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&1{ls.f.,.'.J mK#f,ffiffiffiftffi$fitffifi|ffiit 'i''r oes it sourd really codq/ to say that we thought

.r,j BeHast deserued a decent rock band?" asls Blacl< searSaloon's not-even-slightly codqr singcr Aaron Abernethy.

If he is guilty of something though, it's the charge of

Salmn have dragged drent dowr a dark alley, chinnedit and rmted tluough its p{xkets for change. lhe realquestion is: does Beltast really desewe a decent rmk band?

Il you check out any of the lcral music-certric club nislrts,ban or venues you will be ludg, to heal a single guitarstnmned in anger these days. Within the la-st cw yars, ourmusic has become satuated with ldentikit hordes of fetplirnsoll and tlainpipe borcs who spend more time on theirhair than tbey do learning how to play. In lxcoming king,the indie thing has gotten so tedious and repetitive it s(msthat an)thing with a clisco beat and a jeky guita riff is hailedas he N** B** T*.

Black Bear Salmn aren't going to be the next big thing -they .il'e]1t tying to be - but if you go to see hem live orcheck out their musig they ceftainly wo t sell you shott.Belfast may not have desewetl good rock music lately but inthis curmt abyss of crcative stasnatior! the need for somebar chords and balls, has never been more selfryident.

'Mafrwe're out of touch with what people want to htr,"Aarcn slxu$, unaonvincingJy. "But I still think there s aheaving rrndertrlly of kids that iust want huge rifls, big drumsand hoolq'chorures, all delivered by Mm Wlth Beards'."

The problen-r this palticular band of Men With Bads face s,kids here rent rmently accustomd to gettingtheir rocktlflls ftorn aroundthe mrnu, whid] isnot su'lrisingwhmyou consider the startliryl fact that lhe averagegig-Soing 18year old in Bclfust was barely out of nappies whm -Iherapy?famously playal'lbp Of The Pops. Since dren, there hasn'trmlly lleen any Northem noisnik to inqpl and emulate.Black Bear Salon - whose lineup is completed by gt itadstPetr Mccavery (fl-Element), drummerMike Bar andbassistRurrell Crookes (both fotmoly of Thmat) - are hoping they

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Peter M

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can dla]lge that,leading aresurgencef1oud, brasivesoundsandprove hatrock sn't afour-letterword.

'lve'd love toget as manyrock ars dor*n toour gigsasposible,butthe curse falllocalbandss ocalpeople 'aren't hat intrested,Aaron sighs.WeVesold armore track viaourwebsile o people T,'in Fnsland and Canada than here soyouhaveto gofurthera-field.2010 s going lf'!to beaboutgettingotrt of Belfast smuch asposible."Thank to their thirst or aI tl-ringsechnologicalBlackBearSaloonare hat mrcstofbreeds: rockbandwith flieir shittogether, oastingan enviablyexlnustiveonline presence neveri,thing tom M$pace to Faceboo\ -ast.fin,Bandcampand Twitter. fs all aboutgiving hernselveshe bestpossiblechanceof gettingaheadof the comptition and buildingtheirfun basen a natual, organicwayoutsideof playinggigs.Natually nough, twas this spirit hat sparkedhe idea ortheir n-the-wor1