The Rifles – The Kids Won’t Stop

East London’s cult heroes The Rifles have returned with their first new single in seven years. ‘The Kids Won’t Stop’ was released on the 24th of November via Cooking Vinyl. It’s the first single from the upcoming album ‘Love Your Neighbour’ and is due for release on April 26th, 2024.

*image and artwork courtesy of Fear PR.

Pre-order ‘Love Your Neighbour’ here.

Despite the long absence of new material, the band has proved their worth creatively with the stunning Abbey Road acoustic album, and frontman Joel Stoker’s recent solo album (The Undertow) has also come in for high praise. Will the new single stack up?

Forty Seconds in and Grant Marsh’s archetypal drum rolls ignite the band's glory days. When The Rifles catch fire like this, few can match their emotive spirit. The band adopts a mature songwriting style, adopting aspects of the Madness classic ‘The Liberty of Norton Folgate’ in this reflective piece.

With a seven-year hiatus in the studio and continued success on the live circuit, The Rifles could be forgiven for being out of touch with the people on this new helping. Alas, Stoker’s lyrics easily tap into everyday life, portraying the hectic pace that ordinary folk must endure. Where ‘No Love Lost’ would have hit full throttle with this discourse, the band's twenty-year wisdom chimes, allowing space to reflect upon what’s important amid the chaos. It’s here the song's true beauty emerges. The “ba la la” and Luke Crowther’s brief solo serve as a reminder the simple things are the best, and must be grasped now youth is fading in the rearview mirror.

Marrying middle age with the riotous sonic fans have come to love could have been tricky. Perhaps it’s the reason for a seven-year break? Whatever the reason, The Rifles have navigated it with joy and contentment, which will keep fans happy and any leather-clad motorbike crisis at bay. As such, ‘Love Your Neighbour’ has become one of 2024’s most eagerly anticipated albums.  

The Enemy: Shiiine On 2023

Coventry icons The Enemy recently headlined the final night of this year’s Shiiine On Weekender, and we were there to catch them.

*banner image courtesy of Moments to Media.

Festival season may be well out of the rearview mirror but, in a windswept corner of Somerset, The Enemy came armed with the big guns from the first two albums only to send everyone home in glorious rage.

Image courtesy of Moments to Media.

There’s a myriad of reasons why their tales of working-class life still resonate. People are still a slave to the (non-existent) modern wage. Public services are treated like a soggy biscuit from whatever tax-avoiding private school our PM is from this weak. As such, the fury of ‘Aggro’ and the colossal power of ‘Pressure’ can still tap into the burning sense of injustice people feel.

Obviously, at the heart of the ability to connect is the simple fact, the songs are great. ‘Away From Here’ and ‘Had Enough’ still have the majestic power of 2007 oozing from them. Despite the creaking joints and incrementing fear of Monday morning, both top-ten hits send Shiiine into a dizzying frenzy. ‘We’ll Live Die In These Towns’ and ‘This Song’ carry huge emotional and polemical heft, and the Shiiine faithful are willing to rip the lyrics from their soul to prove their worth to their heroes.

Image courtesy of Moments to Media.

However, something else makes The Enemy a dangerous beast in 2023. Integrity and authenticity. The incisive and instinctive observations of the Peugeot forecourt closing or the aching longing for Jane to still be among us course through their veins with a distilled clarity that few can match. So, when the brass strikes on ‘Your Song’, a hymnal-like quality soars through the room, nourishing the downtrodden.

The music industry they knew and loathed barely exists today. It’s the perfect time for The Enemy to return and thrive. Labels, the press, and airplay are redundant. In truth, so is this review, but the power they emit is astonishing and must be documented! Especially as those at Pitchfork are devoid of euphoria. No one laughs or cries in their realm; they just sit around saying, “Oh, how funny” while listening to Andre 3000’s primary school recorder sessions. Bore Off!

At Shiiine On, the weak become heroes. Tears streamed, laughter howled, and The Enemy proved that working-class heroes are still something to be.

Shiiine On!

Abstraction Engine: Shiiine On 2023

Kicking off this year’s Shiiine On Weekender was Oxfordshire four-piece Abstraction Engine in the Inn on the Green. An honour for any band, but the moment was not lost on them as regular attendees as fans.

Shiiine On is different things to different people. What runs through it all though is a sense of community.  Abstraction Engine’s set arguably captured this more than any other this weekend. Opening with ‘Placeholder, frontman Dave Moore decrees “now that I’m older / I’m bolder that’s what they say / well hey, I'm not a placeholder” hearts begin to melt. The sense that this is our thing, our time to be whoever we want, to relive past glories, and make new life-long memories crystalises.

This feeling is doubled down on the gentle but life-affirming ‘Dependence’. As the lyrics “life is what you make it” percolate, financial, romantic, and health burdens fill the air, but via the keys and guitars, a BMX Bandits-esque joy emerges to set us free.

In the closing stages, AE step on the power. ‘Dreamer’ strived for the power of The Cult, ‘Walk Through Walls’ conjured the what if “Pete Astor played guitar for Sea Power” that frankly, everyone should be pondering! The set was ended by the aptly named ‘Shine’. As Moore sings, “We are the survivors”, it becomes increasingly harder not to lose emotional stability. The emotion of personal loss and the icons of the stage that thousands pilgrimage to see every year swell. The eerily ethereal keys and indomitable rumble on guitars were beset with aching wisdom that this might not be forever, so live for the moment.

With bottom lips wobbling and hearts beaming, Abstraction Engine opened Shiiine On with a poetic refinement that will long in the hearts of all who made the early journey.

Ecko: Shiiine On 2023

At Shiiine On 2022, Scotland’s Ecko stole the weekend in a rags-to-riches story that the world of rock ‘n’ roll hadn’t seen in some time. A small crowd gathered for that set in the Inn on the Green, and such was their prominence, word spread instantly. So, when the Shambolics pulled out of their Sunday night slot, Ecko stepped up to play to the 1500-strong crowd on Centre Stage to back up the spreading gospel.

All images courtesy of A Deeper Groove.

As such, their slot in Reds on Sunday night at this year's festival was one of the weekends most eagerly anticipated. It came with a certain amount of tension. Had we misremembered 2022? Have we pushed them too far, too soon? 

Any doubts were smashed into pieces by their supreme talent. The temptation to come out all guns blazing was withheld. Instead, ‘Miss Hurricane’ emerged chest-out, mid-paced but dangerous, staring down the barrel with grit and assurance few peers can match.

Where 2022 oozed with a ragged glory, 2023 was a polished outfit toying with pace and intensity as they saw fit. ‘Get Out’ stepped on and off the gas with mesmeric skill. ‘L.A.X’, like all truly dangerous ’ only showed teeth when necessary, coming in the closing moments as Matthew Welsh’s solo cut through Liam O’Connor’s crunching bassline.

Former single ‘Still Know Nothing’ closed the set out. It felt less like a euphoric climax and more an admonition that the main stage would be theirs next year. Ecko's rise in a year is nothing short of remarkable. They’ve gone from plucky upstarts to show stealers, and now, they look ready for the stages, drama, and glory that befell so many of the icons of the Shiiine On line-up.

Holy Youth Movement: Shiiine On 2023

“Better, better together / I feel stronger, stronger than ever”

Last week, Bristol’s Holy Youth Movement kicked off the Friday night on Centre Stage at the Shiiine On Weekender.

In the last eighteen months, we’ve seen HYM support Rolla, The Utopiates, and play (but not headline) This Feeling’s stage at Truck Festival. Their short but devastating sets have always left us with the feeling there is more in the tank. At Shiiine, they brought the tank!

What was lacking from those shows was time and grandeur. The longer set and better-rigged stage afforded them at Shiiine laid bare their ability to look like superstars! Epitomised by the intoxicating instrumental ‘Raz’ opening the set. The snarling electronica and thudding basslines hit a groove that demanded full attention.

Enter the stage frontman Tom Newman to the ecstatic synths of ‘You Thought I Was Dead’. Resplendent in his boiler suit and shades, Newman is supercharged on this Primal Scream ‘XTRMNTR’ classic in the making. The guitars fire into the ether like four-minute warning sirens as the synths distort with kaleidoscopic chaos.

Minute by minute, the Shiiine crowd filter into the late-night venue. Ebbing closer to the magnetic power of their early Kasabian trips. During ‘Better Together’, a moment of unification only topped by The Farm’s ‘All Together Now’ crystalises. Although the tempo drops, the intensity burns just as brightly. The spirit of unification conjured by the Primals, and the dearly departed Weatherall and Johnson in ’91 oozes through the room with a soul-enriching blissfulness.

No HYM gig is complete without the blistering ‘Tranquilizer’. Recorded with Andrew Innes and produced by Jagz Kooner, the Bristol quintet have a weapon of mass distraction in their armoury. With the light show coming at the Shiiine crowd like a technicolour blitz, Newman strutted from the crowd to band members like the pied piper of rock ‘n’ roll leading us to salvation.

BLESS. Shiiine On 2023

Opening this year's main stage at Shine On are London’s recently reformed BLESS. Despite the time away from the scene, the cult heroes are back after recently supporting The Rifles and headlining the Water Rats for This Feeling. Would this be the launchpad they needed for the big time?

*banner photo credit Alexandra Haddow

Photo credit: Alexandra Haddow

Frontman Joei Silvester is well known to the Shiiine faithful having knocked out killer DJ sets and played iconic sets the now-defunct band The Shakes. The latter looked destined to headline festivals worldwide, let alone Shiiine. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

As crushing as this was to fans, seemingly water off a duck’s back for Silvester who strode on stage to Supercool Indie (where’s Dylan?) spinning The Specials ‘Friday Night Saturday Morning’. King-like, admiring his public, surveying outsiders to overcome, the confidence oozed from his soul and, beautifully, never wavered.

BLESS. a band akin to the Roses or The Coral where every member is a serial talent. Only in this band could a lead guitarist with riffs and licks as savage and punchy as Jake Barnett be overlooked for Silvester. On ‘That’s Love’, he pulls in nuggets of gold from ‘Bill McCai’, ‘Riot Radio’, and such is his talent, makes 00s also rans Little Man Tate and the Harrisons sound like rockstars.

Photo credit: James O’Mullan

It is Silvester who stole the show though. He sets fire to the stage with his northern soul dancing amid the frenzied keys and guitars. He wielded his rhythm guitar like Wilko Johnson as he charged the stage with his rifle set to stun. The drama, eloquence, and sheer showmanship in the way he fires his gun were delivered with such power and emotion that you could feel thousands being sucked into his orbit.

Alongside his star quality was the guv’nor David McSherry on bass. Looking hard as fuck and powering everything with aplomb. On keys and sharing vocals was Kieran Kearns, who would be the star attraction in any other band. Wayward, hilarious, and blessed with great soul, Kearns never lets the set drop when they switch up main vocal duty.  Last, by no means least, was Moses Elliott's fluid genius on drums. Together, they walked on stage just another band to this audience. During the soon-to-be classic set-closer ‘Daddy Didn’t Make It As Rockstar’, they exited as the flag bearers of rock ‘n’ roll.

This was less a launchpad to success and more a Soho backstreet toward rock ‘n’ roll purity. Apathy has been put on notice! Not since The Libertines has a band had this much chemistry. Combustible? Probably. Better to burn out than to fade away.

The Utopiates – Love Pill

2023 breakout band The Utopiates are set to release their new single ‘Love Pill’ on November 15th. It’s the first release from their second album which will be out in the new year. After the critical acclaim of May’s debut album ‘The Sun Also Rises’ there are big shoes to fill.

Image & artwork courtesy of the band.

As dawn breaks on their ‘The Sun Also Rises’ success, ‘Love Pill’ strides forward with bags full of poolside charm and romance. Hints of MGMT and Friendly Fires electronic 00s debuts caress this ode to frontman Dan Popplewell’s better half.

Their debut album was everything a debut should be. Desperate to be heard, a statement of intent, a life’s journey oozing out of young men yearning to be gang for life. ‘Love Pill’, however, witnesses the band maturing, pulling from 80s pop, sentimental lyrics, and nu-rave to conjure a genuinely touching moment of alt-pop.

The Utopiates are currently on tour with The Pigeon Detectives; you’d be foolish to miss them. To further whet your appetite, a seven-minute extended version of ‘Love Pill’ will drop in the new year.

Marseille: The Water Rats, London

Last week, Derby’s Marseille headlined a sold-out Water Rats in London, and we were there to check it out. It was almost a year since their London debut at The Slaughtered Lamb; the contrast couldn’t have been starker. In 2022, they were part of a line-up which, at best, could be described as ill-thought-out. Most had come to see a piece of performance art by a student dressed as a spaceman whose guitars were on hip-height glitter-covered stands. It was an odd precursor to Marseille’s incredible debut (full review here).

*banner image courtesy of Nima Chappell

Image courtesy of Mark Chappell

Fast forward to the Water Rats and Marseille were supported by the songsmiths Mansfields and Maze, who delivered a superb hazy rock n roll set. This felt proper. The anticipation for Marseille was palpable in the room. The EP and single releases had whipped up a tangible buzz. For TT, it was a chance to see if Marseille could deliver another night of heady guitar-driven rock n roll.

They could!

Vast proof of this came from the reaction to three new tracks from their upcoming new EP.  ‘Monkey In The Middle’ and ‘She Can Fly’ followed one another in the set with devastating effect. A split-second pause of silence followed both. The sheer disbelief of a room in total awe of raw potential emerging on stage. The former swirled with the hysteria and fever that called time on all who headlined the stages they had their sights on. ‘She Can Fly’ was blessed with the shoegaze power and celestial beauty of Nick McCabe and Andy Bell, whose frontman Will Brown lets rip a vocal howl sent from the devil. The other new song, ' If It Hurts, Don’t Cry’, leans into Noel Gallagher and Richard Ashcroft’s timeless songwriting with sweeping euphoria.

Image courtesy of Nima Chappell.

Whilst Marseille have a great groove-laden rhythm section and a charismatic frontman, this gig belonged to lead guitarist Joe Labrum. A young man so unassuming of the spotlight has otherworldly powers on his Gibson Les Paul that you cannot help be drawn to him. The closing stages of ‘If It Hurts, Don’t Cry’ were utterly spellbinding. His majesty made the intimate Water Rats feel like Knebworth with John Squire and Noel Gallagher smashing Champagne Supernova into another galaxy. On 'former single ‘This Dream of Mine’ he injects Squire’s paisley era of the Roses with punks urgency, aided by the incredible Reni-esque fluidity of Tom Spray on drums.

Marseille closed the set with their early jingle-jangle classic ‘State of Mind’. The elegance of Labrum’s riff looping alongside Brown’s angelic vocal was the touching full stop this set deserved. Brown gracefully bowed out early to allow the band to meander to a lysergic close with the artistic integrity of Bobby Gillespie. There is nothing this band cannot do!

Go see them do it!

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.