Hey!!

We're really excited that our new record is coming out on May 4th.

Big Scary Monsters will be releasing our new 6 track EP 'The Pasture, The Oil' which we recorded in January with Nick Kinnish (Jonny Truant, Youves, Architects) and mastered by Alan Douches (Mastodon, Dillinger Escape Plan, Converge, Fallout Boy).

The EP comes in a lovely little package designed by Mr Gordo and you can preorder the new record from our online store or click the cover below



What people have to say so far:

'Stunning Stuff' 8/10 - Rock Sound
'anyone else looking for a band with energy, passion, enthusiasm and a naughty streak...well look no further' 3.5/5 - Punktasic
'a brain boggling, heel hammering, good little ride' 8/10 - Die Shellsuit Die

‘The Pasture, The Oil’ is a fidgety jigsaw of sounds, styles and volume - Moderate Rock

This is a record that sounds huge, a record that was meant to be played loud and a record that rocks in a ‘massive wall of sound washing over you’ way - Tasty Fanzine


To back the release we're going on tour. We'll be doing the majority of the dates with the awesome The James Cleaver Quintet, which we're very happy about. We'll be visiting Ireland for a few shows with Blakfish too, which will be awesome, and they're also joining us for the Bham and London release gigs too.

Mr Gordo kicked out a flyer for the gigs...



Dates are:

04.05 - Birmingham, The Flapper (EP Release Party w/ Blakfish)
05.05 - Manchester, Kro Bar
06.05 - London, Old Blue Last (free entry - w/ Blakfish)
07.05 - Nottingham, The Chameleon Arts Cafe
08.05 - Huddersfield, The Parish
10.05 - Sheffield, The Harley
13.05 - Southampton, House Party
14.05 - Portsmouth, Fat Fox
15.05 - London, Hot Damn @ Purple Turtle
16.05 - Brighton, BSM showcase @ The Great Escape (free entry w/ Blakfish, This Town Needs Guns, Mutiny on the Bounty)
21.05 - Brighton, Hot Damn @ The Ocean Rooms
28.05 - Dublin, The Lower Deck w/ Blakfish 
29.05 - Cork, Cypress Avenue w/ Blakfish
30.05 - Limerick, TBA w/ Blakfish
31.05 - Derry, Sandino's w/ Blakfish
01.06 - Belfast, Lavery's w/ Blakfish

So come along and catch us in a city near you!
PS - Buy the new record else we'll be stealing your pets!!!!

SHAPES
x x x x

So what a year! We worked our balls off during our first year of Shapes, gigging as much as possible and getting round as much of the country as possible.

We want to thank all the people that have supported us in 08, mostly the people who come to watch us, and also the bands we've met along the way and the lovely promoters who've looked after us, as well as the lovely reviewers who kindly wrote good things about us.

Here's a brief account of what we got up to in 2008:

Started gigging without having fully written a set, but couldn't wait to get started.

Wrote and recorded our debut EP and released it through Godmonkey Recordings.

Took on a 2 week tour with OK Pilot.

Went on tour with Exeter's Targets

Took Conquistadors on the road for a week

Went out on tour with our good mates Blakfish

Joined the BSM Xmas tour for a few dates.

Outside of tour dates we also played some awesome shows including Rapturefest, Bonefest, Blakfish EP launch, and even took part in the BSM 5-a-side football comp with Blakfish, which was a sweaty, sicky, drunken, rowdy mess!

Now as we draw to a close of 08, we're really looking forward to 09, with a lot of exciting things in the pipeline:

We'll be recording a 5 or 6 track EP in January.

10 date tour in February.

EP release and nice big fat tour with No Kilter in May

And a few other cheeky surprises to be announced soon too.

Again, thanks for all the support and see you in 2009!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year MoFos!!!!!

Live Review
The Computers, OK Pilot, The Sycamores and Shapes
16th May 2008
Woodlane Bar – University College Falmouth
By aSH (pushtofire)
"Hi, we are Shapes and have been a band for about six months". After this introduction you could be fooled into thinking that Shapes are still polishing their act. However, if they do get any better than they were tonight then I will literally have to get on their dicks.
Their songs are comprised of many sections and include nods to bands such as Hero of 100 Fights and Meet Me in St. Louis. They are played out with a contagious energy and combined with all the time changes, this band have the ability to make you and your dance moves look ridiculous - so concentrate.
They are a huge sounding three piece and each member is a refreshingly pure, visual treat. The lyrics are sparse but that is in no way a problem, keeping up with them is enough of a challenge. Steven Bachelor cranks and throws his guitar from hand to hand and at the same time manages to play out all his guitar parts, Richard Buckley also has full command of his instrument and after confessing he is tired I am truly surprised, Gavin Filmer is a powerhouse on drums and as well as being tight as hell, he brutalises his kit.
Get Your Learn On, their new E.P, is worth ten times the £3 I paid and is a joy when seen live. Get in to Shapes – case and point.
Get Your Learn On - EP Review
Stephen Eddie - Die Shellsuit Die (15/06/08) www.dieshellsuitdie.co.uk
According to a report published at the beginning of June and lots of worried articles in the press, the number of mathematicians is decreasing at a rate we should be getting worried about. Well they should take a look at the alt. rock and indie community, because you can hardly move for clever math rockers in there at moment: Foals, Hot Club de Paris, Dananananaykoryd, This Town Needs Guns, Dartz!, Colour, and a bunch of others influenced by Minus The Bear, Meet Me In St. Louis, Cap'n Jazz and the rest. Midlanders Shapes offer up yet another take on musical number crunching.

'Get Your Learn On' is more chaotic, less controlled and, well, less mathematical than some the other bands mentioned above. Songs like 'You've Made Your Bed, Now Eat It' aren't without the crisp beats, needly guitar parts and clipped, funky basslines, but they are allowed to pretend they're in Gallows every once in a while. Or a P. Diddy song, when the chilly build up to 'Retreat, Attack!' gets jiggy at the end after being jabbed by some discordant guitars.

'Everything More Out Of Tune Than Everything Else' adds warped carnival beats to a MMISL-esque rocker (There's drummer Gavin Filmer to thank for that), and Please Will's remix brings a similar party vibe and ups the Foals factor. Despite that though, throughout 'Get Your Learn On' there are hints, such as the euphoric close of 'Yer Cold Bastard' after four minutes of otherwise familiar territory, that Shapes can really bust out of the math rock template when they want to.
7/10
Get Your Learn On EP review
Wildy's World
www.wildysworld.blogspot.com

Shapes are a progressive/punk power trio that just got together in late 2007. They already have a fair amount of touring in the UK under their belt. On Get Your Learn On, Shapes reveal themselves as the ultimate human figure, fishing stark and surprising beauty out of the fissures of imperfection.

Get Your Learn On draws on elements of Punk and Progressive Rock. I have mixed feelings about this record, as Shapes is incredibly talented as a unit, but I do not enjoy the vocals style they employ (several members talk/singing at once throughout most of the vocals of each song). For me, this distracts from the music, which is amazing.

Check out guitarist Steven Bachelor if you ever wondered what it would sound like if Steve Howe did punk rock. This guy is amazing, and will turn you in knots trying to follow what he's going. Dreams In Twisted Fuse is the absolute highlight of the album, and this is where Bachelor is at his most creative.

Overall, Get Your Learn On is a very impressive album. I don't enjoy the vocals much for the reasons I stated above, but that's not to say they may not appeal to a wider audience. The real gem here is the guitar playing of Steven Bachelor. This makes Get Your Learn On, and Shapes, a must hear.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)
Shapes - Get Your Learn On - Godmonkey
With a very natty line in cute titles (try "Everything More Out Of Tune Than Everything Else"), there's a fusion of math-rock and progressive metal in here, with room for loud shouty choruses and extremely intriquete and, I imagine, very difficult to play, Dadaist guitar solos. Ones to watch. (CM)

SubbaCultcha
By Chris Merriman

EP Review - Punktastic.com
3 / 5
'Get Your Learn On' is an incredibly dischordant and difficult listen. It twists and turns without any kind of balance, going off-kilter and into bizarre territory at the drop of a hat. The guitar work, it has to be said, is impeccable throughout, but the time changes and the way the band often descend into the downright weird doesn't always work as well as perhaps it should do. Shapes are possibly not heavy enough to get away with being totally weird and noisy, yet aren't melodic enough to make the same impact the way a band like The Mars Volta does.

That said, there are plenty of good ideas here and there are elements of songs which are fucking brilliant. The end of 'Dreams In Twisted Fuselage' is outstanding as the sqwaking of feedback and the faint backing vocal shouts create a hellish atmosphere that befits the track's name. And there are other elements of tracks which again sound top notch. But for me the band lack the consistency to thread these parts together to write whole songs which stand out in the same way. 'Retreat, Attack!' takes too long to get going, but once it does the guitar work shreds and the band sound great. But all too often something gets in the way and only parts, rather than the full song, stand out.

Shapes are a very talented unit, of that there is no doubt at all. But I'm not convinced they're at their peak yet. And when they do peak, boy are we in for a treat.