“Kerbdog are one of the most underrated bands ever. Their debut album and On The Turn should be part of everyone’s rock education. They opened my eyes to what was possible with riffs and melody and they’re the reason we worked with Garth Richardson on our last three records. It’s a crime that Kerbdog are not held aloft by every band in the country as heroes.”
Simon Neil, Biffy Clyro
“Kerbdog were one of my gateway bands. I got into them through Kerrang! cover-mount CDs and they were just unlike anything I’d ever head at the time – so powerful, heavy and yet melodic. They totally opened my eyes to a new genre, and remain one of my favourite bands.”
Frank Turner
Kerbdog are set to release Congregation on October 6. The live album – funded by a successful Pledge campaign – was pulled together from shows recorded in Dublin, Bristol and London last year. In addition to the 15 live tracks, there’s also a brand new studio recording of the previously unreleased song, Soaking Wet.
Congregation will be the band’s first release since 1997. The previous effort, On The Turn – which was recorded with GGGarth Richardson at the legendary Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California – was a damn-near perfect album. Their 1994 self-titled debut was the sound of a band finding their feet, but there was something special about their second full-length release.
The songs were powerful as hell, alright, but Kerbdog were the right band who’d found themselves at the wrong time. A small matter of Britpop meant that their singles were at odds with daytime radio playlists and the mainstream press and were were subsequently dropped by Mercury Records, two albums into a six-album contract. They struggled on for a year before playing their final show in Dublin the following year.
While the band seemed doomed to reside to the footnotes of rock history, their fanbase unexpectedly grew and their albums, while out of print, seemed to find their way into the homes of rock fans. Thanks, internet. A overwhelming sense of unfinished business was clearly nagging away in frontman Cormac Battle’s mind.
“I’d had a few beers and texted the boys to see if they wanted to play a gig, just one,” explains Battle of their 2005 reunion show. “It all took off from there. We played to five times as many people than we did when the record came out in ’97, so we decided to keep rolling with it. It was a kind of posthumous success or a belated extended victory lap, as it were.”
That one-off show slowly grew into something bigger, as the band played shows both in Ireland and England and enjoyed the fevered response and sense of celebration that cruelly evaded their grasp the first time around.
Which brings us to Congregation and the return of guitarist Billy Dalton, who left during the On The Turn sessions.
“There was pressure all round as we returned from LA, so I decided to leave,” says Dalton. “It was a very tough decision.”
“This was the most painful part of being in Kerbdog hands down,” remembers Battle. “We were all very damaged by this. Forget the band… this was in part the destruction of a real friendship that took a very long time to get back on track. Billy is great and he’s good for the vibe. He’s way better than me on the guitar and makes our sound properly heavy. When I heard the recent live recordings, it dawned on me that we had a major document on our hands, something hardcore ‘Dog fans would love to hear. It’s blown up into this proper release, and crucially, without all the bullshit. It’s a very exciting time for Kerbdog.”
See? Every ‘Dog <does> have its day. Right now, there are plans to record a third studio album next year. And to celebrate the release of their new live album, Kerbdog have also announced details of a full UK tour in November. Joining them will be a variety of bands on different shows, including Amplifier, Nine Black Alps and Hawk Eyes. Keeping it in the family, Hey You Guys will open all shows – their guitarist Dave Draper produced ‘Congregation’.
Kerbdog November tour:
14 Dublin, Academy
15 Manchester, The Ritz w/ Amplifier, Nine Black Alps, Hawk Eyes, Hey You Guys!
16 London, The Forum w/ Amplifier, Hawk Eyes, Hey You Guys!
17 Bristol, Bierkeller w/ Hawk Eyes, Hey You Guys!
18 Plymouth, White Rabbit w/ Hey You Guys!
19 Southampton, Talking Heads w/ Hey You Guys!
20 Birmingham, The Oobleck w/ Hey You Guys!
21 Nottingham, Rock City Basement w/ Hawk Eyes, Hey You Guys!
22 Glasgow, Ivory Blacks w/ Hawk Eyes, Hey You Guys!
15 Manchester, The Ritz w/ Amplifier, Nine Black Alps, Hawk Eyes, Hey You Guys!
16 London, The Forum w/ Amplifier, Hawk Eyes, Hey You Guys!
17 Bristol, Bierkeller w/ Hawk Eyes, Hey You Guys!
18 Plymouth, White Rabbit w/ Hey You Guys!
19 Southampton, Talking Heads w/ Hey You Guys!
20 Birmingham, The Oobleck w/ Hey You Guys!
21 Nottingham, Rock City Basement w/ Hawk Eyes, Hey You Guys!
22 Glasgow, Ivory Blacks w/ Hawk Eyes, Hey You Guys!
