James Christie: Mock Q Magazine Review (2012)

This was something I had been wanting to do for a while for my good friend Jim; we were at college together and played in a band, Niche, for a couple of years. While my ‘skills’ on the bass lapsed in the intervening years, Jim continued playing guitar and added the bass and bontempi organ to his repertoire. He also purchased an eight track recorder that meant he could demo new songs and put together mini EPs from time to time. Finally though Jim went the whole hog and got together a collection of songs that he recorded – with the help of our former band mate and drummer Paul Portinari (and others) at a recording studio. The subsequent pressing, James Christie, contained eight new songs such as ‘Hypnotise Me’, ‘School’, ‘Escalator Groove’ and ‘Duncan McKenzie’. All it needed now was a review!; we both used to buy Q magazine religiously in the 90s, so it seemed the obvious choice of style to try and replicate. The reviewer’s name, Terry Hazell, references an imaginary rock and roll character we used to joke about during the time of the band. The ‘review’ was printed on photographic paper and framed as a birthday present.