Live Review – The Leisure Society
The Leisure Society –Cluny17/2/12
Ellen Wilkie
As a critic, I don’t tend to be easily pleased. I’m at a point now where I can admit that. Bearing this in mind, it’s quite a big deal how much I appreciate and love the musical output of The Leisure Society. Their coy vocals and the tight harmonies that back them up, their stringy arrangements with flutters of flute and glockenspiel in the midst, and the strong poeticism of every word combine and make me powerless as they force their way into my heart.
Tonight, the band was supported by Dan Michaelson & The Coastguards. Two men (their band name was deceptively pluralised) sat atop stools, guitars in hand, plaid shirts on their backs and beards on their chins. They looked as though they’d been taken straight from a fishing boat, and their tobacco and whiskey vocals reinforced this further. The gruff bass of Michaelson’s voice has a husky charm. There were echoes of Johnny Cash to it, and the emotive qualities of artists like Dusty Springfield, both of whom are cited as influences by the band. Whilst the lack of diction afforded some beauty, it also lacked diction. Within a few songs then it seemed that we’d heard it all. As for ‘tween song banter, it could have been hilarious, but nobody understood it due to the poor enunciation and clarity of his words. I’d be interested to read Michaelson’s lyrics to find out if they were as stirring as their delivery suggested.
The Leisure Society themselves were in direct contrast to the support. For all of the sloppiness of the former, then the headline act made up for it in their tight precision. The band utilise classical instruments such as violin, flute and cello together with traditional electric guitar, bass and drum set to create a neo-orchestral sound that is completely unique. This mix of instruments, however, requires a breadth of players. The crampedClunystage seemed to restrain them somewhat. They overlapped one another and it may be that this lack of space hindered their performance. You wouldn’t have known it though. The band maneuvered from the quiet, understated and melancholy, to the full, dynamic and agile with little stop for breath. Their tracks are smooth, harmonic and endlessly endearing, with the band appearing to be equally as charming as they are talented. Playing a mixture of new and old, as well as B-sides that they claim ‘nobody will have heard of’, they confirmed the love that existing fans had and gained a few new ones on the way.
There’s a magic to The Leisure Society. They don’t just make music, they seem to sparkle while they do it. There are stars hidden under those folky exteriors. They’re a hidden gem. We all just need to hope that they are polished and not tainted by their burgeoning popularity.
EP Review – Dave Giles: The First Seven
The First Seven EP
Glen Lewis
Seven songs and an equal acoustic version of each of these songs is long for an EP, so it’s good that it’s tough to get enough of Dave Giles when a good mood strikes you. This first record of Mr. Giles sports the exact kind of charm that directs his live shows and his second record, Tales of a Social Misfit. While The First Seven doesn’t have the same variety, it’s still got the same kind of light-hearted sentiments to give, from bromances to just having a good day in the summer in London. You might reckon the music is a little reductive because of this simplicity, but that’s not the case – the music is very good, with lots of lovely solos, fine-tuned fills and harmonies filling in the gaps between every chord that’ll suit acoustic folk fans right down to their tapping toes.
The First Seven is a great first record and showcases many of the nuances Giles went on to perfect in his second offering and it’s perfectly suited to chilling out to on a Sunday afternoon. In a deckchair in the garden wearing kick-ass shades, if you have the ingredients for such a thing. Don’t be surprised to find yourself humming the EP long after the last song has finished either – it’s a catchy one.
Street Photography – Words of wisdom from Anthony Dorman
The best thing to do with street photography is pick someone difficult first – either a tough looking bloke or a beautiful woman. They will most likely be fairly vain and say yes. After that it’s easier than you think. Be aware of surroundings as people can be easily distracted or feel on show. And be ready to be quick, take test shots of your hand to get light readings first. I often find a spot I like and then wait for a person. It’s a bit like stalking – its a bit weird really. Give it a go – you’ll be fine !
See Anthony’s photography here
Album Review – Enter Shikari – A flash flood of colour
Album Review – Enter Shikari – A flash flood of colour
Josh Kirkup
Post-hardcore, electronicore, metalcore. Their music falls into many categories and with their 3rd studio album released in January, Enter Shikari look to add more fans to their ever growing followers. Take to the skies and comman dreads were such massive successes, that a flash flood of colour holds a lot of expectation.
Personally I’ve only seen Enter Shikari twice live. And some people would ask “what qualifies you to write about them?” My answer to that would be “shut up and read something else if you don’t like it”.
The two times I’ve seen Enter Shikari, I found them to be all about energy. Their songs made everyone want to go crazy, jump around and generally just move.
In late 2011 we had teasers of the new album, and January ’12 saw us graced with 11 new tracks. And in my opinion, most of them were subpar to what we are used to. I didn’t feel the energy and freedom that tracks like “Jugganaughts” and “Johnny Sniper” brought, with their new sound. “A Flash of Colour” makes me think less of packed venues and summer festivals, and more of Bob Geldof; trying to move away from fun and towards seriousness.
“Sssnake Pit” carries the album, which personally is a little disappointing, due to the success of comman dreads. That album had 4 or 5 songs which instantly made me want to gather fifteen or twenty of my friends, and smash into each other. But this one has only one or two instantly ear catching tracks, and doesn’t as much make me want to mosh as much as stage a protest outside the Houses of Parliament.
After a few more listens, I am sure it’ll grow on me and become just as much a favourite as its predecessors. Some fans may call it evolution of style, some may see it as a way to get a Political message out to those who normally would hear one, and some may say that Enter Shikari have changed. I agree and disagree with all these people, and I say this; its change. Change isn’t always bad, but it isn’t always good either.
Interview: The Dead Famous
INTERVIEW: The Dead Famous
Jay Dawson
How much of a change has it been forming as a collective, from different bands?
It’s been great, obviously knew each other before hand so it was wicked getting in the studio and seeing what we came up with.
To what extent did James’ past in Go: Audio impact on The Dead Famous’ Sound
Not a lot, we just got in the studio and experimented, we wanted to create something different.
How would you say your sound has developed since previous projects and bands?
We’re definitely in our infancy with this band but we’re happy with how it’s going and we’d like to think it’s different.
Tell me a little bit about ‘Superstar’ – Does it have some hidden semantics, or is it just meant to be a feel good song?
I think a lot of people can relate to it, I think we all have superstar in us, even if no one else can see it, basically just keep doing what you’re doing and believe.
Individually, what would you say your main dynamics are as people [not band members]
Driven, committed, cool mo. fo’s
Do you have a set song-writing / lyricism workflow? if so do you stick to it?
Not at all, letting the river flow free
Anyone special you’d like to mention who has helped you to where you are today? Who and How?
Our parents for having fun that night 
What can we expect from live shows? Anything special lined up? Tour?
High energy, sing alongs…..basically a karaoke bar
As a band, who would you say your music is most similar to?
it’s dissimilar to millions of bands, it’s similar to none
What genre would you label yourself as? And if you weren’t that genre, what would you be?
I guess we are rock/pop
Funniest/Weirdest/Most interesting band past-time?
Shot roulette
Album Review – Pulled Apart By Horses – ‘Tough Love’
Pulled Apart By Horses – ‘Tough Love’ (2012)
By Glen Lewis
Pulled Apart by Horses are a band between worlds. They have all the youth and style of your average indie rock band, but within them beats the savage heart of a heavy rock monster. They are punk rock on steroids, indie with a machete, and a bullet to the brain of boring music. Their first and self-titled album rocketed them onto the scene in 2010 and it was a short, furious burst of pure grit and adrenaline. ‘Tough Love’ is the bands second full-length affair and it’s just as brisk at about half an hour in length, but comes with more polish, stronger song writing and an equally potent punch to the ear holes.
‘V.E.N.O.M’ is the opening track and first single from the record and is also the strongest track of the eleven offered. A searing chorus begs to be shouted along with and a fantastic breakdown delivers the finest riff that 2012 has witnessed so far. The record burns along and every track introduces a new pleasure, whether it’s the crunchy bass line in ‘Shake Off the Curse’ or the moody as hell solo in ‘Give Me a Reason’. The album is relentless and though there are some modestly melodic sections that echo early day Biffy Clyro, it’s pretty much all screaming, all guns blazing from start to end. Its short length and raw delivery means the album really lends itself to repeated listens – I’ve had myself several runs through since its release and I’m not even nearly tired.
For a riot, you’ll find no album better suited to your needs this season and anyone who gets a kick out of dirty punk masterpieces should find everything they need on ‘Tough Love’.
Album Review – Young Guns – Bones
Young Gun Bones –Album review ‘BONES’
Elly Rewcastle
After such a high trail left behind Young Guns’ debut full length album ‘All Our Kings Are Dead’, ‘Bones’ has been met with high expectation. Jetting off to record in Thailand with former SikTh guitarist Dan Weller early last year started the instant hype for the High Wycombe quintet’s new release.
Opener “I Was Born, I Have Lived and I Will Surely Die” is certainly one that belongs at the beginning. Kicking in with the distorted sound of guitars before breaking into soaring guitars and thrashing drums that all together give off that stadium atmosphere Young Guns are more than capable of. If a handpicked support slot from classic rock Gods Bon Jovi isn’t enough to show this then I don’t know what is.
‘Dearly Departed’ follows in suit, the heavy influence of Lostprophets featured across the entire album is evidently demonstrated on this track, which leads into title track and new single ‘Bones’ where the sheer ambition and hard work of the band is truly displayed. With massive guitars and a solo to match break the track into its true potential displaying that talent and raw hard work that the band have put in to create the album. With massive lyrics and a chorus that breaks into any live atmosphere, ‘Bones’ is certainly one of the better tracks on the album and releasing it as a single is the right choice to display the massive potential featured in the 12 tracks.
The instrumental ‘Interlude’ is an understated pulse of bubbling electronica whilst ‘Hymn For All I’ve Lost’ neatly condenses that feeling of looking back on the past into a little over a minute without ever feeling cheap or throwaway. They also have a carefully hidden gentler side witnessed by the delicate ‘Broadfields’ which slows down the pace and strips away the fake tanned production to create an emotive piece that gives the lyrics space to breathe with a shot of falsetto thrown in for good measure.
Moments of unimagined maturity are also evident, to such an extent virtually invisible upon second albums of pre-peaked young bands. For instance, the finale produces a standalone acoustic guitar; accentuating exhausted vocals, gradually building to a final burst of energy – but leaving the album to drain out on a light addendum.
‘Bones’ is filled with a massive expectation and it certainly lives up to it. With a result that could have been much worse than it turned out to be its cheers all round for the Buckinghamshire five-piece as ‘Bones’ certainly succeeds.
See more updates on facebook and twitter: www.facebook.com/YoungGuns and @YoungGunsUK
Shutter Live Review: Asking Alexandria
Friday the 13th saw the second stage of Asking Alexandria’s UK Tour as they hit the O2 Academy Newcastle, with Blessthefall.
Blessthefall pulled off a phenomenal set which including top selling hit ‘Guys Like You Make Us Look Bad’ and promised to be back in the UK soon. The band of Beau, Jared, Eric, Matt and Elliott were on their own UK Tour last October, but I don’t think they expected to be back so soon, and get the support they did.
Creating an electric atmosphere performing just before headliners Asking Alexandria, they could be forgiven for ordering the fans of Newcastle into a fierce motion of circle pits.
Then came Asking Alexandria, who are known as one of the craziest bands out there for their party style personalities. They created a party storm, in the form of lead singer Danny Wornsops vocal screams to get the crowd wild. The first album, ‘Stand Up and Scream’ saw the band release the song ‘The Final Episode’ definitely was the outstanding song on the first album, and as they began to play the song, the crowd went wild. To The Stage and Not The American Average also got the crowd crazy as multiple pits took place all around the standing area of the Academy.
The night also saw American outfit Chelsea Grin and British boys With One Last Breath take to the stage, and both were taken well and they each played an excellent set.
Kieran Carr
Shutter: Live review – Bros & Hos Fest
Scott Tailford
It’s a freezing-cold February evening in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. An empty space surrounded by many tall buildings has one set of doors leading down into Trillians Bar; a brilliant intimate venue perfect for what would be the nights’ entertainment. As thousands of workers turn in for evening, it is time for others to just begin, and thus a couple hundred people ranging from young to middle-aged gather for a few hours of complete detachment from the outside world. A night of the heaviest, most brutal hardcore metal the North-East has to offer is whats on the cards for tonight, and with 6 bands in total playing, there’s more than enough to get everyone involved! Let’s break ‘em down!
40oz – ‘One rule for them, another for us’ are the first words shouted through the P.A system tonight, meaning vocalist Mark Ward takes no time to announce himself, along with the band thundering in behind him. A really short set, but a very ferocious one. Bassist Matty Reid particularly stood out, abusing his instrument in the best way possible and accentuating every cymbal crash by throwing himself around the stage accordingly. A great opener to a very passionate night
This I Believe – These young upstarts started with an onslaught of power chords that set a perfect tone for singer Leyum Pattison to lay his very gutteral vocals over the top. A great pace was kept throughout, topped off on the final track by a sweet tapping solo from guitarist Elias Jamous, aswell as a very tight drum fill from Patrick Dean. These guys worked well together, and its no surprise to see how fast they’ve been embraced and supported by the hardcore community.
Hey! Alaska – ENERGY!! If there’s one word that somes these guys up, its energy! Just the explosion of pure kinetic mayhem that explodes from vocalist Luke just makes you totally want to get involved. The crowd were pretty into it for the most part during the previous bands, but with these guys, you could feel the entire mood of the place start to shift. With some trading of harsh vs. clean vocals between Luke and guitarist Jamie, as well as some melodic backing from Ashley on the keyboard, Alaska created a pretty cool sound that stood out from the other bands of tonight. A great performance, and a stellar example of what a band can deliver live instead of on record.
Climate of Fear – After a pretty sweet intro the band descended into a bit of a mess. Sound quality was all over the place, leading to uneven levels and some initially pretty sloppy playing from bassist ‘Ed’. However they did eventually find their groove and as the crowd were already hyped from the last bands, this lead to the first proper pit of the night, along with singer Rae giving the mic to some crowd members to sing a part of one of their songs. Awesome participation and a great synergy between audience and performer.
The Departed – Now we’re into the big leagues! Relentless tourers The Departed have fast made a name for themselves after putting out consecutive material and doing multiple UK tours as well as a brief stint in Europe. It’s very telling, as The Departed COMMANDED the stage, and the entire venue effortlessly. Extremely fast and extremely brutal riffs abound, hammering home the purest hardcore sound to the baying audience. Participation is almost symbiotic by this point, as vocalist Robert dives in amongst the crowd and lets them scream the words to a handful of songs throughout the set. Insane energy throughout, you can see why these guys have come so far so fast.
Demoraliser - And finally onto Demoraliser. Vocalist James Dexter immediately engages with the audience who are at this point completely involved in every scream, every breakdown, and every broken nose. Demoraliser had the best sound of the entire night, with a great dirty guitar tone and some thrashing drums, which was a perfect setup to debut some new material. Set against choked chords and extremely heavy distortion, Dexter allowed the crowd to get involved by handing them the mic amongst all the carnage. The overall feeling of tenacity was drenched throughout the entire place as everyone got in on the action. These guys have delivered insanely passionate shows night after night, and continued not to disappoint here in Trillians. I’ll end this review by echoing the words of James Dexter after pulling himself out of the crowd and back on stage; ‘Thank you Newcastle that was intense’.
To see more of Scott’s writing…..
http://irockthereforeiam.blogspot.com
Album Review: AB III
Alter Bridge – AB III
This is the album that made the world take notice.
Scott Tailford
Coming off 07′s stellar sophomore effort ‘Blackbird’, Alter finally carved a definable sound for themselves, leaving the Creed comparisons far behind. Now here with ABIII we have a completely different beast altogether. Thick meaty riffs abound and pad out the rhythmic section of the album, as well as some of the best melodically phrased solos of the last decade. Lead guitarist Mark Tremonti has come a long way since the Creed days, and along with vocalist/co-lead player Myles Kennedy, they have a very definable and intense sound.
The album tells a story of personal redemption through addressing personal themes such as depression and loss of identity (Isolation, Slip to the Void) as well as touching upon larger issues such as religion (Words Darker Than Their Wings), along with what it is like to lose someone you love (Wonderful Life), this is a fantastically engaging album. These themes are perfectly set against an instrumental section laced with building crescendos, multiple guitar lines and anthemic choruses that have served Alter very well on last years’ first headline arena tour. ABIII is a phenomenal listening experience that will engage you for its’ entire 1 hour runtime. So buy a decent pair of headphones, sit down, and try to soak it all in.