Tag Archives: Bristol

IDLES: Joy As An Act Of Resistance.

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“If someone talked to you
The way you do to you
I’d put their teeth through
Love yourself.”

 

A band like Idles don’t need me or anyone really, to tell you how amazing they are. What you need to know about them is that they are the most important band in this country. If you’re looking for a band that will unleash all your rage, if you’re looking for a band that’ll expose what makes us all vulnerable- then you NEED Idles. You just need them. It’s all well and good to love a band, but when you get to the point of needing them- don’t ever let that go. Don’t be afraid of it either.

Joy As An Act Of Resistance came out on Friday, but I wanted to listen to the record a few times before I declared my love for it. I wanted to process everything about this record before I delved into this absolutely beautiful, brutal and powerful record. It’s a record everyone needs to hear and pay attention to. The lyrics need to be heard at all costs.

Idles are a band that are incapable of making songs that aren’t important or that do not need to be heard with urgency. Joy is a record that exudes everything I want from a record. You can call it Punk, you can lob this into any genre you want but first and foremost- call it honest. Every song oozes this truth that may make a listener squirm at time but the most part, you’ll see yourself in these beautifully honest songs. Take the song, June for instance. I can’t relate to it, but my god I can pick up on the pain there. That pain hits you right in the heart and just breaks you. The way Joe uses his words on this song are just…I honestly don’t feel like I have the right to touch on this song. All I can do is just admire his fragility in this song and the way he lays out his experience. I’m utterly proud of him, and the band.

There are so many important songs on this record. They all are, but we all know just how vital the song Danny Nedelko is (Danny is the lead singer of Heavy Lungs) which touches on immigration. The chants and the heavy guitar on this song just blow my mind- and I can’t get enough of how brilliant Joe is as a songwriter. He’s obviously one of the greatest frontmen of our generation. He is someone to just be in awe of with his words. I could easily write an essay on brilliant a writer he is. Maybe that’ll happen at some point.

Love Song is probably my favourite. I love the devotion in the lyrics, and how the band make it sound quite sinister. I guess if someone didn’t really know the band, they’d think they were a bunch of stalkers. But really, it’s just an excellent ode to the one you love. I love the way Joe sings, “Look at the card I bought. It says “I love you.” It’s definitely the way Joe sings this line that adds a proper comical value to it.

Before I wrap this up, I need to talk about Samaritans. The song reflects on how the notion of masculinity has become quite toxic. For far too long, men have been programmed to not cry or talk about their feelings. But what’s one of the biggest killers of men? Suicide. We cannot turn a blind eye to this. We cannot keep turning people away who need help- gender should not matter in this. We should all feel like we can talk about what is hurting us. The lyrics may be simple, but this is what makes them hit home. They don’t need to create something over the top to make a point. They do it in their way, and their way makes you bloody well listen. Cry To Me is a song that you need to play almost immediately after. Just read the lyrics, and you’ll understand why. It’s one of the best covers I’ve ever heard.

Joy is a masterpiece. It is a body of work that has songs that just need to be heard. I’m toying constantly with what song I love the most, and I should stop- I know. But I can definitely tell you that Television hits home a lot. My level of self-confidence and self belief is laughable, but this songs makes me feel alright. Just a little, and you know.. I can’t ask for more than that.

We spend far too much time pulling each other apart, this record is a form of reassurance that we aren’t alone. It’s a record that is just so vital. Play it to kids in school so they understand it’s okay to not always be okay. Play it in the workplace to use as a method to encourage people to talk. Play it to your loved ones so neither of you feel alone again. I could tell you to play it loud- but the most important thing to do, is to just listen.

I’m aware that this could have been written better or I could have touched on other things within the record, but that’s probably for others to do who do not have such a personal attachment. It’s a phenomenal record that everyone must hear. Not just because of how brilliant it is, but because of everything it represents.

MANY MONIKA.

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Photo taken by Steph Third

 

With it getting really hot out, I should probably be listening to something gentle or something that makes me feel like I’m drinking a Whisky Sour on the beach somewhere. I’m not that kind of person really so I’m obviously going to write about someone who makes beautifully dark and twisted music. The best kind.

Bristol is home of some excellent bands 2:54 grew up there, Candy Darling, Spectres and Oh,The Guilt to name a few. I’ve named ones I’m a huge fan of, and to add to that list is Many Monika. Within the first minute of listening to Many Monika I thought of one band-Sparks. Sparks were a band that were a massive part of my childhood, so to hear someone sound just a little like them is always going to win me over. Despite how it comes across, I’m not completely fickle or easily swayed. Too stubborn, but I always listen. Even if I’m looking the other way. Anyway, we move on.

https://soundcloud.com/manymonika/youre-too-humble

As I’m somewhat hit and miss with how I describe music, here are Sean’s words on what Many Monika is about: “I play music influenced by Velvet Underground and Placebo but there’s a slight twist in that I’m actually a guy but I make the music as a woman and it actually sounds a lot like a woman too.”
When Sean hits those high notes over this divine lo-fi sound, it just sounds like a clash of everything I love. Part of me thinks that this is what Kate Bush would sound like if she made a Garage Rock record.

The songs are heavy, dark and they make you feel as if you’re strutting around alleyways when you really shouldn’t. You’re Too Humble reminds me so much of Sally Can’t Dance and I’m Waiting For The Man by Velvet Underground. It’s got this feel of classy smuttiness throughout, and let’s be honest-some of the best songs ever written have that feel. It feels like a Marquis De Sade tale, and that’s perfectly fine by me. The core of all things I love are partially twisted and a bit strange, and I think Many Monika sum this up brilliantly. Casting gender aside, I’m in awe of the high notes. Man, woman and all in between- I’m in awe of how high they are and it isn’t done in an overbearing way. It’s so so cool, and I’m again annoyed I have no musical talent.

There’s this underlying attitude in the songs that make you feel as if you’re walking down the street with Holly Woodlawn on one side of you, and Lou Reed on the other circa 1972 on a hot summer day in New York City. You’re anywhere but where you are when you listen to Many Monika, and that’s all part of the charm. Many Monika are really unlike anything else I’ve heard in a long time. There’s something so appealing about their music that just keeps you hooked. Bristol is evidently home of some fantastic musicians, and Many Monika are up there with them. These are the kinds of songs some lost kid stuck in a dead-end town needs to hear, as a push towards getting out. You can, and will get out. Hell..if I can- anyone can! Pick some songs, pack a bag and get out.

https://soundcloud.com/manymonika/nut-job

Many Monika’s music is a journey through the things were are a bit too timid to go near, but the music gives you courage and before you know it- you’re right there.

You can listen to some of their sounds right here: https://manymonika.bandcamp.com/releases

Many Monika will be playing at the Trinity Garden Party this Sunday at 3:45pm. Sean also has his own night (called DIVE) at Crofters Rights, the next one being 30th May.

 

OH,THE GUILT.

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Sometimes you hear something by a band, and you immediately want to go to the place where it was created in order to feel the music on a different level and to understands what it was born from. Bristol is home to several bands I’m obsessed with (Spectres, Candy Darling and 2:54 are originally from there also.) These 3 bands in their own right create creepy music and have a handful of songs that could terrify the meek. Bristol has always in some respects been ahead of bands in other places. The eerie sound comes naturally, and as someone who seems to only really fall for music like this- Oh,The Guilt are ideal.

Oh, The Guilt are described as “Post-Punk.” I’ve never been sure of what that means, where it came from or why it exists, but in this instance I’ll go with it. Much against my hatred of labeling things. I can forgo it here. Oh, The Guilt have a real heavy and somber feel to their music and that’s probably why I instantly loved their sound. The guitar sounds like something Rowland S Howard would be proud of. There’s something quite menacing about their music, and I hope (and believe) it comes across in their live shows. I’ve yet to see them, but if anyone wants to pay for my train fare to Bristol next month so I can see them and Candy Darling then, I’d be really grateful and I’ll make you pizza. Desire to see this band live aside, on record they sound like a band that have been around for ages. When a band can have such a perfected sound instantly, it makes you believe in them more than most. Besides, any band that supports Chelsea Wolfe is going to be nothing short of great anyway.

I like music that isn’t afraid to test the listener and to take them out of their comfort zone. There’s nothing worse than listening to something that makes you feel totally safe. I want to hear something that will probably give me nightmares and make me question everything around me. That’s what is part of the charm with Oh,the Guilt. They don’t make you feel reassured or that you aren’t being chased round a desolate building. I always go back to it, but if something can make me feel like the Seventeen Seconds record by The Cure then I know I’ve found something I’m going to love for a long, long time. Oh, The Guilt have that hypnotic and chilling sound that would make anyone want to start their own band. It’s a grand sound without being overpowering. The drums remind me of the heaviness of Sleep and the first 2:54 record. It’s full of doom and I love it. This is the kind of music you listen to when it is cold, grey and murky outside. This won’t make you feel like the summer is here, far from it. This is what you blast through your headphones and imagine yourself in some frightening forest as someone chases you around the towering trees and as branches claim parts of your clothing, you’re unsure if you are going to get out. It’s all in your mind, so that one is all on you.

I could quite happily write thousands of words about this wonderful 3-piece, but I’ll save it for when their EP comes out on 19th March.

You can pre-order it here: https://ohtheguilt.bandcamp.com/track/watch-yrself-2 and you will receive the decadent and wonderful Watch Yrself straight away. If you’re lucky enough to live in Bristol, they are doing an EP launch show on the same date with Candy Darling  and The Plainviews playing also at The Stag And Hounds. Tickets are only £5.50.

CANDY DARLING- Going Straight

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I remember when I first heard The Birthday Party; I wasn’t immediately taken in by Nick Cave’s vocals. It was Rowland S Howard’s guitar that lured me in. He could make it sound abusive and sad. At once and separately. His solo records do exactly the same. How does this link in with Candy Darling? Easily. Singer, Emily Breeze reminds me so much of Jonnine Standish who sang with Rowland on the haunting (I Know) A Girl Called Jonny.

Going Straight is a to the point and hugely fragile song. The drums make the song sound dark and create a massively tense build up throughout this song. Emily’s voice is so pure and delicate, yet powerful in all the right places. She has the strength in her voice that is found in the likes of Shirley Manson to Patti Smith. She can be as tough as you like but isn’t afraid to be vulnerable with her words. For me, that’s what makes a band/singer easy to relate to. You pick up on the pain and hope in this song, it comes through so clearly and beautifully in Emily’s voice. It’s a cross between a 4am chant with your best friend as you stumble home and falling apart on your own at unholy o’clock when nobody it around. Going Straight will break your heart and will probably make you take an overdue look at yourself. Maybe you’ll hate what you see, but there’s something about this song that pulls you back in. As you’re teetering on the edge, something about this song just slaps you in the face and you’re as alright as you can be. Have your tomorrow to start again.

Candy Darling released the wonderfully trashy Money last July, and now they’re about to show you a different side with their latest single, Going Straight. This song has the power to really mean a lot to whoever hears it. It can be their crutch, and goodness knows we all need one from time to time.

You can stream the single here, along with the b-side Waves:

http://soundcloud.com/candydarling1/going-straight

Going Straight is to Candy Darling as to what Heroin was to the Velvet Underground. Listen to the tracks back to back, and you’ll get what I mean. Their sound can be brutal but on Going Straight they show a side that is slightly tame but with ferociousness to Emily’s voice. Basically, I adore this band.

When you cling onto nothingness, you start to feel as if you’re nothing and have nothing at all left. Then songs like this come around and you don’t feel like scum. You feel alright with the bad, and you’ll take the good whenever it comes back around. Thank goodness for Candy Darling.

SPECTRES.

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The best kind of music is the kind that terrifies you. You play it before you go to sleep and before you know it, you are having the most painful and obscure dreams possible.  It terrifies you, but you don’t jolt yourself awake. You want to see where it takes you and how long you can stomach it for.

A large chunk of the records I own have become important to me because of the artwork. The front cover can sometimes define the mood of a record, and Dying by Spectres full backs this idea up, but the beauty is that you must take it your own way. When you stare at the front cover, a load of ideas run through your mind as to what is going on. Is he killing himself in the bath? Is he being killed? How is he feeling? There is terror and mystery. Two things which can sum up Spectres sound.

Dying is a great record. No. It is a phenomenal record. I can’t tell you the ideal situation to listen to it, but you MUST zone everything out and ignore everyone around you when you listen to it.

Ideally this would have been some kind of review of their record, but I must tell you all I possibly can about how they make the listener feel, or maybe just me. Who knows. Last night they played The Lexington. I had every desire to go to the show after work, but I was off sick again with another migraine. Pretty sure they would have cured it.

Spectres are loud, brutal, dark, sinister, cold and creepy. It is everything I want from a band. This Bristol based band remind me of bands I adore such as Sleep and Noothgrush. There’s some kind of doom/sludge thing happening here with distorted sounds a la My Bloody Valentine. Heavy guitars, menacing drums and haunting vocals. Massively sinister, think a slightly calmer version of Pop.1280. They’re my favourite new band, make them yours too.

Their songs feel like really twisted and proper evil horror films. The kind of films that won’t be shown in chain cinemas. Spectres have this brilliant way of demanding your attention without being pricks. A lot of bands want all of your attention, and it comes across quite needy and irritating. Spectres know you’ll turn onto them eventually so they don’t need to plead you. This is the kind of band I love.

I love when you find a band that make you feel as if you’ve gone too far or you’re damaging your ears by listening to them. I don’t want arty farty love songs that mean nothing to me. I want brutally charged songs that would raise a concern with anyone who claims to know me. I want terror to fill my brain as soon as I hit play. They take you away from the horrors (and dullness) of every day life. They take you to some forbidden place, an unconventional meeting place for those who do not wish to be part of what they are constantly sold.

I wish I could have seen them last night as I probably would have more to say, I would have seen first hand what the atmosphere is like. But, I guess a strong band can maintain that tension regardless, I’m 100% sure Spectres can do that, and DO do that.

Everything about Spectres is mesmerising, I cannot pin point one thing that stands out. I’m in love with the artwork, the guitars, the noise, the vocals, the loudness, how a sound like this cannot be tamed. They’ve magically and majestically created the sound to your nightmares, and being “shit your pants” terrified has never sounded so good.

Their record is easily going to be one of the highlights of the year, and a sound like this just doesn’t go away. It gets bigger and louder.

CANDY DARLING.

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Sometimes you hear something, and within seconds you know it is one of the greatest things you’ve exposed your ears to. It’s probably how most felt when they heard the likes of the Velvet Underground to Frank Zappa. If it slightly weird, there’s a good chance it’ll be bloody brilliant. Who wants to hear songs about how a person gives you butterflies anyway? No thanks.

Candy Darling (yes, named after one of Warhol’s supertars) are from Bristol. Candy Darling have that beautiful, filthy sound that is in the likes of Little Death Machine, Wax Idols with a hint of Lou Reed’s Transformer. Their sound is brilliantly weird and thankfully unlike anything you are forced to listen to. There’s a smutty fuzzy sound flowing through their debut single, Money.Which I guess fits the notion that those with a lot of money have a tendency to be corrupt and depraved. But aren’t we all to an extent. We just don’t show it.

Candy Darling have a fabulous trashy feel to their music; Money is the kind of song you’ll have stuck in your head for days, just itching to yell the chorus at someones face. You should do it, there’s nothing wrong with a public display of recklessness and lack of self-control. Don’t be shy about it. I’d imagine their live shows are dark, wild and deeply enthralling. You don’t need an acoustic guitar to grip a crowd. Be loud, be bold and be what your peers turn their noses up at. Candy Darling are a band I’d typically love, they’ve got something really magical about them that I love.

The b-side to Money is Temples. Temples shows just how strong and gorgeous Emily’s voice is. Temples has a proper 80s Goth-ish kind of thing going on. As you know The Jesus And Mary Chain are touring in November (some of us have spent £100 on tickets and feel mighty good about it!) and I think it is safe to say that Candy Darling would be an ideal opening act. Temples is like the Psychocandy record with synths; it’s just incredible and all I want from a band. Emily’s voice on Temples reminds me of Shirley Manson on Garbage’s Version 2.0 record. It is strong, moving and captivating.

With music seeming to be more and more throwaway, it’s bands like Candy Darling who kick some meaning and purpose into it at all. If you can move people, make them think, do anything other than stand still then you’ve created something worth treasuring- which is exactly what Candy Darling have done. With just one single (that’s not even out yet) they’ve become one of the best new bands of the year. The ideal band to hear in dark and cramped basement bar to just lose a bit of your mind to.

They only formed a yer ago, but everything about them just makes you think they’ve been together for decades. Quite simply, one of the best bands in this country.

You can order a copy of Money here: http://candydarlingmusic.bandcamp.com/releases it is out 1st September. Treat yourself to some pink vinyl.

And you can listen to Money/Temples here: https://soundcloud.com/candydarling1