Siracuse – All To You

Cheltenham’s Siracuse follows their fine comeback single ‘Saviour’ with ‘All To You’. Released on Friday, can it stack up to ‘Saviours’ power?

Image & artwork courtesy of the band.

Downtempo from ‘Saviour’ for the most part, Siracuse tap into the earnest power of The Enemy’s acoustic guitars on ‘We’ll Live And Die In These Towns’ and a vocal to rival Liam Gallagher’s search for the celestial.

Lyrically, it’s Siracuse’s finest work to date. Songwriter Ben Zakotti offers guidance to the young and downtrodden to keep on pushing. There’s a power to the lyrics which can only come from a place of love. Perhaps a partner or a child, something that binds you forever through thick and thin!

The gentle amble erupts into life akin to DMA’s ‘Lay Down’ and ‘Feels Like 37’ in the closing stages. A moment of chaos and melody come together to light up the love in Zakotti’s heart.

Where ‘Saviour’ spiralled with personal intent to escape for today, ‘All To You’ inspires tomorrow. Two singles into 2023, Siracuse are becoming utterly unmissable!

Click the image below for tickets to see Siracuse at this years Lakfest:

JW Paris – Leave It Alone

London’s JW Paris returned at the start of June with their new single ‘Leave Me Alone’. Released via the impeccable Blagger Records it was produced by JB Pilon and mastered by Cicely Balston at Air Studios. Banner image courtesy of C24Photography

In 2022, the band delivered one of the year’s finest EPs in ‘Stuck In A Video’. ‘New Era’ and ‘Electric Candlelight (ECL)’ found ways to blur the lines between early 80s post-punk grit and the poetic swagger of early Suede and The Auteurs.

On ‘Leave It Alone’, they slot into the same lane and stick the pedal to the floor! Conjuring images of wayward souls staggering into dank 3am night skies with self-destruction still in their minds, JW Paris have found the personal touch. It enhances their lyrical pain on display to manoeuvre the subtle guitar howls to exquisite effect.

This tale of addiction and narcissism is ironically, intoxicating. Every stansa is a fume of debauchery capturing you in its haze and spewing out a different personality. It will not be long before JW Paris’ talent causes a manic stir on the UK scene.

Mull Historical Society – Room of Masks

Scotland’s Mull Historical Society aka Colin McIntyre returned with his new single ‘Room Of Masks’. Featuring lyrics from crime writer Val McDermid, ‘Room Of Masks’ was released last Friday via Xtra Mile Recordings. Banner image courtesy of Sonic PR.

Artwork by John MacLean (Beta Band)

McIntyre, forever seeking new creative avenues for his blessed songwriting tasked McDermid to pen lyrics about a room with significant meaning. In return, McDermid reflected upon the bedroom which gave those formative years of musical discovery.

McIntyre’s sonic accompaniment is an effortless piece of magic. Dawn-lit guitars akin to Noah and Whale’s masterpiece ‘First Days of Spring’ glisten and build to hymnal euphoria. The gentle build documents McDermid’s teenage escapism from her working-class Fife backdrop.

A fine return to form a criminally underrated songwriter! McIntyre’s new album ‘In My Mind There’s A Room’ will be released 21st of July and will feature other authors such as Ian Rankin, Nick Hornby, Jacqueline Wilson, Jennifer Clement, Sebastian Barry, Alan Warner, Jason Mott, Jackie Kay, Liz Lochhead, and Stephen Kelman.

Gazelle – Lady Blue Sky

Leicester’s Gazelle are back with their new single ‘Lady Blue Sky’. Produced by Matt Cotterill, it marks the run towards their hometown gig at the OMC.

Image & artwork courtesy of the band

Post-lockdown, Gazelle have been in a transformative mood sonically. The early bombast of ‘Finger On The Trigger’ and ‘Have You Found Forever Now?’ has matured, still loitering with intent but now shrouded in nodes of Motown, northern soul, Johnny Marr licks, and flashes of Noel Gallagher’s HFB melancholic songwriting.  On ‘Lady Blue Sky’ they’ve added psyche to their ever-growing repertoire.

The playful trips of Weller’s ‘Sonic Kicks’ hook up with the atmospheric grooves of Kasabian’s first three albums and the muscular immediacy of The Rifles. Stealing the show of this instant classic though is the array of backing vocals.

Drummer Danny Wright’s “ba ba ba’s” set the groove running before frontman Ryan Dunn calls upon Serge Pizzorno’s understated soaring melodies to take the band to another level. It is though, Dunn’s higher pitch backing vocal in the closing stages which take this single from good to great. Blessed with the mesmeric soul power of Noel’s ‘Black Star Dancing’. The only thing that could take it higher would be the dearly departed Denise Johnson.

If 2022’s run of singles wasn’t firm enough proof, ‘Lady Blue Sky’ is the confirmation that Gazelle are the real Deal!

Click the image below for tickets to their headline outdoor gig in Leicester:

Colour TV – Vanilla

Cornwall’s Colour TV are back once more with their new single ‘Vanilla’. It follows the roaring success of ‘Christopher Halo’ back in February.

Last time out on ‘Christopher’s Halo’, Colour TV shifted away from the Britpop revivalist tag with their gothic Cure meets 00s indie-punk anthem. On ‘Vanilla’, they return to the early to mid-90s for inspiration but crucially, with the objective of smashing that era with a Peter Gibbons fury and reimagining it for today’s fragmented world.

Image & artwork courtesy of the band and This Feeling

The harder edges of ‘Vanilla’ shroud ‘Metal Mickey’ with snarling blasts of Nirvana and Sonic Youth alongside the deranged punk-psyche of Cabbage did so well in their early days. Consequentially, it conjures a drama drenched in flamboyance, narcissism, and angst that is intoxicating.

Frontman Sam Durbeen bursts with post-punk yelps and vicious snarls which blend ‘Change Giver’ era Rick Witter with Brett Anderson’s more chaotic moments (the verses of ‘Moving’ / ‘Animal Nitrate’) to counter the visceral sonic. His charm peaks with the acerbic Morrissey-esque lyric of the year:

“Still I like it when you hit me on holiday in Whitby”

As the protagonist attempts to free themselves from repression, a world of self-doubt opens up. It’s met head-on with a visceral intent to beat it into submission. Self-doubt, angst, and isolation has never sounded so great!

Durneen’s playfulness brings an Englishness to the band’s newfound grunge slant. It hasn’t reinvented the wheel but it’s undoubtedly flipped it. Whereas the likes of Sleeper, The Auteurs, and  Echobelly deftly manouvered the US scene into their UK satellite town vision in 1993/94, Colour TV is forging both scenes’ peaks in blood and guts.

Narcissistic. Ecstatic. Great!

Click the image below for tickets. On sale at 10am 2nd June

Shackites - Jekyll and Hyde

Shackites follow up the acclaimed ‘Said And Done’ with the new single ‘Jekyll and Hyde’. It was recorded at The Lounge Recording Studio and produced by Gareth Nuttall.

Having only begun life as a band in 2021, Shackites could be forgiven for still finding their sound only 4 singles in. ‘Losing My Mind’ and ‘Vintage Crewneck’ fell into this category, a litany of influences forging promise but never a truer identity. On the previous single ‘Said and Done’ however, they found a path of increased intensity which suited their ambition. The same is also true of ‘Jekyll and Hyde’!

Key to the success of both singles is Daniel Murphy’s bass playing. On ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ he has found a volatile way of playing which develops the mood swings of the protagonist expertly. Murphy’s urgency provides a fine platform for frontman Matthew Jervis to deliver his best vocal to date.

Lyrically there are no surprises as the capricious protagonist threatens to unravel at the seams throughout. Jervis lights this element up exquisitely with his fragile beginning unfurling head-on toward the unhinged “run away, run away” at the climax.

Shackites growth into a more visceral outfit continues to provide a crunching but delicate form of escapism. The kind that entices fists aloft and tears at mainstages. Long may it continue!

The Shed Project - Our Fear Is There Power

Bolton outfit The Shed Project have returned with their new single ‘Our Fear Is There Power’. Relesaed on Friday 26th May (One Love Records), it was produced by Danny Heyes and recorded Ivy Studio.

The debut album witnessed the band in an open mood as they told tales from their lives. Tinged with nostalgia, they traipsed their lysergic past from the North West to Amsterdam. On ‘If You’re Getting Busy (You’re Getting Better)’ they began to merge their diary-style storytelling with broader messages about tackling mental health. This new style of tying together the uber-personal with the universal continues on ‘Fear The Power’ as they manifest their angst about the government and press alongside a clarion call.  

Image and artwork courtesy of the band.

While the tempo may have dipped, this is their hardest sound. Like a caged tiger, they prowl with a visceral intent directed at the 6 toed pony fuckers running and ruining this country and the press that enables them.

Polemic is not something naturally associated with the rock ‘n’ roll of the North West but it’s always loitered in the hearts of Ian Brown and Noel Gallagher. Roy Fletcher’s success here proves the icons could have been more overt in with their lyrics. His line in the sand is met with haunting licks and a bassline desperate to break its leash. Together, they spiral with the baggy ease of The Charlatans towards the eruption of psychedelic guitars. It’s far less a solo and more a howling of hatred and despair wrenched from the gut. A fitting tonic to a week that witnessed more evidence of Johnson’s contempt for us all.

Trippy and tribal, The Shed Project continues to expand their sound on this offering. Rock ‘n’ roll, for so long has been about youth culture. What The Shed Project have proven is, it should be about rebel culture. Their true outsider status proves the future is always unwritten!

The Kairos - Price On Peace’ (P.O.P.)

Liverpool outfit The Kairos follow the critical acclaim of  ‘Thick Of It’ with their new single ‘Price On Peace’ (P.O.P). It is the second single to be taken from their upcoming EP ‘Better Late Than Never’ due out on 19th May. Image courtesy of The Songbird HQ.

Where the ‘Thick of It’ had more prolonged grooves before erupting, ‘P.O.P’ struts with jagged licks looking for a fight from the off. When it’s let off its leash, a feral display 60s r’n’b akin to their former peers The Shakes and The View explode into life.

There’s a playfulness to ‘P.O.P’ which refuses to allow The Kairos to be pigeonholed. Whether it’s adding aggression to the guitars of ‘Come Together’ or McCartney’s ‘Live and Let Die’ stomp emerging from the chorus, The Kairos keep cutting and pasting the hooks. It lends itself a playfulness only Spangled can match in today’s world.

On this showing, ‘Better Late Than Never’ is becoming one of the most anticipated Ep’s of 2023.

Click the image below for tickets to their hometown gig:

Sircacuse - Saviour

Cheltenham-based Siracuse have returned after three years to release their new single ‘Saviour’ via Vibrant Sky Records. In 2020, they forged life-long devotion on the underground circuit with their volatile debut album ‘Forever’. Can ’Saviour’ stack up to its power?

Where ‘Forever’ was hell-bent on destruction, ‘Saviour’ is on the precipice of the looking glass but not yet through it. A vastness worthy of Soundtracks Of Our Lives has infiltrated their penchant for psychedelia and created a joyous realm to reside in.

Image and artwork courtesy of Lloyd Jefferies

Frontman Ben Zakotti’s vocal taps into the solo era vocal of Liam Gallagher. Searching for that great melodic hook to bind us once more. Tinged with attitude and love equally alongside the looping guitars also brings the early indie meanderings of Tim Burgess into view.

Two minutes in, ‘Saviour’ could blissfully fade out to be a fine single. Siracuse however have other ambitions. The trip they’ve sauntered on hits the release valve with ecstatic results. Spiralling guitars chime alongside their cinematic vision. The groove of Charlatan’s ‘Then’ is given the lysergic beauty of John Squire to move Siracuse from also-rans to title contenders.

With DMA’s cementing their place at the top of the UK’s beloved bands, 2023 could be the moment others break through as a new generation discover the joys of freeing rock ‘n’ roll music. Siracuse could and should be making their way to the hearts and minds of young and old record collectors alike on this showing.

Bloxx – Television Promises

Uxbridge four-piece kick off the run to their new EP ‘Modern Day’ (released 11th August) with the new single ‘Television Promises’ via Scruff of the Neck Records.

Image and artwork courtesy of the band and Zeitgeist PR

Fee Booth’s vocal cadence is utterly majestic. Beset with wit, sarcasm, and a forlornness, Booth moves effortlessly through them all on this love/hate ode to reality TV. Booth has the indie cuteness of Maria Eriksson (The Concretes) and the gentler moments of Ellie Rosswell to lure the masses in but lurking throughout is a frustration threatening to spill over. The angst is divided up between the media and herself for allowing our screens and dreams to be flooded with such mindless drivel.

Lyrically, as much as Bloxx try to draw a cultural line in the sand, the pulling power of phones and aimless programming always pervades. Their honesty in this is what makes this record great. There’s no sense of cultural elitism. Their fallibility allows the listener into their world as its one they know well. Creatively however they are headings toward immortality with divine melodic uplifts and angular licks.

Their debut album ‘Lie Out Loud’ was blessed with some fine moments to launch the into the world. ‘Television Promises’ is a marked leap forward from their humble beginnings. They’re now ticking all the boxes; radio-friendly, great hooks, and culturally relevant. Simply put, it’s great alt-pop music.

Click the image below for tickets to their BBC Introducing show in Manchester:

Usual Affairs – Elementary to Penitentiary

Edinburgh four-piece Usual Affairs fresh from supporting the mighty Marseille have released the new single ‘Elementary to Penitentiary’. Banner image courtesy Redwood Streets.

Artwork courtesy of the band.

A humbleness circulates lyrically and sonically, allowing their determination to break free from society’s pitfalls shine. Despite the earnestness, Jack Cordey’s emerges from indies’ shadows with a lo-fi take on The Pigeon Detectives and Shambolics to catapult him to stardom. His guitars continuously threaten to become unhinged before launching into a solo that could only erupt from the streets of his youth.

This generation is blessed with the finest array of guitar players since the mid-90s boom of bands. Josh Redding (The Utopiates), Joe Anderson (Pastel), JOe Labrum (Marseille), Joei Sylvester (formerly of The Shakes), Ryan Breslin (The K’s), Matthew Welsh (Ecko), and Andy Hall (The Institutes) have provided enthralling moments of destruction and ecstasy in recent times. On this display, Cordey is feverishly banging on the door to their club.

It begs the question, is their room for Usual Affairs with such prowess already prominent? What is absent from the above is the incisive polemic bassist Cal Gray serves up superbly here. The spirit of ‘Neds’ is lit up by his lyrics and frontman Scott Alexander’s vocal decreeing “How can a young boy’s garden grow / If burning grass is all he’ll ever know?” before they expertly lay the blame for lack of working-class choice at the door of this failed government:

“Charlatans rule the land so ignore their commands”

Their clarion call is devout but never patronising. Alexander’s vocal, akin to Kyle Falconer (The View) and Scott Forbes (Shambolics), has a warmth that leads you into the struggle by their side and never as a blind follower.

Usual Affairs’ story continues next month with a huge headline gig at the Mash House in Edinburgh. Click the image below for tickets:

The Cavs – Again

Manchester outfit The Cavs, fresh from their Big In 2023 show with This Feeling are back with their new single ‘Again’. Banner image courtesy of Debbie Ellis.

Artwork by Russell Holden. Courtesy of Moon Man PR.

Elliot Craven’s vocals have hit upon a sweet spot from which the band should never deviate. Delicate enough to allow people to fall in love with him, but bullish enough to make you believe he’ll lead the good fight. The toing and froing from innocence to steeliness vocally lends this tale a sense of drama and peril to overcome which is strikingly rewarding.

Like their previous single ‘Music Is My Madness’, the guitars possess great purpose. With hints of James Dean Bradfield’s dramatic flamboyance, lead guitarist Chris is driving the band a debauched hedonistic space worthy of the ‘Almost famous’ soundtrack.

A fine follow up to their breakthrough EP last year. It’s only a matter of time they make the breakthrough to radio a-lists and main stages at festivals.

Click the image below for tickets to their upcoming live shows:

Body Type – Holding On

Australian band Body Type are back with their new single ‘Holding On’. It’s the lead single from the eagerly anticipated sophomore album ‘Expired Candy’ (Poison City Records) released 2nd June.

Artwork courtesy of Super Cat PR

Tales of submitting to the passing of time should be melancholic reflective pieces, right? Think on! ‘Holding On’ is a bombastic triumph. The infectious guitars and vocals of The Concretes, the angular licks of The Long Blondes, the harmonies of The Pipettes, and the overriding joy of Kenickie reign supreme.

The vocals Annabel, Sophie, and Georgia impart are nothing short of divine. The cute but spikey drawl of Kate Jackson and Lauren Laverne ignite an excitement that rapidly becomes intoxicating. Collectively they’ve an innate ability to lean into the wry humour of The Pipettes one moment and the antagonistic fire of Jemina Pearl (Be Your Own Pet) the next. The great vocal inflections are met with a solo which, had Mick Ronson spent time in The Long Blondes, he surely would have made.

Difficult second album? Nah!

Click the image below for tour tickets

The Lunar Towers – About Time

The childhood adventures of Cheltenham four-piece The Lunar Towers continue with the new single ‘About Time’. Released today via Colorama Records, it was produced by Ric James. Banner image courtesy of Conor Fensam.

Vocally, Rory Moore has tapped into the smoky form of ‘Pillar 2 Post’ once more. No matter the increased urgency of the guitars around him, he finds a way of evoking Sarah Records legend James Hackett (The Orchids) with his laid-back drawl.

Joe Richardson and Rob Sewell’s guitars were awash with influences on the ‘Hurry Up and Wait’ EP. Here they’ve honed the influences into a precise style that answers the question ‘what if Norman Blake joined The Orchids?’. The fire injection into the heavenly sonic conjures images of young minds emerging from history’s shadows to forge new paths of optimism.

Lurking throughout are moments REM, The Byrds, and the spirit of The Coral’s ‘Distance Inbetween’ looms large. The touchpoints of the greats are being reimagined for a new generation and, with spring in the air, so now is hope with The Lunar Towers.

The Lunar Towers celebrate the release of ‘About Time’ at The Night Owl, Finsbury, London tomorrow night. Click image for tickets:

Rolla – Hey You

Don't wait to be found
Come along with our sound

Image and artwork courtesy of Fear PR

Manchester’s Rolla follow up on their tour with Kasabian with their new single ‘Hey You’. The single is taken from their upcoming debut EP ‘Nothing Less Than Everything’ which will be released on April 5th.

It’s bizarre how a band so seminal as The Verve have remained so uninfluential these past 15 years. Exit Calm was a fine exponent of their work in the early part of the last decade but no one else has really stood up. Like buses, two have come at once in recent times from Manchester. There’s been Pastel, who have been beautifully in tune with delicate jams of ‘Storm In Heaven’. Whereas Rolla have pulled in the power of ‘A Northern Soul’ and the sprawling melody of ‘Urban Hymns’.

If Noel Gallagher had possessed Nick McCabe’s guitar ability then ‘Hey You’ could have been the sound of the Oasis’s third album. Luke McConnell and Tom Paddon’s guitars have that hissing power of Oasis’ live presence circa 95-97 but, with the deft touches of McCabe. The latter’s influence looms much larger creatively as the band takes you on a journey without a destination to free your soul. The yelps of ‘Rolling People’, the howling furore of ‘A New Decade’, and the perilous defiance of ‘Come On’ unite on what is, as close to pure art as rock ‘n’ roll can sound.

Frontman James Gilmore harness the more melodic moments of Tm Meighan’s time in Kasabian alongside a venom not yet seen. The demonic nature of Richard Ashcroft on ‘This IS Music’ and ‘No Knock On My Door’ ooze from his soul whilst his brother Luke’s bass throbs with the grooves of criminally underrated ‘Gravity grave’.

Rolla’s ascent to the top not only looks inevitable, it looks gloriously volatile. They throb with danger and excitement at every turn. They are reigniting the mysticism of the rock star and it’s intoxicating.

 Click here for the last remaining tickets for their UK tour:

The Utopiates – Ups and Downs

London-based The Utopiates release the last single before their debut album ‘The Sun Also Rises comes out May 5th via V2 Records. ‘Ups and Downs’, released today follows the bombastic ‘Making History’, can it stand up to its quality?

Artwork and images courtesy of the band.

Former single ‘Best and Worst Days’ was a timeless piece of songwriting that waved goodbye to their early 20s and debauched weekenders. ‘Ups and Downs’ however lands them in the heart of those heady days with rave culture at its heart.

On ‘Illumanise’, ‘Devolution’, and ‘Making History’ a love of dance music has been creeping into their work, and here they let go completely and launch into a rave classic. Keyboardist Ed Godshaw taps into the looping pianos Asha JJ’s rave classic ‘Tribute’ which sends everything heavenwards. Keeping it there is Dan Poppelwell’s mesmerising vocal. Steely and always melodic, he carries the weight of our world on his shoulders with ease as he leads us back to the promised land.

In Josh Redding, The Utopiates may possess a generational talent on guitar. Here though, he steps back from his axe to allow their instinctive love of rave to take precedence. It harks back to Primal Scream’s ‘Screamadelica’ and Bobby Gillespie knowing when his time was in the shadows. The selflessness becomes as uplifting as the track itself.

Click the image below for tickets to their upcoming tour:

Balado – Paper Airplanes

Glasgow five-piece Balado recently released their new single ‘Paper Airplanes’. Recorded at Mark Morrow’s Studio B with Ewan Simpson behind the mixing desk it follows their smoky-blues rock ‘n’ roll anthem ‘Black Shadow’ from last October.

Image & artwork courtesy of The Songbird PR.

‘Paper Airplanes’ tells the tale of the band’s journey through their teenage years as rogue students and how they got their rocks off. Danny Bonner’s opening riffs burrow straight to the heart with pangs of nostalgia which frontman Jamie Finnigan’s heightens exquisitely as he decrees:

“Those are the days that you will see never again for you and me”

Many would stay in this lane of nostalgia, especially with guitar parts this strong. Not Balado! They inject ‘Paper Airplanes’ with drum fills, hi-hats, and a solo of joyous defiance. The no-mark teacher who labelled “neds” well and truly exorcised from their past.

With two fingers up the 00s-esque solo resounds out proud, Balado will not have their past demeaned. Their playful sense of pride should breed confidence in future generations. Don’t let the bastards ground you down, the future is always unwritten.

The Kairos - Thick Of It

Liverpool outfit The Kairos recently released their new single ‘Thick Of It’. Recorded at The Motor Museum, it is the lead single from their upcoming EP ‘Better Late Than Never’.

Image & artwork courtesy of The Songbird PR

Through Tom Dempsey’s guitars, vocals, and Owen Forrester’s guitars, a huge sense of anticipation is conjured akin to the celestial dance meets rock music of Rob Harvey and Adam Nutter’s The Music.

Like their Leeds elders, the ability to slide from the mystical into a stomping guitar hook is prominent. Dempseys’ vocal is blessed with a grandness that builds such excitement it creates alternate realities to escape to. It’s the perfect platform for the band to switch up the tempo into something far more direct. The hook is reminiscent of Hot Chip’s classic solo on ‘Over and Over’ is the dictionary definition of indie floorfiller. Muscular but welcoming, it goes through the gears rapidly and begs you to stomp with arms aloft like you own the world!

‘Thick Of It’ follows a fine run of singles in ‘Time Keeper’, ‘Lazy Lethargic’, and ‘Round The Bend’. All of these show a band who have seriously kicked on from their initial pre-lockdown form. They are toying with the 00s hook-heavy scene and more expansive rock music with the skill of seasoned masters, not young upstarts. 2023 could well be their breakout year.

Click the image below for their hometown show in May:

Hazy Sundays – Hear The Truth

Back in January, Glasgow’s Hazy Sundays blew everyone’s hangovers away with the boozy anthem ‘Lose Control’. The four-piece are back again with their new single ‘Hear The Truth’

Oasis’ ‘Columbia’, an afterthought to many due to their pantheon of monster hits. For die-hard fans though, its swirling psyche was peak Oasis. A theme that Kasabian pursued with interest on their classic debut album. Hazy Sundays are now throwing their hat into the mix on ‘Hear The Truth’.

Lead guitarist Mark Devlin has the powerful simplicity of Peter Buck’s ‘What’s The Frequency’, the early hiss of Noel’s Gibson, and Serge’s ability to loop psychedelic riffs merging effortlessly. Devlin’s playing is beset with excess and hedonism which lay the platform for frontman Shaun Kenny’s vocal to snarl through the hysteria.

Like ‘Columbia’, ‘Hear The Truth’ remains in a groove too slow to dance to. Nevertheless, like it’s predecessor, it possesses a danger that takes you to the edge of chaos in a mystical fashion.

*image courtesy of the band

Click the image below for tickets to their support slot with Holy Coves:

Rosellas – Hideaway

Manchester’s Rosellas kicked off their UK tour last Thursday in fine style at London’s Grace. Marking the occasion was the release of their new single ‘Hideaway’.

To date, Rosellas have been a band with great promise. Single after single they showcased something fresh and, on ‘Hideaway’ they have pulled it all together. It’s a thunderous piece of rock-psyche that brings the five-piece out of indie’s shadows into the main stage spotlight.

The great harmonies developed on the ‘Slowdance’ and ‘Damaged’ are enhanced by a more direct approach to the guitar parts. Gone are the chilled stoner lo-fi guitars and in their place are bullish licks destined for stadiums. Squire’s flair collides with McCabe’s introverted genius on this brooding epic.

Many bands have a penny-drop moment. For The Libertines, it was seeing The Strokes live. Out went the 60s flower power melodies and in came the debauched punk we know and love. For the Rosellas, it’s the injection of aggression to their love of Shack and The Smiths. It’s taken the band to another level that few today can compete with.

*banner image courtesy of Fear Pr and Barnaby Fairley

Click the image for tickets to the Rosellas’ current tour: