Abbey Moon – Getaway Car

London-based Abbey Moon have released their second single ‘Getaway Car’ via Lifejacket Records. Banner image courtesy of Albert Jagger.

Artwork courtesy of the band.

All bands should write coming-of-age stories. It gives a generation energy and purpose that they cling to and look back knowing they grasped life at its most fertile stage. How they write these tales is where a band’s skill comes into play, and Abbey Moon show just how adroit they are. Their unique take is told from the perspective of an older man in the local pub.

Bursting into life as though Johnny Marr has joined The La’s, our protagonist “nurses a fosters top” and serves up one of the finest choruses of 2023:

“Get a getaway car / leave the engine running / Get a getaway car / because the worlds just turning / Get a getaway car / got ambition burning / Get a getaway car / and don’t stop learning”

As summer draws to a close, dreams realised fade into the ether, and new crossroads emerge. Career or higher education paths to be taken, friends depart, and life moves on. If this chorus doesn’t ring true in your hearts, then it will be a miserable experience.

Frontman Niall Rowan’s deep vocal offsets the sun-kissed jangle to establish a new era for popular indie music. He’s brought back a clash of styles, the merest snarls to counter the luscious sonic surrounding him. This added depth gives the protagonist’s narrative a richer texture in the second verse. When he leaves the pub, you can feel sad eyes gazing on knowing he is off to rue a life missed or, at best, past its prime.

Two singles in and Abbey Moon are already channelling the indie folk of Tom Williams, the escapist nature of Springsteen, and Johnny Marr. Their getaway car will surely arrive at big stages sooner rather than later.

Joel Stoker – The Undertow

The Rifles frontman released his debut solo album ‘The Undertow’ this past Friday. It was written during lockdown and recorded at his home studio Right Hook Recording in Walthamstow, with contributions from drummer Brendan O’Neill and fellow Rifle Dean ‘Deano’ Mumford on piano.

During lockdown, Stoker noticed a thematic pattern emerging in his lyrics. His struggle with depression and anxiety were informing everything. Stoker’s vocals often lent the mayhem of The Rifles a forlorn melancholia. It tempered the raucousness of the anthems swirling around him. On ‘Undertow’, he strips back the sonic to set his soul and demons free.

Former singles ‘Walls Fall’, ‘My Own War’, and ‘Wave Of Hope’ delve into his battles with anxiety. ‘Walls Fall’, a sombrely defiant record, tackles the struggle to be working class and admit your struggling. The sense you must keep ploughing forward builds a tenseness forever lurking no matter how powerful his indie-soul vocal soars. ‘My Own War’ deposits Americana and Shack influences whilst his sense of isolation grows. Stoker’s ability to forge his trials with such soaring melodies throughout is the chink of light we should all cling to. It’s on ‘Wave of Hope’ where Stoker truly exceeds. The battle to comprehend his plight is illustrated via Arcade Fire’s carnival spirit and Stoker's CSNY-esque solo. Despite the melodic euphoria, self-doubt pervades and leads him to the conclusion his life is based on luck:

“I've been riding a wave of only hope”

Then, in a moment songwriting genius, Stoker lights up the ultimate quandary of all men the UK:

“But I won’t make no attempt to ring the alarm”

Image & Artwork courtesy of Fear PR.

Stoker’s delivery here is a rare Rifles moment of fist-aloft power. The melody circumvents the destructive power of the sentiment which highlights the trouble men expressing unseeable pain.

Stoker looks beyond just his own struggle and folds in his partner to ‘Like I Love You’ and ‘Can’t Stop The Tears’ to ramp up feelings of guilt and despair. Inspired by Michael Kiwanuka’s ‘Cold Little Heart’ he paints images of a man desperate to repent. Issues of codependency and desperation to keep the one sure thing in his life alive (“feel like a stranger to myself when im alone…I hope I get to you in time”) are lit up by his Kiwanuka meets Buffalo Springfield solo. On ‘Can’t Stop The Tears’, he acknowledges his inability to express himself:

“I keep you in my heart where the walls are hard to climb”

The anguish builds as he attempts to unlock yet more emotional turbulence:

“And I get tired / sick and tired / and I I try hard to figure it out”

All the while, nodes of Motown and Mick Head guitars playing shine like gold apce with his heaven sent vocal.

Despite the discourse, ‘The Undertow’ is an album of sumptuous melody. No matter the inner turmoil, the songwriting commands the respect of Mojo and NME readers alike. ‘Until I Find My Mind’ strips back his work with The Rifles, delivering joyous hymnal vocal uplifts. ‘Down At The Undertow’ flirts with the Ocean Colour Scene classic ‘Day Should Last Forever’ and the genius of Madness’ ‘The Liberty of Norton Folgate’, slapping Village Green Preservation Society’ on the bum as it saunters by. Then, on ‘The Valley’, the eloquence of ‘English Rose’ and folk of ‘Mariners Way’, he deftly delivers a message of hope and survival for anyone struggling to cling to.

After two decades with The Rifles, making any solo album was a brave decision. To tackle his living nightmares and chart a musical course a world away was truly courageous. Delivering an album of the year contender should be used as a case study of hope to all who need it.

Afflecks Palace - The Only Light In This Tunnel Is The Oncoming Train

This September, we catch up on some of favourite albums of 2023. Back in April, Manchester’s Afflecks Palace released their second album, ‘The Only Light In This Tunnel Is The Oncoming Train’ via their label Sprit Of Spike Island.

Image and artwork courtesy of Spirit of Spike Island.

In 2021, on ‘What Do You Mean Its Not Raining’ and live, Afflecks Palace felt like potential not fully realised. This time, their lysergic charm has found the missing ingredient to take them to another level. Intensity!

Bridging the gap between the two albums are ‘Big Fish Small Pond’, ‘Dancing Is Not A Crime’, and ‘I’m So Glad You’re On Ecstasy’. ‘Big Fish Small Pond’ witnesses Peter Radshaw laying waste to his skins to allow frontman J Fender to punch out the vocal with a determined cadence. The new inflamed passion culminates with a breath-taking pause before they announce themselves as serious players. Opener ‘Dancing Is Not A Crime’ rips a page out of Manchester’s heritage and pastes it back in with an ecstatically wayward power. Fender’s vocal uplift alongside the warped guitars takes the band to the edge of a classic (album three is already a drooling prospect). Meanwhile, ‘I’m So Glad You’re On Ecstasy’ builds on the delicate psyche and dreams of ‘Spinner’ with its trials and tribulations of modern drug use. Fender toys with the cadence and tempo like a cat with its prey. He is totally in command of his performance now, and it allows the band's identity to cement a foundation in the hearts and minds of indie lovers.

If these tracks were doubling down on their dreams for the debut album, then ‘Holidays’ and ‘Patchwork Quilted Veins’ are the sound of bigger and better ones materialising. As Fender decrees, “this heart is caught in a landslide”, desperation emerges to increase their rock ‘n’ roll integrity. Rebellious, humble, and living for the moment, the band now emit an essence which fans can cling to with hope in a world falling apart at the seams. ‘Patchwork Quilted Veins’ bristles with an urgency through Dan Stapleton’s delicate Marr-esque guitars, the haunting keys, and Fender’s fierce backing vocals. Together, they conjure a sense of rising and tumbling as the protagonist struggles towards the light. Midway Stapleton lets out a blast of anguish on his guitar so powerful you’ll be merciful it’s short.

Then, on ‘Wake Up’ and ‘Wide Eyes On The Night Bus’ the album climaxes in different ways. ‘Wake Up’ displays Radshaw’s increasing power within the band. The ferocity and fluidity of his drumming find a place between Reni (Stone Roses) and Matt Tong (Bloc Party). It gives Fender’s clarion call “stand up, stand tall” a chance to build with greater anticipation before taking a grip of your soul. As he sings, “treading water all your life”, a thunderous self-examination takes hold, but, before answers are realised, the devastating “silence is a passenger” wraps itself around your vital organs demanding more.

The self-determining power of ‘Wake Up’ is, in many ways mirrored and ignored on ‘Wide Eyes On The Night Bus’. Flirting with Factory Records history, the band plunges into an inspirational MDMA-enthused night out. Fender’s gently eloquent vocals and Stapleton’s electrifying guitars chart the course of nowhere and have a great time getting there. As opportunities for this generation fade, it offers a way out to anyone feeling the pressure. To find this much beauty in 2023 is truly astonishing. Souls have come together, creating a new day, a beautiful day!

The rise of Afflecks Palace continues steadfastly. It’s beautifully aimless, passionate, and soul-enriching. 100 years from now, they will not be forgotten!

 Click the image below for tickets to their 2024 tour:

The White Roses - If I Could

Yorkshire outfit The White Roses follow up the death or glory ‘This Town’ with their latest single ‘If I Could’. It was recorded at Manchester’s Mad Fox Studios with Sugarhouse mixing and The Rookery on mastering duty.

Image & artwork courtesy of the band

Bands three singles in can be forgiven for ragged edges, not The White Roses. With every release comes a clearer vision of mainstage indie-pop to reel in the casual fan and those on the fringes. This time-out, unrequited love forms the bedrock of their swashbuckling indie.

Jack Maw’s guitars range from the angelic lovesick that gets our hopeful protagonist out of bed each day to those bristling with agitated defeat in the early parts. Their hope disintegrates into unadulterated anguish during Maw’s solo.

The White Roses will be recording at Abbey Road Studios on their next single. In this form, those hallowed walls could witness yet another great moment.

Hazy Sundays – Off The Cuff

Glasgow four-piece Hazy Sundays follow the dynamite double a-side release of ‘Like To Be’ and ‘Had Enough Of It’ with their new single ‘Off The Cuff’.

Image & artwork courtesy of the band

Picking up where they left off, ‘Off The Cuff’ is another blistering rock ‘n roll number. Frontman Shaun Kenny continues his rise to stardom by spitting venom like a young Tom Meighan with the melodic instincts of Miles Kane.

His snarling attitude allows lead guitarist Mark Devlin to hiss through the verses before blowing a hole into the sun with his intoxicating solo. Devlin serves up the sound of a band of brothers fighting the world. They might not always win, but they’ll retire with better stories than you.

With every release Hazy Sundays are becoming a serious force to reckon with. Their swirling rock ‘n’ roll is besieged with debauchery and hysteria to revitalise the soul.

The Shed Project – Ghost Town

Bolton outfit The Shed Project are back with their new single ‘Ghost Town’. The song is taken from their upcoming sophomore album ‘Our Fear Is Their Power’ due for release in October. It was recorded at Ivy Studio and produced by Danny Heyes.

On the previous single, ‘Our Fear Is There Power’ The Shed Project showed their political teeth by snarling at the oppressive Johnson government. Two Prime Ministers later, they release a deeply personal and saddened exploration of their hometown Bolton.

Artwork courtesy of the band.

A baggy update on The Specials ska classic, they countenance the notion of “levelling up” by highlighting increased homelessness, poverty, and race to the bottom across all industries. Their despair is lit up by sunlit guitar licks and frontman Roy Feltcher’s angelic vocals. It's as fine a juxtaposition as you’ll hear this year.

The pain and anguish in the synths mid-point brings a poignancy that will make even the most hardened of Tory haters shudder. Their harrowing nature is the sound of a town’s soul ebbing away seemingly unretrievable.

‘Ghost Town’ is their most immediate and urgent work to date. It’s blessed with a directness that is certain to grip the millions yearning for change. Furthermore, it makes their second album one of the most eagerly anticipated of 2023.

Marseille - Devil’s Gonna Get You

Marseille release their new single ‘This Dream Of Mine’ today via Bubblebrain Records. Accompanying it is the b-side ‘Devil’s Gonna Get You’. It marks a departure from the other jingle-jangle tracks on the EP, but can the new sound stack up in quality?

Image & artwork courtesy of Songbird PR.

In most bands, the singer and lead guitarist capture the limelight. That has often been the case in Will Brown and Joe Labrum, but bassist Felix Moxey and drummer Tom Spray emerge from the shadows to share the limelight.

Moxey’s basslines bring the hedonistic jams of The Verve’s ‘Gravity Grave’ and ‘Life’s An Ocean’ to life once more. Beset with the devil, they ooze danger and throb with potential destruction. Meanwhile, Spray’s drumming and percussion create a dystopian nightmare for Brown and Labrum to sprinkle their magic over.

The grooving power of this record is astonishing. Labrum drifts in and out with McCabe-esque noodling or fleeting blasts of Squire whilst Brown delivers an Ashcroft-like fire vocally.

‘The Dream Of Mine’ EP is a collection of three superb jingle-jangle singles and this dysfunctional psychedelic juggernaut. It puts them in the league of Pastel and The Institutes. Something powerful is afoot on the UK underground scene and it’s a joy to witness it.

Marseille - ‘I Love You (So Much More)’

Derby’s Marseille are back with their new single, ‘This Dream Of Mine’ via Bubblebrain Records this Friday. Accompanying it are three b-sides, which we will be diving into this week. Next up is ‘I Love You (So Much More)’.

Image & artwork courtesy of Songbird PR.

Rippling guitars light up this record like the Delays classic ‘No Ending’. As with ‘This Dream Is Mine’ and ‘Brightest Star’, Marseille injects their sense of hope into proceedings. The undulating guitars are accompanied by joyous backing vocals and ‘Urban Hymns’-esque arrangements, which point to a big future.

Beneath the assured sonic lies a bitterness as one-half of a relationship cling to the hope that their love will be enough. The protagonist's fervent belief it’s not them causing the issues carries the romantic naivety of youth. It lands the listener into the defining moments of relationships to ponder what might have been.

‘I Love You (So Much More)’ doesn’t have the knockout feeling it’s a-side ‘This Dream of Mine’ possesses but has a beguiling charm to leave you wanting more.

Marseille - Brightest Star

Derby’s Marseille are back with their new single, ‘This Dream Of Mine’ via Bubblebrain Records this Friday. Accompanying it are three b-sides, which we will be diving into this week. First up is ‘Brightest Star’

Images & artwork courtesy of Songbird PR.

The jingle-jingle intro lands you back in 1986 when the Roses Jackson Pollack explosion of colour was yet to happen en masse and a cassette tape was about to change everything. The romantic misadventures of the c86 generations Blue Aeroplane, Railway Children, and The Jazz Butcher merry their spritely way to the surface through the sun-kissed guitars.

As the guitars grow, their power begins to nestle alongside the innocence of Primal Scream’s ‘Sonic Flower Groove’ debut, the early Roses singles, and the indomitable sound of The La’s. All three jangled for the briefest of moments in the sun but changed the course of culture. Such is the prolific and consistent nature of Marseille’s work to date; you couldn’t rule them out repeating history.

As the band pushes the sound of ‘Sonic Sister Love’ into a world of the DMA’s, frontman Will Brown continues his journey to iconic status. Vocally sitting between the lo-fi innocence of Liam Gallagher on ‘I Will Believe’ and the melodic fire of Lee Mavers he charts a passionate course that only Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor could match.

Pynch – Howling At A Concrete Moon

After a triumphant set at this year’s Truck Festival, we rewound to April to when Pynch released their debut album ‘Howling At A Concrete Moon’. Written by guitarist frontman Spencer Enock and produced by Enock and Andy Ramsey at The Nave, Press Play Studios, and Chillburn HQ. Image courtesy of the band.

In years gone by, bands would leave home for city life and make 2 or 3 albums based in that world. The hopeful debut, followed by the coming-of-age masterpiece, felt like a right of passage for bands in the UK. Then it’s off to the countryside to make cheese.

‘Howling At A Concrete Moon’ is available to buy on their Bandcamp page.

Alas, the sense of hope that ‘His ‘n’ Hers’, ‘Dog Man Star’, and ‘Modern Life Is Rubbish’ that led to the glory of ‘Different Class’, ‘Coming Up’ and ‘Parklife’ feels like an alternate reality in 2023. London’s Pynch look upon a city of greed, poverty, and air so toxic it can kill. Coupled with Tory misrule and the music industry’s race to the bottom, to even begin attempting an album is laudable.

Pynch, poetically tackles this generation being left behind in London in two parts. ‘The City (part 2)’ is the finest document of pressurised city living since Recreations’ (aka Sam Duckworth / Get Cape Wear Cape Fly) ‘Zones 9 & 10’. The sense of alienation in the overpopulation (“you never see the same face twice”) and the search for meaning (“is this what we were made for / For life on the 15th floor….fuck no”) are followed by a guttural howl on Enock’s guitars. It’s a panic attack wrapped up in slacker rock ‘n’ roll.

Its counterpart, ‘The City (part 1)’ in turn, says “fuck you” in part two. Acknowledging that “tomorrow is a lifetime away” serves up the most freeing sonic of the record. As Enock decrees, “forever has been and gone”, a four-minute warning resounds, and Pynch chooses to live for the moment. Musically, a mesh of Hot Chip solos and Franz Ferdinand riffs follows, packed in Pynch’s distinct lo-fi slacker outsider status. Spiritually, it’s as pure a moment of rock ‘n’ roll this decade.

This subtle level of defiance climaxes on the record closing three songs ‘Karaoke’, ‘London’, and ‘Somebody Else’. The former puts The Strokes’ ‘Is This It?’ into slow motion for the So Young generation to unite behind:

“Be good but don't go changing
Stay strong don't you waste it
We only get to go round once”

It’s as uplifting as any 90s and 00s polemic with the authenticity of Johnny Rotten howling “no future”. Enock’s melodic drawl has its roots in Jonathan Richman and Julian Casablancas, but through his lyrics, his melody begins a cultural deterritorialization. Finally, nostalgia mania has bitten the dust!

On ‘London’, they tap into a melody that wouldn’t be out of place in any era. The indie oddities of Golden Silvers and Bowie’s vocal hook combine with Enock’s wry take on how they are viewed:

“We waste our money all on drugs and coffee / We must be so lazy, why don’t we start saving? / Every penny counts if we wanna buy a house / Twenty years from now, the banks will bail us out”

Then, on album closer ‘Somebody Else’, Pynch write themselves into history with a stonewalled classic. Dan Le Sac vs Scroobious Pip beats go for a joyride with Jonathan Richman’s motoric whist Enock eloquently beds in vocally between Albarn and Coxon. The Strokes influence looms heavy, but again, they manage to distill it to a more tranquil tempo and match their intensity via lyrics.  Climaxing with the “I just wanna feel / I just wanna feel / Something real” roar, you are left in no uncertain terms that Pynch are a special band. They walk the tightrope of poet and philosopher with effortlessness. Witty, smart, but crucially, always impassioned they are the sound of a generation that’s been fucked, yet despite all this, never give up.

Pynch’s debut album is full of such great era-defining couplets, it's easy to overlook just how many great musical moments it possesses. The dreamy Real Estate and Horros-esque (circa ’V’) synths of opener ‘Haven’t Lived a Day’ or the solos on ‘Tin Foil’ and ‘Maybe’, to name just a few.

A truly great moment in a sea of political despair. Viva la hope!

Neev: The Nest, Truck Festival

Scottish singer-songwriter Neev opened a miserable Saturday at Truck Festival in The Nest. Backed by a full band, could she warm the soul amid a torrential downpour?

The bulk of the set was taken from her debut album ‘Katherine’, released in April via Trapped Animal. ‘Will I Change You’s deeply personal lyrics would have jarred so early in the day had it not been for Neev’s eloquent and soothing vocals. Her ability to move from steely to empathetic showed glimpses of what a performer she could become alongside her esteemed writing.

On ‘Green’, the band chime in with achingly beautiful backing vocals and resounding guitars lighting up the sodden tent. Neev showcased a vocal power only matched that weekend by Megan Wyn. Her country-folk delectation strayed from the ethereal to a grunge-tinged howl giving her songs a mesmeric appeal on the small stage.

This appeal was doubled down on step closer ‘Flowers’. A rousing and spellbinding affair that should never leave her setlists.  Neev played Truck Festival after winning a competition. She left it, proving that few are her competition.

THIS IS WAR – Pray

Liverpool’s THIS IS WAR return with their new single ‘Pray’ via Bubblebrain Records. The Verve’s Si Jones was produced again with Andy Fernihough mixing and mastering. ‘Pray’ is released on Friday 18th August.

There’s a great sense of journey to ‘Pray’. The youthful adventure of The Jam and Razorlight’s debut are given a more mature makeover. Despite the more measured contentment of Jonny Roberts and Mike Mullard’s guitars, they’re still besieged with ambition to rival any teenage exuberance.

Although sonically always moving forwards, lyrically, ‘Pray’ is beset with great trepidation. Singer-songwriter Paul Carden’s delivery has gone to a place now that marks him out as one of the UK’s finest. The sense of fear juxtaposed with a sense of loyalty and duty he purveys are mesmeric.

THIS IS WAR are on the road to their debut album now, and ‘Pray’ has us drooling with anticipation.

LOCK-IN - Easy

The Essex via London indie-pop outfit have returned with their new single ‘Easy’. It follows their raucous headline slot at Truck Festival and a sold-out show at Signature Brew Haggerston last week. ‘Easy’ was produced by Curtis Elvidge at Premises Studios in Hackney.

At times, it threatens to ignite into a Two Door Cinema Club party but such is the emotional heft, it remains in its world-weary lane. It breeds a lonely but never detached sonic, which is where Lock-In have thrived best to date.

Image courtesy of Fear PR.

Joe Leak’s choppy licks pull from Bloc Party’s ‘So Here We Are’ and The Wombats circa ‘Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life’ and produce images of a forlorn soul dusting themselves down for another shot at glory. It’s Indie noodling that will soundtrack a thousand summer romances soon to end this month but leave scars for a lifetime.

Everything culminates with frontman Benjy Leak’s rapid-fire roar of “Don’t go, don’t leave, please stay with me”. He may not have Bono or Ashcroft’s ability to summon the guttural anguish vocally, but his frantic state pulls from the everyman state of despair with more integrity.

Photograph’s courtesy of Oscar Blair.

In three years, Lock-In have gone from the lo-fi 00s revivalism of their debut single ‘Teenager’ to ‘Easy’, a much broader and textured emotive piece. The journey isn’t the stark 0 to 60 that rock ‘n’ roll documentaries have you worship at the temple of. Rather, this is the sound of relentlessly honing the craft alongside youthful adventure. From hard work to romantic risk-taking, Lock-In are here to teach you life lessons to young and old!

Marseille - This Dream Of Mine

The Derby five-piece are back with their new single, ‘This Dream Of Mine’ via Bubblebrain Records. Released on 25th August. After the breakthrough success of their ‘Freedom’ EP earlier this year, can ‘This Dream Of Mine’, and its 3 b-sides (‘Brightest Star’ / ‘I Love You’, Devil’s Gonna Get You’) keep up their momentum?

Images & artwork courtesy of The Songbird

Previous singles ‘Freedom’, ‘Only Just Begun’, and ‘Forget It All’ have all had elements of the Roses but, ‘This Dream Of Mine’ is different. It’s desperate, and all the better for it. Tom Spray’s drumming is ferocious despite the angelic licks around him, lending punks urgency, almost punk power to their brand of sun-kissed Byrds-esque anthems.

The intro sets the late 80s and early 90s Madchester senses racing as they fold in elements of the Roses’ ‘One Love’, ‘Standing Here’, and ‘Elephant Stone’. Make no mistake; Marseille are here to make that sound, their sound! Every nod to the greats is given fresh impetus. The trippy opening to ‘One Love’ is given steroids by Spray’ frenetic drumming. Meanwhile, guitarist Joe Labrum condenses Squire’s opening howl on ‘Standing Here’ into a moment of raw emotion.  

Marseille’s talent has never been in dispute from day one. What they’ve now added is the unseeable and the unquantifiable. A Death-defying, life-affirming, urgent, vital spirit has emerged on ‘This Dream Of Mine’ not seen before. Leading this charge is frontman and lyricist Will Brown. His lyrics on paper are innocent tales of romantic adventure. However, when Brown sings, they become a hand up off the floor. His soaring intonation is a double dose of hope, a vision of something better.

Check back on the 21st of August when we begin reviewing their fine b-sides.

Viva la Marseille.

Click the image below for tickets to their upcoming shows in Jersey:

The Rosadocs – At Your Door

As Sheffield five-piece The Rosadocs gear up for their biggest-ever gig at Sheffield City Hall, we look at their recent single ‘At Your Door’.

Image and artwork courtesy of Moon Man PR.

Some may query the big capacity of the City Hall, but ‘At Your Door’ is an insurance policy in itself. It’s raw but mainstream, a classic Death Disco floor-filler! The kind that would (and will) see indie clubs relay their sticky carpets after the mayhem subsides.

The acoustic and electric guitars combine to forge images of a joyous alternate reality where Gerry Cinnamon joined The Enemy to play ‘Where We’re Going’ to thousands. The jagged edges of The Jam and The Enemy are given a little polish here and there to lift this from alt-anthem territory into a record for the masses league.

With every release, frontman Keelan Graney progresses as a generational talent. He has always been blessed with Tom Clarke’s indie-soul fire but on ‘At Your Door’, he is playing Sam Fender’s warmth and Gerry Cinnamon’s cadence as the guitars roar around him. His power is destined to be echoed back at him in venues way beyond the home city of Sheffield; it's inevitable.

‘At Your Door’, in many ways, has done nothing they haven’t achieved already. The thing is, that is a death-defying spirit. The kind that people follow into battle. Rejoice in them now!

Click the artwork below for tickets to their huge Sheffield show:

Winachi ft Natalie Wilde – Understanding

Warrington’s Winachi returned in July with their new single ‘Understanding.’ Written by the band, it was Produced by John X (David Bowie, The Rolling Stones) at LA’s Earthstar Creation Centre and mixed (and produced) by Joe Hirst (Ian Brown & Bloc Party).  It marks the run-up to their debut album ‘Sympathy For The Future,’ released on August 25th.

Artwork courtesy of the band.

Despite losing their moniker Tribe, Winachi have never sounded more of one. The electro-funk featuring vocalist Natalie Wilde has a joyous sense of collectivism. Her crisp soul vocals cut through this vibrant party starter's luscious lo-fi funk licks.

Where the previous single ‘For You I’d Kill’ grew to a dynamic funked release, ‘Understanding’ stays in its lane, acting as the perfect accompaniment. It allows the lyrics “if we could move together / we could be move as one” to build the togetherness they seek.

Their sonic and lyrics serve as a conscientious pause for thought our political thinking is well overdue. Their unifying tonic has whet the whistle for what is surely one of 2023’s most anticipated debut albums.

Joel Stoker – Walls Fall

The Rifles frontman follows up his sublime debut single ‘My Own War’ with the new ‘Walls Fall’ (Cooking Vinyl). Stoker wrote and recorded all the parts at his studio except for piano (played by fellow Rifle Deano Mumford and drums (Brendan O’Neill).

Images courtesy of Patrick Ford and Fear PR.

Recorded in his garden studio, Stoker uses a confessional writing style to highlight his struggles with OCD and anxiety. As he decrees, “Down here you don’t turn and run / no doubt the show goes on” he purveys the inner turmoil of struggling in a working-class community. Whilst the world is changing, decades of “stiff upper lip” and “man up” have left their mark.

‘Walls Fall,’ sombrely defiant like a ‘Bob Marley polemic, never stops moving forwards. The heartfelt acoustic guitars and the soulful reflections of Michael Kiwanuka set sail on this pensive but positive tale of keeping your head above water. Like a great scriptwriter, he offers a moment of genuine hope to all emphasise via his CSNY-esque guitar solo and rousing outro.

The guitars, intense a la Young initially but begin to sprawl with Stills’ majesty to serve up the chink of light needed. Like on the ‘My Own War’, they’re accompanied by Americana brass via the Scouse maestro Mick Head. It allows the closing stages to drive toward a subtle sense of euphoria.

Two singles in, deeply personal ones at that, Stoker has already proven his solo adventure is one of serious merit.

Click the image below for tickets to his upcoming live dates:

Monza Express – Back of the Queue

Aberdeen’s Monza Express released their single ‘Back of the Queue’ in June via Floortorn Records. It was produced and mastered by Steve Curtis at Floorton Studios in Aberdeen. Banner image courtesy of Daz Mcallister.

Artwork courtesy of Alan Hay.

Tales of moving on and getting older often are wrapped up in a forlorn sonic. Monza Express have flipped this with hints of early Roses and REM guitars. There’s an effortlessness to the guitars, which brings the joy of Felt and Lemonheads racing to the surface on this lo-fi boozy anthem.

There’s a great pub atmosphere to the record, where youth would reach for the ecstatic release, a search for something else; Monza Express, comfortable in their elder skin, nestle into the corner of the pub with a sublime harmonica solo.

Big Image: This Feeling, Truck Festival

The Midlands four-piece Big Image recently played This Feeling’s stage at Truck Festival. With XFM/Radio X icon John Kennedy announcing their debut album has been recorded, the crowd’s anticipation grew. Did they deliver? Images courtesy of Alan Wells

On paper, 30mins seems such a short slot. However, some can make me feel longer. Not Big Image! Blink and you would have missed their set of baggy meets Balearic anthems. ‘Late Nights’ fired out of the traps like an Ibiza classic fronted by indie icon.

Images courtesy of Alan Wells

Former single ‘Uptown’ breezed through the cool air with its blessed reverb, shimmering Mark Day licks, whilst frontman George held the crowd in the palm of his hand. On ‘Something’, they took the set to another level. The piano riff and beats induced the warmest glow of the weekend. Their talent is evident but, it's their heart which carried them to greatness. Like The Clash, Happy Mondays, and The Libertines, Big Image have an innate ability to make their audiences be a part of their immortality. Their humble star power continuously resonated with the Truck crowd.

Taking their set to a more destructive place was ‘Club’. The booming licks combined with the funk of ‘Bummed’ are dragged into the warped intensity of The Charlatans ‘Area 51’. The crowd which, moments before were bouncing at the band's behest now stood in awe as a moment of profound adulation materialised.

Roll on the debut album!

The Shop Window – It’s A High

In November of last year, The Shop Window released their sophomore album album ‘A 4 Letter Word’ to critical acclaim. Distinct discerning updates on the C86, baggy, and Sarah Records scenes made it one of the albums of the year.

Images courtesy of the band.

Not resting on their laurels, they are set to release the new single ‘It’s A High’ on August 18th via their label Jangle Shop Records. With singer/guitarist Carl Mann behind the producing and mixing, can they recapture the form of 2022?

The dual vocals, acoustic and jangling guitars bring their Medway peers Theatre Royal to the fore. The ecstatic rumble of ‘Caught Me At The Wrong Line’ and ‘The Story Of My Life’ combined with the playfulness of the early days of REM. On a tale of being hopelessly in love, this combo, plus flourishes of Byrds era John Squire and Pale Fountains’s brass meander to great effect.

Form recaptured? A resounding yes!

Their third album ‘Daysdream’ can be pre-ordered from August 18th.