TIME AFTER TIME.

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The Cheap Thrills – ‘Glare’ EP Review.

The Liverpool four-piece ‘The Cheap Thrills’ are charming audiences from their native town and beyond with the hypnotic indie-psych sound of their latest EP ‘Glare’. If you’re not shy of a bit of reverb, then they are definitely the band for you.

‘Tide’ is a snappy synth filled floor filler that immediately takes you by surprise as you hit play. We’re then swiftly taken on a short but sweet journey sailing over snappy and contagious riff after riff before sinking into the euphoric closing track ‘setting sun’ with its bulging bass lines and snarling vocals that leave you ready to hit play again.

Glare is now available on all streaming services now.  You can listen to it on Spotify here:  https://open.spotify.com/embed?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A1Bf06e1dvQv9punGxn7Pap

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Our Brexit, Trump and Refugee project is underway!

Drop us a message if you’re based in Manchester and want to be interviewed/photographed for the new issue! or drop us a message and voice your opinion on any of the issues above. 

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2016 has been Suede’s year. We got an album, a film and and one of the greatest tours of their career. Keep an eye out for our ‘Night Thoughts’ review and live review in our round up of 2016!  But why not check out our review of Suede’s greatest album brought to life: ‘Dog Man Star - Live at the Royal Albert Hall’ while you wait... 

DOG MAN STAR - LIVE AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL.  As if ‘Dog Man Star’ wasn’t, without a doubt, one of the most definitive albums of the 1990’s already. Their latest live album brings Suede’s seedy, drug-hazed nightmare to life. Andersons vocals exude passion, driving the immensely powerful machine that is Suede. ‘Introducing The Band’ is the kaleidoscope that is the mind of Brett Anderson circa 1994, it’s the start of the bands journey into superstardom and the dark underbelly of fame, sex and drugs. Then, without warning! We are thrown into the violent tremors of ‘We Are the Pigs’. And so the nightmare officially begins.   Now I want you to lay back, close your eyes and envision Brett Anderson frantically flicking his fringe to glam rock anthem ‘Heroine’. There’s something in tone of Anderson’s vocals that evokes real passion, real emotion. When he says that he is “aching” to see his heroine, he bloody well means it. Now we plummet from the breath taking highs of this album, to some of the more simplistic, tender moments. Particularly in the first two bars of ‘The Wild Ones’ before the rest of the band kick in; it is hauntingly beautiful, something that a lot of bands lack, that chemistry that suede seem to capture perfectly on ‘Dog Man Star’ and their debut is still alive and is there for everyone to see (or in this case hear) it in all of its glory!

 The beautiful whales of ‘The Wild Ones’ seem like a distant memory, when we are dragged into the depths of the eerie mystique of Bowie inspired ‘Daddy’s Speeding’ coaxing us into “sweet dreams of gasoline” with its tempest of a bass-line, minimalistic piano, trance-like guitar and of course, the sinister growl of Anderson’s vocals. Poppy ballad ‘The Power’ is as close as we are ever going to get to Britpop on Suede’s anti-Britpop album. It’s as if Anderson’s youthful vigour has been restored, he’s ready to take on the world and nothing can stand in his way. He really does have an incredible talent for switching the mood of the live shows within seconds; whether it be a simple switch in his vocal tone or his on stage persona.   ‘This Hollywood Life’ is packed with crunching riff after riff- No wonder Bernard Butler was hailed the Johnny Marr of the 90’s. It’s the guitar that gives the song a whole new dimension; and fair play to Richard Oakes for pulling it off as well as Bernie would’ve live! ‘Dog Man Star’ is a real emotional rollercoaster, its one of the most emotionally raw albums that I have ever heard. I mean, how can a band that were literally falling apart at the seams make such an incredible album? ‘The 2 of Us’ is Andersons emotional peak, and he is left fully exposed with his raw, croaky vocals that float aimlessly over childlike piano. There really is something so, so beautiful about this song, even more so live. It just conveys such a strong sense of innocence which stands out against the dark nature of the rest of the record. If there was one song that I would um and ah about if I were Brett, it would definitely be ‘Black or Blue’. I think it reminds you of how great Brett’s range actually is! Better still, he can still actually pull it off with his constant flicker between delicate vocals and immense power. ‘The Asphalt World’ is the masterpiece within the masterpiece. What’s better than 9 minutes of glam-rock bliss? YES! 9 minutes of glam-rock bliss LIVE. I don’t think that I have ever heard Brett sound so comfortable as his vocals float effortlessly over the drug-fulled twang of Oakes’ guitar, creating a sort of Q&A effect. Which is sort of imitative of the decay of Anderson and Butler’s relationship during the actual recording of the album as the two battle it out right till the very end. Now we all know that Richie had some pretty big shoes to fill when he stepped in as Suede’s new guitarist at just 17. Following Butlers departure. But did he know just what he was getting himself into? OF COURSE HE DID! Richard still plays the mammoth solo in ‘The Asphalt World’ as if its ‘Smoke on the Water’ But with his own noticeable twist. The carnage is drawn to a close as Brett returns for one last chorus. We come out through the eye of the storm as Brett snarls at the mic, just one last time before drawing the nightmare to a close. The last ‘Dog Man Star’ track was dedicated to Brett’s father who used to take him to the Royal Albert Hall as a kid. ‘Still Life’ is usually played as an acoustic track live, but the boys pulled out all of the stops for this performance. The gentle, timid, ring of an acoustic guitar immediately grabs your attention as the intimacy of the performance intrigues you as woeful string arrangements creep in intensifying the performance. You just know that something great is about to happen. Brett does sound stiff to start, as he is clearly emotional whilst introducing the song, but he begins to loosen up before the explosion of a string ensemble floods the Royal Albert Hall. Suede wrap up their incredible performance with a greatest hits set including: Trash, Animal Nitrate and The Beautiful Ones as well as various B-sides including ‘We Are the Pigs’ B-side ‘Killing of a Flashboy’ which is packed with powerhouse guitar and ambiguous lyrics as you just imagine Anderson stomping around the stage whilst intimidatingly clasping the mic in one hand.

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LIVE REVIEW: BEST GIGS OF 2016. Fat White Family, Manchester Acdemy, Manchester 27.2.16

South London 6-piece Fat White Family venture out of their natural habitat to push every single boundary whilst airing out their latest album ‘Songs for our Mothers’ Saul blinks into the light looking as scuzzy and lost as ever as the band dive into a scrappy debut album single ‘Auto Neutron’. Its not long till Saul ditches the oversized, tattered brown suit (the kind that you would borrow to attend a court hearing) and there we have it; The Fat Whites’ grubby aesthetic is restored.   The band storm through a ground-breaking set, whilst managing to remain looking as half soaked as ever. They weave effortlessly through a string of crowd favourites, from ‘Champagne Holocausts’ unnerving ‘Touch the Leather’ to the narcotic rings of their latest single ‘Whitest Boy on the Beach’.

Saul’s glassy eyes scan the crowd from the safety of the monitors, as a sea of fists rise to ‘Bomb Disneyland’s’ sparse, disjointed chorus; whilst Saul scrambles hazily between the wings, the edge of the stage and inevitably the crowd over and over again before drawing the carnage to a close with a simple muffled “Cheers”.

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LIVE REVIEW: BEST GIGS OF 2016.

YAK - Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff - 09/06/16

I really do think that its a huge shame that YAK have been thrown to the margins of the bottomless pit that is 'landfill indie' with the likes of 'Rat Boy'; especially when they have so much to offer, especially as a live band. Oli Burslem's vocals mirror that of a less stylized Jake Bugg, he's a bit rough around the edges and manages to connect to his audience with a real passionate and emotional delivery. Yak's short set at Cardiff's home of hardcore, Clwb Ifor Bach was a thing of manic beauty. With their grubby, punk aesthetic shining through throughout, slightly out of tune guitars and ferocious drumming that constantly builds tension and anticipation. I mean, they barely came up for air! and there you have it- you're hooked. Its so hard to pick a highlight of a set with virtually no dull moments. But 'victorious', the opening track to 2016's "Alas Salvation". 'Victorious' has a real, "in your face" excellence about it and to be fair, its the only song that you need to listen to to get excited about YAK. A constant battle between the seductive slur of the bass and the electrifying, almost deranged screeches of Burslem's battered strat. Yak bring a raw, angry yet organic energy to the stage - a sonic attack with real stomach churning effects. Its not one for the faint hearted but you will definitely not be disappointed