Tragedy – ‘Tragedy Goes to the Movies’

Ah, music how you inspire and create and give rise to all kinds of emotions. The best songs can take you back to a special time, make your day feel better, give you drive and all points in-between. My love of music is based on the feelings that it gives us all. Sure I love a bit of dark and brooding at times, I adore great guitar playing and melody but one thing that has always grabbed my attention is when an artist produces something that makes me smile or laugh. I still remember the first time Tragedy caught my attention when their version of “It’s Raining Men” (complete with Slayer guitar licks) crossed my path on Facebook.  Born out of the impenetrable divide of Disco and Metal, these fearsome brothers fearlessly obliterated the truce line that had been set in the great Disco/Metal Peace accord of 1977 when they seamlessly blended the two genres with their debut album, We Rock Sweet Balls and Can Do No Wrong – a collection of Bee Gees songs redone in a heavy metal treatment reminiscent of Judas Priest, Motley Crue and Guns N Roses. Since then, they have crisscrossed the globe with their spectacular live shows and having stormed across the USA, UK, Germany, Netherlands, France and Switzerland. Subsequent full length albums, Humbled By Our Greatness, Death To False Disco Metal, The Solo Albums and The Joy of Sex have seen them spread their glittered wings to take on non-Bee Gees classics from the disco era, soft rock anthems and party jams. In 2015, Tragedy broke the internet with a viral video featuring their take on You’re the One That I Want from the Grease soundtrack.  In 2017, Tragedy’s video for Stayin’ Alive broke the internet once again.

Even better, I discovered that not only were they on tour but they were planning to decimate the nearest city to where I was on holiday in the following few days. Hooked, I needed to be there and the fun and musical quality on display meant I was going to be a fan for quite some time. I mean, who wouldn’t love an All Metal Tribute to the Bee Gees and Beyond? Annual forays to the UK has meant I get a regular hit of their particular brand of musical humour which blends perfectly with the quality of playing – meaning that the music was always an equal to the “joke”. But where can you go when you have metalized pretty much the entire Bee Gees catalogue? Well, the last couple of releases saw them reach beyond disco and turn towards some 80s classics of various genres but what next? When I interviewed Mo-Royce last year he did hint at a surprise for the next album and so after eleven years and five albums of pure, glitter-soaked disco-metal, NYC’s TRAGEDY: ALL METAL TRIBUTE TO THE BEE GEES & BEYOND has turned their attention to the silver screen.  Tragedy Goes To The Movies features metal-injected takes on music from cinema classics such as Grease, 007 Skyfall, Hair, and Star Wars: Return of The Jedi.

My personal highlights on this one are the songs where you can hear the influence of various of my favourite bands being blended with pure brilliance on some classic songs from the movies. Whoever thought that it would be cool to hear what “Fame” (yes, that one) would sound like if Motley Crue played it or that Poison doing their thang with Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” would be a splendid idea is a musical genius  and when combined with the little snippets of spoken word across the album (like when Corn Mo is regaling the story of working with Dolly back in the day when people were looking at other types of metal, like “iron and hair” before the riff from Unskinny Bop” triggers the best version of “9 to 5” I’ve ever heard) just makes for  a fabulous time trawling through some of the best songs from the cinema. listen closely and you’ll hear the musical nods to other bands too – I definitely hear KISS amongst the tunes on offer

The first single is “Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In” and the accompanying video has just been released and is lots of fun. Tragedy even take the campest song in the world, “Summer Nights”, and once they have sprinkled their glitter on it have actually managed to make it less camp than the original from Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta. I mean, how is that possible? More glitter, more silly and it becomes less ridiculous? Don’t worry, it’s still funny! I always thought that “Skyfall ” was a great song and would make a great rock song – check! Tragedy do it again.

Album to be released mid-February and World Tour begins February 22.  The tour will go to UK, Belgium, France, Netherlands, Germany and USA.

You may openly love/hate disco or metal. You may secretly love/hate disco or metal… but, you will definitely love Tragedy and their bombastic mix of music, glitter and magic… so once again I implore you, get the album pre-ordered and book your tickets for the tour. I will see you at the show, I’ll be the one desperately trying to get covered in glitter – If you’re allergic to smiling be afraid… be very afraid. Tragedy sweats glitter and cums confetti!

UK TOUR DATES

FRI 22 FEB – BRISTOL – The Fleece
SAT 23 FEB – CARLISLE – The Brickyard
SUN 24 FEB – GLASGOW – Audio
MON 25 FEB – NEWCASTLE – Trillians
TUES 26 FEB – YORK – Fibbers
WED 27 FEB – BILSTON/WOLVERHAMPTON – The Robin 2
THUR 28 FEB – MANCHESTER – Rebellion
FRI 1 MARCH – NEWPORT – The Neon
SAT 2 MARCH – LONDON – The Lexington