THE VACANT LOTS: Berlin EP.

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On Sunday I finally saw The Vacant Lots live and I’m still in some sort of daze from amazing it was. I reckon anyone who has seen them live or just loves their music will know exactly what I mean. I sometimes find after going to a show, listening to the band afterwards doesn’t always feel right, as if something was missing. Fortunately this did not happen on Sunday and I’ve been constantly listening to The Vacant Lots.

This  Friday their Berlin EP will be released. The record is produced (and mixed) by Anton Newcombe. To have a band I love work with someone I hugely admire is, as a fan, a bloody brilliant thing. It’s perfect, just utterly perfect. Many years ago when I was doing a work placement at a music magazine, I was in the same room as the editor as he interviewed Anton on the phone. We both bonded over our love for him and afterwards were both just in awe of what happened. Fortunately I am shy enough to keep my gob shut and didn’t not chime in with some questions of my own.

The Berlin EP perfectly picks up from where Departure left us. They remain loyal to the sound that I fell in love with a few years ago. The EP is made up of 4 songs that send the listener (regardless of how big a fan they are) into a daze, into a trance. You can shut the world off when you play this record. It takes you to the belly of an underworld that is yet to be found by others. Maybe it truly sums up the sound of Berlin, maybe it sums up the sound and images in your mind. Whatever it sums up, just let it take you there.

The psychedelic artwork is ideal to gaze at as you listen to the songs, especially on Promise Me. The sound that they have created is projected beautifully from Anton’s production. As I listen back to the songs, I can’t help but feel that nobody else but Anton could get this sound. I know people say that perfection doesn’t exist, but they’ve clearly never listened to The Vacant Lots.

The Vacant Lots have a few more shows left in Europe but unfortunately copies of the Berlin EP have sold out. I say unfortunately but I’m proud of them and really happy for them. The Berlin EP is a body of work that oozes dedication, blood, sweat, hours, fears and tears. The songs may torment you but they may also soothe you- just like Departure did. I’ve never been to Berlin, I sometimes feel like the only person in the world who hasn’t, but this record makes me feel like I have and that it is home. Home can be whatever you create in your mind and heart. It can also be wherever a band or record takes you. It’s a feeling, and you can feel it as many times as you want.

Some bands sound better in certain settings, and I think The Vacant Lots are a band that you can carry with you anywhere you go. They are perfect to listen to at 7:30am on the way to work or at 4am when you cannot sleep. They let you dream in your own way. They thrash the insides of your mind with their hypnotic sound. I’ve said it before, but they are one of those bands that make you wish you were in band. They leave you with this feeling as if you just have to do something. But take your time to figure it out.

As mentioned, the Berlin EP is sold out on tour but you might be able to get some copies from Cargo Records if you live in Europe/UK and Forced Exposure if you’re in the states. In my mind they are one of the greatest bands since Suicide. They tear down walls of what is deemed as “normal” or “typical.” On the Berlin EP, Land is the track that really evokes this and is probably one of my favourite songs I’ve heard this year. Not just lyrically do I adore it but the music is so moving. They have this wonderfully ability to tap into your mind, and they do it so beautifully on Land.

Go see them the next time they play near you and allow every part of you to be moved.

SHITKID.

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Sometimes you need to listen to something that others may deem as uncomfortable. Mainly because they are far too uptight and conservative. Don’t surround yourself with those people, they’ll only try ruin you to make you like them. Before you know it, bland sounds will echo in your ear. Stick your middle finger up to them, and go about your day. A band that are perfect to do this to are Gothenburg based ShitKid.

The support band for The Vacant Lots on Sunday were ShitKid. They had the tough task of playing to only a handful of us, but I was hooked. They claimed to be hungover but that did not stop them from putting on a great show. Their sound reminds you of a band who are having fun making a wealth of noise in their cramped bedroom waiting for the world to listen. The world will listen, it just takes time for some to catch up.

https://soundcloud.com/sa-s-derquist/whyte-1?in=sa-s-derquist/sets/shitkid-1

What I adore about ShitKid is that they have this slumped sound. It is effortlessly woeful and the three of them just have this excellent Punk approach. Some bands are evidently trying too hard to capture a certain sound, but Shit Kid make it look so easy. They make you want to make your own noise and that for me, is enough. If you can get that feeling across then I reckon it is a job well done.

From their set on Sunday, I really loved their performance of Whyte and Poobrain.  I think they are one of those bands that you’ve really got to see live to get it. You get the attitude and meaning when you see them perform the songs live. I am that irritating person who has to always see the support band but I went to the show on my own on Sunday so it was fine. In this case I think I proved my idea right that you should always check out the support. I enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed The Vacant Lots.

It is really no surprise that ShitKid are on the highly influential label, PNKSLM Recordings. They are home to a lot of bands I love and Shit Kid is most definitely the perfect home for them. Their songs make you want to stay home, gaze out the window and do a whole load of nothing. It’s totally fine to have those days where you just want to waste them away. I feel like it all the time, but the doctor has told me it’s depression. Don’t go down my route, kids.

The EP was all done by  Åsa, and ShitKid is pretty much just her bar her live shows where she has 2 equally talented friends with her. You really pick up on the shyness in her voice and lyrics on the EP, and I think that makes the music so endearing and so easy to get into. I think this is the EP that was recorded on a semi broken computer and this DIY mind-set is so evident on the recordings. For me having that kind of approach to music makes a band more accessible and easy to just love.

https://soundcloud.com/sa-s-derquist/poobrain-1?in=sa-s-derquist/sets/shitkid-1

They’re playing The Old Blue Last tomorrow night (23rd) and tickets are only £5.

L.A.WITCH. The Shacklewell Arms, 18th November 2016.

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Much like last night with FINALLY getting to see The Vacant Lots live after waiting for what seemed an age- I started it off with L.A. Witch on Friday at The Shacklewell Arms. There’s something truly moving about seeing a band you’re really into, in your favourite venue.

I first wrote about L.A. Witch in 2013, and since then I’ve just been waiting and waiting to see them live. When I heard they were supporting The Kills on their US tour this year, every part of me wish I had a lot of money and wasn’t scared of flying so I could go see them. There’s really no better band to support The Kills, that’s for sure. When I heard they were playing London I bought myself a ticket the second they went on sale. I didn’t care if I was the only one there or if it was going to be rammed- I was going. Nothing and no one would get in my way.

They opened their set with the insane Kill My Baby Tonight and ended with Get Lost. What happened in between was a mind-blowing affair and something I wish I could experience all of the time. It’s a high, a sensation that stays with you and you find yourself comparing every show to it. This was their first ever London show, and I kept thinking, “Is this how people felt when they saw the Sex Pistols at the Lesser Free?” Maybe. Maybe not. I’m going with a firm yes on this one because it was THAT good.

The band are fronted by Sade who projects this captivating voice that makes you feel as if Ronnie Spector has picked up a guitar and listened to some Garage Rock. Maybe that’s what drew me in this first place all those years ago. Everything about L.A. Witch is just so effortlessly brilliant and the right kind of cool. Yeah, I know the word “cool” is so redundant but certain people are worthy of it. L.A. Witch most definitely are.

I’m pretty sure that the venue was filled over capacity but who cares? Our crammed and sweaty bodies were too busy falling in love with the band. Nothing mattered. The outside world wasn’t getting in and rules weren’t not being applied. And rightfully so. If you’ve ever formed an attachment to a band and just wanted to go to every show they do, then you might understand my love for L.A. Witch and why one show just doesn’t feel enough. If I had the holiday time and the money, I would have happily done the whole tour.

I was in awe of their performance and how much everyone loved them. When a band you’ve backed for so long come to the place where you live, it just means so much to you. And I am not ashamed in stating that I felt like a proud parent as I gazed at the stage at these 3 wonderfully talented people. Some people spend their Friday nights getting wasted, but I’ll take seeing a band like this any day. I always thought that when I finally saw L.A. Witch live, it would have to be in a cramped and sweaty setting. My wish was granted. This is how they should be heard.

Irita makes you wish you could play bass, Ellie makes you want to beat the shit out of the drums and Sade makes you wish you could make a crowd swoon and sway with your hypnotic guitar grooves and vocals. Three is truly the magic number, L.A. Witch completely and utterly back this theory.

I’ve said it many times before but there really is something special about seeing a band you’ve loved for so long live. It’s a feeling that stays with you, it’s a feeling you constantly crave. Once is most certainly not enough here, so here’s hoping they come back soon!

THE VACANT LOTS: Moth Club, 20th November 2016.

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Ever waited what seemed an eternity to see a band you absolutely adore? Have you tried to see them previously and things get in your way? Was nothing going to stop you this time? I get it, I really do. It happened twice to me this weekend and I’m going to write about both- starting with last night.

I first wrote about The Vacant Lots around 2 years ago. I wrote about them after spending a few months listening to them prior and trying to process what they meant to me, and how the music made me feel. I’ve probably been too quick at times writing about a band without taking the time to understand what’s going on, but I write as a fan and not some person who’s employed to over hype a load of bullshit gullible souls will buy into. Last night I took myself on a 5 minute bus journey to the Moth Club. The perks of being close to decent venues in a city I’ve grown to dislike. Get me out, please. Live music is my escape for the things that weigh me down. The Vacant Lots felt like something else last night. Whatever happened for that hour or so will stay with me. I wasn’t trapped in a place that harms my mind, it was taken elsewhere. But you want to know about the show, right?

Their set opens with Departure. If this wasn’t going to make the crowd pumped, I really don’t know what would. I was internally praying for High And Low to be played but I was also hoping for Paint This City because that’s on the same level. Paint The City made the set and I’m pretty sure I had my eyes closed for that whole song. When you hear the songs that get you out of any jam your brain traps you in, you do your best to zone out. Zone out was exactly what I did. I felt like no one was around me and everything was as alright as can be.

The Vacant Lots are a fascinating band to watch. As Jared shuts his eyes during the songs, you wonder where his mind is going. Brian’s face expresses so much during certain songs- you identify with everything that is happening on stage because these are the songs that have held you together so for some time. The way Jared prowls about on the stage holding his guitar as if it is a weapon, and at the end of the set bashes it up against the ceiling to create even more noise. Exactly 2 years ago I saw The Jesus And Mary Chain for the first time in Manchester, and I left with a comforting ringing in my ear. Go forward 2 years and it is happening again. Nothing really happened last year, mind. The Vacant Lots are part dreamy, part riot. You don’t know what you’re going to get and they leave you on edge. As someone who has really shit anxiety, I, for some reason find this massively comforting. I didn’t know what to expect during every song and I love that. I love when a band takes you right into the belly of the unknown and away from what surrounds you.

Mad Mary Jones sends everyone off into a whirl but I’m standing by Paint This City being the highlight for me. Some bands, as I’ve mentioned many times before, hold this notion of being something sacred. Something that is your escape, and yours to keep. For me, The Vacant Lots capture this so well. I didn’t make their last London show, but I saw photos of Jared’s bloody guitar. Part of me was hoping for blood last night but I got something better- I saw the real heart of The Vacant Lots.

Their Berlin EP comes out this Friday and I’ll put a review up this week as they are selling copies at their shows this week. If you go see them, buy a copy.

As I mentioned at the start, when you wait so long to see a band you absolutely adore- it means the world to you and it stays with you. I can safely say that this was one of the most emotional and intense shows I’ve been to in a long time.

THE CRAMPS: A Date With Elvis.

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“I know a place that’s far from here
Where the squares they won’t come near.”

Last Saturday I turned 30. Nothing feels different, and I still look about 15. Maybe I made a pact with the devil at an early age, and I don’t recall it. Anyway, as someone who isn’t really a fan of birthdays I have someone who wanted me to have a damn good day. She did just that, and more. She got me a record that I had no idea I was getting. A month earlier I ruined a surprise by attempting to buy one she had already got me. I don’t pick up on signals, I need to be told. Even if it involves me potentially ruining a surprise! This one record she got me has blown my mind and I find myself playing it every day. I either play it whilst I get ready for work or when I get home. Sometimes both. My love for The Cramps started in 1996. I was 10 years old and I was going through a cupboard in the house. I was looking for something, not sure what but I found a mixtape. I picked it up and asked my stepdad if I could listen to it- being the cool person he is, he said yes. He told me all about the band before I went upstairs to my room and fell in love with Lux’s voice.

I wish I could remember what song was on the tape, but I’m pretty sure it might have been Human Fly. There was a Sisters Of Mercy live tape that I took also. Along with The Cure. I was being exposed at a young age to the bands that would form something inside of me that is still there. It’s never going to go. Its one thing about me I won’t ever fight off.

The record I was given on my birthday last Saturday was A Date With Elvis. She had gone through their records, listened to them all and found the one she thought I’d love the most. I think this proves just how well she knows me and how bloody great she is. A Date With Elvis is such a great record, and for me to shows everything about The Cramps that I love, and fell in love with 20 years ago. I love the raw and creepy sound that is consistent on all their records but there’s something about A Date With Elvis that heightens all of this.

The record opens with one of the greatest songs by them, How Far Can Too Far Go? Alright so some may say it isn’t their greatest but it’s pretty much my favourite. I love the words and I absolutely adore Lux’s voice on this song. The record came out the year I entered the world and it was produced by the beautiful Poison Ivy. Three is the magic number, kids and The Cramps proved that so easily with this record. Everything about the wonderfully sexualised lyrics and dirty guitar makes it for pleasurable listening. It is the record you should take home with you, to meet the parents. It’s the record you play as loud as you want. It’s the one you play to take you down a road of self-discovery. For some, the lyrics may be too much- but hey, don’t surround yourself with prudes. Let it all out. Let The Cramps drag it out of you.

A Date With Elvis is the kind of record that brings you to your knees because you can’t get over how great it is.  For me it just embodies everything I love about music and everything I look for in music. It’s the right level of creepy, it’s loud and it’s in your face but not in an intrusive manner. It’s so beautifully produced and created. That brilliant Psychobilly mixed with a bit of Punk sound that they were known for comes alive on this record, maybe it is more apparent on this one. Maybe I’m just being biased because I wholeheartedly love this record, with all I have. I don’t have the best record player in the world but it is currently making Aloha From Hell sound like the masterpiece that it truly is.

There are many reasons why I am fascinated with certain bands, but I’ve never really set myself a reason for doing so with The Cramps. It just comes down to a whole bunch of reasons. Mainly that it’s completely fine to live outside of certain “norms” and to just be whoever and whatever the hell you want to be.

LEONARD COHEN: My Hero.

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“Shouldering your loneliness
Like a gun that you will not learn to aim
You stumble into this movie house
Then you climb, you climb into the frame.”

The past few days I have been thinking about turning 30 and all the songs that have played such a vital role in my life. I’ve tried to pin point songs but I draw blanks. I think of certain bands and singers, and I find a home that four walls never could build. I’ve always been obsessed with words from a very young age. I am fascinated by accents, how people choose to word things and how poets/singers take you to another world. Perspective. My world revolves around Nick Cave, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, Morrissey and Leonard Cohen. The latter broke my heart when I woke up this morning.

A few years ago whilst living back home I went to an indoor market. This place became my safety net for some time. I would wander round and pick up records for about £2 each, and hold them tightly on the bus journey home. I remember finally finding a Leonard Cohen record for £3 and I felt like I had won the lottery. I had the same feeling when I found Transformer by Lou Reed for the same price.These are the times where you feel like the luckiest person in the world and nothing can touch you.

At university in either my second or third year, I remember sitting in the film theatre watching the I’m Your Man film. Again, I was in awe. Leonard was…is…was one of those souls that you are constantly in awe of. His majestic and vivid way with words have been engraved upon my heart from a very young age. My mum had a few records she would play when I was younger and I couldn’t sleep. Leonard was one of them. As an adult, he’s been one of the few I have turned to when I just couldn’t cope. I’m constantly stuck in this horrific low mood that bears a burden to me and all around me, and when I play certain songs and I zone out-all is better. Leonard was one of the few who got me to switch off and zone out. What am I meant to do without him? Songs From A Room was the record I bought for £3, and it’s been my secure source of comfort and a friend for when I feel completely and utterly alone. I still have the music, we all have the music. But the physical form of the friend has gone. Oh Leonard. What are we to do without you.

His words and his music taught me more than any teacher could. I didn’t care for long division or the square root of something. I cared about Marianne and Suzanne. I was taught the biggest and most powerful thing of all from Leonard- love. The dark, brutal, raw side of love. The kind that keeps you alive. He taught me how to accept it and give it. I like to think I’ve finally got there. But now what? What do we do without you, Leonard? This morning when I woke up and found out, I clung to my pillow and cried. I cried like a baby. Maybe I am foolish for missing and grieving over someone I never met but I really do not care. This man has been my life, this man has saved my life even when I didn’t want it to be saved. His words healed and now they break me but I know they’ll heal one day when it eases that he is no longer here.

Love Calls You By Your Name has always ALWAYS been the song I went to when I just didn’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do now, so I guess I’ll have to find some form of strength to listen to his music, to this song and somehow get through. I had a few of his poetry books and for so long they lived next to my bed. Over the past few years I’ve had trouble sleeping (or turning my brain off) and I used to wake up in the middle of the night, unsure of what to do. I’d sit up, reach for one of his books and read. Read until all felt okay. Read until I felt like I could shut my eyes and drift off. Now when I close my eyes, I just see Leonard. I just see him with his tilted hat and a smirk. My idol, my king, my world. As he goes into another world, a world safer than the one he has left behind.

Like anyone who idolised him, I feel like I’ve lost a relative. I feel like I’ve lost my guide and my friend. When your hero goes, a part of you goes with them. Which part goes? Which part stays? Right now, I feel like that toddler who cannot sleep who just wishes to be in their mother’s arms with Leonard playing as I slowly fall asleep. Care free, aged three. That’s when it is all okay. Now I’m one day away from 30 and I have no idea what to do. Oh Leonard, what are we to do without you.

Your heroes teach you to be brave, to ask questions, to be yourself and to always do what feels right. But they do not tell you what to do when they go. That’s something we need to figure out on our own. I wish Lou Reed was still here, I wish Leonard was still here. I wish, I wish, I wish. Leonard’s music and his poetry has been with me for as long as I can remember, and that’s what we cling to now. We let go of the physical side and cling to what they have left us with.

Leonard said he was ready to go, but I wasn’t and won’t ever be ready to let him go.

 

GIRL TEARS: Woke Against The Tide.

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Over a week ago, the doctor explained to me why my brain hasn’t been working like it should. Why I’m losing interest in things I love, why leaving the house physically hurts and is exhausting, why everything seems too much and too loud. If you’ve got a physical ailment, you do your best to take care of yourself. But when it is a mental one, the thought of trying to do anything for yourself is overwhelming. Writing about music is the one thing I have as some form of outlet. I go through stages of wanting to carry on with it. Then other days, I really don’t care. Today I care. Today I want to write about the new Girl Tears record because it’s so bloody great. Even if I didn’t want to write about it, I would force myself. It seems that’s the only way. Anyway, enough of that. The music. That is what’s important.

I fell in love with Girl Tears a few years ago and I immediately knew that they would be one of those bands I would forever obsess over. They are loud. So loud. Brutally loud. Their songs last long enough for them to grab you by the neck and yell in your ear. For me though, I want the songs to last longer because I just love them. Everything about them is just a reminder of why I love music. If I was a wealthy person, I’d fly them over here and get them to play as many shows as possible. For now, I’ll create images of their live shows in my head.

Woke Against The Tide is their new record that came out on 28th October, and although it has 18 tracks on it- it only lasts just over 20 minutes. I can play it once in full on my journey to work but it still doesn’t feel like it is enough. It’s one of those records that I am happy to have on a loop in my ear. Everything about their new record sounds tougher and braver than their first release, Tension. Tension was a kick in the teeth. Woke Against The Tide feels like you’re annihilating your soul. There’s nothing wrong with this, sometimes it just has to be done.

Trying to pick my favourite song off the record is too tough, and my current inability to make a decision without working myself into a panic attack just isn’t worth the trouble. Every song is wonderfully aggressive and to be honest, if the songs lasted longer than 2 minutes I really don’t think it would feel the song. The songs are like punches to the face. The songs are polar opposites to how Kam, Tristan and Sal are. The fury and the sheer loudness in the songs makes you want to start your own band, and make your own noise. Do it. There’s no right or wrong noise.

Girl Tears are like that cool relative that lead you gently by the arm and guide you to a world of music you may not have found on your own. Their music takes you to a world that is so decadent yet sacred. They don’t sound like any band that I know of- past or present. Sure there’s slight influences of certain bands, but all they do is entirely their own and that is even more prominent on this record than on Tension. Tension was a beautiful introduction to an equally beautiful band. But with Woke Against The Tide, what you hear is 3 people sure of their sound. 3 people sure of how they want to deafen and amaze the listener. And trust me, they do exactly that. It’s a pure Punk record from start to finish.

Kam’s vocals on Lost Love are my favourite. I love the desperation in his voice and how he makes you cling on to every single word he screams. Sal and Tristan both make me wish I could play the drums or bass. Kam is also a menace on the guitar. I am so proud of what they have done with this record and how they’ve created a gorgeous atmosphere on it. It leads wonderfully from Tension, and regardless of how many times a day I listen to it, I keep finding different parts of the record to love. It’s so easy to go back and listen to it over and over again. When you do this, you notice different things and your favourite song or your favourite moment on the record changes. Like I mentioned, I cannot pick a favourite and I’m okay with that- it just means I can keep on listening. Over and over, and finding new things to love. You notice more when you approach a record like this rather than being dead set on trying to find one song to obsess over.

Woke Against The Tide is a real tense listen, but nothing good comes from being settled and easy. Every song is a shockwave through the body. Made up of parts that will leave you feeling bruised but satisfied.

VADAAT CHARIGIM.

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As I have slept for most of the day (I went to the gym so I could say I did leave the house) I wanted to write about a band that leave you in a sleepy/dreamy state. Not as relaxed as Beach House but not as loud as My Bloody Valentine. Something in the middle, swaying to either side- depending on which song tugs at your heartstrings and ears the most.

Vadaat Charigim sing in Hebrew. I don’t understand Hebrew but I know I love the music, and it sounds beautiful with the music. It works. It works really, really well. But why wouldn’t it? From what I have read about the band, there is a lot of frustration, truth and questioning in their songs. The desire to escape. Something which I have been feeling for a long time. I’ll get the guts so I can get out of this destructive rut, but right now I have nothing. Which is why I guess I cling onto things like finding some hope and understanding in music- regardless of the language it is sung in. That’s the power and beauty of music- there are no boundaries. That’s how any form of art should be. So long as it is honest- that’s all that matters.

As I don’t understand the lyrics, I find other things to love about Vadaat Charigim. Lyrics are a huge thing for me, but with this band I find it so easy to love every part of their music. The vocals have this gorgeous vulnerability to them and irrespective of not being able to understand the lyrics, you do pick up on where the frustrations within the song lies. You can pick up on moments of despair, loss and joy. The songs are a wealth of emotions and for a band to allow you to feel them with one obvious barrier- that makes them worthy of more respect than your average.

For me Vadaat Charigim capture the early sounds of Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine and Swervedriver. The gentle sounds and the sheer delicate vocals make Vadaat Charigim such an easy band to fall in love with. The soothing tones and the way the guitar has this constant hypnotic groove going on just makes you feel like you’re floating above everything and everyone. You feel like you’ve escaped to this world where everything is gentle and secure- the total opposite of real life. There is nothing wrong with needing this form of escapism, and I really wouldn’t trust anyone who didn’t seek that feeling out from time to time at all. We all need it, regardless of how tough you claim to be. Just like your mind wander off wherever it feels like when you listen. Just go with it.

I think their latest release may have been Sinking As A Stone which came out last year. The songs are comforting but heavy at times. The heaviness hits in all the right places and comes mainly from the drums, with the guitar intertwining with it all. The vocals as mentioned, are gentle. They feel like a peacemaker amongst the riots in the songs.  Vadaat Charigim are the ideal band to listen to through headphones and zone out to. They take you some place truly magical and although the topics in the songs can be quite intense, you find other parts of the songs to ease it all. The band have been quoted stating that some of their songs are about being stuck. I guess by knowing this, I have found the right band at the right time.

The band are playing a free show tomorrow night at the Shacklewell Arms.

THE DAMNED: New Rose.

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“I got a feeling inside of me
It’s kind of strange like a stormy sea.”

 

I’ve always felt like I was born at the wrong time. I wasn’t made for ’86 onwards. I was made for at least a decade before, but that’s only if you have the misfortune of looking through the band shirts I own and the records on my shelves. I think my head is there also, it’s never where it is probably meant to be. Let’s go back 40 years.

22nd October 1976, The Damned released their first 7” single- New Rose. The B-side was a cover of Help! By The Beatles. The Damned very quickly became one of the most important and easily, one of the best Punk bands to have ever formed. For me, I loved how strange they were and how their sound was unlike anything I had heard before. I can’t remember how old I was or where I was when I first listened to them, but I’m pretty sure it was my stepdad that got me into them. I love the video to New Rose. I love the close ups of Dave Vanian’s face and his black lipstick. He looked like a handsome Dracula who not much wanted blood but the souls of those who were going to give themselves over to The Damned.

I love the nod to Leader of the Pack by The Shangri-Las in the intro followed by the battle cry drumming which is brought together with a collective  yelp. This iconic intro to New Rose is one of the best I’ve ever heard and any time you hear it, you cannot help but join in. It’s such an important song for Punk. They’re such an important band, and they embodied frustrations in their own way and unleashed it so well on their first record. Their first record for me, is one of the best Punk records ever made. It’s got this raw sound flowing through it that isn’t found in a lot of the Punk records that came out around that time. The Damned took it further. They made it creepy, sinister but approachable. Nothing about them was vulgar or obnoxious (by no means am I saying any of the other bands were) but they could still shock someone’s parents if they weren’t of the liberal kind. The Damned were and are brilliant misfits who gave you a sound to belong to. What I found in their debut record is something I hadn’t found elsewhere before and New Rose started all of that.

Much like the Dead Boys, The Damned were “young, loud and snotty.” The absolute best way to be, especially for a rowdy Punk band. New Rose has been labelled as the UK’s first Punk single and it immediately set a standard that only a few could reach. Whatever The Damned intended to do with New Rose, I am pretty sure they have done. They influenced a wealth of bands and I’m fairly sure that they still do. I play my copy of Damned Damned Damned on a daily basis. I put my record player on most mornings as I get ready for work and I always seem to reach for this one. There is something about it that smacks you in the particulars and gets you ready to get out the house.  A month after New Rose was released, the Sex Pistols released Anarchy In The UK. Both bands have played such a vital role not just for what they did for Punk but for music in general. Rowdy in different ways, both demanded to be heard, again in their own way. Both bands were made to be played loud and 40 years on, we are finding ways and reasons to play them louder than before.

40 years have passed since New Rose was released on Stiff Records. A song that took pretty much only a day to record holds a legacy that not much can compare to. The Damned started something with New Rose that could never, and will never be finished.

OS NOCTÀMBULOS.

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Sometimes I find a band that I spend ages listening to thinking I can write some words about them that I think do them justice. Then I have those times where I don’t even think one semi-decent sentence is enough. That’s how I feel about the band I’m listening to right now. Whatever I write about them will not convey just how incredible they really are, just so you know. So you might as well not bother reading this and just go listen to Os Noctàmbulos right away.

Os Noctàmbulos are one of the finest bands right now roaming the mean streets of Paris. Their sound is dark, intense and like a seductive blow to the brain. It’s like meeting your dream person and falling in love instantly. Over and over. They make the kind of music that’ll make your body gently sway and your mind float away. They don’t sound like anything else you’ve heard in a long time, probably. I first heard of them a while back on my copy of the Vegetarian Meat compilation. I heard them and I was hooked, and delved into all they’ve done. Their sultry and relaxed sound is perfect for those who are content with taking something slightly sinister yet toned down over straight up noise. They sound like a real 60s Garage Rock band. If Paris had a sound, it would be these guys. I wandered round Paris once, a few years ago. Around some graveyards and record stores. I found a copy of Count Five’s Psychotic Reaction and felt like I had won the lottery. Os Noctàmbulos evoke that beautiful atmosphere that Paris conjures up on a damp November day. I also ate too many cheese sandwiches that day.

For me, these guys are one of those band that again, combine everything I love and want from music- and make it their own. Over the summer they released Stranger. Stranger is a group of solid songs that will set you off into a trance. Spin, whirl and fall into a deep trance. Don’t snap out of it, just keep falling into it. Fall into these hypnotic 60s grooves. This is the kind of band my mum would probably dig, and that’s not an insult. Far from it.

Stranger is one of the most underrated records of the year and if I decide to list my favourite records of the year in a few months, I’ll definitely have this in my top 5. Although I am rubbish at making a decision, I am sure of the music I have loved this year and Os Noctàmbulos are one of the bands that have truly blown whatever is left of my mind this year.

I love music that makes you feel like you’re in a certain place, a city. Sometimes a place you’ve never been, sometimes somewhere entirely familiar. Os Noctàmbulos do take you into the unknown but they also have a familiar sound about them. I know my obsession for them will grow and probably spiral out of control, but I don’t care. I’ve never seen them live, but I am fairly sure that their live shows would be nothing short of perfect and inspiring.

Regardless of what you’re into, I’m pretty sure that Os Noctàmbulos will appeal to you. Something in their lyrics and in the music will stir something inside of you, like they did to me. I can only hope they do. Sure they’ll make you want to start a band, any decent band will make you feel that way but if anything, Os Noctàmbulos will make you want to invest all your free time in finding as much music as possible and going to as many shows as possible. Bands like this don’t come around often- treasure them dearly.

The majestic and magnetic sounds of Os Noctàmbulos will send you off where you need to go in no time. Don’t let anyone interrupt or take that feeling from you.