This Is War – I Don’t get It

Image & artwork courtesy of the band.

Liverpool’s This is War are back with their new single ‘I Don’t Get It’. It follows their blistering ‘Pyramids’ and ode to Dylan ‘Exile Pet’.

This Is War have proven they can produce all sorts of tracks this year. It is though, in attack mode that they come alive. Launching into jagged riffs from The Jam and The Clash set the tone for what becomes a fine homage to 00s post-punk.

Vocally, Paul Carden brings the lo-fi power of The Strokes’ ‘Take It Or Leave’ to the fore before imparting great melody with his Rod-esque gravel in the closing stages.

The excitement of The Strokes’ ‘Is This It’ is never far away from this anthem but they don’t stop there. It joyfully explores many of the bands that The Strokes helped launch post-2001. The angular licks have the art school power of Franz Ferdinand and The Departure and the punk of The Rakes cult classic ‘Retreat’. This spirit combines with the ragged glory Kings of Leon debut as if they were played by the Jarman brothers circa ‘New Fellas’ and ‘Mens Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever’.

It’s a thrill ride to the credible bands that plugged the heartache of The Libertine’s demise in the mid-00s to lift the scene back to dizzy heights. Carden’s former band The Black Velvets were criminally overlooked during this period; thus, this song has a cathartic justice to pulsing through it for fans of him then and now.

Make no mistakes though, this is not rehashed nostalgia. This Is War have yet again recorded something vital that feels as live as it can possibly be in the studio.

The Chase: Lower Third, London

After the success of their debut EP ‘Not The F**king Game Show’, Nottingham’s The Chase recently played This Feeling’s Teenage Cancer Trust gig and we were there to check them out.

Roaring out of the traps with ‘Black Cloud’, they dazzle with the devilish bluesy rock n roll of The Jim Jones Revue. The guttural guitars of 22-20s are met by frontman Tyler’s powerhouse vocals which found a place between Hugh Cornwell and the devil.

On ‘Live and Die’ and ‘I’m The Man’, they hit a groove that ignites the seaside fury of The Horrors and the escapist brutality of Spector. Whereas, on the ‘Im The Man’, Tyler nods to Fred McPhersons’ playful but compelling vocals whilst all around him is a flurry of attacks on the guitars and drums. It was BRMC vs Jim Jones Revue in a fight to the death!

Many bands can excite via raw angst. All young musicians should possess this quality. On ‘I Just Can’t Believe That We Share The Same Name’ The Chase begin to prove they can funnel the power into moments punters relish turning up for. The Ska-punk of the Specials and The Ordinary boys build a relentless stomp for all to revel in. It’s awash with wit, charisma, and the charm of The Coral’s debut; the very definition of being on the cusp of something great.

The Chase are not to be missed on their upcoming dates click venues for tickets):

November 3rd with Spangled – Dead Wax (Birmingham)

November 12th – Roadtrip (London)


 

Marseille – Freedom

This Friday on ADR Records, Derby’s Marseille release their new single ‘Freedom’. In 2022, Marseille have dropped the angelic ‘Forget It All’, and the trippy ‘The Jungle’ which was followed up with a fine remix from Vega Rally. Can they keep the momentum going?

From the off their newfound five-piece status is reflected in the enthralling and debauched sonic. Tom Spray’s drumming begins with Tony McCarroll’s rawness before metamorphosing into the flair of Gaz Whelan and Reni.

Through frontman Will Brown, there is a window through which mortals can peer into the band’s soul. Offering his best vocal to date, he hovers above the siren-like guitars like the pied piper of noise and confusion.

Lyrically, they’ve condensed the spirit of The Enemy’s debut album into five minutes of ‘Definitely Maybe’ meets ‘Stone Roses’ escapism. Written about their home city of Derby, they encapsulate large pockets of the UK who used to feel but now know they’re left behind. For those old enough, they will be flung back to a time when we had libraries, leisure centres, and sure start centres. We had hope!

For The Enemy, they arrived just in time to get paid. What have the music industry or any creative industry for that matter offered the working classes since 2010? A gormless reality tv no mark perhaps. Thank the heavens for guitars here. They drag the baggy-mod vibes of ‘Some Friendly’ and ‘Between 10th and 11th’ the precipice of the Roses and Oasis’ escapist majesty.

Soul-enriching, life-affirming, poetic brilliance!

‘Freedom’ is nothing short of a triumph of the human spirit. 12 years spent racing to the bottom, where Spotify throws pennies at your face and expects you to like it, Marseille have emerged with the finest rock ‘n’ roll song of 2022.

*Image courtesy of Paul Dixon

,

LOCK-IN: Lower Third, London

,

Lock-in began their life as a band in far from serious circumstances. Fast-forward a few years, the Essex outfit now residing in London and have a string of festivals to their name. They recently supported The K’s for This Feeling’s Teenage Cancer Trust night at Lower Third and we were there to check them out.

On record, a teenage innocence permeates their lyrics. Riddled with heartache and angst, they transport the oldest of souls back to the slumber of relationship woes. Live though, Lock-in are joyously learning to beef up their 00s revival sound.

‘I Caught Feelings’, via Ollie’s drumming builds to a raucous Milburn-esque crescendo. The lovelorn characters are built up to the fringes of rock ‘n’ roll with the shimmering guitar licks and frontman Benjy Leak’s swagger. The intro to set closer ‘Yours Sincerely’, more muscular than ever, adopts the angular mod riffs of The Rifles’ ‘She’s Got Standards’ and the punk of Good Shoes. The as yet unreleased ‘Sweet Love’ is their most bullish track to date and seemed to signify a departure from their cuter intonations.

On ‘Know The Score’ and ‘Get Over It’, they have serious weaponry to unleash on indie fans. The formers disco stomp hooked in the London crowd before frontman Benjy wielded his refreshingly ambitious stage presence. On ‘Get Over It’, something so instantaneous which allows them to dial down the bravado and thus, lets the audience feel a bigger part of their journey.

On this showing, it won’t be long they are headlining venues like this.

*image courtesy of the band

The K’s: Lower Third, London

Last Wednesday, live music returned to Soho for what felt like an eternity. Just 100 yards from the site of the dear departed Astoria, Earlestown’s The K’s headlined This Feeling’s Teenage Cancer Trust night at the new venue Lower Third.

Whilst the packed intimate crowd was deep below ground, the government was falling apart, again! Hour upon hour a new catastrophe was unfurling, culminating in the now ex-Prime Minister not voting for her own bill. That crowd needed The K’s more than ever!

In the same week ‘Up The Bracket’ turned 20, it was fitting The K’s headlined This Feeling’s Teenage Cancer Trust gig at Lower Third in Soho. Rock music has a new great duo to call upon Ryan Breslin and Jamie Boyle. Performance-wise, they share more with Brown and Squire than Pete and Carl, the superstar on the guitar and the polemicist on vocals. Like the early days of the roses, Breslin and Boyle know when to step back and let the other shine. They exist to serve each over and it’s exhilarating to watch!

The room explodes into life again and again as they rattle through classics ‘Sarajevo’, ‘Glass Towns’, and ‘TV’. Pulling from Slade, The Courteeners, and The Rifles is a surefire way to make a name for yourselves but, their ability goes way beyond their influences. They’ve consigned the 00s to the bin in the same way the Pistols and Clash did to the 60s. Lyrically, they eclipse the last great wave of bands with Weller’s Jam era sharpness. Only Tom Clarke can stand up to them but, Boyle’s rapid-fire delivery includes so much more depth, he is surely in his rearview mirror now.

Breslin’s playing has the power of Pete Townsend and the technicolour of John Squire. It should render him untouchable and aloof yet, he has a playfulness and charm that makes him the cool kid that lifts you up to happier climates. On ‘Picture’, he takes the indie-punk of The Courteeners’ debut and blows it up to stadium-sized euphoria. Heaton Park beckons!

On ‘Valley One’ they have an iconic pin drop moment! Hardcore fans boisterously singalong to begin with but Boyle’s vocals are beset with so much emotion they step back. They’re carted back to lockdown, trapped, and alone when this song was released. It was the mood of a generation, lost, down, but defiant to come back and be heard.

Encores, frankly, are a pain in the arse at rock ‘n roll gigs. The adrenaline dissipates and often struggles to come back. However, when ‘Hometown’ was demanded by a fan on the microphone, the sense that the band are one of us was palpable. Except for the drummer who was visibly bricking it as he’d never played it live before.   

Working-class grit was lit up by this gang of humble escapists. The perfect release from the myriad of doom we’re all facing!

*Image by Kristopher Tolley, courtesy of Songbird PR

Ian M Bailey - You Paint The Pictures

Artwork by Josh Washington

In 2021, Ian M Bailey released his Byrds-inspired debut ‘Songs To Dream Along To’ and was one of the surprise packages of the year. During its creation, he collaborated with his long-time friend Daniel Wylie of Cosmic Rough Riders fame. Wylie, in 2021 also released an album. His ‘Atoms and Energy’ album took a step back from his archetypal Neil Young and Norman Blake guitar sound to deal with discourses of grief, domestic violence, and regret.

The two worked together for the entirety of Bailey’s second album ‘You Paint The Pictures’. Would the two mindsets of 2021 still be present, would they clash and produce great art? We take a look.

The album was recorded at Bailey’s home studio Small Space Studios in England with Alan Gregson mastering the album as well as providing strings and Hammond (Life Without You) and slide guitar (Lover’s Song). It will be released on the 28th of October via Kool Kat Musik.

If they were in the same place mentally, Bailey’s enthusiasm from his debut certainly infiltrated Wylie and brought him back to the light. Positivity is the album’s life source with many a message coming from the point of view of a father wanting to help. ‘Hey Little Girl’ vocally and musically adopts the simple yet eloquent mind of Gene Clark on ‘True One’. Tinged with country and Ian Broudie-esque backing vocals, its message of hope to younger generations glides into hearts and minds. ‘Change Is Easy’ however, is what defiance sounds like in your mid-fifties. Determined to stay alive for their children, they espouse lyrical couplets to raise up and inspire those they love the most.

Baileys’s previous album and, Wylie’s previous few have been of undeniable quality. The only criticism to be found in any of them is creatively, they’ve resided in scenes that have been and gone. On ‘Year Of The Tiger’, ‘I Don’t Want To Start Again’, and ‘Dreams of Love’ they begin to take their influences down new avenues to forge their own path. ‘Year Of The Tiger’ takes the lysergic licks of Johnny Marr’s ‘The Messenger’ and the hypnotic keys of The Doors for a trip a la Moon Duo. ‘I Don’t Want To Start Again’ has the hallmarks of The Byrds and Ian Matthews Southern Comfort but, is blessed with the immediacy of Peter Buck’s guitar playing circa ‘Document’ and ‘Green’. Whilst the melodies are angelic, the tone meanders to the darker planes as they decree my “life is running down the hall”. The song offers great uplifts, enough to distract from you its stark reality of life is short but, the closing keys bring the brutish reality home!

It’s on the latter, ‘Dreams Of Love’ where the duo truly excels in using the past to conjure something new. Wylie draws on his classic ‘Enjoy The Melodic Sunshine’ with the trippy percussive elements from ‘The Gun Wasn’t Loaded’ and ‘Baby, You’re So Free’ whilst Bailey perfects his Ian Matthews ethereal vocals. The song builds with the orchestrated majesty of Scott Walker and destructs like Richard Hawley’s grief-ridden classic ‘Standing At The Sky’s Edge’. The booming guitars release a pain unparalleled by an artist this year.

On ‘Brazil’ the guitars nod to Peter Green in his more relaxed Splinter Group Days and the effortlessness of Santana. Bailey’s vocals are supreme. They dip into modern-day Weller on ‘Be Sunset’ and ‘Fat ‘Pop’ and the mysticism of George Harrison and the feather-light genius of Elliot Smith. There ever so withdrawn style allows for the Moody Blues keys and the Sanatana solo to burn brightest.

Rather than the two opposing outlooks of their debuts colliding to produce great music, it has been a far simpler tale of two like-minded friends collaborating for the greater good. Wylie’s abilities have lifted Bailey’s songs to the next level, may their partnership long continue.

The album is released on the 28th October. Be sure to check here to listen to additional songs. You can pre-order the album here https://ianbaileymusic.bigcartel.com/product/you-paint-the-pictures

Pastel - Isaiah

Manchester’s Pastel release their second EP ‘Isaiah’ EP this Friday via Spirit of Spike Island Records. Produced by Afflecks Palace frontman J Fender, it follows the success of their ‘Deeper Than Holy’ EP released back in 2021. Can it follow up on the early promise?

The previous EP demonstrated a love of the Verve which they have doubled down on here. The title track ‘Isaiah’ is steeped in Nick McCabe’s magical swirling guitars that beckon tonnes of dry ice on a huge stage for them. Frontman Jack Yates angelic vocals give the astonishing sonic a human touch, allowing us mortals into their world. ‘Escape’, written after a hefty acid trip, has the melodic hallmarks of ‘Weeping Willow’ and ‘Space & Time’ and the explorative splendour of ‘Blue’. The sumptuous slide guitars are destined for iconic status.

Their time with John Squire at Knebworth was clearly well spent. On ‘S.O.H.O.’ the ‘Second Coming’ and ‘Do It Yourself’ strut comes out to play. Great and immediate hooks combine with Yate’s Chris Helme vocals to bug everything out.

On ‘Two Fools’ however, the promise builds but does not arrive. Whilst the hiss of Owen Morris’ Oasis production lurks and the vastness of ‘Urban Hymns’, its tails off without landing a killer moment. That is a testament to the quality elsewhere that your hopes are raised song upon song.

*Image courtesy of Fear PR

Pastel’s remaining live date of the year is:

November 20th - Preston, Crosstown Festival

Thousand Yard Stare - Earthanasia

Thousand Yard Stare have returned with their second album since the 2016 reformation. ‘Earthanasia’ follows 2020’s critically acclaimed ‘The Panglossian Momentum’ and was again recorded in Raffer Studios in Kent.

The album is available to buy on their Bandcamp page.

Since their return, they have had harder edges. ‘Action Stations’ throbbed with aggression and ‘It Sparks’ brought influences from The Cult to their fiery psyche styles. They took loyal fans from a position of wanting to reminisce about the early 90s through to their next chapter. Having their new direction accepted has given them freeing confidence on ‘Earthanasia’ to explore the destructive fringes of their creativity. ‘Hivemind’s blistering opening brings in the explosive rage of Sonic Youth and the fragility of Seafoods guitar lines. Unshackled by doubt, they bring in the psychedelic bliss of the previous album via Stephen Barnes most ethereal vocals to date. Together they create a sense of unity through the chaos. Whereas, on the former single ‘Isadora’, guitarist Giles Duffy taps into the immediacy of the ‘Version Of Me’ and ‘Wonderment’ and reimagines them in the form of a demonic nursery rhyme. Hope is often coursing through their melodies. Here, they’ve attacked the studio like a Dadaist nightmare where the concept never existed. An ode to lockdown if ever there was one.

The newfound confidence infiltrates the album’s two clarion call anthems ‘Broken Spectre’ and ‘Square Peg, Round Hole’. The former opens the album with a Sea Power via Moon Duo and latter-day The Horrors. The shimmering psychedelia rings out like a panic-stricken last call to arms, adopting a slot between melancholia and escapism. A desperate sense of urgency courses through its veins; it’s now or ever to save what we all love! ‘Square Peg, Round Hole’ however is an explosion of technicolour, as though John Squire joined Maximo Park to re-write their seminal album ‘The National Health’. Many can offer hope and defiance in song. Few can place themselves in the present, in the heart of the crisis like TYS have done here, and pick people up off the canvas.

What ‘Earthanasia’ does better than ‘The Panglossian Momentum’ is to consistently showcase a band on a journey that far outruns their beginnings. The title track ‘Earthanasia’ gives the album an ‘Inception’ style ending. Dependant on your glass half-full or empty outlook, the fleeting guitar licks are the light flickering or fading away:

“If our world was gonna end tonight / How we gonna make things right?”

The juxtaposition between the gentle sonic and Barnes’ angelic vocals is one that begins to transcend music. Musically, it allows the heart to fade away and accept what’s coming but, through Barnes, there is a route through the foggy nature of the guitars and saxophone. It lends itself exquisitely to the choices our country has faced from Barnard Castle through to whatever chancellor we have as I type.

‘Esprit Du Corps’ treads a similar path with its ethereal meanderings. The heartfelt introspections and political hope of Sea Power shine alongside the soaring melodies of Feeder as Barnes delivers a career-defining vocal. He soars with a vastness that belies his middle age. This is the stuff off of teenage kicks. Meanwhile ‘Adverse Cambers’ finds a way of combining the early hour’s contemplation of Doves’ debut with the melodic joy of Electric Soft Parade. Whereas ‘Borrowed Time’ serves up a poetic lullaby to Brexiteers and climate change Deniers:

“Leave me where I lie / I won’t be here tomorrow / Leave me asinine / The burden is mine to swallow…we’re all on borrowed time”

Their previous album in many ways was a second debut album. It said everything they ever wanted to say to the world. They thought it would cap off a great few years playing live and release the odd EP. What it did is best expressed in their single ‘Measures’:

“It doesn’t matter how you arrive here / Just be sure that you are here at the end / It doesn’t matter how you arrive here / Take pleasure in the message it sends”.

This sentiment flows from every corner of the album and has allowed them to be more expressive than ever. Long may it continue.

*Images and artwork courtesy of the band.

The Enemy: Kentish Town Forum, London

September 16th 2016, The Enemy played their last London gig “for the foreseeable future” according to the band. It was a bitter pill to swallow as thousands traipsed out of the venue that night. Powerless and downtrodden, the northern line exploded into bouts of ‘This Song’. We did not go quietly into the night. It was a fuck you to XFM and 6Music who ignored ‘It’s Automatic’, a criminally underrated album. They were supposed to have ours and their backs!

That angst had not subsided upon return six years later. Back in the same venue, Coventry’s favourite sons were celebrating the 15th anniversary of their debut album ‘We’ll Live And Die In These Towns’.

So many bands pussy foot around with music between the support acts. Not The Enemy. No one understands the plight of the working classes as they did/do. Train tickets, booking fees, and 7 quid for a pint, the band get they we’re being mugged off. They play monster hits from Kasabian, Oasis, and eventually return to the stage to The Who’s teenage desolation classic ‘Baba O Riley’. Bang. For. Buck!

Many anniversary album tours are a party; a nostalgia trip to relive great memories. The combative power of album opener ‘Aggro’ brought back feelings of yesteryear, but for different reasons. Back in 2007, the band played 5 sold-out nights at The Astoria (RIP). They were electric nights, the feeling of conquering the world was palpable. The destructive playing of the band in 2022 brought those feelings flooding back. Bodies lay strewn across the padded seats, beers flew as beacons of hope, and sweat fell with joy. This wasn’t a dewy-eyed trip to a misspent youth, this is real, this was for the here and now. The feeling of surmounting the bores was tangible but, it was fresh, the Tories, corporate greed, polluting water companies, no one feels safe!  

Grown men cried in the arms of their best mates and partners as top 10 hits ‘Had Enough’ and ‘Away From Here’ assaulted the senses. What, because we’re 15 years older, you think we’ve all grown up and enjoy middle management? Fuck off!

‘This Song’ was reprised by the band for the final song but, was by the crowd whenever a moment’s breath was allowed to be taken. This sold-out crowd was not letting their heroes out without them knowing how much they had been missed. As it was an album playback gig, it was peculiar to hear the classic ‘You’re Not Alone’ at the mid-point. It takes added potency in 2022 as the world falls down around ordinary people.

During the encore the volatility of ‘Gimme The Sign’ was a thing of pure beauty. The snap of the neck as Tom Clarke snarls ‘penguin’ and the colossal drumming of frayed edges of humanity. Meanwhile, ‘Saturday’ set the encore ablaze as Clarke demands we all fulfill our dreams.

What the future holds remains unclear for the band at present. As most of us lie awake thinking about bills to pay, the world needs The Enemy. There’s just too many dreams in this wasteland to leave album five behind.

*Image courtesy of Fear PR

Afflecks Palace - Dancing Is Not A Crime

Image and artwork courtesy of https://www.spiritofspikeisland.com/

Manchester’s independent kings Afflecks Palace recently returned with their new single ‘Dancing Is Not A Crime’. Released on their own label Spirit of Spike Island it was produced by frontman J Fender.

‘Dancing Is Not A Crime’ is the lead single from their second album due for release in 2023. They have doubled down on the lysergic energy of the debut album and produced their best work yet. There’s a confidence to J Fender’s vocals now which allows the guitars to become, ever so slightly more muscular. This slight tweak gives them an aura that befits their dreams!

The added aggression elevates Dan Stapleton’s guitar licks (and the backward ones) to a mind-altering reality where everything feels rushed, in the best possible sense! Everything bristles with excitement, poised on the edge of a dancefloor waiting for that solo or piano loop to release souls.

It’s easy to see why it has been c-listed on 6Music and their shows with Pastel at 100 Club and Thekla have sold out.

Gazelle – Violet Hour Blues

Leicester’s Gazelle returned recently with their new single ‘Violet Hour Blues’. It follows the success of the ‘Clementine’ back in July.

In 2020, Chesterfield’s The Crooks were on a roll with windswept Oasis-esque ballads. By the end of that year, they sadly imploded. It left a song-writing void that Gazelle have not only filled with ‘Violet Hour Blues’, but they’ve also surpassed them by adding lyrical depth and orchestration to kill for.

This aching character-driven tale lights up the ordinary and mundane like no other. They have The Verve’s ‘History’ at their fingertips with the lyrics and strings but, they go much further. The torment of Richard Hawley and the heart of Frank and Walters lift this to instant classic status.

The guitars pertain to the anguish of Andrew Cushin’s ‘Where’s My Family Gone’ & ‘Waiting For The Rain’ and Noel Gallagher’s regret-filled classics ‘Dying Of Light’ and ‘The Right Stuff’. Subtly and deftly adding licks only when needed. Less is so much more here.

Credence they carry into the guitar solo too. The obvious choice would have been to lift the mood-blistering escapist solo, a talent they are more than capable of. However, what emanates is a divine autumnal jingle-jangle to further enhance their credentials.

Gazelle’s new EP is on the horizon and is becoming the most sort after of the year on this basis.

THIS IS WAR – Pyramids

Liverpool five-piece This Is War continued their run of a single a month in September with ‘Pyramids’. It follows their fine ode to Bob Dylan, 'Exile Poet’.

Even in the band’s quieter moments this year, there has been an immediacy to their music. However, this is the most direct yet and it results in their finest guitar work to date! Frontman Paul Carden snarls “here we are. Here go” like a statement of intent. Less so as courteous information, but more as a condemnation of everything you know. They were coming and they will destroy!

Mike Mullard and Johnny Roberts guitars tap into early BRMC, 00s cult heroes Dogs and Carden’s former outfit Black Velvets on this dirge-laden classic. Leather-clad filthy licks from the gutter bellow out before the garage solo melts cynicism with its fury.

It’s been one hell of a year for the band, and this has been its peak to date. Check back next week to see if their new single ‘I Don’t Get It’.

*Artwork courtesy of Donnie Grant

The Skinner Brothers: Chinnerys, Southend

Back in June, The Skinner Brothers opened for The Music’s all-dayer comeback at Temple Newsum in Leeds. Much like The Coral did in 2002 at Finsbury Park, they announced themselves to many as pretenders to the throne. They blew the Snuts off stage and edged The Coral and The Cribs off too. Nothing that day was stopping The Music from being triumphant though.

Fast forward to this past Thursday and they were headlining Chinnerys in Southend. With home county support from The Lucettas and hometown support from San Quentin, you’d have been forgiven for thinking the same could have happened to them.

Not a chance!

In support of their latest EP ‘Lonedom’, they played the title track and ‘Mellow’. ‘Lonedom’, ironically ignores its message and unites a crowd in a sweat-ridden singalong. Meanwhile, the guitar hooks of ‘Mellow’ resound out like Carl Barat playing lead for the Arctic Monkeys

The acclaimed ‘Soul Boy II’ album makes up the bulk of the set. ‘Culture Non-Stop’ and ‘Iconic’ see Zachary Skinner’s laconic drawl drift through the seaside air to remind everyone who the mortal ones are. Whereas on record, the band often gets into a soulful groove, here, they are harder and faster. It takes their soulful sound towards The Reytons but with far more depth.

In 2002, The Libertines launched their good ship Albion. Not many fellow bands got it. The Skinner brothers did. Their rapport, free beers, and demanding people on their shoulders (and fuck the consequences) brought rock ‘n’ roll closer to the punters for the first time in a long time.

 

,

The Facades: The Social, London

,

Wigan four-piece The Facades opened up for This Feeling’s Test Transmission night at The Social last week.

They roar out of the traps with their beguiling The Coral via The Cramps single ‘That Letter’. Satanic basslines and gypsy punk riffs allow frontwoman Alaanah to slide her vocals in and out of view deftly. There is a wryness to her delivery that enables her persona to grow an enigma throughout the song which, is elevated by Evan’s carefree solo.

This dynamic continues on ‘In These Woods’ and ‘These Days’. The former has the warped universe of The Coral’s ‘Skeleton Key’ and the ska-punk immediacy of Dead 60s’ ‘Ghostface Killah’. Whereas, ‘These Days’ combines Babyshambles licks with Stevie Knicks.

There are other points in the set where the guitars and the vocals are not quite in sync. However, they’re so tantalisingly close, no rock ‘n’ roll romantic cannot fall for this band’s charms.

*Image courtesy of RocklandsTV

Holy Youth Movement: The Social, London

Second up on This Feeling’s Test Tranmission night was Bristol’s Holy Youth Movement. They have been supporting headliners The Utopiates across the UK this past summer.

Back in the 00s, many bands tried to bridge the gap between rock ‘n’ roll and breaks. Kasabian and Radio 4 got the closest, although, if we’re honest, neither married the two to a level the scene deserved.

Step forward Holy Youth Movement!

Everything about them screams Kasabian debut, nu-school breaks, and 3am mayhem in nightclubs (remember them!). Previous singles ‘Information Is beautiful’ and ‘Tranquilizer’ explode into the ether like a Serge Pizzorno wet dream. The former is blessed with the melodic yet destructive synths of Justice vs Simian alongside the beauty and volatility of the Primals ‘XTRMNTR’. It allows their message of humanity to come together, no matter the chaos, to land instantaneously.

Images courtesy of Caffy St Luce

‘Tranquilizer’ however, does what all post ‘West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum’ Kasabian albums have attempted and failed. It delivers a post-apocalyptic rave that throbs and thunders its way to the soul. The guttural electronica of Underground meets the spirit of BRMC ‘Whatever Happened to My Rock ‘n’ Roll’. It leaves the room feeling hollow afterward. It looked your soul in the eye, licked it, fucked it, and left whistling leaving you desperate for more.

It’s easy to see why the legendary Jagz Kooner hooked up with the band in the studio. Holy Youth Movement have tapped into the post-headliner twitching hours of Bestival and Secret Garden Party from 2005 to 2015. Crucial to the success of this live slot is their ability to enthral and show off like a rock ‘n’ band.  They’re not willing to just bring rock music to dance once again. They want both to be as one and, for the most part, they nailed this aim.

The Utopiates : The Social, London

Previous Utopiates gigs have seen them struggle with sound and strings. Struggle as they may have, their talent and dogged spirit always overcome. Last Wednesday, they headlined This Feeling’s Test Transmission night. It comes after a run of headline gigs and it shows. Strolling on stage, relaxed, hindered by nothing and no one, their aura says headliner forever more.

The confidence is personified by a blissed-out rendition of ‘Alpha’ as the opener. The tightly packed Social has had its pulses set alight by the anarchic holy Youth Movement and raucous garage licks of Velvet Hands. They could have been forgiven for changing their set, moving their big hitters first. Not a bit of it. They hit their casual groove and build elegantly until it’s time. Time for Josh Redding to deliver Squire psychedelia and Prince-esque majesty in the solo.

From here on in, the crowd, populated by lots of fellow bands are in total awe. Whether it’s the trippiness of ’Love Salvation’ or the Chicago-enthused ‘Devolution’, they turn heads in disbelief. On record, and especially on stage here, they mirror the greatness of Scorsese. Never rushed, they give space to the solos and Ed Godshaw’s subtle but killer keys and yet, always sound intense, like theirs a million things going on. It’s detail rather than overindulgence; personified by the brooding Depeche Mode inspired ‘Only Human’.

The window bands to reflect the audience back on stage is always a brief, and glorious time. That time passed at this gig. The Utopiates have greatness coursing through them and this was a huge stride to big stages and immorality.

*Image courtesy of Caffy St. Luce (Rocklands)

The Native – Looking Back

Plymouth outfit The native recently released their debut EP ‘Looking Back’ via This Feeling Records. It comes off the back of the Reading & Leeds Festival and appearing on Soccer AM. It was produced by John Cornfield (Oasis / Stone Roses) and mixed by Grammy Award-winning Adrian Bushby (Everything Everything).

Some bands thrive on the fringes. They can tear up the rule book and conjure a new scene from thin air. Then, there are bands like The Native. They come fully formed destined for the centre ground. Not enough for the punks but, everything to who believe in headline togetherness of The Killers or a Coldplay.

The Devon band have real intent on creating something epic before their time is up. On the latest single ‘Looking Back’, they race to the centre ground of indie-pop. They condense down the euphoria of Embrace and try to motor skywards. Whereas, ‘Blindside’ tunnels into hearts with bombastic drumming keeping it on the right side of credibility.

There is a brief moment on ‘If Not Now, Then When?’ where they strip it all back and stray into the world of acoustic guitar blandness. Without the age behind them to crash into life’s failures, it doesn’t land the depth this kind of song needs to succeed.

However, when they let their youthful exuberance of the leash on ‘All Or Nothing’, taps into the emotive power of Starsailor and eloquence of the DMA’s. Similarly, to Snow Patrol’s breakthrough, few will be able to ignore its beauty and Edge-esque solo

You'd be forgiven for rolling your eyes if this was a band three albums deep. The fact is, this is a debut EP and The Native have emerged with a decent swing at mainstream indie. With the chancellor on a path to destruction, mercifully, The Native offer a flicker of light as they hint at Editors’ haunting qualities, Blossoms pop instincts, and The Railway Children’s rueful melodies.

*Images courtesy of Fear PR

The Shakes – Sorry Officer

On 7th October, London-Liverpool hybrid The Shakes release their debut single ‘Sorry Officer’ via iii Records. To date, they have been wowing audiences at Shiiine On and This Feeling. Can their studio time match the live prowess?

You can buy ‘Sorry Officer’ on the 7th October via their Bandcamp page.

In 1994 Liam Gallagher bedded in between And Lydon and Lennon to become an icon. In the past 18 months, frontman Zac Nimmo has been finding space between Gallagher and Miles Kane as rock ‘n’ rolls heir to the throne. His looks, attitude, snarl, and dancing are too good to be denied. On ‘Sorry Officer’, he switches up from anthemic punk to beat poet spitting venom as the guitars hiss and swirl all around.

However, this is not a band all about the frontman. The riffs, the keys, and the solos are phenomenal. The Strokes are dragged by the throat to a brawl with the Small Faces and Oasis on this guttural single.

Not since The Libertines released ‘What A Waster’ has rock ‘n’ roll tapped into such a rich vein of disquiet. The immediacy of ‘Pretty Vacant’ and raw power of ‘Holidays In The Sun’ is rewired by Sam Gibbs’ scintillating gunshot guitars. They set ablaze to everything as ‘Sorry officer makes the aforementioned seem like nursery rhymes.

It’s the sound of Steve Craddock and Peter Green off their tits duelling with Will Seargent and Steve Jones in a late-night bar. Ian McLagan and Rob Collins pop in for a sesh whilst Entwhistle holds it all together!

*banner image courtesy of the band

**artwork courtesy of iiiI Records

They are not to be missed on their upcoming dates:

The Skinner Brothers - Lonedon EP

Not resting on the laurels of ‘Soul Boy II’, London’s The Skinner Brothers have returned with their new EP ‘Lonedom’.

Images & artwork courtesy of Fear PR

here is our track-by-track review:

Lonedon

Frontman Zac Skinner’s vocals should be iconic by now. On this latest offing, he has the gruffness of beans on Toast, the insolence of Jamie T but, crucially it’s his soul-boy persona that shines brightest. Theirs an air of the 80s wide boy donning the finest Fila jacket sipping G&T’s surveying the chancers who know better to cross him.

Despite the coolness of the record, their anxiety permeates throughout as our protagonist struggles to belong in London. The big smoke is a vibrant joyous place full of choices if you can afford it. For anyone slipping financially, mentally, or emotionally, it can be a pressure cooker waiting to blow. The Skinner brothers take those infectious laid-back licks of The Astors and the chilled bombast of Eddie Floyd for a walk along desolation row. The solo that blasts out twice takes the band to another level altogether. The Coral’s ‘Magic and Medicine’ unites with Miles Kane’s dreams of rock star status to conjure a perfect blend of isolation and toxicity.

The Mellow

It may lack the 100 overdubs but, it embodies Ashcroft’s sense of freedom on ‘Urban Hymns’. Spikey lyrics, stoner melodies, and escapist guitars unite to create bugged-out rock ‘n’ roll for the 4am finishers.

Loaded Gun

Jamie T’s guttural glory combines with a Fatboy Slim–esque riff. This is gloriously unhinged debauchery set to unite groups of mates on both triumphant and failed nights out for a generation. It has a raw sense of adventure destined to be a catalyst for another wave of bands.

Make It Count

The effortlessness of Peter Bjorn & John and Foster The People flirting with the lo-fi magic of Ian Brown’s unfinished Monkey Business.

Shackites - Vintage Crewneck

After a recent sell-out show at their hometown venue The Snug, Atherton five-piece are back with their new single ‘Vintage Crewneck’.

The irresponsible guitar intro searches for an escape with a fizzing authority that could only come from close friends taking on the world. Far-reaching but always humble, they conjure a fighting spirit that seeks to unify rather than destroy.

Vocally Matthew Jarvis taps into the criminally underrated work of Dylan Giles of Polytechnic and Driver Drive Faster. Fragile but righteous, Jarvis serves up a fine display of 00s indie that Cajun Dance Party fans will love.

It won’t be long before the sold-out shows extend way beyond their hometown on this showing.