Tag Archives: New Music 2017

STEAL SHIT DO DRUGS.

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What’s in a name? Nothing? Everything? Something? Who cares! Steal Shit Do Drugs (SSDD if you like censorship!) are one of the most exciting bands around, and they are currently a couple days into a month long tour of the UK and Europe. They’re playing some neat sweaty venues, which is perfect for their brilliant degenerate sound.

I think they’ve only been around for maybe 2 years and I think last year was when their first record came out. I could be wrong though. The record consists of 11 in your face Punk/Garage Rock songs that are made to be screamed back at the band out of fury and love. Find your passion and yell. I’ve read nothing about Steal Shit Do Drugs, so I have no idea who they are being compared to. It’s lazy to make any comparisons, so I’ll stay away from that. But in all honesty, I can’t really think of anyone that they sound like. They sound like a band from the Punk era but they also sound like a band that are slightly ahead of everyone else right now. We need more rowdy sounds in our ears to unleash the frustrations of daily life, and Steal Shit Do Drugs are the best band to do it to.

I don’t know what the Seattle music scene is like, but I’m going to declare Steal Shit Do Drugs as the best band from there. It’s not really a bold statement, more like an honest one. But, it’s just my opinion and that’s never counted for much. I love how their sound can just capture the true hell of a daily routine that eats at you, surrounded in a place that you are desperate to get out of. You’re in a version of hell that others would probably be okay with, but it’s your hell and this is the comforting soundtrack to it. I can only imagine that their live shows portray this in a fantastic way. They strike me as a band that you’ve just GOT to see live to really dig the sound.

Lead singer, Kennedy has this glorious charm that comes across beautifully on record and he allows you to imagine him strutting about on stage. Getting in the face of the crowd and screaming the words at them, just waiting for someone to scream them back at him. There’s a real urgency to this sound, and they are band that just need to be heard. There’s simply no denying how great Steal Shit Do Drugs are, and I’m pretty sure this month long tour of the UK and Europe is going to win a number of people over

Organdie is my favourite track so far. It’s a real loud number that echoes sounds of The Stooges in the best way imaginable. It’s got a real dirty Punk sound, it’s the kind of Punk that shocked parents like the Dead Boys and The Stooges. It’s flamboyant and it’s in your face. There are quiet moments and all of a sudden the last 2 minutes of the song are just a massive yelp-fest. It’s brilliant! I can’t get enough of it. I think it’s the one that’s going to really get the crowd going at their shows, if they play it,  of course.

They’re the kind of band that you’d want to tour with, that you’d want to go record shopping with, hang out with, join their band and the kind of band you MUST go see live at any given chance. Buy the music, play loud, learn the words and yell with them as loud as you can.

DR CHAN: Southside Suicide.

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Last night I wrote about how much I love Dr Chan and how excited I am for their new record, Southside Suicide which comes out tomorrow on Stolen Body Records. I’m going to attempt to now write about why it is one of the finest records around and why if, you’re into making lists, it should top your Records of the Year list come December.

I tried to listen to it at work but I realised something would lose my attention and I didn’t want it to be Dr Chan. Within first listen I feel like I am at one of their shows or watching them rehearse in some cramped room. It’s definitely not an overproduced record nor is it one that sounds like they’ve tried too hard to sound a certain way. It sounds like a very honest and brutal record that stems from frustration and the sheer passion to make music. That’s how it should be. If all bands sound like this in Paris, then let’s runaway there right now and cast ourselves deep into it. The songs on Southside Suicide sound like they are for those who are fed up with what’s around them or those who just need some form of escapism. I can relate to all of that. For me, it’s everything I’d want from a modern Garage Rock band but at the same time it would fit nicely next to The Vagrants or even The Mummies.

Currently my favourite track off the record is BLANnnK$$$ (Bloody No$e) I love how unapologetically loud and rowdy it is. It feels like a drunk person losing their shit in a bar. They start ripping up a pool table, throwing glasses and punches. Going absolutely nuts for no valid reason. There are no calm moments on this record, and that’s why I love it. BLANnnK$$$ (Bloody No$e) is such a hyperactive song and it’s so addictive too. I find myself going back to it, just constantly hitting repeat. When it kicks it, it just sounds like a thousand riots and gunshots in the mind. It goes completely off and it’s easily one of the best moments on the record, but even that is hard to pick. It’s a solid record from start to finish, and I can’t get enough of it.

A real party for the ears this record is. It deserves to be played on a loop and as loud as you can possibly stand. It’s got something remarkably special about it, and I have no idea how big they are in France or out of France, but I know that I just love them and their sound is for me, entirely perfect. It’s like finally meeting your soulmate or breaking in a pair of Dr Martens or eating a really great pizza. It just makes you feel really good, and right now- I fucking need that.

I honestly cannot compare this record or this band to anything else I’ve heard before, and that’s such a rare thing to be able to do now. Everyone wants to buy into some pissy phase that means nothing and holds no meaning. Bands like Dr Chan are rare. You pick up on every tiny detail in the songs and it makes you want to go see some live music, it makes you less afraid of your own shadow, it makes you want to start your own band.

The songs are short like a real Punk song, but they have something else to it. It’s such a fantastic record and if I had the words, I’d easily write hundreds and hundreds more about why I love it so much. I like certain sounds, and sometimes I just need a certain sound in my ear but Dr Chan are unlike anything else. Buy the record this weekend and play it loud. Damage your hearing to make Monday less of a drag, just so you can block everything out.

DR CHAN.

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Music should freak you out. It should corrupt and warp your mind. It should make you think outlandish things and make you behave wonderfully irrationally. But within reason, of course. It should take you somewhere no one can touch you, it should be all kinds of sordid, gentle, poetic and like a thrash to the body. It should heighten everything you think and feel. It should make you feel ten feet tall.

Here come Parisian greats, Dr Chan. They make this Psych infused Garage Rock that sounds like The Doors meets Wavves. You feel like you could be on a beach in California but in the same thought, you feel like you could romantically be wandering around a cemetery in Paris then onto some dingy alleyway trying to find your way home after dark. Their sound is brilliant, and once you start listening- you’re hooked good and proper.

Sometimes you hear something really bloody great and you know that whatever you write about them just isn’t going to be good enough. I’m not going to dwell on my inabilities right now. This Friday, Stolen Body Records are going to put out their new record, Southside Suicide which again is probably going to be a right I fawn over constantly. I can’t wait to hear it and play it obnoxiously loud in my ears.

Dr Chan aren’t the kind of band you play quietly in the background and every now and then, you pick up on key moments in their songs. Far from it. They’re a band that you play as loud as you can stand and totally lose yourself in their music. Last year they put out Mental Dhead which was one of the most underrated records of the year. It was everything I wanted from a band- it was loud, snotty and deliriously great. It sent you off into another world. You didn’t know if you were in a daze or truly floating round the streets of Paris with these guys. There’s something about them that just makes you want invest all your time into their music, and to go to every single show they do. On record they’ve got this brilliant energy that makes you wish you were in a band. I’m pretty sure their live shows are equally as infatuating.

These guys truly send you off into a whirl. They’re every part Psychedelic but not in your typical way. They’ve taken it, and made it their own. Dr Chan are going to blow minds again with Southside Suicide on Friday, I’ve not heard it but I just know. I know I’m never right about anything, but we can let it slide this time.

Mental Dhead is a mighty fine record, and as far as debut records go it is most definitely a really tough record to top but I’ve got every bit of faith that they can do it. If all bands in Paris sound like this, maybe we should all move there and just lose our minds at their shows. There is something effortlessly freeing about the music Dr Chan make and that’s something to alone, be admired. I’m still hooked on their first record, but I can’t wait to hear their new one on Friday.

If you’re looking for a band to set the mind free and to just forget everything for a while, go give them a listen. Play as loud as you want and cancel the world out for a while.

MIND RAYS.

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Sometimes you just need to listen to something that feels like a massive jab to the face. I’ve become more and more restless but also annoyingly tired, so I need to listen to something that fits my mood. I don’t want to move but I don’t want to sit still. I want to listen to something that heightens all of this because nothing else will cut it.

Belgium is a beautiful place. I fell in love with Brussels twice. I spent a lot of money in a record shop there, twice. I could have happily spent all my time in there. It’s one of the best places I’ve ever been. Peaceful and timeless. Mind Rays are from Belgium- their sound isn’t peaceful. Well, to some it isn’t but for me? It sort of is. It’s what I need right now.

This Ghent based band have been around for some time, and upon first listen you can easily picture them thrashing about on some dingy stage in a sweat infused basement bar where all the outcasts unite- the best kind of place. You can picture them injuring each other and themselves as they flail about on stage, how much they bleed from smacking their face into a mic stand justifies how good the show was. Their sound is brutal and loud. If you want a label then I guess you can have Garage Rock with a bit of Punk. I’d just call it a riot to be honest.

Their new record, Nerve Endings is out next month and it’s probably going to be one of the most rowdy records you’ll hear all year. They make it easier to deal with your frustrations of daily life and being a bit of a loner, but that’s probably just me. These kinds of things just get you through. I was going to go to the gym tonight, but I just want to find more bands like Mind Rays and get totally lost in them.

Mind Rays make the kind of music to just straight up melt your face. Their earlier stuff is slightly less aggressive but only slightly. It’s all the right kind of loud and beastly. They make the kind of music that makes you morph into some kind of scary monster that isn’t to be fucked with, lurking in the shadows. I have no idea what their live shows are like, and I can only imagine that they are just as lively on stage as they are on record. Their songs don’t feel like something that has been recorded in a studio, you feel like you are listening to a band practicing and lobbing their all into it. You really pick up on the blood, sweat and maybe a few tears. And screams.

They’ll melt your mind, they’ll awaken the rusty and sleepy parts of you. They’ll make you want to slam your body into stuff, they’ll make you want to throw things around. They’ll make you want to act like a rebellious swine, and that’s one of the best things a band can do to you. They’ll lure you out of your comfort zone and before you know it, you’re comfort zone is going to be immersing yourself in this mind altering and thought bending sound. There are some bands that you just cannot get enough of, and for me, Mind Rays are easily one of those bands.

THE UNDERGROUND YOUTH: What Kind Of Dystopian Hellhole Is This?

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This week The Underground Youth release their eighth record, What Kind Of Dystopian Hellhole Is This? If there was a prize for best album title, it would easily claim first prize. With such a bold statement as its name, can it live up to it? Can it hold the weight? Oh come on, of course they do. This might come from a biased view point, but it is accurate all the same. Every song on this record has its own way to make you label it as your favourite song on the record. Each song is going to move you, push and pull you in all ways imaginable.

For me their new record seems to tower over their previous seven, and I know it is such a failed clichéd thing to say but if you go back and listen to each record and you then listen to this, you will see how they/mainly Craig’s remarkable way with words has really grown. The capture the essence of their base (Berlin via Manchester) in their songs, and they make you just want to sack everything off and move. I for one, am trying to do that because the city I’m currently in has ruined me in ways I didn’t think I could. Daily panic attacks are a given, my own reflection is a piss poor outline of myself. I try to avoid looking. My auntie gave me some dear advice on Sunday when I went home. She said, “Music will get you through.” I’m hoping she’s right because I don’t really have much else. It’s what I have when no one else is around and I don’t like to burden anyone anyway.

Anyway, let’s move on because I sound like a proper whiney twat.

The Underground Youth are going on a pretty extensive tour to promote this record. They’re playing right near my house in a few weeks, and I’m going to try my best to make it. I’ve never seen them live before, even though I spend a lot of time listening to their music. I’ve wondered how their live show would be. I hope they make it as dark and as eerie as possible. I sadly missed their show at The Lexington. Me and my panic attacks. I’m pretty sure it was one hell of a show, and it was at one of my favourite venues too. The new record seems to be one of those that you’ve just GOT to see live. It has all these intense elements to it that make you intrigued into how they will unleash these songs openly on stage.

For me, I really hope they play The Outsider on this tour as it shows a side to them that will lure the meekest of people in. Once they get in, that’s it. I love the distorted vocals and how it has a very subtle Shoegaze feel to it. I rarely pay attention to labels that are given to bands as it can just hinder/harm your take on them. I’ve read how The Underground Youth have been labelled over the period of their career, and I’ve not really picked up on any specific sound and I think that is part of the charm. The fact that you don’t know what it is or what era you think they are from makes it all the more better. This record could easily have happened circa Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ Kick Against The Pricks or Outside Your Room by Slowdive. That’s what it sounds like- something that may have already happened but also something so brilliantly new and brutally fascinating.

Your Sweet Love is a big highlight for me. I love the sheer intensity of it, and again, it is one I really hope they play live because there is no denying how electrifying the atmosphere will be once they indulge magically into this (just over) 6 minute symphonic blissful sound. There’s no telling where this song will take you, it’s just wonderfully captivating. The whole record is, and I don’t think any part of me will grow tired of obsessing over it and finding new songs, new pieces of the songs to love and cherish dearly. The record ends with the moving Incapable Of Love. It is the perfect song to end this glorious record on, and it really cements the title of the record. The record feels like a novel- not a piece of music. I hope anyone who hears this record picks up on that. It feels like something a write you love from way back has written and it’s been brought to life through music. Think Schopenhauer meets Henry Miller. A mixture of these two worlds and put together in the most perfect way possible.

It is truly everything I want from a record. Like all great bands, The Underground Youth have this effortless way of creating a new sound with each record and eight records in, they’ve again surpassed themselves. They do it every single time, and I love them for it.

Buy the record tomorrow and come out to see them at one of their shows!

THE MOONLANDINGZ (ft.REBECCA TAYLOR): The Strangle Of Anna.

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I blame the fragility of my mind for my current inability to love the things I once held dear to me- I’m working on it, and today for the first time in a long time, I felt something towards music. Something to make me want to write about music. The past couple of months, I’ve done it because I thought I had to. I didn’t want to, I don’t re-read anything I’ve ever written. From the things I write here to what’s in my notebook that goes everywhere with me. Once I’ve finished something, I just let it go. Sometimes to never be seen- but that’s just my notebooks. Today, something stirred as I listened to the new song by The Moonlandingz.

The Strangle Of Anna features the wonderful Rebecca from Slow Club. Her vocals over the heavy drums make you feel as if you’re back in the age of The Velvet Underground & Nico. It’s All Tomorrows Parties with a slight, ever so slight touch on Heroin. Basically, the first record by The Velvet Underground & Nico. Now, if you’ve not read up about the song you’d probably just dismiss it and think “Done before, not a fan.” Don’t be small minded. Listen to the words, take the song in and realise what The Moonlandingz are about.

The song is brilliantly written from the view a girl whose boyfriend is in a generic Indie band that acts like they worship Lou Reed but could probably only name one song and has never sat through Metal Machine Music. You know the type. They’re at every gig you and I go to. They stand draping their arm over their girlfriend because she so badly wants to be with the lad in the band. He wears sunglasses inside because he wants to look mysterious. Mate, you’re a knob. SUNglasses. The hint is in the name. Doofus. They’re the type that’ll talk all the way through a gig. What are they talking about? Some wanky coffee shop that only sells rye bread and avocados. They cling onto their awful craft beer, pretending to enjoy it when deep down, they’d probably prefer a cup of tea or a can of Tizer. How awful are his band? Oh you know the type.

https://soundcloud.com/the_e_r_c/the-strangle-of-anna-the-moonlandingz-ft-rebecca-taylor

The frontman, Johnny Rocket (Lias from Fat White Family if you’ve been nodding off) is easily the best frontman of my generation. I’ve yet to see Fat Whites live (every single time it has clashed with something. I try not to think about it. My uncle and auntie have seen them loads- I live through them) and as the character Johnny Rocket, you find yourself in awe. You see him as an unconventional superhero. The Moonlandingz are one of the most exciting bands around, and are made up of super talented folks who want to trip the hell out of the listener. They’re off on tour next month. I desperately want to travel up to Sheffield to see them. Mainly because I’m running out of Henderson’s Relish. Fully aware I can order it online, but you know, I just bloody love Sheffield. Or maybe their show in Liverpool. There’s something massively exciting about travelling to a gig, and staying overnight somewhere. I think I just want to get out of London so badly, maybe that’s why.

I’ve found it really hard to enjoy things at the moment and whilst I know I’m getting worse, it feels pretty damn good to know that I can still love a piece of music like this and have this urge to write about it. It gave me goose bumps from the second I heard it, and with every listen I find myself wanting to just over how gorgeous this song is. Sure it’s a dig at those wanky types who irritate us, but my god they have done it better than anyone else could. It echoes the greatest band ever, The Velvet Underground in all the right places. It does something to you. It’s all in Johnny/Lias and Rebecca’s vocals. They work so well together, and I am content with playing this over and over again until I fall into a relaxing slumber.

Here are the tour dates for the next month or so. Please go see them and dress accordingly and liberally:

March:

22nd Newcastle Cluny

23rd Glasgow Stereo

24th Dublin Whelans

25th Liverpool Invisible Wind Factory

28th Birmingham Hare & Hounds

29th Nottingham Rescue Rooms

30th Manchester Gorilla

April:

1st Sheffield Leadmill

2nd Bristol Thekla

3rd Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms

4th London Village Underground

BEAT DEGENERATION.

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In my biased opinion, Italy is the home to some great music. It’s obviously the best country in the world, is home to the best football team in the world (Juventus) and the best goalkeeper in the world, aside from my brother (Gigi Buffon!) There’s one band in particular that reinforce my belief that Italy is the home to some bloody brilliant music- Beat Degeneration.

Beat Degeneration have a beautiful sound that’ll catapult you headfirst back to the 90s. There’s hints of Slowdive in their sound, a strong Shoegaze sound is present but don’t be a dismissive fool about it. Their sound oozes heat. They make you feel like you’re relaxing on a beach in Puglia or wandering around a damp, and dreary London. They take you, they bloody take you. They take your mind, and up away you go. It’s a lucid trip and you didn’t touch a thing.

They’ve got this way of getting you to drown out daily noise and to just get yourself focusing on them. They grip you tightly, but in a non-threatening way. They sway you, nurture you and soothe your soul with their gorgeous sound. You can’t help but feel as if you’re not stuck indoors on a freezing cold January night. Where they take you is far more exciting than where you are.

Last year they released the brilliant Dream Machine which you can pick up as a free download here: https://beatdegeneration.bandcamp.com/releases Get a copy and play as loud as your ears can stand. It’s the perfect record to escape to, it’s also perfect to do nothing to. As far as debut records go, Dream Machine is just great. It was written and produced by frontman, Guido Giorgi. The band now consists of Manuel (“Gerry”) on the drums and Piero on bass. Like a lot of bands I’ve written about, Beat Degeneration strike me as a band that you’ve just got to see live. On record they have this beautiful energy and ability to take you some place unknown to others, I’m pretty sure their live shows will be the right kind of wild and chaotic. Something to unleash your daily frustrations to.

The record ends with the 7 minute wonder, Nowhere (A Land Where I Belong) and it shows a different side to Beat Degeneration. Sure you’d think with a name like that they’re just a bunch of snotty nosed kids making noise, but you couldn’t be further from the truth. Nowhere shows you exactly what Beat Degeneration are capable of, and that’s blowing whatever is left of your mind. Nowhere is the perfect song to close the record with. It’s gentle and easy on the mind. There are a few moments on this record where you feel like you just want to go to some sweaty basement dive bar and be covered in beer and sweat. But there are tender moments like this where you just want to be. Nowhere is the song you play through headphones and just let yourself drift off. Either to sleep or to a clear place in your mind, just go. Drift away freely and think of nothing. Allow yourself to have these moments.

I really hope they play some UK shows soon after doing a number of dates around Europe last year. I’m pretty sure their shows will be captivating and freeing. They’re not a band to go see live and not move to. Even the most rigid would find it hard to not move a little bit to the sounds of Beat Degeneration. I’ve played the record in full a few times now, and I’ve gone back to it to play in a different order, but with every intention of ending on Nowhere.

The songs are great. Really strong songs that deserve to be heard as loud as you can stand. They’re your new favourite band.

FORZA BEAT DEGENERATION!

MACHIINE: The Shacklewell Arms, 20th January 2017.

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I’m fairly sure I have just witnessed one of the best live bands around and have probably been to a gig that might end up being my best of the year. I’ve got others lined up, but this one is staying etched upon my brain. I can’t unsee any of it and nor do I want to.

Made up of members from The Underground Youth, Peace And Love Barbershop Muhammad Ali and PINS- Machiine just ripped a hole right through the Shacklewell Arms with no apologies. They completely and utterly destroyed the place with their destructive and rambunctious sound. The kind of sound that makes you want to make your own noise.

I have seen many great shows at this venue and I can honestly say I’ve not seen anything like this before. They blitz through their debut Teaser EP with also a phenomenal cover of Garland Jeffreys track, Wild In The Streets. I remember hearing that song when I was super young on MTV and it stuck with me. To hear a band like Machiine turn it into a brilliantly smutty affair was great, they made it theirs and more.

Craig and Mark prowl on the stage and circle the floor. The stage is too small to hold all seven of them. Each band member plays as if they have been in Machiine for decades and decades, they don’t sound brand new- but their sound is so unique. I think also, not knowing what to expect truly made this show what it was- sensational. That’s the only word. I’ve left wanting to start my own band but I have no musical talent, so I’ll just write about it instead. I can happily say that this is one of the most in your face and most rowdy shows I’ve been to. It was the right kind of confrontational and the way Mark and Craig are with each other is brilliant. Mark has this impish grin on his face as they rip through What Bad Boys Do whereas Craig leaves you in awe wondering where he goes when he performs the songs. Each band member takes you on their own journey. Ola bangs the drums and shakes the tambourine as if her life depends on it, and keeps the steady pace and groove of the sounds. Honestly, if you weren’t there- you messed up. You missed out.

I hope this is only just the start, a taster of what is to come because there is sincerely nothing stopping Machiine from not only being YOUR favourite band, but a band that rule the airwaves and the world. Give them the world, save us all. The crowd did seem a little reserved but maybe they just didn’t know what to expect, but trust me when they come your way and into town- go see them. Don’t pay attention to the crowd, just do whatever the hell you want.

 

DRAB MAJESTY: The Demonstration,

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If I could name any band as having the “perfect” sound, I’d probably have a solid five. Perhaps. My idea of a perfect sound and yours are totally different. My idea of it is probably shit compared to someone else, but that’s fine. How awful it would be if we all liked the same thing. I’ve already called I See You by The xx as my favourite record of the year, but I’ve got another that creeps up closely.

Drab Majesty are on the Dias label. This label is a big deal, to me. They are the home to some of the bands that I quite simply, couldn’t do without. The main one being Them Are Us Too. Easily one of the best bands to emerge in a long, long time and Cash is never far from my thoughts. Drab Majesty have released their new record, The Demonstration today. With so much hurt and bleakness in the world, having a band like Drab Majesty make it easier. There’s something comforting about this sound, and sure some may declare this as nothing short of miserable- I can’t see it. I really, really can’t. Tonight I’m going to my first gig in a long time because my panic attacks are getting worse but I’m doing my best today to keep myself as calm as possible- The Demonstration is the perfect record to do this to. It’s an easy listening and my god it is good for the soul.

A bit of background on the band: Initially this was Deb’s solo project, but they are now a duo. This is their first record as a duo and it is braver than the first release. The Demonstration echoes influences of bands such as Them Are Us Too, Cold Cave and that early Depeche Mode sound. Heavy on the synths, even heavier on the imagery and feeling they give you. I’ve read some pieces on the band where they have named The Cure as a band they can hear in their music. To an extent I can hear this, but if anything it just holds the weight of records like Pornography and Seventeen Seconds. For me, that’s a solid sound to carry but Drab Majesty are their own band with their own sound, which is beautifully put together on this record.

They are currently on tour with my beloved Cold Cave. For now, there’s only one UK date and that’s in London in March. Drab Majesty are playing a load of shows across Europe in March and April. Including a show at Superbudda in Torino, which is a bloody great arts/creative space in one of the best cities you’ll ever go to.

Drab Majesty create this dark, wonderfully sinister yet gentle world with their music. The Demonstration is easy on the ears and rules the mind upon its first listen. It’s a record that when you listen to it, you’ll be left wanting to listen to it with more intense ears. Then you slowly find yourself relaxing more and more. It’s the perfect sound all over. I’m currently obsessing over Forget Tomorrow, but trust me the whole record is a grand piece of art. They take all you have known before then unleash you into a different universe on this record. The Demonstration is a gorgeous and elegant record from start to finish. Dot In The Sky and Not Just A Name may deserve your attention more than most, but trust me the whole record is absolutely fantastic and even if like me, you’re not into making lists, just hold this closely as one of the finest records that you will hear all year. It is perfect for the dark, cold days. It is perfect for sitting alone in your room whilst being comforted by Deb’s soothing voice. It’s just perfect, simple as.

MACHIINE.

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“Bob Hoskins said to leave it on ice.”

 

The term “supergroup” can be such a throwaway comment, much like describing something “cool.” Words. Just empty words they are. However, sometimes things happen that go against this and are the subject of these redundant words. They give it meaning again- they make it theirs.

Machiine ARE a supergroup. They are also really really cool. Their sound is absolutely sadistic and twisted. It’s not typical, it’s so far from bland. They’ve just put out their first single, Twist It & Shake. They’re also playing London tomorrow night, at the Shacklewell Arms. It’s a free gig. You’re probably not doing anything, and even if you are- sack it off and come to this.

Machiine are made up of members from Brown Brogues/Peace And Love Barbershop Muhammad Ali, The Underground Youth and PINS. Some of the best musicians to have come from Manchester, for sure. Machiine sound like something you would hear in a sordid club where you can do what you like, and it isn’t mentioned the day after. Their merch consists of whips and balaclavas. Wear your best leather tomorrow and head down to the Shacklewell Arms. This 7 member band don’t sound overbearing considering how many there are of them. They sound like a gang with Mark and Craig fronting the band- they’re coming for you.

As they all have different influences which is clear in their separate bands, what they’ve done with Machiine is just make a band that leave forgetting about their other bands. They don’t sound like anything else. They slowly built a presence last year and finally, they’ve put a song out. Worth the wait? Most definitely. Twist It & Shake is the kind of song you’ll have in your head for days. I’ve played it a lot this morning and on my dinner break (right now) and I’m pretty sure I know the words. The lead vocals aren’t aggressive but Faith’s vocals in the background add this angelic quality to the song. It’s a brilliant introduction to the band, and I am so excited to see them tomorrow night and to hear more music from them. Twist It & Shake is worth the wait. There’s references to Bob Hoskins, John Wayne and a sister who plays video games. What more do you want?

 

PS- Teaser EP is out tomorrow and they’re selling tapes at the show tomorrow night.