Top 30 Albums of 2021
30. Maximo Park – Nature Always Wins
Seven albums ion and, the North East gang can still find innovative ways of making their introvert pop music come alive.
29. The Umbrellas – The Umbrellas
The beauty of Jetstream Pony and the pop majesty of the Bangles. Truly joyous!
28. Jackson Browne - Downhill From Everywhere
The maestro proves he still has hearts to melt and thoughts to provoke in his twilight years.
27. Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
All the potential has come to fruition. This is an artist approaching the peak of their powers.
26. Blue Orchids – Speed The Day
Warped Stranglers-esque bangers about the future. What more could you want?
25. The Other Ones – The Other Ones
Intelligent, raw, and emotive, it doesn't just tick all boxes, it shatters them! (Full review)
24. The Catenary Wires – Birling Gap
Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey writing partnership have matured to career-high. A great sense of Englishness comes from their folk meets indie splendour.
23. La Luz – La Luz
The fuzz, the funk, the wizardry. More, please!
22. The Shop Window – The State of Being Human
The excitement, hope, and splendor of Blur’s ‘Modern Life Is Rubbish’ is reimagined via the Roses, Ride, and Teenage Fanclub.
21. The Stan Laurels – There Is No Light Without Dark
From The Shins to Housemartins to Edwyn Collins, John Lathrop’s 4th album under this guise is riddled with great pop sensibilities.
20. David Long & Shane O’Neill – Moll & Zelis
Long and O'Neill's life-long connection has burrowed through the inhuman aspects of technology to really connect musically. (Full review)
19. Mogwai - As The Love Continues
Right in the slot of what makes them great!
18. Paul Weller – Fat Pop
Another lockdown (mostly) written album. Weller manages to channel his inner Baxter Dury and Erland & The Carnival on yet another fine album.
17. Billy Bragg – The Million Things That Never Happened
The best album from the Barking songwriter since 2008’s ’Mr Love & Justice. A heartfelt exploration of modern politics, letting go of the past, and parking cynicism to the back of the mind.
16. Ian M Bailey – Songs to Dream Along To
The heart and soul of CSN, The Byrds, and REM are reawakened here. With help from Daniel Wylie, he manages to conjure endless rays of sunshine.
15. Robert Plant & Allison Krauss - Raise The Roof
The follow-up to 2007’s masterpiece ‘Raising Sand’ doesn’t hit the same highs but, their connections remain as authentic, challenging, and romantic as ever.
14. A Smyth - Last Animals
‘Last Animals’ is awash with the characteristics of great songwriters past and present. Perhaps, at times his vocals don’t find their distinct voice but, to tales this good, does, should, anyone care? (Full review)
13. The Coral – Coral Island
The double album should have been condensed into one truly great one. However, it’s impossible to deny the scouse bands pedigree as they approach their 20th anniversary.
12. For Those I Love – For Those I Love
Despite the specificity of David Balfe’s grief and portrayal of Belfast, his songwriting pertains to a universality opening the album up to all.
11. Desperate Journalist - Maximum Sorrow
An album written in lockdown had the potential to be a lacklustre album from the tour bus; insular and lacking intelligent exploration. Not here, not Desperate Journalist. Every word is packed with vitriol and torment, and despatched with wit, intelligence, and charm. (Full review)
10.. Daniel Wylie - Atoms and Energy
No matter the mood or subject, Wylie can pivot to a happier sonic and thus, allows each song to develop greater depth and value. (Full Review)
9. Fightmilk – Contender
It will bash your soul, break your heart and patch you up mentally, emotionally, and intellectually better than ever! (Full Review)
8. The Reds, Pinks and Purples – Uncommon Weather
Joy and devastating pain collide on this glorious windswept album. The pain of The National is taken for walk Elliot Smith and c86 and the results are sublime.
7. Jarvis Cocker – Chansons d ’Ennui Tip-Top
Billed as the comparison art piece to Wes Anderson’s latest film ‘The French Dispatch’, Cocker has conjured pure majesty on his album of French pop covers.
6. Damon Albarn – The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows
His second album touches nature with the isolation of lockdown. So pure is its connection with his surroundings, even Bon Iver will wonder how it was done.
5. Afflecks Palace – What Do You Mean It’s Not Raining
So many have striven to be like the greats, Afflecks have found space in their slipstream on this debut. How soon they can overtake remains to be seen but, their destiny clearly lies alongside them at least! (Full review)
4. Bobby Gillespie, Jenny Beth, and Primal Scream – Utopian Ashes
This achingly beautiful delve into a fictional failed marriage is laced with southern soul, Emmylou, and a vulnerability so stark that, you’ll be lost from note one.
3. David Crosby – For Free
After various health scares, Crosby is unsurprisingly reflective mood. The results are astonishing as he turns his soul inside out.
2. The Institutes - Coloseums
This album’s spirit is nothing short of heroic. Its quality vastly towers over its peers. (Full review)
1. James – All Colours of You
Locked inside, missing the death of a parent, the soul should have been crushed. It could have been the end for this illustrious band. However, through the grief and the agony, they have produced a benchmark-setting album. Few can say they have ever laid their soul this bear with such poignant poetry.
4 People Done Good
The Scottish legends set out to celebrate their 25th anniversary in 2020. So, befittingly for this pandemic, it was during their twenty-sixth year that they eventually managed to perform at Electric Brixton.
In the pantheon of rock music, much is made of moments when raw, angst-ridden bands tear down the status quo and smash the big red button to restart everything. However, Idlewild are rarely (if ever) talked about in this context. In 1998, the rock ‘n’ roll pendulum had swung back to the states as Quasi weaved distorted magic on ‘Featuring Birds’ and Sparklehorse shone with ‘Good Morning Spider’. Back in Blighty, Embrace and Shed Seven took big shots at Oasis’ diminished crown. North of the border though, Idlewild stuck two fingers up to the world with their Fugazi via REM ‘Hope Is Important’. No one spoke to teenagers as they did on that; especially on ‘100 Broken Windows’ in 2000.
The 1991 Levellers track ‘The Road’, Mark Chadwick sings: “The words that you heard when you were young will always stay / The One’s that always stay make the world go away.”
Never a truer word spoken than when Idlewild revisited these early days.
Roddy may not be able to hit his vocal rage, but accompanied by their bass hero Bob Fairfoull, the crowd can screech “dissatisfied”; snarl “no”; and bark “shapes” with youthful ferocity!
The teens of ‘Hope is Important’ were coming of age on ‘100 Broken Windows’ and could see the decay of Rule Britannia in the rear-view window, whilst sneering at the cheap horse-shit sandwich of Nu-Metal. So, it was a truly special moment when Idlewild became a headline act with ‘The Remote Part’ and ‘Warnings/Promises’. A snapshot in time, perfectly encapsulated by the Brixton fans. The crowd-unifying rendition of ‘Love Steals us From Loneliness’ and raucous reaction to the all-out attack of ‘A Modern Way of Letting Go’.
There is still life left in this unique beast of a band. Rod Jones can still catch fire on ‘Dream Variations’ and find new ways of invigorating their take on REM in ‘Interview Music’. Roddy’s foray into folk music has infiltrated the band and kept their horizons broadening and heartfelt.
Here’s to another 25 years.
Brits & Pieces 2
Last autumn, Marc Rossiter breathed some much-needed life back into the UK rock ‘n’ roll scene with his debut compilation album. In the bleak winter months, those songs were the chink of light needed to get us through.
Now, with normality looming and better still, gigs firmly on the horizon, he is back with the second edition of Brits & Pieces. After hours of agonising, here is our top five of what is, eighteen fine singles:
5. The Voyd – Get Away
“I am not the one you want / I am not the one you want / but my dear, let’s get far away from here”
Unrequited love has never sounded this great. The sheer ecstasy of this chorus is astonishing considering the rejection at play. Every indie lad has been Simon Thomas to Carly Di Mato and here, the anthem those hilarious tragic days resides.
Guitar licks from the escapist dreams of Gazelle and The Rifles’ are delivered with perfection on this rasping anthem.
4. The Underclass – One
‘One’ is the fourth single from the Stoke outfit. Its heart is everything and for that alone, will see them thousands of fans for life. The heartfelt lyrics combine with a surge towards forever with the guitars and production. When people ask why we attend gigs and throw our arms aloft, this is your new answer.
3. The Outcharms - (Who’s Making You) Smile?
What begins as homage to 00s indie-rock rapidly leaves town and searches for something new. In a similar vein to Stanleys, they poetically meander their streets looking for life and love. It is, however, their defiance that sets them apart. The restart of guitars and spoken word ignites the spark that the crashing drums and the Roses’ psyche touches send flickering to the heavens.
2. Staarks – Another Lover
Hailing from Amersham, Staarks are sowing the seeds of something special here. Their brand of lo-fi garage pop-punk is as raucous as it is infectious. Frontwoman Anna Brissimitzakis has a unique energy. Aloof but present, cool but not bothered, she somehow outshines these astonishingly good riffs.
1. The Rosadocs - Say Something
The intro to The Walkman’s ‘The Rat’ catches fire and, from the flames, rises a joyous blend of Twisted Wheel’s ‘Lucy the Castle’ and ‘You Stole the Sun’.
What sets this apart from the aforementioned is its heart. A ginormous love-filled heart! This is rock ‘n’ roll for the new generation. Smarter and more socially aware than any previous, they offer a helping hand to anyone and everyone who is struggling. All the while, they never lose sight of escapist dreams and selling out huge gigs. No one is veer writing this band off as “lad rock”. Too pure, too caring, and too great!
Top 30 of 2020
It’s too easy to say 2020 has been rubbish. It has, of course, it has, but, musically, it tossed out some albums to cherish like any other year.
With nowhere for new scenes to thrive, it seems fitting that so many icons returned in 2020 to throw a comfort blanket around us all. Put the turkey sarnie down and tuck into our favourite top 30 albums of the year:
30. Siracuse - Forever
Escapist, volatile and integrity will keep you coming back to ‘Forever’. Especially those moments where their identity is at its murkiest. Hope is born in those tracks that, if they can clarify their own vision, then something truly great lies ahead.
29. Backinhumanform - Backinhumanform
This is a fine debut, one that deserves to propel Clarke onto bigger stages at Green Man and End of the Road style festivals.
28. Ryan Adams - Wednesdays
Despite his tumultuous personal life, Adams continues to deliver goods. Not near the special level of ‘Prisoners’ but, he is in a solid groove!
27. The Courteeners – More. Again. Forever
The Middleton underdogs yet again proved their headline status is not going anywhere. The seeds of reinvention have budded; a bright future lies ahead.
26. The Spitfires
The mod outfit has found a carnival spirit on their fourth album. The death-defying anthems have faded into vibrant Notting Hill floor fillers.
25. Levellers - Peace
They folk-rock warriors just keep soldiering on. Lyrically, it’s astute and on point as they have ever been. Short of ‘Levelling The Land’ but, on par with ‘Levellers’ and ‘Zeitgeist’.
24. Sandra’s Wedding – Frame Yourself
Once you free your mind of the Heaton comparisons, and you will, ‘Frame Yourself’ will continue to enthral. There are moments when The Popguns enchanting love affair arises and splices of Billy Bragg’s self-effacing soul music to be admired. The drama and comedy on display, are the musical equivalent of an Irvine Welsh novel, Jez Butterworth plays, and Alan Clarke TV drama. You must embrace this album!
23. Moses – Almost Everything is Bullshit
For anyone who hasn’t been on their journey yet, this album will serve you well. A raucous and often turbulent journey, but never without hope. As madness festers, let them guide you back to the light.
22. Pia Fraus – Empty Parks
Scintillating and sexy from the get-go. An exuberant explosion of technicolour, enticing all and sundry to stand shoulder to shoulder against all of this planet’s ills.
21. Stick In The Wheel – Hold Fast
The hard-hitting London duo continues to hone their spiky folk music with another intense affair.
20. Sam Lee – Old Wow
Lee’s third album sees Bernard Butler producing (and guesting) with a stunning appearance from Elisabeth Fraser. This is folk music at it’s atmospheric best.
19. The Blinders - Fantasies Of A Stay At Home Psychopath
The world needed The Blinders angst in 2018. In 2020, with nuance almost extinct, they have begun to sew the fabric of society together again with this eclectic blend.
18. Laura Marling – Songs For My Daughter
For the first time in Marling’s glittering career, she has transcended folk music. The roots remain, but, the beauty of it all is mesmeric. Marling is an icon already but now, she has joined the elite of Mitchell, Young, Denny and Browne.
17. Exploding Flowers – Stumbling Blocks
With the heart of the Wannadies and adventure of Theatre Royal, this is the indie surprise of the year. Uplifting ear to ear grinning stuff.
16. Red Rum Club - The Hollow Of Humdrum
The brass led Scouse band delivered an urgent and vital second album. Anthems galore, it’s a thrill seeker to behold.
15. Fred Deakn - The Lasters
Fred Deakin, one half of the legendary Lemon Jelly, returned with his first solo project. Not willing to put out tried and tested Lemon Jelly-esque material, Deakin has produced ‘Fred Deakin Presents The Lasters’, a masterful Sci-Fi concept album.
14. Twisted Wheel - Satisfying The Ritual
Twisted Wheel’s journey has been a roller coaster for the past 12 years. On this showing, it shows no signs of slowing down but, mercifully, it is on a deserved incline towards glory.
13. Nada Surf – Never Not Together
In their own distinct way, they have re-imagined the New Order lyrics “it’s called love and somehow it’s become unmentionable” for 2020. It’s ok to be lost, things will get better Nada Surf around.
12. Thousand Yard Stare - The Panglossian Momentum
The Slough underdogs return peaked with their first new album for twenty-eight years. Blending their youths with a wiser and broader outlook, they have hit upon some truly special moments
11. Candy Opera – Patron Saints of Heartache
The first album from the cult Scouse indie heroes. My word was it worth the wait. Exceptional storytelling meets great pop music!
10. Badly Drawn Boy – Banana Skin Shoes
It’s hard, as a fan, to discern why anyone would take ten years off from their day job. This is why. Reinvigorated, Gough has examined his relationships and what they mean with remarkable integrity. He doesn’t need another Mercury Music Award, they, however, need him.
9. Bugeye Ready Steady Bang
Often, debut albums are a myriad of influences and a sign of what is to come. Bugeye though, having been touring places like the Astoria since 1999. Despite the long hiatus, they have hit an undeniable groove that DM’s are begging to stomp along to.
8. The Avalanches - We Will Always Love You
Star studied appearances light up the Australians third album. It’s a sun-kissed memory of your favourite summer.
7. Cornershop - England is a Garden
National fucking treasures! Their eclectic brand of soul music continues to light up a nation in turmoil. Buy this record, expand your horizons and fall head over heels in love with Cornershop!
6. The Wolfhounds – Electric Music
A career-defining performance from the Essex outfit. The UK’s dystopian nightmare laid bare powerfully, violently and melodically. Genius.
5. Doves - The Universal Want
Arguably their best work to date. They’ve come back emotionally charged with mesmeric guitars. Goodwin’s vocals are a guiding light to the promised land.
4. Tom Clarke – Making Plans For Nigel
People questioned whether Clarke had the creative chops for a) solo career b) a concept album. They should be choking on their hats right about now. This album solidifies what Enemy fans always knew.
His incredible vocal range has been taken for a walk with brilliant characterisation. Nigel, the star of ‘Be Somebody’ is revisited ten years on to stunning effects.
3. Asylums – Genetic Cabaret
The new normal has become a phrase of late. If this album is theirs, the world has new heroes. Vitriolic, defiant, and unifying, Asylums are not their yet but, they've got a monumental stride towards a masterpiece.
2. Theatre Royal – Portraits
Five albums in, they show no signs of fatigue. The hooks keep coming, even Johnny Marr must be thinking “slow down a bit lads”. They instantly forge a path to your heart, but, the key to them is the depth of meaning. Their tales of British life bring the grit and wit of the big screen to life and prove, a working-class hero is still something to be.
1. Paul Weller - On Sunset
The Modfather has tapped into the crispness of the Style Council’s ‘It Didn’t Matter’ and ‘Can You Still Love Me’ and his archetypal enriching soul music to produce yet another masterpiece. On par with his debut, ‘Stanley Road’ and ’22 Dreams’, but, stylistically innovating away from his soul nucleus. There is no stopping him!
Top 10 EPs 2020
EPs, much like the start of Spring, offer more excitement than albums. It’s the little offshoots green that flood the senses with dreams and hope. No matter the circumstances of 2020, the creative spirit just keeps on keeping on.
Here are our 10 favourites of 2020:
10. Yellow Melodies – Sunshine Pop
From Del Shannon to Scott Walker to the fledgling days of The Wolfhounds, The Yellow Melodies continue to light up the past with a new vibrancy.
It should come as no surprise that ‘C86 e Indiepop’ is the EP’s standout moment. Forever indebted to that era, they summon the punchy freedom of ‘Anti-Midas Touch’, the adorableness of ‘Part Time Punks’, and the engaging defiance of ‘E102’.
9. Fast Blood – Fast Blood
Newcastle’s Fast Blood blew the doors off with their debut EP this year.
‘You’ is a joyride of punk from the anthemic locker of Von Bondies and Descendants. The viscous garage rock guitars are a joyously savage assault on the senses.
Meanwhile, ‘Milo’ showcased an ability to bare their soul to the sound of Idlewild and The Pixies.
8. Come At The King Take To The Streets
London trio Come At The King returned in November with their best work to date.
A fluidity and unifying spirit permeated their natural talent for aggressive garage rock. A huge step up!
7. Yard Arms – Sanctuary Arms
Take note of this band now, for soon, they will be icons on bedroom walls!
The effortless majesty of ‘Matra’ will blow away contempt for 2020. Meanwhile, ‘These Four Walls’ harks back to the criminally overlooked genius of iForward Russia via The Cure
6. In Earnest – In Earnest
In Earnest have the songs, they have the talent but, crucially, they have the one thing stadium selling artists can spend a lifetime grappling with. Truth. Their tracks read like diary entries and serve as thought-provoking pieces of art.
5. Beat Hotel – Beat Hotel
Beat Hotel may only be seen as often as a Snow Leopard but, they are no less beautiful. Anyone emotionally attached to the Children of Nuggets' era, should open their hearts to this EP.
4. Rooskin – Honey Spells
Southend’s Rooskin hazily defines what is it to be young. Carefree and lost, it meanders its way to failed relationships with drugs and people alike.
The quest for identity is the sound of being a teenager. Running full throttle into regret in those defining years is romanticised with aplomb here.
3. Spector - Extended Play
Getting older has never sounded so good. Fred Machpherson’s band of rebels returned with alt-pop sent from the heavens.
You won’t find anything lyrically more amusing than this!
2. Peter Hall – There’s Something Wrong With Everyone
Despite the debut status, Hall emerges with a class, usually associated with someone making their third album masterpiece.
There is something beautifully scouse about his music. ‘Hold Me’ and ‘Blood Flow’ enter an alternate reality where Sice (The Boo Radleys) is backed by Crosby Stills and Nash’s harmonies. Meanwhile, ‘Everything Is Fading Fast’ has Shack’s forlorn jangle combining with The Stands’ Howie Payne vocals.
1. Captain Handsome – I Am Not An Animal
Fightmilk’s Lily Rae stepped away from the band at the start of 2020 to release a debut EP.
Aching melancholy, relationship trauma, and self-doubt form the discourse on this incredibly personal journey. Intertwining folk from all eras, this EP creates something timeless and, instantly loveable.
Brits & Pieces: Theatre Royal
What began as a Twitter feed dedicated to 90s music has now become a foray into the future. Marc Rossiter’s superb Brits & Pieces Twitter feed got the itch so bad that, he decided to bring together a compilation of great new bands like ‘Shine’ editions in the 90s.
This week, we’ll be exploring our favourite tracks from the 18 track compilation. It was released Friday 11th December and will be available at Rough Trade.
Locked Together on the Lines
Kent’s Theatre Royal has been our favourite band of the past decade (alongside The Crookes). It began with hearing ‘Port Bou’ on Lammo’s and a gig supporting their Medway icons The Claim.
were the entry point, this is where we knew they were special.
A true story of frontman Oliver Burgess’s Nan discovering two dead bodies Chatham’s war memorial. One a sailor, the other a prostitute, they lay naked, intertwined, and tragically deceased.
Despite the bleak narrative, through their frenetic paisley guitars, joyous backing vocals, and Burgess’ dignified lyrics, they delivered a single worthy of The La’s. The blend of industrial Kent and flawed characters conjures images of Alan Sillitoe characters and their struggles.
Theatre Royal are about to give their debut album a release on vinyl. We urge you all to purchase.
Brits & Pieces: Stanleys
What began as a Twitter feed dedicated to 90s music has now become a foray into the future. Marc Rossiter’s superb Brits & Pieces Twitter feed got the itch so bad that, he decided to bring together a compilation of great new bands like ‘Shine’ editions in the 90s.
This week, we’ll be exploring our favourite tracks from the 18 track compilation. It was released Friday 11th December and will be available at Rough Trade.
A Better Life
Wigan outfit and friends of the site Stanley’s were set to become one of 2020’s great breakthroughs until covid. A support slot with The Lathums was going to win them thousands of fans up and down the country. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be, yet!
Despite their young age, Stanleys have wisdom way beyond their years. The characterisation is as vivid as Tom Clarke’s work on ‘Will Live and Die in These Towns’ but with a more poetic soul.
This tale of what might have been depicting the life of a man tragically living in the past. Yet, the sweeping guitars of The Courteeners and the pop sensibilities of Orange Juice lend it the glory that the protagonist continually dreams of.
With a slot on next year’s Bingley Weekender, their time will come.
*Image courtesy of Danny Bott
Brits & Pieces: Columbia
What began as a Twitter feed dedicated to 90s music has now become a foray into the future. Marc Rossiter’s superb Brits & Pieces Twitter feed got the itch so bad that, he decided to bring together a compilation of great new bands like ‘Shine’ editions in the 90s.
This week, we’ll be exploring our favourite tracks from the 18 track compilation. It’s released Friday 11th December and will be available at Rough Trade.
Columbia are a five-piece from Liverpool consisting of Alex Sheppo (vocals), Jonny Eccleshall (bass & vocals), Jay Sweeney (lead guitar), Tom Comer (rhythm guitar) Jay Culkin (drums).
Named after the Oasis classic and, recording with The Real People’s Chris Griffiths, they are set to light up big stages, when they’re allowed
A death-defying renewal of ‘Definitely Maybe’s spirit. Taking no prisoners, it’s a tirade of debauched escapism.
The release of Jay Sweeny’s guitars is an exhilarating joyride that is going to send the re-opened gig venues of the UK into sweat dripping frenzy. They’re matched, in the closing moments by frontman Alex Sheppo as he wrenches out an Ashcroft-esque “this is a big / fuck you / come on” moment of demonic brilliance.
Brits & Pieces: Monza Express
What began as a Twitter feed dedicated to 90s music has now become a foray into the future. Marc Rossiter’s superb Brits & Pieces Twitter feed got the itch so bad that, he decided to bring together a compilation of great new bands like ‘Shine’ editions in the 90s.
This week, we’ll be exploring our favourite tracks from the 18 track compilation. It’s released Friday 11th December and will be available at Rough Trade.
Back in July, Aberdeen five-piece Monza Express released ‘Crying On The Radio’. Recorded at the Floortom Studios, it was produced by Steve Curtis.
Morrissey’s gut-wrenching lyrical heartache is pummelled through a prism of Eddie and The Hot Rods, Blink 182, and the pop majesty of The Lemonheads.
There is a Phil Spector innocence to their punk. The kind the Shirelles and Ronnettes delivered, not the latter shotgun years. The protagonist, a love-torn wreck can’t see the wood from the trees. You’ll root for him like Jim Levenstein or Superbad’s Seth.
In normal times, this would have soundtracked every teenager’s summer. The endless nights doing fuck all but getting drunk and looking for that next one big night to be a hero (and failing).
*Image courtesy of Diana McKenzie
Brits & Pieces: The Lutras
What began as a Twitter feed dedicated to 90s music has now become a foray into the future. Marc Rossiter’s superb Brits & Pieces Twitter feed got the itch so bad that, he decided to bring together a compilation of great new bands like ‘Shine’ editions in the 90s.
This week, we’ll be exploring our favourite tracks from the 18 track compilation. It’s released Friday 11th December and will be available at Rough Trade.
Run and Hide
Hailing from Dumfries, ‘Run and Hide’ was The Lutra’s debut single way back in 2018.
Wait, what? Debut single? It’s academy venue size but dreaming of Stadiums. It taps into Razorlight’s debut album, lifting all those great ragged pop moments and splices them with the effortlessness of Mersey beat.
The guitar parts, especially the solo, serve as a stark reminder why we must save pubs and small gig venues is the sound of red stripes being held aloft with your best mate in the other arm. Dripped in sweat, you look, you laugh and you know that this is forever.
Here's Where the Story Ends
Trudging slowly over wet sand, how I dearly wish I was not here. The seagulls can smell my vulnerability. I shake. I shiver. I think I about food, no, I’ll sit in the storm a while a longer. Sip the coffee. Should have brought water too. Feet sore, hips killing, I limp my way to the water. Splash my face with the Bristol channel. Regret. Retreat.
Change of scene. That is all I need to breathe again. As soon as I thought it was over. It started again. The running gags re-emerge. Tea. Toast. Fosters anyone? Yeah, go on, I’m not taking it home.
As a child, my family would go to Mill Rythe Holiday camp in Hayling Island every year. Minehead, but smaller. Roaming free, playing football, table tennis, the arcades, pool, fruit machines, swimming, Jacuzzi, tennis, meeting Henry Cooper, Nan getting a table for bingo 1 hour early, and having a picture with Del Boy’s three-wheeled van, it was glorious. I would mope horrendously upon return.
These memories flood back on Sundays at Shiiine. It’s another time and another world and one no one wants to leave. One last hurrah lurks within everyone’s tired glint. We’re all over thirty, we all know we packed Sunday morning but, we’re all going to behave like it’s Friday night again.
Bouncing to TYS, fawning over Miles’ lyrics and wondering what anti-aging serum Jesus Jones are using. We shall not go gently into the night. I don’t want to go home!
Levi digging everyone who is hanging out of a hole. Neds’ fire raises you up and PWEI’ groove launches you back to the party (sorry Burger King, Big Mac fries to go!). Orbital caning it like its 1988 and Stereo MC’s showing out like bosses. I don’t want to go home!
Cast, Dodgy and The Farm. Friends arm in arm, tears roll down cheeks. Reality looms on the horizon but, it doesn’t seem so bad now. Conversation going on all around me. I join some, I leave some and some never found me. And now you must believe me, we never lose our dreams. Stop the slaughter, let’s go home, let’s go, let’s go.
All together now. See you in 2021
Saturday night's alright for Shiiine!
I get up when I want, except on Saturdays, when I’m rudely avoiding the cooking of breakfast. The four-man birth resembles opening scenes of Young One’s ‘Sick’ episode. Someone please god tie a bin bag on my head and hammer the nails in!
Come on man, get up, the hangover cure awaits. Piss looks like iron bru. Berocca, coffee, litre of water, coffee. Piss looks like 5alive. Another litre of water, bacon sarnie, nap, more water, more coffee, shower. Piss looks like a weak Robinsons squash. Back in the game!
Sit on the patio with a brewer’s droop, I get intimidated by the seagulls, they love a bit of me!
The troops are up, every one slightly in shock we’re all intact despite the confession:
“lot more pushing on the bog than normal”.
With that, it’s Inn on the Green time once more. The glint in the security guard’s smile is beaming, yeah, alright mate, we get it, you got some sleep, we didn’t. cheers!
Thatcher’s Haze, the lemsip of booze. Edge is coming off! Time for new music. Theatre Royal and Gazelle have been the truly special ones in this slot!
A feeling of impending victory forever lurks on Saturday. The c86 wars were fought and the Stourbridge massive kicked an academy venue-sized hole into the industry. It’s all we ever wanted. A place to exist. A place to call our own. Then 1994 happened. Masterpiece after masterpiece came out. Dare we dream a little bigger?
This all culminates in the mid-90s triumphalism. Huge skyline singalongs to Sleeper, Ocean Colour Scene, The Bluetones, and Shed Seven echo across the sea. Smiles on every face, band t-shirts glow in the disco lights like a Mediterranean sunset. Maybe it's the clothes we wear. The tasteless bracelets and the dye in our hair. Maybe it's our kookiness. Or maybe, maybe it's our nowhere towns. Our nothing places and our cellophane sounds. Maybe it's our looseness. But we’re Shiiine On trash, you and me!
The skyline filters out, and the indie kids seek out Lammo but the ravers are only just coming out to play. Daniel Fulham fires up the party with his rave sets. The black and yellow become poetic as visibility wanes. Awesome 3 wobbles you to the core and N Joi pulsates through your heart like a shot of serotonin.
Jon Mancini drops acid house, rave, and pop classics. The piano loops a signal for another vodka lime soda. Another hug from a stranger. I lose my friends, I dance alone, it’s 4am, and I don’t wanna go home!
Shiiine On Happy People
On a cold and frosty morning, there's not a lot to say. Have I stolen a pint of milk from work for coffee? Have I packed my Thousand Yard Stare t-shirt? Have I been to the gym enough to get through the onslaught of Shiiine On?
I catch myself in the mirror. Greyer and fatter but, never more ready for the annual trip to Minehead. Why the fuck did I have the 6th pint at Gerry Cinnamon last night?!
The first rush of excitement as old friends meet is allayed by hips falling out of place. Much like 4am finished, hugging around a hand brake is a young person’s game. Four hours of shit jokes, farts, and laughing at your mate for pissing in a bottle as you deliberately ignore Fleet services fly by. This alone is worth 200 quid.
Being the musical geek of the gang, inevitably I’ve spent hours making playlists. Agonising over which new Candy Opera track to add or about which new band is the best Oasis re-hash. The Crooks or Columbia? (it’s The Crooks for me). As you take that exciting right turn past every supermarket under the sun and the Big Top becomes a reality, so does that they haven’t listened to anything you have curated. When Liam Tyson shreds later, then they’ll listen!
Admin. Bleurgh. Queuing for check-in for 30 mins, why didn’t we get here at 10am? Maybe next year. In the meantime, I’ll stare at everyone’s trainers and parkers like a fourteen-year-old staring at strap-on sally chasing you down the alley.
Beers in the fridge. Beers in the freezer. A warm beer whilst we wait. Lammo on 6music. I wonder if he’ll repeat the same John Peel joke again. I wonder if I’ll laugh again. One hour until Ivory Wave, keep drinking!
Then it happens. Like it does every year. There are only three, of the four of us in the lounge. The extractor fan is on. The slow waft of service station expulsion meanders into the room. The wretched fog is here, and with five thousand middle-aged folks digesting the one nutrient between them in Burger King all weekend, it’s loitering with intent.
That first walk to the main arena is like the coronation. The laughter at the Inn on the Green grows steadily, the bouncers friendly (that’s not very 90s), and then it begins, Stone Roses is booming. As it surely always is here. Minehead, in November, is grey, bitter and the seagulls have come beyond the North Wall in Game of Thrones but, ‘She Bangs The Drums’ paints night like a Jackson Pollock masterpiece.
Jug after jug come. I should eat, maybe after Rev. Jug, jug, Thatchers, jager bombs, jug repeat! I should eat. Maybe after Cast and Lightning Seeds. Shit, I can’t hear the Seeds properly, maybe I should eat no? Not before Sice, never before Sice! I eat, it’s not legal, Apollo 440, Adamski and Cut La Rock take me to a buffet of love among strangers I forgot existed. I should sleep. One more pint with this couple as they tell me about meeting at Spike Island.
Chalet. Bed. Sleep smiling. Best friends. Best strangers. Best day one ever.
Interview: Thousand Yard Stare
Slough’s underdogs Thousand Yard Stare released their first album in twenty eight years recently. It’s firm proof that you can teach old dogs new tricks.
We caught up with frontman Stephen Barnes just after the triumphant release of ‘The Panglossian Momentum’ (full review here).
Afternoon Stephen, how has lockdown been for you?
The album is available from their Bandcamp page.
On the whole it’s been OK. My family are safe as they can be, I’ve continued to work as a lecturer, and had the album release to keep me busy. Missing going to shows (and doing some ourselves!) Others in our business and beyond have had it far worse, so I cannot complain on missing out on a few simple pleasures. Hopefully we’ll be out the other end in some capacity soon.
What music are you currently listening to?
Been delving into the current crop of off kilter post-punk protagonists quite a lot.. Mush, Snapped Ankles, Squid, LIFE… and of course my good friends IDLES who’s upcoming album is gonna be amazing based on the recent releases. On the softer side, love The Orielles and Khruangbin at the moment. Also partial to the smoke-haze outer rims of current hip-hop like Kool AD, Shabazz Palaces and Standing On The Corner when I’m wanting a drowsier fix..
Musically, this is quite the shift. Was there a moment that sparked this for the band?
Ha, 27 years of hiatus! I get what you are saying, we’ve taken on a more textural approach these days, rather than the all out kitchen sink style of our younger years. Think the original TYS DNA is still very much there, it’s more of a progression than a shift. Where once we were all up front, now you have to dive in a bit more…
During 'A Thousand Yards - A Panglossian Momentum', you sing "you synchronise with something". The open ended nature of "something" feels like a message of hope; something that runs throughout the album. Was there a deliberate intention to rouse the soul?
Nice you picked that up, and yes, I think it was. I went for a different lyrical approach on the album, much more personal, internal, less observational of others. This particular track and its partner, Spandrels are both exploring the disconnect that can happen between people, almost unknowingly… but then realising it, and trying to fix it. So it is about hope I guess, the hope for a deeper and more meaningful connection that can get lost in modern day life.
Was "please let me know, how this ending unfolds / i want you to know we just can’t ignore this anymore" on ‘Spandrels’ a defiant reaction to a political moment?
Ha no, but as ever, I try and write so it can be open to the listener’s interpretation. This is the most personal song I have ever written, but think the sentiment can work in many ways. We have all been unsure of the future at some point I’m sure, and know when things need to be changed. It’s working out what to do for the best that makes it such a conundrum…
‘Sleepsound’ has the youthful buoyancy of TYS combined with the harder edges of your Deep Dreaming EP. Was this something you were looking to achieve?
The whole album was written with every song having a purpose, we knew what we wanted to present as a whole and needed to make the pieces to fit. Sleepsound wasn’t originally going to make the cut, we recorded another track for this ’slot’ on the album, but when we pulled it all together, Sleepsound emerged as the right fit. We might release the ‘other song’ at some point, maybe as part of an EP but maybe it’ll just stay as the one that got away. It’s really good though, so we’ll probably release it at some point!
Will we have to wait another 28 years for the next album?
Yes! We’ve slated the next album for 2048, which will be created and performed by our AR avatars! It will be available in brain implant format only! In truth, I don’t know. I think this is probably the last one. It feels fitting. We’ve scratched the itch, and we’re very happy with it, and it seems to have gone down very well, so might be best to leave it there. That said, myself and Giles are really enjoying writing together, and we’ve just written three new stellar songs, so……..
Interview with Andrew Cushin
Newcastle’s Andrew Cushin released his latest single ‘Wait For The Rain’ (full review here) last week. We caught up with Andrew recently, here’s what he had to say:
What music are you currently listening to?
I’m currently listening to a lot of Tom Grennan actually... wasn’t really a fan until now, also bang into James Bay. I’m still always jumping round to the old stuff like The Beatles and The Who.
Has lockdown been affecting your song writing?
I’ve written some great songs! (Other people’s words not mine haha!) In a way I’ve written some of my best lyrics whilst in lockdown ... it’s given me time to reflect on what’s been a mental first year in music!
How was it meeting Noel in RAK Studios? Did he offer you any advice?
Noel was a proper geezer all week. Lovely bloke... I won’t have anyone slate him in my company after the week I had with him. The advice he gave me was priceless. Absolutely priceless ... he’s definitely a secret Newcastle supporter though.
Your current record, 'Waiting For The Rain' is a deeply personal record. Was it a hard process to record and write the lyrics?
I wrote the lyrics for “Waiting For The Rain” as a 15 year school boy, the chords and melody was written when I was 16 and I played it for the first time when I was 18 I front of close friends and family ... they couldn’t believe it was my tune and that I had hidden it away for the best part of 2 and a half years.
Interview with Springtide Cavalry
Kent’s Springtide Cavalry released their comeback single ‘Save An Old Soul’ last month. We recently caught up with them to find out what they have been up to.
What music are you currently listening to?
Kev: Soundgarden, Motorhead. Black Sabbath, The Allman Brothers.
Weeksy: Pearl Jam, Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon, ELO.
Sean: The Black Crowes, Peter Green, Freddie King, Idles
Andy: Monks road social, Teskey brothers,
Baely, Jazz Morley...
Was there a moment or a song perhaps, that sparked the idea of getting the band back together?
Yeah, it started with me (Kev, Vocals/Guitar) and Andy (Drum’s) working on a new song, initially looking to start a new band. When we discussed putting a track out, I mentioned STC! Then we spoke to Weeksy (bass) & Sean (Guitar), we started rehearsing, more new songs came, then once word got out we got offers for some gigs locally and across the UK. So the ball started rolling quickly, until C19 hit everyone!
Has lockdown been altering your song-writing ideas?
Lockdown so far has been positive and negative! Positives are having time to focus on learning/practicing/writing, it’s also given us time to think about music, life, how to be relevant and working in 2020 when you have no idea what’s around the corner.
Negatives is the fact you can’t play live which this day & age is really the lifeline of a band, especially when the real money is in merchandise and getting your music to people on the LIVE circuit. Also we selfishly LOVE playing in a band with each other as first & foremost we are all best mates !
'Save An Old Soul' has great urgency, has getting the band back together felt like a second chance not to be wasted?
That is definitely one of the many reasons, Also the time just felt right, it seemed to work for everyone and the more we’ve been active the more we want to achieve! We can not wait to be able to play live again!
What can we expect from the next two singles due out this summer?
Well they are both high energy, rocking tunes. Myself (Kev, Guitar/Vocals) & Sean (2nd Guitar/Vocals) both share out lead vocals on certain songs, so you can also expect that...
We don’t want to recreate the wheel, we are essentially a rock band that do our best to write good songs.
Is This My England?
What does it mean to be English? Is it a third Conservative Prime Minister since 2010, continuously banging the drum of “patriotism”? Is it anti-immigration, tax-avoidance schemes, elitist snobbery?
Or is it Jeremy Corbyn’s brand of patriotism; a nation with the aim of social justice, distribution of wealth and the rule of law operating in unison to create a better existence for all?
What’s clear, is that none of these people “get it”. Callous, empty gestures from the right in the guise of patriotism, while Corbyn’s patriotism was oft in question; too often he came down on the wrong side, and the working classes which he so desperately sought to represent, never felt like he had their back.
Gazelle’s latest single (‘Is This My England’), released for VE Day, calls bullshit on all sides; reminding the people exactly who they are and what they stand for. England isn’t Tommy Robinson’s, and it’s certainly not the property the soggy biscuits who frequented Eton.
It’s melting pot of cultures, ideals and lifestyles. It’s humble, charitable, hilarious. It made Mo Farah a knight of the realm, and Harry Maguire a sex god. It raised thirty-two million pounds for the NHS because a 100-year old veteran did laps of his garden (Captain Tom Moore, we are not worthy).
This single’s greatest quality, is nuance; that long-forgotten art form. Beautifully - but achingly - capturing England’s constant inward struggle with greed and selling itself down the river at every turn, this track is a look under the hood at the pace of change in this country with an inherent, but heartfelt, sense of regret.
This should be a breakthrough moment for Gazelle, creatively. With their foot off the gas for what feels like the first time, the result is sublime. In reality, it’s likely that this will be sadly overlooked. A working-class troupe sporting Fred Perry across their chests and Adidas Originals on their feet, singing about the England of old? They’ll do well to avoid being lumped in with the “Britain First” crowd.
The truth is, however, that they should be lauded for treading the path of literary legends William Blake, George Orwell and John King. Patriotism, is not blindly following your government into one dead end after another. Nor is it stoicly backing their opposition. Sometimes, the most patriotic thing of all, is to question everything.
THIS, is patriotism. And Gazelle, get it.
Helplessly Hoping
In 1969, Crosby, Stills and Nash began their first steps into music history with their self-titled debut album, recorded with the legendary Paul Rothchild. Amid the heavyweight hits was ‘Helplessly Hoping’.
Described by Stills at the time as ‘a real country song, as opposed to all those plastic Hollywood country songs by plastic country groups I read are happening now.’ It would later go on to be released as b-side for ‘Marrakesh Express’.
As the revolution of ’68 faded, they delivered the purist of country songs; isolated and longing for better days.
It’s easy to see why Massachusetts based Ryan Montbleau & Tall Heights have hooked up once more. Seeking their idols sense of friendship and togetherness in these days of lock-down is a rare moment of serenity and hope.
For the most part, it’s a like for like cover. Why would you rearrange greatness after all? However, proving that all the great days don’t lie in the past, they exquisitely deliver solemn, almost King Creosote piece of orchestration. It captures John Williams’ genius as Luke, alone on Tatooine, knows a better life lies on the dangerous horizons he surveys.
Double Release: Nobodies Birthday
Nobodies Birthday are a five-piece rock ‘n’ roll outfit from Reading. They consist of Dom (vocals), Jimbo (lead guitar), Steve (rhythm guitar), Brendon bass guitar) and Tom (drums).
At the end of 2019, they released the anthemic ‘Clouds’ and featured in our New Band Spotlight section (full article here)
Last week, they released not one, but TWO singles. Let’s check them out:
No Place To Hide
The aptly named title is evoking memories 00s indie-punk bangers. The earnest stomp of Pigeon Detectives meets the Cribs’ ability to turn out a raucous riff. This isn’t just rehashing the past. Jimbo’s guitar parts are scintillating pieces of escapism. Get your faces at the window, take your partners hand and dream of sunnier climates!
Drift Away
‘Drift Away’ is gloriously ambitious. Despite insular nature of the world’s problems, they’ve reached for the stars. Heartfelt euphoria washes the pain away as they reimagine the vast landscapes of Soundtracks Of Our Lives.
At points in the verses, they tap into the sauntering melodies of The Courteeners. It anchors their dreams alongside us mere mortals. However, the song sky rockets out of the galaxy with unashamed ambition in the closing moments. This is the sound of a band on the cusp of great things.
*Banner image courtesy of Benji Walker
The Road to Wembley
“If you’re all about the destination, take a fucking flight”
He’s right - Frank’s always right - and the 13th of April in 2012 was the climax of a rise unlike any other. No airplay. No TV appearances. Scant column inches. No matter – your boy Frank will sell out Wembley Arena, anyway. One in the eye to all those who said no to him, and two fingers up from of us who banged the drum to achieve success. Fuck ‘em!
*Images courtesy of Gregory Nolan
Seven years on, it’s a feat that still beggars belief, not to mention one that remains largely unchallenged. From his Nambucca residency, where many would turn up for Beans on Toast, Frank hotfooted it all the way to Wembley. Folk-Punk-Rock doesn’t do this. To see the above grace the stage with Dans Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip and Uncle Billy; even a mother couldn’t be this proud. His was, she joined on stage to play the harmonica!
That Friday the 13th was Spooky. Twelve-and-a-half THOUSAND people crammed into a corner of North London to shake a world whose obsession was largely with that of b-list people and pastimes. This was about love, last minutes, and lost evenings. The dreamers, the habitually optimistic, were given everything rock’n’roll promised and more: hope, freedom, togetherness, glory, and love.
For everyone who was lucky enough to be at Heaton Park to see The Courteeners massive shows, or has designs on Gerry Cinnamon’s absolute monster at Hampden Park next summer - just remember – it was Frank who kicked those doors in. Every decade has its own Spike Island. This was it.
The “people left behind” phrase is becoming one that is all too familiar while the current political landscape remains the way it does. It’s an accurate concept, though, with elitists masquerading as men of the people they exploit. Not unlike the music industry; the more the media fractures into various niches, the more the truth becomes dispensable. More and more people are forced into margins as Television and Radio augment reality to fit their own narratives.
One such instance came from my former career in Music TV. In a meeting where blood spewed from eyes, arguing in 2007 that The Enemy and The Courteeners were the real deal and Scouting for Girls and Hoosiers were shameless drivel. I lost that argument. Truth became disposable long before that fucking bus! However, with Frank, and later with The Courteeners, I, the alternative community won the war!
How the name of fuck did it happen though? Easy. You make your own luck, that’s how. Frank celebrated his 2000th show this decade. In his 18 active years gigging, no one has worked harder or shown more endeavour. His criminally underrated debut album, ‘Sleep is for the Week’, came at a time when those who arrived too late for the Britpop bus were patiently waiting on the voice of their generation.
Tales of drunken woe, emotional heartache, and family strife cut deep, with searing honesty lighting up lives that had been forgotten in excess. Turner’s four albums up to that moment in 2012 continually found ways to ram home the point that Beatles mania had finally bitten the dust, and with it, the 90s hangover his fans had had to endure.
So in tune with this generation’s angst and hope is he, Frank could have walked on stage, simply raised a fist in the air, and bellowed “We have won!” - and still walked off a god. But he’s not an A-Level philosophy student, and nor is he a wanker; he is an artist and a poet, and a damn fine one at that. Sonically worlds apart, the spirit of bands like Pulp and Suede loomed large that night in North London. The outsiders, the write-offs, the freaks, and everyone in between came together as one to sing every syllable as though their lives depended on it.
Yes, the old model of “making it” is gone. Yes, the new one is shit. But, when the victories come, they taste sweeter and they live longer. There aren’t many things that unite the people of this country anymore, but you can still give them two things they all love; music, and an underdog.
What metal music fans endured for decades had come for the mainstream of alternative music, kicked to the sides, and told to fuck the fuck off. Arguably, it was the best thing that ever happened, pathways emerged online from those who cared so much it woke up them at night. Yes, we all need stitching back together somehow, and yes, a lot of the ill-informed gatekeepers are still running the show but, clearly, their grip has loosened.
We all manned the barricade that evening, it was together that we made the world shake. When it stopped it was haunted with the ghost of Frank Turner. A folk-rock punk god that not only bucked the system, he bucked it for generations to come to enjoy. When Gerry Cinnamon plays Hampden Park next year, raise a glass to Frank. When your favourite band you never hear on the radio sells out an academy venue, just remember, Frank kicked the doors open for them.
Or is he called Frank!
*Images courtesy of Gregory Nolan