We see things they'll never see
London three piece Come At The King enter the affray like Tabasco heavy Bloody Mary. If anyone has any Christmas cobwebs left, their new single ‘Minesweep’ will blow them away.
It’s a furious combination of dirty BRMC riffs and the devilish blues of the 22/20s. When they hit the release valve on the solo, the fluidity of Black Keys and effortlessness of early Oasis comes to the fore.
Come At The King have arrived in style!
No sooner you post your top 20 albums of the year, a tip comes your way and your left screaming “The Love-Birds” like Dr Johnson screams “sausage” in Blackadder the Third.
The four piece from San Francisco released their debut album 'In The Lovers Corner' via Trouble In My Mind records last May. As us Brits brace for winter, The Love-Birds recipe of 60s California and the 90s US underground circuit will warm both hearts and minds.
Embracing their love of Teenage Fanclub, they hired Norman Blake to master the album and, on ‘Weak Riff’ and Gerrit’, duly pay homage. ‘Weak Riff’ has the hallmarks of a Creation Records single with its hazy take on pop music. Meanwhile, ‘Gerrit’ harnesses the Fanclub’s fuzzy-grunge take of The Byrds and big emotive guitar breaks to conjure, perhaps the albums true moment of stardust.
Jangle pop reigns supreme throughout, in fact, it’s hard not to imagine the album sound tracking Friday Night Lights Matt Saracen throwing a winning pass to Tim Riggins. There are fleeting moments where they splice in other influences. ‘Hit My Head’ has a touch of Grandaddy’s eccentric production, ‘Failure and Disgrace’ is a lost Decemberists classic and on ‘Clean The Air’, singer Thomas Rubenstein manages to blend Gene Clark and Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst.
The Love-Birds have delivered a superb introduction to themselves on this influenced led debut. Now it’s time for them to flee the nest and test themselves. Can they sail unchartered waters and find a new route?
*Image courtesy of Ava Rose and Trouble In Mind Records
Desperate Journalism return with their second single ‘Satellite’ from their upcoming third album 'In Search Of The Miraculous'. The London outfit, signed to the legendary Fierce Panda are, to date, one of the UK’s best kept secrets.
It is however, hard to imagine that secret lasting much longer. ‘Satellite’ is a vast expansive piece of rock n roll that simply has to dominate the airwaves.
There is a real sense of all or nothing oozing from its soul. Guitarist Rob Hardy, is so often the vehicle to shine a light on the glorious vocals of Jo Bevan. Not anymore. They’ve become duo bouncing of each other a la Pete & Karl or Brown & Squire.
The riffs alone are a joyous piece of escapism but, the solo is a destructive force that will leave souls cleansed and former detractors reeling from their mistakes.
They recently sold out London’s Oslo, on this form, Brixton beckons.
Satellite, a song by Desperate Journalist on Spotify
*Image courtesy of Fierce Panda Records
Grasshopper, a Brighton/Manchester four piece are made in the image of national treasures Joy Division, The Fall and Bauhaus.
Their new EP 'Stricken', was released at the end of November and has been gaining well deserved attention. At a glance, the desolation is striking, but, as their introspection washes over you, a bond forms, an intimate sense of us vs the world.
With the huge of success of Editors in the last decade, Javi Fedrick's vocal will inevitably draw parallels to Editors’ Tom Smith. However, EP opener ‘Grin’, with its long a Capella section, gives Fedrick a chance to clearly define himself so that, when the crisp jingle jangle guitars collide with his brutality, a new world has truly opened up.
'The Hand On The Knife’ and 'I Think It's Time To Wake Up Now' both contain the razor sharp rhythm of Bauhaus and the emotive power of The Chameleons’ Mark Burgess. It allows the merest chinks of light to creep into lyrics such as “the ceiling screams: you won’t get through today” and “I see you shaking, fury making”.
This kind of rebellion and dystopian landscape creation, opened up by Cabbage and The Blinders in 2018, couldn’t feel more appropriate at the beginning of 2019. The bleak grey skies of Brexit loom over us all like some giant morose dog turd, this is the aggressive despondent release needed.
*Image courtesy of Jim Federick
You can buy the EP here: https://bandgrasshopper.bandcamp.com/album/stricken-ep
Croydon outfit Bugeye, now a four piece since, have been working with Paul Tipler (Placebo, Idlewild, Stereolab) on their new single ‘Disco Dancer’.
Razor sharp basslines and highly sexed guitar riffs, this is a alt-pop anthem to conjure images of post-punk at CBGB’s in its late 70s/early 80s heyday. We defy you to not dance in the mirror at home to these licks!
The merging of Blondie’s funk and Elastica’s aggression feels a natural home for Bugeye and one they can expand upon to even greater things.
*Image courtesy of Stuart Bennett (Deacon Communication)
Things are afoot for London’s MOSES. Their recent single ‘Cause You Got Me’ took their monthly Spotify plays from 1.8k to 193k. They supported the UK’s hottest band The Blinders and now, they’ve returned with their new single ‘River Thames’.
Produced by the legendary Gil Norton (Pixies & Foo Fighters), ‘River Thames’ kicks politicians’ banalities about “communities being left behind” into, well, the river! At its core, is a belief in people, a romanticism in their lives, a song writing trait that has drifted away in recent times.
The sound of the underdog is so often, one of kicking and screaming at injustice (and quite right too). Here though, they’ve bypassed that and gone straight to euphoric victory. It’s a Sunday league football win, it’s a prank on your best mate. This is the re-emergence of believing in ordinary people and ordinary things as the greatest subject matter on earth.
*Artwork by Ana Ban Ana
https://www.facebook.com/anabananabanica/
Southend’s Asylums celebrated their 5th birthday in style this past Friday at London’s Camden Assembly. Supported by the raw talent of BLAB, the furiously entertaining Suspects and a certain breakout act of 2019, October Drift, it was a stark reminder just how fucking great the music scene in the UK is right now.
No one can touch Asylums on the pop-punk circuit right now. They check all the boxes of the greats with great hooks, melody and angst. However, it’s the lyrics which catapult them to another plain. Intelligent, witty and of the moment, Asylums can carry you to the mosh pit and lead you out the other side a better person.
‘Joy In A Small Wage’ is this generations ‘Live Forever’. Gallagher’s sentiment of ‘We’ll see things they’ll never see’ runs throughout. As fun as the sonics are, it’s the honesty and integrity of Luke Branch’s vocal delivery which cuts through the room. It almost makes Jarvis’ heyday look trite.
Togetherness is thrown into disarray on ‘Napalm Bubblegum’. Worlds are torn down as their brand of cosmic guitar licks enter hyper drive. “This bubbles gonna blow” is putting it mildly. It erupted into a rabid frenzied attack of the senses.
With the success of their second album ‘Alien Human Emotions’, this was the perfect send of for the 2018 by the Essex outfit. Intimate but far reaching, feral but loving, Asylums have hit a groove that will surely win hearts and minds for a long time to come.
*Image courtesy of Rob Humm / Si Deaves / Thomas Prescott
“I know I'd go from rags to riches
If you would only say you care”
Tony Bennett, 1953
In the space of 12 months, Doncaster trio The Blinders have gone from a support band in small venues to selling out the Garage this past Wednesday, oh we care alright!
Many will reference IDLES as the most vital UK band right now but, for TT, The Blinders, with their meshing of styles and face melting punkadelia have the edge. They also have an ability to unite scenes like no other. The Garage is awash with punks, skins, mods, hipsters, young and old.
Newcomers to the band are obvious from the moment 'Gotta Get Through' blasts through the room. You can see their jaws dropping and souls being blasted into the ether. It's an envious position, no one will forget their first hit of The Blinders.
Having their Orwellian psychedelic punk anthems validated by their fans with the release of 'Columbia' has given them a new found confidence. The power and the drama ‘Ramona Flowers’ is elevated to an extraordinary level. There is an added showmanship to the furious ‘Rat In A Cage’, our raw heroes are becoming masters of their trade before!
Politicians keep dishing out the platitudes of healing a divided nation, well, The Blinders prove talk is cheap. They've ripped up the musical landscape with their sound and forged a togetherness in the darkness that no one saw coming. Long may they reign.
*The amazing image is courtesy of Sam Crowston:
As the weather turns bitter, the enticement levels need to go up to venture outside. Thank heavens for Pink Lemonade. The three piece from Cambridge have just released their debut single ‘Space Girl’ and, if this doesn’t get your DM’s laced up for the winter nights, nothing will.
Put simply, this is perfect pop music! Vocal melodies akin to the criminally underrated Pipettes and a riff from the cheer leading gods. This is pure hairbrush (Lynx Africa for the boys) sing along in the mirror stuff.
*Image courtesy of the band
In September, Brighton’s Strange Cages released their second EP, ‘Silver Queen’ via the record label of the moment, Vallance Records (home to Sisteray, Beach Riot and False Heads).
Sleazy garage-psyche music, is too often devoid of emotion and passion. Too often a display of self-indulgence and mass ego. Well, Strange Cages, with influences indebted to Iggy, Toy, Neu and The Horrors are hell bent on bucking that trend.
Despite the hallmarks of the past in play, Strange Cages have found ways to make this EP relevant to 2018. There are the pop machinations of Blossoms and Goldfrapp shining through the synths on ‘The Leeches, the Fakers’. Meanwhile, ‘Children of the Gutter’ is a lost single of their peers Cabbage.
‘False Prophet Death Waltz’ and ‘Lasers of Joy’ are not the sounds of sane men. Psychotic and hullucagenic, thee early fire of the The Horrors is in full force. ‘Meanwhile, ‘Sick With Desire’ throbs like The Stooges one minute before seguing into the more beautiful moments of Syd Barrett’s Floyd era.
Ultimately, Strange Cages are a band with a clear direction and clear influences but not yet their own distinct style. It won’t stop you returning to the record but, the sense the sense that something truly great can come from this band lingers in the air.
Although The Libertines career is not yet done, when you look back, the one thing that halted them from mega stardom was that one single, a ‘Wonderwall’ or ’If You Tolerate This…’ . The type the of hit that X Factor zombies couldn’t deny. Welsh underdogs Trampolene, whose soul is inextricably linked to The Libertines, have returned with that single, ‘The One Who Loves You’.
Is there a purer soul walking this divided kingdom of ours than Jack Jones at present? If this were the late 18th and early 19th century, Jones would be lauded as a romantic poet. In 2018, he is kicked into the margins and forced to scrap his way out of the gutter.
Scrap away he does and, on this unrequited love anthem, Jones has delivered a single that shouldn’t but inevitably will be ignored by day time radio, the break they truly deserve. Find me a teenage boy who wouldn’t cling to this song as they obsess over the girl they’re to shy to talk to, and we’ll drive them to therapy to work on their sociopathic tendencies.
Methods, a five piece hailing from Wolverhampton and Salford have their roots indebted to Depeche Mode and New Order. Big shoes to fill.
On their new single 'Mankind', they have taken a leap into their hero’s world, with a spirit to stoke the fires of this sound once more. The archetypal Peter Hook bass from Adam Hall syncs up with the lush and expansive synths from Jon Nash to create their own dystopia. After darkness must come light, that killer hook isn’t quite there but, there are chinks of light here to get excited about.
Ash Bradley's vocal, sitting between Interpol's Paul Banks and a more aggressive version of Dave Gahan, keeps ‘Mankind’ hovering above a nuclear button. Bradley is awash with danger and fury.
All hail the darkness!
Ever listened to the 1975 and seriously questioned their substance? Well, don’t bother anymore. Listen to Sad Boys Club instead. Their infectious Cure driven pop music may edge towards middle of road but is always a comfortable distance away.
The new single from the Crouch End outfit has that distinct Springsteen open road escape to it, similar their former label mates The Crookes in many ways. The pop breeziness of the music is the perfect metaphor for this tail of putting up social barriers to who we really are.
With a new EP due November 2nd, Sad Boys Club are surely going to be garnering a lot of interest this winter on this showing.
Dutch Born Welsh-based artist Accü will be releasing a brand new single entitled 'Crash To Kill' on the 19th Of October on Libertino Records.
As autumn draws in, Accu’s mission to rip it up and start again feels apt on this crisp slice of electronic pop. Although narrow in message, as the melody ambles on, you can feel her landscape begin to open as she destroys her inner demons.
“Misshapes, mistakes, misfits / We'd like to go to town but we can't risk it, oh / 'Cause they just want to keep us out”
Pulp, Different Class, 1996
Every time a Suede gig comes around, it’s a constant reminder that the human condition, the clashing individualism and collective belonging can be precious thing. It’s the musical equivalent of Ken Loach’s working class life and Danny Boyle’s underclass flamboyance.
From the moment Southend’s finest exports The Horrors take to the stage, the sense that the outsiders are taking charge once more is tangible. Quite simply:
“We are the pigs,
We are the swine,
We are the stars of the firing line”
Emerging silhouetted ramped up the anticipation of seeing the hip shaping acrylic shirt wearing Anderson. Despite the brilliance of the band, Anderson’s light still burns brightest. Even with all the success and adulation, he still seeks out the most intimate connection with the audience. None more prevalent than on the acoustic (and no microphone) version of ‘The Power’. It’s always been an emotional cog in their live armoury, this rendition became a hymn for the bored and disaffected in England’s satellite towns.
As the set grows, the realisation of just how remarkable their return to new releases in 2013 unfurls. The brutal examination of a Brett’s relationship with his father on ‘I Don’t Know How To Reach You’ (‘Night Thoughts’ 2016) brings a rare silence as Richard Oakes’ playing haunts this West London audience. ‘The Outsiders’ (‘Night Thoughts’ 2016), with guitar licks from the early days of The Cure, is as romantic as Anderson’s characters have ever been and, if alternative pop were still a thing, ‘It Starts An Ends With You’ would be challenging their highest chart positions. Live, it allows Suede to convey that rock n roll desperation, the thirst to be heard is not just for the young.
As five thousand people head to the tube station, the quiet, reserved nature of the Suede fan returns. The staring begins again, Doc Martens are a sign of leprosy once more, and ‘through the slippery city we ride’. Little do they know, that art, in its purest form has been witnessed by people more beautiful than they’ll ever know.
It's been just under a year since the Watford band ventured to the Essex coast. Their previous visit witnessed a solid outing, this time, an evolution to something far greater emerged.
Maybe performing on national TV (The Andrew Marr Show) and chiding against the middle of the road has been a huge confidence boost. Whatever it is, their playing was tighter and harder and lead to some jaw dropping moments.
The pre-fame fire of The Ordinary Boys was all over this performance. However, with The Spitfires, it feels more earnest and pure. The stripped back version of '4am' heightened this wonderfully. The lyrical desperation collided with jagged Bragg-esque guitar licks to deliver a sense of togetherness few can deliver. Too rare are fists raised aloft and strangers hugged in moments of sheer joy today.
They should be buoyed by their new songs in the set. There was no clear piss break tonight. 'Move On' and 'Something Worth Fighting For' have embraced their love of Ska and Dub. Whilst the lyrical intensity remains, there is a brevity to them which injects a skanking euphoria to the room.
The Spitfires have gone from a band that only music obsessed fans know about to, the one those fans will beg their friends to come see. They have hit that level where what they do is undeniable.
With a support slot lined up for The Blinders tour and their debut album due out February next year, the London three piece have a =big 6months ahead. Kicking things of is their new single ‘I Heard A Cry’.
Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell raising the bar for what alternative pop music can be, front woman Jess Allanic is right on her heels with this vocal. Where Rowsell is fuelled with angst, Allanic has a wryness to her approach but is no less impactful.
With the spirit of Sub Pop Records in their hearts, Calva Louise have ignited their quest for glory in style!
You Can pre-order the album here:
A big contender for single of the year comes from the LA five piece Death Valley Girls. Released on Friday 5th October on the Suicide Squeeze label, this is one minute fifty seconds of blood sweat and venomous victory!
There is a distinct flavour of Johnny Marr’s 3 solo albums here. Those big distorted but, insanely catchy riffs are firing out like desperate warning sirens. They’ve created a real sense of chase and escape on arguably the most immediate record of the year. Danger is coming for them and they couldn’t give a fuck.
Hailing from Cardiff, Perfect Body are a five piece embedding themselves into the shoegaze and psyche music of late 80s and early 90s. Their new EP is released on the exciting Bubblewrap Collective and is split with fellow Cardiff musician Zac White.
Each track showcases a different vocalist. Whilst it may not hone an identity, it signifies a flexibility and a freshness to a genre often guilty of rehashing the past. ‘Getting Cold’ is so ethereal it will slip through your fingers as you inevitably try to clutch at its swirling beauty.
On ‘Getting Cold’ and ‘Fields’, there are clear nods to Slowdive and The Brian Jones Town Massacre but there is always a sense that pop music and melody can burst through at any moment. It does, but only in little bursts, teasing you into their world and then playing with you like a cat with a dead mouse.
Whereas, ‘Tribe of Mine’, has th clearest melody shining through but, they have expertly countered it with a Lou Reed-esque vocal to counter the bubble-gum pop.
You’d be forgiven for thinking this EP is a re-issue from an established act of its field. Thankfully, its not, this is the beginning of a beautiful trippy journey.
Perfect Body formed in Cardiff, early 2017, inspired by the sonic experimentation of bands like My Bloody Valentine, Stereolab, and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Their earliest performances took place in Cardiff’s underground, often in practice spaces and house parties: So, by the time Perfect Body emerged on the music scene, they had already sculpted a distinctive sonic identity. The attention gained from their first single, ‘Getting Cold’, saw them supporting the likes of Jen Cloher, Slowcoaches, and The Wytches. Perfect Body’s sound is characterized by it’s noisy, psychedelic guitar playing; icy, ethereal synthesizers; and a muscular, yet dynamic rhythm section. Their three vocalists, each with their own style and identities, ensure that Perfect Body’s performances are varied and engaging. Perfect Body is a wall of noise, hazing over and obscuring what is, at it’s core, pop-oriented songwriting.
Order the split EP here:
https://bubblewrapcollective.co.uk/product/perfect-body-zac-white-split-ep/
Festivals like Star Shaped are often sneered at for being regressive. To those chinless wonders, we direct you to Echobelly’s set at Brixton this past Saturday. Proving the future is unwritten, they littered a set of cult classics with new material and it more than stood up.
‘Hey Hey Hey’ witnessed Sonya Madan at her spell binding best. There was a nonchalance to her performance that exuded confidence and complete control. Key to Madan’s stature on stage is her long time writing partner, guitarist Glenn Johansson. His guitar was shimmering with looping psyche riffs on ‘Hey Hey Hey’ and ‘If the Dogs Don't Get You, My Sisters Will’, he is, undoubtedly, in the form of his life.
Timing can be everything in music, and Saturdays setting was the perfect platform for ‘Faces in the Mirror’. The tale of self-reflection which, is packed with doubt, regret and hope was met with a jaw dropping awe inspired silence, just for a nanosecond before applause. The crowd came for nostalgia and, they got it in the personalised and exquisite of forms.
The powerful message of ‘Faces in the Mirror’ put a fresh spin on ‘I Can’t Imagine The World Without Me’ and ‘Great Things’. Madan’s deeply personal lyrics transcended music in this moment, they didn’t compromise, and, they did great things!
