The Rifles - Love Thy Neighbour

The Rifles release their first studio album in eight years today. ‘Love Thy Neighbour’, Despite countless tours, festivals, and re-releases, the band’s life commitments to work and family have hindered their creative process.

Image & artwork courtesy of Fear PR.

In 2023, frontman Joel Stoker ventured into new sonic territories with his debut solo album, 'The Undertow ', recorded at his Right Hook Studios in Walthamstow. The album's free-spirited sound was mirrored in Stoker's lyrical exploration of mental anguish, marking a significant evolution in his musical style.

Early B-side ‘Rock the Boat’ became a firm live favourite in the intervening eight years. The ska-tinged guitars and Stoker’s vocals unite with crowds in a hymnal mood. Its opening stansa oozes through large sections of this album. ‘Mr Sunflower’ saunters with Madness keys and vocals in carnival mode. Its message of love your neighbour does not come to expect from their intensity but is a perfect fit. Time away as a band and getting older suits them.

‘Days of our Lives’ continues the effervescent spirit. Taking a Sham 69 reference and making it sound like a Rifles and George Harrison concoction is joyous. Deano Mumford’s keys and the acoustic lean into Bob Marey and Ocean Colour Scene before Luke Crowther steam rollers the closing stages with howling guitars and Grant Marsh’s drum fills, planting you firmly into the band's happy place.

The archetypal Rifles sound emerges with clarity alongside their new deft touch on ‘Starting Monday’, ‘The Kids Won’t Stop’, and ‘Out For The Weekend’. With its military drums and yearning to be more, the former takes classics like ‘Heebie Jeebies’ and turns them into prophecies for their middle age. Similarly, ‘The Kids Won’t Stop’ examines parenthood and day job relentlessness versus their youthful days of dreaming and chaos. As Marsh’s drums rumble, the ecstatic furore of ‘No Love Lost’ rears its head but, this time, with a humorous take on being a parent rather than tear-ups in East London. ‘Out For the Weekend’ blows away the responsibilities and leans into the boozy male bonding that has made them such a must-see live act for twenty years. Crowther’s licks, razor-sharp, beg you to put on your best threads and let the middle-aged spread rumble once more.

On tracks like ‘All Aboard’ and ‘Money Go Round,’ The Rifles venture into uncharted musical territories. ‘All Aboard' infuses the sweeping majesty of their album ‘Freedom Run’ with jagged edges and the folk and roots elements that their peers, The Coral, excelled in during the 00s. ‘Money Go Round’ takes on a Small Faces-esque groove before transitioning into a Beatles-worthy melody. Luke Crowther's psychedelic folk guitars draw inspiration from latter-day Weller and Cornershop, giving the band a fresh makeover and potentially, a new musical direction.

They say abstinence makes the heart fonder, well, for The Rifles as a writing new music band, it has. The album is steeped in the kind of love and hope George Harrison would look upon fondly. It marks a new era for the band. The need to produce chaos has faded into wry takes on that era, and their most mainstream rock classic sound to date. Let’s hope it’s not another eight years.

The Ritz – Back Against The Wall

Burton-on-Trent’s The Ritz Are back with their latest single ‘Back Against The Wall’. It was recorded and produced by Michael Smith (Wolf Alice / Elvis Costello / Spencer Davis Group) at RYP Recordings in London.

Last time out on ‘Only Time Will Tell’, The Ritz tapped into the kind of melody that adorns mass crowds and nostalgic joy. ‘Back Against The Wall’ is the counter-point to this. Serious and intense, it charts a turbulent course that only those of pure heart can navigate.

The windswept majesty of The Crooks and the keys of Richard Ashcroft’s early solo albums signify a focus and drive from the innermost parts of songwriter and frontman Robbie Joyce. Joyce’s vocal vividly lays bare his anxieties alongside newfound sonic distress. The records’ sonic pain and anguish ooze through him but always with earnest effrontery. In the moments when the torture swells (“I know the pain will never heal / Of the hurt, the suffering and the despair”), he manages to wade through the quagmire of despair with humble bravery.

Finley Armitage’s guitars shine on this record, particularly in two short but defining solos. The first solo, inspired by the melancholic grandeur of Andrew Cushin and Noel Gallagher’s ‘Chasing Yesterday,’ amplifies the record's volatility. The second solo, a nod to Richard Ashcroft’s ‘Science of Silence,’ injects a level of power and despair that solidifies The Ritz as serious.

It is, though, the hook of Joyce’s couplet “I can carry all this weight / I can’t leave it up to fate” that carries this record and the band to another level. Its power will drop grown men to their knees in gut-wrenching epiphanic moments of change.

With this single, The Ritz have become a serious player. They’ve always had the melodies, but now they have discovered that music is power, and the journey to their debut album is a drooling prospect.

Twin City – I Feel Alive

Bristol-based Twin City are back with their third single, ‘I Feel Alive’. It’s their first single signed to Bubblebrain Records and was recorded at J&J Studios. Tom Smith (Holy Youth Movement) produced it.

*image credit Iwan Jones. Courtesy of Songbird PR.

Last time out on ‘Solid Gold’, Twin City, although expertly, strayed probably too far into Oasis’ sphere of influence. ‘I Feel Alive’ has hints of ‘Definitely Maybe’ but has a funk to its basslines, charting a course very much of its own.  

Conor Feeney’s exquisite bassline kicks this rock 'n' roll affair off like the Devil emerging from the pub. Its devilish twists and turns funk through the soaring riffs and rock ‘n’ roll despair. Feeney’s killer hook allows Louis and Pete Refson’s guitars to build a wall of sound, climaxing with the escapist licks spiralling alongside Louis’ snarling vocals in sheer ecstasy.

Twin City’s Bubblebrain signing has kicked off in some style. Click the image below for tickets to their upcoming show:

Those Heavy Souls – Everything’s Changing

From the ashes of Cardiff’s Columbia comes Those Heavy Souls, the solo project of frontman Craig Lewis. His debut single ‘Everything’s Changing’ was recorded Kings Road Studios in Cardiff with Andrew Sanders producing and Small Miracles’ Steven Kenward guesting on guitar.

All images courtesy of Those Heavy Souls.

Where Columbia was an expression of sex, drugs, and floor rock n roll, Those Heavy Souls has a more thoughtful slant of attack. The build is more subtle, and the electronic production and trippy drums allow a world of Ian Brown's solo era to unite with early Kasabian.

Frontman Craig Lewis, renowned for his powerful vocals and unwavering belief, as demonstrated in Columbia’s ‘Embrace The Chaos’, now unveils a new facet of his artistry. In this fresh venture, Lewis exhibits a wealth of musicality and delves into the Gothic indie realm of Dave Gahan, with his higher notes echoing his admiration for Rob Harvey. These unexplored dimensions in the chorus testify to Lewis' ability to play with his natural soul and rock 'n roll power, a skill that becomes intoxicating by the end.

Lewis’ first solo venture has proven to be more than fruitful. The psyche licks in the closing stages here, segue exquisitely from his days with Columbia into this new vision. Sonically still a force of a nature but now, with deft touches to elevate him to the next level.

Echobelly: Chinnerys, Southend

Britpop icons Echobelly have been on the road recently, and we were there to see them at Chinnerys in Southend. Supported by Keeley, they were playing as part of the burgeoning Indie Cult Club.

*all images courtesy of Harvey Oscar Brown (@oscrvisual)

For bands like Echobelly, it can be tricky to negate the past. Southend was no different, with endless chatter for small pockets of the room. What those people forgot about the past, though, is Sonya Madan is a badass frontwoman who takes no prisoners. Her beguiling stage presence and telling said people “to shut the fuck up” was met in equal gratitude from the loving faithful.

Madan, at times, is utterly mesmeric. Arms aloft, gliding slowly across the room to ‘If The Dogs Don’t Get You, My Sisters Will’ as Glen Johnsson’s guitars trip with a thick psychedelic fog. There is something beautifully theatrical about their partnership. Madan’s vocal is devilish, enticing you into Johnsson’s spell, which can’t be undone.

This dynamic blossomed further on ‘Scream’ and set closer ‘Dark Therapy’, the former providing a real pin-drop moment. The pain and anguish oozing from the howling guitars was palpable. ‘Dark Therapy’s all these years on, still has the same emotive hypnotic power. The sliding guitars and Madan’s reflective and empowering vocals rise and tumble with breathtaking magnificence.

Although the set mainly contained the protracted art of their canon, in ‘In Great Things’ and ‘King of the Kerb’, they have two of the bona fide great singles of the 90s. Instinctive, sexy, and of their time, they transport you to a time when the art-rock scene of 1994 was blossoming in Camden. Images of debauchery at Blow Up club nights and record deals being signed in the Good Mixer rush to the forefront of elder minds becoming carefree once again.

Thirty years on since their debut album, Echobelly show no signs of slowing down creatively. Long may they reign.

The Crooks: The Water Rats, London

Chesterfield’s The Crooks headlined The Water Rats for This Feeling this past Saturday. Copy we originally had penned in 2020. Four years on from the crushing despair of that tour cancellation hadn't caused a lack of interest, but it had caused trepidation.

*banner image credit: Charlie_green19 - Courtesy of the band.

In 2020, the buzz for the cancelled tour was off the scale. There was a clear sense of glory awaiting the band as, single after single, amassed legions of fans. In the build-up to Saturday, a lot of what-ifs lingered. What if their time had passed? What if the band and fans were not as one anymore?

We needn’t have worried.

The electrifying opening of ‘What You Know’ and ‘Silhouette Sunshine’ was a pulsating moment of release. The band are still us, we’re still them! Their time apart clearly left its mark, as there is a real sense of now or never. Rock ‘n’ roll needs this desperation to thrive, and the Water Rats faithfully needed it more.

On ‘In Time’, the band make the intimate room feel like Knebworth. Modders’ guitars on ‘In Time’ howled into the night like warning sirens of hope. Frontman Jacko, stepping off the gas to allow a cuter DMAs-esque vocal to offset the colossal-sized guitars to shine, confirmed that all “what ifs” can get in the bin.

Wave upon wave of euphoric emotion is packed in the set. ‘Nevermind spirals towards pure ecstasy, while ‘She Walks Alone’ took you into the emotional trenches and spat you out with King-sized belief in humanity again.

On ‘Better Days’, the band breathes, leaving Jacko to do something utterly magical. His vocals were blessed with the infectiousness of Tommy O’Dell (DMAs), the raw power of Tom Clarke (The Enemy), and Noel’s ability to make simple melodic twists sound like messages from God. This stripped-back moment was a moment for the lost. For rock n roll fans fed up with overpaying for the old guard to half arsing the past. This was about now! As he decreed, “We need to find our way again”, a collective sigh of relief oozed through the air. Being in the moment for something youthful, a spirit that wanted (and will) change the world, was spine-tingling.

You spend a lifetime waiting for bands to pull it all together, to have the look, the melody, the politics. Only when it appears in front of you do you realise that you allowed pretenders to take the throne in the intervening years. The Crooks are the real deal. They allow you to pour your dreams, heartache, and regrets into their chest out of a sense of working-class glory. This gig will be etched into the minds of all who were there. Triumphant, yes, but this felt like the beginning, not a crowning moment.

Wull – Amber

Liverpool’s Wull returned with their new single, ‘Amber,’ at the start of May. It follows the raw power of ‘Overrun.’ Will it stack up?

*image courtesy of the band & This Feeling.

Where ‘Overrun’ took the ecstatic moments of The Strokes’ ‘Reptilla’ and the frantic joy of Interpol to dark places, ‘Amber’, while blessed with gothic tinges, has an effortless flow that takes their brand of post-punk to the edge of joyous.

With 'Amber ', Wull's musical evolution is evident. The hopeful energy reminiscent of New Order's ‘Crystal’ collides with the debut album mayhem of Fontaines DC. The climactic moments are like warning sirens, both dystopian and utopian, reflecting the past fourteen years of confusion, loss, and hope. It's a powerful metaphor for those wondering about the potential of incoming change.

Each band member's contribution becomes distinct as the mesh of styles reaches its climax. Drummer Oscar Hellewell's tirade of destruction elevates the record to another realm, while frontman Ben Coles' vocals take on a more ethereal quality. This dynamic allows everything to explode into a moment of post-punk brilliance.

Two singles into 2024 and Wull are looking like one of 2024’s breakout acts.

MOSES – Guilty

London’s MOSES are back after two years away. Their new single ‘Guilty’, is the first to be taken from their upcoming third album due for release later this year. Recorded at Magic Garden Studio in Wolverhampton, it sees the band hook up with Gavin Monaghan (The Blinders / Ocean Colour Scene / Rosa Caleum) once again.

Image & artwork courtesy of Rocklands TV.

Last time out on ‘I Still Believe, Do You?’, the band exquisitely and poignantly lit up the struggles of a working-class band in the modern age. It was an album steeped in anguish but never without hope. Upon return, MOSES have found a new mantra, “fuck it”. Everything, including the kitchen sink has been thrown into this!

With two fingers up to an industry that helps so few, they have come out swinging with crunching basslines and a career-best vocal from frontman Victor Moses. Together, they deliver the venom and fury that Foals have been trying and failing to nail down for the past decade.

The breakdown, short, but mystical, erupts into a frenzied attack of gunshot guitars and Rob Harvey-esque vocals. The Music’s debut album’s colossal soul oozes through this razor-sharp return from indie-s unsung heroes of recent times.

Their time is now!

Matt Edible & The Obtuse Angels – Idiot

Hull’s Matt Edible (The Holy Orders / Kingmaker) and The Obtuse Angels are back with their latest single ‘Idiot’. Recorded at Edbile’s home studio, it follows 2023’s comic glam-rock masterpiece ‘Mirror Shoes’.

Image & artwork courtesy of the band.

Like ‘Mirror Shoes’, they tread a similar path of glam-rock and humorous lyrics. Edible pokes fun at those who revelled in a lack of Michael Gove’s experts, leading us all down a path of cultural and financial devaluation for a decade. Sonically, he takes the jovial and mercurial spirit of Sultans of Ping, Jim Bob, and the poetical play of Yard Act to a world of glam-rock riffs with divine results.

The introduction of the angelic backing vocals elevates the comic timing of “im a card carrying idiot” to Bafta award levels.  With a general election on the horizon and said idiots in retreat mode, the hope is that Steve Bray lines this up as Sunak and his non-dom wife toddle off to California on July 5th.

There may have been seven months between ‘Mirror Shoes’ and ‘Idiot,’ but the wait has been worth it. Great melody and sardonic lyrics skip hand in hand, knowing that time is up for the idiots.

Idyllic – Everyone Wants to Know

Liverpool’s Idyllic returned in April to self-release their latest single, ‘Everyone Wants to Know.’ It follows the free-flowing ‘The World is Falling Down.’ Will it match its prowess?

*image credit Trust a Fox Photography

Idyllic has reawakened the 00s guitar scene on their latest single. Instant jagged guitar hooks and enriching indie-soul vocals pull from the finer moments of Pigeon Detectives, The Zutons, and The Kooks’ debut. With a crucial exception, there's is better!

Niall Doolan’s vocals have the warmth of Dave McCabe (The Zutons), the ragged soul of James Skelly (The Coral), and the defiant urgency of Matt Bowman (Pigeon Detectives). Despite possessing obvious talent, his vocal has a humbleness and an everyman appeal—the kind that lights up pubs with comedic tales of heroic defeat.

‘Everyone Wants to Know’ is the perfect counterpoint to ‘The World is Falling Down’. Where the latter rumbles on with infectious expressiveness, ‘Everyone Wants to Know’ taps into an old-school single mindset. Short, punchy riffs unfurl the sweetest of instant gratification!

The Lunar Towers - Morpho Butterfly

Cheltenham band The Lunar Towers recently released their first song of 2024. ‘Morpho Butterfly’ was recorded at Yawn Studios in the Wirral with the masterful songwriter Bill Ryder-Jones and Nathaniel Cummings (Mick Head) producing. The single has been released via the impeccable Colorama Records.

Banner image & artwork courtesy of the band.

The time spent with Ryder-Jones has been well spent by frontman Rory Moore as he slips into The Coral co-founder’s gentle vocal husk. With Jones as his constant, Moore allows hints of Elliott Smith’s moonlit beauty and ‘Goodnight Unknown’ era Lou Barlow to glide in and out of view effortlessly.

Joe Richardson and Robn Sewell’s guitars provide the backdrop to this ode to the natural world and a beguiling woman they once encountered. The joy of The Lemonheads and Teenage Fanclub is never far away from their fingertips. Their wayward beauty erupting into focused bursts of technicolour allows their visions of a “butterfly” or “the girl dreaming of” to swirl with an innocence that guitar music should always be steeped in.

The Lunar Towers' music resonates with summer's lazy, dreamy vibes, punctuated by occasional bursts of genius. Their sound, reminiscent of Belle & Sebastien’s glorious 1996 releases of ‘Tigermilk’ and ‘If Your Feeling Sinister’, captures the fertile periods of youthful ambition.

about-faces – Learn to Surf

about-faces have released their new single, ‘Learn to Surf’. Recorded at Greenmount Studios in Leeds, it was produced by Jamie Lockhart and mastered by Felix Davis at Metropolis Studios in London.

*banner image credit: Barnaby Fairley

Artwork credit: Livestock Studios

Learn To Surf’s origins began on frontman Sennen Ludman’s camping holiday. Staring out to the ocean, his friend Noah uttered the phrase, ‘If you can’t stop the waves, learn to surf.’ This profound uttering ignited a spark of inspiration within the band. Lyrics of defiance and poignant piano parts flowed from Sennen, but it wasn’t until last October, when the bassist rearranged it, that it all came together.

Sennen’s lyrics connect the harrowing to the inspiring, dependent on mood. The hook of ‘If you can’t stop the waves, learn to surf’ , alongside the euphoria of the sonic build, has the potential to drag people under as much as it uplifts. It brings a relentless pressure which, if fragile, should come with a warning. Ultimately though, the goodwill out, and no matter if you think all hope is gone, if a loved one is, or when eternal love fractures and fades, learn to surf. Life is going to come at you relentlessly; embrace it!

Wave upon wave of resilience emerges from a band that, four singles in, has found a formula that could see them emulate the indie gods of Arcade Fire and TV on the Radio.

Marseille – She Can Fly

Derby band Marseille unveiled their latest single, ‘She Can Fly,’ last Friday. It is a captivating follow-up to March’s ‘Monkey in the Middle’. This is the second single from their highly anticipated ‘Godiva’ EP, set to be released this September.

Where ‘Monkey In The Middle’ stared down the world with its psychedelic directness, ‘She Can Fly’, as the title suggests, has a more ethereal quality. Without losing a scintilla of heft, Marseille have managed to jab and move here with exquisite poise.

With The Verve’s debut album ‘Storm In Heaven’ as a guiding light, ‘She Can Fly’ leans into the melodic power of ‘Slide Away’. The band, with fleeting moments of driving shoegaze dynamism, pays homage to their influences before embarking on their own rippling exploration.

Stepping on and off the power provides the perfect counterpoint to the psyche assault of ‘Monkey in the Middle, ’ which Labrum intercuts with rippling guitar magic that strays from Andy Bell to John Martyn with a drool-worthy effortlessness.

With two powerful singles already in 2024, Marseille is poised for a breakout year. The anticipation for the 'Godiva' EP, set to release this September, is palpable. Roll on to September.

Click the image below for tickets to Marseille’s autumn tour:

Subterrania – Knows Me Too Well

South Wales’ Subterrania are set to release their latest single ‘You Knows Me Too Well’ this Friday. It’s been eight months since their last release ‘Shine’ hit the airwaves and grabbed rock ‘n’ roll fans’ attention Can they maintain momentum?

*banner image & artwork courtesy of Songbird PR.

Image & artwork courtesy of the band.

Where ‘Shine’ embodied the boozy swagger of early Oasis, ‘You Knows Me Too Well’ brings it right up to date by leaning into the newfound urgency of Pastel. Dylan Cai’s vocal flits between angelic and hopeful to a raw, lo-fi, defiant roar, allowing music lovers to believe in openness once more.

Our protagonist, blessed with a purity sorely missing in society in 2024, becomes heroic in the closing stages as Cai wrenches, “don’t call my name / when I see you here tomorrow / there’s nothing to blame / but you’re drowning in sorrow” from his soul repeatedly.

Cai summons a guttural two fingers to the world leached from soul whilst Fin Roach’s guitars hiss with the recent urgency of Pastel’s ‘Dancing On A Pin’ and ‘Your Day’. Together, they manoeuvre from a heavy, trippy fog to a distilled rock ‘n’ roll clarity.

Subterrania's three singles have tapped into the trippy psyche and violent rock ‘n’ roll of the all-conquering Pastel. Throw in the mysticism of Rosellas and the laudable comeback of The Crooks, and suddenly, a new wave of psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll is less a bedroom dream and more a juggernaut coming over the horizon.

Click the image below for tickets to their upcoming headline show with This Feeling:

The Outers – Twenty

London outfit The Outers recently released their first single of 2024. ‘Twenty’ witnesses the band join forces with esteemed sound engineer Tom Hough (Azelia Banks, Stereophonics, Rihanna) on an eclectic look back at the Orwellian lockdown of recent years.

*banner image credit: Martine Lund

Image & artwork courtesy of Rocklands TV.

To date, they have wowed through frenetic energy and punk rock idealism. Now, they are pulling from the emotional power of Fightmilk and the isolating but melodic drama of Brett Anderson’s cannon to forge a new way. It’s pop music! It’s electro! It's indie. It’s Linda Thompson on acid.

The Outers' sound is further enriched by adding fuzzy synths and moonlit howls on the guitar, creating a sense of alienation akin to Suede. Frontwoman Ade’s vocal performance is a career-best, carrying the pop immediacy of Ninja (The Go! Team) and the playful energy of Sonya Madan (Echobelly). It’s a vocal style that echoes the dreams we all had for Polystyrene (X-Ray Spex) in her later years-playful, urgent, soulful, folksy, and defiant as hell.

After dazzling in Brighton for Kick Out of the Jams for the Alternative Escape this week, The Outers have kicked off 2024 with one hell of a bang.

Afflecks Palace – You Are The Answer

Manchester’s Afflecks Palace returned last week with their new single, ‘You Are The Answer’. It was produced by their frontman, J Fender, and will be released on their label, Spirit of Spike Island.

Their trademark lysergic guitars remain, but they’re now clashing with the jagged edges of early REM and motorik drums. The culture clashes have breathed a vibrancy into their sonic vision that surpasses what are already two fine albums.

Artwork & image courtesy of Spirit of Spike Island.

On a lyrical level, 'You Are The Answer' is a poignant exploration of self-doubt and the relentless creative struggle to overcome it. This rock ‘n’ roll desperation propels the band to new heights, hinting that as we age, we must “run faster than you ever run” to chase those teenage dreams.

‘You Are The Answer’ is the sound of a band getting older and wiser, knowing its last chance saloon. Kaleidoscopic guitars and ethereal production appear fleetingly, allowing Fender’s message of seize the day (“breathes new life deep into theses lungs / inhale the flames and spit them out the fire”) to take a powerful stranglehold.

What began as a reimagining of a bygone Manchester has now spread its wings far beyond their home. They’ve enveloped more influences and spat out a more focused, universal, and desirable ode to their roots and, crucially, a vision for the future.

Jamie Reid, Simon Emmerson, & Youth – Ancestors

Sex Pistols and Suburban Press collaborator Jamie Reid and Simon Emmerson (Afro Celt Soundsystem) both tragically passed away in 2023. Before they parted, they hooked you with the iconic producer Youth to make ‘Ancestors’, the premier release on Youth and Alan McGee’s new label ‘Creation Youth’.

*Artwork courtesy of Creation Youth and Danny Watson

KLF’s tribal beats and Massive Attack’s grooves combine in the early part to conjure a hedonistic freedom worthy of Transglobal Underground. The bass-heavy grooves decay into a more destructive John Robb (The Membranes) sonic in the second half alongside a primitive Shapeshifter-era Robert Plant howl.

There’s a timelessness and purity to ‘Ancestors,’ which takes it from Castlemorton to 1968 to Don Letts. Stone Grove and Janette Sewell’s vocals are battle-weary after the last fourteen years but resilient. Frayed but stern in their defiance. Their belief in something better. Their hope for change!

Pastel: The Garage, London

Having sold out the Camden Assembly last October, Manchester’s Pastel were back in the capital to play to a packed crowd at The Garage.

Image Credit: Matthew Eynon. Courtesy of Spirit of Spike Island.

At the Assembly (Barfly), their latest single, ‘Your Day’, whilst good, was jarring. Its urgency countered their more blissed-out fan favourites. To great effect, this purposeful spirit was doubled down on at the garage—the former single opened proceedings with an aggressive front-foot mindset, which they rarely deviated from.  

With the intensity levels pulsating, the latest single, ‘Dancing On A Pin, ‘S.O.H.O,’ and previously unheard tracks fired out quickly. Breath only was taken when frontman Jack Yates asked us “to fund his haircut.” It was a masterclass in substance over style, allowing little time to comprehend what was happening—dizzying, mystical genius!

As the band led the room to the precipice, the release of ‘Isaiah’ was a divine moment, but it was ‘Deeper Than Holy’ that truly ignited the crowd. The song, previously well-received at Islington Town Hall and the Camden Assembly, took on a new life on this night, transcending the stage. The crowd arms aloft and wide, bellowed for it with an unhinged willingness to prove what it meant. Powerful, soul-freeing energy was released into a psychedelic haze of smoke and red lights as the band, and fans became unified in their shared experience.  

Pastel have now crossed over. The world is theirs. Their howling guitars the warning sirens for the world, get your shit together; systemic cultural change is nigh!

Dirty Blonde: Chinnerys, Southend

Last Friday, Manchester’s Dirty Blonde opened up for 00s icons The Subways at Chinnerys in Southend as part of the Indie Cult Club.

Images courtesy of Gas & Shutter and Indie Cult Club

Former single ‘Come Over’, an opener that could set fire to any setlist, emerged from the gutter dripping in sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll. Filthy basslines and snarling licks swelled with devilish temptation. 

A rock anthem with a three-act structure is hard to find, but they delivered just that on ‘Don’t Cry’. Allis McKay, delivering a rare angelic vocal, sowed the seeds of romantic betrayal and a vulnerability in the protagonist you immediately root for:

“Celebrating with a bottle of Tequila
Too busy dancing to have the chance to miss you
Oh no are you sad? Well read the signs”

McKay’s vocals were deliciously sniping and sardonic as she laid waste to the ex. The melodic euphoria coursing through the cringing bleakness of the lyric “I got a missed call from your ex” was a moment of juxtaposition to saviour. When Dirty Blond hits bigger stages, one young person from Manchester will be cowing at their parents, eating their mummy’s sausage and beans for comfort..

Then, in the closing stages, the solo fires out with Noel Gallagher’s early sense of freedom and Slash’s showmanship to give the protagonist ultimate closure.

Dirty Blonde's dramatic storytelling was enough to captivate the packed Southend crowd, but they didn't stop there. They closed their set with ‘Run’, a monstrous guitar record that blended Royal Blood's intensity with BRMC's leather-clad rebellion.

What Wolf Alice started in 2015, Dirty Blonde are destined to end with a thunderous jolt to the guitar scene!

Holy Youth Movement – The Next One

Bristol-based Holy Youth Movement, in collaboration with renowned producer Jagz Kooner (Primal Scream, Andrew Weatherall, Sabres Of Paradise), is set to make a comeback on the 25th of April via Ditto Label Services. This marks the release of their second single from the highly anticipated ‘Shock of the Future’ EP, scheduled for July.

Image & artwork courtesy of the band.

On ‘The Shock of the Future, ’ HYM was in a realm where dance and rock music roamed seamlessly together. Here, they’re leaning into their love of electronic music far more. The atmospheric build soundtracks a hopeful entrance into a smoke-filled room before you lose yourself in sweat and hedonism.

Frontman Tom Newman, so often an explosion of technicolour, remains in a hushed and measured groove, allowing the synths and Kooner’s production values to shine with a glitched euphoria somewhere between Bicep and Josh Wink.