Tag Archives: indie

Orla Gartland live at Leeds University Stylus – great songs worthy of bigger occasions
9
Jul

Despite being in desperate need of an extra bandmate or two, Orla Gartland had plenty of strong enough material to give the crowd exactly what they wanted in Leeds. Unlike her friend and peer dodie, however, her live act still has plenty of room to grow in the years to come.

Idouble- and triple-checked that my ticket proudly branded with the words ‘Orla Gartland’ in stretched all caps (a valuable souvenir to keep for years) was safely stowed in my wallet as I walked across the unsettlingly gloomy campus of Leeds University alone at twilight. It had been a difficult drive in and locating the venue wasn’t any easier. I walked into the modern, sterile white of the student union building with some trepidation, half hoping to bump into some old school mates that must have been no further than a mile or two away. Down a flight of steps and round a corner and at last I found the Orla fans slowly meandering around the cafeteria amongst students hunched over chess boards, iMacs and fast food. Only now did the dejà vu I had expected kicked in; I’d partied with this bunch of stylish, brightly-coloured teenagers not so long ago. As a close friend of dodie, Gartland shares much of the same fanbase with the uke-pop superstar, even if her sound has a decidedly more rock ‘n’ roll edge than anything dodie’s ever released. I recognised a handful of familiar faces from dodie’s showstopping Manchester gig, and overheard phrases like “At The Dodie Gig she didn’t start until 9:30!” or “I hope there’s some choreo like The Dodie Gig!” I wore my dodie mask again with the pride of a passionate football supporter, albeit not quite at the right match.

For all their similarities, it must be said that dodie is simply the more famous and more beloved of the two friends. If O2 Apollo was a Championship-level venue for dodie, Gartland’s Stylus had more of a League Two feel, and this time I had no issues in getting close enough to the stage to properly take in all the action. The venue size inevitably meant there was none of the fancy confetti or versatile lighting that made the dodie gig feel so once-in-a-lifetime – this was a straightforward gig where musicians play their music and nothing more. Gartland’s time on the big stages of Britain is most certainly still to come.

The obvious comparisons to dodie can only be taken so far. After a humdrum choice of opener Pretending, Things That I’ve Learned and oh GOD made a nice pairing with their unmistakably-Orla and risky odd time grooves that got the crowd shrugging along, even though dance moves are difficult to coordinate in 5/4. Sara Leigh Shaw was the right drummer for the job, clattering into the chorus on oh GOD with a laser focus. Tucked away slightly on the side of the stage, she looked uncannily similar to Gartland herself with her own mop of ginger hair that bobbed about in time to the stumbling groove behind that “I don’t wanna think about it” earworm. Gartland meanwhile looked ready to take on the world with her chequered green suit and matching neon green eyeshadow, commanding the crowd atop an inch or two of chunky Doc Martens. Rounding out the band was Pete Daynes. One of the standout performers of the dodie tour, his return was well received, with his enthusiastic jaunts wielding his P-bass around the stage earning him chants of “Pete! Pete! Pete!” on two separate occasions.

The problem was a lack of personnel. Often Gartland’s ambitious pop-rock creations demanded more than the three albeit competent musicians could provide. (Intriguingly, support acts Greta Isaac and Clean Cut Kid could have really done with at least two more performers each – probably another manifestation of the supply chain crisis or something.) Poor Pete often had to oblige with synth parts, backing vocals and a drum machine, and a cool yet unnecessary glowing drumstick wasn’t enough to distract from the fact that this man was born to leap around with his bass like the Easter Bunny. Restricting him to the keyboard rack on the gritty, earthy bomb of a pop song Bloodline for example was nothing short of criminal.

Gartland was an engaging and loveable frontwoman, delivering sure-fire crowd pleasers from the recent album like You’re Not Special, Babe and Over Your Head with guts and charisma. Indie rock gem Codependency sounded somehow even better than the studio version, with Shaw digging in on the sections of the chorus where all momentum was previously lost. It’s a testament to Gartland’s skills as a performer that the quieter moments of the set were just as powerful as the aforementioned rock singalongs. Madison was a joy – a perfectly written acoustic ode to Gartland’s therapist with an expertly crafted melody at its heart. Gartland took to the piano for the touching Left Behind, an achingly vulnerable piece that left the crowd desperate to give Gartland one big hug before she embarked on her last few numbers.

Sara Leigh Shaw leaped atop Pete Daynes to celebrate another successful night on tour with Orla Gartland

I Go Crazy soon picked things up, taking the role of Gartland’s almost-funk jam (see dodie’s In the Middle) and properly turning the pit into a dancefloor for the first time in the night. Daynes was sure to make the most of a bubbly bassline, whipping up the crowd whenever he could. Gartland ramped up the usual crowd participation routine as the set drew to a close. Difficult Things was a good opportunity for a two-part audience call and response section, and there was something vaguely profound and moving about a few hundred concert-goers repeatedly chanting “we never talk about difficult things” in unison. In contrast, synthpop foot-tapper Flatline was a chance for the obligatory “crouch for the bridge and jump up for chorus” schtick which, despite being somewhat painful in the knees after hours of standing in one spot, was impossible not to smile at. I didn’t even know the song, but something about bouncing around in sync with these young and happy strangers was life-affirming.

The encore was mostly reserved for fan favourites More Like You and Zombie!, although as far as I was concerned the gig had already reached its pinnacle. I may not have returned to my car with the giddy buzz that the best gigs give me, but it’s nonetheless hard to fault Gartland, who put in a good shift despite requiring some added support in the form of personnel and some more engaging staging and lighting. With that, I can safely stash away my dodie mask for a long while — or at least until Pete Daynes starts doing his own headline tours.

Awaith live at the Cluny review – Welsh indie trio are worth rooting for
27
May

The pioneering Welsh-language trio had plenty of quality material from their recent double album to dig into in Newcastle, although the scuzzy guitars and restless basslines were occasionally let down by Hollie Singer’s limited vocal performance.

It’s a gorgeous, starry night in Ouseburn, and from my vantage point high up in the valley the distant yellow lights of the Cluny could easily be sparkling campfire or a stray firefly. I walk down over the old cobblestone bridge that crosses the brook and, not for the first time, I’m awed by the looming giant that is Byker Bridge – a hulking red-brick symbol of the triumph and brutality of Victorian industry, which today conveys a steady flow of double decker busses some 100 feet above the valley floor. These days, of course, Ouseburn is known not as the centre of Newcastle’s heavy industries, but as a remarkable cultural oasis, with the Cluny as its beloved beating heart. This Tuesday night in February features a typically grassroots bill, including local dance-punks Fashion Tips (who deliver a rather incoherent set, despite the appeal of screaming frontwoman Louise Newman looking like a librarian gone wild) and buzzy Welsh-language post punk trio Adwaith.

In fact, these are exciting times for Adwaith and Welsh rock in general. The fact that the Carmarthen band choose to sing exclusively in Welsh is a laudably punk act in itself – any casual student of Eurovision will know English is the language of choice if you want to appeal to the broadest audience possible – but Adwaith clearly value the promotion of their language and culture over profits. They’re not shy about it either – their recent release, timed to coincide with the tenth anniversary of Welsh Language Music Day, is a 23-track, 75-minute behemoth that wilfully disregards the accepted wisdom that a steady stream of singles and EPs is that best way to grow your streaming numbers these days. Alongside Gruff Rhys and Tara Bandito, Adwaith are the brightest lights in a new wave of Welsh music revivalists hoping to meet and possibly surpass the success of the genre’s 90s figureheads Super Furry Animals.

What was so surprising about that double album, Solas, was not just its ambitious length, but how the quality of the songwriting remained so consistently strong throughout its testing runtime. “It cost us a bloody fortune,” bassist Gwenllian Anthony reminds us twice tonight, pointing towards the merch stand where t-shirts printed with the band’s glorious Welsh names (Gwenllian, Heledd and Hollie) appear to be selling well. Tonight’s set is essentially a front-to-back playthrough of Solas (minus of a few of the duller tracks), a choice which gives the set the meticulous sequencing of an album, although also leaves it feeling somewhat risk-free and predictable.

Opener Planed established quickly that the Welsh language was far from the only interesting thing about this band. Bubbly synths mingled with fidgety, vaguely Middle Eastern guitar snippets (inevitably pre-recorded and played as a backing track), whilst Anthony’s muscular bass riff contrasted nicely with Hollie Singer’s deadpan vocals – a juxtaposition that appeals on song after song tonight. Mwy and Gofyn were stompy early highlights, with Anthony wrapping her fingers around two elephantine bass riffs, the minimalist compositions ending up like warped approximations of Afrobeat and reggae respectively.

Whilst Singer’s quiet and restrained approach to vocals offered some nice contrasts to the gritty guitar music that surrounded her (her almost-whispered performance in frugging standout Y Ddawns was deliciously sinister), other songs demanded a bigger stage presence and a vocal commitment Singer never seemed prepared to offer. Coeden Anniben’s bratty punk strop fell flat with Singer standing largely motionless on stage, and it’s no wonder that there was never the faintest whiff of a mosh pit amongst the Cluny patrons (in fact, sometimes it felt like I was the only one dancing). Singer was upstaged when she swapped roles with Anthony for Pelydr-X, who duly wrapped the mic cord around her neck like a feather boa, planted a boot on an on-stage monitor and gave it her all. It was a theatrical performance that elevated an otherwise middling track, but it also highlighted how much better Adwaith could be with a little more charisma and chutzpah.

Sanas, the recent album’s exhilaratingly unhinged prog rock interlude, disappointingly didn’t make the cut for this show, but we did get its follow-up Miliwn. Easily the band’s most tightly written pop-rock composition, it was only at this point that Singer seemed to fully relax, digging into an anthemic chorus over a lively bassline (the fact that “miliwn” is a simple cognate of the English “million” allowed for a rare opportunity for an audience singalong in Newcastle). Heledd Owen was an engine on the drums at the back of the stage, and Singer’s hook is a knockout. One suspects more singles of this quality are only a matter of time for Adwaith, but for now Miliwn stands alone as their finest effort.

The applause at the end of the set lasted just about long enough to justify an encore of the band’s sleeper hit Fel i Fod and the sweetly sentimental Eto, before the trio were unplugging their guitars and hurrying over to man their own merch stand. I obtained a set list from Owen and happily strolled back onto the streets of Ouseburn and back under Byker Bridge. It had been a satisfying if unspectacular midweek fixture – the gigging equivalent to a 1-0 win at home – but I was reassured that I’d supported a worthy up-and-coming band, both with my ticket fee and my lonesome yet committed dancing at the front and centre of the crowd. I may not have understood a word Hollie Singer sang, but strolling back home along dark wooded lanes, I was left certain that Adwaith’s star is in the ascendance.

Los Bitchos live at Star and Shadow review – scintillating cumbia finds a new home on the Tyne
19
Apr

Sturdy trainers were indispensable for a night of moving and shaking in one of the trendiest little venues in Newcastle. Armed with an arsenal of percussion, it was Los Bitchos’s touching onstage chemistry that turned a good show into a fabulous one.

It’s been a wild week, but something about stepping into the modest crowd inside the Star and Shadow felt like home. I’d been slightly nervous on the bus journey across Newcastle city centre – perhaps a sign that my solo gigging confidence has been lost somewhere in an almost concert-free summer – but seeing the lights and the staging and feeling the atmosphere of anticipation reminded me why I love live music so much, with company or otherwise. It helped that the Star and Shadow turned out to be my sort of venue. Cinema by day, the small complex is proudly independent and volunteer-run, and it felt like it with its artsy handmade signs and exposed overhead ventilation ducts that butted up against a mirrorball hung up by string, giving the place a cobbled together feel, albeit lovingly. No one I had asked since moving to the city three days earlier had even heard of the venue, which was small enough for the merch queue to be almost non-existent and the bar queue an unusually polite single line leading to one side. The typically awkward task of wrangling my way to the front was a cakewalk; in fact I did a little too well, and my spot front and centre with some space around me was a bit more of a challenge to my shyness than I had bargained for. Being the only member of the crowd in a fresh, bright tangerine Los Bitchos t-shirt admittedly didn’t help me blend in.

The Star and Shadow seemed to suit Los Bitchos too, a somewhat underground four-piece from London whose remarkably niche style of guitar-driven ’80s instrumental cumbia (Latin-American dance music with roots in Africa) has gained them some notoriety as the queens of their genre in the Big Smoke. To call Los Bitchos Londoners is to discount the improbable variety the band members offer. Australian former drummer Serra Petale plays lead guitar and acts as frontwoman; Swede Josefine Jonsson, formerly of a garage rock band, takes bass; Uruguayan model Agustina Ruiz plays synthesiser and born-and-bred Londoner Nic Crawshaw both plays drums and is a working physiotherapist in the NHS.

Despite their disparate origins, as soon as the music started Los Bitchos were one inseperable unit, and the undeniable chemistry between performers was a joy to witness. Whether performing coordinated footwork (the band simply having too much fun for it to come across cheesy) or sharing swigs of tequila between songs, the four women were clearly keen to share the spotlight as evenly as possible. Leading the charge was Petale with her slinking, frictionless guitar lines and carefree dancing which was well replicated by an energetic audience. Jonsson was an authority on bass, her riffs heavy and thumping, and Crawshaw was an engine at the back on kit, her kick drum providing an everpresent thwack that got the crowd’s feet moving. Percussion is an essential part of Los Bitchos’s appeal, and every member had a crack on some sort of percussion throughout the night. The several exhilarating drum breaks involved a flurry of clattering cowbell and rippling bongos, a tapestry of sound too detailed to fully appreciate in the moment. In the midst of it all, the four of them looked like they could hardly be having more fun. Even Ruiz, tasked largely with holding down long notes on a relatively quiet synthesiser between sorties on an egg shaker, rarely stood still amid the frenzy.

I had quietly hoped that a live show would give Los Bitchos – and Petale in particular – time to explore their tracks with some improvisation, but instead songs largely stuck to their original blueprint, with Petale’s guitar playing never beyond the remit of your average intermediate guitar player. Instead, the smartly crafted ostinatos were performed with purpose and passion by Petale, who often seemed utterly lost in the groove. At her best, like on impulsive plodder Pista (Fresh Start) or hopelessly earwormy The Link Is About to Die, Petale’s hooks felt inevitable, and quite capable of being played over and over for many minutes without losing any of their appeal. Throbbing Tripping at a Party, which at times sounded like a quaint cumbian Benny Hill Theme, was another example of Petale at the top of her game both in terms of songwriting and performance.

Drum breaks were amongst the show’s highlights

Wisely given the billing it deserved, Las Panteras was an ecstatic, roof-demolishing set closer. A final build – faster, louder and even more thrilling than the original – had the crowd in raptures. The end result was a room of invariably hot and sweaty revellers begging for more; poor Star and Shadow lacked the air ventilation to deal with such an invigorating dance number. Tequila, fulfilling the wishes of several crowd members, was the fated encore follow up. Changing the formula for possibly the only Latin-American surf rock standard in Western popular culture was a necessity, and Los Bitchos’s Tequila was refreshingly intense, Ruiz belting out Spanish into the mic with the force of a pop punk star behind a wall of rock guitars. An uninhibited yelp of “Tequila!” from everyone in the room marked a fitting end to a deeply lovely night of joyful music from musicians that didn’t take themselves or their art too seriously. Such an act isn’t always easy to find.

I walked back onto the quiet evening streets of Shieldfield glowing with that addictive post-gig high, not before taking an opportunity to thank Ruiz and Crawshaw who were already calming down with cigarettes on the entrance steps. A Los Bitchos gig had been a strange way to come to terms with the big week of change in a new city, but it had worked wonders. I couldn’t have wished for a more delightful inauguration.

Britain’s new age indie scene – a new sound is on the rise and you don’t want to miss out
1
Apr

A new wave of indie music has been brewing and the potential isn’t barred by any limits. Indie music has been huge in the UK for as long as I remember, but new factors are changing the sound of the new up-and-coming talent into something completely different. By Matthew Rowe.

Indie music has often been praised as the voice of the younger generation, and you will often find that the youth will associate themselves with the sound of the ever-recognisable tunes of the Arctic Monkeys, the Strokes, and Pulp, just to name a few. These are big household names who have helped develop and create their own indie sound, one that will certainly never be forgotten. However, more recently, there has been a huge burst of creativity within the indie scene, with a lot of new talent alongside it. These new artists are helping preserve the meaning of indie while putting their own twist on it.

As a genre, indie music has a massive cultural significance that can’t be ignored. For one, the university experience I’ve enjoyed wouldn’t have been anywhere as good without it. You can’t go to a party without soaking up indie music and its culture. My personal favourite venue, The Leadmill, is host to many indie nights out and so many great gigs; it is truly a hub of musical exploration and a place to have a damn good time (bless the £1.50 doubles).

If I had a pound for every reference to the Tories in indie songs, I’m be deemed a Conservative.

The sound may be developing but some things in indie don’t change. Themes in indie songs still follow consistent themes and messages. If I had a pound for every reference to how bad the Tories are in an indie song, I’d be deemed a Conservative voter. But this is what it’s all about: the voice of the youth expressing their opinions on a vast amount of issues both inside the UK and globally, one example being Declan McKenna‘s British Bombs, a modern-day cult classic that is recognisable instantaneously. The standard themes are being followed but some have rightfully been pushed further than others. Ideas of identity, self-worth and female empowerment have been made so much more vocal, creating an insight into issues recently pushed into the public’s eye, often to the distaste of the older generation. Two songs that I think show this beautifully are Lime Garden’s I Want To Be You and CMAT’s Whatever’s Inconvenient. The sounds of the greats don’t lose their value and are often replicated by bands wanting to reach the great hits their predecessors had. This is shown by Sheffield-based band The Reytons, who have adapted local legends and the Arctic Monkeys sound relatively successfully. If you are ever on a night out, it’s unexplainable, but the atmosphere will become electric whenever an indie banger comes on.

These developments can’t purely be put down to indie music; the music scene as a whole has shifted in recent years. Huge developments in UK jazz, post-punk and rap have all had their impact on the genre, elevating it to a whole new level. This allows a level of creativity and it shows. Post-punk has had such an amazing impact; artists such as BC,NR have had such a huge impact, and other bands in the crank wave subgenre are interchangeable with indie. Hard-hitting indie bands Do Nothing, Dry Cleaning, and Courting are great examples of the development of indie in the post-punk direction. This isn’t the only way the scene has developed; spoken word has snuck its way in almost seamlessly. Leeds band Yard Act are a great example of this, often leaving the preconceptions of how an indie song should be laid out, allowing them to both create standard songs with funky hooks but also much more solemn monologues. This sound is also shown by the much more popular Wet Leg.

The impact of other otherwise irrelevant genres is not to be understated

Outside of the UK, very unexpected artists have been entering the domain. Rapper Lil Yachty gained a reputation for creating rap songs such as iSpy, but last year he took a huge risk by entering alternative indie with the very influential album Let’s Start Here. This was a complete change in vibe for the American artist but it paid off. The song Drive Me Crazy! is a perfect example of this new experimental feel he was going for, creating a perfect example of how the genre of rap has been infused into indie. The concept has been around for a while. Years ago, Arctic Monkeys collaborated with British icon Dizzie Rascal to create Temptation Greets You Like Your Naughty Friend. Bloc Party is known for mixing the two consistently, but it’s incredibly promising to see otherwise unexpected artists entering the subgenre.

Here are some songs by the insane new talent that you need to hear:

I Want To Be You – Lime Garden (Single)

This song is a perfect embodiment of how the standards held by those famous on TV lead to innate jealousy and a desire to change their body and lifestyle, highlighting the huge issues of being surrounded by these fake idols. This is consistent in Lime Garden’s music, a girl band who seamlessly expresses modern issues in their songs

Nearly Daffodils – English Teacher (Nearly Daffodils)

Heavily post-punk inspired band English Teacher often takes a heavier, rock feel to indie, especially in this song sounding akin to a hybrid of Fontaines D.C., Dry Cleaning, and Wet Leg. The singer, ironically named Lily Fontaine, bridges the gap between a harsh, brutal instrumental and a much more melodic and soothing voice, despite still being able to shout out to drive home the whole point: “You can lead water to the daffodils, but you can’t make them drink.” Fontaine’s range is shown in their discography, with much more melancholy compositions like Mastermind Specialism and a poetic start to Yorkshire Tapas.

R Entertainment – Sports Team (Gulp!)

It wouldn’t be a list of indie recommendations if I didn’t mention Cambridge-formed band Sports Team, who gained notoriety in 2020 with their debut album Deep Down Happy and many of my favourite indie rock songs, such as Stations of the Cross. They haven’t slowed down since, going on several tours or releasing a second album, Gulp!. This album hasn’t gained as much traction as their debut, but in my opinion it has songs of the same or even better quality. R Entertainment is my pick from this album, a commentary on how desensitised the general public has become to otherwise shocking content and how war, homicide, and car crashes have become almost trivial to us. “They’re mowing us down, for R entertainment.” The slang just emphasises how much of an issue it is in the UK.

I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby! – CMAT (If My Wife New I’d Be Dead)

CMAT has one of the most impressive voices I have ever heard. Hailing from Ireland, she doesn’t hold back with her loud, passion-filled choruses. I had the pleasure of seeing her live recently, and I was amazed her voice hadn’t died by the end of a nearly three hour action packed and downright fun set. Her song I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby! covers so many issues while being an incredibly catchy banger. Several people in the crowd donned cowboy hats for the gig. Issues of self-identity and empowerment are covered here with lines such as “But I break down every time I’m on the scales” and “My style icon is the wolverine / Between each finger lies the key / To getting home without a buckaroo.” These lines emphasise issues of body standards as well as how society and men will often go out with the pure intention of going home with someone and view women as objects, the keys referencing needing self-defense on a day-to-day basis. Her discography covers so many deep issues while maintaining high quality and listenability.

The British music scene and indie as a whole are in great hands; these new talents have already achieved brilliant things, from widely acclaimed albums to supporting huge global talents to having their own national and international tours. I can’t wait to see what they are capable of and how other genres will continue to influence both new and established artists. The Arctic Monkeys delving into more lounge and art rock is a great example of this. To conclude, please give the new indie scene a listen, specifically the songs mentioned above.

Welly: Big In The Suburbs review – puts the fun back in British indie rock
21
Mar

Welly’s debut album is winningly silly, although its political satire feels a little too safe, and the comedy in Elliot Hall’s cartoonish vocals wears thin quickly.

“It’s very serious, at least it is later on, and you’re not to laugh at the serious bits,” a pompous presenter tells us at the start of Welly’s debut album. “I’ll tell you when that comes.” It’s as good a manifesto as any for this lively indie upstart with a penchant for wry observations of modern life in the vein of witty Americans Cheekface, as well as their ever popular British indie peers Sports Team.

Elliot Hall leads the charge, delivering absurd character portraits and the occasional political barb with a nasally yelp à la Squid’s Ollie Judge, yet somehow even more cartoonish. His delivery adds rowdiness to Big in the Suburbs’ noisier numbers (‘Home For the Weekend’, ‘Deere John’), but risks becoming headache-inducingly irritating over the course of a 50-minute album.

It helps that the words he’s singing are interesting, mixing quickfire puns with political takedowns. “She’s fallen in love with a gameshow host / The chase was on, but it’s pointless now,” the self-assured title track offers, before turning its attention to the more serious matters of the housing crisis and “nationalised hate”. ‘Shopping’ is a shrewd dissection of modern consumerism, even if Hall’s vocal delivery sounds like a whiny nine-year-old throwing a tantrum.

Punky and ragged single ‘Deere John’ attacks a lonely, alcoholic husband (“You’re too old for nightlife!”), whilst ‘Soak Up the Culture’ turns its scorn to self-obsessed gap year girls. It’s all entertaining enough, but also feels only surface-level deep, cheaply mocking the symptoms of inequality and social malaise rather than attempting the trickier task of pinning down the root causes.

That said, fans who dismiss Welly based on Big In the Suburbs’ patchy first half will miss this album’s surprising shift in tone in the second half. Album highlight ‘Pampass Grass’ sounds like a distorted ABBA rendition, succeeding in telling a series of tragic character portraits whilst also making it all irresistibly danceable. “I’ve got to get out!” Hall belts in endearing disco number ‘The Roundabout Racehorse’ whilst ‘Family Photos’ intriguingly hints at personal struggles behind Hall’s comic showman, although the meek outro exposes his vocal frailties.

In the end, Big In the Suburbs doesn’t quite marry Hall’s love of political satire with his desire to deliver something more emotionally impactful. Often the album’s many characters feel deliberately shallow and archetypal, lyrical strawmen for Hall to fire his witty one-liners at. The result is fun and entertaining, but recoils from offering something more meaningful or artistically vulnerable.

It’s exemplified in the spoken word piece ‘Under Milk Wood’, a poignant poem about zooming out from life’s fine-grained chaos and observing a sleeping town from a neutral, god-like perspective. “From where you are, you can hear their dreams… or something like that,” the speaker concludes, tossing away his profound musings behind a protective barrier of laughter and irony. Yes, Hall is a sharp humourist, but Big In the Suburbs leaves you wishing Welly stopped shying away from all those ‘serious bits’.

Courting: Lust for Life review – overwrought concept album pulls its punches
17
Mar

The Liverpool band’s drive for creative risk-taking is admirable, but the experiment doesn’t pay off on this disappointingly messy and scant third album.

Depending on your perspective, Courting’s new album, Lust for Life, Or: ‘How to Thread the Needle and Come Out the Other Side To Tell the Story’ was always destined to be genius or disastrous. Frontman Sean Murphy-O’Neill was clear about his ambitions in his interviews before release day: there would be a ‘mirrored’ track list (each song has a musically-related pair), a promise of multiple lyrical ‘Easter eggs’, an overriding theme of duality exemplified by the two figures on the monochrome cover art and that exhausting two-part album title.

In a rock landscape of unadventurous yet ever successful 2000s indie revivalists – I’m looking at you, Circa Waves – it’s hard to fault Murphy-O’Neill’s drive to deliver a high-art modern rock classic. Last year’s New Last Name came with a grand love narrative, but really it was all about a few stellar singles, not least Flex, which brilliantly conveyed the blissful ignorance of youth, sounding a bit like Carly Rae Jepsen if she made rock for teen boys rather than pop for teen girls.

It’s a disappointment, then, that the new album trailered as the culmination of Courting’s ‘evolution’ thus far weighs in at a meagre 25 minutes and eight tracks, two of which are instrumental tone-setters. O’Neill has talked about the band’s newfound search for conciseness but on this, their third album in a little over three years, the end result just feels rushed and underwritten. The lyrical cross-references and much-touted “hidden depths” are no doubt bountiful, but it’s a shame that Courting couldn’t spend more time fleshing out their numerous intriguing ideas.

Divorce: Drive to Goldenhammer review – endearing, open-hearted folk-rock
7
Mar

Framed around a quest to the fictional place of ‘Goldenhammer’, the Nottingham indie band’s impressive debut is packed with one gorgeous duet after another, plus a wealth of plaintive melodic earworms.

Goldenhammer, the destination of the journey Divorce take throughout their brand new album, categorically doesn’t exist. Instead, the band see it as a sort of personal nirvana. “It’s this intangible idea of something that you yearn for and want,” vocalist Tiger Cohen-Towell told Rolling Stone recently. The concept of Goldenhammer breezes in and out with subtlety throughout the Nottingham band’s excellent debut record, more evident in the yearning melodies and uplifting harmonies than in concrete lyrical references.

Having drummed up a buzz from two promising EPs in 2022 and 2023, Drive to Goldenhammer feels like Divorce’s coming-of-age moment, and boasts a maturity and cohesion not found on their previous work. The band have listed Belle & Sebastian and Queen as key influences, but the occasional wayward fiddles and elegant melodies recall recent Adrienne Lenker songs, or perhaps Black Country, New Road in their more cool-headed moments.

Surely the main draw of Divorce over those esteemed artists is the delightful vocal chemistry of co-vocalists Cohen-Towell and Felix Mackenzie-Barrow. Sonically, they’re a delicious match: Mackenzie-Barrow’s tenor rich and slightly gravelly, Cohen-Towel light and youthful, although capable of an almighty pop-punk belt when the song demands it. The pair have been writing songs together since they were teenagers, and you can tell in the dovetailing melodies of opener Antarctica, touchingly echoing each other with the words “I was made to love you”. The duo aren’t, as far as I can tell, actually in a relationship, but Drive to Goldenhammer’s plentiful male-female vocal duets give the record’s musings on love a certain completeness, like two sides of a relationship mirroring back their fears and hopes to each other. Tellingly, lyrics are expressed from the perspective of “we” almost as often as “I”.

Recorded over four seasons in an off-grid location in the Yorkshire Dales, Drive to Goldenhammer has an earthy, faintly nostalgic quality to it. It’s most clearly heard in the atmospheric accordion that opens Old Broken String or on the shimmering, hook-packed Hangman, a song about Mackenzie-Barrow’s day job as a social care worker. Understated stunner Parachuter contains a sighing chorus melody that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Phoebe Bridgers ballad. “Cry your eyes out, we’ll be leaving soon,” they sing nihilistically, the harmonies sounding simultaneously heavenly and desolate.

That said, Divorce are not ones to rest on their laurels. Lord front-loads the album with a bulletproof power pop chorus that arrives like a bolt from the blue, whilst late highlight Where Do You Go features a furious performance from Cohen-Towell, chastising an emotionally unavailable lover over a salvo of gilt-edged guitar hits. Glorious synthpop number All My Freaks sees Cohen-Towell on more playful form, mocking the plight of indie musicians like herself on a glittery chorus so primed for this summer’s festivals you can practically hear the giant balloons and confetti descend over the adoring crowd.

Drive to Goldenhammer’s more ambitious moments aren’t always so successful, and that central idea of a quest towards Goldenhammer often feels lost in the noise. The Queen influences are clear in the dense composition of Fever Pitch, but the end result feels overwritten and somewhat aimless, whilst Karen works it’s way up to a thrilling wall of sound and then bottles it with a strait-laced guitar solo. Much more intriguing is Cohen-Towell’s central opus Pill, which theatrically switches from psychedelic, innuendo-filled art rock to a poignant, piano-led memory of swinging from a bunk bed with a childhood friend. It’s the sort of unorthodox songwriting Divorce had no time for in their previous EPs, and Pill’s unpredictable switch lands an emotional sucker punch.

Perhaps even more so than the fictional nirvana of Goldenhammer, a sense of openness and emotionally vulnerability runs through almost every track on this record. “Loving you with open arms / Kissing you with open eyes,” the pair sing in cathartic unison on Jet Show, whilst Adam Peter-Smith’s guitar and Kasper Sandstrom’s drums sound endearingly rough around the edges. This honesty and degree of youthful naivety masks the shrewd songwriting that underlines Drive to Goldenhammer. Divorce may not have reached their musical paradise just yet, but with this gorgeous record they’re halfway there.

Sam Fender: People Watching review – the Geordie Springsteen delivers a classic
3
Mar

Valorised Geordie hero Sam Fender paints a vivid picture of ordinary working-class life in this extraordinary third record. Never has Fender’s trademark brand of melancholic beauty sounded so potent.

Icount myself lucky to be living in Newcastle during a Sam Fender album rollout. No other release this year will compare. Spend enough time in the city centre and you’ll notice it. Fender-branded scarves adorn the windows of souvenir shops. Fender’s image literally lights up Grey’s Monument from a dazzling LED billboard. Fender melodies are duly pumped through the Tannoy at St James’ Park after every match, the entire city singing to the same hymn sheet. Indeed, in this part of the world only the local football club is more universally adored than this former barman from North Shields.

If his 2019 debut announced Fender as a promising indie hopeful, the follow-up, Seventeen Going Under, confirmed his status as one of British rock’s leading lights. It was a record powered by a career-defining title track, a deeply moving reflection on a working-class upbringing in the North East destined to go down as one of the great rock hits of the 2020s (and it was Undertone‘s Song of the Year 2021, no less). It remains just about the closest thing Tyneside has to its own national anthem.

How could Fender possibly follow a track like Seventeen Going Under? The lead single and title track to People Watching suggested he was hoping for lightning to strike twice with another sequence of sonorous, hypnotic chord changes and more poetic lyrics about the everyday struggles many Tynesiders face. This time the chirpy guitar hook sounds perilously close to a mid-ranking 1975 hit, but Fender’s knack for bleakly beautiful depictions of his hometown would be enough to make even Matty Healy jealous. The bridge’s “Above the rain-soaked Garden of Remembrance / Kittiwakes etched your initials in the sky” is sublime even by Fender’s high standards.

It’s a relief, then, that the subsequent album doesn’t merely attempt to recreate Seventeen Going Under, but expands on its themes of deprivation in the North East and the distant politicians responsible for it. Chin Up is one of many songs that devotes much of its time to painting deft character portraits of ordinary Geordies. “The cold permeates the neonatal baby”, he sings starkly, before finding parallels between Detroit’s urban decay and Byker Bridge in Crumbling Empire. It might all sound rather doom and gloom on paper, but warm beds of layered guitars and a steady tide of lush strings sections drench this record in a delicate beauty. The people Fender describes are suffering, yes, but in those soaring melodies there’s a sense that their hope is unextinguishable.

Complicating this album about poverty is Fender’s own unescapable wealth and fame. “I won’t take this world for granted”, he assures us at one point, whilst devastating closer Remember My Name – which poignantly features the Easington Colliery Brass Band – reminisces Fender’s own council house upbringing. Most fascinating is TV Dinner with its sinister piano manoeuvres that evoke Radiohead’s other-worldly classic Everything in Its Right Place. “Grass-fed little cash cow”, Fender calls himself in a blistering vocal performance, as a fog of electronics and strings steadily engulf him. It’s a thrillingly dark composition which, for once, defies Fender’s usual comparisons to Springsteen and hints at an intriguing possible direction for album four.

Massive, raspy sax solos and an atmosphere of nostalgia remain Fender’s biggest draw, however. Arm’s Length‘s harmonies may sound unadventurous, but they lend the song a muted, sepia sheen, playing out like a half-forgotten memory. Most of People Watching’s songs pick a timeless chord progression and blissfully wallow in it for an unhurried five minutes, a formula which Fender has now honed.

For all the lyricism about decay, regret and fear, the overriding quality of People Watching is staggering beauty. “These purple days left a violent mark on the oak tree hollow”, Fender offers on glorious standout Nostalgia’s Lie, nailing his trademark balance of piercing sorrow and dewy-eyed wistfulness. The melodies feel inevitable, and Fender’s honeyed vocal tone has never sounded sweeter. Equally remarkable is Little Bit Closer, an awe-inspiring stadium rock triumph about finding God, complete with one of the most nagging chorus hooks you’ll hear all year. “I can’t live under the notion that there’s no reason at all for all this beauty in motion,” the spine-tingling group vocals belt. After listening to an album as deeply beautiful as this one, you’d tend to agree.

Shannon & the Clams: The Moon Is In The Wrong Place review – wildly entertaining dive into the abyss
21
Jun

Raucous 60s rockabilly might sound like an unlikely match for an album unequivocally about grief, but Shannon & the Clams pull it off miraculously in this deeply personal record, which shifts from joy to despair – and often a complex mix of the two – with astonishing ease.

To the casual listener, the seventh album from Californian indie stalwarts Shannon and the Clams is a riot. The Moon Is In The Wrong Place is an endearingly fuzzy trip back to the wilder side of 60s pop: there’s sashaying doo-wop grooves, gloriously melodramatic vocals, a dollop of rockabilly barnstormers. Take the opening track, for instance, which ends theatrically with a flamenco-style coda over a long held note in the vocals, landing with an almighty stomp that’s only lacking a few castanets to bring the point home. It’s a sign of the up-tempo joys to come: The Moon Is In The Wrong Place is an album plenty interesting enough to entertain even before the lyrics can be fully understood.

It’s only by the closing song, Life Is Unfair, that the tight subject matter of The Moon becomes impossible to ignore. “How do you expect me to understand that the love of my life was taken away from me?” Shannon Shaw asks, an opening lyric so stark that even the chugging drums and cheery strummed guitar can’t hide its pain. It turns out The Moon Is In The Wrong Place is an album squarely about grief. The whole project is a result of Shaw’s personal tragedy, namely when Shaw’s fiancé died in a car accident just weeks before their wedding.

It doesn’t take much digging to find the emotional devastation left behind by that fateful day throughout this record. The Vow shuffles its way through an image of the wedding that never was, Shaw begging for the vows she’ll never hear. “First time in my life things fall into place,” she laments. It should sound dour and heavy, but the miracle of this album is Shaw’s knack of finding the light in the darkest of times. “It seems like it’s over, but forever you’re mine,” she concludes optimistically in that same song, letting all sorrow be forgotten with that raucous flamenco finale. It’s not just a satisfying surprise, but surely an act of Herculean bravery from Shaw, who seems willing to tease out whatever drops of hope she can find in such serious and personal subject matter.

Indeed, The Vow is just a taste of the twin themes of delight and misery weaving through Wrong Place. Big Wheel, for instance, is an electrifying piece of garage rock that I’m certain would have achieved world domination – probably alongside a wheel-themed dance move – had it been released sixty years ago. The chorus in particular, with its hulking bass riff and belted vocals, is an impulsive finger-snapper. Bean Fields provides the album’s sunniest moment, graced with almost irritatingly merry plonked piano and lyrics about a wild romance in the fields “where the bugs sing” – the fact that one of the lovers in question is no longer living is only the subtlest of dark undertones, easily lost in the uninhibited slide guitar solo and atmospheric hum of cicadas.

That’s not to say Wrong Place attempts to ignore the darker sides of grief. Oh So Close, Yet So Far is a deeply poignant doo-wop number that sets out Shaw’s conciliatory vision of her finance not being completely lost, but instead poetically subsumed into nature. “No I can’t touch you / Cause you are every star at night,” she rasps, reaching for a part of her lover – his soul, or perhaps literally his atoms – that will exist for eternity. She’s less certain on Real of Magic, a deceptively simple ballad about hallucination, complete with haunting call-and-response backing vocals that seems to mirror the conflicting voices in Shaw’s head.

The album’s title track and central triumph follows, a grippingly distorted descent into genuine terror. Guitars mimic an ‘SOS’ morse code call as Shaw jabs out a closely harmonised one-note melody to the words “The sun burned down when you left this world / Now there is some imposter in the sky”, surely about as epic as opening lyrics get. A furious pair of congas propel the ensuing torrent, evoking the deep-seated sense of cosmic ‘wrongness’ that comes with suddenly losing someone you had assumed would be around for your whole life. It’s the most exciting, darkly compelling piece of indie rock you’re likely to hear all year.

Perhaps inevitably, the less attention-grabbing corners of the album feel superfluous by comparison. The sharply focussed subject matter is briefly lost in the portion of the record where Cody Blanchard takes over vocals, and UFO’s psychedelic account of alien abduction feels slightly clichéd and melodically takes perhaps a little bit too much inspiration from House of the Rising Sun. Blanchard’s best contribution comes with In the Grass, a gentle acoustic guitar number which finds a pretty melody to match his country rasp.

Wrong Place is, undoubtedly, Shannon Shaw’s record, and it’s she who neatly wraps up proceedings with Life Is Unfair. It’s a short track that epitomises the album’s remarkable strength – the delicate balancing act between sorrow and optimism. The final words come in the form of a typically bouncy singalong hook in the major key which masks deep layers of a sadness that only feels partly quashed. “Life is unfair yet beautiful,” Shaw concludes, “only because you were here.”

“They’ll definitely blow your mind”: five of the best female rock bands on the rise
26
Mar

To celebrate International Women’s Day, Alex Walden takes a deep dive into the world of alternate rock music to showcase some new female groups on the rise who are definitely worth keeping an eye on.

It’s safe to say that the genre of rock is way out of its golden era. Long gone are the days of kids wanting to be rockstars after being completely in awe at the appeal of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. However, if you think that means that rock has simply vanished, you’d be dead wrong. While the days of mass media constantly gazing upon the culture of rock gods have passed, it can be argued that the uniqueness diversity and overall creativity of rock music as a whole is on a completely different level to that of the 80s as these female acts prove. So, strap yourselves in because while artists such as Joan Jett, Stevie Nicks and Pat Benatar are iconic women who paved the way for female rock, they’ve got nothing on these girls.

Honourable mention: Christina Michelle of Gouge Away

Ok, I know what you’re thinking, and yes I know that Gouge Away are not an all-female band. However, I felt that they just had to be mentioned. It was on a complete whim that I discovered gouge away. Usually, I have a story of how I discover artists but, as weird as it is to say, I just sort of found them one day, and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Gouge Away have a sound that’s a blend of shoegaze and hardcore punk which works really well. It gives you that classic punch of that hardcore sound mixed with the sombre tones of shoegaze, giving their songs a slightly unsettling nature.

I remember showing Gouge Away to a friend of mine who said to me something along the lines of “you can tell that they really attack those instruments”. Considering this, it makes an undoubtably difficult task for vocalist Christina Michelle to essentially match the chaotic energy of her bandmates and essentially fight for her vocals to be heard over the thrashing of her bandmates and boy can you tell she goes for it.

Her vocals are so powerful and intense that it just brings something out of you

I think a commenter on a video one of Gouge Away’s live performances described it best with the quote, “this singer’s voice is mesmerizing. So unique and she doesn’t give in.” It can be difficult to bring the ferocity required to make a good hardcore track but rest assured that whatever it takes, Michelle’s got it.

If the aggression of that hardcore sound isn’t really your style, or you’re just discovering the genre and want something a bit more on the side of shoegaze, then Gouge Away have got you covered too. I recommend the songs Dallas and Stray/Burnt Sugar for the easy-going fans and the songs Fed Up, Can’t Relate and Ghost for those who want that bit of extra oomph in their ears.

5.Dream Nails

Up next we travel back to England as we look at the punk band Dream Nails. Originating from mutual friends as well as run-ins at drag shows, Dream Nails are slowly attracting their target audience with their feminist anthems. I first discovered Dream Nails after I heard through word of mouth that they were performing near me. Being down for anything music related I decided to check them out and upon reading the title of their most streamed song, Vagina Police, I immediately thought to myself “ok, these girls clearly have a message they want to send… I’m in.” After conducting some more research, I became hooked to their songs such as Good Guy, Joke Choke and DIY which are these incredibly fast-paced thrash punk tracks containing messages about completely destroying patriarchal values and throwing classic social societal values completely out the window and to that I say power to them.

4.Dream Wife

Staying in the UK, next up we have Dream Wife the London based punk trio who combine punk, pop and indie all in one. Considering the similarity to the name of the previous act, you’d be surprised to know that I discovered Dream Wife the same way I discovered Dream Nails. After hearing they’d be performing nearby I decided to check them out through their KEXP live performance and I’ve got to say, after just two songs (Social Lubrication and Love You More) I was hooked on the high-pitched screeches of the guitar that clash against those smooth bass lines and vocals. I could clearly see their indie and pop influence on just their first two songs. However, after discovering their song Let’s Make Out I was completely dumbfounded. Alice Go had transformed her role on guitar by switching to these filling chords that practically swallow the whole song if it wasn’t for the lead vocalist Rakel Mjöll fighting back with her amazing screams for the chorus.

Whether it’s a nice relaxing indie sound, some feedback heavy punk or just a cool image to follow, this band have something for you.

3.L.A. Witch

For my next entry we head to California for rock trio L.A. Witch. If I had to bet on any of the bands mentioned in this article obtaining a substantial amount of popularity in the near future, I can comfortably say I’d put my money on LA. Witch.

Originally founded in 2011 by guitarist and lead vocalist Sade Sanchez and bassist Irita Pai due to an ex-boyfriend forbidding Sanchez from playing in bands with other men, L.A. Witch has taken its feminine identity and kept it at the forefront of their band’s image.

The word ‘witch’ to us is like a cool way for us to hint that it was our feminine-type energy

Sade Sanchez
L.A. Witch have a very woozy-sounding garage/punk rock sound witch I think has great potential. While I think that punk is an awesome genre, having every single song go at over 200 bpm with blaring loud instrumentals and intense screaming can get not only repetitive, but also tiring on the ears. Not everyone wants to thrash all the time. Sometimes people want to listen to punk in a relaxed manner. Producing songs sounds with sound while also staying within the punk genre is a difficult task, however, L.A. Witch in my opinion are one of the few bands who have properly mastered it. They still have overdriven guitars that give off feedback and fast drums, but it still has a slightly relaxing feel to it, especially within their latest album Play With Fire. Ever since I discovered it, I’ve not been able to stop listening to it. Due to its well roundedness as a rock project, it’s become one of my essential albums for every occasion.

As with most bands, L.A. Witch’s sound has improved incredibly, and you can hear it throughout their discography. Granted it’s probably through years of practice finally paying off, but it feels like you can hear them becoming more confident in their sound and playing ability as you work your way from beginning to end. All I can say is that I’m super excited for what they’ve got planed for the future.

2.Otoboke Beaver

Next up we take a trip even further across the pond to the Japan for punk rock group Otoboke Beaver. You know that classic cartoon troupe where they give a kid coffee, or some other highly caffeinated drink and they just go absolutely wild? Yeah, Otoboke Beaver is the musical personification of that exact scene.

Best described by rock legend Dave Grohl who said “it’ll blow your mind, dude. It’s the most fucking intense shit you’ve ever seen,” Otoboke Beaver are quickly on the rise due to their ability to blend fury and finesse to construct a fast paced, high intensity punk rock that sounds the musical version of a perfectly executed boot to the face. I first discovered the band after hearing S’il vous plaît and I was instantly hooked to it’s extremity of the sound, yet it had such a high degree of delicacy to it, it almost felt cute somehow; it was a well-made song but it also had that degree of aggression and rebellion that that came with punk and it kept me interested. I decided to look further into their discography to which at this point I discovered the video for Don’t light my fire, which completely blew my mind.

It’s been about a year since I first watched that video and I still think that I haven’t seen a music video with as much authenticity and raw energy as that. The almost hostile levels of power in their songs can be heard to the point where if they don’t blow your speakers, they’ll definitely blow your mind.

The almost hostile levels of power in their songs can be heard to the point where if they don’t blow your speakers, they’ll definitely blow your mind.

At the time of this article being published, Otoboke Beaver are embarking on a US tour on which I’m sure they’re making a name for themselves, however I can’t wait for their next project. After nearly 15 years of music, I think that the band have finally mastered that perfection combination of fun and absolute carnage (especially within their last album Super Champon) and I can’t wait to see where they go from here.

1.Nova Twins

As far as being patriotic goes, I can’t say I’m really your guy at all. However, when it comes to this next group, I can honestly say that I’m proud to say that England’s own Nova Twins holds the number one spot for my top female groups to look out for. These girls are absolutely crushing everything they do with their heavy instrumentals which are channeled through a complete arsenal of pedals to make sounds that I thought previously to be impossible. It all goes hand in hand with guitarist and lead vocalist Amy Love’s hip-hop/punk vocals.

It may sound like an exaggeration when I say that discovering Nova Twins could be compared to that of a life changing experience however I’m willing to go there for this band. After scrolling through the list of endorsers for Marshall amps, I stumbled upon a picture of two girls dressed like guitar hero characters absolutely rocking out on stage. I was intrigued however it wasn’t until the next day that I decided to look them up. It was by chance that I was wearing headphones the day that I discovered their song Antagonist for the first time. I mention this due to the fact that it made the high-pitched wails of Amy Love’s guitar in the opining riff that much more impacting, however nothing prepared me for the absolutely thunderous bass tone that erupted from Georgia South’s bass into my headphones. It felt as If my headphones were erupting, I had never experienced anything like it. For the whole day it was pretty much the only song I listened to. That’s the joy of Antagonist: you can’t just listen to it once. It requires at least two or three listens to get over the sheer cataclysmic event for your ears that is listening to that song.

It requires at least two or three listens to get over the sheer cataclysmic event for your ears that is listening to Antagonist.

Not only are Nova Twins absolutely rattling your ear drums, they’re also making history through their activism. Whether it’s through their “Voices For the Unheard” playlist highlighting alternative P.O.C. artists or their related limited edition record which all proceeds of record sales went directly to The Black Curriculum, Nova Twins are always using the attention they have for the right reasons. However, neither of these acts compare to their open letter to the MOBO awards calling for them to introduce a new Rock/Alternative category to their award shows. Clearly MOBO had listened as the next year we were given the first ever MOBO Best Alternative Music Act category.

Whether its making absolutely monstrous music or paving the way for future artists. It’s clear that these girls are ready to carry the torch for the alternative music scene and pave the way for artists in years to come and that’s why I think these artists deserve the number one spot.

So there you have it. Whether you like the violent and bashful sound of hardcore band Gouge Away, or the soft garage rock sound of L.A. Witch or even the skull-crushing tone of Nova Twins, there’s something for you in this list to prove that, as the old saying goes, the future is clearly female. With these acts taking the reins, we’re here for it.

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