#WWPSM

[wewerepromisedsomuch]

Live Review: Foo Fighters @ Reading Festival 2019

Artist: Foo Fighters

Festival:  Reading Festival, Reading, UK

Date: 25th August 2019

Rating: 9.0/10

When you have the keys to Reading Festival, as Dave Grohl and co do, you’d expect them to receive a warm welcome, and a scorching one was waiting for them on the festival’s hallowed turf for their third time of headlining the event, their seventh appearance in total. It’s not a secret that Grohl has a deep-rooted love for Reading; it’s the first festival he played as part of Nirvana and their headlining set from ’92 is the stuff of legend. So too is the first Foos appearance back in ’95, where the band packed out the Melody Maker Stage (now the Radio 1 Stage), so much so that the tent was overflowing, with punters clambering over themselves to see the ex-Nirvana man and his new band. It goes without saying, if Reading Festival had a house band; it would be the Foo Fighters.

Sailing through a set that clocked in at over two and half hours, the six piece closed off Reading in supreme style, wheeling out the hits, dusting off some vintage nuggets from the group’s first-eponymous record (a homage to THAT set from ’95), a clutch of covers and a guest appearance from Rick Astley, with the 80s star joining the outfit for a rollicking version of ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ – random but oh-so crowd-pleasing. Grohl, ever the consummate frontman, teased the Astley hit by implying his band of merry man were due to launch into a song that put him on the map – the crowd gasped, could this be a ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ cover? A thunderous opening suggests so before out bounces Astley from the wings and the mood shifts from heavy expectation to a silly-knees up; like the point in the night at a wedding when everyone’s smashed and laps up the cheesy hits. As a counterpoint to ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’s silliness, Grohl made a fitting tribute to The Prodigy’s Keith Flint before launching into ‘Run’. Referring back to 2009′s Prodigy set, that had Grohl watching in the wings, the Foos man declared it to be “the craziest shit I’ve ever seen”. A fitting sentiment to a man who sadly took his own life earlier this year. To match the burgeoning set of hits and treats, the set was bookended by two hefty firework displays, announcing and capping off the band’s top-slot in spectacular style.

With Foo Fighters casting their net far and wide across their burgeoning back catalogue, you’d expect there to be some peaks and troughs as far as crowd attention span but the likes of ‘Big Me’ and ‘Wheels’ garnered the same ecstatic response as ‘Monkey Wrench’ and ‘The Pretender’. ‘Best of You’, of course, generates a colossal sing-a-long, as does ‘My Hero’ but ‘For All The Cows’ and ‘This Is A Call’ create the same buzz, and reward those early Foo Fighters fans with songs harking back to the mid-90s. With Grohl massaging the Reading crowd in his hands like putty, the chief Foos man, playfully appeared surprised, as a large chunk of the crowd hadn’t seen a Foos show before. Given Foo Fighters have been around for 25+ years, these people have had plenty of chance – according to the band’s lynchpin. Even so, the die-hards, the newbies and those in-between were treated one and the same, with Grohl acting as the perfect host.

With ‘Everlong’ bidding the band’s farewell, both band and crowd were locked in a joyous union, as fireworks illuminate the night sky with a fiery red hue. Who knows how long it’ll be before Foo Fighters are back home but they know they’re always welcome; the key’s under the doormat whenever you’re ready boys.

[wewerepromisedsomuch]

Album Review: DZ Deathrays

Artist: DZ Deathrays

Title: Positive Rising: Part 1

Record Label: Alcopop! Records/ I OH YOU

Release Date: 30th August 2019

Rating: 8.0/10

After 10 years, 3 records, a clutch of EPs, a shitload of raucous house parties and a fuck-tonne of globe-trotting shows, Aussie rabble-rousers DZ Deathrays decided to shake things up for LP4. They gained a new member, Lachlan Ewbank on guitar (if there was a band that have never scrimped in the riff territory it’s DZ – adding more guitars…HELL YEAH!!), skipped across to LA to bind together a range of new and exciting ideas – with none of their own kit and roped in the vocals of The Bronx’s Matt Caughthran on one track. The results of this new creative approach: ‘Positive Rising: Part 10,’ the first half of a double album – with the sequel due to appear in 2020.

From the opening gradual hum of ‘Hi Everyone’ it’s very clear that DZ Deathrays are returning a slightly different beast; with a synth line that continually swells and a chorus of disembodied “ahhhhhs”, it acts like a palette cleanser to what has come before, a clear defining moment in the new world DZ have built for themselves. With a celestial hue enveloping Shane Parsons, the frontman takes this moment to re-introduce himself and the band “hi everyone/how’s it feel now we’re all alive?”, while later into the track he appears to be searching for deeper meaning “trying to find a lost connection/just in case I disappear” as if to reach out into a disconnected world. The ethereal sonics will eventually climax to a rougher sounding take on shoegaze with the band’s frontman hollering “I want it real”. With the slate wiped clean, following tracks ‘Still No Change’ and ‘IN-TO-IT’ take the new, expansive DZ sound and combine it with the colossal rough ‘n’ ready attack of their past life. The former bursts into action via a salvo of rusted riffs and rapid, punk drums – driven by Simon Ridley – but the widescreen aesthetic of ‘Hi Everyone’ bleeds into the track’s caustic assault – making for a wider-reaching sound. Parsons again is searching for something, whilst questioning the now “you wanted a change out of me/but nothing feels quite right” and a poignant “I know it’s gone to the dogs” strikes a relatable chord. The latter pays homage to the group’s early days of smashing it at house parties “what’s your reason to let loose” barks Parsons over a winning combo of pounding drums and grubby riffs. Themes of spiraling excess are peppered throughout ‘IN-TO-IT’, “the room won’t stop spinning” and “don’t give a fuck about tomorrow morning” provoking the images of crowds of drunken party-goers chugging back beers and causing havoc. Two worlds collide on ‘Snakes’; chiming, icy riffs intermingle with Ridley’s rampant drums before the song bursts into a caustic ball of flames, which has Parsons defiantly announcing “I got my heart in this/there’s no room for snakes” as if to rid himself of toxic influence. A juddering grind populates ‘Nightmare Wrecker’, a serrated stomp that appears to tell the tale of sleep-paralysis “it’s in my dreams/the world’s an act/it mutes my screams/it holds me back” documents Parsons. ‘A Lot To Lose’ explodes with a spasmodic cloud of distorted guitars and pummeling drums, where themes of self-destruction linger with a very real threat “you got a lot to lose/that’s what I tell myself” ponders Parsons, whilst also reflecting he’s also “stuck in a psycho loop”. The Matt Caughthran featuring ‘Year Of The Dog’ takes ‘Positive Rising: Part 1’ into darker waters, as aggravation and frustration lurk amongst the intermittent detonation of rough alt-rock. The Bronx man’s formidable bark crops up at the song’s finale with the punk shouting “caught in the middle of a fist fight/a common sense of an asshole/I tell myself it’s all ok/but it’s really a dog a day”. The need for escapism and lust to try something new burrows deep into ‘Hypercolour’, where DZ invoke a cinematic angle as Parsons states “where do you wanna go/I don’t wanna take it slow”. It’s here where the three piece’s desire to create something more expansive really shines through.

Sonically it’s evident the trio have swelled into expansive new climes; the bombast of previous records is very much there but their sound appears broader and further reaching than ever before; ‘Positive Rising: Part 2’ can’t come soon enough.

[wewerepromisedsomuch]

Live Review: BODEGA @ Hare and Hounds, Birmingham

Artist: BODEGA

Venue:  Hare and Hounds, Birmingham, UK

Date: 28th August 2019

Rating: 8.0/10

It would seem serendipitous that one of the “coolest” areas in Birmingham, Kings Heath, would play host to a New York outfit that effortlessly ooze cool; tonight, the Hare and Hounds could easily be a bohemian Brooklyn bar, as Brooklynites BODEGA whisk us across the Atlantic with their own brand of quirky art-rock. Part performance art, part gig, the five piece treat the sold out Brummie crowd to a stomp through their sardonic debut LP ‘Endless Scroll’, an album centred on observing modern behaviour and our new-found lust for social media-based self-gratification. Amongst tracks from their primary effort, the NYCers wheel out a slice or two from their forthcoming release ‘Shiny New Model’ out 11th October.

Announcing themselves with a slow grinding intro that merges into ‘Can’t Knock The Hustle’, BODEGA cut the silhouette of an art-punk Avengers, blessed with their own rock superpowers and distinctive personalities.  Individually the unit are a captivating bunch, while as an ensemble, it’s hard to know where to focus your gaze (in a good way!); there’s new drummer, Tai Lee with her magnetic gaze and impassioned facial expressions – as she leaps and smashes her stand-up kit with an unrelenting intensity. By the end of the band’s one hour-fifteen minute performance the tub-thumper will be saturated in sweat – it’s quite the workout. Before the band take to the stage, a fellow punter will tell WWPSM that Lee used to be in the stage show Stomp! – given her drumming style, that all makes sense! Bass player Heather Elle is the polar opposite to Lee’s kinetic energy; the bass-slinger remains almost still during the group’s set, rarely looking up from her instrument as she churns out hip-shaking rumble, after hip-shaking rumble. Flipping to the other end of the spectrum, guitarist Madison Velding-VanDam (not sure if it’s his real name but it’s fucking cool right?!) assaults his guitar with a wanton but restrained rage, blasting out broken shards of fractured sound that garners a comparison to the spasmodic style of Wilko Johnson. Co-vocalist/Guitarist Ben Hozie is a hybrid of Elle’s nonchalant cool and Velding-VanDam’s frantic jerks, while fellow vocalist Nikki Belfiglio can be found front and centre, wiggling with a provocative sass whilst steadily whacking a hi-hat and triggering samples from a launchpad. It’s Belfiglio who proves to be the most eye-catching as she commands her part of the stage with an unflinching allure.

With a recorded sound that’s taut and wiry, BODEGA’s live persona is that and then some; all their elements are enhanced, with Velding-VanDam’s chaotic guitar attack and Lee’s drumming given the super-size treatment. ‘Bookmarks’ sounds unpredictable and colossal as the song weaves and clatters with a sassy jolt, ‘How Did This Happen’ bounces from foot to foot with an ADHD pent-up energy and ‘Name Escape’ is an unrelenting bass driven bop – like an LCD Soundsystem song squished down from eleven minutes to three. ‘Gyrate’ lives up to its cheeky name, with Belfiglio prompting the Hare and Hounds to “wiggle your ass around” as the vocalist takes her own rump shaking advice. ‘I Am Not A Cinephile’ blasts out with an urgent punk intensity, with all band members playing at full tilt. New cuts from ‘Shiny New Model’ are littered throughout the band’s performance with the record’s eponymous track making an outing alongside ‘Domesticated Animals’, ’Knife on a Platter’ and ‘No Vanguard Revival’. The elongated beast of ‘Treasures of the Ancient World’ bleeds into ‘Truth is not Punishment’ taken from the band’s debut, as BODEGA opt to mash-up elements from their past and future.

Brooklyn or Birmingham; BODEGA turned a drizzly Wednesday night in the UK into an art-punk party fit for hipsters, music snobs and the awkward shoegazers among us.

 Photography by Naomi Abbs-Williams

[wewerepromisedsomuch]

Album Review: Maggie Rogers

Artist:  Maggie Rogers

Title:  Heard It in a Past Life

Record Label: Capitol Records/Debay Sounds/Polydor

Release Date: 18th January 2019

Rating: 9.0/10

When was the last time you heard something truly unique? Music has been made for centuries and nowadays we’re a click away from an overflowing well of sonic delights but in most cases, you can liken a new artist back to an influence from days gone by. With Maggie Rogers, it’s no surprise she’s taken inspiration from folk music as well as neo-soul luminaries like Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill but it’s the way the promising new talent presents her influences and applies them to her debut record ‘Heard It in a Past Life’, that makes you double take. The Maryland born singer/songwriter/producer has been bestowed with a rich, earthy voice that’s instantly intoxicating and when it’s draped across clipped, modernist production, with beats, chirps and a plethora of nuances coming at you from all angles, you realise that the rulebook Rogers is working from is her own. Yeah, you can say Rogers sounds a bit like this, or that or so ‘n’ so but suffice to say, Maggie Rogers is operating within her own orbit.

‘Heard It in a Past Life’ follows a steady groundswell for Rogers; 2016 saw her crash land into the public consciousness thanks to her hit ‘Alaska’. The song she rattled out in fifteen minutes was critiqued in a masterclass for music students at The Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University’s Tisch School. Said masterclass was hosted by Pharrell Williams. The tastemaker and visionary heard the track and was left speechless and visibly moved. This set the wheels in motion for Rogers to travel the world, support the likes of Mumford and Sons and Haim, whilst releasing the sumptuous EP ‘Now That the Light is Fading’, of which ‘Alaska’ and the lolloping ‘On + Off’ appear on ‘Heard It in a Past Life’.

This is a record anchored in optimism and the need to provoke conversation; opening song ‘Give A Little’ was written in the wake of the 14th February 2018 shooting at Douglas High School in Fort Lauderdale. Inspired by the thousands of school children who marched in reaction to the atrocity, Rogers penned a song, not in anger but as an olive branch, to try and help bridge the gap in what’s become a divided nation and a contentious argument. Over wooing vocal ticks and jittering beats, the singer reaches out to ask, “if you give a little/give a little/maybe we could get to know each other?” whilst urging people to “drop your weapons/drop your guard”. It’s strange to think a song provoked by such sadness can sound so jubilant. Most tracks on this exemplary debut can be internalised as odes to relationships but they can also be turned outwards and translated to something more global. The stripped back ‘Past Life’ is powerful in its subtly; with just the sound of Rogers’ voice and a piano, the singer can be heard stating “I could feel the change-a-coming/felt it on the breeze”, as if to reference the colossal shift in social and political matters over the past few years. While ‘On + Off’ appeals for something more personal via a volley of looped, hypnotic piano “take me to that place where you always go”. Compromise and reassuring support are other recurring themes; ‘Burning’ is a carnival flecked track, built on weird warping sounds and an uplifting marching beat that has Rogers bellowing “I’m in love/I’m alive/Oh, I’m burning” whilst mentioning “and if you’re giving up/would you tell me?”. Closing track ‘Back In My Body’ is a defiant, fist clenched ode to determination “this time I know I’m fighting/this time I know I’m back in my body” declares Rogers, as the song swells to an arena sized colossus.

It’s been something of a whirlwind for Maggie Rogers and she may have ‘Heard It in a Past Life’ but if there’s one thing we’re sure of, the future’s very bright for this stunning talent.

[wewerepromisedsomuch]

Album Review: Anteros

Artist:  Anteros

Title:  When We Land

Record Label: Distiller Records

Rating: 8.0/10

There’s no denying that Anteros glimmer with a pop sensibility and this burns brightly on their much-anticipated debut album ‘When We Land’. Catchy and instantly hummable, it’s easy (and you could say a little ignorant) to write them off as a simple indie-pop act; the slightest burrow beneath the surface and you’ll find shards of post-punk, 70s rock anthemics, strutting disco grooves and intimate moments that start off as ballads but swell to empowering, life affirming call to arms.

‘When We Land’ is honed around choruses that soar to dizzying, anthemic heights and danceable rhymes that disguise some of the more poignant, sorrowful moments on Anteros’ debut. Afterall, isn’t all great music happy and jolly on the surface but rooted in despair below deck? Something the four piece have mastered is the dynamic of switching from quiet verses to explosive choruses; this is exemplified by the reworked ‘Breakfast’ taken from the 2016 EP of the same name. The album version is a taut, rougher take that’s all spectral guitars and drum machines in the verses but colossal sounding in the chorus, driven by frontperson Laura Hayden’s impressive vocal delivery. ‘Afterglow’ is a pea from the same pod when it comes to it’s sonic DNA; a song that’s wrapped around icy guitar shards as the song commences, but as the track reaches it’s rousing epicentre, volume levels increase as Hayden can be heard bellowing “and when your scars start to show/I’ll be there if you let me know/in the shadow of your afterglow.” ‘Fool Moon’s choppy, tropical strut is another moment where ‘When We Land’ curiously meanders before making a giant leap once the chorus kicks in with gusto. It’s here when Hayden can be heard declaring “drown out the voices in my head/take back the words we left unsaid” as intricate guitar lines coalesce with swaggering drums beats. Then there’s ‘Drive On’, a soaring, cathartic sashay through jerky drum patterns, quirky synths and arena friendly guitar waves. It’s all smothered in a relatable catharsis when Hayden muses “we carry on through the wasteland/drive on”, it makes you want to jump in your car and drive off into the sunset with all your worries trailing behind you.

Aside from custom built bangers, ‘When We Land’ bristles with an empowering, triumphant appeal; ‘Ordinary Girl’ combines piano with delicate percussion, as swooning strings envelope enormous drum stomps. This propels the band’s vocalist to the stratosphere as she announces, “it’s not an ordinary world/and you’re not an ordinary girl”. ‘Let It Out’ is Anteros at their most stripped back; just Hayden and a scratchy guitar and the kind of sentimental lyrics that could melt the coldest of hearts “all my dreams fade away when I hear you call my name.” What commences in a minimal fashion soon swells to a grand, lush example of the London band flexing their grandiose side, as orchestral flourishes expand to something resembling a Bond theme. ‘When We Land’ comes to a glorious close via the band’s eponymous track, this is the moment where you envisage live shows coming to an end via a technicolour ticker-tape explosion as Anteros wrap up their debut in a truly epic style.

Never mind Anteros’ debut being tagged ‘When We Land’, with this band the sky is the limit – they’ll not be touching down any time soon.

[wewerepromisedsomuch]

Album Review: Indoor Pets

Artist:  Indoor Pets

Title:  Be Content

Record Label: Wichita Recordings

Release Date: 8th March 2019

Rating: 8.0/10

We spend a lot of time being told, directly or indirectly, we must be perfect, we must iron out all our flaws. The funny thing is, sometimes are flaws can be our most endearingly qualities. Indoor Pets, the quirky four piece from Kent have encapsulated the notion of being a weirdo and an outsider, and wrapped it up in a huge power-pop record that celebrates imperfection rather than chastise it. This is typified by the roaring, anthemic tones of ‘Be Strange’ that has vocalist/guitarist Jamie Glass announce “I have regrets and disappointments/I can’t pretend I don’t/I’m trying my best to be the worst at anything people want/cause I love being strange/it’s an easy thing for me/where are all the other freaks living now?”. ‘Be Content’ is a celebration for those of us that have never felt like we really fit in.

Somewhere on the musical map there’s a pin between the geeky pop-punk of Weezer and the studious, button-down collared collegiate punk of Vampire Weekend; if you were to extract the catchiness of Ash and Parklife-era Blur at their most English, that pin becomes Indoor Pets. This is a band that’s happy to expose their idiosyncratic side, be it via social media posts, interviews or embracing their strangeness on debut LP ‘Be Content’. This is an album that twitches with a youthful vigour, where choruses are propelled at full pelt, just waiting to be sung along by festival crowds and where energy levels are mostly kept at an exuberant high. Imagine if you will, shovelling in handful after handful of Haribo before hitting a festival located on a bouncy castle and you’ve got Indoor Pets. Although, in-amongst the sugary highs, there are some soured lows lurking in lyrics and the occasional moments where ‘Be Content’ dips into swooning melancholy, most notably on ‘The Mapping of Dandruff’.  This delicate, vulnerable spot on the quartet’s first outing is where Glass reflects “I’m so human it hurts”, as tenderness ebbs and flows with a touching dose of sentimentally. ‘Heavy Thoughts’ finds the band switching from near-nothingness to spasmodic blasts of gnarled art-rock. The band’s frontman announces the song with the cry of “lately I’ve been tired of sleeping in/it’s borderline being alone”. The record’s closing track ‘My Amnesiac’ finds the two worlds of Indoor Pets coalesce; spectral guitars envelope Glass’ brittle yet reassuring words “if kind words are frozen/you can thaw them/you can thaw them/and solitude is chosen but can be undone” before a bevy of revving riffs and clattering drums ramp up the volume levels for a fist pumping call to arms with the emphasis of shaking off whatever fug is consuming you. When Indoor Pets flex their Weezer-like muscles on ‘Crouch’, you get a broad sweep of quiet/loud dynamics and the repercussions of past generation’s mistakes “dear baby boomer/tell me how I’m supposed to find my own path now?”.

‘Be Content’ is strewn with self-analytical lyrics and moments of self-deprecation but when they’re encased by the group’s energetic, anthemic alt-rock, these moments of reflection become nothing short of joyous. Fan favourite ‘Teriyaki’ is a squirming riot that turns itself inside out as it ripples with an infectious danceability even if Glass can be heard hollering “maybe you got 99 problems and we’re all going to hell”. There’s no mucking about when ‘Pro Procrastinator’ leaps into action; this is Indoor Pets at full tilt, sprinting through a 100mph dash of frenzied guitars and battered drums; which is funny when Glass sings “I’m wasting my life”, when clearly this song wastes little time in its 2-minute lifespan. The same can be said for ‘Cutie Pie, I’m Bloated’, another breathless charge through rock ‘n’ roll being pushed to it’s redline. When the staccato rhythms are wheeled out via the Two Door Cinema Club-esque mix of jaunty rhythms, tropical notes disguises Glass agonising his own standards “when there’s no merit in myself”. Then there’s the summery pop-rock of ‘Mean Heart’; singalong choruses mesh with punchy guitar strokes and robust drums but the sunshine vibes are partially obscured by Glass’ confessions “I’ve got a mean heart and it’s ready to stop”.

Be content. Be Happy. Be Indoor Pets.

[wewerepromisedsomuch]

Album Review: Crows

Artist:  Crows

Title:  Silver Tongues

Record Label: Balley Records

Rating: 8.0/10

With a band name like Crows you wouldn’t expect a kaleidoscopic yacht-rock album, would you? Well, we hope not because if you are, you’ve come to the wrong place. ‘Silver Tongues’, the debut album by the noir inhabiting London band, is a record engulfed by darkness, where guitars grind like metal on metal, drums thump like the disorientating pulse in your head, while a throbbing bassline hammers that nail home. At the LP’s discordant epicentre is the band’s wild preacher James Cox, the man with a Nick Cave growl and a sardonic sneer. To capture the band’s intense live performance, their new album was recorded in a room bereft of light or as Cox divulged recently via DIY “it’s a personal record for all of us, so being in the dark, being completely alienated and not able to see anyone else makes you play in a certain way.”

Up until recently Crows were having a hard time finding any takers to put out their fearsome debut and it’s special thanks to IDLES frontman Joe Talbot for releasing ‘Silver Tongues’ via his own imprint Balley Records. When it comes to sonic blood brothers, IDLES and Crows are birds of a feather (see what we did there) but it’s the latter that fully embrace the sinister, macabre side of post-punk, both sonically and lyrically. Contorted themes of religion can be found when digging through the twisted shards of noise of Crows’ debut; ‘Empyrean’s shoegaze like whirr frames Cox as he states, “there’s a circle of hell that I’m familiar with”. ‘Wednesdays Child’ stomps and grinds with a dishevelled rock ‘n’ roll abandon, a chaotic surge runs through the song’s veins as the band’s vocalist shares another demonic missive “I’m a conduit for the devil/just let me in”. When not dwelling on Beelzebub and his fiery locales, the album has Cox delving deep into his own psyche. ‘Chain of Being’ is a twisting and turning charge through the band’s darker recesses, as mechanical layers grate up against more urgent flourishes of drums and guitar. Cox can be heard murmuring “Who should I be afraid of?/me or who I have become” like a man starring into a mirror and not recognising his own reflection. The slow burning epic of ‘First Light // False Face’ stalks its prey with an uneasy menace with Cox’s doom-laden vocal sneering “well are you afraid/a cowards shake in your voice”. It’s like the end of days, as if the tatters of humanity are strewn across a desolate landscape, with Cox stepping over human skulls and burning wreckage. Album closer ‘Dysphoria’ is where shoegaze and post-punk lock horns, belching out a sound like a broken air raid siren. Cox, like a man defeated can be heard turning his sorrow inward with the dejected “I’m second rate/inferior”.

The band’s infamous live shows can be heard in the album’s eponymous opening track, as it reaches its frenzied climax. The same can be said for ‘Demeanour’s quick-fire punk rock, that oozes aggression and chaos. ‘Crawling’ may commence like a slow schlep through static and rusted wire but it ends like it’s being chased down a moonlit country lane by gang of angry villagers with pitchforks and lit torches.

A product of it’s environment, ‘Silver Tongues’ is a record with a blackened soul and the taste of danger on it’s lips. Will you embrace the darkness?

[wewerepromisedsomuch]

Interview: Abstract Typography

Ahead of the release of their debut EP ‘Dawn Chorus’ we chatted to band linchpin, Stanley Bull, to get the skinny on what inspired the making of the EP, why it’s being released on limited edition cassette, and pickled eggs and pints of bitter...

Hey Stan, your debut EP ‘Dawn Chorus’ comes out 22nd June via Casseblank Records; quick fire question: describe ‘Dawn Chorus’ in 3 words.

I'd have to go with 'overdue', 'indelible' and 'cathartic'. No explanation needed. 

What were your main influences when making ‘Dawn Chorus’ and were you inspired by anything unexpected?

All four of these songs began life as demos for my old band back in my uni bedroom in early 2015 - I have such a backlog of old tunes I'm trying to get out still. So they've all changed a bit over the years, but the main inspiration was always slacker rock groups like Pavement, grunge and alt rock bands a la Smashing Pumpkins and 80′s indie like The Smiths and Pixies. This decade has been great for a psych rock revival of sorts too, so that's an undeniable influence that's seeped in there. In terms of the production, I wanted to keep everything really thin and quite murky; the vocals shrouded in reverb and distortion. I think the Chronic Town EP by REM was the main blueprint for that, it's really mysterious but still accessible. 

As Abstract Typography is very much your own project; how does a track first come to life?

Almost every song I've written for this band so far has just been born out of strumming along on an unplugged electric guitar on my bed whilst watching films or TV, just picking out stupid riffs and tightening them up when I demo them on my laptop later on. Lyrics always seem to come after, and only when inspiration hits me, I can never force it out! I record shit loads of voice demos on my phone too; there's an obscene number of thrash metal riffs I've wanted to record before I forgot them that I've done nothing with since. Maybe that could form the next EP, who knows.

Your EP is available via limited cassette; what’s the reason behind a tape release?

Firstly, I'm a huge fan of physical copies of music, especially for indie bands. I stream albums too to discover new stuff but when I get invested in a band I like to own whatever I can – if they're worth it then it's nice to fully submerge yourself in their world. I've never stopped buying CDs as I love flicking through the booklets and reading all the liner notes. The second reason is that when I was younger I found all of my Dad's music on cassettes from the 80′s and 90′s in his record collection, and I thought it was such a cool format to store music on. I used to draw my own cassette and CD covers all the time for made up bands, and I'd write imaginary track listings on all of them. I like the fact that nobody has a cassette player anymore. It just shows that people who still buy them are serious about supporting the band any way they can.

On 28th July you’re playing a Casseblank Records showcase at The Mothers’ Ruin in Bristol; what can we expect from your set?

We've added a third guitar player to line up; our friend Matt Teal, who produced 'I Feel Better Already' and 'Charmed Ridge' with me. He's as much of a prodigy on the axe as he is behind the desk. Beyond that, he's been in every band I've ever been in so it was a no brainer to recruit him really. At Dot to Dot we started incorporating a few more sludge riffs into the set between songs, so you can expect things to get even fucking heavier again with another guitar player/avid Sleep fan in the group.

And finally, your video ‘I Feel Better Already’ looks to be set in a working man’s club; are you partial to a pickled egg and a pint of bitter?! 

I can honestly say I've never had either of those things in my life, but I had to become a member to shoot the video so I should really go back and make the most of my discounted pints. I'd like to clarify that the intention of the video wasn't to poke fun or turn our noses up at Working Men's Clubs and the like, but rather the opposite. Where I'm from in the countryside, there's hardly any music venues left, so if I did want to play a hometown gig this would be the sort of place I'd be playing anyway. The lack of people in attendance in the video at the end is more a comment on the lack of investment people (locally to me) put into young original bands. I actually knew about the place as I played a Halloween gig there when I was 16!

Dawn Chorus EP comes in two formats; strictly limited edition 1 of 50 orange cassette tapes. Available digitally on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music and all good digital retail stores

Pre-order here: https://casseblankrecords.bandcamp.com/album/dawn-chorus

Abstract Typography live dates:

The Big Gig Festival, Paulton, Saturday 30th June

M-Fest, Midsomer Norton, Saturday 14th July

The Mothers’ Ruin, Bristol, Saturday 28th July, as part of a Casseblank Records show

Abstract Typography Links:

https://abstracttypography.bandcamp.com/

https://soundcloud.com/abstracttypography

https://www.facebook.com/abstracttypography/

https://twitter.com/abstrcttypgrphy

Casseblank Records Links:

https://www.facebook.com/CasseblankRecords

https://casseblankrecords.bandcamp.com/

https://soundcloud.com/casseblankrecords

https://twitter.com/casseblank

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Album Review: Gavin Leesam

Artist:  Gavin Leesam

Title:  Bibliotheca

Record Label: Casseblank Records

Release Date: 22nd June 2018

Rating: 9.0/10

Welcome to the world of ‘Bibliotheca’, a soundscape crafted by electronic maestro Gavin Leesam; through the album’s bleeps and pulsing textures, you embark on a journey through a synth-laden utopia, where a hazy hedonism is woven deeply into this debut offering by the London transplant. ‘Bibliotheca’ is an album that is always evolving, always moving, always spawning new and unique sounds and one that’s pivotal on a languid dub groove or a bleeping nuance. Not one to just be inspired by fellow electro-luminaries, Leesam’s penchant for post-punk bleeds into his first offering, it’s that DIY feeling or his occasional deployment of snarled guitar, that means John Talabot’s fingerprints are indelible here, as well as the likes of Talking Heads and PIL.

‘Bibliotheca’ is an urban sprawl of an album but it’s layered electronics and chopped up vocals tend to lead you down the path to undiscovered parts of this imaginary metropolis. ‘Real Doubt’s opening trill of repetitive voice samples and squelching throbs appear to signal the moment the sun begins to set, as the rest of the album manoeuvres through a nocturnal voyage – first signalled by the groovy surf rock screech of ‘Doldrums’ and the staccato ripple found throughout ‘Give It All’. The latter is where a darker, more hypnotic sounds manifests itself, as if you’re just at the beginning of a night to remember (or possibly to forget!). Euphoria is in liberal supply throughout ‘Bibliotheca’, thanks to ‘Confetti’s revolving door of repetitive beats and warped sounds, whereas ‘Desert Fathers’ adopts a slow burning surge of eerie static and a salacious bounce. It’s here that ‘Bibliotheca’ becomes an entrancing blur, as if to tap into ‘Screamadelica’s never-ending leisurely chemical pleasure-seeking. A homage to London’s inspiration on Leesam’s work permeates on two interlude tracks; ‘Interlude 1 (Reborn in Hackney)’ and ‘Interlude 2 (German Shepherd)’, the pair are bound together by interspersed static, as if travelling through the city at night as your car radio tunes in and out of the capital’s pirate stations – Balearic piano loops are offset against crunching beats whilst varied sounds whizz in and out of focus. Closing track ‘Too Much of a Good Thing’, like ‘Real Doubt’ signals a heady rush of bubbling electronics and a dawning of a new day, the effervescent beats and soaring crescendo invoking the sun beginning to rise over an iconic city-scape, as if to drench skyscrapers in the day’s first light.

Gavin Leesam’s debut album is music to lose yourself to, the question is – are you ready to embark on a trip deep into the world of ‘Bibliotheca’ and get lost in its giddy realms? We know what the answer is…we’ll see you there.

Bibliotheca comes in two formats; strictly limited edition 1 of 50 baby blue cassette tape with screen printed artwork. Available digitally on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music and all good digital retail stores

Pre-order here: https://casseblankrecords.bandcamp.com/album/bibliotheca

See Gavin Leesam live at The Mothers’ Ruin, Bristol 28th July as part of a Casseblank Records show.

Gavin Leesam Links:

https://www.instagram.com/gavinleesam

https://twitter.com/gavin_leesam

Casseblank Records Links:

https://www.facebook.com/CasseblankRecords

https://casseblankrecords.bandcamp.com/

https://soundcloud.com/casseblankrecords

https://twitter.com/casseblank

https://www.instagram.com/casseblankrecords/

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Festival Review: Handmade Festival 2018 - Sunday

With the sun still omnipresent in the Bank Holiday sky and the sound of top-class music ringing in our ears, we embark on the second day of Handmade Festival 2018. If you missed our Saturday round-up featuring Crosa Rosa, The Big Moon, Peaness and Dream Nails, no worries, we’ve got you covered – just give this link a click.

The first band to soundtrack Sunday’s revelry is Leeds two-piece Kamikaze Girls, an act that combines the ethereal swoon of shoegaze and the aggression of punk (punkgaze? Is it still a thing to make-up genres now the NME print presses have rusted up?). The twosome does a grand job in kicking off a day of noise as well as speaking out about the on-going vileness of body-shaming. A strong contender of song of the weekend has to go to Gender Role’s catchy-as-fuck ‘About Her’, a brilliantly, anthemic pop-grunge belter with a chorus so good it begs to be hollered by an audience of thousands. Whip-cracking and boasting more hooks than a fisherman’s tacklebox, the Brighton trio have the perfect balance of raucousness and scintillating pop-nous.  

If you’d been blindfolded and shoved into Turbowolf’s blistering Union Square set, you’d have thought Handmade had been infiltrated by Download Festival’s Monsters of Rock vibes, such was the consummate RAWK show that the Bristolian band blasted out. Stalking the stage like a predatory animal, frontman Chris Georgiadis had the headbanging Leicester contingent in the palm of his hand throughout the band’s brisk half an hour tour-de-force. Much like label and touring buddies, Peaness, The Spook School channel a jangly indie-pop sound but it’s as if the Edinburgh four-piece have summoned their inner Belle and Sebastian, ramped up the tempo and injected some punk hutzpah, as they sprint through an accelerated evening show to a rammed Scholar Bar. Hitting the stage like a cross between the 118 118 guys and a reject athletic squad, the Scots’ set is less of a show and more of an aerobic work-out; here’s us wishing we’d also gone for a sweatband and vest combo like the plucky indie-punks.

Two days of fantastic music culminated with an equally fantastic headline set from Idles; anticipation for the South-West band’s set had been palpable even on Saturday, as punters could be seen milling about wearing Idles tees, with the number doubling on Sunday. It’s no exaggeration that Idle’s Union Square slot was nothing but beautiful chaos and a big, bold statement that they’re one of the UK’s best bands right now. From the minute ‘Heel/Heal’ lit the blue touch paper, it’s clear that both audience and band are locked in a riotous union with Idles throwing themselves around the stage as bedlam ensued in front of them. On one more than one occasion guitarists Lee Kiernan and Mark Bowen (stripped down to a pair of green Y-fronts) will plunge themselves into the heart of the Handmade ravenous throng. There’s something in Idle’s acerbic punk that’s tapped the zeitgeist, theirs is a sound that reflects the frustration of modern life and the rage that comes from being downtrodden by politicians, class structures and hollow-consumerism; all of this is squished through the band’s in-yer-face assault and Joe Talbot’s acidic growl. 

One thing’s for sure, it’s a love-in; Talbot regularly punches the air with a triumphant clench and will also show his appreciation for the support crowds like Handmade give to his outfit. Equally, the toothy grins on the entire Handmade audience is something to behold; rarely do you witness such verve and passion, of which Idles deliver with buckets of sweat and the kind of brutal tunes that act like a release valve to the disenfranchised. There aren’t enough superlatives to describe how good Idles’ performance was, we live for shows just like this.

Festival season 2018 may have only just begun but we’ll wager that Handmade is going to be tough act to beat – see you again next year.

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We Were Promised So Much Albums Of The Year 2017 - #2 – The xx – I See You

On their third LP ‘I See You’, The xx let in some light to their noir drenched inner sanctum. The record still carries the hallmarks of an album by the London trio; the majestic vocal interplay by Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim, the sumptuous electronics and beats courtesy of Jamie Smith and the clipped minimalism we’ve all come to associate with The xx. 

This time, however, dare we say it, ‘I See You’ lends itself to a dancier, more upbeat angle – whereas years ago the band would be the awkward ones lurking in the shadows, they’re now the awkward ones on the edges of the dancefloor. Themes of love and loss echo throughout, as well as Sim’s recent battles with alcohol. There’s always something impeccable about The xx; the clean, simplicity of how they operate, it’s borderline perfection every time they drop a record.

For more on our 2017 round up Click Here

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Live Review: Turnstile @ The Mill, Birmingham

Artist: Turnstile

Venue:  The Mill, Birmingham, UK

Date: 12th March 2020

Rating: 8.0/10

Chaos. Pandemonium. Mayhem. No, we’re not talking about the first 3 months of 2020 - you don’t need us to list off all the bad shit that’s happened so far this year, do you?! We’re talking about Turnstile’s feral Birmingham show at The Mill. The Baltimore quintet are famed for their raucous live performances and on a dank Thursday night in the West Midlands, amidst the throes of a global pandemic, thanks to the wide spreading Coronavirus, Turnstile offered up a welcome distraction and some much needed catharsis for those wanting to let off some (or in the case of The Mill, a lot) of steam.

Like on record, Turnstile don’t fuck about, the hardcore bruiser’s Birmingham show was supposed to start at 10pm and finish at 11pm; however, the five piece bounded onto The Mill’s stage at 9:45pm, laid completely waste to the modest sized venue and said their thank yous and goodbyes at 10:25pm. You’d think that this would have left us feeling short changed but given they managed to squash in 16 tracks, all propelled with the frantic energy of a Duracell Bunny hocked up to the eyeballs on several cans of Monster, Turnstile did what some bands struggle to do in triple the time; deliver a captivating, attention grabbing set that contained no flab and was as lean and relentless as you could wish for.

With the punishing intro of ‘Come Back For More’ segueing into ‘Fazed Out’s brutal bounce, Turnstile’s set kicked things off with a high benchmark; lead by frontman Brendan Yates, the five piece maintained a relentlessness over 40mins. With the 1-2 punch of ‘Real Thing’ and ‘Big Smile’ taken from the group’ seminal LP ‘Time & Space’, the rampant energy redlined, with performers and punters locked in a symbiotic rhythm of pure carnage. There were moments, from WWPSM’s high vantage point on The Mill’s balcony, where it was difficult to decide where to cast our gaze; the ever moving sea of bodies smashing into one another on the venue’s dancefloor or Turnstile as they leapt across the stage with the boundless enthusiasm of kids on a bouncy castle. We’ve been to countless punk and hardcore shows and we don’t think we’ve ever seen security look more terrified by the level of mosh-pit madness. That said, and as you’d expect, the mood was nothing but respectful and good natured, there was no-one looking to pick fights or taking it too far. An A+ for pit hospitality to Turnstile’s fans for sure. For anyone that’s been to a Turnstile show before or seen their wild gigs on YouTube, you know the drill, it’s feral. With security on red alert, this thwarted any attempts at stage diving; two plucky gig goers made dashes for the stage but were quickly stopped or removed before they could springboard themselves into the sweaty throng situated out front.

With barely any moments to catch their breath, Turnstile brought their blistering set to close via ‘Moon’ sung by bass player, Franz Lyons and with that, the hardcore punks sign off and are gone, leaving all manner of debris, wreckage and smiling faces in their wake. Oh, and people drenched in sweat.

Turnstile: They came, they roared, they raged, and they conquered.

Photography by Naomi Abbs-Williams

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Live Review: At The Drive-In & Death From Above @ The o2 Institute, Birmingham

Artist: At The Drive-In

Support Acts: Death From Above, La Butcherettes

Venue:  o2 Institute, Birmingham, UK

Date: 12th March 2018

Rating: 7.0/10

The double billing of Death From Above and At The Drive-In is a late 90s/early 00s rock fan’s wet dream but one that’s only been possible due to reformation. Texan post-hardcore noiseniks, At The Drive-In called it a day in 2001 only to rise from the dead in 2012, whereas bass n’ drum dance-punks, Death From Above operated between the years of 2001-2006, to then come back in 2011. So, it would appear we’re fortunate that the stars have aligned to not only get the bands in their own entity back together, but for these two reunited acts to then share a stage in 2018 is miraculous.

Mexican garage-punks, La Butcherettes kick off proceedings in a ramshackle, theatrical way, all harsh walls of gnarled sound and exaggerated movements, which greases the wheels for the bevy of delicious noise coming up next. Death From Above saunter onto The Institute’s stage and explode into ‘Nomad’ from their third LP ‘Outrage! Is Now’ and surprisingly two things happen; the crowd are largely motionless – they’ll warm up as the set rolls on - and the other being drummer/singer Sebastien Grainger’s vocals are buried beneath his band’s devastating discordance. Throughout the set Grainger appears to struggle to be heard, which dampens DFA’s overall impact and the energy that’s transmitted to the Birmingham crowd. Sonically the duo, completed by Jesse F. Keeler on bass and keys, are in fine form, whilst visually they cut a stark yin and yang with Keeler a vision in head to toe black and Grainger in pristine white. The duo race through snippets from all three of their albums, with earlier material like ‘Going Steady’ and ‘Trainwreck 1979’ garnering good crowd receptions, but tracks from ‘Outrage! Is Now’ like the twisted bounce of ‘Freeze Me’ and ‘Holy Book’s pummelling juggernaut ignite a pocket of the crowd into a hefty mosh. Leaving the stage to ‘Physical World’ you can’t help but think DFA didn’t quite hit the mark with their Brummie show.

Arriving to the sound of a distorted siren and the elongated detonation of ‘Arcarsenal’, the opening track from seminal and pre-break up album ‘Relationship of Command’, At The Drive-In not so much arrive on stage but erupt, with vocalist Cedric Bixler a blur of flailing limbs and a wall of bushy hair. ATDI’s lead man wastes no time when it comes to whipping his mic cable around The Institute’s modest stage whilst using drummer Tony Hajjar’s bass drum as a springboard numerous other times during his band’s riotous set. Again, where ATDI sound incendiary sonically, each song is a nugget of gnarled post-hardcore underpinned with a jerky awkwardness, Bixler’s vocals are lost in the chaos – either when the Texan’s are firing on all cylinders or speaking to the crowd between songs. This doesn’t seem to deter the band’s rabid following losing their collective shit though, from the first moment ‘Arcarsenal’ lights the blue touch paper to set closer ‘Pattern Against User’, the first half of the Birmingham venue’s dancefloor is a sea of rapidly swelling and retracting most pits with the odd crowd surfer attacking from overhead.

The five-piece’s set is mostly made up of material plucked from ‘Relationship of Command’ and recent LP ‘in•ter a•li•a’, with the likes of ‘No Wolf Like The Present’ and main set closer ‘Governed by Contagions’ sitting nicely next to ‘Sleepwalk Capsules’ and ‘Enfilade’. What comes as a surprise is when ‘One Armed Scissor’ comes out swinging mid-set – sending the Brummie contingent into a feverish pandemonium, understandably so. However, with the band dispensing with their biggest song so soon into their show, it upsets the momentum slightly, as it feels they pulled the pin too soon when the tension and excitement was building to a finale to be sound tracked by ‘One Armed Scissor’s legendary twisted anthemics.

With both bands we’re left wondering what it would have been like to have seen them pre-spilt, as in each case it feels their impact has been slightly diluted, whether that’s down to the vocals on the night or not who knows, but it’s hard to escape that momentum felt slightly stunted as DFA and ATDI rolled into Birmingham.

 Photography by Naomi Abbs-Williams

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Live Review: Paramore @ Genting Arena, Birmingham, UK, 14th January 2018

Artist: Paramore

Venue:  Genting Arena, Birmingham, UK

Date: 14th January 2018

Rating: 9.0/10

 WWPSM walk into the cavernous Genting Arena in Birmingham with a cloud of scepticism in our minds; Paramore’s sublime latest record ‘After Laughter’, is a dichotomy of fidgeting pop nuggets laced with lyrics documenting vocalist Hayley Williams’ battles with anxiety and depression, will the Tennessee band’s performance still be the high energy, celebratory kind of show we’ve come to expect from Williams and Co? Well, more fool us for even letting this thought enter our minds! Tonight’s gig as part of the outfit’s fifth record is everything we’ve come to love about Paramore and the reason why they can sell out arenas worldwide to legions of loyal and passionate fans. As Williams will come to reference midway through her group’s gig – this is a safe place, a place of free expression, of non-judgement and it’s this sense of freedom, coupled with a setlist of 18 exquisitely deployed songs, that makes Paramore’s Birmingham gig so special.

‘After Laughter’s pop-centric material governs a large chunk of tonight’s gig, with ‘Hard Times’ kicking off proceedings after an elongated intro of frantic percussion and gnarled noise; this sets a high water mark for both audience and band as the Brummie contingent can be heard in fine voice, yelling back every word while Williams commands those in front of her like the consummate frontperson she is. ‘Fake Happy’ and ‘Idle Worship’ are dispatched with a barebones, warts and all delivery, given the tracks’ subject matter pivots on Williams’ confessional lyrics about putting on a brave face whilst performing to Paramore’s devoted fans and not pinning all their hopes on her as some kind of god-like figure, the pintsized focal point bounds across the stage with an untapped energy that provokes such worship and adulation. ‘After Laughter’s material broadens Paramore’s sonic palette; from their plucky pop-punk days, to expansive rock outfit to a more-pop leaning atheistic but this means the tracks from their earlier records pack a mighty wallop when dispensed with; ‘Misery Business’ causes widespread pandemonium – culminating in two lucky fans being hauled onto the Genting Arena’s stage to yell out the track’s final refrain; ‘Ignorance’ jettisoned two songs in comes out with its teeth bared and its fists clenched, and on the other end of the spectrum ‘Hate To See Your Heartbreak’ offers a tiny breather as the ballad captures Paramore at their most heartfelt and emotional. Crowd participation is normally reserved for mass singalongs and circle pits but in this moment of calm the sold-out arena hoist their mobile phones to the sky, igniting their torches as if to tear the star filled sky from the heavens and drape it across the enormous venue.

Paramore’s self-titled fourth LP, paved the way for ‘After Laughter’s new sonic direction and tonight this point is solidified by main set closer ‘Ain’t It Fun’ and ‘Still Into You’; two infectiously, catchy pop songs and in-particular the former a jerky, anthemic foot-stomper that undoubtedly inspired the troop to craft ‘Hard Times’, ‘Told You So’ and their ilk.

Tonight’s show is brought to a close by the 1, 2, 3 punch of ‘Grow Up’, a cover of HalfNoise’s ‘French Class’ (drummer Zac Farro’s side project) and ‘Rose Colored Boy’ which contains a little snippet of Tom Tom Club’s ‘Genius of Love’ and Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’.

On a cold January night in Birmingham, six Tennessee residents helped us forget our troubles with 10,000 others – definitely not ‘Fake Happy’ – we’re actually real happy.  

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We Were Promised So Much Albums Of The Year 2017 - #3 – Algiers – The Underside of Power

Algiers must be one of the most underrated band’s around – their self-titled debut was a beguiling concoction of gospel, punk and electronica and it’s follow up, the politically charged ‘The Underside of Power’ follows suit but the ante this time around has been well and truly upped. It’s a record that hinges on juddering electronics and Franklin James Fishers’ raging preacher vocal style. 

‘The Underside of Power’ is a fearless record, both sonically and lyrically – it’s brazen enough to merge disparate genres and social commentary, and the results are simply brilliant. In a world that’s falling apart we need more bands like Algiers.

For more on our 2017 round up Click Here