a London-based record label, founded in 2001 by Mark Lewis and Martin Toher.B-Unique has been a division of Atlantic Records UK since February 2008...
and Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
.
The album spawned 5 singles, all of which charted in the UK top 40; "Recover" - which was originally released in 2005, then again in 2006, "Raoul
Raoul (song)
"Raoul" is both second and fifth single from Not Accepted Anywhere, the debut album by Welsh band The Automatic. The single was released twice, first on 27 March 2006 and then again on 8 January 2007 at the decision of the bands record labels Polydor and B-Unique.-Composition:The songs lyrics deal...
" in 2006 and again in 2007, and "Monster" in 2006.
Not Accepted Anywhere charted at #3 in the UK top 40, being awarded platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
certification in music sales. The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
named it amongst the top 10 greatest Welsh albums of the noughties.
Recording and production
The band recorded demo's in early 2005 with Richard Jackson, amongst which were "Monster", "Rats" and "By My Side", early versions of which included Rob Hawkins playing flute on. The demo was sent to B-Unique, who subsequently came to one of the bands live performances, signing them on the spot.Recording the album took place in late 2005 - through to early 2006 over a six week period. The six weeks of recording were split into four blocks, taking place in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
at Stir studio, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
at The Elevator studio, South Thoresby
South Thoresby
South Thoresby is a village and civil parish in East Lindsey in the county of Lincolnshire.-Geography:It is about one mile from the A16 in the Lincolnshire Wolds. It is close to a quarry owned by...
at The Chapel studio and Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
at The Peace Rooms. Over the four locations the band worked with 3 different producers, including Richard Jackson in Cardiff, Ian Broudie
Ian Broudie
Ian Broudie is a British singer-songwriter, musician and record producer from Liverpool, England. After emerging from the post punk scene in Liverpool in the late 1970s as a member of Big in Japan, Broudie went on to form the short-lived groups Original Mirrors and Care in the early 1980s as well...
in Liverpool and Stephen Harris
Stephen Harris (producer)
Stephen Harris is an English music producer and mixer. He has worked with artists including Dave Matthews Band, Ben Kweller, Blue Merle, Kula Shaker, and with B-Unique bands such as Kaiser Chiefs, The Automatic and Pull Tiger Tail...
- who worked for the bands label.
For release of Not Accepted Anywhere in the United States a year later the band along with Leon Zervos at Sterling Studios in New York re-worked and re-mixed the entire record, changing various levels of previous recordings to sound how they had originally envisioned; "The production is different, its been mixed to sound a bit more raw and a bit more rock, which is probably more reflective of the way we are live than the UK version is".
Composition
In retrospect Rob Hawkins described the lyrics of Not Accepted Anywhere as personal to the band members experiences up until that point. The title itself is a play upon MastercardMasterCard
Mastercard Incorporated or MasterCard Worldwide is an American multinational financial services corporation with its headquarters in the MasterCard International Global Headquarters, Purchase, Harrison, New York, United States...
's promotional phrase "Accepted Everywhere". The band originally considered calling the album Now Here in Nowhere.
Lead track "That's What She Said" makes references to pop culture and the drones of day-to-day lives - waiting for the weekend to begin, "Raoul" similarly is about being stuck in routines - with Raoul's being a sandwich shop in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
were the band would escape during studio time. "You Shout You Shout You Shout You Shout" also deals with pop culture - specifically pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and those who listen to it. "Recover" is about trying to motivate yourself and do something other than sit in front of the TV.
"Monster" is about binge drinking
Binge drinking
Binge drinking or heavy episodic drinking is the modern epithet for drinking alcoholic beverages with the primary intention of becoming intoxicated by heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time. It is a kind of purposeful drinking style that is popular in several countries worldwide,...
and being intoxicated on alcohol- which reveals the monster in people. Both "Seriously...I Hate You Guys" and "Team Drama" were written about people in the bands lives who "force their problems onto you". "On The Campaign Trail" was written about the bands first experiences of touring in the United Kingdom, with the title referencing Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter Stockton Thompson was an American journalist and author who wrote The Rum Diary , Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 .He is credited as the creator of Gonzo journalism, a style of reporting where reporters involve themselves in the action to...
's Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72
Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72
Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72 is a collection of articles covering the 1972 presidential campaign written by the gonzo journalist Hunter S Thompson and illustrated by Ralph Steadman...
.
Not Accepted Anywhere combined elements of dance punk, indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
and hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
. Much of the heavier distorted guitars originally recorded for the album were either removed or made less prominent in the first release of Not Accepted Anywhere. The band used 3 different synthesizers during the recording of the album - an Alesis Micron, Roland Juno-106
Roland Juno-106
The Roland Juno-106 was a hybrid digital/analogue polyphonic synth manufactured by Roland Corporation in 1984. It featured Digitally controlled oscillators for tuning stability and digital envelope generation along with analog filters and signal path....
and an Alesis Andromeda. Vocal parts were split between Rob Hawkins who sings the lead vocal on each track, whilst James Frost provides backing vocals and Alex Pennie provides both screams and flat vocals. Many albums tracks have three distinctly separate vocal parts, using call and response
Call and response (music)
In music, a call and response is a succession of two distinct phrases usually played by different musicians, where the second phrase is heard as a direct commentary on or response to the first...
style layering.
Artwork
The sleeve and album booklet artwork was created by Richard Stockton. The different pieces of the artwork represent different songs on the album; "That's What She Said" is represented by "BLAH BLAH BLAH" in a speech bubble, "Raoul" is represented by a sandwichSandwich
A sandwich is a food item, typically consisting of two or more slices of :bread with one or more fillings between them, or one slice of bread with a topping or toppings, commonly called an open sandwich. Sandwiches are a widely popular type of lunch food, typically taken to work or school, or...
, whilst "Recover" is represented by a megaphone - a reference to the original music video directed by Phaelon. "Monster" is referenced by a pill
Pill
Pill or The Pill may refer to:* Pill , referring to anything small and round for a specific dose of medicine. The term is used colloquially in several ways:** A tablet or capsule which replaced dosing via pill...
, a sign
Sign
A sign is something that implies a connection between itself and its object. A natural sign bears a causal relation to its object—for instance, thunder is a sign of storm. A conventional sign signifies by agreement, as a full stop signifies the end of a sentence...
with "home" written on it refers to "Lost at Home". "Keep Your Eyes Peeled" is represented by the eyeballs, "Seriously...I Hate You Guys" is depicted by a piece of screwed up paper with "hate" scrawled on it. A baseball bat with "drama" written on it refers to track "Team Drama". On-top of the "The Automatic" banner sits a rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
, referring to the track "Rats".
For the albums release in the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and the United States the artwork is yellow, as opposed to green, with the United States version also changed to The Automatic Automatic due to the legal issues surrounding using the title The Automatic in America. Richard Stockton also designed artwork for the singles from Not Accepted Anywhere, "Monster", "Raoul" and "Recover".
Release
Over the course of 2005, demo's of "Monster" and "Rats" were made available for streaming on MyspaceMyspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
and through the bands website. The first completed album track to be released was "Recover" on November 21, 2005 as a limited 7" vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
and limited CD single, featuring "Jack Daniel's" and "Song6" as b-side's. Second single "Raoul
Raoul (song)
"Raoul" is both second and fifth single from Not Accepted Anywhere, the debut album by Welsh band The Automatic. The single was released twice, first on 27 March 2006 and then again on 8 January 2007 at the decision of the bands record labels Polydor and B-Unique.-Composition:The songs lyrics deal...
" was released with b-side "Trophy Wives" and album track "On The Campaign Trail" on March 27, 2006 as a standard non-limited CD/vinyl single.
The albums title, track-listing and release date was revealed on April 27, 2006, along with release details for the bands third single "Monster", with an album release of June 19, 2006 and a single release on June 5, 2006. After the albums release a compilation EP
Raoul EP
Raoul EP is an 8-track EP by Welsh band The Automatic featuring the original versions of singles "Recover" and "Raoul", plus B-sides from the "Monster", "Raoul" and "Recover" singles. It was originally released for the European market, but has since been made available in the UK, making it more...
, titled also titled Raoul
Raoul EP
Raoul EP is an 8-track EP by Welsh band The Automatic featuring the original versions of singles "Recover" and "Raoul", plus B-sides from the "Monster", "Raoul" and "Recover" singles. It was originally released for the European market, but has since been made available in the UK, making it more...
was released, featuring singles "Monster", "Raoul" and "Recover", as well as album track "On The Campaign Trail" and b-sides "Jack Daniel's", "Song6", "High Tide On Caroline Street", "Trophy Wives" and "Night Drive".
Debut single "Recover" was re-recorded and re-released on September 18, 2006, similarly second single "Raoul" was re-worked slightly and received a re-release on January 8, 2007, along with a studio-recording of the bands cover of Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
's single "Gold Digger
Gold Digger
"Gold Digger" is a song recorded by American rapper Kanye West featuring guest vocals by Jamie Foxx. Released as the second single from West's second album, Late Registration, "Gold Digger" peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 on September 6, 2005, becoming West's and Foxx's second...
" and a new b-side "Easy Target". The re-release was made on a limited 7" picture disc.
In support of the bands 2007 tour of the United States of America the album was set for release on June 26, 2007, proceeded by a USA release of single "Monster" on June 5, 2007, and an EP So Nice Say It Twice
So Nice Say It Twice EP
So Nice Say It Twice is the second EP from Welsh band The Automatic; the EP was limited to US and Canada release only.-Track listing:-External links:*...
on June 19, 2007.
Media coverage
The Automatic made their television debut on February 24, 2006, performing "Raoul" on The Friday Night ProjectThe Sunday Night Project
The Sunday Night Project was a British comedy-variety show by Princess Productions that first aired on Channel 4 in February 2005 under the title The Friday Night Project...
, becoming the first band to make a return performance on the show in August performing "Recover". on 24 February 2006 and again on 18 March on The Album Chart Show
The Album Chart Show
The Album Chart Show is a British television programme shown on Channel 4 that showcases the biggest and best album releases from the UK Top 100 Album Chart. It also gives up-and-coming talent a chance to make their mark on a 1000 strong audience by performing live...
. The band appeared on Popworld
Popworld
Popworld was a British television programme that was broadcast on Channel 4, offering pop news, trivia, gossip, interviews and music videos, as well as musical performances from the most recent top artists....
multiple times, performing "Raoul", "Recover" and "Monster" - all on separate occasions, as well as being featured in a behind the scenes look at the music video for "Monster", trying out pig farming
Pig farming
There are various methods of pig farming depending on the method of management adopted. Variables include:* Money or capital available* The type of animals kept* Local requirements and market conditions* The level of management skills...
, and a behind the scenes look at the 2007 NME Tour.
On March 18, 2006 the band performed "Raoul" on The Album Chart Show
The Album Chart Show
The Album Chart Show is a British television programme shown on Channel 4 that showcases the biggest and best album releases from the UK Top 100 Album Chart. It also gives up-and-coming talent a chance to make their mark on a 1000 strong audience by performing live...
, returning again weeks later performing "Recover". The band also appeared on Transmission
Transmission (TV series)
Transmission is a British television programme broadcast on Channel 4, offering live performances and interviews of famous music artists that ran for three series between 2006 and 2007...
, T4 On the Beach
T4 on the Beach
T4 On The Beach is a British one day music event which is held on the beach at Weston-super-Mare and televised for Channel 4. The event began in 2003 as Pop Beach in Great Yarmouth, changing to the current title and venue in 2005....
, Soccer AM
Soccer AM
Soccer AM is a British Saturday-morning football-based comedy/talk show, predominantly based around the Premier League...
, Never Mind The Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game television show with a pop music theme, currently without a permanent presenter. It stars Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two...
, Fuse TV
Fuse TV
Fuse is an American national television network dedicated exclusively to music. It features original series and specials, exclusive interviews, live concerts and video blocks....
's 'The Vinnie Langdon Show and headlined Later with Jools Holland
Later with Jools Holland
Later... with Jools Holland is a contemporary British music television show hosted by Jools Holland. A spin-off of The Late Show, it has been running in short series since 1992 and is a part of BBC Two's late-night line-up, usually at around 11pm to 12 midnight...
after Keane were unable to play. Festival performances from Reading and Leeds 2006 were Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
2007 also shown on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
Amongst this tour the band on 21 July were asked to perform on GMTV
GMTV
GMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...
at around 9:00am, with a performance the night before at Carling Academy Bristol
Carling Academy Bristol
The O2 Academy Bristol is a music venue located below the ice rink on Frogmore Street, Bristol, England. It is run by the Academy Music Group. On 1 January 2009 sponsorship was taken over from Carling by telecommunications company O2 and the venue's name changed from the Carling Academy to the O2...
and being unhappy with performing on GMTV the next day James Frost
James Frost
James Martin Frost is the guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist of Welsh band The Automatic, and guitarist and backing vocalist for Cardiff based band Effort. As well as his musical duties for The Automatic, Frost has also directed two of the bands music videos and their tour video daries...
stated that the band "decided to stay up all night after the gig". The performance resulted in James Frost and Alex Pennie
Alex Pennie
Alexander Gregor Pennie is the lead vocalist of Welsh Hardcore punk band Goodtime Boys. Pennie was previously in Welsh band The Automatic, where he provided backing vocals as well as playing synthesizers and keyboards for the act...
destroying their rented equipment, diving into the drum kit, and getting undressed, whilst singer/bassist Rob Hawkins and drummer Iwan continued to mime along to "Monster", Pennie later explained "Frost was pretty drunk when we started Monster, and I'm easily led. Before we knew it I was standing in my boxer shorts in the GMTV garden and Frost had trashed all the equipment". During the incident a cameraman allegedly received a glancing injury from guitarist James Frost and threatened the band with legal action. This matter was later resolved. The band have stated that they doubt they will ever be asked back, although they have 'not been banned' by GMTV.
The band appeared in radio session for Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe also known as 'Zipper', is a radio DJ and television presenter. He was born in New Zealand and grew up in Auckland, where he was a presenter on the local music station Max TV, before moving to England...
's BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
show on February 22, 2006 on, performing tracks in session. The band covered Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
's song "Gold Digger" in BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge
Live Lounge
The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio station BBC Radio 1. Originally hosted by Jo Whiley on her mid-morning radio show and now hosted by Fearne Cotton, it exhibits well-known artists usually performing one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format...
in summer 2006. Their performance at the Lemon Grove in Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
was also broadcast on Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq , sometimes known by his nicknames Lammo or "The Cat" is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio stations BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2.-Early career:He was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire...
's BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music is one of the BBC's digital radio stations, was launched on 11 March 2002 and originally codenamed Network Y. It was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years....
show on October 3, 2006.
Touring
In 2005 and in early 2006 the band predominantly played support shows, opening for bands such as The KooksThe Kooks
The Kooks are an English indie rock band formed in Brighton, East Sussex, in 2001. Formed by Luke Pritchard , Hugh Harris , Paul Garred , and Max Rafferty , the lineup of the band remained constant until 2008 and the departure of Rafferty...
, Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 1996. They were named after the South African football club Kaizer Chiefs....
, The Ordinary Boys
The Ordinary Boys
The Ordinary Boys are an English indie rock band from Worthing, in West Sussex, England. Originally named Next in Line, they were influenced by mod revival and Britpop music, as well as the bands Madness, The Specials, The Kinks and The Smiths...
and Goldie Lookin Chain
Goldie Lookin Chain
Goldie Lookin Chain is a comedic rap music group based in Newport, South Wales. The group produces humorous, controversial and often explicit songs that satirise hip hop, today's consumer society, the ‘chav’ culture and life in Newport and south Wales in general.-Background:Many of the songs...
. The band were billed on the NME 2006 New Music Tour, along opening for Boy Kill Boy
Boy Kill Boy
Boy Kill Boy were an English rock band based in Leytonstone, East London. Perhaps Best known for their highest charting single "Suzie", the band produced two studio albums and six singles before splitting in 2008.- History :...
, before extensively headlining their own tours across the United Kingdom. In the summer of 2006 the band performed at T4 On The Beach
T4 on the Beach
T4 On The Beach is a British one day music event which is held on the beach at Weston-super-Mare and televised for Channel 4. The event began in 2003 as Pop Beach in Great Yarmouth, changing to the current title and venue in 2005....
, Oxegen Festival, T in the Park
T in the Park
T in the Park is a major British music festival that has been held annually since 1994. It is named after its main sponsor, the brewing company Tennents. It was originally held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire but since 1997 has been held at a disused airfield in Balado, Kinross-shire...
, Cardiff Big Weekend
Cardiff Big Weekend
The Cardiff Big Weekend has taken place annually since 1995 as part of the Cardiff Festival organised by Cardiff Council. Billed as the UK’s biggest free outdoor music festival, it offers three days of quality live music and entertainment. Alongside the live music stage runs the UK’s largest...
, Reading and Leeds Festivals
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
amongst others. Touring also took places in other parts of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, before in 2007 headlining the NME Indie Rock Tour 2007, with support coming from The View
The View (band)
The View are a Scottish indie rock band. They incorporate various styles such as punk, pop, alternative rock, pop punk, powerpop, folk, and acoustic in their music....
, The Horrors
The Horrors
The Horrors are an English band from Southend on Sea, formed in 2005. Their debut Strange House, was released in 2007 and reached number thirty-seven on the UK Albums Chart, their second album Primary Colours was released in 2009 and peaked at number 25 in the UK...
and Mumm-Ra. For the majority of 2007 the band toured the United States of America, playing South by Southwest Festival, Warped Tour
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The tour is held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which the stages and other structures are erected. The BMX/skateboarding shoe manufacturer Vans, among others, has sponsored the tour every year since 1995, and it is...
and headlining their own USA tour, whilst returning for sporadic UK dates, such as Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
and The Full Ponty
The Full Ponty
The Full Ponty was a music festival first held in Pontypridd on the 27–28 May 2006. The name Full Ponty is a pun on Full Monty, and Ponty, the local nickname of the town...
festival. Touring and promotion for Not Accepted Anywhere ended on August 26, 2007 at Get Loaded In The Park, which was the final live appearance with Alex Pennie as a member of The Automatic.
Reception
Dan Martin of NMENME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
highly praised Not Accepted Anywhere "there’s no slow bits; instead, every single tune has pop, punk, emo, techno, electro and funk rammed in, and there’s 12 of these melt-in-the-mouth morsels", pointing out vocalist and keyboardist Alex Pennie as one of the bands unique selling points claiming "soon all bands will have an Alex Pennie" describing him as a "borderline Tourette’s bashing a keyboard with his fists and screeching backing vocals, have made him sound like a new instrument all of its own." The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
ranked the album as one of the top-10 albums to come out of Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
from 2000 to 2010 with Tom Smith claiming they had produced an album full of three minute pop jewels. This Is Fake DIY in a positive review stated it takes just 30 seconds before the first "yelping, jerking irresistible hook line, trashing the hype machine in the process". Gigwise.com
Gigwise.com
Gigwise.com is an online music magazine that features music news, photos, album reviews, music festivals, concert tickets, and a community forum. Founded in 2001, the magazine is based in the United Kingdom....
's Jeff Ando claimed that "The Automatic could be the band of 2006", comparing their music to that of The Killers and Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 1996. They were named after the South African football club Kaizer Chiefs....
, also commenting that any of the 12 tracks could stand release as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
. The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
awarded Not Accepted Anywhere 3 out of 5 commenting "your standard four-piece band is now doing the guitar and drums thing at twice the speed, powered by an urgent rage" believing that the band had the potential and recipe to take their music into top 5 of the UK music charts
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
. Jon Seller of Scottish music magazine The Skinny praised the albums originality and interesting vocal arrangements, awarding 4 out of 5 stars.
Drowned In Sound
Drowned in Sound
DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...
reviewer Dom Gourlay awarded the album 5 out of 10, labeling single "Monster" as a great pop song "big, dumb and totally unforgettable", however questioned why a band who could write such a catchy song would write an album which "reeks of such depressing déjà vu". Steve Jelbert of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
called Not Accepted Anywhere a "reasonable debut album", yet "already dated". Reviewing the 2007 re-release in the United States multi-media site IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
called the album repetitive, awarding only 5 out of 10 stars, calling single "Raoul" a Kaiser Chiefs throwaway, only praising track "You Shout You Shout You Shout You Shout".
Track listing
Personal
The Automatic- Rob HawkinsRob HawkinsRob Hawkins is a rugby union player for Leicester Tigers in the Aviva Premiership.Hawkins' position of choice is as a hooker. Hawkins represented England at Under 21 level.-Club career:...
- lead vocals, bass guitar - James FrostJames FrostJames Martin Frost is the guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist of Welsh band The Automatic, and guitarist and backing vocalist for Cardiff based band Effort. As well as his musical duties for The Automatic, Frost has also directed two of the bands music videos and their tour video daries...
- guitar, vocals - Alex PennieAlex PennieAlexander Gregor Pennie is the lead vocalist of Welsh Hardcore punk band Goodtime Boys. Pennie was previously in Welsh band The Automatic, where he provided backing vocals as well as playing synthesizers and keyboards for the act...
- synthesizers, keyboards, percussion, vocals - Iwan GriffithsIwan GriffithsIwan Griffiths is drummer for Welsh rock band The Automatic, Iwan originates from Cowbridge in Wales, and currently resides in a house with band mates Robin Hawkins and James Frost.-Musical career:...
- drums, percussion
Production
- Ian BroudieIan BroudieIan Broudie is a British singer-songwriter, musician and record producer from Liverpool, England. After emerging from the post punk scene in Liverpool in the late 1970s as a member of Big in Japan, Broudie went on to form the short-lived groups Original Mirrors and Care in the early 1980s as well...
- producer on "Recover" - Stephen HarrisStephen Harris (producer)Stephen Harris is an English music producer and mixer. He has worked with artists including Dave Matthews Band, Ben Kweller, Blue Merle, Kula Shaker, and with B-Unique bands such as Kaiser Chiefs, The Automatic and Pull Tiger Tail...
- producer - Richard Jackson - producer
Artwork
- D*Face
Chart performance
The album itself hit No. 3 in the UK Album Chart. Four of the five UK singles were also entered to UK Singles Charts. "Monster" topped all 4, hitting number 4, whilst Recover reached 25, and Raoul releases reached 34 and 44.| Chart (2006) | Entry | Peak position |
Certification | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Album Chart | Jul 2006 | 3 | Gold | |
| UK Re-entry | Jan 2007 | 33 | Gold | |
| 2009 | Platinum |
External links
- The Automatic official website