Degrassi
"The Form EP"
(SL)
Released: 17 November 2003

Degrassi recently acquired the services of Idlewild’s Bob Fairfoull as a guitarist, and it sounds like he robbed the cupboard when he left his old job, bringing Roddy Woomble’s voice with him as a dowry. Mind you, it’s doubtful Woomble would ever have considered lending his pipes to the space-rock cum Americana of lead track ‘Luger’, and though the rabble-rousing chant that punctuates ‘The Form’ sounds like it was recorded at a Sham 69 convention ‘Cabin Fever’ suggests that degrassi would quite like to enjoy the success of their countrymen. They might do it too, neither ‘UFO’ nor ‘Luger’ sound like anything else on Earth, which is exactly what we want.
Suzie Q (Logo Magazine)

http://www.logo-magazine.com/singles/display.asp?SingleID=1464

Sunday Mail - MTV Breakout, The Venue, Edinburgh. (11/04/03)
MTV gave a bit back to the community with an unsigned talent showcase. The Melodic Endorphin and jangly indie pop of Odean Beat Club opened. Next, Hail Caesar added psychedelic, swiriling organ sounds to classic hard rock, before Edinburgh's Degrassi showed off the accessible rock of songs such as Joanne.
Carolyn Rae (Sunday Mail)

The Scotsman - MTV Breakout The Venue, Edinburgh (04/11/03)
It was local heroes Degrassi who were the ones with the pedigree. Taking their tips from alternative American groups such as Fugazi and Helmet, anarchy and mayhem ensued on-stage.
They were musically air-tight,until eccentric ex-Idlewild bass player Bob Fairfoull (drafted in on guitar duties) dramatically stormed offstage, only to return in time for Degrassi's awesome wall-of-noise finale, much to the delight of the crowd. It must be said that Scotland, in particularly Edinburgh-have a stealth of good, young bands coming through.
Barry Gordon

Evening News - MTV Breakout The Venue, Edinburgh (04/11/03)
Recent reports have suggested that Degrassi have started to sound more like Idlewild. But while they may mix spikey guitar work with a keen ear for melody, they sounded like their own band last night.
James Smart

Notting Hill Arts Club, London 17/09/03
It seems Ambulance Ltd have only got around to writing one song, hoping that no one will notice if they play it again and again, with slight alterations in their weak sub-Starsailor (and who imagined there could be such a thing??) harmonizing. If everything else wasn't bad enough, the vocals don't even fit with the band's attempt at providing loud, wailing guitars, making the overall impact one of a jumbled mess which is hardly worth wasting another breath over.
At least Degrassi seem to have organised themselves a little better. Best known for having been joined by Bob Fairfoull, ex-Idlewild bass player (from back when Idlewild were one of the most exciting live bands around, before they descended into Coldplay-esque tedium), Degrassi do indeed bear striking similarities to Idlewild back in "them days". Loud, punky guitars, screaming vocals, and more leaping about than the stage can hold (guitarist/vocalist Scott Smith spends most of the latter part of the set jumping on and off the tiny stage), Degrassi are - particularly in comparison to what came before - fun.
Degrassi you may recognize from a recent and rocking Peel Session and they are on the same label as Ballboy. During Degrassi's set I heard the funniest quote of the night: "They sound like a band on fucking Sub-pop!" I won't go that far in proclaiming their indie-rockness, but I will boldly label them as the Edinburgh version of Seattle's subtle-rock-guitar-noisy Kinski.
idlewild.agcc.net/gallery/margirg.htm

Playlouder in the City/In the City, The Printworks, Manchester. (15/10/03)
In the City unsigned is also going on and the delegates run the gauntlet of twisted faced old E-heads and beer can-waving northern monkeys to catch the bands. Down at the Printworks there is a punk rock storm brewing with Degrassi. If Bob the bassman had left Idlewild possibly because they were not punk rock enough then he should be happy here. The Edinburgh-based crew have been around a couple of years and have honed down their punk-fused rush to perfection... great hooks rise out of the intense riff action, all driven along with a high energy rush. Degrassi are definitely one of those bands that leaves you wondering why they are not much bigger.
John Robb

Insangel 13 Website. The Stout Fiddler, Newcastle. (15/09/03)
Last to take to the stage are ‘Degrassi’, an energetic four-piece all the way fae Edinburgh. They feature the former Bass player from ‘Idlewild’, who has now taken his hand to Electric guitar. This I guess made it a little more interesting. Will we have a band riding on his reputation or will we have a band who are totally individual of that? Well. They aint Idlewild, that’s for sure. These noisemongers combine effective guitar thrashing with dazzling vocal harmonies to produce A-grade rock. Thrashing. Jumping. Growling.
‘Degrassi’ seem to have the self belief to take them forward. Tunes such as the harmonically catchy ‘Punisher’ and the unforgettable anthem ‘Say Something Now’ provide a great platform for a band who seem to have a masterplan they are keeping to themselves. But let’s not jump too far ahead. They aren’t exactly playing Wembley Stadium here. They have a stage presence which would surely suit a bigger venue though.
It’s good to see a band which doesn’t rely on a guitar solo. Instead, they rely on melody which succeeds in supplying controlled intensity. At times, they could have been ‘Queens of the Stone Age’. Free flowing bass lines mixed with a competent drumming display provided the backbone to a lively performance. ‘Emerald City’ underlined this. ‘This is a song about Trisha.’ The way this song was played showed how much of a charged relationship this girl must have provided.
Finally the set ended with a crazy instrumental with a twist. Towards the song, a guy from the audience (who I had originally assumed to be their manager) took to the mike to give it a verbal bashing. Then, the sun went down on their set, with the random guy from the audience dismantling their equipment under a barrage of noise. This was certainly entertaining, and certainly different. How far will they go though? Nobody knows. They Rock hard and that’s all you need to know.
Superegoboy (INSANGEL13)

DEGRASSI, King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow
After a series of line-up changes, culminating in Degrassi settling on a four-piece formation (and including the recruitment of ex-Idlewild guitarist Bob Fairfoull), the implausibly tall quartet took to the stage to showcase favourite and upcoming material.
They are a band of contrasts: Scott Smith and Tom Nicol's spiffy mod-suited attire conflicting with Fairfoull's shaggy peroxide punkiness; and frontman Nicol's raucous bawl against drummer Michael Branagh's vocal precision.
Songs like No Tracks in the Snow and Emerald City, both from Degrassi's well-received debut ep, Terminal Ocean, went down well with the crowd - as did "golden oldie" 4321 Target, and newer tracks such as Samurai and the bass-driven romp Luger.
NEIL CUMMING

Evening News (23/12/02)
SL Records Christmas Party Bongo Club.
IT’S not been a bad year for Edinburgh’s most recognisable independent record label, SL Records. Their bands have made consistent releases and they’ve all been met with a fair amount of critical goodwill.

If SL were getting the credit they deserve, people would talk of Ballboy and Degrassi the same way they talk about Travis and Idlewild. But it’s hard to imagine at least one of their acts not making the breakthrough sooner or later.
David Pollock

Evening News (12/02)
Degrassi post intentions with impressive set
THE back room of Bannerman’s might have a hint of dingy dungeon about it, but on Friday night it was livened up by a couple of coruscating local post-rock outfits.

Fife old-timers Foil were first and while they occasionally stumbled onto a decent enough racket, there seemed to be a definite lack of charisma on stage, and their best tunes suffered as a result.

On the face of it, Edinburgh three-piece Degrassi are a pretty similar outfit to their support act. On closer inspection, however, Degrassi have a wonderfully keen sense of melody lurking behind their intense riffage. Add to that a stupid amount of youthful energy, and you’ve got a band really going places. Having said that, the band weren’t at their absolute best on Friday. Suffering from a poor sound and a slight lack of atmosphere, the threesome did their best however, and generally came out on top.

Among the highlights was Terminal Ocean, the lead track of the band’s debut EP. Like New Order thrashing it out with Nirvana, it’s a tune that perfectly showcases the band’s equal debts to raw power and soaring melodies. Elsewhere No Tracks In The Snow was all juddering rhythms and angsty vocals, like a seriously miffed Fugazi, while Emerald City started like Idlewild and ended in a mess of humungous guitar grunginess.

With members of umpteen other local bands in attendance - including Annie Christian and the aforementioned Idlewild - Degrassi are clearly impressing their contemporaries, and with the massive tunes they have at their disposal it’s little wonder.

A recent line-up change saw the band reverting to a basic three-piece, a move which seems to have focused their energies. An apocalyptic version of Air Force One to finish was evidence that Degrassi will soon be playing to far bigger crowds.
Doug Johnstone

The List
A band finally showing their true potential are Degrassi. Their excellent `Terminal Ocean' EP illustrates how diverse their sound has become, chiming, criss-crossing guitars all bound up in jutting time signatures delivered with no little measure of plaintive twang. An essential release. 4/5
Mark Robertson

Rock City Website
What is art? Is art art? Who the hell cares because when the Arts Council funded the recording of the debut release by Edinburgh's heirs to the Scottish musical throne, Degrassi, they made a move wiser than the wisest words of Yoda. `No Tracks In The Snow' mixes early Idlewild with a keen ear for instantly appealing pop sensibilities, carving up the rotting legacy of modern rock music and instilling it with all the resolve and purpose it lost through nu-metal. `Emerald City' explodes into a barrage of focused reverberation, reeling in echoes of Sonic Youth guitars and the relentless clatter of early Joy Division, before a final cry breaks through the channelled aggression. `Air Force 1' meanwhile takes on the form of a furiously mutated version of Mogwai's `Punk Rock', replacing Iggy Pop's televised tirade with the sound of a motorway bridge being reduced to a pile of rubble via the screams of ear-splitting guitars and a roaring meltdown of feedback. The EP's title track, `Terminal Ocean', is however the true masterstroke of near genius. From an almost mythical combination of a truly heroic chorus that makes your insides boil with excitement and an impassioned blast of defiance, Degrassi stick two fingers up to those who say you have to compromise into a typecast formula of floor-gazing white noise technicians or cop-out chart busters. As the word on Degrassi starts to spread you'd be advised to book your place early, as it's surely only a matter of time before the industry wakes up to the new breed. 5/5
Andy Robbins

BBC Radio 1 Session in Scotland
After a significant line-up change and directional move, Edinburgh's Degrassi are now better than ever. Having received a Scottish Arts Council grant and paid for a new recording with Michael Brennan (Mogwai, Super Furry Animals etc), SL Records are putting out this 4-Track EP. Think of Idlewild's hooks, Mogwai's post-rock soundscapes and New Order's timing and synchronisation and you're approaching where the band are now coming from. Tremendous stuff.
Vic Galloway

Top Live reviews Sunday Mail Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh (08/2002)
The Edinburgh five-piece showcased songs from their Arts Council-assisted EP, Teminal Ocean, as well as another album's worth of quality material. And they didn't leave until the drum kit was demolished and their guitars had been tossed across the stage. At a time when new bands are way to keen to play it safe, it's great to see that sort of rock star behaviour again. 4/5
David Pollock

Degrassi and Cinerama July 2002
Degrassi take to The Social's cramped stage, they offer no hint of the blast of noise which they are about to create. The band look like The Long Ryders, but their music is a pleasing collision of Swervedriver, Teenage Fanclub and thrashed out rock 'n' roll. A little retro perhaps, but at least they're not The Hives. Like Cooper Temple Clause, they grab the best bits from a variety of sounds (other critics have mentioned the likes of Pink Floyd in comparison) to create a more than satisfactory whole. It's a blessed relief to find an indie band who are not afraid to Rock, and even the limp tastes of the NME generation shouldn't be enough to prevent them going on to bigger and better things.
After this slice of sonic aggression, it was no surprise to find that Cinerama were not about to play a laid back set. And the film-score. loungecore leanings of old are swept aside in favour of guitar-based music. This, alongside the fact that David Gedge has now bitten the bullet and slipped a few Wedding Present tunes into his live set, undoubtedly went down well with the faithful who had packed the venue to bursting point. A mosh pit at a Cinerama gig? Who would have expected it? Yet there it was. Not exactly of Slipknot proportions perhaps, but proof that the fans were as keen as the band to reclaim their indie rock credentials.
Notably, old and new material seemed to blend perfectly, at least for me. I'll confess I was no big Weddoes fans back in the day, and more hardened listeners have complained about the lack of 'classics' in the set, Gedge instead seeming more keen to perform later tunes from his back catalogue. But on the night, everyone seems more than happy. New songs like Health and Efficiency and Quick Before It Melts prove that Gedge can still deliver the goods, while older numbers like Corduroy still sound fresh and meet with enthusiastic approval.
An artist who has always cheerfully interacted verbally with fans at gigs, Gedge was moved to actually express surprise at the lack of heckling in the crowd. But the truth was, everyone seemed to be having too good a time - , despite a muggy sound mix and a stage too small to actually allow all the band to be seen. Cinerama might well be a disappointment to the more fanatical long term fans of Gedge and his former band... but for the uninitiated, they more than cut the mustard.
DAVID FLINT

Sunday Herald - King Tuts, Glasgow (07/2002) ..
Support comes from Edinburgh's Degrassi, one of those great bands where each member is coming from a different direction - spiky post-punk, screaming rawk, psychedelia, you name it - but who make for an utterly fascinating whole. While there's an obvious nod to Mogwai, theirs is an original sound: part Pink Floyd, part Wire, part Smashing Pumpkins with close-harmony vocals, part heads-down thrash. They're also the tallest band you'll ever see, which means I can get away with calling this a towering performance.
Simon Stuart

LaRealistica Website - Twa Tams, Perth (04/2002) ...
They played a flawless set of songs most of which will soon be heralded as cult classics. This gig also marked a debut apperence for a new edition to the bands line-up, a sampler and keyboard player who added that little something Degrassi have been missing to upgrade them from great band status to the kings of the Scottish underground music scene. Perth crowds can be rather hard to please and they have a hostile tendincy about them, not that you would know that while watching the opening half of this gig. The crowd were enthralled and applauded vehemently after every song always shouting for more. This is notonly the best time I have seen Degrassi perform but it is also one of the best gigs I have ever witnessed, matched only by Spiritualized and Death In Vegas at T in the Park. Mark my words Degrassi will be huge and I'm sure it won't be long before a big label comes along and buys out their contract at SL Records. Until then however I encourage you to buy their new E.P which is out on SL Records later this month. LaRealistica gives Degrassi 10/10.

JockRock Website - Twa Tams, Perth (09/2001)
As big as Nirvana? That's what the promoter predicts for Degrassi. Surely the tightest band never to have worked with Steve Albini, they're a flurry of jerky rhythms and powerchords, their tearaway tunes always coming to a halt just before they career into the audience.

The Metro - 13th Note Cafe, Glasgow (24/09/2001)
.... Edinburgh's Degrassi however sound like 1980's angries Black Flag throwing refridgerators into heavy garage doors. John Peel loves them, children fear them. They look like such nice boys too.
Paul Whitelaw

The List - La Belle Angele, Edinburgh (12/2000)
Degrassi flex their impressive guitar rock muscles to create an ear-assaulting barrage of white noise. Theirs is not a one-dimensional racket however, and they have a natural instinct for dynamics and rhythm which continually make your ears prick up in interest.
Doug Johnstone

Edinburgh Evening News - La Belle Angele, Edinburgh (21/07/2000)
Degrassi don't muck about. These four young local lads launched straight into some seriously noisy guitar abuse and angular shouty stuff, with sometimes impressive results. Taking their lead straight from US hardcore bands from the Eighties like Big Black, their stoppy-starty, quiet-bit-loud-bit formula is one that is tried and tested, but they still manage to stick enough of their own personality in to the sound to make it their own. Vocal duties were shared, the drummer's more tuneful approach complementing the lead guitarist's straightforward screaming-blue-murder technique. That, and some frighteningly animated leaping about made for a fairly impressive performance, and with a bit more subtlety about them, Degrassi could do seriously well for themselves in the future.
Doug Johnstone

Edinburgh Evening News (13/07/2000)
...Edinburgh-based support act Degrassi, played a great set, perfectly illustrating the difference between a band who are hungry and a band relying on past achievements.The early start time meant the crowd was a little sparse, but the others who arrived later should kick themselves as they missed the night's top entertainment. Opening with the aptly named "Riot", they proceeded to storm their way through a set of blistering numbers, delivered as ever, with all the subtlety of a truck. Degrassi are a mashed up version of Fugazi, or early Nirvana, with angst-ridden lyrics and raucous guitars which could be by Nuclear Assault, were it not for the clever interplay between the guitarists. "Malkovitch" and "Excuses" were great songs with plenty of raw emotion and power... When Leatherface first came on the scene they had the same kind of hunger Degrassi have been showing lately, but more than a decade later they are treading water.
Paul Donald

The List - The Venue, Edinburgh (17/05/2000)
Degrassi are a whole different kettle of fish. It's easy to get lost in Degrassi almost as soon as they take to the stage. Pretty soon the building was shaking and the floor vibating under the weight of their punchy post-punk groove. Keen on metal, their Pavement/Fugazi-esque pick-me ups leave the crowd transfixed. The vibe is addictive and sexy, producing the most interesting sound to come out of Edinburgh in years.
Julie Clark

The Metro - King Tut's Wah Wah Hut Preview (14/01/2002)
With a new line-up, a new single and a mini tour on the way, 2002, is set to belong to Edinburgh upstarts Degrassi. Following the departure of old singer/guitarist Stuart Turner in November, the band are evolving fast. New recruit, fiesty young bassist Tom Nicol, says: "I was a big fan, I used to jump about at their gigs. I really liked the anger in their music, I really liked the songs, they were well-structured and catchy. I'd find myself singing them for weeks on end." Within two days of his audition, he played his first gig and the band haven't looked back. With a live Peel Session lined up for February 27 and gigs in Aberdeen, Perth and London, they are about to head into Cowenbeath's SubStation - used by Mogwai and Super Furry Animals - to record their debut four-track EP, released in March on SL Records and funded by the Scottish Arts Council. The songs have yet to be decided on, but it looks likely they will focus on new material. "The sound's opened out a whole lot", says guitarist Chris Bathgate. "It's still structured but not as splintered or angular, not as overtly disciplined. There's Sonic Youth/My Bloody Valentine - type shades of sound moving over things a lot more melodic and far ranging". Drummer Michael Branagh concludes: "We are pop kids at heart in our own way. There were always tunes and melody trying to creep out of Degrassi" Vicky Davidson

The List - from "The Future Sounds of Scotland: Top 50 Best New Bands" (02/2001)
Sounds Like: Fugazi and Idlewild falling down the stairs together. While shouting a lot. Who: Formed a couple of years ago, this Edinburgh four-piece outfit have taken a nippy hardcore influence, mixed in a big bunch of disparate musical ideas and come up with something completely their own. With singing duties shared between shouty guitarist and tuneful drummer, the band mix up walls of white noise with gentler post-rocking moments. Adhering to the John Lydon ethos that "anger is an energy", Degrassi's full-on live shows are often paint strippingly impressive.

Melody Maker (08/2000)
"Noise!" Followed by "Aaarggh!". With a side order of "Grrrr!". Basically an Idlewild spattered, college-rock racket, but unimpeachably likeable and cooler than than The Fonz at a polar bear convention.
Paul Whitelaw

BBC Radio 1 Session in Scotland (07/2000)
For reference points, think Idlewild with a touch of post-rock Mogwai-isms and an especially heavy debt to, hardcore heroes, Fugazi. With melody and noise stood shoulder to shoulder, tracks like 'Riot' and 'Oscilloscope' sound to me like tunes that any Punk-Rock, guitar-loving mad-person would adore. Catch them live when you can and you'll see what I mean.
Vic Galloway