Yassassin

The London five piece have recently wowed crowds supporting Sleeper on their comeback tour. Now its time for Yassassin to build their own legend.

Social Politics

Their debut single is a catalogue of post punk guitar styles. Ranging from The Breeders to the godlike PJ Harvey, they have produced a solid rebel anthem.

Cheery Pie

An almost slacker rock approach to this number. The slow vocal drawl allows this song to casually build until its glorious Sleater Kinney inspired climax.

Seasoned Like A Chicken

A straight up punk record. Full of attitude and spite, Yassassin get right in people’s faces on this one. The Graham Coxon guitars allow for enough melody to creep in and make this that rare breed of intelligent pop music.

Is Bliss

Hailing from Portsmouth, Is Bliss are a three piece comprised of Jamie Stuart, Dean Edwards and Sam Speakman. They are part of the brilliant AC30 record label setup and will be headlining The Shackwell Arms in Shoreditch Friday 12th January.

Into A Dream

Many bands will talk about what they want to sound like. Few can deliver it within a minute of a song. The opening contains Syd Barret pop-psyche and the stormy shoegaze of Ride's 'Leave Them All Behind' and 'Unfamiliar'.

Amid the turbulence, lies sitar playing reminiscent of Elephant Stone. Not only does it cut through the heavier guitars, it showcases a band with real vision and ability to back it up.

Ocean Blue

Trippy and expansive, 'Ocean Blue' brings to mind the vast ambition of The Verve's 'Gravity Grave' and 'Star Sail'. It has an infectiousness and immediacy to it which begs to open sets a big venues.

Goat Girl

What a fantastic story this band are. Reigniting the DIY scene in South London, they have been forging their own path through a burgeoning community of like-minded souls. Imagine that, people helping each other out! It makes being in a band mean something more than Youtube hits.

Romance aside, this band have some serious musical chops. ‘Cracker Drool’ makes pop music a weird and wonderful thing again. It takes the classic 60s girl group sound and funnels it through The Horrors classic ‘Primary Colours’. Whereas ‘Crow Cries’, sounds like the Savages on acid trip and ‘Country Sleaze’ is a guttural dirge guitar anthem.

Then there is ‘Scum’, this joyous piss take of modern day Great Britain. Musically, it’s a cross between The Coral and Cabbage. It’s pop music at its dialectical best. It’s sardonic yet huggable, it’s cutting but accepting, it’s shambolic but fully formed. It’s fucking great!

Be sure to check them out on their tour in April:

http://goatgirl.co.uk/live/

The Shimmer Band

Ambition isn’t everything, but, if more bands had it, then perhaps they could assault the top 40 a terrify parents and grandparents once more. The Shimmer Band, a five piece from Bristol, have it in abundance and are hell bent on headlining anything they can get their hands on. DO they have the tunes to back it up?

What Is Mine?

It's clear to see why they are the natural successors to Kasabian on this offing. Their approach to synths is one of boozy hedonism that reaches for the stars.

The bass hooks keep everything from spilling over to ‘Be Here Now’ indulgence and, thus allows front man Tom Newman become an swaggering psychedelic overlord.

Jacknife and the Death Call

Another slice of synth fuelled rock n roll. A dangerous game to play, so many get it wrong. Too many are fucking Keane! For now, The Shimmers walk this tight rope to perfection on this fist pumping pop song.

If they were to have a mission statement, its perfectly contained in the chorus:

“We’re never gonna die”

This isn’t a throwaway cliché for the band. Their sound is clearly striving to deliver something big and demanding to be consider rock n roll greats. With all the dialectical tripe of Brexit, their forthright sense of freedom is wholly refreshing.

Sunkick

Every band needs that one hit to reel the masses in, this is theirs. Newman’s angelic vocal is unapologetically pop music nirvana. As the melody soars around him, memories of the utmost personal happiness will race to the foreground of your minds.

The Mercury Music Award will never touch this, but, for the soon to be millions cherishing this to their hearts and singing aloud at gigs, no one will ever care!

Blackwaters

Blackwaters are a four piece from Surrey consisting of Maximlian Tanner (vox), David Carpenter (guitars), Ollie Franklin (bass) and James Watkins (drums).

They are about to head out with Shimmer Band and Bang Bang Romeo as part of This Feeling’s biggest ever tour. Lets check them out:

Let The Good Times Roll

Musically combining the more visceral moments of the Pistols with furious piano smashing RnB of The Faces and Jim Jones Revue, this isn’t for the faint hearted.

Frontman Maximilian has a chameleon quality, blending elements of Rod, Jamie T, Tom Clarke and Strummer but always sounding distinctly fresh. As long as the song writing doesn’t dry up, its hard not to envisage a long career.

Fuck Yeah

This brash angst ridden track pays homage to the punk-rock fire of Slaves and Sleaford Mods with its venomous verses and Oi style chorus. Festivals were ablaze with mosh pits as this decadent stormer bull dozed its way into hearts and minds.

Down

If Sid Vicious' look had a sound, this was it. The filth and the fury courses through the veins of this Undertones pop behemoth.

When The Enemy burst onto the scene with 'Had Enough' and 'Away From Here', there was an almost instant outpouring of adoration. It’s hard to envisage how this doesn’t go one step further. It takes the melodic ferocity of the Coventry outfit and adds the infectious wit of Jamie T.

Iridesce

Camden’s Iridesce comprise of Marco Spieth (lead vocals, piano, rhythm guitar), James Doig (lead guitar), Thomas Guizzetti (Bass / backing vox) and Joe Bennett (23, drums). They recently won the battle of bands competition to open the Shiiine On Weekender in November. So what exactly will they be bringing to the main stage at Minehead:

Rise

The deep tone of singer Marco Speith in the vocal is going to bring Tom Meighan comparisons, but, the inclination to pull on the heart strings like the forever morbid Matt Berninger (The National) and the brooding industrial qualities of Tom Smith (The Editors) will put that one to bed.

Some bands spend a lifetime building towards this level of epic so, to have this in the armoury so early is remarkable. What’s truly great about this, is that you feel they haven’t quite nailed it. They haven’t failed, it feels like there is more to come. Brace yourself.

Bloodlines

Iridesce have hit upon a radio friendly gem here. Speith’s big vocals deliver a hook for both young and old to shout into their hair brushes. Meanwhile, the gentile and shimmering guitars straddle that line of mainstream and underground to great effect. There is enough for the shoegaze and c86 officanados and more than enough to reel in the casual Killers and Kings of Leon fans.

W H Lung

Inspiration

This isn’t your ordinary 7 minute slice of motorik and krautrock. Rather than being other worldly, it’s a hard hitting indictment of the times:

“Qualms with the young / Qualms with the ill / Qualms with the poor / It’s an honoured agreement”

On the flip side, this isn’t your average angst ridden punk song. The guitar playing is expansive and urgent, commanding your full attention throughout. If Primal Scream had cultivated this mesh of political bile and creativity on guitars, the music rags would explode (rightly so), so, let us ignite the flame for W H Lung for all to see and hear.  

Nothing Is

Slower building than ‘Inspiration!’ but, it never lacks in the emotive department. Vocally, it’s reminiscent of Johnny Marr’s former prodigy Gary Briggs (Haven). Meanwhile, musically it takes the more melodic moments of PiL and Toy at their most destructive. It’s a real credit to the band and producer Matt Peel (Eagulls and Pulled Apart by Horses) that ‘Nothing Is’ lands with real impact. There is so much going on here, it would have been easy for so many layers to become lost.

The Cult Collective

Hailing from Coventry and Birmingham, The Cult Collective are a three piece band consisting of Jake Goodman (vox & guitar), Dale Medlicott (bass), and Ben Gibbs (drums).

The Story of Adelaide

Big character storytelling has always been strong point for British Bands since The Kinks, and Story of Adelaide follows in this fine tradition. Adelaide, a whirlwind personality careering through sexual conquests and drugs, you’d think would be portrayed negatively. However, Goodman’s guitars channel Oasis’ ‘Columbia’ meets The Strokes debut album to conjure enormous affection for the heroine.

Speed Dial

Goodman’s vocals are yet again key to their success here. While the guitars fire like sirens from The Strokes and latterly, BRMC, Goodman’s sense of innocence cuts through the aggression. In turn, it gives a great balance between the immediacy of punk and the swirling rock n roll riffs.

Seeking Thrills

Perhaps, had Oasis not been coked of their tits during ‘Be Here Now’, this would have been the result. The big operatic sounds of ‘All Around the World’ are in full swing but crucially, they are embedded with menace. The throbbing bass, eerie choir like backing vocals stagger like a drunk towards a gloriously deranged solo.

Arable Desert

Arable Desert are three piece from London consisting of Ben, Charlie and Allesandro. Having met in the Spitalfields Fred Perry store, they have become a formidable psyche outfit.

Finding a place between Jimi Hendrix, The Coral and Shuggie Otis seems almost impossible but managed it they have.

Here’s a taste of what you can find on their Spotify page:

Sweet Getaway

This soulful psyche number has that withdrawn drug addled brilliance of Mama’s and Papas and Jefferson Airplane. It allows frontman Ben to showcase his 60s soul via Stephen Stills vocals to perfection.

Head and shoulders above everything though, is a pysche gfuitar solo which just melts away into the ether as though Tame Impala and The Coral had never existed. Glorious!

The early guitar solo steals the show though. In 2017, where the hell is this coming from?!? It melts away effortlessly and will make you doubt if those Tame Impala records will ever see the light of day again. 

Let You High

Opening with a big Hendrix style riff, ‘Let You High’ channels its love of 60s garage music in the most laid back of vibes. It has an effortlessness to it, which will make their peers insanely jealous and fans worship them a la Wayne's World.

Keep It Moving

Well, if you wasn’t sure about their love of Hendrix, you will be after twenty seconds of ‘Keep It Moving’. Hendrix’s masterpiece ‘Voodoo Child’ is front and centre in the opening guitar parts.

They cool things off during the verses, Ben’s gruff soul vocals are given space to shine and lead into the sweatiest of lo-fi via blues of guitar solos.

The White Tips

The White Tips are a three piece (Lawrence - Vocals, Hristo - Bass/Vocals, Paul Drums) hailing from Aylesbury. Let's check out a couple of their big riffs to date:

Some Things Never Change

This is a big bluesy rock n roll opening reminiscent of the greatly underrated 22-20’s.

If ever there was a soundtrack to debauched nights in a pub’s backroom dancing to bygone eras of guitar scenes, this is it! It’s full of White Stripes-esque guitars but, there is a English innocence to them which can only come from suburban desire of escape.

Some Things Never Change - Remastered Version

Over Again

Like all great rock n roll bands, The White Tips are walking that line of slick performer’s one minute and catasphrophic failure the next. The danger and unpredictability this brings gives a sense of confrontation immediately. By the time of the solo, you’ll be begging for mercy as this sleaze ridden and hook laden rides into battle.

Come down to the New Cross Inn for our second live all dayer to see The White Tips in action:

https://www.facebook.com/events/189850341501848/permalink/228840744269474/?__mref=mb

The Gallerys

Where there is jingle jangle guitars making pop music, you'll always find Travellers tunes, especially when it is of this calibre.

The Gallerys are a three piece band from Kent and have been on tour with Mod legends The Rifles, and Secret Affair, as well as Britpop prince Mark Morriss (The Bluetones).

You Don't Really Love Her

The spirit of their Medway towns and Liverpool of the 80s lives on in this angelic C86 gem. It channels Sheffield's High Hazels through their home town heroes The Claim and Primal Scream's debut 'Sonic Flower Groove', The Gallerys encapsulate everything great about the paisley scene.

Imperfect Perception

Lifting both the pace and aggression. The Gallerys showcase their punk and garage spirit. Much like the Paul Weller in The Jam, James Wood manages to hold his distinct vocals above the aggressive 60s beat music. As the 'I Am The Resurrection' riff combines with the rasping Jam drums in the latter stages, The Gallerys hint that something special is within their grasp.

Paisley

Another slice of jingle jangle pop heaven. The effortless of Stone Roses' 'Sugar Spun Sister' combines with the relentlessness of The La's 'Timeless Melody'.

April

April are a five piece from Nuneaton. They spent most of large year on The Enemy’s emotional farewell tour and recently, a scintillating tour with Cabbage and The Shimmer Band. It’s fine company, let’s see why by examining their last single ‘Open Mind’.

Open Mind

“There’s someone in my head but it’s not me”

Professes frontman George Cook in the third line and essentially, is all you need to know about April.

Sitting somewhere between The Roses’ ‘Love Spreads’ and Kasabian’s ‘Reason is Treason’, April have meshed a furious and relentless piece of dystopian rock music.

There is the briefest of breaks when, for just a few seconds, a trippy Jagz Kooner style of electronica seeps in. It may be ephemeral, but the quality is high and signifies a diverse future for them. Trying to take this section in, is extremely difficult as it’s followed by a behemoth guitar solo. Sonically, its akin to Neil Young’s ‘Cortez The Killer’ but condensed into 20seconds of enchanting brutality.

Cellar Doors

Hailing from San Francisco, Cellar Doors have been around for a few years now but, it’s with their latest work that are threatening to break through with:

Frost

This feels like the kind of psyche meets rock ‘n’ roll that Oasis were always reaching for post ‘Be Here Now’ but never attained. The Roses-esque guitars that ripple through have a timeless escapist quality which give it an instant classic sound.

Meanwhile, the bassline is more akin to the dark brooding nature of BRMC, who, Cellar Doors have previously supported in USA.  Such is its urgency, it threatens to burst out of the speakers and cart you off like a Death Eater, blowing anything in its path away.

Prism

Initially, this combines a softer, almost Syd Barrett vocal with a more dance music friendly sonic, not too dissimilar from Depeche Mode and The Music. There is a great warped production which pulsates its way to the mid-point then, the detonation! It explodes like The Who at their very best.

The eruption that ensues, departs from the opening and descends into a drug fuelled prism of terror and violence. All the while, lurking heavenly in the background is an angelic backing vocal which floats along until the ‘Rock n Roll Star’ and ‘Whatever Happened To My Rock n Roll’ closing moments.

The Jacques

Hailing from Bristol and London, The Jacques are an injection of rabid beauty to the world of alternative pop music. They have a string of singles to their name which need some serious attention:

Eleanor Ring Me

In a similar mould to The Streets’ ‘Fit But You Know It’, this track revolves around a great riff. It’s big, brash and infectious and allows the frontman Fin Jacques to switch up from a feral drawl to rough diamond vocals expertly.

This Is England

For fans of The Libertines’ sense of freedom and the debauchery of The View, this one is for you! In the wake of ‘Up The Bracket’ there was an explosion of bands in 2002/03. So many attempted to replicate the authenticity of The Libs but lacked their pop sensibilities (The Paddingtons, Harrisons) or vice versa (The Holloways and Little Man Tate). As The Jacques howl the chorus ‘This is England / Now Tell what you’re proud of’, clearly have both qualities.

A tour with Trampolene simply has to happen!

Artful Dodger

Like Trampolene on ‘Divided Kingdom’, The Jacques show they can do visceral punk rock. It opens with guitars punching their way out of the speakers like The Rut’s ‘Staring at the Rude Boys’ and the Skids’ ‘Into The Valley’ (fine company to keep).

Not content with being another punk bands, The Jacques splice some fine guitar solos which will drag in rock n roll fans as well.

It would appear, in a world dominated by intolerable bores like Ed Sheeran, The Jacques are going to spoil the party and make things interesting again.

The Moonlandingz

A year on from the sad loss of Bowie, it feels apt to write about something as absurd and brilliant as The Moonlandingz. Described on their Facebook page as “Semi fictional Outsider Ouija Pop Group”, they were originally a concept created for a video starring Maxine Peake as a stalker.

The creation was developed by Sheffield’s Eccentronic Research Council who, in turn, drafted in Lias Saoudi and Saul Adamczewski (Fat White Family) to front this joyously mental psyche outfit.

After the success of the debut EP, they are becoming real wooden boys and releasing an album and going on tour this year. Here are some select highlights:

Deja Vega

The recent Shiiine On Weekender didn’t feature many new acts, but, opening Eddy Temple Morris’ closing party were Cheshire three piece Deja Vega. They did not disappoint.

So, as soon as the hangovers and comedowns had gone, we checked out their stuff on Spotify:

Friends In High Places

They are few better ways to announce yourself than this. Big booming dirge guitars compelling you to ramp up the volume to Spinal Tap’s magic ‘11’.

Jack Fearon’s vocals a not what you expect of a new band. They are bristling with fury and angst like all good newcomers should but, the nuances on display are wise beyond his years.  As Fearon rages his way through the song, the expectancy of an eruption keeps on building until he lets loose on the guitar once more. The big soaring riffs encapsulate the spirit of Kasabian’s debut album but with the huge stadium filling ambition of Oasis and The Who.

Pentagrams

Tom Webster’s drumming is absolutely ferocious here. They have a desperation so unhinged, we guarantee you will be left feeling fragile by the end. Meanwhile, Fearon’s guitars combine elements of Beefheart’s ‘Zig Zag Wanderer’ with the escapism of ‘Live Forever’. Together, they inject a much needed dose of adrenaline and hope into the world of psyche.

Skeletons In The Florist  

A more measured and dysfunctional side to Deja Vega showcases the bands darker side. This post-punk offing is filled with explosions of noise that come charging head on with violence and destruction. No one is matching this at present.

Once more, Fearon offers some nuggets of gold on the guitar. The haunting riff after the initial chorus, coalesces The Horror’s feral seaside style of ‘Primary Colours’ with the aggression of The Rifles before firing an all-out assault in the closing stages.

Odina

Broken

Sigur Ros springs to mind instantly as this atmospheric lullaby begins. Odina's vocals have that genteel nature that are impossible not to fall in love with.

Her guitar playing turns the dial from Cocteau Twins up to ‘uber-dream like’. It gives her the ability to slot inbetween Bon Iver's circa 'For Emma, Forever Ago' and Sam Duckworth's 2011 cult classic 'The Mannequin'.

Odina's debut EP 'Broken' is out now. Get it on iTunes: http://smarturl.it/isb www.odinamusic.com LYRICS I'm not done They try to make me leave When you're alone With words you cannot speak I dig a hole To bury all these feelings But they’re not gone They're here hurting me Can you fix the broken? After snow has fallen Can you go back to rain? Can you fix the broken? Once you've started chocking Can you breath in again? I'm not done But they're whispering to me I say don't Tell me what to see Just don't tell me what to see

You Loved Me, You Killed Me

Odina leans towards the nu-folk artists Peggy Sue and Alessi's Ark of recent past as she recounts a tale of a doomed relationship. As one half desperately clings to the fading memories of bygone days, it’s impossible to not recall your own past failures with a huge dose of melancholy. Then, just as you think you have adjusted, she hits you with the line:

 “i loved mysteries until you became one”

Gulp!

Odina's debut EP 'Broken' is out now. Get it on iTunes: http://smarturl.it/isb LYRICS When I finish picking all of the pieces That’s when I’ll give up on you When I finish drowning in my own tears That’s when I’ll move on from you I loved mysteries, until you became one Truth be told I don’t know if we were just for fun With the tip of this blade And kisses that fade away You loved me, You killed me Your fire burnt half of my soul The other half I gave it to you It rains but somehow your clothes don't get wet And I still can’t blame you

The Hubbards

Hailing from Hull, The Hubbards are made up of Reuben, Alex, Ronan and Joe. TT has delved into some of the Soundcloud highlights to introduce them to you:

Born To Fly

On paper, injecting a bit of bravado into shoegaze and the delicate indie of The Cure seems a dead cert. Well, this isn’t romping home but is well worth an each way bet.

Merv

Vocally, this showcases a lighter side of the band. The softer delivery and cadence bring Blossoms to mind but, the switch to a more aggressive style latterly lifts them away from their peers. More importantly, it highlights an ability to tell stories through sound as well as lyrics, a skill often underused.

Bread and Cigarettes

A rite of passage for indie bands is throwing too many ideas into the pot at once. This is theirs. There are lots of things to like but as a whole, it feels too fragmented to enjoy.

Cold Cut

The antithesis of ‘Bread and Cigarettes’. Clear and harmonious from start to finish. It lacks that killer hook to become a top ten break through but still screams day time radio.  Give this band time and support and a big break through seems inevitable. 

Find out more from the lads here:

https://www.youtube.com/user/thehubbardsband

https://soundcloud.com/thehubbards

Engine

Engine are a 4 piece from Leeds comprising of James, Dom, Matias, Cal. They largely record at home which, when you listen will astound you. The one precursor we offer is, imagine what they could do in an established studio or with record company funding to record at home all day.

Here’s a run through of their soundcloud page (check out our feature leangth of ‘Formulate A Plan’ here http://www.travellerstunes-co-uk.org/reviews/2016/7/20/engine-formulate-a-plan)

The Moody Duke

Comparisons to Kasabian’s prog meets dance music could be drawn but, this is a far more laid back affair. The dreamy house production floats by effortlessly and thus, allows the guitars to just drop in as and when they want. Sonically they are sitting somewhere between John Squire and Dave Gilmour and you can help but feel that, when Engine hit the peak of confidence, that something special will come out of their clash of styles.

On The Yankee Station

This has taken the crispness of Orbital and distorted it through a bizarre and glitch ridden dystopia. Singer James Elson, has a natural gift to deliver dream like vocals but, accompanied by the erratic beats and warped Sax, they conjure images of someone who has no control over their immediate reality.

(Un) fortunate

This is the shortest of the three tracks on their Soundcloud page but still crams in a lot. The house production styles are dialled down and the vocal cadence is far more radio friendly but a hit single this is not.

It still has that perfect sound for late night radio, one that, if Rob Da Bank were (and should be) on Radio 1, would be playing regularly. If only for the final minute where Elson’s mark Gardner vocals drift along to a sublime guitar part. 

Jordan Allen

Hailing from Bolton, singer songwriter Jordan Allen and his band have been making inroads into the British consciousness in 2016. Let’s examine why:

Helter Skelter

This is everything rock n roll should be for a young band. Full of hope and spite, the infectious dirge guitars yearn for better times. The cadence of Allen’s vocal draws from Alex Turner’s early work, but, the slight gravel to his voice allows him to steer clear from rehashing indie’s past.

White Lines

The simplicity is key to this songs success. Whilst it may be reinforcing rock n roll traditions it does so refreshingly earnestly.

So often, slower tempo rock n roll tracks are just vacuous attempts at top 10 glory. ‘White Lines’ though, feels real. This is a tale for heroes who fail, who strut and stumble simultaneously and is all the better for it.

Too Much Too Soon

The latest single is an unusual blend of Wave Pictures and The Rifles. Vocally Allen strays towards David Tattersall’s breathy indie style but sonically, the guitars roar along a la The Rifles circa their ‘Great Escape’ album.

What is clear, these three tracks, should be seen by the band and fans alike, as a work in progress. They all have merits and make Allen standout. Nevertheless, what is Allen’s raison d’etre? The answer is not clear yet and that’s fine. These are humble beginnings with flashes of potential greatness. Get out there and support the band, without your help, they and rock n roll, will wither away.