Frank carter & the reattlesnakes
Dark Rainbow - via international Death Cult/AWAL
Reviewed by James Fortune-Clubb
Album released - 26th Jan 24
As a supposedly dedicated music fan of 40+ years standing, with a finger on the pulse and an ear locked on BBC 6 Music - somehow Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes have managed to pass me by...
Obviously I've been aware of Frank's current combo, but haven't properly listened to his output since the headly days of Gallows 'Orchestra of Wolves' and (the less successful concept) 'Grey Britain' albums - now unfathomably 18 and 15 years ago respectively.
Indeed I managed to catch Gallows a couple of times back in the 'Orchestra of Wolves' days - back then Gallows gigs with Frank at the helm were hectic, energy fuelled with an air of danger and unpredictability nostalgically reminiscent of the late 70s punk era.
Flashforward nearly two decades, having left Gallows over the usual 'musical differences', formed the short-lived 'Pure Love' - Frank is back with The Rattlesnakes fifth album since their first in 2015.
'Dark Rainbow' (on International Death Cult / AWAL) is released into the wild on 26 January.
So here we are with... 11 new tracks from Frank and The Rattlesnakes, and due to my lack of back catalogue knowledge, I've no context in which to listen to the new songs in the light of the old, so it's all new to me and I'm eager to listen.
Gallows this is not - nor should it be... what we have here is more tuneful, less angry, less shouty, more mainstream, melodic , considered, reflective, Frank is in good voice here and clearly now an accomplished singer as well as charasmatic front man.
The vocals on 'Dark Rainbow' are a unsurprisingly a world away from Gallows - there's shades throughout of both Alex Turner and Josh Homme and everything is a lot less snotty and sneery and rather more grown up.
The songs are uniformly strong throughout, although 'Happier Days' and album opener 'Honey' are standouts.
Due to my unfamiliarity with works of FC&TR - I'm not in a position to comment or place 'Dark Rainbow' in the context of the bands progression or otherwise.
Only knowing Gallows by way of comparison, I suspect this album marks a continuing revolt into style, but I obviously stand to be corrected by those in the know.
Whilst there's absolutely nothing wrong with creating well produced and accomplished, well written songs with no sharp edges - it does feel at times like FC&TR tread a fine line between doing so and creating music that teeters on the edge of predictability. There's no real surprises or left field turns here, but it's well executed all the same, very likeable and enjoyable.
All in all Frank and Co have pulled it off - 'Dark Rainbow' is really good album and a great reminder that I definitely need to go back and listen to what Frank Carter has been turning out over the past decade and a half.
Links:
black grape
Orange head - DGAFF Recordings
Reviewed by Dave Flerin
Album released - 19th Jan 24
I loved Black Grape in their mid-90s heyday, so when WOS gave me “Orange Head” to listen to, I grasped the nettle with alacrity (© Neil Milner).
There’s lots of swearing, and lots of fat, funky, sweaty grooves throughout; along with a few nods to the sound of their past; and why not, when it sounded so good?
Thankfully, they’ve avoided serving up a Black Grape-by-numbers offering, and it feels like they’re pushing the BG envelope (!) on most tracks here.
The first few tracks showcase their approach, with “Dirt” sounding like dark, modern hip-hop. The upbeat “Pimp Wars”, could have been taken straight off their first album; and if there were an alternative Strictly Come Dancing, “Button Eyes” would feature strongly in Latin/Cuban week. “Quincy”, an homage to the 70s US medical-mystery series :P, is another rump-swinger of a song with partying and dancing front and centre. Album highlight, “In The Ground” is a haunting jewel of a tune, with a twangy guitar and synthy noises which slip in and out of the ether.
Truth be told, the rest of the album feels like a slight let-down compared to the first half. There’s nothing wrong with the latter half (“Milk” sounds like “Soul Limbo” on marijuana – winner!), but, sadly, the rest just didn’t grab me in the same way.
Do Shaun and Kermit have one of the nation’s best lyric partnerships within the world of British music, telling it how it is from the streets of Manchester; or are their lyrics like the Emperor’s New Clothes? The fun, anger, surliness, and joy to be found within means I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt. Even when they rhyme “wags”, “bags and “price tags” it feels like simple genius at work.
Lots of this record is great, so credit must go to them for pushing the boundaries of what they do.
Sadly, a delay in releasing this means that their December 2023 tour has already been and gone prior to its rescheduled public unveiling, which would have given this record the boost it deserves.
Links:
miserable rich
Overcome - Rags to Ruin Records
Reviewed by Chris Morley
Album released - 2nd Feb 24
There's a good chance this record will produce its titular sensation in you given the harrowing at times subject matter- whether you salute the bravery of laying it down for all to hear or question the wisdom of day job as therapy, it should at least provoke a reaction to this latest insight into the world of the Miserable Rich, much of the material drawn from the loss of singer James de Malplaquet's young son.
Most might assume that the last thing he would want to do is to revisit every parent's worst nightmare, but there is a sense that doing so actually helped him to heal- in as much as anyone can- through the process of doing so, & the few moments of relative whimsy feel like some measure of light relief- Crows not delivering on the gloom of its title. Instead imagining a world where the cawing bane of many a rural existence has taken over the world as the basis for possibly the jauntiest metaphorical study of depression you'll ever hear.
Genuinely lovely, though, is The Ballad Of Young Finn, the tale of a boy slipping his Earthly moorings however temporarily before his hot air balloon returns to terra firma, the story of the album & possibly its attendant listening experience told in the course of one song.
Shades of Robert Kirby's arrangements for Nick Drake in the abundantly lush strings so well deployed here to tug at their equivalents in your heart, speaking the language of emotion better than mere words alone ever could.
Links:
the last dinner party
Prelude To Ecstasy - via Island Records
Reviewed by Andi Bridges
Album released - 2nd Feb 24
Unless you have been living under a rock for the last six months or are seriously uncool (you can’t be as you’re on this website), you cannot have failed to hear about The Last Dinner Party. Named Radio 1’s Sound of 2024. Winners of the prestigious BRITs Rising Star Award. They popped up on Later with Jools. Hell, I even stood behind two of them at a TV Smith gig at the 100 Club (Abigail and Georgia if you’re interested). With hype like that the album had better deliver.
Currently there is a lot of debate around the group as the latest industry ‘plant’. I don’t want to get into that conversation, except to say they are managed by Q Prime, who also look after Metallica, Muse, Foals, Greta Van Fleet and Declan McKenna amongst others, that is some heavyweight company to be keeping and suggests they are the real deal.
The band consists of Abigail Morris (vocals), Lizzie Mayland (vocals, guitar), Emily Roberts (lead guitar, mandolin, flute), Georgia Davies (bass) and Aurora Nishevci (keyboards, piano, keytar, vocals). They don’t have a permanent drummer, however for live work they are joined by Rebekah Rayner and rumour has it there is to be an announcement shortly.
The album commences with the track – Prelude To Ecstasy, just described on the lyric sheet as an instrumental. It doesn’t really prepare you for what comes out the speakers. Dramatic orchestration leaves you in no doubt that this could be something special. There is a hint of Sergio Leoni at certain points. This is followed by Burn Alive which continues the dramatic musical theme. It starts as a slow burner before a tom heavy drum pattern drives the track. This could easily be a modern-day Bond theme.
The Feminine Urge has a dark twisted romantism about the lyrics, “oh pull your boots on boy and put me down. I’m only here for your entertainment”. This appears to be a key element of the album as next track On Your Side has the lines. “I wish I didn’t want you; Wish I could do without this blood on my face where your teeth sunk in. Bite me again”. Piano is the key driver on this song as the pace slows. When the band do take their foot off the musical gas then the vocal harmonies come to the fore as on the track Beautiful Boy and the rather strange but beautiful Gjuha.
Original first single, Nothing Matters, currently re-released and riding high in the charts unexpectedly drops the F-bomb in the chorus, “And you can hold me like he held her, and I will fuck you like nothing matters”. There is an MTV Push Live version of this track that is a stripped back acoustic rendition which I recommend you all track down.
For a band that doesn’t have a drummer, the drums propel most of the songs and I must mention the production, it is magnificent. Instruments weave in and out of the mix over a classic wall of sound when songs are in full flow. This is Indie Rock of the finest order and I’d urge you to buy this disc in the format of your choice, but I reckon you already have.
Links:
idles
TANGK - via Partisan Records
Reviewed by Anya Weston-Shaw
Album released - 16th Feb 24
As a follow up to the Grammy-nominated ‘CRAWLER’, ‘TANGK’ co-produced by Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, The Smile, Beck), the band’s Mark Bowen and Kenny Beats (Denzel Curry, Vince Staples, Benee). This album really shows how IDLES have been a powerful force in music for the last decade.
As a fan of IDLES I must say, I approach every new release with caution as I wonder if they can ever do better than their previous albums. ‘CRAWLER’, released in 2021, I thought would have been the pinnacle of this band’s releases. I think I may have to scratch that, as now we have TANGK. This album is ‘at once sprawling and focused, imaginative and immediate’. As Joe Talbot (Lead Vocal), explains that he needed love, so he made it. As a listener, you can really feel the love, mixed in with unpredictability and how this album is brimming with ambition. The innovation throughout recent albums now runs intrinsically in this band’s DNA and creates an originality one could only dream of possessing.
The album starts with ‘IDEA 01’, far more melodic than the IDLES tracks you tend to think about when you hear the name. It feels a softer exploration to contrast and compare to ‘Beachland Ballroom’ from CRAWLER. Further exploration in this area comes from tracks such as ‘A Gospel’ and ‘Grace’.
The tracks that bring it all back to everything IDLES stand for such as ‘Jungle’, ‘Roy’ and ‘POP POP POP’. These tracks feel true to sound with John Beavis (drums) utilising rhythms that you can move to whilst also keeping it unpredictable and interesting. Familiarity holds strong in these tracks with familiar guitar tones, driving bass and yet it is contrasted by feeling airy.
I feel IDLES are giving long standing listeners stability whilst also pushing their comfort zones. Personally, I would be happy to set up shop and live in this comfort zone shift. If all these tracks are able to hold such a massive feel through recording, the expectation live can only be bigger. ‘Gratitude’, ‘Dancer’ (one of the lead singles) and ‘Hall & Oates’ for example, are the ideal tracks for a mosh pit and a dance live, whereas it can also be an upbeat and dramatic track to listen to day to day.
TANGK feels like it has been made with love and a magical quality that is intrinsic to the IDLES sound. There were times in this album where I felt quite emotional. ‘Monolith’ as the final track on the album came at the perfect time. As IDLES tracks go, it had a grounding quality. It felt as if it was made for you to transition back to reality after experiencing the whole album. Finished off with a lone saxophone, it feels like the religious experience of TANGK is over and it’s about time you go back and play it all over again.
With the quote ringing in my ears throughout listening and since this album is about love songs. ‘TANGK’ deserves respect and acceptance from all music fans young and old. I will summarise with words from Joe Talbot himself reiterated throughout the album, ‘Love is the fing’.
Links:
my life story
Loving You Is Killing Me - via Exilophone/Republic of Music
Reviewed by Phil Wright
Album released - 9th Feb 24
‘My Life Story’ formed in London back in the Brit Pop era of 1993. Fronted by singer/songwriter Jake Shillingford, they are now ready to release their fifth studio album ‘Loving You is Killing Me’. Whilst this band had previously passed me by, after listening to this album, I am now hooked.
Back in 1993, they released their first single ‘Girl A Girl B Boy C’. This was produced by Giles Martin, son of the fifth Beatle, George Martin. With this in mind, I sat down to listen to the new album and was immediately transported back to the 90’s with ‘Running Out of Heartbeats’, which pumped the room with that electric pop sound I adore.
Three tracks later came ‘Tits and Attitude’ which, for me, was the best track. I’m sure that these guys wouldn’t mind me saying that the sound and vocals they produced on this track wouldn’t have been out of place on a David Bowie album. It was incredible.
Download this album… grab a drink… get a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on your door… blast this music out and be transported to that magic place of electro symphonic pop!
Tracks:
Running out of Heartbeats
I’m a God
Numb Numb Numb
Tits and Attitude
Bubblewrap
Naked
B-side Girl
Identity Crisis
The Urban Mountaineer
Wasted
Links:
middle kids
Faith Crisis Pt 1 - via Lucky Number
Reviewed by Mo
Album released - 16th Feb 24
What’s that you say? You love Indie, pop bangers with feel good vibes a-plenty mixed alongside emotional turmoil? Then you’re gonna love Faith Crisis Pt 1 by Australian, Sydney to be exact, ‘Middle Kids’.
As I sit in a caravan in Bridlington (yes, I’ve taken the Missus and young ‘un to Brid in February, and?!) listening to this album, I instantly feel a conflict of light vs dark. On one hand I’m transported, in my mind, to a time when I was younger, getting ready for a night out, with mates slamming Sambuca in readiness for the good times ahead. On the other I’m left with a feeling of wanting to sit and figure life out. It’s a feel good album none the less and even though there are some slower numbers and hints of anxt to bring you back down every now and again, all in all, it left me feeling joyous.
Each track on this album features the lovely vocal of Hannah Joy. She has a nack of reeling you in with lyrics that we can all relate to and a voice that makes you want to close your eyes and listen. Just listen.
The band are fantastic and I particularly enjoy it when drummer Harry Day really steps up a notch on a great mid-album number, ‘Highlands’, it’s as if he’s thought, I’m off for it on this one and no one’s gonna stop me! In fact, this whole number is great, there’s some really cool guitar sounds and Tim Fitz on bass doesn’t shy away either and really drives it forward. The vocals on this track are incredible with some really sweet vocables going on. It all stitches together seamlessly and I’d suggest it’s impossible not to smile while listening to this one.
Bootleg Firecracker, on the other hand, is one of the aforementioned tracks that takes you back down. Not in a doom and gloom way but in a soft, melodic, sparse kinda way. It’s one of those tracks you listen to when you want to drift away, phone down, eyes closed, alone with your thoughts.
The whole album just works and while all good things must come to an end, I love how it ends. A beautiful number called ‘All In My Head’ featuring a vocalist by the name of Dave Le’aupepe. Some sweet piano accompanied by the beauty of Hannah’s vocals which we’re now accustomed to which work incredibly well with those of Dave.
All in all a great album, one for getting ready for that night out or for reflecting on an evening in your favourite armchair as the busy world outside rattles on without you.
Links:
CASt
Love Is The Call
Reviewed by Stuart Clarkson
Album released - 16th Feb 24
Noel Gallagher once described seeing Cast live as being akin to a religious experience.
I approached this review wondering if the new album would be closer to a crucifixion or a resurrection.
However I am pleased to reveal that the band have re-acquired their swagger of yore and banished the introspection of their last album to produce a collection of songs that hark back to their glory days.
The band’s seventh album draws on John Power’s rich bloodline which runs via the band’s initial release,All Change back to the classic debut album by the LA’s.
It’s a timely return to form given that the band are supporting Liam Gallagher on his Summer arena tour as well as embarking on their own headline tour in February and March. The fourth track, Far Away is vintage Cast and Power’s unmistakeable vocals link with trademark guitars to produce a new anthem.
Other standout tracks include Love Is The Call and Love You Like I Do ( which is made even better with a Bluetones style intro). I Have Been Waiting features some great guitar work which builds nicely through the track and is sure to be a live favourite.
The album is sure to delight the bands army of followers and whilst there’s nothing new here it’s refreshing to hear the band firing on all cylinders again and producing a body of work befitting of their heritage.
These songs will slip seamlessly into the live set and I’d recommend grabbing a ticket to see if Noel was right.
Links:
frontier ruckus
On The Northline - via Loose Music
Reviewed by Chris Morley
Album released - 16th Feb 24
Anyone expecting even the merest hint of a scuffle will be disappointed- do such things even break out in the folk scene? But perhaps the biggest battle here is the attempt to persuade the old to co-exist with the new, something Frontier Ruckus for the most part manage relatively well, having by their own admission not necessarily known the rules in the first place....
Its this disregard for stifling convention which lends On The Northline its appeal, far from bogged down in what they think they should be doing & sounding all the better for that- free from preconceptions & able to hammer their own sound-worlds into shape in the sonic woodshed, shades of Jeff Mangum's similar seclusion under the Neutral Milk Hotel banner in the execution of what could plausibly be their début, no mean feat six albums into such a lo-fi career.
And that's probably as they like it, staring wistfully into the distance having got used to being outsiders looking in- Swore I Had A Friend & First Song For Lauren achingly keening, Everywhere But Beside You & I'm Not The Boy further evidence of a sort of “ Brian Wilson combing the backwoods” inclination towards introspection, a sort of at home with your pet sound as the rest of the world surfs past the window, a music that most certainly was made for these times, a whole generation of “ in my room”-ers looking for meaning.
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shambolics
Dreams, Schemes & Young Teams
Reviewed by Neil Milner
Album released - 16th Feb 24
Dreams, Schemes and Young Teams is the debut record by Kirkcaldy band Shambolics. There was a time under preceding music business models that I would know of them and the buzz they were creating, whether I was interested or not. Their singles would have gate-crashed the top 40 singles chart, and their album would have debuted in the top 10.
That hasn’t happened with this record, and it may struggle to reach a wide audience, which is a shame as it’s good.
It begins with a thrash of excitement through Influencer, Coming for You, and Never be Mine, allreminiscent of nascent Arctic Monkeys. If you want it explodes like early classic REM singles. Back in the day, this would have been a surefire indie disco floor filling smash.
Daily Dosage stands out as a classy strong beautiful song which the band should be proud of creating. It’s well-crafted and arranged. Fooling you and Losing Your Mind are similarly stylish and reflect a direction they could, maybe should head into.
Singing in their Scottish vernacular is welcome and deflects from the American indie influence in some of their tunes. There are similarities with Glasvegas, but it’s only final track Filth and Scum where this is more overt. The song is melancholic and has style. However, Glasvegas may have delivered it with more bite, venom, and intensity.
The band show many ‘young working-class ambitions stymied by life realities’, distractions, and self-doubt, exemplified in title track Dreams, Schemes & Young Teams, and Everything You Should’ve Done. Universal Credit is satirical, aptly echoing some of Trainspotting’s soliloquys. Listening to this gem of a song, I’m unclear whether it’s ‘the man’, or their collective inner voice telling them to pack it in and get a job, and anyway, they are probably being ironic. Either way, my advice to them is ignore both but be bolder.
Sometimes the record feels polished and their anthemic melodies predictable. It’s not in the canon of classic indie debuts, but it’s an encouraging listen, with some genuinely great songs. I enjoyed it. Something they can confidently build on.
Track listing:
1. Influencer
2. Never Be Mine
3. Attention
4. Coming For You
5. Daily Dosage
6. Dreams, Schemes & Young Teams
7. If You Want It
8. Fooling You
9. Universal Credit
10. Everything You Should’ve Done
11. Losing Your Mind
12. Filth And Scum
Links:
solar eyes
Solar Eyes - via Fierce Panda
Reviewed by Andi Bridges
Album released - 16th Feb 24
Solar Eyes describe themselves as a psych/pop duo, the project consists of Birmingham pair Glenn Smyth (Guitars/Vocals/Songwriting) and Sebastian Maynard Francis (Drums/Percussion).
They are augmented with Liam McKeown (Additional Guitars) and Emily Doyle (Bass). In existence since 2021 they have played such prestigious events as South by South-West (SXSW), The Great Escape and a special BBC Introducing event, as well as releasing a slew of singles and three EPs, including one splendidly titled – Naked Monkey On A Spaceship.
This debut album is released on the Fierce Panda label and was produced by Tom Ford and Solar Eyes. Covering topics as far-flung as metaphorical prisons, to unsavoury past acquaintances, the thrill of new-found love, to famous last words, the 12 tracks clock in just shy of 45 minutes.
The disc opens strongly with the up-tempo Alcatraz at a solid 140 bpm – sounding like a long-lost Kasabian track, it’s groovy without being funky. In the clubs, the kids will be calling it a CHOON. The drums hit on the two and the four. The bass plays a solid 4 notes to the bar, whilst guitars riff and wail. There is a tasteful acoustic interlude towards the end before picking up where it left off.
Bulldozer follows and it sounds even more Kasabian than the first song with vocal stylings straight out of the Tom Meighan school of phrasing. Well, I suppose Birmingham and Leicester aren’t that far apart geographically.
Dreaming Of The Moon slows the tempo and introduces a spaghetti western element to proceedings, which will make itself known a couple of other times on this collection of songs. Top Of The World comes out of leftfield. Coming across more like a Liverpool Post Punk workout, think Teardrop Explodes or Echo and the Bunnymen, it seems odd that this was a recent single given how different it is to the rest of the album.
She Kissed The Gun returns to the familiar sound that we’ve heard from the start of the disc. The tracks that follow maintain the Indie-rave vibe.
New single - Let’s Run Away was written and recorded in Texas last year following Solar Eyes’ debut appearance at SXSW festival. Glenn Smyth recalls of the experience: “‘Let’s Run Away’ was one of the last songs to be written on the album, it was written in Texas last March when we were out there playing south by. You can sort of hear it as well, there’s that Americana haze type sound. Spaghetti western vibe. I sort of had in my head – now this might sound a bit mad – Tracey Chapman ‘Fast Car’ in essence. But with a brummie slant”.
Set closer Deep Trip is the reward for sticking around until the end. A real slow burner that does exactly what it says on the tin.
This is an album that wears it’s influences on its sleeve (Kasabian, Alabama 3) and although the album hangs together quite well and the songs are strong, especially Acid Test (The Walls Are Closing In On Me) and (At Least) Paranoia Loves You, a couple of tracks do go ‘off piste’ which to these ears spoil the cohesion, interrupting the rhythmic flow needed to make this an outstanding debut.
Links:
mötorhead
The Löst Tapes: The Collection (Vol. 1-5)
Reviewed by Levi Tubman
Album released - 22nd Feb 24
“Everything louder than everyone else” A sentiment that the band certainly lived by, a band that was once measured at 130 decibels at a gig in the 80’s where power had to be pulled when plaster started falling from the ceiling, who despite putting out 23 studio albums lived for the road and the live stage, with this mere 5 album 99 track collection is a selection of those performances from 1995 to 2008.
First up we have from the Sacrifice tour its Live in Madrid from 1st June 1995, coming on stage announcing to the audience “Buenas Noches, We’re Motörhead and we are Rock and roll” Now there are some truly classic live albums such as Johnny Cash, ‘At Folsom Prison, The Who Live At Leeds and numerous outings by The Grateful Dead, and then there’s this, launching into The Ace Of Spades, amps and distortion taken just passed too loud, with the clarity of a bootleg tape you bought down the pub, but its undeniably Motörhead, vocals distorted from being pushed a little too hard ,it’s their raw energy captured perfectly if not too clearly.
Orgasmatron, never the clearest song at the best of times is almost unintelligible vocally, but it keeps grinding away with that dirty fuzzy groove its an unrelenting march sitting large and squat amongst tracks such as Stay Clean and Born To Raise Hell much cleaner with guitars cutting through and managing to show off Lemmy’s bass work better than some album tracks that bass sound cutting through playing solos and basslines proving that he’s more of a guitarist than a bass player most of the time and these raw recordings help show off his skills.
A real throwback is Silver Machine from his days fronting space rock band Hawkwind, its soft tones given the full Motörhead treatment and a lot of solos, but there’s the unmistakable lead vocal of the original on what must be one of the highlights of the gig, and them rounding the set off with the classic Overkill in one of its best forms its fast and angry it’s the this has to be the last song of the set because no one not even us are following it, that’s your lot good night!
The second album is from 1998 at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, and it’s a very different kind of animal! Opening up with the familiar air raid siren before launching into Bomber the drums are sharp and crisp with the kick drum a fast click instead of a muddy thump, vocals clear and up front, while it’s nice to lose the muddiness of the previous album you do loose some bottom end and bass.
Comparing this version of Orgasmatron you can hear the clear differences, you can actually hear it for one! They’re by no means a slow band live but this feels faster and more technical overall with the guitars and drums really pushed to the forefront, it’s not distracting and the louder drums help push the speed and energy of the recordings along.
Of course you have a lot of the classics on here, including a fantastic version of Dead Men Tell No Tails lovingly introduced as Dead Men Smell Toe Nails and rounding off the night with Overkill, a version that wouldn’t sound too out of place on an album, you can tell its live but its so tight and clear with the bass finally getting more prominence, these particular recordings go to show how practised and tight they where as a band, no matter the pace every note is spot on.
Third up is Live in Malmö from the We Are Motörhead tour from 2000 starting with the band testing their instruments after just taking the stage, with a little Bass followed by guitar and drums before Lemmy announcing “hello Malmö we are Motörhead with feedback from on the vocals”. It would have been very easy to take out a lot of the extra parts on the recordings, remove the squeal and comment on the mic, and not put in the band checking for themselves that everything works and everything is where they want it to be before starting playing, but it adds to the atmosphere, it helps bring you into the gig and speaking as someone who has seen them live it helps take you back to the memories of being there yourself, plus who wants Motörhead clean and polished?
The sound has a more of a grungy tone on this recording and the vocals are high in the mix, quite prevalent in the excellent Civil War, a great rendition with the vocals edging on distorted in places but this works well on his voice with its growl and gravel.
Never shy of doing covers we get their fun and drunk karaoke down the pub rendition of God Save The Queen, favouring spoken over sung lyrics for a lot of the song it works superbly putting it over some of their original songs at the gig.
After a little audience interaction, asking to be reminded just how loud the Swedes are and that they should sing along we get one of the highlights of the night Iron Fist, described as an oldie but mouldy, with such a big back catalogue its great to see songs 2 decades old still making the cut, taken from the last album of the classic Motörhead line up of Lemmy, Fast Eddie Clarke and Philthy Animal Taylor, the early 80’s classic is played loud and a little grubby, with that bass tone solid throughout its also one of the highlights across the 5 discs.
The fourth disc of the set goes all the way back to 1984 Live at Sporthalle, Heilbronn, the first tour with guitarist Phil Cambell who stayed with the band from 84 until the end, who found is feet quick and with a quick guten abend from Lemmy it’s a noisy advance into Iron Fist. At first its all bass until the rest of the band kick in and its compressed down to a solid wall of noise, with the vocals raw and distorted its harsh and a little top heavy but again it works, the lower quality of the recording works with their sound and style, and as it’s a band stalwart its great to hear how different it is across the years.
It also wouldn’t be a Motörhead gig without Ace of Spades, but the bass is really lacking in the intro it sounds a little too thin and metallic, when the whole band are playing you can hear it underpinning the music and the runs working through the music just a slight shame that when its just Lemmy on his own the sound a little let down.The 8th song of the set is Killed By Death which starts with Lemmy berating the audience for not buying it yet, a real classic of the band often featuring in their top 10 songs, this tour is where most of the fans get to hear it for the first time as it wasn’t on an album yet and it sounds like its not sold that well as a single by the time they com to the stage! Its slower and less angry than a lot of the early material so its much clearer on the recording compared to most of the tracks and its easily a standout of the set old school Motörhead playing old school Motörhead warms the old cockles as Lemmy laughs in the middle as the solo screams over double kick drum you’re jealous of anyone who got to be there.
Rounding the set off with excellent versions of Bomber and Overkill what started off as sounding like an album for only the true hardcore fans, the songs are clear and neat, it started out a little rough but its an excellent live recording and the perfect example of what they sounded like live for anyone who didn’t have the pleasure. I should note alongside my criticisms of how the recording sounded at the start by saying this was the tour where they managed to hit 130 decibels and managed to bring plaster down when they got to the states, it can’t have been easy to capture.
The final album is from 2008 with band playing Download, a massive festival with a big team dedicated to looking after the band’s sound, when they take to the stage you can hear every tom clearly as Mikkey Dee tests his kit followed by tens of thousands of people chanting LEMMY LEMMY LEMMY before the man himself proclaims “We are Motörhead and we play rock and roll” before launching into Doctor Rock. Its crisp and clear, its clearly had the most money spend on the sound out of all the gigs here with a solid slice of the crowd thrown in.
The Cymbals are bright and crisp, the guitar sitting nice in the middle with the bass holding up the bottom end and wrapped up in the drums, but there’s a low sound coming in throughout, they could have done with rolling a little off the bottom end, a small criticism but if you have a loud sub and the volume’s turned up you’re going to notice it, and again a small criticism of the quality of a live recording doesn’t quite feel right but when the band are playing so well its hard to find anything negative!
It’s a fantastic set, you get Killers and Metropolis in the middle slowing the pace showing that they’re a band that are not just about playing as fast as they can, they can and do write slow, with a thick heavy groove, and then of course at the end, Ace Of Spades and Overkill, both of which feature a guest appearance from guitarist Würzel, who would sadly die a couple of years later, its nice to hear him back with the band one more time, and as the band introduce each other it wraps up the collection nicely.
What can you say, its Motörhead live across the decades, warts and all if you excuse the pun! It's not always neat and clear, it's coloured by cigarette smoke and Jack Daniels, distorted and loud, it really captures the band. It’s a lot of material but there’s no low point across the 99 songs, and if a particular recording isn’t to your personal taste one of the others certainly will be.
I’m not a huge fan of live albums but I love this, and you won’t find a better live collection out there, it's not overcomplicated its simple and to the point just like the band.
This is Motörhead and they play Rock and Roll.
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yova
Dreamcatchers - Yova Music
Reviewed by Chris Morley
Album released - 1st March 24
The blurring of the line between dream & reality is surely pretty much the mission statement for an entire genre- we're looking at you, shoegaze- but if you're expecting the cranked up to eleven consciousness expansion of a My Bloody Valentine, say, you've come to the wrong place. Yova seem less interested in sonic overload, more in stretching you as a listener presumably before bed- no bad thing in the ever increasing hustle & bustle eating into our valuable shut-eye, a soundscape Dreamcatchers reflects well in its numerous shifts in style.
Mark Vernon has clearly applied lessons learnt at the knee of the master, in this case John Cale, in doing just that, though single Feel No Fear is probably about as far from Fear itself as its possible to be in every respect other than experimentalism,
Conviction perhaps the most surprising left turn in taking us through territory previously mined by the early psychedelic pastoralism of early ( which is to say pre-Larks Tongues In Aspic & things getting a little louder for these purposes King Crimson, Frippery in its best possible sense as shades of In The Court Of The Crimson King/In The Wake Of Poseidon/Lizard/Islands meander into earshot over the course of our journey towards a good snooze.
Which is to take absolutely nothing away from the final product, even the gentlest hint of prog & touches of jazz an asset to the creation of works like these in the sense of setting a mood & allowing we as listener to see where it takes us, shutting the rest of the everyday noise out & allowing room to wander, the promise of such adventure also suggestive of Steven Wilson both in his work with Porcupine Tree & solo endeavours- fuse them with Portishead & you have some idea of what awaits just before head meets pillow.....
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gallagher & squire
Gallagher & Squire - Warner records
Reviewed by Neil Milner
Album released - 1st March 24
This is fascinating. Two Mancunian musical legends from cherished rock groups working together on an album that will be one of the 2024 musical highlights. Liam Gallagher and John Squire follow in the footsteps of their erstwhile song-writing partners Ian Brown and Noel Gallagher, who themselves worked together on the splendid single ‘Keep what ya Got’ in 2004.
It’s the first time reviewing an album for Wall of Sound, that I already know it will be massive, regardless of what I say, and so it feels both a privilege, and a poisoned chalice.
I’ve been a solid admirer of John Squire’s work. He’s a genuine guitar virtuoso. Less so Liam Gallager. He’s a great singer, but his work, especially post Oasis, hasn’t interested me. So, hearing the outcome of this collaboration was intriguing.
For the most part it is striking and varied album. There are the expected crowd pleasers, but there is also experimentation. It’s not flawless, but I get a strong sense that for Liam Gallagher working with a prime songwriter has re-energised him.
Whilst the music is more interesting than the lyrics, which can sometimes grate, I feel Gallagher has stepped out of his comfort zone more than Squire, notably on I’m a Wheel, which is old school blues, and the more conventional rock blues sound of You’re Not the Only One. He’s no Muddy Waters, but he’s pushing his own boundaries, which I admire, and both songs are good.
Rousing album openers Raise Your Hands and Mars to Liverpool will be crowd-pleasers when performed live. One Day at a Time and the downbeat album finale Mother Nature’s Song remind me of classic early to mid-period Beatles, especially the chorus melodies.
Towering vocals, and glorious guitar work are strongly in evidence throughout, but especially on album highlights Just Another Rainbow, Love you Forever and I’m so Bored. They all develop from steady classic rock standards into a psychedelic rock maelstrom reminiscent of Cream and Jimi Hendrix, and, dare I say, Second Coming period Stone Roses. Its indulgence fans will quickly appreciate.
It’s possibly fanciful calling a song Make it up as you go along, which, for me is the album weak point, and a bit pedestrian.
Overall, fans will love this record and regard it as a classic. It doesn’t outsay it’s welcome and the musicianship throughout from all contributors is impressive. It will be interesting to see if they make any more records together, which on the evidence of this solid and sometimes soaring offering they should.
Track listing:
1. Raise Your Hands
2. Mars to Liverpool
3. One Day at a Time
4. I'm a Wheel
5. Just Another Rainbow
6. Love You Forever
7. Make It Up As You Go Along
8. You're Not the Only One
9. I'm So Bored
10. Mother Nature's Song
declan mckenna
What Happened To The Beach - Columbia Records
Reviewed by Lewis Wolstenholme
Album released - 9th Feb 24
‘What Happened to the Beach’ marks 25-year-old Declan Mckenna’s 3rd studio album, with a complete lyrical turn from the music we’ve famously heard like his hits ‘Brazil’ and ‘The Key to Life on Earth’. What Happened to the Beach features seemingly unlinked and sporadic lyrics that are connected through the musical and sonical motifs played throughout the album.
With this album, it’s clear that Declan is trying to recreate a nostalgic memory for a youthful generation to relate to and in ways I believe this is truly done quite well.
The album starts off with ‘Wobble’, an 80s-style track with processed synths and vocals over a close-mic’d clean sounding guitar. With 8-bit style drums and synth melodies mixed with slightly unconventional harmony, it leaves the listener with open questions and wanting to find out more about Declan’s timbre choices throughout the album.
This is shortly followed by a similar style on track two with ‘Elevator Hum’.
The album then moves onto a Beatles Paul McCartney-esque song with ‘I Write The News’. With catchy vocal melodies and a 60s-style Beatles guitar part sitting at the base of this track. This then develops with 80s synths and bit-crushed drums to the second part of this track. Throughout the first of the album, Declan continues to create interesting and unique soundscapes mixing a multitude of genres and sounds to recapture a new nostalgic feeling.
Through this journey of new sounds, we hear a mix of orchestral elements in track number four ‘Sympathy’ and what I expect the album’s hit to be (track seven) ‘Nothing Works’ with an almost anthemic feel to it. The album continues with tracks like ‘The Phantom Buzz (Kick In)’ carrying on this feel and slower tracks like track nine ‘The Honest Test’ playing out to let the album breathe a bit more.
Through my second and third listens, I noticed more and more how well-paced this album is, letting the high notes of the album feel strong and letting slower songs give space to the more anthemic songs to allow for an easy and interesting listening experience throughout for many listens.
I would completely understand the first listen of this album to come across as a jumble of sound and it's easy to fall into hearing that when not everything is strung together by strong lyrical content. But through the second and third listens, the album sat more to me as a recreation of what Declan sees to be a time when things were easier, and recapturing that in our current world where a lot of similar music is made.
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yard act
Where's My Utopia - Island Records
Reviewed by Neil Milner
Album released - 1st March 24
Where’s My Utopia? is the outstanding second record by Leeds based Yard Act. It should feature well on the end of year critic album charts.
It’s a clear step up from debut The Overload, which was itself a good record. Lyrically, Where’s My Utopia is as witty and clever, albeit more introspective than their debut. Musically, however it’s consciously more of a crowd pleaser, being brasher, but also more ambitious.
This record has the right amount of agitation and confrontation but tempered by catchy dance rhythms. It’s both edgy and welcoming. I can hear so many influences ranging from Beck to David Bowie, Gang of Four to Prince for starters. But the combination of industrial scale funky groove and rhythm, and a type of indie rapping / spoken vocal style, exemplified, but not unique to tracks An Illusion and Petroleum, makes them both unique and yet amiably familiar.
There are many album highlights but lead single Dream Job is simply exceptional. It’s a cynical but witty ‘state of the music industry’ address. In a parallel universe it’s a monster hit. It’s like an early Wham collaborating with David Bowie, dancing you to the top of the hit parade, but simultaneously engaging you in serious existential thought whilst doing it.
This album reinforces the maxim that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. When the Laugher Stops, featuring Katy J Pearson, has the filthiest of guitar and bass parts, along with an incessant hardcore rhythm, all palatable, and that would normally be enough. But it ends with actor David Thewlis quoting from a Macbeth soliloquy!
There are confessional moments on the record such as Down by the Stream, about childhood bullying, and vocal / lyrist James Smith’s ode to fatherhood on the epic Blackpool Illuminations. Both are heavyweight tracks, but a rest from the record’s engaging relentless rhythm and intellectualism but remaining engaging, rhythmic, and intellectual.
There was a 1990s group called New Fast Automatic Daffodils, who had a similar musical and vocal style. They were great and had an equally hard-edged cynical world viewpoint. But the contrasting danceable energy and pugnacious joy of Yard Act, interspersed with rapier-like wit, makes them more positive, and dare I say, accessible to the masses.
Hearing this record, Yard Act know they are good. They should be able to maintain this level of brilliance, but I suspect that merely maintaining it won’t be good enough to satisfy their artistic milieu. They’ll want to grow and evolve, and exceed this pinnacle, whilst remaining popular because they’ll also want to be heard.
Track listing:
1. An Illusion
2. We Make Hits
3. Down by the Stream
4. The Undertow
5. Dream Job
6. Fizzy Fish
7. Petroleum
8. When the Laughter Stops" (featuring Katy J Pearson)
9. Grifter's Grief
10. Blackpool Illuminations
11. A Vineyard for the North
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bananarama
Glorious
Reviewed by Andi Bridges
Album released - 8th March 24
How do you objectively review a 40-year career retrospective, particularly one for a band that holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the most international hits by an all-female group? Their achievements are not only the mind-boggling numbers – 30 charting UK singles and 11 US Billboard hits.
They have sold 30 million records worldwide. There will be people reading this review who weren’t born when Bananarama first hit the charts and yet I guarantee they will know at least a couple of tunes by them. This collection amasses 40 tracks from 40 years. Sara says, “We wanted this to be a unique collection, a celebration of all the twists and turns in our career.”
The collection runs chronologically and it’s probably easier to talk about the songs that are missing as testament to the wealth of material there is on offer here. The first single Ale A Mwana, from the first album Sea Skiving is missing, even though it did chart at 92.
Disc 1 starts with 1982s, Really Saying Something, with a guest appearance from Fun Boy Three, as a thank you for Bananarama appearing on It Ain’t What You Do, It’s The Way That You Do It, from earlier the same year. It doesn’t really prepare you for what is to come.
We skip the next three singles – Shy Boy, Cheers Then and Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye, two for which were Top Ten hits, and land on Cruel Summer, a song which the duo calls their “lucky charm”, partly due to being featured in The Karate Kid, and partly due to living on through the interpretations of subsequent artists, from Ace of Base, whose version reached the Top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic, to US rockers Evanescence, whose lockdown cover was beamed to fans across the world, and Lorde, who performed a haunting version throughout her Solar Power world tour in 2022.
This is closely followed by Robert De Niro’s Waiting, another self-penned hit from the second album, and all this before they hooked up with Stock, Aitken and Waterman. Two more 1984 hits are missing, Rough Justice and Hot Line To Heaven. It’s also worth mentioning that Bananarama were on the biggest record of 1984 and in fact the fastest selling single of all time at that point, Do They Know It’s Christmas.
We fast forward to 1986 for track three - Venus, the old Shocking Blue 70s rocker, given a Hi-NRG dance floor twist at the suggestion of the band rather than SAW who were initially against the idea. If this story is true, then Girl Power was invented a good 10 years before the Spice Girls made a career out of it. More Than Physical, A Trick Of The Night, I Heard A Rumour, Love In The First Degree all follow in quick succession and all certifiable dance floor bangers, sticking to the Hit Factory formula. Love In The First Degree was nominated for a BPI award (the BRIT award of its time) in 1988. Oh, and Siobhan left the group (and broke my teenage heart) to be replaced by Jacquie O’Sullivan. Albeit briefly.
The compilation skips 1988 and 1989 musically, missing the Bananaramalananeeneenoonoo, Comic Relief single Help and Band Aid ll. 1990 arrives via Only Your Love and Preacher Man both from their fifth album Pop Life and a departure from SAW and a change of direction, helmed by Killing Joke bassist and producer Youth. The music takes on a modern dance edge, obviously influenced by the Ibiza scene and sampling.
I Could Be Persuaded, from 1993s Please Yourself, slows the tempo right down and appears to be a band choice for this compilation as I can find no trace of it being released as a single. However, Movin’ On and Last Thing On My Mind have a deliberately ABBAesque sound, an experiment after a reunion with Mike Stock and Pete Waterman. The 1995 album Ultra Violet offers up the singles Every Shade Of Blue and Take Me To Your Heart, as well as the cut Prove Your Love. All three tracks have the feel of SAW however the producer is Gary Miller, who worked as guitarist and keyboard player on the previous album. This is sophisticated, intelligent dance music.
There is a six year gap to the next music on this compilation, eighth album Exotica, provides If and Crazy. If has a Madonna vibe to it. These aren’t stand out tracks compared to the rest of this set. It says everything that they were never released as singles. Disc 1 finishes with two songs from 2005s Drama album. It is a comeback of sorts for Bananarama and is their first album to be released in their native UK since 1993. The album's first single Move In My Direction debuted at number 14, also becoming their first UK top-40 entry since 1993. The second single, Look On The Floor (Hypnotic Tango), also reached the UK top 40, and climbed to number two on the US Hot Dance Club chart as an import, becoming Bananarama's biggest US dancefloor hit since "Venus" two decades earlier.
Disc 2 continues where the first left off. Feel For You and Love Bite both non singles from Drama. Drama, recorded in Sweden with production and writing team Murlyn. It also saw the start of a partnership with Ian Masterson. Very strong songs and well-constructed musically. Love Comes and Love Don’t Live Here, singles taken from the Viva album, as well as the tracks Seventeen and Extraordinary, demonstrate that Ian Masterson clearly has an ear for the dancefloor. Of the modern stuff the tracks from Drama and Viva are my favourites.
For completists the next track is Baby It’s Christmas from 2010. It’s about here that the quality of the tunes seems to degrade slightly. The 2012 Now or Never EP celebrating 30 years of the band, supply Now Or Never and La La Love. Despite the involvement of Ian Masterson both tracks are fairly bland. As is the way on Disc 2 the next four tracks are all from the album In Stereo, including two singles and two album tracks. Stuff Like That wouldn’t be out of place on Disc 1. Looking For Someone, I’m On Fire and It’s Gonna Be Alright follow pretty much in the same vein.
The next four tracks bring the collection bang up to date, as they are all from last album 2022s Masquerade, with Ian Masterson again in the producer’s chair. The first of the four, Favourite, was written by Sara’s daughter, Alice. The title track, Masquerade follows, with a darker feel to it. Forever Young is a Sara – Alice collaboration. A paean to lifelong friendship. Running With The Night being the final single release from the album
A trance like remix of Cruel Summer (3am Mix) pops it’s head above the parapet before the last two tracks, which are exclusive to this release. Feel The Love and Supernova has more than a hint of 70s disco about it, showcase what Sara and Keren have learnt about songwriting and dance music over 40 years. It isn’t going to trouble the listeners of Radio 1 but will probably be a staple on Radio 2.
Across the two discs, synths throb, drums are generated in impeccable time. What it all proves is that Bananrama can spot a producer to bring out the best in them.
If you get your hands on the 3 Disc version, the final disc consists of exclusive reworks and revisions from the likes of The Reflex, Krystal Klear, Boys Noize, Luke Million, Initial Talk, George Michael, Bright Light Bright Light and others. Sure, there are the obligatory versions of Venus and Robert De Niro’s Waiting. However, there are some remixes of songs that don’t appear on either of the other two discs.
The band are at the London Palladium on April 4th and 5th, so break out your dungarees and backcombed hair. We both know it’s going to be party central.
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bleachers
Bleachers
Reviewed by Stuart Clarkson
Album released - 8th March 24
Hot on the heels of a sold out UK tour New Jersey band Bleachers release their fourth studio album. Collaborations with such luminaries as Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen added to their celebrated live shows have made this a highly anticipated event.
Fans won’t be disappointed as the record delivers an immersive experience based on a late 80’s pop rock vibe. The album opens with I Am Right On Time in which cool echoey vocals evoke a late night city drive and the track emits a low key detached mood that permeates through much of the album.
This leads to Modern Girl an upbeat singalong number which welcomes us with a sax riff and the track is reminiscent of Springsteen. It’ s a fine song that’s sure to form the backdrop to many a great evening over the course of the next few years.
It’s made even better by having a real Only Fools and Horses feel to it when the vocals kick in. I almost find myself singing,We’ve got some half priced cracked ice and miles and miles of carpet tiles. TV’s, deep freeze and David Bowie LP’s!
It’s a great bar song and will doubtless be a sure fire live favourite on the forthcoming tour. However it does feel a little at odds with the rest of the album which is far more low key.
Chief Bleacher, Jack Antonoff’s impeccable musical connections are brought to bear on Alma Mater which was co-written by Lana De Ray. She lends her own inimitable style to the track ,returning the favour from when Antonoff appeared on her Ocean Boulevard album. Her rich lush delivery of the line ‘I’ll make it darker’ sprinkles the song with her own brand of stardust and adds the perfect finishing touch to what was already a lovely song.
It’s one of my favourite cameos since Jenny Agutter appeared on Prefab Sprout’s Wild Horses. Jesus Is Dead is a great pop song featuring an excellent sax solo and saxophonist Zem Audu deserves a special mention as several of the tracks feature his impeccable contributions.
Me Before You is another has dreamy vocals, great melody and subtle yet timely instrumentation that combine to produce an expansive feel.
Overall the album is a good listen for those reflective days. The mood is very understated and the sparse atmospheric feel and downtempo vocal delivery combine to produce a relaxed enjoyable album.
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benjamin francis leftwich
Some Things Break - Dirty Hit
The new BENJAMIN FRANCIS LEFTWICH album, SOME THINGS BREAK, is out now via Dirty Hit. A new single from the album, A LOVE LIKE THAT, is also out now with a live performance video of the song available to watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O-jfocuBLQ
Some Things Break consists of ten new tracks, all written and performed by Leftwich, and follows his previous album To Carry A Whale, released in 2021. The album sees a subtle reinvention in Benjamin Francis Leftwich’s sound and the honesty laid bare in the album’s lyrics.
SOME THINGS BREAK TRACK LIST:
- I’m Always Saying Sorry
- Moon Landing Hoax
- Break In The Weather
- New York
- Some Things Break
- Spokane, Washington
- God’s Best
- A Love Like That
- Only You
- Don’t Give Up On Light
===================
Some Things Break was written over the course of the past two years at locations across the globe including London, Nashville, Washington and Stockholm. It was produced by Grammy Award winning producer Jimmy Hogarth, who has produced for the likes of Amy Winehouse, Sia and Antony and The Johnsons. Some Things Break also features collaborations with fellow songwriters Mikky Ekko, Jamie Squire from The 1975 and Jon Green. The album was mixed by Jonathan Gilmore and mastered by Robin Schmidt.
As well as a broader range in Benjamin’s voice, Some Things Break features a richer instrumentation compared to the more stripped-back sound of his earlier work. His unmistakable acoustic guitar remains present throughout but is at times backed with the sound of pianos, choirs, subtle drum beats and effects that help create a dense and layered soundscape for his candid and vulnerable lyrics.
Aside from his own material, Benjamin’s songwriting, co-writing and collaboration with other writers and artists has grown and evolved hugely over recent years, having written with the likes of The 1975, Nick Mulvey, Jasmine Jethwa, Holly Humberstone, Rachel Chinouriri and CMAT.
Following the release of Some Things Break, Benjamin will embark on a full UK and Irish tour as follows:
APRIL
Thu 04 LEEDS Brudenell Social Club
Fri 05 KENDAL Brewery Arts Centre
Sat 06 EDINBURGH Summerhall
Mon 08 MANCHESTER Band On The Wall
Tue 09 BRISTOL Lantern
Wed 10 LONDON Earth Theatre
Thu 11 CARDIFF Acapela Studio
Sat 13 DUBLIN Workman’s Club
Sun 14 BELFAST Limelight 2
JULY
Thu 18 YORK Museum Gardens
Tickets available from: www.benjaminfrancisleftwich.com
Benjamin Francis Leftwich is a highly acclaimed York-born singer and songwriter who was the first act to be signed by Dirty Hit Records (The 1975, Wolf Alice, Beabadoobee, Rina Sawayama, Pale Waves, Bleachers). His first album, Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm, debuted in the UK Top 40 in 2011. It included the hit singles Atlas Hands and Shine and was praised by fans and critics alike for the new artist’s disarming honesty, with his lyrics lauded for their candidness and vulnerability. His arrival heralded a boom in the UK singer songwriter scene and led to Leftwich being a stalwart on radio stations and festival stages throughout the country.
Following a five year hiatus, Leftwich returned in 2016 with new album After The Rain, a critically acclaimed release dubbed as, “fragile, precious and oddly comforting” by The Guardian in their 4* review. He followed that with third album Gratitude in 2019, deemed “graceful and honest” by DIY magazine, before releasing To Carry A Whale in 2021. That record was met with further critical praise, with Clash magazine declaring Leftwich “a master at sculpting gentle soundscapes that deliver raw reflections”.
sam lee
Songdreaming - Cooking Vinyl
Reviewed by Chris Morley
Album released - 15th March 24
Breathing new life into such a tried & tested form as folk may feel to some a bit of a fool's errand, but nonetheless someone has to try every few years, & Sam Lee might just have cracked it in applying a few lesser- heard instruments from the world music cupboard to songs of hard lives lived off the land, a sort of Peter Gabriel approach to the business of reinvention as a man formerly thought of as resolutely British at least metaphorically leaves home & expands his palate.
But everything that's kept those in the know enthralled remains, mercifully. Having built a reputation as a man enamoured of his native wilds as well as the songs they helped spawn, much of the repertoire here is indeed as old as the hills- & there's a real sense of community in its more choral moments, the perfect companion for a long hazy walk through the nearest forest, say, or pitching a tent ready to get in touch with Mother Earth, campfire optional but encouraged for maximum communal feel as you too let your mind wander back to what can feel simultaneously a more innocent & comparatively blood & thunder time for merry old England....
The album is about imagining into or retrieving what was once felt before the segregating of us from the land first started, the enclosures, the Norman conquest, the Romans, those successive eras of trauma and subjugation that occurred in this country and then the knock-on to slavery and empire, exporting that brutality, It looks beyond that loss and attempts to reclaim that sense of sovereignty and permissiveness that I feel we need to protect the little natural richness we have left.”
So, what more excuse to get listening & indeed exploring- world off, headphones on & away you go.
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