This Rebel – Heartstopper

This Rebel is the lockdown concoction between The Twang’s Phil Etheridge and Liam Gallagher engineer Jon “Simmo” Simcox. The pair first met in 2008 when Simcox was The Twang’s monitor engineer touring the UK. During the pandemic, Simcox sent Etheridge music to write and sing for and ‘Heartstopper’ is the first helping from their self-titled album due for release next March via Jump Cut Records.

Image Credit: Charlotte Simcox. Courtesy of Wasted Youth PR.

In 2019, The Twang released their fifth studio album ‘If Confronted, Just Go Mad’. It was career-defining on several levels. Creatively, it was the best work to date. Perhaps more significantly, its reception didn’t appear to stretch beyond the band's loyal fanbase. Another fine body of work overlooked by the press and radio stations supposedly having the back of our alternative scene heroes.

It would have been easy for The Twang’s frontman, Phil Etheridge, to walk away. On ‘Heartstopper’, he could be forgiven for taking tentative steps. Instead, he delivers a vocal drenched in defiance and lyrics which snipe with venom (“no snakes, just ladders”).

Unrestrained by the industry, the carefree Etheridge from The Twang’s first two albums and the aforementioned ‘If Confronted…’ remerges throwing soulful hooks (“This rebel, aint your level”) to Simcox’s XX-esque music. Together, they’ve made a lo-fi 4am sonic sound like a headline act setting the masses free.

This Rebel have laid ghosts to rest and set hearts racing for the debut album next March.  

The Twang - If Confronted Just Go Mad

“Your face, your race, the way that you talk”

Birmingham’s The Twang return today with ‘If Confronted Just Go Mad’, their first album in five years! Mixed by Mint Royale’s Neil Claxton, a guest appearance from Polar Bear and two new female members of the band, would this be a great rebirth?

Lead single ‘Everytime’ suggests it might just be. Sonically, they’ve always had a connection with sunnier climates, whether it be the jangle of ‘Subscription’ or the Mondays inspired ‘Cloudy Room’. However, on ‘Everytime’, with new band member Cat Mctigue shining like a star, they’ve tapped into the cool crisp soul of the 80s. This is poolside cocktails magic.

As the album grows, it becomes apparent, this is perfect blend of update and re-connection rather than Ziggy to Aladdin Zane reinvention. ‘Time Waits’, takes the debuts exuberance and channels it via carnival beats. Meanwhile, ‘Lovin’ State’ has the romanticism and guitar jangle of ‘Jewellery Quarter’. What they both share is, an older head delivering them. A humbleness permeates the lyrics. An appreciation of family and friends and that love is all you need are prevalent throughout.

‘Dream’, arguably the best example of everything they were and all that they will be. Etheridge’s Shaun Ryder via Mike Skinner vocal delivery collides with the indomitable groove of the Roses’ ‘Fools Gold’. Then Cat Mctigue vocals lend a devilishly joyous fresh impetus. Anyone not raising a wry smile at ‘Morrissey, he is still just Stephen’ is a humour vacuum.

‘It Feels Like You’re Wasting My Time’ witnesses their archetypal shimmering guitars and soaring vocals, but, with this measured approach, they bring a new sense of identity. Lyrically, despite obviously being a personal tale, fans will be hard pressed not to give way to feelings of angst The Twang (and their peers) were too readily discarded by the industry.

As Phil Etheridge sings ‘I give you everything sweat tears blood…it feels like I’m wasting my time’, thoughts of The Enemy, Glasvegas, Reverend & The Makers, The Rifles and The Courteeners great bands, all maligned will come to the surface. Despite this, Etheridge offers a way through:

 “It seems like we’re aint out time / I see now, you aint on my side”

With hooks like this, and younger audiences alive with excitement for DMAs, Gerry Cinnamon and The Shambolics, not only is The Twang’s return well timed, it seems heaven sent to unite generations of outsiders.

The Twang: The Borderline, London

Two years on from the release of their b-sides album ‘Subscription’, Birmingham’s The Twang were back in London for intimate warm up gig at the Borderline.

Road testing new songs for a seasoned band is never an enviable task. Many of the crowd are either unaware or not interested. So, top open with for newbies was always a bold choice. However, through sheer punk rock commitment to the cause, they win over the room with ease.

A punk fire burned through ‘Time Waits’ and ‘Dream’, the latter expertly spliced with the psyche-funk of ‘Fools Gold’. Their latest single ‘Everytime’ is a marked change in direction with its disco influences. It oozed sexuality and attitude via slick basslines and a sumptuous chorus.

From this point onwards, it’s the classics all the way! The swagger of the Mondays and the grit of The Enemy permeates the everyman ‘Took The Fun’ and ‘Back Where We Started’. When they hit this groove, it’s one of the purest sights in music. Few bands can cause outbreaks of freaky dancing on this scale. When you take step back, and consider the Ken Loach realism and Shane Meadows romanticism of the characters they are portraying, this is as pure as live music can be.

This gig was postponed after drummer Ash tragically lost his Uncle John. If everyone had the love of this send-off, the world would be a sincerely better place. RIP uncle John, you were loved at the Borderline.

Friday 2nd August marks our 8th birthday. Come down to the New Cross Inn for a night of great live music. Tickets available here: