BLAB – Full Grown

Southend DIY artist BLAB has returned with her new single ‘Full Grown’ via Cool Thing Records (Asylums / Suspects). Self-produced, largely at home in her bedroom, writer and producer Fran Murray follows the playfully destructive ‘Hate Love, Make Love’ released in September. Banner image courtesy of James Mannion.

Artwork courtesy of Frances Murray.

Sonically a world away from ‘Hate Love, Make Love’, BLAB turns her hand to the kind of downtempo indie that her Essex mentor Get Cape Wear Cape Fly! has become so masterful at. Eloquent guitars build a realm of isolation and tense questioning of life’s meaning.

Despite the melancholy, BLAB retains her archetypal playfulness:

“I’m buying vegetables trying not to think about getting older / dying alone”

The sardonic morbidity pulls from peak Kate Nash and Morrissey as she details the futility of life in an economy built by boomers, for boomers. Every time the despair threatens to swell beyond repair, BLAB pulls back with a charm and sarcastic couplet to restore a flicker of hope.

The aching pessimism of a generation is laid bare in a fine slice of alt-pop. Coupled with her punk classic ‘Eton Mess’ and the beats-driven angst of ‘Hate Love, Make Love’, Murray is rapidly on her way to becoming one of the voices of her generation.

Maze - Actions

South London’s Maze release their new single ‘Actions’ today. It’s the first new music since 2022’s debut album ‘Chaos Interrupted’.

‘Chaos Interrupted’ was a piece of ragged glory which reimagined the sweeping orchestral peaks of Britpop's finest singles with great skiller and bigger heart. ‘Actions’ picks up where they left off with the Britpop-tinged orchestration and psyche meanderings.

Frontman Gary Davies’ smoky drawl lends the record a defiance and a wisdom which feels like a blissful line in the sand. The orchestration slides from the bombast of The Seahorses to the carefree abandon of The Space Monkeys . Davies’ vocal alongside this majesty as the beauty of The Skinner Brothers making a Shed Seven record.

As Davies’ vocal of “actions speak louder than words” loops, ‘Actions’ begins to take on a hymn-like quality. It’s not just uplifting the soul; it’s setting it free to a higher plane. A truly beautiful moment amid a world falling apart at the seams.

Click the image below for tickets to see Maze support Marseille at Water Rats

Colour TV – You Treat This Place Like A Hotel

The Southwest band of brothers returned on Monday with a new lineup and a new single. ‘You Treat This Place Like A Hotel’ with new bass player Chris Harwood in tow, was released via Tip Top Recordings and is taken from their upcoming third EP.

Artwork & images courtesy of the band.

It’s been quite the 2023 for indie outfit. ‘Christopher’s Halo’ fizzed with Suede’s brooding intensity, whilst ‘Vanilla’ was blessed with enough volatility to form and end a cult in 24 hours.  ‘YTTPLAH’ comes as somewhat of a shock with its gentle atmosphere.

To date, Frontman Sam Durneen has been forging his way into the history books alongside Morrissey and Brett Anderson as another magnetic poet dripping in sexuality and tormented charisma. Here, he adopts a falsetto vocal and a calmer cadence which lends the discourse of rejection and isolation an eerie eloquence.

His new style is met by a gentler sonic on Jack Yeo and James Elliot’s guitars. Together they conjure a delicate moment of social and romantic precariousness worthy of ‘The Perks of Being A Wallflower’. The lighter licks inject the math rock scene of the late 00s with an emotional power it always sorely lacked.

With the heart of 00s indie outcasts Polytechnic and the soul of The Crookes, Colour TV have flipped their identity on its head in a moment of sensual maudlin genius. The forlorn protagonist's plight is one that teenage hearts cannot fail to clutch as their own.

Softer in tone but no less impactful. Colour TV’s third EP promises to be quite something.

THIS IS WAR - Laces

Liverpool’s prolific THIS IS WAR are back with their new single ‘Laces’.

In 2022, the band set out to release a single a month. There were moments to enjoy in them all but they peaked when the urgency and danger levels stepped up on ‘Exile Poet’, ‘Pyramids’ and ‘Crossfire Fever’.

Artwork courtesy of the band.

When their EP ‘Rotten’ dropped this year the expectation of distorted bluesy-cum-post punk anthems grew. To an extent, on ‘Rotten’ and ‘Waves Of Love’ this febrile need was met. However, both had a brevity that wasn’t present previously. Then, on ‘Promised Land’, they stripped back the aggression to show a lighter, but no less meaningful side of their arsenal.

Allowing space for their talents to percolate has continued on ‘Laces’. Frontman Paul Carden’s reflective lyrics stomp toward unknown pastures, searching for meaning. It allows the guitars to jangle with the chaotic hope of early Razorlight the romanticism for youth of Pete Townsend.

Despite the sonic breathing space, masterfully, the urgency of 2022 is back. There’s a vitality to every aspect of this record that demands teenage obsession!

The Shed Project - Our Fear Is Their Power

The Shed Project are set to release their second album ‘Our Fear Is Their Power’ on November 24th via One Love Records. The record was produced by Daniel Hayes and recorded at The Ivy Studio in their hometown of Bolton.

On their debut album, ‘The Curious Mind Of A Common Man’ the band knocked out a collection of songs which paid homage to their heroes Stone Roses, Northside, The Mondays and aspects of the C86 movement. Moments like ‘My Life’, ‘Lucky Number’, and ‘Modern Way’ lit up their tales with undeniable psychedelic and baggy licks.

Bridging the gap sonically between the albums are former single ‘Ghost Town’, ‘Naughty’, and ‘Easy’. The former is blessed with John Squire’s power, the indomitable groove of ‘Chicken Rhythms’ and the lysergic beauty of Afflecks Palace. ‘Naughty’, whilst questioning the notion of “getting on it” and its slippery slope comes with Mani-esque crunching basslines and Paul Ryder’s funked hedonism vision of rock ‘n’ roll rock ‘n’ roll visions. On ‘Easy’ however, they link to the first album with the Roses licks and signify this albums’ distinct change. Power! The delicate licks of the debut spiral into a more intoxicating brand of psychedelia and thus, begin to forge their identity as a band.

The harder sonic is laid bare on former singles ‘If You Know You Know’ and ‘Our Fear Is There Power’. The expansive sonic of Squire’s ‘It’s Begging You’ is injected with brutality. The hedonism fades into a realm of rage and angst that explodes into with the combined power of The Who and The Verve at their most volatile. On the title track, the harder edges are met with visceral social commentary too. Our decaying government! Polemic is not something naturally associated with the rock ‘n’ roll of the Northwest, but it’s always loitered in the hearts of Ian Brown and Noel Gallagher. Roy Fletcher’s success here proves the icons could have been more overt in their lyrics. His line in the sand is met with haunting licks and a bassline desperate to break its leash. Together, they spiral with the baggy ease of The Charlatans towards the eruption of psychedelic guitars. It’s far less a solo and more a howl of hatred.

The newfound power develops further In the politicised lyrics on ‘Ghost Town’ and the gritty examination of drug use of ‘Naughty’. ‘Ghost Town’, a modern take on the Specials classic told from the perspective of their native Bolton. 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 Fletcher’s angelic vocals. It's as fine a juxtaposition as you’ll hear this year. ‘Naughty’ however, strays into the realms of tragedy as Fletcher decrees “one thing leads to another / then you lose your brother”. A fine update on Buffalo Springfield’s “your troubled young life / Had made you turn to the needle of death”.

What began as mates in a Shed playing for fun has become the do-or-die rock ‘n’ roll generations live for! Their attempt to convey their moods has given a window into a nation teetering on the edge of revolt at its politicians, media, and institutions falter. This is rock ‘n’ roll for the people by the people, and it's no wonder they’re selling out venues across the UK.

Megan Wyn – Familiar Faces

Manchester-based singer-songwriter Megan Wyn releases her new single ‘Familiar Faces’ today. Wyn wrote the song with writing and Producer partner Alex Quinn at the start of the summer. Can it match the quality of the debut single ‘You Don’t Get It’. Banner image courtesy of Sam Crowston.

Artwork courtesy of SM MGMT

Where ‘You Don’t Get It’ charted a coming-of-age journey from an isolated and melancholic position, ‘Familiar Faces’ lands Wyn right into the heart of relationship woes that have yet to be fully overcome.

Everyone writes about troubled relationships. The key to people caring is integrity and Wyn has it spades here. There’s a sense that the creative process has been obsessed over as much as the pain from it’s jealous muse. The guttural snap delivery of “darling I’d do anything for you” lands you in the white heat of a relationship's destructive pattern. It’s devastating emotionally but creatively astonishing. It’s supplanted by the more gentle “all these years”, acting as reluctant acceptance that all the efforts have been in vain.

Two singles in and Wyn is defining her identity with a clarity many artists struggle to find until album number three. Little Blossoms via Gerry Cinnamon guitar flourishes sprinkle a shimmer over country-tinged-indie sonic. it elevates her identity with a clarity many struggle to find until album number three, let alone single number two.

Wyn has followed up on her debut single with yet another single-of-the-year contender. A supreme talent not to be missed!

Click the image below for tickets to Wyn’s headline shows in Manchester and Liverpool:

Trampolene – Rules Of Love and War

Swansea’s Trampolene returned in March this year to release their fourth studio album ‘Rules of Love & War’ (Strap Originals). The record was was produced by Mike Moore (Baxter Dury/Liam Gallagher), Richard Jackson (Super Furry Animals) & Jason Stafford (Albion Rooms). Banner image courtesy of Matthew Eynon.

‘Rules Of Love and War’ is available to buy from their store here.

Last time out on ‘Love No Less Than A Queen’, they set their sonic sails away from the Libertines’ notion of Albion for the first time. It opened them up to the wayward psychedelia of Fat White Family, Snapped Ankles, and King Gizzard and The Lizzard Wizzard and gave their heartfelt anthems, providing weirder and more textured avenues of discovery.

With the creative mindset now broadened, Trampolene continues to press forward on ‘Lena Lullaby’, ‘Thinking Again’, and ‘Money’. ‘Lena Lullaby’ treads frosty paths with icy orchestration and Jack Jones’ falsetto vocal. Jones’ guitar playing delicately moves from JJ72 to Darren Heyman to Sam Duckworth’s cult solo classic ‘The Mannequin’ before a mild injection of angst lifts proceedings to Snow Patrols’ early work. Jones plays with his cadence and vocal tone on ‘Thinking Again’ bringing The Vaccines’ understated ‘Melody’s Calling’ to the fore. The guitars tap into the dreamy psyche of Kurt Vile and the lo-fi wonderment of Aziz Abraham. Together, they unite to conjure a more poetical, weed-induced take on the early 00s post-punk of My Vitriol and Hope Of The States. ‘Money’ is a ball of financial anxiety wrapped up in spoken word and Snapped Ankles fuzzed-up imagery.

At Trampolene’s core though, is Albion’s sense of romanticism. On ‘Resurrection Concerto’ and ‘Alexandra Palace’, they return to Arcadia from their psychedelic adventures determined to enhance the movement. The former finds a place between Pulp’s ‘This Is Hardcore’ and ‘We Love Life’ with its soaring classical production alongside Jones’ poignant observation of living for the moment. As he decrees “just starting to live again”, you can feel pain, loss, and years of abuse ebbing away from the soul. It’s followed with the defiant howl of “it doesn’t have to be the end” as the guitars and keys bellow with debauched bombast. The protagonist, still carrying the weight of the past on their shoulders, chooses hope, chooses life! Life is far more ebullient on ‘Alexandra Palace’. Sam and Alice, the modern take on The Kinks’ Terry and Julie, is a great romantic failure in North London. With hints of Billy Bragg’s ‘St Swithins’ day warmth from the brass and the innocence of Pete Doherty’s ‘You Can't Keep It From Me Forever’, Jones lights up a coming-of-age story that will scar the characters forever.

The journey from ‘Swansea To Hornsey’ youthful fire to ‘Rules Of Love and War’ measured prose has been six years seemingly one of hope, self-doubt, escape, self-discovery, and now, one of triumphant return. The mission statements they dreamt up in bedrooms in 2017 are now becoming fully realised via richer creative palettes. Coupled with Jack Jones’ purist of souls, long may Trampolene’s ship sail on.

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

Pastel: Camden Assembly, London

“Chase the feeling, I believe in”

Last night, Manchester’s Pastel took to London for the first time as headliners at the Camden Assembly (formerly the Barfly). The last time we caught them was supporting label mates Afflecks Palace at the Islington Town Hall (full review here). They blew their peers off the stage that night. Could they handle the pressure as top dogs?

Pastel shone through a haze of smoke and early Verve-esque jams a year ago. Frontman James Yates had that beautiful Ashcroft and Gillespie quality of knowing when to stay out of the way and let their trips take hold. This beauty remained, but Jack Yates emerged as a frontman to be reckoned with. A confidence oozed through his performance, humour through his patter, and crucially, in those big vocal hook moments on ‘Your Day’ and ‘Deeper Than Holy’ he unleashed the power and looked iconic!

With the announcement that their new album is coming in the new year, they unleashed new material on the besotted London crowd. ‘Run It On Up’ saw Yates switch up from Ashcroft’s defiant peak on ‘Northern Soul’ to ‘Tellin’ Stories’ era Burgess. The collective snarl in the verses ebbed away into a melodic uplift blessed with euphoria and intensity. Meanwhile, ‘Sunnyside’ had tinges of The Style Council playing ‘Catching The Butterfly’ with Liam on vocals. Influences that consume most bands were folded into their brand of bugged-out Four Horseman meets Nick McCabe psyche with mesmeric ease.

‘Isaiah’ and ‘Escape’ slide into the sold-out crowd’s elusive dreams and forgotten schemes with their blissful spirals and kaleidoscopic imagery. A sea of arms out wide greet the mystical Blake-esque poetry of ‘Isaiah’. On ‘Escape’, the bellowing power of Joe Anderson’s guitars begins to transcend music as hope descends from on high to the hearts and minds of this adoring audience.

Pressure? What pressure? Pastel looked at home as headliners. The only thing out of place was the size of the venue. Witnessing a band on the cusp of greatness in a 200-capacity venue was a privilege. It will surely be the last time for a long time.

Lissy Taylor - Minds A Riot

Stoke via Manchester songwriter Lissy Taylor returned mid-September with her new single ‘Minds A Riot’. Recorded at the iconic Abbey Road Studios with Tayte Nickols producing, it follows the blistering ‘Feel For Me’.

*banner image courtesy of Steve Holdway

Photo courtesy of Paul Gallagher

‘Minds A Riot’ is not your usual Abbey Road Studios affair. This isn’t Noel Gallagher with a 32-piece orchestra or the Beatles groundbreaking work on ‘Come Together’. This is a record determined to obliterate all that stands in its way.

Last time out on ‘Feel For Me’, Taylor proved she had stadium-sized anthems. ‘Minds A Riot’ is its creative precursor. The kind that documentaries will rewind to when examining how the glass ceiling was smashed.

The guitars launch into a violent spin, which takes breath only to scorch the earth again. The guitars firing sonic are fraught with danger and agitation as Taylor squares up to inner turmoil and isolation. Only the Stevie Knicks-esque breakdown allows a comfortable breath to be drawn, but only in the knowledge that the real pain and anguish is yet to be unleashed.  

Amid the rage, Taylor howls, “Love is pain / Pain is Art” to serve as a firm reminder that not being okay is okay. It gives her remarkable songwriting depth, considering she’s only three years into her journey.

Treasures of Mexico – Burn The Jets

Medway’s Treasures of Mexico returned earlier this year with their third album ‘Burn The Jets’ (Spinout Nuggets). Following their 2018 indie-pop masterpiece ‘Everything Sparks Joy’, it has vocal contributions from Jetstream Pony’s Beth Arzy and was recorded at Jim Riley’s Ranscombe Studios.

Image and artwork courtesy of Spinout Nuggets.

Five years ago, ‘Everything Sparks Joy’ cut through a Brexit-dominated landscape with the indie pop-perfect ‘Supercute’ and resplendent ‘Avalanche’. Remarkably, in 2023, society feels worse than it did back then. Client media, concocted culture wars, and eye-watering interest rates have flooded our lives. Can the Treasures of Mexico save us from the gloom once more?

Leading the charge are ‘Days With A “Y” In’, ‘Beaming’, and ‘Servant To The Seasons’. The former leans into the indomitable spirit of their former band The Dentists and the formidable guitars of Norman Blake roaring their way to the light. The hazy lo-fi tinge gives proceedings a sense of agitation yearning to break free, which the ecstatic organ solo does with gusto. ‘Beaming’ gently dazzles like Real Estate playing Byrds songs. On ‘Servant To The Seasons’, despite the moments of distrust and doubt (“id like to say we’d be ok but that depends on you….here we are again”), they conjure a melody doused in gorgeousness. Bob Collins' jingle-jangle guitars inject the lush world of Felt with a dose of Mood Six and The Fanclub’s urgency.

Mark Matthews’ exemplary ability to manoeuvre darker discourse alongside Collin’s joyful playing continues on ‘Halo’. Matthews’ sarcasm (“I see you polish halo”) descends into bitterness in the second verse:

“I see you feeding your ego / I feel you trampling over me / Your arrogance running free”

The angelic Cocteau Twins-esque keys are accompanied by guitars which swell with frustration to bursting point. ‘Halo’ is so subtle yet masterful in highlighting a relationship's bespoke nuances and how they fracture and repair.

Then, on ‘Monday Morning’, Treasures of Mexico find a career-best song. Matthews’ vocal hits upon an elegance and reverence in this tale of a lost soul. As Matthews decrees “you’ve lost that loving feeling and what you believe in”, you can feel an embracing arm around the shoulder through his tired but loving notes. Matthews goes on to dissect the protagonist’s precarious life with such affection and aching beauty that few will be tear-free as he sings:

“you had a heart of gold that gave so much, but someone melt it down / took all you empathy, they stole your smile and turned it upside down”

Collins’ astonishing solo follows to blow melt even the coldest of hearts. He should be a national treasure! Emotive. Escapist. Ecstatic.

Three albums in, Treasures of Mexico show no signs of tailing off. ‘Burn The Jets’ is a heartfelt slice of guitar joy that all should bask in.

Click the image below for tickets to see them, The Claim and Jasmine Minks in Brighton:

Spangled: The Social, London

Two nights ago at The Social in London's iconic Heavenly Records venue, Radio X’s John Kennedy hosted This Feeling’s third Test Transmission night. Six acts took part, with Manchester’s Spangled stealing the show.

Images courtesy of Alan Wells

Good bands are tight. Great bands are tight and loose all at the same time. Spangled proved they are latter on groove-laden opener ‘We’ll Always Have Neptune’. Jamie Haliday’s Mark Day-esque guitar lines cruised effortlessly alongside frontman Ben Johnson’s poetic take Jim Bob vocal and his Robert Harvey (The Music) meets freaky dancing. The twist and turn from baggy to psychedelic to punk simultaneously. Unhinged and untamed, they roam with a sonic freedom sent from the Gods.

Their desire to perform without conformity is joyously refreshing. During ‘Cosmic Vibrations’ Johnson meanders with the mercurial stage presence of Kate Bush whilst all around him they converge Blur and Kasabian into a psychedelic indie-punk supergroup from another galaxy. Haliday’s solo dives into the gothic majesty of The Cure before spiralling upward to the technicolour splendour of Prince’s rock ‘n’ roll.

This isn’t a set of style of over substance however. Integrity is key and exemplified by the astonishing performance of ‘Good Life Better’. Written about the passing of Johnson’s father after their Isle of Wight set in 2021, it’s a track fraught with emotion. Johnson lets out a guttural howl of “cooommeeee ooonnnn” in the early stages, laying bare just how difficult this track is to navigate. The intimate crowd’s spines, already tingling, are sent into hyperdrive with Johnson delivers “That's when all of the scars inside of my soul were gone”. The torment and anguish flood to the surface as he wrenches the words from his soul. In turn, it breeds an atmosphere of “we’ll fucking die for this band”, and it’s intoxicating.

In five songs, Spangled showcased that skill is not enough. With glory must come guts, and they have it in spades! The band has an indomitable spirit, a heart and soul that will see the masses follow them into battle and win.

Calvacde – Used To Know Me

East London’s Calvacade returned recently with their latest single ‘Used To Know Me’. After a weekend in bed reading Jeff Vander Meer’s The Southern Reach trilogy, frontman Connor Duggan was inspired to pen this reflective tale.

Aching guitars race out into the unknown with a recklessness that younger generations yearn for and older ones raise a wry smile to. Steve Norris’ drumming keeps them apace with Milburn hi-hats and Rifles-esque drum rolls, which explode into life alongside Jack Campbell’s bombastic guitars. United, a sense of character abandonment grows. As though, after a brutal self-examination of life’s missed chances, a new positive attitude will grab them by the horns the second time around.

Through Duggan, the protagonist's anguish and resentment ooze out with tinges of Matthew Murphy's (The Wombats) and Blaine Harrison’s (Mystery Jets) sense of romanticism. Duggan also possesses a snarl which catapults himself and the band away from pastiche into a truly exciting realm. It allows fragility and vulnerability to dissipate to adventure and progress and back again.

Despite the inner turmoil, Calvacade are mastering their creativity and harnessing an identity few would want to miss.

Vega Rally - Back At It Again

West Yorkshire-born songwriter, guitarist, and producer extraordinaire Vega Rally is back with a new EP his new EP, ‘This Moment’ at midnight. We have heard the track ‘Back At It Again’ courtesy of This Feeling. Banner image courtesy of Debbie Ellis Photography.

Rally’s guitars root themselves in the baggy mod beauty of The Charlatans’ ‘Some Friendly’ and ‘Between 10th & 11th’. The guitar lines are so pure your soul will cleanse itself by the midpoint. Accompanying the crisp, meandering guitar lines is a career-best vocal. Effortlessly gliding from the softer early Burgess cuteness to the smoky drag of Ian Brown’s debut ‘Unfinished Monkey Business’.

Everything culminates with a piano loop to soundtrack any life worth living. Rally taps into what set hearts racing back in ‘88 and redefines what they can be. His slower groove allows something more eloquent to emerge, conjuring images of young souls innocently entering a world they grew up with. His playing pushes on, allowing said characters to crystalise their dreams.

Rally’s grooves have been eye-catching to date. They’ve gone to a place that no one can deny now. Emotively brilliant! ‘Back At It Again’ is out at midnight, check back tomorrow to listen.

Matt Edible & The Obtuse Angles – Mirror Shoes

“The best thing out of Hull since the Humber Bridge!”

Josh T. Pearson

Hull’s Matt Edible (The Holy Orders / Kingmaker) has returned with his new single ‘Mirror Shoes’. Written and recorded by Edible at home, it was released on the 13th of September via Inedible Records.

image & artwork courtesy of the band.

Last time out, Edible strayed from Mark Hollis to William Blake to Darren Heyman on his mercurial debut album ‘Stargazing’. ‘Mirror Shoes’, sonically, marks a return to something far less challenging but equally as rewarding.

His guitars land between the big booming riffs of The Black Keys and the fuzzed wonderment of the Flaming Lips on this glam rock gem. Stomping with glitches, his protagonist marauds through society like a John Niven character at peak drug-fuelled narcissism.

Edible has reimagined ‘Dedicated Follower of Fashion’ for a modern age snorting, Madri drinking, brown leather and stonewash jean wearing Liz Truss adorning buffoon. It’s as hilarious as it is depressing, but when his solo lands, the pain subsides. Edible’s playing, alongside the joyous backing vocals, become a moment of alt-pop magic that 2023 so desperately needed!

‘Mirror Shoes’ is taken from the upcoming second album which is a now a drool-worthy prospect.

The Q-Days – Close Your Eyes

Before their triumphant home city show at Southend’s Chinnerys, The Q-Days released their second single, ‘Close Your Eyes’. It follows the celestial shoegaze debut ‘Underboard’; can it match its quality?

Image & artwork courtesy of Colossal Artists.

Where ‘Underboard’ grooved with an undercurrent of colossal, ‘Close Your Eyes’ bursts at the seams with rock ‘n’ roll ambition. The raw power of Noel Gallagher’s guitars on ‘Bring It On Down’ drive out to the cosmos with Keith Richards guiding them to joyous destruction.

Frontman Zac Mahoney’s vocal adds an explorative poetic rumble to the proceedings. It recalls U2 on their atmospheric classic ‘Achtung Baby’. This is anchored by Ryan-Benson Smith’s ferocious drumming and Zac Christie-King’s crunching basslines to land the single into the territory of The Walkmen’s ‘The Rat’.

Two singles and the Southend via Brighton outfit have raced past potential upstarts to main-stage warriors with their axe-wielding prowess.

Usual Affairs – Suppressant Crescent

Edinburgh four-piece Usual Affairs are back with their new single ‘Suppressant Crescent’. It follows the clarion call ‘Elementary to Penitentiary’ and an angelic search for  ‘Wonderland (Same Old Story). Banner image courtesy Redwood Streets.

Image & artwork courtesy of the band.

Roaring to life with killer basslines worthy of The Reytons and early Reverend & The Makers, they set a curse fraught with danger. Themes of addiction spiralling out of control arise as

Jack Cordey guitar solo transcends music. His artful reflection of life pressures burrowing its talons into the soul resembles a downtempo ‘Bring It On Down’. It forges a breed of despair mired in fog with seemingly no way out.

Whilst the sonic pulls from various great guitar eras, forging its heavyweight path are the lyrics. This is a social commentary of the highest order. Laying bare the initial innocence of drug taking for a weekend release (“The week is finished and Rudi says  / I’m up for gettin' off my head”) soon descends into the brutality of it all:

“High end knock offs and trefoils / Another head bounced off the soil”

Kids not thinking (“This place has no accreditation / Brain cells killed for the duration / Girls take snaps for their reputation / Boys take drugs for the cavitation”) are given a stark warning:

“You’ve got work in an hour n a half / And the gin is fresh on yer scarf / Does your weekend hide the cracks / Dead end job and a beaten track”

The finest social comment of 2023!

The Silver Lines – Cast Away

Birmingham four-piece The Silver Lines recently released the single ‘Cast Away’ via ADR Records. It follows the riff-tastic ‘Blow Dry’, can ‘Cast Away’ match its power?

Image & artwork courtesy of Away Day Records.

Frontman Dan Ravenscroft puts in a vocal delivery that puts him on the map! Pulling from Frank Turner’s desperation, Jonathan Richman’s drawl, and a Joey Ramone or Peter Hayes (BRMC) coolness, Ravenscroft puts in a career-best performance.

Lyrically, the band tackle feeling alone in a foreign land. Through frontman Dan, they build tension and a sense of isolation that could lead to darker realms. In contrast, Joe’s guitars serve the freeing nature of anonymity in a big city. His sonic races away at every opportunity, providing rock ‘n’ roll with its new dos of hedonism.

It‘s five years since their debut single, the direct underground ‘Roamer’; The Silver Lines now attack from all angles. They play with form, texture, and vocal cadence. They’re now a creative force to be reckoned with.

Click the image below for tickets to their upcoming tour:

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: