The Best Albums of 2019

1. William Doyle - Your Wilderness revisited
A wonderfully hypnotic, dreamy album of progressive rock tinged electronica, that takes it's inspiration from UK suburban town planning. From the artist formerly known as East India youth

2. Billie Eilish - When we all fall sleep where do we go?

The debut album that broke the most vital and interesting new pop star of the decade. Far from the edgy 'industry plant' many originally saw it as, Billie and her brother created an eclectic and poignant batch of lo-fi tracks, and it sounds like they had fun doing it. 

3. Slowthai - Nothing great about Britain 

As Grime finally took over the mainstream, Slowthai became the ever smirking joker of the genre amd created an instant classic album that revelled in it's dark humour, political fury while not overlooking the tragic past that shaped him. 

4. Tyler, The Creator - Igor

A kaleidoscopic, soulful, and at times beautfully warped take on hip hop, that draws from several inspirations and guest stars, yet could only have been made by Tyler himself. 

5. Fontaines D.C. - Dogrel 

One of the most vital, and downright fun albums of punk rock tunes to come out of Ireland since Teenage Kicks. An absolute blast of a record. 

6. James Blake - Assume Form 

James Blake recalls how embracing love changed his life, over gorgeously dreamy backdrops. the best album of his career by far.

7. Dave - Psychodrama

A mix of bangers and poignant story telling, over minimalist backdrops and sparse piano. Dave explores his own mental health through the real life experiences of others and himself. The result is not always comfortable listening, but always engaging. 

8. Sum 41 - Order in Decline

It's heavy as fuck, and it kicks a lot of ass. The metal tinged pop punk middle finger to Donald Trump/break up album I didn't know I needed

9. Sam Fender - Hypersonic Missiles

Tynesides' answer to Springsteen delivered on the hype with his debut. Sam is fiercely outspoken on tracks such as 'White Privilege', 'Dead Boys' and the title track. Yet he also shines, when he's less topical such as on the joyous one night stand retelling 'Will we Talk'   

10. Little Simz - GREY Area

After a decade in the underground Simz finally broke through with a short, sharp, concise and varied mix of styles. Over which she made her case as one of the best and brightest MC's the UK has to offer, 

11. BROCKHAMPTON - Ginger
12. Anna Calvi - Hunter 

13. Ezra Furman - Twelve Nudes
14. The Murder Capital - When I have fears

15. Lizzo - Cuz I love you

16. Harry Styles - Fine Line

17. Slipknot - We are not your kind

18. Better Oblivion Community Centre - S/T

19. Injury Reserve - S/T

20. Black Midi - Schlagenheim 

21. Bring Me The Horizon - AMO
22. King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard - Infest The Rats nest 

23. Loyle Carner - Not waving, but drowning 

24. Cate Le Bon - Reward

25. Big Thief - U.F.O.F

26. Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell

27. King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard - Fishing For Fishies

28. Chemical Brothers - No Geography

29. Foals - Everything not saved will be lost Part 1

30. Danny Brown - uknowhatimsayin?

31. Ezra Collective - You can't steal my joy 

32. JOHN - Out Here on the Fringes
33. Nao - Saturn 

34. DIIV - Deciever

35. Elbow - Giants of all sizes
36. The Japanese House - Good at falling
37. Mercury Rev - Bobbie Gentry's The Delta Sweete revisited
38. Sundara Karma - Ulfilas' Alphabet
39. Seed Ensemble - Driftglass

40. Jpegmafia - All my heroes are Cornballs
41. Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride
42. Weyes Blood - Titanic Rising
43. Amyl & The Sniffers -S/T
44. Denzel Curry - ZUU
45. Richard Dawson - 2020

46. PUP - Morbid Stuff

47. Crushed Beaks - The Other Room. 

48. Pup - Morbid Stuff

49. Orville Peck - Pony

50. Lewis Capaldi - Divinely uninspired to a hellish extent

Fontaines D.C. + Warm Drag Live at The Birmingham Institute review (25/11/19)

Last time Fontaines D.C. played The Birmingham Institute they were supporting Shame, even though they were first on and, had a limited sound or stage to work with it was obvious that this was a band who like Shame were going to go on to big things. Just as I predicted Fontaines D.C. had an amazing whirlwind of a year, delivering one of 2019's best debuts, touring extensively, appearing on American TV and winning huge acclaim. Before they took their victory lap to Birmingham, it was up to Warm Drag to kick things off, a challenging and polarising prospect for an audience expecting a night of raucous punk rock. What the crowd actually got was a sexed up take on the repetitive loops and synths of early electronica, such as Silver Apples, all delivered by a woman in a black leather cat suit, her voice distorted by a mountain of pedals. Warm Drag are one of the few acts of recent years who eschew laptops for wires and pedals, experimenting with making electronic music the old school way. The industrial noise was a bit much for some, (particularly my girlfriend, who i had dragged along for this evening), but I feel that Warm Drag are a tip for anyone after new sounds for a new decade. (8/10)
Fontaines D.C. came on stage to bright white spotlights and the sounds of what can only be described as cowboy music. Thankfully this doesn't seem to indicate a change in direction, as heavy hitting early singles 'Hurricane Laughter' and Checkless Reckless kicked things off with a storm,  (giving my girlfriend a birds eye view of a mosh pit for the first time, seeing pints and shoes fly into the air). Despite their hectic schedule Fontaines D.C. have somehow managed find time to pen new tunes, 'Televised mind' and 'Lucid Dream'. Both repetitive, pounding post punk tunes, in the same wall of sound style as the fan faves they opened with. Both tunes bode well for any new material around the corner. It may have been the same day that BBC 6 Music declared their album Dogrel their album of the year, but if the band or singer Grian Chatten were even aware of this they weren't showing it. Grian has developed an air of nonchalantness, taking breaks to lie down during intros (a sign that they probably deserve a break), keeping talk to a minimum and banging his mic stand on the ground to grab attention. It's been a very long time since any rock band has had a singer quite as cool as Grian, with his thick Irish accent and roguish attitude that recalls a young Liam Gallagher. Of course none of this would matter without great tunes which Fontaines D.C. have in spades. the live versions are all much louder and noisier live than on record, with the band experimenting with their pedals to create walls of noise. The only disappointment in the hour long set (for me at least) was the lack of the acoustic, 'Dublin City Sky' as the show had to be cut short and ended with a triumphant, 'Big', (this and the fantastic 'Boys In the better land were the undoubted highlights of the show). Despite all the acclaim and time on the road, Fontaines D.C. remain endearingly rough around the edges, the little band from Dublin done good. They ended with no encores* after already delivering more than enough, and even my girlfriend (whose not really into punk) had to admit they were great. (8.8)

*IDLES and Kate Tempest also refuse to do encores, seems as if they're going out of style?  

Injury Reserve + Jockstrap Live at Mama Roux's in Birmingham Review. (7/11/19)

Jockstrap

Any music fans living in Birmingham on Thursday the 7th of November were spoiled with choice for live shows to check out.  From Spector at the Castle and Falcon, Deerhunter with Cate Le Bon at The Crossing and big names at the Academy and Institute. While any of those shows would have been great nights out it was only Injury Reserve which I felt was the must see that night. The Arizona trio first made a name for themselves with their independently released 'Live At The Dentists office' album. an oddly subdued experimental Hip Hop project that was quickly followed by the incendiary 'FLOSS'. an LP that was packed full of high energy bangers and followed by their similarly inventive self titled record this year. Injury Reserve are currently in the middle of a gruelling world tour. The kind of long haul that can make or break most groups. If the strains are starting to show then it's very hard to tell. Hotly tipped support act Slauson Malone was not present for this show of the tour so Injury Reserve and their support Jockstrap both had to extend their sets. Jockstraps set was an intriguing mix of sexually charged pop songs with an experimental Hip-Hop style edge. Jockstrap have a uniquely relaxed vibe, which can sometimes steer off into self indulgent territory when they start mixing in samples and remixes into their set. Yet Jockstrap have an alluring sound and style, that makes them worth checking out regardless.

Injury Reserve

While I love Injury Reserve for their vibrant production and dryly funny lyrics (as well as their more emotional, and politically inspired work) the live experience is far from what I expected. Injury Reserve's live show at Mama Roux's was an assault of white noise and white light. A stage flooded with dry ice and strobe lighting made it difficult to see who or what was on stage. Injury Reserve hit the ground running with a live version of their deconstructed 'rap song tutorial', that instructed the audience on how to put on a fantastic rap show. Which Injury Reserve did, hitting the ground running with a barrage of high energy bangers, such as 'Koruna and Lime' 'What's Goodie', 'GTFU'. The more jovial cuts such as 'gravy and biscuits' and Three Man Weave' helped lighten the mood a bit, but the lighting and industrial noise still gave the show a sinister mood. Ritchie with a T seemed like the main star of the show, delivering aggro bars and working the crowd while the equally talented Groggs seemed content (literally) lurking in the shadows. Although it's hard to say anything about what anyone was actually doing. Gaps where features were missing, such as Amine's brilliant turn on Jailbreak The Tesla were were filled with more experimental noise and samples as producer Parker Corey eagerly mashed up sounds on his laptop. This and other hits such as 'Oh shit!' and All this money galvanised the Birmingham crowd into mosh pits and crowd surges
There's something refreshingly old school about Injury Reserve's approach to a live show. Anonymously focusing on the beats and songs rather than their own egos, and delivering solid bars throughout. Injury Reserve reminded Digbeth why hip hop was great in the first place, while giving a glimpse into it's future.

https://injuryreserve.online/
https://kayakayarecords.co.uk/jockstrap/index.html

Solihull Summer Fest Sunday (28/7/19) Review

Organising a music festival in the UK is a risky business. whether you make your money back or make a loss depends almost entirely on how the weather turns out on the day. So spare a thought for the organisers of The Solihull summer fest who booked their acts to play on the week of the hottest day on record and yet still had rain pouring down on both days. In true English fashion this didn't stop the crowds from sitting down on their deckchairs, putting on their wellies and drinking their prosecco. For the first hour or so entertainment was provided by some local bands and tribute acts. A guy named Garry Pease looks and sounds almost exactly like a younger Rod Stewart. Garry gave the crowd the hour of cheesy Rod-ness they needed to keep their spirits up but without a live band it had the feel of karaoke. Mercury might not look that much like Queen (put that down to their singer being older than Freddie ever got to be) but their costumes and tunes were on point, hitting most of the high notes and delivering all the loved tunes. Mercury might not be queen but their a damn good copy. 

The first actual band to grace the stage was 80's ska Bad Manners, led by the incomparable Buster Bloodvessel. Buster is still as charismatic as ever and his band are a reminder of what made ska so great in the first place. Dancing around the stage with their instruments and playing some hilariously joyous covers of Frankie Vallie's  'I love you baby  and 'The Can Can'. Buster also had a go at (badly) playing the trombone and still making fat jokes which in 2019 could be seen more as an embrace of body positivity than a crass joke. Bad Manners were a blast. (7.6/10) The same can not be said for 80's yuppie has-been's Go West. Who put on the worst set I've seen a band play all year. While Go West are musically competent it's the confusing mix of covers that made their set annoying. Especially considering as this festival had already booked two cover bands. Covering younger artists such as Sam Sparro (as if they don't have their own 80's tunes to play), older artists such as Smokey Robinson (Sacrilege!) and bad 90's RnB covers. All with the sophistication of a shitty pub band. I left after they played a cover of 'Rio' by the far superior Duran Duran. Fuck this band (3.2)

Luckily by this point things were kicking off on the Hedkandi stage as DJ Storm alongside backing dancers and percussionist Chris Budd and saxophonist Ellie Sax delivered a masterclass in seamlessly mixing house and disco classics. 

The Proclaimers have had a long and fruitful career since having a fluke hit with that one song many years ago. Still recording albums and touring following last years 'Angry Cyclist' album. The Proclaimers live set is short on thrills or chatter but is packed full of great songs. Such as the brilliantly authentic country style 'Sunshine on Leith', and the lovably blunt love song 'Lets Get Married. The Proclaimers have survived because their unapologetic sentimentality is what makes them so special. Of course 500 Miles inspired a mass singalong but the 50 minutes before that proved there is much more to love them for. (7.6)

The Human League know how to make an entrance. Dressing the stage with white keyboards and electronic drums and being introduced by their two keyboardists playing an instrumental 'Sound of the Crowd'. Singer Phil Oakey joined Susan and Jo on stage in full Matrix mode, in a full length black trench coat and tiny sunglasses. Surprisingly Phil Oakey revealed that he was originally from Solihull, having moved when he was 14. The Human league reeled off the hits, 'Mirror man', love action and a brilliantly dark 'Seconds' The only low point was when Susanne took over the lead vocals for the dull 'One man in my heart' (while Phil did one of many off stage costume changes). While The Human League may have struggled to follow up Dare 'Fascination', 'The Lebanon' and the brilliantly poignant Human' proved they they never stopped writing great songs and the response to 1995's 'Tell Me When' shows that it's unfair to simply see them as an 80's band. As the keyboardists played an instrumental version of 'Don't you want me baby' The mass crowd managed to sing everyone of the words flawlessly and unprompted. Some may have left after Phil and the girls came back to sing it themselves, but they missed an encore of the bleakly industrial 'Being Boiled' and brilliantly cheesy Giorgio Moroder collaboration 'Together in electric dreams', which despite it's naffness seems to have predicted the rise of VR and technology being used to maintain long distance relationships. The Human League may have been going through the motions slightly but their hour set flew by, the set design and backdrops looked fantastic as did the band themselves. The Human League delivered an effortlessly  engaging and enjoyable set. A very British synthesizer group closing a very British festival (8.4)

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever + Thyla. Live at The Crossing review (22/7/19)

Thyla

Brighton's Thyla kicked off this show at The Crossing. Thyla are one of the newest bands to take inspiration from the early 90's late 80's Shoegaze and dream-pop scenes. Thyla were shrouded by layers of dry ice and their sound is a heady mix of reverb laden guitar riffs, not that dissimilar to recent bands such as Wolf Alice or Pumarosa. Singer Millie may have bemoaned this show being the last of their tour with RBCF and having to go back "to steaming milk, which sucks", but on the promise Thyla are showing and an EP round the corner, she may be able to say goodbye to lattes soon. (6.8/10)

RBCF's Joe White

To music listeners who have been paying attention over the past few years it may seem that Melbourne has become the musical centre of the world. In recent years the city has produced acts such as King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Courtney Barnett, Tropical Fuck Storm, Amyl & The Sniffers, and many more. Last year I decided to take a trip to Australia and owing to my love of some of those bands, I made sure that I took a trip down to Melbourne while i was there. What I found was a music lovers dream. Where every bar, seems to have a gig on every night, each day The local gig listings have more shows listed than  my native Birmingham has in a month. I caught local heroes such a Deathbeat and Sophisticated Dingo on stacked bills where for a measly $10 you can catch 5+ bands on shows that regularly finish at up to 1am. I didn't get to catch Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever while I was over there but I did listen to their debut album "Hope Downs" on repeat. It's an infectiously brilliant album of summery indie rock bangers from a band who wear their aussieness with pride. When RBCF took to the stage the first thing that occurred to me was how ordinary the band look. With their plain clothes and short haircuts RBCF look more like extras on The Almighty Johnsons* than a gang of Melbourne hipsters. The occasional moments of chatting to the audience didn't really change this impression. With jibes about how stressful it is buying underwear from the bullring and the politicalish statement "our guys called sco-mo your guys called bo-jo" this is 'a song about how stupid fences are'. Any rejection of the division pushed on us by polticians and media is welcome, but it's hardly the sloganeering of an IDLES gig. It was when RBCF started playing tunes from 'Hope downs' that everything started clicking into place. 'Talking Straight', 'Sisters Jeans', 'The Mainland' and 'An air conditioned man' are the kind of tunes that lesser bands would kill for. RBCF have clearly had to work their asses off to get noticed in the vast swamp that is the Melbourne music scene and it shows. There are no gimmicks here, just a band of incredibly tight and talented musicians playing some of the best rock tunes of this decade. RBCF are also refreshingly ego free, all taking turns to be the lead singer. While Joe White deserves prises for his fantastic lead guitar work, its the way all 5 musicians come together that makes the band stand out. After a brief encore and finishing redition of the title track of their breakout EP 'The French Press, it became clear what makes RBCF so special. Free from trends or pretension, just good tunes and fantastic musicianship, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever are the every mans indie band. (8.8)


*New Zealand TV series about Norse gods living everyday lives, google it. 

Links 
www.rollingblackoutsband.com/
www.thyla.co.uk

Why positivity in music is the new anger, and why it matters.

When looking into any movement in popular culture, any changing of the zeitgeist, you can usually start by looking at the authors, poets and artists before you see how their ideas and ideals trickle down into more commercial  art-forms such as music or film-making. For example the poet Alan Ginsberg was such an influence on Bob Dylan that he toured with Bob and his entourage during his 'rolling Thunder Revue' tour in the mid 70's. It's also easy to see how the surreal realism of a writer such as William Burroughs may have influenced the likes of Tom Waits. The writer who I think is most influential in this age is Matt Haig. If you are not aware of Matt and his work then you may have come across one of the pages from his best selling self help/memoir 'Reasons To Stay Alive'. In the two page chapter 'The World' Matt wrote out a new manifesto for loving in the modern age, it follows that. "The World is increasingly designed to depress us. Happiness isn't good for the economy, If we were happy with what we had, why would we want more? How do you sell an anti-ageing moisturiser? how do you get people to vote for a political party? you make them worry about immigration". Matt concludes that "To be calm is a kind of revolutionary act, to be happy with our non- upgraded existence. To be comfortable with our messy, human selves would not be good for business". On the most basic level Matt's book has infiltrated music through the 1975 and their brilliant "A brief Inquiry..." album as they reportedly hd a copy in the studio. this can easily be confirmed by listening to the lyrics on tracks such as 'love it if we made it' or 'Give yourself a try'. Matt has also released an album with Andy Burrows. the album is also called 'Reasons to stay Alive' and is a sort of companion piece to the book.

Glastonbury has also historically been the host to many changes in pop culture. Starting out as a small hippy festival in the 70's, giving amnesty to political campaigners in the 80's and leading the way for festivals to become the billion dollar industry they are now via the big beat sounds of the 90's. In 2019 Glastonbury was the host to almost every single act that matters in 2019. It was an occasion notable for it's blanket ban on plastic but also for the amount of special moments that happened throughout it's many sets. Loyle Carner may have worn a shirt that sad 'I hate Boris' but his set was one full of joyous positivity rather than political anger. as he paid tribute via poetry to his mother and gave his friend the opportunity to propose onstage to his girlfriend on stage before an audience of hundreds. Lizzo made waves with one of the most talked anbout sets of the weekend. Spreading a message of body positivity and self love. Telling her crowd that "I want you to know if you can love me, you can love your goddamn self,”. Dave made headlines by inviting a young fan named Alex to rap the verses of his song 'Thiago Silva' which was one of the most unexpectedly heartwarming moments if the summer. Especially considering how dark the topics on Dave's debut album Psychodrama were. Stormzy delivered an epic Glastonbury set where he took time to shout out many of his other fellow MC's, and became overwhelmed with emotion.

Perhaps the most important band in this current wave is IDLES. Whose instant- classic 2nd album 'Joy as an act of resistance' echoes Matt Haig's writing in it's title. What those who bemoan the lack of politics in music are missing is that while there is currently a huge amount of vibrant artists making political music, the attitude is what's different. There is more than enough anger out there and it doesn't need to be put into music. There is already so much of it existing on the internet, and on our TV screens. If you read 'Reasons To Stay alive. you may also notice the alarming statistics that suicide is the leading cause of death of men under the age of 35 and that one in five people go through depression at some point in their lives. It's an issue that IDLES tackle directly through their music. Believing that 'Toxic masculinity' -I.e. the inability for men to discuss heir feelings due for pressure from social norms. At Glastonbury IDLES frontman Joe Talbot talked openly about his own issues “I spent a long time feeling lonely and depressed and a drug addict and an alcoholic, But I’d come (to Glastonbury) and feel like I was part of something bigger than myself”.  IDLES signature song Danny Nedelko is an anthem which will have been heard across many a muddy field this summer. It's a fiercely pro- immigration anthem and tribute to Joe's friend, the Lativian frontman of Heavy Lungs. The lyrics to this song illustrate better than any why a generation of musicians have decided to eschew cynicism and hatred for postivity "Fear leads to panic, panic leads to pain, pain leads to anger, anger leads to hate". While the world may be increasingly designed to depress us our new generation of rock stars and activists have realised that fighting for what you believe in and that embracing positivity, and loving your fellow humans can go hand in hand. 

The best albums of 2019! (so far)

Billie Eilish - When we all fall asleep where do we go?
At first Billie Eilish seemed a confusing prospect for the casual observer. A teenage pop-star promoted with shockingly edgy music videos, dank memes and her penchant for oversized clothes. With the internet debating her validity it proved to be the music itself most worth talking about. the huge single and opener to this album 'Bad guy' being the key introduction to her character. A darkly comic and sexual pop song with a creeping sense of unease. 'Xanny' is even stranger, a jazz song by a Gen Z singer advocating for not abusing Xanax like so many of her contemporaries do. 'You should see me in a crown' and 'bury a friend' provide the bangers while 'all the good girls go to hell' is a nihilistic look at global warming. Throughout her debut Billie and her brother (producer FINNEAS) completely disregard genre restraints and the final product brims with an experimental edge that could never be replicated by anyone else. While many have compared her to Lorde, Billie lacks the same holier than thou approach to writing about being a teenager. While Lorde is wise beyond her years Billie is utterly consumed by her teenage emotions and it's on the quiet piano ballads that detail first love and suicide 'Listen before i go' and 'I love you' that Eilish is at her most devastating. 
Check out - I love you

Tyler, The Creator - IGOR
Even back in his Odd Future days I knew that Tyler would one day be making groundbreaking albums. Following his acclaimed Scum Fuck Flower Boy LP Tyler has created an album which demands to be heard in one sitting. IGOR is a trip inside Tyler's own world and it's an often unsettling one. IGOR mixes a star studded cast of gursts such as Playboi Carti, Kanye West, Slowthai and many more into his sonic stew yet the ficus is always on Tyler himself. IGOR is a loose concept album about love and heartbreak. Tyler takes elements of N.E.R.D and Kanye West and mixes them with a warped style of funk and soul. While he was previous known as a rapper and producer its Tylers abilities as a musician that really make IGOR work such as the spine tinglingly brilliant keyboard hooks on 'Gone Gone'. This is an album by an artist at the peak of his powers that couldn't have been made by anyone else. 
Check out - The whole album in one sitting, as it was intended to be heard. 

Slowthai - Nothing Great about Britain
Nothing great about Britain tells you everything you need to know about Slowthai and where he's from in its opening 3 minutes. As Ty declares that there is nothing great about Britain, attacking politicians, cultural appropriation, racism, and royalty in a thrillingly hilarious fashion. For anyone who loves grime but doesn't feel that they belong in the culture Slowthai is a breath of fresh air. Throughout his brilliant debut album Ty paints a picture of his background as a young British man, the son of a Barbadian single mother, raised in the poorest suburbs of Northampton. Slowthai is far from your typical macho rapper. He finds strength in his vulnerability, his voice cracking under the pressure of all he has to say. his lyrics are full of memorable one liners, at times hilarious "Gotta thank mum for the 23 years she wiped my arse, Thank you Ma", now I’m gone".  At other times Ty reflects on his past in heartbreaking autobiographical detail, "What's mum done to you, you're lucky I'm not as big as you, i'll punch you till my hands turn blue" Nothing great about Britain is one of few British rap albums that live up to classics such as 'Original Pirate Material' and 'Boy in da Corner'.

Check out - Dead Leaves

Bring Me The Horizon - AMO
Bring Me The Horizon are at a point in their career that few bands, let alone heavy metal bands manage to reach. A point where after 4 albums they are left with a choice. They can either stick with their established sound and please their existing fanbase at the risk of that fanbase slowly dwindling with future releases or take risks, experiment with their sound and write songs that will encourage new fans to take the place of those who don't like the new direction. Thankfully BMTH haven't scrapped the guitars to the extent of Linkin Park's much maligned last album. The heavy tracks on AMO such as MANTRA and Wonderful life still bear all the heavy riffs and shouty refrains that BMTH are known for. For much of the rest of the album BMTH delve into electronica, with mixed results, while 'Medicine' finds them having a go at a 1975 style pop tune. Throughout AMO BMTH throw every millennial songwriting cliche they can at the wall, the whoops, pitched chipmunk vocals, Drum breaks and even an attempt at the triplet flow are all present. The eclectic approach mostly works on the strongest songs, but can be annoying when the songs aren't up to scratch (such as the irritating 'Sugar Honey Ice & Tea'). BMTH deserve credit for being one of the few mainstream rock bands who are willing to experiment and break new ground.
Check out - Heavy Metal

King Gizzard And The lizard Wizard - Fishing For Fishies
2 years is a long time to go without an album for a King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard fan. Almost too long. After 2017 blessed us with no less than 5 albums from the gonzo aussie 7 piece it was a long wait for the next step from them. Fishing For Fishes is yet another reinvention for KG, who regularly chance genres between albums. Fishing for fishes is their most divisive yet, as the band explore the little known musical style known as boogie. The opening title track may sound joyful and optimistic yet lyrically it's a sort of protest song about the damage caused by over-fishing. 'Plastic Boogie;' is similarly timely, screaming 'Fuck all of of that plastic' King Gizzard may be rightfully worried about the state of the environment but it still sounds like they're having a blast while singing about it. Yet over the course of Fishing For Fishes things get progressively darker as the lament of dying bees gives way to a sombre interlude, progressively getting more and more electronic until they finish things off with the brilliantly camp 'Cyboogie' which mixes their rootsy boogie with retro synths, it's unashamedly proggy, but also lots of fun. 
Check out - Plastic Boogie

Other great albums I've loved this year..
Lewis Capaldi - Divinely uninspired to a hellish extent
Better Oblivion Community Centre - S/T
James Blake - Assume Form

The Japanese House - Good at falling

Mercury Rev - Bobbie Gentry's The Delta Sweete revisited

Sundara Karma - Ulfilas' Alphabet

Injury Reserve - S/T

Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride

Ezra collective - You can't steal my Joy

Loyle Carner - Not waving, but drowning 

Amyl & The Sniffers -S/T

Crywank- Wearing Beige on a Grey Day 

Denzel Curry - ZUU

Fontaines D.C.- Dogrel 

While She Sleeps - SO WHAT?

PUP - Morbid Stuff

Foals Live at The Digbeth Arena review.

In 2019 Foals are undeniably one of the few rock bands to have really made an impact over the past decade. Forging a style of their own, mixing the complex math rock of their breakout debut 'Antidotes with the muscular rock 'n roll of their more recent records. Now with a top 5 album under their belt in 'Everything not saved will be lost Part 1' (part 2 will be out later this year) I felt privileged to get a chance to finally see them at the Digbeth arena. Both shows sold out almost immediately and the converted open warehouse space still made for a relatively intimate space to see Foals in.  

I dragged a friend along ti the show who, unfamiliar with Foals and their output asked me to describe them in one world. I decided to settle on 'tropical'. It's hard for me to pin down why,  but Foals just seem suited for hot sweltering temperatures and sunlight. 

The same can be said for first support act KIEV (6/10). A Californian group whose blissful indie rock can best be described as Foals-ish. The real treat for me was to catch YAK (7.6) fora second time after their wonderfully chaotic show at The Castle and Falcon back in March. Unfortunately YAK's brilliant mix of psychdelic rock, krautrock and just plain noisyness was lost on a largely disintersted crowd. YAK may slay the smaller clubs but it may be some time until they are ready to do the same for arenas.

FOALS on the other hand had the audience in the palm of their hand. Riding high of the previous sold out Birmingham show. Frontman Yannis remarked on more than one occasion how much he loved the Birmingham crowd, praising us for drinking on a Sunday and not giving a shit about our jobs, as well; as the vibe of the urban graffiti covered arena. It was definitely fitting that Foals had chosen to return to Birmingham for these shows as their sound clearly had an influence on the nascent Digbeth based 'B-Town' scene. Birmingham also provided the site for one of their legendary early shows at the nearby Sunflower Lounge. However Yannis no longer seems to spend Foals gigs climbing up walls and assaulting security guards as in 2019 Foals are a well (snake) oiled machine. Delivering a setlist full of 'nasty little rippers' such as 'On the Luna', 'My Number', 'Mountain at my gates', and bringing out older favourites such as 'Olympic Airwaves', 'Red Socks Pugie'. All of which just seemed to be warming up for an incredible 'Inhaler' which was followed by a quick new number 'Black Bull'. A new track in the vein of heavy rockers such as 'What went down' which bodes well for the next record. 'What went down' itself was a highlight but Foals saved the best for last. Taking an old favourite 'Two steps twice' and stretching out out and building up tension for what seemed like an eternity, asking the crowd to kneel down before finally getting to the songs maddeningly catchy chorus. Ending a crowd pleasing set of indie rock bangers on a delirious high. (8.8)

Kamasi Washington Live at The Institute Birmingham review.

Who have thunk it? Jazz is cool again. It's hard to imagine why a genre so heavily associated with its golden era of the 'cool jazz' greats who provided a calm defiance to an era dominated by discriminatory right wing politics, racism, police violence and the fight for African-american men and women to be treated as equal to other human beings. Of course none of this has any relevance to the era we live in today. So why has Jazz gained relevance again? It may be partially down to Kendrick Lamar's game changing 'To Pimp a Butterfly' album and the man who played his saxophone all over that iconic record, Mr Kamasi Washington. Kamasi is a big man with a big afro, a big saxophone an a big band. everything about him and his music screams BIG! Not least his aptly titled debut 3 hour long record 'The Epic'. All this begs the question of whether Kamasi Washington is the new kid on the block or a genuine jazz legend in the making, the millennial answer to Coltrane or Davis. The best way of course to try and answer that question is to see him live. Before I got the chance to do this however Oscar Jerome (6.8/10) and his band kicked off proceedings. Oscar Jerome is a jazz guitarist and bandleader who specialises in a very modern style of jazz, mixing live experimentation with tight vocal and guitar led songs. Their live performance was enjoyable but maybe just a bit low key to really be wowed by. The same cannot be said of Yussef Dayes (8.4), the drummer and leader of a trio on keyboards and bass. Yussef is a fantastically talented jazz drummer who backed by the hard kitting bass and keyboards of his band out on a truly thrilling show. The trio are able to jam and reach incredible highs them bring the vibe down to a quiet lull. Compared with Kamasi's band they seemed relatively punk and new school in comparison, threatening to steal the show.
While Kamasi Washington's name may have been on the posters, it's hard to imagine a  more ego free band leader. Kamasi's band are less of a band than a travelling musical family. Kamasi introduced every member of his band individually, telling stories of their friendships and how they came to be on the stage. He seems especially close to keyboardist Brandon Coleman. Telling the crowd of how he managed the feat of mastering the keyboards in only two years and beaming with pride as his friend had his chance to shine during an incredible solo. Kamasi Washington's live show is a test of endurance for any jazz fan, stretching roughly 10 songs into a 100 minute masterclass in musicianship. At it's heights, such as the shared solo piece between his two drummers, it was thrilling, but for pieces such as the solo on soprano saxophone by his father Ricky Washington, not quite as much. Kamasi only gave himself a short chance to shine with one sax solo and a speech that prefixed the live version of 'Truth' (which had the lead melody performed by Brandon on a vocoder rather than sax and stretched out far pst its original time). Kamasi explained that "you're gonna hear us play 5 different melodies at the same time, as a metaphor for how beautiful this world can be when we all come together".
In slight contrast to 'Trruth' Kamasi's version of the Bruce Lee theme tune 'Fists of Fury' made for a defiant end to the show as singer Patrice Quinn made the statement that "Our time as victims is over, we will no longer ask for justice, instead we will take our retribution".
After all this it's hard to really say who Kamasi Washington really is. As I saw and learned more about his friends and band-mates than the man himself. As to whether he is the next jazz legend, only time can really tell. (8.8)


Links:
www.oscarjerome.com
www.facebook.com/pg/yussefdayes
www.kamasiwashington.com

The Best Albums of march 2019

Billie Eilish - WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?

Like many people i found it easy to dismiss Billie at first. The earlier singles from this album showed off a sound that was unique rather than defining. Usually when the entire industry decides that one person is worth obsessing over its tempting to do the opposite and ignore them entirely. But the only thing that ultimately matters is whether the music is good. And when you forget about the (admittedly brilliant) high budget music videos, baggy clothes and public persona, this debut album is actually good. In fact it's excellent. Far from the usual overproduced pop records of her peers, This record is the sound of Billie and her brother throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks. The production is unique and genuinely creative, cutting and pasting beats and vocals into songs that are both catchy and sinister. Billie herself is only 17 and the highs and lows of first love are recounted here in frank and sincere detail. When the effects are stripped back on deep cuts such as 'ilomilo' and 'i love you' it becomes clear that this is the emergence of a major talent.

Check out - i love you

Foals - Everything not saved will be lost Part 1

On first listen I was disappointed that after 5 years Foals hadn't changed up their sound or experimented with new ideas. Yet on repeated listens I grew to appreciate how much this album captures everything that is great about them. Aside from some muddy vocals the production is fantastic as are the performances and songs. Foals have taken the muscular rock sound of their later records and mixed it with the complex math rock of their early records and have created an lush sounding, compulsively listenable record that may be their definitive record. and there's still a second part tome come.. 

Check out - White Onions

Little Simz - GREY Area

After a string of promising alums dating back many years. it seems that GREY area is the album in which Little Simz has realised her full potential. Stripping away the pretence and filler of the average modern rap album for 10 tight as fuck bangers. From the raw empowerment anthems Offence and Boss Little Simz sets the tone by saying whatever the hell she wants over a back drop of raw, jazzy instrumentals. Best of all is the charming garage throwback 101 FM. A lyrically and musically retrospective tune that proves that no matter how far Little Simz has yet to come. She will never forget where she came from. 

I also Enjoyed:

Flume - Hi This is Flume

Nilufer Yanya - Miss Universe

Scarlord - Infinity

The Comet Is Coming - Trust in the lifeforce of the deep mystery

The Japanese House - Good at falling

Mercury Rev - Bobbie Gentry's The Delta Sweete revisited

Sundara Karma - Ulfilas' Alphabet

YAK + Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam. Live at The Castle And Falcon (30/3/19) Review

The local opener for this Yak show was Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam (6.4/10). A band who are currently at the forefront of the Birmingham scene, having released their last album 'Blackout Cowboy' to acclaim, after releasing a wealth of Bandcamp material over the years before it. Despite having been a part of the Birmingham scene for some time, this show supporting Yak was surprisingly enough my first time seeing them. Unsurprisingly Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam are a pretty solid band live. Their psych- rock sounding tight and focused. Blacking out the lights in time with the song 'Blackout Cowboy' was also a nice touch.

Since bursting onto the scene a few years back with their debut LP 'Alas Salvation' YAK have established themselves as one of the UK's best live bands and a strong part of the psych rock revival. Following a few years where Yak travelled across the world and Singer-guitarist Oli Burslem briefly ended up living in the back of a van they're back with the new album 'Pursuit of Momentary Happiness'. On the Friday night I saw them, the tiny Castle and Falcon venue was packed full of punters, watching an empty stage as abstract electronic noise filled the room. Once a white clad Oli and the rest of Yak hit the stage the young lads at the front started moshing and didn't stop till the end of the show, not long after that Oli decided to join them, not bothered at all by the fact that he was still playing his guitar. For a brief moment he fell right down in front of me, but was up before I could help him. 

Musically Yak are a bit hard to put into a simple box. Their newer material takes cues from Spiritualised, yet their stage show is more reminiscent of the feral energy you'd find at a King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard show. Oli plays guitar much like his label boss and guitar hero Jack White, stripping back all pretension, and distorting blues rock riffs into something far more heavy. In terms of songwriting Yak can be incredibly simplistic. Like when Oli spent a whole track deadpan singing 'He's got the whole world in his hands' down a loudspeaker. All this comes backed by the krautrock style rhythms of drummer and bassist Elliot Rawson and Andy Jones. Yak also took some time to slow things down a little bit and air some newer songs and also rant monologues about modern life down the loudspeaker, but the next burst of noise was never too far away. 

Almost as if to play a little prank on the audience after the supposed last song Yak simply walked off stage and let the lights and music back on, before walking back on stage a minute later to play more tunes without a word. A strange way to do an encore, but Yak are never ones to do things the normal way. 

(8.8)

Links:

www.yakband.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/sunshinefrisbeelaserbeam

https://www.facebook.com/CastleandFalcon/

Broken Lungs - Cultural Decay EP review.

Cultural Decay is the second EP from Brummie 'Loud Fast noise band' Broken Lungs. A band who emerged from the ashes of various brummie acts such as Crime And Punishment 2011 and Someone Said Fire. This is the second EP from the band formerly known as Ghostwriter and the opening track 'Sick to death' kicks off with a bang. Singer Joe Jones' vocals kick in a screamed '1,2.3,4,... GO!" with a huge guitar riff and pounding bass and drums. Its reminiscent of bands such as Gallows, or Every Time I Die, who in the 2000's blurred the lines between punk and metal. Guitarist Nik fills the track with enough quick fire riffs to keep the song interesting, adding a breakdown into the last minute with some nice snares from drummer Dan. What sets Broken Lungs apart from several other bands who can do this sort of thing however is Joe Jones lyrics. Broken Lungs do not appear to be a political band but their songs will be instantly relatable to anyone who's actually paid attention to current events in the past 5 years. Broken Lungs attack the stereotyped idea of the narcissistic millennial with glee, literally screaming 'if I had a penny for every slur I hear about millennial's I could rent a better world'
'Armed the teeth' keeps in a similar vein, with a similar mix of riffs and breakdowns, although the lyrics take a more poetic turn, opening with the line 'feeble hands meet stronger minds, lapping at the fangs the tides they rise'. Whatever any of this means is a bit hard to decipher than the straightforward anger of 'Sick to death'. Closing track 'Baloons in Catacombs' has a few old school heavy metal elements and ditches the obscure lyrics for nihilistic sloganeering, 'I've got all my eggs in the same casket, the whole of humanity is on my blacklist'. Broken Lungs rehearsed and wrote together as a side project a long time before they emerged with EP's such as this and it shows. The end result shows a band who have perfected their sound. It's the anger of punk meeting the aggression of heavy metal. My only real criticism is that these three songs all follow a similar formula. This is fine for an EP but I'm not sure how it would translate into an album. Broken Lungs have skipped the rough, experimental stage that most bands put out on their second EP's and have already arrived at the finished product. I feel that they have missed an opportunity to experiment with new ideas and sounds. Yet if it's loud, fast hardcore noise you're after then This EP comes highly recommended.

https://brokenlungsuk.bandcamp.com/album/cultural-decay

The Best Albums of February 2019

Better Oblivion Community Centre is the debut collaborative album from Pheobe Bridgers and Connor Oberst. The latter a long standing indie rock veteran and former singer of Bright Eyes. The former, is a rising star. Pheobe Bridgers' debut LP 'Stranger in the alps is a masterpiece of melancholy, confessional Alt-Folk. This collaborative album may have been slightly overshadowed by Pheobe Bridgers' allegations against her former boyfriend Ryan Adams. The nature of the relationship was detailed in uncomfortably honest songs such as 'Motion Sickness' on her debut. BOCC finds Pheobe moving on from her past and finding the perfect musical partner with Connor Obserst. The two span several genres and styles throughout this album, from synthpop to grungey indie rock and stripped back folk. Despite Connor's status Pheobe emerges as the real star, weaving beautifully nostalgic stories to match their experimentation.
Check out - Forest Lawn 

Andy Burrows & Matt Haig - Reasons to Stay Alive 
Matt Haig's book 'Reasons To Stay Alive' is one of my all time favourite books. It has helped me through many a difficult period and i feel is an essential resource for anyone who has or wants to understand mental health and the stigma that surrounds it. Part memoir, self help book and surprisingly funny and light hearted throughout. It is essential reading. This album is a collaboration with Andy Burrows. Who for better or worse is the perfect person to bring Matt's memoirs to life. The sentimentality of Matt's writing works better in novels than in music. Andy Burrows, musical accompaniment is generally lacking in any real edge or definable style. Yet as a reminder to find joy in the smaller things in life,  'Reason's to Stay Alive' is still worth a listen,
Check out - Hero

I also Enjoyed
Julia Jacklin - Crushing
Drenge - Strange Creatures.
Sleaford Mods - Eton Alive

Interview with Broken Lungs.

Broken Lungs are a new Birmingham based hardcore band. Mixing metal vocals into riff heavy melodic rock songs and taking inspiration from bands such as Cancer Bats, Every Time I die, Converge and While She Sleeps. After being impressed with their first ever show I decided to have a chat with them in the Subside smoking area. First I got to know all the band members names (Nikolas - Guitar, Dan - Drums, Alex - Bass, Joe - Vocals) as well as the fact that their lockup is called Janice.

Nick: We like to give our lock-up a girls name

BT: It’s a bit like In the great escape where the tunnels are named Tom, Dick and Harry

Joe: she isn’t clean though, she is a bit filthy at the moment

BT: If you could write a song for anyone who would it be?

Dan: I’d quite to write a song for Frank Carter And the rattlesnakes, that’d be cool or someone like Every Time I Die

Alex: If they were still around it would be Ghost of a Thousand.  If we could write a song for them,  that would be fantastic, Rest in peace

Nick: Massively underrated that band. we all tend to like bands that are quite niche. Who never really got there but stayed at a certain level. Underground bands, that’s what we’re all into really. me and Dan were playing in quite metal bands, quite ‘techy bands’ and this is the exact opposite of that. We just want to write good riffs and jump around. We wanted to write something that we could get into ourselves.

Dan: … something Joe can roll around on the floor too.  I’d like to have a go (at writing) I’ve got bits and pieces written on my phone. I’d like to do a collaboration. I’d like to write lyrics, but  It would have to be something everyone agreed on.

Nick: we just try to write as a team don’t we? Someone will have an idea or someone might pick up on something while jamming in between songs and band practises

Alex: what I will say is that our music is relatively simple but it does take a while to write it. We like to take our time to piece it all together.

Dan: it’s all about the context and how it all works together rather than the complexity of a single riff.

Alex: We try to write songs that are following some kind of structure but go on a tangent every now and then.  I don’t think you can pick out any of our songs and it’s just verse-chorus-verse chorus- breakdown. That’s just kind of how it’s kind of evolved.

At this point Vultures’ soundcheck becomes to noisy to talk over so the interview ends and we go check out more punk rock noise. 

  
www.facebook.com/brokenlungsuk

It's high time for Sam Fender. The Hypersonic rise of a new millennial hero.

Who the heck is this Sam Fender kid? is what I asked myself a few months back when I saw the name doing rounds. Initially I was a bit sceptical seeing this kid who i had no previous knowledge of getting the chance to play on Later.. sell out his UK tours and have his EP constantly promoted to me on my Twitter timeline. Yet after seeing some positive murmurs on the AF Gang group page* I decided to give him a go. I was pleasantly surprised to find that his debut 'Dead Boys' EP is a rather brilliant collection of rock songs. Not another bearded guy hiding behind a keyboard or a sad girl playing a piano. The fact that he recently won a Brit Award only seems stranger. The critics that chose the likes of James Bay, Emelie Sande and Sam Smith as the next big things actually chose a guy making rock music to join those lofty ranks. Listening back to the 'Dead Boys' EP It's obvious that he's living up to the hype, with a small set of sharp indie rock songs, that comment on the suicide epidemic (Dead Boys), celebrity culture (Poundshop Kardashians) and small town life. Not only is he writing great songs but he also has a fair bit to say. So when Annie Mac announced that his track 'Hypsersonic Missiles' was her Hottest track in the world'. I was expecting to be disappointing. Will this be the slump that follows the initial promise? thankfully I couldn't be more wrong. 'Hypersonic Missiles' is evidence that Sam is Tyneside's answer to Bruce Springsteen. An anthemic wide screen rock n roll song which perfectly captures what it feels like to be a millennial. In his interview with Annie Mac, Sam stated that the song was written from the point of view of an imagined character and inspired by news reports. Yet it's hard to not instantly relate to lines such as  "We're probably due another war with all this ire, I'm not smart enough to change a thing, I've no answers, only questions, don't you ask a thing". Even the chorus rings true with dark despair as Sam sings "Oh, silver tongue suits and cartoons, they rule my world... it's a high time for hypersonic missiles... And when the bombs drop, darling, can you say that you've lived your life?" and then the sax solo kicks in. It's got the whooaooahh.. sing along parts, even that twinkly background noise that is present in many Springsteen songs. Put simply, Sam Fender is living up to the hype. 

Much like The 1975's recent masterpiece 'Love it if we made it', 'Hypersonic Missiles' revives the sound of 80's pop but also the paranoid mood of that era. We live in strange and difficult times and with 'Hypersonic Missles' Sam Fender has delivered a song that will help define the decade. A cry for help that demands to be heard again and again and again....

*Online community of IDLES fans  

Ohmme + Odmansbox, Kinds Of Light. Live at The Hare and Hounds review (18/2/19)

Kinds of Light (6.8/10) are a Birmingham group who supported Ohmme with a gorgeous set of blissfully psychedelic tinged indie rock. Mixing in some elements of electronic sampling and post rock into their sound. For an act who only formed just under two years ago they already seem to have their sound and style figured out and I think they will be worth looking out for.

The other opener Odmansbox (7.6), linger on the fine line between self parody and eccentricity. Coming across as a sort of mix of the clever clogs indie rock of Field music and the dense yet comedic Prog rock throwback of Matt Berry. Their singer reminds me a lot of Flight of the Conchords' Jermaine Clement and his penchant for self deprecating jokes doesn't help with this much. He introduced their song 'I don't want to be your dog anymore' as being inspired by to the legendary 6 Music DJ Iggy Pop. And that if you think about it the sing they played after that 'Swoon' is kind of about wanting to be a dog. Their singer also asked if anyone had 'been to a bad wedding lately' before playing their tune 'A quiet affair. Odmansbox mat struggle with their own name but they mix their light hearted humour with some impressively low key musical chops. They seem ready to fall into the tradition of bands such as Sparks, or 10cc who show that being smart doesn't have to mean being pretentious.

Chicago's Ohmme (8) are a trio comprising of guitarists and singers Macie Stewart and

Sima Cunningham and their talented drummer Matt*. Ohmme are billed as an 'experiment in voice, guitar and sound'. In parts of their show this definitely rang true as Ohmme have a habit of experimenting with guitar and percussion. However they have already crafted a sound that is unique and spellbinding. Macie and Sima have perfected their exceptional vocal harmonies and interplay between their voices and angular guitar riffs. Their songs are mostly stripped back post punk songs with a similar dynamic to Sleater Kinney but an artsy-ness that is all of their own. While they have plenty of engaging original songs its with their innovative approach to cover versions that they really shine such as with their rowdy take on The B-52's 'Give me back my man' and a brilliant cover of David Bowie's 'Girl Loves me' off the Blackstat album. This cover was good enough to remind me not only of how much I loved that sing when it came out but also of just how weird it was too. Ohmme did a great job of taking such a wild card of a song to cover and putting their own spin on it. 

Having come all the way from Chicago Ohmme had to deal with lighting and van failures earlier in the day Ohmme seemed convionced that they had been followed by a ghost, or that they might just be witches. Yet this did little to phase them as they engaged with the brummie crowd on the local dialect and how colds can exaggerate a mid-west accent. Despite coming across such setbacks Ohmme' debut UK Tour and Birmingham performance seems to have been a success. 

* at least I think that's what he's called

Websites:
ohmmemusic.com

www.odmansbox.com

kindsoflight.com

Sabrepulse, Neon Asylum, Figure 09, Chromatouch. Live at The Flapper review (15/2/19)

Before coming to this show I knew very little about the musical genre known as 'Chiptune' or It's biggest name Sabrepulse. For the uninitiated Chiptune is an underground subgenre of dance music that comprises of producers remixing the theme tunes and noises of early arcade games into fun yet complex noise. The opener for this show at the Flapper was Chromatouch, A Birmingham based artist who like Sabrepulse has been bubbling away in the underground for a long time. his abstract glitchy electronic noise went perfectly with the 8- bit graphics supplied by a kid at the side of the stage making backdrops under the name 'technolgy is evil'. In keeping with the throwback theme, Jason Tyler, aka Pink Violence brought back his old 'Neon Asylum' persona for a set full of mashed up electronica and house tunes unearthed from his Myspace and Soundcloud pages.

Figure 0.9

Neon Asylum also provided the backing for an incendiary set from his old 'Crime and Punishment 2011' bandmate Figure 0.9. Who poured his heart out in an emotional set of songs from his extremely underrated Debut album 'casket' and its upcoming follow up 'Yellow'. The title track of which is a disturbingly bleak look at the suicide of a friend. His lyrics differ from quotable one liners on hype tracks such as Charizard on which he aims to please "the Grime dons and the pokemon fans", and the bleak analysis of mental health on his 'cry for help 'Ghost'. Dan tackles such issues in a frank and unique manner. later on he was joined by some other former Crime and Punishmemt band mates who lent screaming vocals to 'Hellbound 2'.
Sabrepulse is far from your usual joyless dance producer as was apparent from his request to have as many peopled upfront dancing to his tunes as possible and his habit of bouncing around the stage cracking self deprecating jokes. What followed was an hour of joyful noise, created with an arsenal of mp3's, keyboards and a gameboy. Sabrepulse entertained an a small yet ecstatic crowd of dedicated fans with a barrage of remixed video game themes and tunes going back over a decade. Sabrepulse's music seems to incorporate many elements of dance music subgenres such as Drum & Bass, Hardcore and even dubstep. With only a few minutes to go he asked if anyone wanted to hear a track by his favourite drum n bass producer Dimension. Nobody really cared that it was just an MP3 of someone elses track, Sabrepulse had already delivered more than enough with his own material.


links
http://www.chromatouch.net
https://figure09.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/neonasylum
https://sabrepulse.bandcamp.com/

Enter Shikari - Live at the 02 Academy Birmingham (1/2/19) Review

Enter Shikari are a band who know how to make an entrance, kicking off proceedings with the 'The Sights', a jaunty upbeat song with flashes of progressive rock in the mix. Singer Rou Reynolds greeted the crowd in a typically Enter Shikari-ish fashion. "greetings carbon- based lifeforms, we are Enter Shikari". This show in Birmingham marked just over 2 years since their last Birmingham show. Since that last show they seem to have kept touring constantly and while they had toned down on the stage set up they made up with this with more energy. 

Tonight Enter Shikari decided to mark 10 years since the release of their second album  'Common Dreads'. Arguably the most important album of their career as they built on the template of post-hardcore and electronica and added the overtly political lyrics and sloganeering that they are known for now. Alongside airings of songs from that album Enter Shikari added some rarely heard fan favourites such as 'Hoodwinker' into the setlist. 

This show went to prove that Rou Reynolds is one of the best and most engaging frontmen in rock right now. With his magical ability to reappear in unexpected places in the room, seemingly in the blink of an eye. He appeared on top of the balcony on the left hand side with his guitar, delivering speeches and songs to the crowd. Rou also showed off his impressive singing range, challenging the audience to match his screams and yelps in a bit of a Freddie Mercury moment. Of course this wouldn't matter at all if it wasn't for the amazingly talented band behind him, whipping the crowd up in a frenzy with classics such as 'Mothership' and their own take on Faithless' iconic 'Insomnia'. The 'quickfire round' incited more frenzied crowd surges with a medley of classic tunes starting with 'Sorry you're not a Winner' and slowly raising the BPM by each song. 

now that it has been out in the world for roughly two years 'The Spark' is looking like it may be every bit as important to Enter Shikari as 'Common Dreads'. Rou let the crowd cool off for a bit with a rousing solo rendition of 'Take My Country Back'. With Brexit looming on the horizon few songs have captured the zeitgeist so perfectly. It's proven to be an anthem for those who have grown to hate the tribalism that has grown in our country and it's politics. Many bands preach diversity and unity yet few can bring people together like Enter Shikari, whose music crosses genres and social boundaries. 'The Spark' was inspired by Rou's battles with anxiety, and is such probably the most emotionally rewarding Enter Shikari album. This shows closing track 'Live Outside' is a particularity poignant yet upbeat song that confronts anxiety directly. It felt like the perfect note to end the show on, confronting fears about the present but also sounding hopeful for the future. In the 10 years since 'Common Dreads' Enter Shikari have grown into something special, vital and unique. 

9.2/10 

While I do regret not seeing Black Peaks I stand by my decision to not see Palaye Royale. That bunch of posers have no business supporting a band with as much credibility as Enter Shikari. 

The best albums of January 2019

James Blake - Assume Form 
Since dropping his last LP James Blake has been busy becoming one of the most coveted producers in pop and hip-hop, adding Kendrick Lamar and Travis Scott to a CV that already includes Beyonce. So it's a surprise that after all this time away from the spotlight that 'Assume Form' is the best album of his career so far. Many of the songs here show off his new found prowess at making hip hop beats on some fantastically sultry and low key bangers featuring the likes of Travis Scott, Andre 3000 and Metro Boomin. Yet it's when James is left on his opwn that the album really starys to shine, such as the beautifully euphoric 'Can't Believe The Way We Flow'. The abstract cut and paste lyricism and vocal effects present on earlier albums are now gone as James has found confidence as a songwriter. 'Power on' is a brilliantly frank and positive reflection on the effect love has had on his mental health. James Blake has produced the first great album of 2019.

Bring Me The Horizon - AMO
Bring Me The Horizon are at a point in their career that few bands, let alone heavy metal bands manage to reach. A point where after 4 albums they are left with a choice. They can either stick with their established sound and please their existing fanbase at the risk of that fanbase slowly dwindling with future releases or take risks, experiment with their sound and write songs that will encourage new fans to take the place of those who don't like the new direction. Thankfully BMTH haven't scrapped the guitars to the extent of Linkin Park's much maligned last album. The heavy tracks on AMO such as MANTRA and Wonderful life still bear all the heavy riffs and shouty refrains that BMTH are known for. For much of the rest of the album BMTH delve into electronica, with mixed results, while 'Medicine' finds them having a go at a 1975 style pop tune. Throughout AMO BMTH throw every millennial songwriting cliche they can at the wall, the whoops, pitched chipmunk vocals, Drum breaks and even an attempt at the triplet flow are all present. The eclectic approach mostly works on the strongest songs, but can be annoying when the songs aren't up to scratch (such as the irritating 'Sugar Honey Ice & Tea'). BMTH deserve credit for being one of the few mainstream rock bands who are willing to experiment and break new ground.
Check out - Heavy Metal

The Fever 333 - Strength In Numb333rs
After emerging as one of the worlds best new live acts last year the pressure has been on for The Fever 333 with their debut album. The results lie somewhere between Linkin Park and Rage Against The machine. A furious and politically charged rap-metal album which makes The Fever 333 likely to be the band who brings back nu metal. Strength in Numb333rs mixes rap and metal together with a radio friendly edge. It's when the former Letlive singer Jason Aalon Butler opens up about his own experiences on songs such as 'Am I here?' that the album is at it's most compelling. 'Strength in Numb333rs' lacks the DIY experimentation of RATM, as the band use sampling and electronic embellishments throughout. Much of the lyrics have little depth beyond their rage. Despite this their message is still a necessary one that echoes the frustrations that many in America and the rest of the world are feeling.


I also enjoyed...

Deerhunter - Why hasn't everything already disappeared?
A whimsical psychedelic tinged rock album that is totally different from it's predecessor. The work of a peerless band who are still evolving after over a decade of making music

Weezer - Weezer (Teal Album)
90's rock veterans make a covers album to capitalise on the freak success of their cover of Toto's Africa. The results are nowhere near as bad as they ought to be.

The Twilight Sad - It won/t be like this all the time 
Sad Scottish goths make another album of sad gothic indie rock. It may not be much of a change from their last album, but when the quality is this high it really doesn't matter.

Sharon Van Etten - Remind Me Tomorrow
Critical darling singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten has made a comeback after over 5 years away with a synth-pop reinvention. Yet underneath the makeover lies the same lovelorn, earnest lyrics ghat made her earlier records so engaging.

Happy New Year!