From the lowest depths of the ancient underground, an audio treat for Die! Die! Die! fans unexpectedly hit Bandcamp yesterday. It’s called ‘Dominion Road Noise Control’, and it’s a 2002 demo by Rawer.
Rawer were a punky, loud, DIY three-piece with Andrew Wilson (a.k.a. AW) on guitar and Mikey Prain on drums. This makes it somewhat similar to Die! Die! Die, which is a punky, loud, DIY three-piece with Andrew Wilson on guitar and Mikey Prain on drums. Rawer was rounded out by bassist Ricky French.
‘Dominion Road Noise Control’ was dropped on social media by Die! Die! Die! yesterday:
“RAWER were a short lived project featuring Michael Prain & AW after Carriage H called it quits, and before Die!Die!Die! started in 2003. Ian Jorgensen had the only copy of our demo we recorded in August 2002. Nick Roughan kindly has remastered this song for us.”
In the Facebook thread, Ian Jorgensen (who you may know as the A Low Hum guy) replied, “Haha, I have been selfishly thrashing that demo for 25 years 😅 no idea I was the only one with a copy”. Ricky French joined the convo as well, with time having done what time does to memories: “did I play that gig?”
Presumably the only audio to have survived from Rawer’s short time together, ‘Dominion Road Noise Control’ is thumpingly heavy. Wilson’s familiar pedal-soaked style is in full effect, and the rhythm section are locked in real low. In the accompanying photo (taken in a K Road bar in 2002) Wison’s behind a microphone, but this is an instrumental track and no worse for it. All up, a clear taste of things that would come from DDD.
Not a bad surprise for a random July weekday!
