Alf: Char Grill.

Live @ The Corner runs at the Chardons Corner Hotel every Tuesday night.

    Alf are understandably a cheerful lot. The first pressing of the acoustic quartet’s single Tic Toc has just about managed to sell through it’s first pressing in mere couple of months, the video for the track is getting some airplay on Rage, got some airplay on Triple M a couple of weeks back, and to top it off they’ve been decreed the winner of the Chardons Corner Hotel’s Live @ The Corner band competition.

    “We’ve been involved in Alan’s things for the last few years on and off,” Alf’s frontman Alf explains regarding the Live @ The Corner shows. “Tuesday night was just packed, so the word’s out. There’s not many places that sell beer for $2.50 with live bands these days. They pull a good sound, he’s pretty well set up these days.”

    Despite ending up at the top of the proverbial heap last Tuesday night, Alf remains somewhat low key about the win.

    “I’m not really into competitions in the first place,” he muses, chuckling. “I’ve been roped into judging a Uni band comp last year, and they bands are just so good it’s hard to judge one as better than the other. I just didn’t want to expose my band to this sort of thing. The shows were originally done as a clap-o-meter, so the more crew you brought along to make the more noise… But Chardons Corner, you get to vote, and the punters are in the running for a bar tab and that kind of stuff. For me it’s a bit more laid back than having people come to the front of the stage and yell. I didn’t expect us to win at all, the other bands were really really good. We were stoked to have won, but I kind of felt guilty about it.”

    The Live @ The Corner gigs are being recorded as the event goes on, with the eventual goal of releasing a CD compilation of the shows.

    “That’s what I hear. It should be good. They did one a few years ago for Fret Fest, and it seems to be on of those CD that you see no matter who’s house you go to. There’s some good stuff on there. Ant McKenna’s on the old one, the new one should be good.”

    And Alf’s own CD?

    “We’ve almost sold out of the first 500. We’re just selling them at gigs for five bucks. You know, support local music. Triple M played it. I couldn’t believe it. I was chuffed. They slipped us in between The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Linkin Park.”

    Obviously very similar styled acts to Alf…

    “Definitely,” he laughs. “It’s obvious. People called me to tell me about it, and I though it was my mates taking the piss.”

    “Later on this year we’re looking at getting in and recording a long player. When we did the last singe we actually recorded four tracks and only put out two, so we’ve got a couple already done to use as B sides and stuff. We’ve got about four sets worth of material, and we’re still writing more stuff.”