Is blond

Is very much a "Grr" man

Could have you

Likes Atomic Kitten

In the pink corner: Andy "Grr" Burley

Atomic Kitten are fantastic!

Hello dear readers. I have been given the thankless task of musing upon one of the most controversial topics of the universe (ok then, the forum, but it's still a hot topic). From the general tone of the forum, methinks that I will be in a definite minority when I say that I like Atomic Kitten. I've even seen them in concert. Let me explain further.

Atomic Kitten are a feel-good group - you listen to their music, and, whilst it's not going to change the world, it's fun and uplifting. There are always those who protest about groups being generic and manufactured and complain about the state of the music industry and how they aren't proper musicians. The fact is though that they have never pretended to be. In the same vein as Steps (who are also fantastic) these people are entertainers, and yes, whilst they may not have the best voices in the world, does it really matter? Music is about expressing emotions, and being made to feel things as a result of it. Pop, whether manufactured or whatever you want to call it, is excellent at doing this. AK are fun, and have never pretended to be anything else. To listen to their songs, it makes you feel good. Besides, who should judge what is valid music? If a pop song makes someone happy, then it's achieved something, which, let's be honest, is getting more difficult in a world of doom and gloom. Pop is just as valid as any other type of music, and I shall defend its merits to anyone who dares to oppose me (and let me tell you, the evening sparrow can be quite vicious when provoked about pop).

Atomic Kitten are producing new music, and this is getting increasingly rare. I know that Eternal Flame is a cover, but it is a highly catchy one and well done at that. This is not to demean the original, but the new one is different and does add something to the song.

There are, of course other reasons why AK are excellent. Moreover, following a suggestion by Mr Beusch, it is important to note that "They sing about sex.......which is nice! :)" (Beusch, 2001). I think that I can let this speak for itself. People have talked about the joys of spontaneous combustion whilst they are on stage, or shooting them, or a them being a corruption of the arts, but really this is just reveals quite how fiendish and twisted some members of the forum are! Besides, as Danny pointed out, if Matt and Daniel could do any better then we'd eat a comically over-sized horse!

I hope this sorts some of you out, and if not then come to Warwick and I shall deal with you most severely (I can be highly grrr when I have to be). Long live Atomic Kitten - HooRAH!!!!!

No, Atomic Kitten are rubbish!

In recent forum discussions it has come to light that there are mixed opinions towards the group Atomic Kitten. Well when I say mixed opinions what I mean is Andy against the rest. The first note that should be clarified is the terms. Many people address Atomic Kitten as a band, since they DO NOT! play their own instruments then here is one of the major flaws often made in today's society. Thus we should start by clarifying they are a group, and I use this term loosely. Can we really label a trio of females - and lets take nothing away from them they are very fine females - who have mastered the art of miming as talented? No surely we cannot, and for the sake of the future status of English bands/groups we must make a stand. It is for this reason we officially reject the claims that Atomic Kitten can sing, we officially reject they have talent, beyond the biological, and we officially reject that they should ever enter the charts. You see it is quite clear, we are not rejecting them as a group for our own selfish gain but for the sake of humanity, and the maintanence of England as a respectable society.

Any group who makes a cover version of a song originally crafted by the Bangles of all people, and then continues to degrade themselves further by doing a worse job of remixing the song than original, really should not be proud of anything they achieve. It is truly shocking that based upon the sales of a few copies to adolescent females, this group can appear popular. Well it is time to say STOP! No longer can such groups con the market, can you imagine Atomic Kitten singing at Reading, NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The mere fact that this article is under construction shows the lack of talent for such a band. I am a fairly open minded person, who is willing to admit that such groups as Steps, Westlife, and Sclub7 are reasonable outfits. Steps show a mix of emotions in their songs whilst appealing to a wide range of age groups, whilst granted Westlife may appeal mainly to a similar market as Atomic Kitten, the simple fact that they do not place causes in contracts, which state they will not be asked to do random improvisational singing -unlike a certain group- at least shows a natural vocal ability. Thus we can at least pay some tribute to Westlife, whether we like their style of music or not. As for Sclub7 we have all been drunk in Top Banana and found Sclub7 come on and everyone begins to dance wildly. Their songs may not be to my personal taste but they are lively and you do find yourself feeling cheerful and Summery when their songs are played. This simply is not the case with Atomic Kitten. None of the above applies, and for the sake of fairness I have found myself searching the globe for proof that I may be wrong. Having nothing to do now, I have trecked for miles, ploughed through many documents, suffered many a paper cut, and YES!!! I have found absolutely NOTHING!!! which suggest my theory is incorrect. Sorry if this causes you distress Andy, and results in you going crazy and diving for your Atomic Kitten CD, in denial. But the cold hard facts, have shown that Atomic Kitten never sing spontaneously, nor can they succeed in the Adult market, having shown via the forum that Andy is the freak statistic in this rule, and the truth is that the only place for Atomic Kitten in the public eye is in FHM, or as back up vocalists for a real group or band. "Atomic Kitten", more like "Timid Pussycats".

"...these people are entertainers, and yes, whilst they may not have the best voices in the world, does it really matter?*"

* No, not at all. And I think Atomic Kitten can all sing /marvellously/, darling.

Is blond

Is very much a "Grr" man

Could have you

Hates Atomic Kitten

.Matt on Andy's bit

Or, in other words, Matt sits on the fence for a bit.

There's actually a number of interesting issues here. Andy's article contains, amongst others, the following points:

1. Although Atomic Kitten are more performers than musicians, they happen to also make music which expresses emotions.

2. Therefore Andy likes Atomic Kitten because they make him feel happy.

These points I'm fine with. What I do have more difficulty in grasping is Andy's subsequent two remarks: "Atomic Kitten are producing new music, and this is getting increasingly rare", and "if Matt and Daniel could do any better then we'd eat a comically over-sized horse!".

Firstly: how is the production of new music getting increasingly rare? I'd say that, after the whole 80's revival/Britpop cover period of the mid 1990s, bands are now increasingly putting out new music in a range of cross-influencing styles. There's nu-metal, hip-hop, R+B, all influencing each other and influencing pop. So not sure I agree there.

Secondly: if I could do better at what? Looking like an attractive female? As Dan goes on to point out, this is more due to genetics and production than talent. How about doing better at being musical? Well, I know that I could probably play certain musical instruments just as well as the lovely Atomic Kitten, if not the singing bit. And here we come to what I think Andy (and, bizarrely, Danny) mean: Atomic Kitten do what they do very well. And what they do is sing a few feel-good songs, entertain people, and make them feel better about themselves. Fair point.

.Matt on Dan's bit

These colours hurting your eyes yet? Thought so.

Dan's article also brings up a number of key dichotomies:

Groups/performers vs. Musicians/Artists

Like vs. Dislike

Therefore, to conclude, I guess that it's important not to dismiss Atomic Kitten just because you don't like the music they produce, just as it's narrowminded to dismiss Radiohead because "they whine a lot". But there are important distinctions between the two which mean that these aforementioned bands need to be dealt with quite differently.

Atomic Kitten are performers, sure. They're also a fun, lighthearted, uncomplicated band. They're not going to do anything that's gonna confuse or alienate their target group, because their main aim is to sell copy. But this doesn't mean that, because their artistic motivations are perhaps seen as less valid, the end result they produce is somehow less worthwhile. Atomic Kitten are just as capable as cooking up a good tune as Radiohead or Limp Biskit are; it's just the way they go about doing it that's different. But it's still interesting that certain groups of people like certain types of music...

So, yes, you're both right. Well what did you expect? Get someone who isn't going to sit on the fence to write a conclusion if you want radicalness.