OUCH! 
C U R R E N T  A L B U M  F R O M

THE BAND

SMALL DOGS BITE are highly entertaining, energetic, colourful, flamboyant and original. Having met in 2018, the band from the Forest of Dean released their first album in 2019, titled OUCH! Is it Jazz? Is it Rock? With the Dogs, the two meet to great effect: many genres of modern music are combined in a seamless display of technical wizardry with catchy sing-along choruses – not something you find every day.
 
Dig a little deeper and you’ll find that many Small Dogs songs are more than a musical statement. The lyrics deal with modern day angst and worry; observations about the small things in life that affect us all, day to day. The Dogs’ video, Angry, shows the frustrations and failures of modern life - things are never right. What can you do? Oh yeah: get angry!
 
The musical background to all this musing is born from playing rock and jazz in several bands over many years. These guys are skilled – no doubt about it – and have a drive and energy that belies their years. Rock clubs, jazz clubs, treading the boards around the country (indeed the world) has bought these three together to create a unique sound – think perhaps a cross between XTC and Ian Dury. Oh, and they do some mean covers too – stuff you'll enjoy from the 80s and 90s, but things you won't hear many bands playing! Enjoy!

Mike Edwards

BASS GUITAR & LEAD VOCALS
Poet, pilot, musician and performance artist, Mike is the lyricist of Small Dogs Bite. Now with a free rein to write and perform as he has always wanted, Mike's characters inhabit a surreal world that reflects real-life. From a Dickensian 'Mr Angry', the trials of modern life, problems with social media, to just simply being lonely, welcome to his weird and wonderful world brought to life with a post-punk, jazz-tinged fusion that rocks nevertheless. 

Tim Buckmaster

LEAD GUITAR
Fast, fluid, dynamic, and tight are features of Tim's guitar playing. From rock to jazz, all the influences are there and used to significant effect, providing an animated framework for Mike's lyrics. Post-punk influences abound, giving the whole band a contemporary, dynamic and fun sound that best sums up Small Dogs Bite! 

Hoppy and Jim Dunkley

DRUMS 
We’re currently touring using two alternative drummers, both of who pull the band together with their extensive experience. Hoppy or Jim rise to the challenge, driving the sound along while switching styles and beats in a fast-moving groove, all with a skill that looks effortless. It’s fun; it’s danceable, and it’s probably slightly mad.

THE MUSIC

Our numbers are a mix of new Edwards/Buckmaster collaborations, novel takes on several of Mike Edwards' original numbers played in Rigadoo, and Tim Buckmaster's original back catalogue from the R 'n' R Band. We've been likened to Ian Dury, XTC, Squeeze, Buzzcocks and even King Crimson — our songs usually tell a story of our times and give you something to think about! We also play some natty cover versions from the catalogues of Ian Dury, Peter Gabriel, Gary Numan, XTC and similar artists.
 
We published our debut album, OUCH! in the summer of 2019 and it's available for streaming or download from Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, Deezer and several other streaming services.


We've published two music videos featuring tracks from OUCH! (see below) and you can also play excerpts from three tracks, just to give you a feel of how we sound.

 

We've been interviewed and played on numerous radio stations including BBC Radio Gloucester, BBC Radio Bristol and various internet stations internationally. Our local radio station, Dean Radio (www.deanradio.co.uk) have been playing several tracks since February 2019 and we continue to drop in for chats and wacky sessions with them.

 

Now in 2022, we're in the process of recording our second album (for now named “Doomed!”) which will continue the rich creative vein we’ve been going at since we started. Four tracks have been completed so far. More news later ...


BUY our first CD 'OUCH!': 
£10.00 including postage.
OUCH! 
Original tracks:
1. Angry
2. Why Do I Sit 
3. Small Dogs Bite
4. Bitter Wind
5. What You Don't Know (Won't Hurt You)
6. Watching the Sun Go Down 
7. Count Me Out
8. I Don't Feel (Afraid)
9. Back To The City
10. Elephant in the Room
11. Whole Lotta Boots

WATCH, WHY DO I SIT:
From ‘OUCH!' – the new album from Small Dogs Bite
Animation by SPR Designs

WATCH, ANGRY:
From ‘OUCH!’ – the new album from Small Dogs Bite.
Video by Vivid Colour Studios

LISTEN to three edited tracks from ‘OUCH!’ ...
(Angry/Why Do I Sit/Small Dogs Bite)

HEAR us on the radio:
We've had plays recently on: Dean Forest RadioBBC Radio Bristol, Radio WigwamValley FM, and Party Central Radio. And we're being heard around the world too: Banks Radio (Australia), KB Radio (California) and Radio Tordenskrall (Norway). Listen out for Small Dogs Bite and let us know where you heard us!  

THE GIGS

Gigs you've missed:
 
07.05.19  |  Bristol |  The Fleece
06.07.19  |  Drybrook  |  Yud Candy Festival
14.07.19  |  Coleford  |  Music Festival
30.08.19  |  Worcester  |  The Marrs Bar
15.09.19  |  Bristol  |  The Fleece
16.10.19  |  Bristol  |  The Thunderbolt
07.02.20  |  Gloucester  |  Guildhall

Then we had Lockdown, so we've all missed: 

03.07.20  | Ruislip | The Tropic At Ruislip 
24.09.20  | Scotland | Edinburgh Fringe
02.10.20  | Skegness | Great British Alternative Music Festival

More recently, we've been let out again: 

19.02.22 | Cinderford | Nags Head 
09.04.22 | Coleford | The Feathers 
22.04.22 | Cinderford | The Golden Lion 
30.04.22 | Coleford | The Angel Inn
01.05.22 | Berry Hill | GLOBEFEST (with Free Beetroots)
28.05.22 | Cinderford | Nags Head
17.06.22 | Ross-on-Wye | King Charles
02.07.22 | Ely | Mad Hatters Festival
27.08.22 | Coleford | The Feathers
29.08.22 | Berry Hill | Cooperfest
07.10.22 | Cinderford | The Golden Lion
02.12.22 | Cinderford | The Golden Lion

DON'T whatever you do miss us next time.

THE GALLERY

Pics from 7 February 2020, Gloucester Guildhall, with John Otway and Wild Willy Barrett

THE NEWS

Small Dogs Bite and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 

Small Dogs Bite were due to present their stage show, “What’s All That About Then” at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2020.  Following Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions, we are now reviewing and indeed re-writing the show.  We hope to reschedule, most probably in 2023. Mike and Tim team up with Seb Farrell (Director) and Mike Mullan (Writer/Actor) in a celebration of Shakespeare’s Seven Ages of Man; the pastoral speech by Jaques from As You Like It. Mixing live music and spoken word, they present the journey through the seven stages of man, via a mid-life crisis. But this is no depressing tale – wacky, offbeat thoughts combine with smart, high energy, rib-tickling songs as they urge you to take your daily dose of nutrients, tackle fear and drudgery, and manage anger episodes with a stiff upper lip. And why does a Polar Bear dominate the storyline? The band’s songs are already praised for their originality and energy – but for now, just wait for this small drama on the greatest stage of them all. 


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