Manchester outfit The Cavs, fresh from their Big In 2023 show with This Feeling are back with their new single ‘Again’.
The Cavs – Again
Body Type – Holding On
The Lunar Towers – About Time
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 K's: Lafayette, London
Back in 2020, The K’s headlined This Feeling’s Big in 2020 showcase. The promise was there in abundance, but, in a world where record contracts absconded the galaxy and radio airplay is so difficult to come by (despite 4 national alternative stations), fans were left hoping maybe.
For many, the pandemic became a reason, an excuse to fold. Not The K’s. They produced the solemn ‘Valley One’ which grabbed a generation of guitar music fans by heartstrings. Five more singles later and they have a national sold tour to their names. Catch a break? Nah mate, talent plus graft every step of the way.
From the Newcastle fans’ stage left to the die-hards chanting “the K’s are on fire”, the sense of anticipation was oozing from every corner of London’s Lafayette. As anticipation gave way to reality it became obvious that The K’s are not a band of promise anymore. They’ve arrived in the hearts and minds of rock ‘n’ roll fans. Limbs and vocal chords are sacrificed alike as they blast out of the traps with ‘Picture’, ‘Got A Feeling’, ‘Relying On You’, and ‘TV’.
The set is utterly relentless as they follow with new single ‘Chancer’ and fan favourite ‘Glass Towns’. New singles on tour can be tricky, has anyone heard it yet, will it become a piss break. For bands on the up, it’s the chance for the fans to take ownership of it, and man, did they ever. The tale of a risk-taker living for the moment captured the dreams of the sold-out crowd yearning for their own escapism.
Former single ‘Hoping Maybe’ acts more as a lifeline to a crowd feverish with a desire to prove themselves to their new heroes. The singalong anthem has a hymnal quality and its boisterous congregation rejoiced in its illustrious stature.
A special night, a special tour, both sold out. The K’s are indeed on fire and the UK’s cumbersome radio stations are going to have to pay attention now. With an album on the way, it’s inevitable this will be The K’s year.
The Utopiates – Ups and Downs
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:
Noah and The Loners – Protest Anger
London’s Noah and The Loners follow up their debut single ‘Teenage Tragedy’ with the throwback punk anthem ‘Protest Anger’ via Marshall Records.
The jagged edges of Wilko Johnson’s playing on ‘Roxette’ are given a visceral IDLES makeover on this tale of political angst. Their polemic spits venom like the Crass and Minor Threat but, unlike their punk elders, there’s a sense of building from the ground up rather than smashing the system.
Noah Lonergan’s vocal is a snarling mesh of Polystyrene’s innocence and Joe Talbot’s righteousness as he unleashes the spirit of ’76 to a new generation of rebels! Accompanying it is Joseph Boyle’s scintillating punk-cum blues solo that brings early Dr. Feelgood and Chris Spedding to the edge of Mick Jones’ explosive genius.
*image courtesy of End of the Trail Creative
Noah and The Loners play Brighton’s Great Escape Festival this May. Click the image for tickets:
The K’s – Chancer
Earlestown’s finest The K’s are back with their second single of 2023 ‘Chancer’. Since the release of ‘Hoping Maybe’ back in January, they have embarked on a sold-out tour and been added to the main stages of Godiva Festival, Golden Touch Festival, and the inaugural This Feeling By The Sea in Bridlington. Can they maintain the momentum?
Last time out they were in an achingly beautiful mood. ‘Chancer’ retains the cinematic beauty of ‘Hoping Maybe’ whilst returning to the instantaneous and muscular guitar power of their earlier singles. The ordinary streets of ‘Hometown’ resurface as our protagonist is separated from his friends but, embraces the night’s danger with the infectious “fuck it” attitude of Joe Dempsie’s portrayal of Chris in Skins.
‘Chancer’ is the sound of a band fully harmonious with its identity. Frontman Jamie Boyle is now toying with his vocal cadence like a seasoned master whilst guitarist Ryan Breslin, howls into the night sky like Edge at his best, massive yet understated.
Track by track The K’s are injecting the UK with a sense of hope. Their social comment is more poetic than cultural observers of Britpop and their guitars more unifying than the dirty rock ‘n’ rollers of the 00s. They are forging a new path for rock ‘n’ roll, log may it continue.
*image courtesy of Olivia McDowall & CDP Radio PR
Click the image below for tickets to This Feeling By The Sea:
The Lilacs - Sticky Dancefloors
Wigan outfit The Lilacs released their latest single ‘Sticky Dancefloors’ last week. Recorded at Sugar House Catalyst Studios in St. Helens it follows last year’s EP ‘Red Flags & Warning Signs’.
Artwork made by & courtesy of the band.
Lead guitarist Sam Birchall’s guitar parts have a muscular but inviting quality has finds a space between The Pigeon Detectives and ‘St. Jude’ era Courteeners on this tale of indie nightclubs. His raw power is gloriously offset by frontman Ollie Anglesa’s indie-soul power.
Anglesa’s vocal draws from the warmth of Tom Concannon (Stanleys) and the brash immediacy of The Clause’s Pearce Macca allowing the guitars to explode like fireworks. The guitars fizz with such power that Anglesa’s vocal is not just on point, it’s vital to the song’s success. It allows the listener a way into the sonic and an ability to feel a part of something greater. What could be a more perfect display of love for indie nightclubs?
*banner image courtesy of Barnaby Fairley
Click the image below for tickets to The Lilacs tour:
Senses – Harder Now (For Love)
Coventry’s Senses have followed in the footsteps of The Institutes by signing to the impeccable 42s Records. Last week they released their ‘Harder Now (For Love)’ which was produced by the legendary Gavin Monaghan (Fitzroy Holt / MOSES / Lyerr) at Magic Garden Studios in Wolverhampton.
Image & artwork courtesy of 42s Records.
On the surface, ‘Harder Now’ seems a straight-up rock ‘n’ roll number. Scratch beneath the surface and an array of influences and juxtapositions emerge. Brian Callan and Kevin Kavanagh’s brooding guitars are awash with great juxtaposition. There’s a Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre lo-fi quality chiming with the directness of Oasis’ ‘Heathen Chemistry’ and ‘Don’t Believe The Truth’ era. When they combine with Callan’s lead and Ian Finnegan’s backing vocal, they create a wall of sound worthy of Soundtracks Of Our Lives peak.
Callan’s vocal takes Jonathan Richman’s drawl for a joyride with the sprawling psyche of Revolver’s Mat Flint and the punky-pop snarl of Senseless Things’ Mark Keds. Callan has an innate talent to glide toward spoken without fully landing there. It serves their lo-fi rock ‘n’ roll and punk instincts well by elevating the song’s drama during the glorious vocal hook of the chorus and the scintillating guitar parts in the closing stages.
‘Harder Now (For Love)’ will be the first of three singles via 42s Records in March and April. Click the image below for tickets to their album launch gig:
Spangled – That Farm In Dunham
Manchester’s Spangled are back with their new single ‘That Farm In Dunham’. Produced and mixed by Gareth Nuttall, it follows their riotous double a-side ‘Underpants’ and ‘Charlie Hills’. Can it match up?
(*banner image courtesy of Owen Peters Photography)
Last time out, Spangled showed their teeth on the Art Brut via early Blur and Dinghus Khan on their punk rock singles. ‘That Farm In Dunham’ slots back into ‘Good Life Better’ anthem mode. Jamie Halliday’s slow-building guitars are tinged with otherworldly psychedelia which allows frontman Ben Johnson to lay bare his soul.
Despite the change in sonic, Spangled still serve up astute observations and a great narrative lyrically on this tale of unrequited love. Johnson’s vocal is blessed with fragile, boisterous, and angst-ridden moments, the perfect blend for reliving teenage boys’ dreams of being Freddy and Effy but falling closer to Cook’s despair and JJ’s lost sense of reality.
The expansive sound has headline act oozing from its blood. It’s the sound of a band with one hand on their destiny and the pushing at end of the galaxy to make things bigger. This colossal ambition coupled with Johnson’s diary entry honesty lyrically are marrying the excess of rock music to incisive punk for the first time in a generation.
Asking whether ‘That Farm In Dunham’ matches up to the previous double a-side is in fact the wrong question. The two are interloping pieces of art and rock ‘n’ roll serving one another. The double a-side was the eye of the storm, ‘That Farm In Dunham’ is a celestial cloud to recover from it on.
Click the image below for Spangled tickets in London next month:
Lyerr – Changing Trends
Image and artwork are courtesy of Songbird PR.
Lyerr have beautifully lit up the UK seaside towns we all know and love so well. Nudging the 2p arcade machines when no one is looking and dodging thuggish seagulls with a bag of nuclear hot chips is a rite of passage for us all. Through Ryan Johnson and Sam Greene’s angelic and anthemic guitars, they recreate the carefree spirit a promenade can whip up in the British soul
Not the most astute of social observations a band has ever made but, it’s the heart the song emits where its talent truly lies. The key change in the guitars is ‘Don’t Look Back Into Sun’ written by Noel Gallagher it sounds so all-encompassing.
The track culminates in a moment of indie-rock brilliance as Johnson decrees his time has passed, tinged with melancholy but only momentarily. It passes as he conjures images of new faces massing on shores to repeat the ritual. It’s a sense of giving, passing the cultural baton songwriters just don’t possess. So often it’s about their time in the sun, which briefly this is but, as it skips on to the future generations dancing and drinking in the cultural mainstay of a Southend, Whitby, or Barry the poignancy is tear-inducing.
It's easy to see why Andy Bell dubbed them ‘Manchester’s best new band’ back in 2019.
Marseille – Thinker
Artwork by Karl Shaw
‘Thinker’ was originally written by frontman Will Brown when he was 13 and then discarded but, guitarist Joe Labram fell in love with it and brought it back into the fold. Despite Brown’s age at the time of conception, the song is constructed around the things we say to ourselves after loved ones have passed.
Musically, the track is heavily indebted to Oasis B-side classic ‘Masterplan’ in the early stages. Through the pain and anguish Brown delivers vocally, those thoughts of Oasis yesteryear do begin to fade slightly. It’s an astonishing level of skill for an 18-year-old to deposit vocally, backed by Labrams sublime guitars, you’d be forgiven this was men in their 40s reflecting upon a life lived, not just starting out.
The key changes and strings illuminate Brown’s heartfelt ode to those lost. Similar to Noel, Marseille are unafraid to enhance big key changes with spine-tingling strings; a skill that will inevitably carry them to big stages sooner rather than later.
The naysayers will inevitably come at this record. “it’s just Oasis”. The same bores wrote off Oasis in 1994 for emulating the Beatles and T-Rex didn’t get it then, and they won’t get it now. Marseille writes rock ‘n’ roll classics with poetry that drags the ordinary person from a state of existence to one of living!
*banner image courtesy of Paul Dixon
Click the image below for tickets to their current tour:
Vida – Different Storm
After a run of near-perfect singles in the 10’s, Vida looked set for a big breakthrough. Then, in 2019 Jamie Pollack (guitar/vocals) and Cragi Scobbie (bass) left the band leaving a legion of fans heartbroken.
The flame never burnt out for original members Nathan Evans (lead guitar/backing vocals), Jamie Piggott (drums), and Greg Ballantyne (keys) though. They’ve now recruited Colin Davidson (lead vocals/guitar) Jacob Franklyn (guitar/vocals) and Evan Cameron (bass guitar) and release ‘Different Storm’ tomorrow via their label Ward Street Sound. Can they pick up where they left off?
Much like their classics ‘A Place Where We Can Forget’ and Where We Came From’, they open with acoustic and rich West Coast jangling guitars. Only this time, with the band themselves at the mixing desk, conjure a vaster landscape with which to land their dreamy sonic.
Davidson and Evans’ guitars are blessed with the laid-back pop-psyche of DMA’s and the enriching warmth of Andy Miller (Dodgy). They have an innate ability to sound in control of their destiny but feel beautifully directionless. It lends the guitar parts an innocence these testing times is crying out for.
Davidson finds himself in the unfortunate position of having to follow the fine Pollack as the frontman. Where Pollack had edge, Davidson has musicality. At times he has the melodic glow of Nigel Clark and could easily slot into the harmonies of early Teenage Fanclub. Only time will tell if it pays off but the results are here sumptuous.
*banner image courtesy of the band (and made by them).
Vida’s next live show is Easter Sunday. Click the image below for tickets to witness their ascension.
The Boo Radleys - The Unconscious
Liverpool pioneers The Boo Radleys are back with a new single ‘The Unconscious. It follows ‘Seekers’ from January of this year and their fine comeback album ‘Keep On With Falling’ from 2022.
The Radleys last album was lit up with great alt-pop songs like ‘Keep On With Falling’ and ‘A Full Syringe and Memories of You’. The disco licks and orchestral majesty took their archetypal sonic to new pastures whilst lyrically, Sice was dealing with some tumultuous personal issues.
The Unconscious follows this path as Sice lays bear his two years spent in psychoanalysis, a venture that would ultimately go wrong for the frontman. This tale on the couch dealing with deep-seated pain should be set to endless layers of guitars howling into the ether to recreate that guttural feeling. Not for the Radleys. Ska riffs and bombastic soul via brass burst into the best party you have attended in years.
Two singles into 2023 and their next album ‘Eight’ is shaping up to be one of the best of the year already. Click the image below for tickets to their tour with Cud and the tour of the classic album ‘Giant Steps’:
The Shed Project – If You’re Getting Busy (You’re Getting Better)
Bolton outfit The Shed Project released their latest single ‘If You’re Getting Busy (You’re Getting Better)’ last week. It’s the debut single from their forthcoming second album, which is due for release on August 23rd. The single has been made in conjunction with the mental health charity Whysup.
Last time out on ‘If You Know You Know’, they were in a riotous mood. Here, the ‘Love Spreads’ and ‘Begging You’ licks subside, allowing their debut album's indie soul to re-emerge better than ever on this tale of mental health and addiction issues.
Frontman Roy Fletcher’s vocal slots into the delicate psychedelia made prominent by Northside’s Dermo in the early 90s. Fletcher’s angelic delivery lends this personal tale an extra layer of integrity. As he decrees the song’s title, his soft, almost fragile vocal carries a personal wait of experience that demands attention.
Coupled with it are the band’s finest guitars to date. With hints of the ‘Mighty Quinn’, ‘Walk On The Wild Side’ and the country soul of ‘Urban Hymns’, the band have touched upon a more universal sonic to light up this deeply personal narrative.
The run-up to their second album will have fans drooling in anticipation after this offering.