Bristol’s Saloon Dion released their debut EP ‘Muckers’ at the end of May via Mucker Records which they followed with a triumphant support slot with Opus Kink at London’s Village Underground. Banner image courtesy of Felix Bartlett.
Artwork courtesy of Super Cat PR
Since the mid-10s, there has been a gluttony of post-punk bands from the UK delivering good albums. Simultaneously, there has been a dearth of rock ‘n’ roll bands producing great singles but rarely getting a chance to record an album. The Ven diagram of the two has a sparse middle. A reflection of the polarising times we’ve lived through.
Bridging the gap though are Saloon Dion. ‘I Don’t Feel’ and ‘You Want More’ traipse on either side of the divide. Tom Simpkins and Taryn McDonnell deliver the showmanship flourishes of Andy Bell and the driving riffs of Peter Hayes through the desolate power of Shame.
‘Heaven Sent’ continues to splice the indie-rock ‘n’ roll greats with modern-era post-punk. The choppier elements of Johnny Marr’s ‘The Right Thing Right’ and ‘Generate Generate’ are given the raw venom of Shame and The Murder Capital. Modern post-punk is littered with spoken word moments but, here, it’s shrouded in smoky psyche riffs which amplify this tale of financial health care spiralling out of your control for a loved one.
‘Happiness’ again taps into Marr’s scintillating solo era playing which allows frontman Dave Sturgess’ vocal to rumble. It’s a pairing that is pulling alternative music worlds together without creative compromise.
Saloon Dion haven’t nailed it, yet! However, they can claim to have the balance of chest-out confidence and fist-aloft righteousness well ahead of the pack and should be lauded for it.
Click the image below for tickets to their upcoming London show:
