Tag Archives: Music

GROSS NET/GIRLS NAMES. The Lexington. 19th February 2016.

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I shouldn’t have gone out last night. I’m ill, I guess. But not in a conventional “I have a cold” kind of way but in a “no one knows what’s wrong with me, I’m in pain and I want to cry” kind of me. Apparently it’s the nerves in my neck. I’m a clumsy fucker at the best of times, but I know I’ve not done anything recently to warrant doing such damage. Although, I have a slight disregard for my general well-being so who knows! Standing for a few hours was the dumbest thing I could have done, and I’ve only just managed to get out of bed. I’ve got my own playlist sorted for my MRI scan next week/week after, and as someone who can’t sit still I’ve most definitely picked the wrong kind of songs to listen to. Moving on and pain aside. Gross Net. Girls Names. Last night.

Gross Net is Phil from Girls Names making a lot of noise and probably terrifying the crowd. In certain places, I’m sure they wouldn’t “get” it. Places like London and Manchester would and did. As Gross Net, Phil pretty much seems like a young Nick Cave circa Boys Next Door/The Birthday Party. When he’s not holding his guitar, he grips the mic and flails it around as if his life depends on it. Seeing a band or singer expose themselves like this what makes them believable and it is what makes them so easy to relate to. To make his set even better, I got a song dedication. If I was in a band, I’d probably pick people out and aim songs at them. Be fruity kids, it’s fine. With a knowing point and my name spoken through the mic, Phil rips into a song that I was pretty pleased to have dedicated to me. He closed his set with a song for those on the dole. I’m fairly sure most weren’t expecting this kind of declaration on a Friday night, but who cares. I loved every minute of it, and I was immediately back in 2010-2011 when I spent too much time on the dole and having my soul crushed by the job centre every Friday for £70 a week. I coped, just about. Time changes everything to an extent. Phil ends this song screaming into the mic in the crowd, as the end of the song draws near he places the mic around the neck of a bewildered person in the crowd and walks off. The guy had no idea what to do, gave it a few minutes and removed the mic from his neck and placed it on the ground. Far too polite.

I’ve been a fan of Girls Names for ages but this was the first time seeing them live. I was immediately drawn to bassist, Claire and how she is probably one of the best bassist I’ve ever seen. Now, if I was going to list my favourite live bands I would easily put Girls Names in the top 5. Maybe it’s because they were playing one of the best venues in the country or maybe, maybe it’s because they are just so fucking(sorry) good. I firmly believe that when you go to a gig, you should leave wanting to start a band. Girls Names did more than this. I felt like I was watching The Fall or The Jesus And Mary Chain for the first time. I felt like I had gone back in time and I was anywhere but in London. Maybe I was in the depths of Berlin or maybe I was in an alleyway in Manchester; I don’t know. But I do know that gigs like this just stick in my mind for a long, long time.

What I loved about their show last night was that each person in the band got their chance to show us all what they’re made of. I loved during the encore Phil was going into Claire’s bass as if he was telling her to get out of his space. It was in a sibling kind of way- a gentle shove and neither was going to back down. Cathal was ramming his guitar into the speaker behind him giving off this excess feedback which just made you wish the show wasn’t about to end. Gib was beating the crap out of the drums with such fury. These Belfast bruisers make enough noise for anyone to go slightly deaf, and that’s part of the charm. If a band is wonderfully and obnoxiously loud, I’ll probably love them. Girls Names last night easily cemented why they are probably one of the best bands around. I could go on for ages about how great they were and hope they just sum up everything I love about music. They have a sound that I’m always looking for. They remind me of bands I love such as Bauhaus and Cold Cave but they also sound like nothing else. They are a band to be treasured and seen at any chance one gets.

On record they are noisy but I firmly believe that Girls Names are one of those bands that you just have to see, and sometimes London crowds have a rep of being a bunch of stale dicks but in this case, they really weren’t. This was one of the best crowds I’ve seen and I’m fairly sure that’s part of what made the show last night nothing short of perfect. Their dark but entirely comforting sound may be a turn off for those who want conventional and tame sounds- don’t surround yourself with people who want that. Go find those who aren’t afraid to be engulfed by sounds so dark, creepy and loud. Let the sounds rip through you and let the lyrics make you question everything, and everyone. They’re the kind of band I wish I was in. I’ve said it loads but this is the kind of music I’d probably make if I had any musical talent.

Go see them, let them deafen you and buy one of Phil’s “reasonably priced tapes.”

BLACK-Wonderful Life.

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“Here I go out to sea again.
The sunshine fills my hair,
And dreams hang in the air.”

With the painfully sad news that the singer Colin Vearncombe aka Black died this evening and with Wonderful Life turning 30 this year, I felt the need to write about the first song I remember hearing at a very young age and it leaving a lasting impression on me. I managed to find a copy of the record of the same title a few years ago for £1, and I think it’s signed. I was so happy to find it.

There were two songs that I remember always hearing when I was very young- Groove Is In The Heart and Wonderful Life. I can happily recite Q-Tip’s rap to you and copy the dance to the song, no problem (I might need the help of a Long Island Iced Tea or 4 before I do this.) However, Wonderful Life ended up being the song that I first felt an emotional and I guess spiritual connection with. The song felt like, and always will feel like a soulmate to me. Everything about the song oozes sadness and joy at once. The way Colin sings this song fills you with hope but also breaks your heart. I’ve said many times that I want this playing at my funeral, I just think the whole sentiment of the song is gorgeous and reassuring. I play this song when everything seems a bit too much and it’s got me through my own take om Hell numerous of times. It eases any kind of suffering a person may feel.

Wonderful Life opened me up to just how fragile life is and how delicate people can be. The chorus is simple but still feels like a philosophical phrase to live by. Maybe we should, we’d probably be happier with ourselves and what we have.

I’m fairly sure that on my first holiday I can remember to Italy to see my dad’s family, I subjected everyone in the car to this song constantly. Maybe I sang the wrong words, maybe I didn’t. In a way, it reminds me of my childhood and hearing it at such a young age made me realise the urgency of life and how easy it can come and go. I learnt a lot from this song, some of it I keep to myself but the rest is pretty obvious.

I’ve always wished I could write something as beautiful as this song, and I know it is so simply done. But maybe that’s why it is a stroke of genius and such a loved song. It can like I mentioned, break your heart entirely but some of the lyrics just fill you with joy and the hope that it all turns out alright, because for the most part it does.

I suppose you can create your own meaning with the song. Maybe it is a painfully sad song, maybe it’s about an invisible friend or maybe it’s a declaration of being alright with being on your own. I have no idea. My take on it changes all the time, but I’ll always be sure that this is one of my favourite and one of the greatest songs of all time.

“No need to run and hide,
It’s a wonderful wonderful life.”

DAVID BOWIE.

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“I never done good things
I never done bad things
I never did anything out of the blue.”

Loss is something we all have to eventually deal with. It can come in different forms, but it hurts. It doesn’t matter if it is a relative, a pet or a musician you idolised. I’ve cried over musicians dying more than I can count. I cried over Aaliyah, John Peel, Amy Winehouse,Joey Ramone and Lou Rees dying. I didn’t cry when my dad died. Why? Many reasons, but the main one being that music was and is my crutch. Those mentioned have been a vital part in shaping me, helping me become whoever and whatever I am today. It can change but music is a solid.

Like anyone with ears and a heart, I’m fucking upset about David Bowie dying. Just like Lou, he was meant to outlive us all. But like Lou, he was from somewhere else that humans don’t tread. However, I feel like a fraud for being upset. I was never a big fan of Bowie’s. I don’t own any of his records but I hand on heart, regard him as a genius. I don’t know why I’m not a huge fan like everyone else. We throw around the term “genius” far too often and sometimes, we use it way out of context and in a few months time regret our choice of words. This cannot be said about David. I was never drawn to his music completely but I was fascinated with his sense of style, his face, the way he explored who he was and made it alright for us misfits to not fit in. He made it completely and utterly alright for us to be a bit odd. Why would you want to be like everyone else anyway? I’m not one for wanting children at all, that doesn’t appeal to me. Even more so now because why would you want to bring a child into the world with no Lou Reed and no David Bowie? There’s really no point.

 

Everyone has a record that changed their life and somehow made them who they are/showed them how to accept themselves. For me, Transformer by Lou Reed is that record. I listened to Satellite Of Love on my journey to work today. I just wanted to hear David’s voice on it because it is truly one of the greatest things to happen to music. The record is perfect from start to finish and the production is flawless. David’s voice on Satellite Of Love takes you further than Lou. He hits those high notes and you’re unsure of what is happening to you, so you keep on hitting repeat. It’s the one moment on that record where you take your attention away from Lou. Sorry Lou, I’m sure you understand. His work on The Idiot by Iggy Pop is phenomenal. I fell for the producer in him, he could do no wrong and he projected his genius onto others- especially in these two records. Two records that captured Berlin perfectly. Two records that made outcasts feel just fine with themselves.

 

 

We all have that one singer or band that become our piece of solitude, our safety net. For so many, David Bowie was understandably theirs. He had no boundaries with his words but you can tell a lot of thought and care went into them. He felt accessible but you knew that he was not human. He was made of something else. Something that no other has ever or will ever possess. He made you see the world in an almost innocent way. Child-like in a way. His honesty, his sensitivity and care in his words could comfort anybody. The world is better because of him but we’re all a little lost because he’s no longer here.
We don’t say goodbye to people like David Bowie. We simply wish them goodnight and a safe,peaceful journey as they make their way onto some place else. There’s another life for him, you, me, everyone. He’s just gone there before us.

JUSTJOSEPH.

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Yesterday afternoon on my lunch break, I took a typical stroll through Camden. Normally I get annoyed by the amount of people who don’t look where they are going. The ones that stop right in front of you to take a photo of a bus. You don’t need a photo of the 253 bus, just get that off Google if you feel the need. But yesterday, I blocked it all out as I was walking past the station. I heard this sound. This heavenly sound. I felt like I was dreaming, like something had hit my soul and dragged something out. It was a strange feeling, and not one I’m used to on a lunchtime.

The sound came from a guy sat down just by Camden Town station. He had the guitar in his hands and was creating something truly gorgeous. I couldn’t stop for long as I had to do some things before I went back to work. I made a mental note of his name and made a vow to myself to find his music, and write about it. My only foolish act yesterday afternoon was not buying the CD he had with him. Joseph, if you see this- I am sorry and I promise if I see you in the streets of Camden again I will buy a CD.

JustJoseph was the guy sat outside the station making this gorgeous sound. It felt like Beach House but without the words. As calming as Boards Of Canada- I was in my idea of heaven. You can call his style ambient if you wish to label it. I wouldn’t know what to label it as, I don’t want to. All I know is that this guy is incredibly talented.

If you’re looking for music that you can escape to or to just free your mind to, then JustJoseph is the one to do it to. He makes the kind of music you would play if you can’t sleep and you’re unsure of what to do with yourself. Do you fight it or give in? If I could use one word to describe his music, I’d pick gentle. There’s a captivating delicate glow to his sound that really hits you in the heart and soul. As I’ve mentioned many times before, I am big on lyrics but with music like this-who needs words? If he or anyone sang over his music, they would take away everything you can possibly feel from his music.

His music feels like a journey you can only make on your own. This is the kind of music you play when nobody else is around. Ideally, play it through headphones and let yourself drift off some place dear to you. Create your own landscape and collapse into the perfect dream. Even the most miserable of persons could feel happiness from listening to JustJoseph.

For now, I think my favourite track is Vo. It’s just over 9 minutes long and it feels like you’re watching the sun go down, and you slowly lay down your head and fall away with the song. Where you go is all on you, keep it personal. I’d happily keep this song on a loop in my head.

At the risk of banging on about how great he is, I’ll leave it here. You can stream his sounds over on his soundcloud page:

DUSTY MUSH.

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A week or so ago I wrote about a band called Druggy Pizza. Druggy Pizza is Cédric’s other project. Where Druggy Pizza make you feel like you’ve taken something, Dusty Mush are the lead up to that. I’ll write this as if I’ve no idea that the two bands are unrelated so I don’t make any lazy comparisons.

Dusty Mush are a noisy French band. They’re the kind of band that would piss your folks off and would probably cause your neighbours to pack up and skip town. There’s slight aggression in their music but for the most part, it is really bloody loud. It’s wonderfully brutal in some parts, and for me that is part of the attraction. As a painfully shy idiot, I like to unleash it all by listening to music that is the opposite of how I am, for the most part. I like to think that if I was musically talented, I’d start a band that was weird and noisy to make up for everything I lack. Instead, I just write about it with no long term plan. Dusty Mush are perfect for you if you’re feeling a little helpless or weary. You can throw your tired limbs about to these guys without a care in the world. You can hope they come to your town so you can do this, or you’ll make do with playing them loudly in the comfort of your own home.

They’re not an easy band to get into. I mean I loved them with my first listen, but I can fully appreciate that some would listen to them and not know what the hell was going on. That’s another thing I love about music. I’m pretty sure they’re not for those who can’t handle a bit of gore in their lives. They’re a band you can only play loud in order to get into it, and I think because they are so obnoxiously loud (and I mean this is in the best way possible because it wouldn’t sound right any other way) that’s what makes them stand out. Yes there are other bands around who are loud and whatnot, but Dusty Mush are something else. Part of you feels like you’re entering a different world but another part of you feels as if you’re losing your mind. Maybe both at interchangeable moments.

Dusty Mush have this brilliant fuzzy Garage Rock sound going on, and I think that’s what makes it easy to really get lost in their music. You do feel as if something strange and beautiful is happening as you succumb to the music, but no good has ever come from fighting something like this off. I’ve said it a bunch of times before about other bands, but I reckon my hero Lester Bangs would be into these guys. Dusty Mush are one of those bands you play around this time of night, maybe a little later when everyone else has gone to bed. So you can launch yourself into whatever world you’ve created in your mind. You’ll feel like you’re in some made for TV horror film where the blood is obviously tomato sauce and the victim is being bludgeoned with again, an obviously foam hammer.

What I sincerely love about Dusty Mush is that you can’t tell where these guys are from and that’s part of the charm. They’re one of the most exciting bands I’ve heard in a long time, and I’m aware they’ve been around for some time but I get sloppy with actually writing stuff. After careful consideration and obsessive listening, I think I’ve said all I can about these guys.

Listen to their sounds and play ’em loud: http://dustymush.bandcamp.com/

RICHARD HELL

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“I know it’s hard for you to face the fact Max Factor failed your face
And that your social life’s misshapen ‘cuz you feel so out of place.”

Many will argue what defines Punk and what is Punk. Is it still alive or did it die a quick but painful death? Everyone has their own take on it. Some think it is putting a safety pin through their ear but some may regard it being a state of mind. I’m with the latter. For me it is something that goes beyond three chords and ripped jeans. Music always goes beyond what is expected, and Punk did just that. It still does that.

I can’t remember how old I was but I’d imagine I was in my teens when I first heard of Richard Hell. I heard Marquee Moon by Television and was fully aware that I was listening to something I could never be turned off from. Of course I was born too late to experience the Punk movement when it started, but I realised quite quickly that this wasn’t something I was going to let go of nor was I going to take this music lightly. I delved into the bands that Richard Hell had been involved with, but more importantly I seemed to care about what he had to say rather than what band he was in.

Over the past few years I’ve spent a fair amount of time reading his poetry, his reviews, his essays, his thoughts, his autobiography- really anything he wrote, I would track down and read religiously. The only person I’ve had this urge to really indulge in all they do is Patti Smith. For me, they are people with great minds who make you think. I’ll take someone who makes me question everything and everyone over someone who doesn’t, easily. I’m currently nearing the end of Massive Pissed Love, it’s a collection of his work from 2000-2014. I find everything he writes to be utterly captivating and it sets my mind off. He talks about topics most would shy away from and he’s not afraid to voice his opinion. From his thoughts on art to sex, he makes you think. What most would shun as a “taboo” he just gives it to you without a second thought. That is Punk.

The best way to learn anything is to experience it, but I still regard Patti Smith, Morrissey and Joey Ramone as the best teachers I ever had. They held my attention more than any teacher ever could. Richard Hell is up there too. There have been a handful of writers that really got me into poetry and lured me into always having a notebook with me in case I felt the need to unleash pathetic words onto a page. Words no one will ever see. What Richard Hell taught me was to really go from the heart and not be too cautious with where it takes me. Having a careful tongue isn’t fun. It’s alright to cross the line at times and it’s a fucking great thing to question everything around you.

Richard Hell was (and probably still is) my vision of a rebel. The way he was on stage, his words, his look- everything about him oozed something different to everyone else. You couldn’t help but really fall in love with him. I’ve read his autobiography a few times, and with each read I find something new to love and admire about him. In the 80s he pretty much stopped making music and focused on his writing. Sure I’d love a new record by Richard but he writes so beautifully that it doesn’t seem to matter. The music he did made still sounds timeless and his words still resonate with you. He was part of the ULTIMATE super group- The Heartbreakers (featuring the greatest guitarist, Johnny Thunders) and on stage or off, he had this way of just getting under your skin in the best way imaginable.

I didn’t really go into this with any idea with what I wanted to get at, I guess I just wanted to unleash my respect for the guy somehow. I’ve spent years being in awe of his way with words. He doesn’t complicate things in order for you to see things how he does. He has this Rimbaud quality to his work that can be easy to miss but when you get right into the heart of it, you can pick up the influences. But then, you go a bit deeper and realise that there is nobody else quite like him. Sure you can pick up on who has possibly influenced him, but it slowly fades away because Richard Hell is something else. He is truly something else.

His song lyrics read like perfect poetry. The kind of poetry kids should be studying in schools to free and expand their mind. If I was an English teacher, I’d be fighting for the curriculum to have his work along with Patti Smith. Punk taught me nearly everything I know. Sure I don’t know much, but there’s always the time to learn more. I learnt very early on that I always felt like an outsider and where I was, wasn’t where I should be. I never felt part of anything, but I’ll take being part of the Blank Generation any day.

 

 

2:54- Scarlet.

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Sometimes I like to go back to a song I love, dissect it and fall back in love with it. Four years ago I first heard Scarlet by 2:54, and what I heard reinforced my love for them after hearing one of their early demos, On A Wire a year or so before. Some bands you just fall in love with on first listen and what happens afterwards needs no explanation. In this case, I feel the need to try explain what it is about Scarlet that resonated with me four years ago and how it still means something.

What drew me to 2:54 about 5 years ago was the music. It had tame hints of Noothgrush and Sleep. The darkness of Melvins and the hypnotic sounds of Siouxsie. Colette’s voice reminded me of hearing Patti Smith and Garbage for the first time. The sound coming out of Hannah’s guitar took me back to hearing Seventeen Seconds by The Cure many years ago. I was being thrown back but into something completely new, and it turns out that they would become more than just another band to me.

I found 2:54’s music by accident, like most bands I’ve come to love. Their debut record was released at a time in my life where everything was a bit bleak and I was unsure of my affections until it was too late. I found parts of me in their songs that I tried to explain but in the end, I lost. What I lost was bigger than me, and there’s a wealth of blame on my shoulders that for some reason, keeps me going. Our fuck ups makes us human. Easy Undercover had a few lines that hit me in the face, sometimes a song acts as a mirror and that’s what happened. It was pointed out to me, and when I hear “If you go, you’ll never know” I am right back there. I no longer mind because music is greater than an emotion.

Scarlet was their first big song, and the video emulated everything I loved about A Forest by The Cure. The video has this gorgeous yet haunting feel to it. You felt like you had entered somewhere you probably shouldn’t and the song made you feel as if you had fallen for someone who was bad for you, but you went along with it any way. I can relate to being the bad one, or at least I used to. We all have it in us, and sometimes it slips out. Good can overrule though, if you let it. With this song you feel as if, and stay with me on this, that it isn’t really a song at all. I know most songs do tell a story and the like, but Colette (I’m assuming she did the lyrics) has created a world in this song. A world that makes you feel as if you’ve stepped into the depths of the underworld and partaking in some kind of forbidden love/lust affair. Without sounding like a right dick, it does have a real Goth feeling about it. I mean in the true meaning of the world- not wearing black clothes reciting dark poetry to waken the mind. Maybe it’s just me but this song takes me to a place and not a person. The images in my mind are the Gothic buildings that are found in Brussels etc. Cold but inviting buildings that tower over us. As we step in, this forbidden love(r) greats us.

I could be massively wrong with how I’m interpreting the song, but I get the same images and feelings constantly. You find this person who gets into your veins and bones. They bring you to life, but you’re fully aware of the bad. You want the bad and torment. Or maybe you want to be the tormentor bringing this feeling. Try both and make up your mind. Neither make you bad. As you swirl, dive and float in this underworld that this song creates in your mind you can’t help but let it fully take you over. In some respects, the whole record makes you feel like this. Scarlet was the song that turned a lot on to 2:54 and really- there couldn’t have been a better choice. Each song on their first record seems to float around it. You listen to any song after Scarlet and it all fits perfectly.

I’ve only seen them perform Scarlet live a few times, and my memory is taking me back to Manchester earlier this year. At the end of the song the band went into this instrumental that just blew my mind. It was like when Warpaint really let go to Elephants and everyone goes bananas. It was such a highlight for me because it showed just how vital each member of 2:54 are. At this point, words weren’t needed. The thrashing of instruments fully showcased how brilliant they are. Of course I would happily go to every show they ever do (money isn’t my friend) just to experience this moment on a loop and to see how others react to it. It’s a real feel good experience that just leaves you wishing you could do that.

Back slightly to what I said about the song seeming like a story. It reads like a poem. The kind of poem you can pick apart and use lines to express any lustful feeling. It has innocence to it, but the darker side of it is what should lure you in. The words are made up of curious phrases and I think that’s what set my mind off when I first heard the song. It’s a grand sounding song. Everything fits perfectly with the lyrics, and the video really does add to the mood of the song. Whether you watch the video, see it live or listen to it, there are so many elements to this song that can move you. The song is perfect to listen to in the cold weather whilst going for a walk with a threatening grey sky above you. The inevitable downpour doesn’t phase you, you’re too busy getting lost in what you can hear.

If a song can do this much in such a short amount of time, I’m pretty sure that when I go back and listen to it in 20 years or so I’ll still get the same feelings and images. There’s much more I could say about this song but I am now risking sounding like a total loon by going on about it as much as this. I guess, in short, I just really adore this song.

1995.

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The thing with music is that it can launch you right back to a place that you either want to forget or stay. You’ll never win. I’m not one for using this as a means to express private feelings, as that is what they are, I’ll turn this around as an appreciation of 1995 rather than me being confused to fuck as to how I’m meant to feel today as it is 20 years since my dad died. I didn’t have any relationship really with him, but you don’t need to know and I don’t need to spill. As I’ve gone through and found some real delights that came out in 1995. I think most of it was just pure pop toss, but let’s be honest- there’s nothing better than 90s Mariah Carey. I realised also, that my love for Garbage has been alive and well for 20 years so you know, 1995 wasn’t totally shit. I won’t really write about the songs, I think the ones I’ve chosen speak for themselves.

So here you are, my 10 favourite songs from 1995:

I am fully aware that there are some wonderful dance/pop songs I have missed. Including Rhythm Of The Night..I know. I know.

PLUTONIUM BABY.

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What you must realise that London is not the world nor is it home to all the best music. Sometimes we are tricked to believe such things, but it’s not always the case. Italy is the home to one of the most rowdy bands around, and they tower over a lot who have this kind of sound.

Plutonium Baby come from the mean streets of Rome. Their music is the soundtrack to prowling the streets out of boredom and the desire to stir up some trouble. Not always a bad thing. Italy isn’t all about Lit Fiba. Oh no! Have you heard of Modern Blossom? They’re a fine Italian band which I have written about, and Plutonium Baby are equally great.

Obviously being half Italian, I am going to have a biased opinion. But truth be told, if Plutonium Baby were from the streets of Swansea I’d still love them. The love is only greater because they’re Italian, but it’s alright. We’re not hurting anyone here.

Their songs are party anthems for the hopeless and daydreamers. The ones who gaze out of the window knowing that there is something better, and cling onto a little bit of hope that they will some day experience it.  I’m not a huge fan of synths, but these guys use them well. They don’t use it to compensate for anything. It sounds just right, it works perfectly. It adds a little bit of eeriness to the sound. Without them they easily could have sounded just like any other band. With them, they sound brilliantly creepy and cause the body to jolt in a different fashion.

I don’t know how long they’ve been going for, but they sound like they’ve been going for decades. It’s a very established sound and one you can tell they’ve worked hard to find. They’re a band to waste your Summer to. They’ve got the wonder of The Drums and that wildness in the likes of Wavves. They’ve got bags of weirdness that I can’t get enough of. They could rip apart a pool party and show the crowd how it’s done, no problem. The sheer boldness in their music is what lures you in. The vocals captivate you, and all you want to do is learn the words and scream along. That could be your task for the summer.

Their short and punchy tracks are perfect if like me, you’ve got a really shit attention span. My mind and eyes are forever wandering. Their songs don’t really stretch more than 2 and a half minutes, and they’re perfect Punk-esque anthems for the bored and for dreamers. There is something lustful about their music, a gorgeous innocence that most would overlook. Pay close attention, these guys know exactly how to get to the core of you.

If that however isn’t for you, then the music will just make you move. Supercycle is the one that’s going to get you up and smashing into things. You don’t need to be out of your mind to move like a feral beast to their songs. They enhance this desire to be free within you. They pull it all out, and by the end of it you’ll probably feel like you’ve had an outer body experience.

If you’re looking for a band to freak you out or to freak out to, then look no further than Roma’s finest; Plutonium Baby. Enter their weird, wired and wonderful world without thinking about the risks. Go head first. Go kicking and screaming. Go, go, go. But you won’t ever leave.

You can listen to/buy Welcome To The Weird World here: https://vidalocarecords.bandcamp.com/album/plutonium-baby-welcome-to-the-weird-world-lp-cd

NEW SWEARS.

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“I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself,  
Turn off my brain and put a cigarette in my mouth.”

There’s something addictive about bands who make you want to trash every room you walk in. The urgency to just destroy stuff upon hearing a song by New Swears is uncontrollable. I mean this is the best way imaginable. Sure half the time we listen to music that makes us want to gauge our eyes out, hack off our ears and run away. New Swears the opposite. They make you want to join their gang and make a lot of noise.

New Swears are a band that sound drunk. You can’t imagine going to their shows and standing like a frigid nun. You would move around intensely and you’d leave covered in bruises, blood, sweat and probably on a Thursday night, someone’s piss. The latter, I’d imagine, isn’t a selling point. But my point is that these guys sound beautifully out of control and they don’t care what you think. It’s part Britney melt-down mixed with some lo-fi grooves. It’s all you need and more.

Their music consists of underground party tunes or you know, you could just play them loudly on your own without anyone around. Both are acceptable. Of course the best way to experience how brilliant New Swears are would be to catch one of their shows.  New Swears make the kind of music to make you unleash all that tension inside you. It can be any kind you so desire, but they just pull it out of you almost as if they have healing powers. They probably do, so get in line.

New Swears have this intense sound which some may be (foolishly) intimidated by. The sheer loudness and destructive nature in their music is really what I love. I love that they are unapologetically daring with their sound; who else is doing this. By no means are they are hardcore tribe, they’ve got something more than that. They’re a band that I firmly believe MUST be seen live. I’m slowly going through their back catalogue, and I’ve found some inner peace with the song Candy Land. It’s one of their more toned down songs. I love the lyrics, and it would sound equally as great if the words were screamed instead of sung. They are just wonderfully talented guys who need to be heard loudly and constantly. Oh I have fallen in love.

There’s this passionate fury coming out of their music that makes you want to do what they do, and maybe louder. New Swears make you want to put on your favourite battered and ripped t-shirt and sail on into the night covered in questionable markings and smells. Some bands take themselves far too seriously and create music that is too hard to relate to. Then we have bands like New Swears who make sense of all those daily life annoyances. They sum it all up in a way that makes you feel alright with dissatisfaction at all around you. They make you feel slightly more comfortable in your own skin. They also make you want to raise your own kind of hell.

I have no idea what New Swears are up to, but you can listen to their music here:

https://newswears.bandcamp.com/