Live Review: LTW Presents – Cold Water Swimmers, The Pagans S.O.H. and Tinfoils.

Photo credit: Debbie Ellis.

LTW Presents, The Salty Dog, Northwich, Friday 19th April.

Cold Water Swimmers, The Pagans S.O.H., Tinfoils and special guest Karl Hildebrandt.

I’m gonna have a rant here before this review about music industry nonsense and swear a bit. You know when you hear really good bands and you know they will make an impact and all these fuckers with a bit of power don’t listen unless there’s a bit of money involved? That’s right. Even the “We champion new music brigade” 6 Music crew are guilty. I’ve mithered all the DJ’s to death about these three bands to no response. Why? They have the power. Squid – Houseplant? Fuck off! Just check out the brilliant Banananah by The Pagans S.O.H. or Cold Water Swimmers with the sublime Summer Breeze. Even Tinfoils with the DIY sound of Royal Baby Machine. It’s criminal after watching these lot tonight. Let me explain…..

Ok. From the start, I’ve always been passionate about new bands. Take Cabbage, The Blinders, Evil Blizzard. I’ve embraced them, they’ve done alright. Not massive but bands with fuckin top tunes and doing alright. Media does work in small doses but get with the program! I’m no fuckin Steven Wells but listen to me! There’s some top stuff out there at the moment. Deja Vega, The C33s, Callow Youth, Dirty Laces, Argh Kid, the list goes on. The three bands I’ve taken to play The Salty Dog are the forefront of new music. The Next Wave as I’ve penned. Fuckin listen to me!!!

Tinfoils have got the train here tonight with all their gear to make an effort. You know what? They deserve a round of applause before they hit the stage. Northwich is a canny place. The train station is a ten minute walk from the venue and they looked fucked and flustered before they arrived. Bothered? Fuck no! Their set is a blistering punk by numbers wonder and they don’t let up from the start, George is just a bug eyed manic freaky Ian Curtis comedic laugh throughout the set and it’s not just a song. They meld everything into a punk mash from the start.  Royal Baby Machine their debut sounds disjointed from the set but still gives us that DIY feel they are honing from the heart. Punk as fuck and none of that drudgy indie shit. A year has changed this band and they’re going places.

I didn't tell Karl he was on tonight. But right on the spot after being stitched up, he does a couple of belters from his repertoire of wise street poetry, touching on a number of subjects he's passionate about, including mental health, homelessness, Manchester, all sprinkled with that touch of wit to lighten up the mood. The fuckin poster behind him is apt n all! Ah he would say. Proper!

What can I say about The Pagans S.O.H, I already haven’t?? Strength to strength every gig. These guys are the powderkeg of the scene at the moment. They have what it takes in every sense. Marcus is the the new frontman of our generation. A Brummie with attitude that nails it on every level. They twist the set as usual instead of sticking to a formula and they do the business. Marcus just doesn’t do normal. He does insane on stage, which is a total contrast to the loving guy I know from speaking to him. Total conviction into the whole set. They air the new tune which I can’t really talk about yet which is a laid back funk riddled spliffed up tune of ace proportions, totally off track from the last offering. The dynamo of the band is insane and Daragh’s guitar is mint as fuck melding with Connor’s cool as fuck funky drumming. Lazy N*gga still gets me as does Cocky. Highlight of the night is the amazing Banananah, top lyrics, top rhythms, top everything. A perfect song which should be massive by now. Shame on you corporate knobheads….

And in a different contrast you get the beauty of Cold Water Swimmers. A stark band that uplift you with some sublime tunes and a massive powerhouse from a trio that were meant to be. Selina, Chris and Carrie were always meant to be in a band together. From the background of Dubsex and the Mark Hoyle years Chris has carved his own niche. Beautiful songs with a backing from Selina and Carrie (yeah I mentioned em again…) She’s Falling Apart is dark and wonderful, Robots is entrancing, Everything We’ve Ever Had stunning, just a great set. Every song is just well crafted by this excellent band with years of experience. Summer Breeze just stuns me every time I hear it. A class song that sends shivers down me spine. Selina is just the best drummer out there at the moment. Proper powerhouse that puts many fuckin macho male drummers to shame. She’s that good. And Carrie! She can pull a bassline out of her pocket with ease. Moment of the night is when they swap bass and drums for the encore of Love You Hate You. A total masterclass from the trio of Cold Water Swimmers. A perfect band for these times.

A first for Louder Than War Presents and maybe many more. Always supporting new talent and giving it all for the music scene!!!

Photo credit: Sal_GigJunkie, and Debbie Ellis. Use of these images in any form without permission is illegal.

Interview: Winachi Tribe

Photo Credit: Paul Husband.

Ever since seeing The Winachi Tribe live in Manchester last year I’ve been intrigued about the back to front ways they’ve done things. The Warrington lads have recorded and resided in California, got involved with a fashion label, done videos with Keith Allen and worked with Howie B, The Furious Five, it goes on. Yet they remain a humble group without a massive following over here yet??? This seems to be about to change. With a storming support slot with The Sugarhill Gang and numerous festival slots coming up, this may be the year the Tribe reach everyone’s ears with their funk / electro grooves that will light up your summer. I meet up with the key songwriters Liam Croker and Antony Egerton for a chat in their local boozer….

LTW: So how did it all start?

LC: We’ve been going about five years I think now. Me Ant and Inda (Goldfinger from Ian Brown solo years) were in a band previously before Winachi Tribe called China White for a number of years and, you know we were getting a lot of trouble with the name. The heroin association with it, the night club, there’s an LA punk band called China White as well, so that name had to go. I think Ian Brown said to Inda, “You can’t keep that fuckin name mate” And then our manager Harry gave us a bit of a nudge saying even the Americans were saying “You can’t do anything with you fuckin guys with a band named after smack you know” We changed the name. I came up with Winachi, which is an anagram of basically China White, and the Tribe comes from us being a bit of a collective mentallity I suppose. And it just started. It was like China White on steroids, you know what I mean? We went on stage and it’s was like Stars In Their Eyes on hard drugs. We walked on stage to support Zak Starkey, Ringo’s son as China White in January 2015 and came off as The Winachi Tribe.

LTW: It’s clever the way you’ve used an anagram to change your name.

LC: We didn’t want to change the name. That’s who we were. Everyone was a bit upset that we had to do it. It stems from a forced name change which was probably the best thing we ever did. We fought it off for years. It’s a big step. It was a big change.

LTW: I’ve been through a band name change myself. It’s hard.

LC: It’s like moving house innit? China White were quite dark, down tempo, Tricky, Massive Attack, we were influenced by a lot of Hip Hop. All The Winachi is to me is an evolved version of China White.

LTW: You seem to have a funk element fused with electro. Is that intentional? You don’t sound like the typical Manc indie band.

LC: We all have varied music collections. Eclectic. We’re influenced by Parliament, Funkadelic, Sly & The Family Stone, stuff like that. Again what you said with the electro thing, Hip Hop. It’s like you said to me after the gig in Manchester, you can hear that slight indie rock touch in places.

LTW: Some people say there’s a Mondays thing going on. I can’t see that.

LC: Lazy journalism. There’s a dance element going on and we’re all from the North West. That’s as far as it goes.

LTW: How did Inda get involved. He was involved with Ian Brown for quite a while.

LC: When me and Ant started China White we had a hit list. WE’ve gone through quite a lot of it to be fair. We just reached out to him. We sold our spiel to him and he said lets have a listen to ya. We sent the music over and he loved it. We went down to Leeds, met him in a studio and the rest is history.

LTW: His bongos are like an extension with keyboards.

LC: Yeah, they’re forever growing.

LTW: I’ve never seen a bigger bongo set up in me life!

LC: It’s like you say when you’ve got you typical Manc indie band of four or five, all dressed similar with the same personality, Winachi is quite eclectic. We’re all very individual people, both visually and personality wise. We’re all into different music I suppose. Inda’s into different stuff, the bass player is, we’re a mixed race group as well. I think that’s why the music is crossover.

LTW: How did you get involved with the California scene? A lot of British band struggle to break America.

LC: I’ve got to go back to the hit list we have.

AE:  We originally went out there to work with Danny Saber. Our manager got us connected.

LC: We met up with Danny Saber got involved with Harry who set up our management. We went back in 2016 and did the video for Room With A Zoo. The next step the band were getting radio play, press in Hollywood and LA. So we thought, we need to go out there and play. And it was all without corporate backing, there was no one sticking 100 grand on the table, so we thought, how do we do this? There was a lot of hustling, a lot of e-mails. We got it together so we could get out there. Once we got out there, the first time was March last year, we made some inroads.

LTW: I notice you’ve got John X producing you debut album. How’s it going?

LC: It’s going great. We’ve done it in reverse. It’s like we’re making The Wall. A lot’s gone into it. It’s not your average sounding. You won’t have heard anything like it, especially for lads round here. There’s a pop sensibility that runs throughout, so there are songs in there.

AE: It’s got a Californian G funk soul vibe to it through the hip hop sounds.

LC: It’s like a funk opera that we’re making.

LTW: How did you get involved with Sugarhill Gang and Scorpio?

LC: Scorpio flew over here. He stayed in Warrington. We bumped into him and recorded an EP: The Kitchen Sessions with him. We stayed friends with him, toured with him. Then we met the Furious Five, Kurtis Blow, we just stayed friends with him, and every time they come over we get the nod. They’re heroes that have become friends. I still get a bit starstruck meeting Melle Mel. I’ve met him loads n all.

LTW: A bit like me if I met KRS One then!

LC: I’ve met him a few times now and it’s like, alright Melle! (shrinking away…) He’s a fuckin huge man as well!

LTW: I see you’re headlining Warrington Festival again.

LC: It’s looking good. Black Grape are headlining the Saturday and we’re doing the Sunday. It’s an honour to be asked to headline our home town’s festival. We’re doing Macc Fest, and we’ve got some big announcements in the pipeline. We’ve got a release coming out in May, a huge deal going on with an Italian fashion designer (Pantofola D’Oro). We were in London and Inda knows someone from the Ian Brown days involved in fashion. They were doing a launch in London, the 1990 collection. Carnaby Street where their store is, they had like a big party with Paulo De Canio. We got the nod and played in the street. Duff from Guns N Roses was there, The Charlatans, it was fuckin nuts. The owner watched us and really liked us. He sponsored our second tour of America in September. We went to Italy to do some shows for the company.

LTW: How did you go down in Italy?

LC: Sound. The mayor from the town came down to watch. We’re going back in June. It’s been full on the last two years. Just dedication and hard work has made this happen. You have to think outside the box a bit. I you have an aim it’s like a game of chess. Think about each move. If they can do it why not us? Everything is possible.

And that’s Winachi Tribe for you. A down to earth bunch of Northerners who are growing at their own pace and are ready to explode on the British music scene. Bring on the funk!

Live Dates: https://www.musicglue.com/thewinachitribe/shows

Website: https://www.musicglue.com/thewinachitribe/

News! Ian Brown releases new video for From Chaos To Harmony

Ian Brown is back with his best video to date and arguably the best song on his new album Ripples. It's a bit of a play on the Zoltar machine from the Tom Hanks film Big with a twist!

Fontaines DC: Dogrel - Album Review

Fontaines DC

Dogrel

Partisan Records

Release Date: 12th April

9/10

Every year we all get a group that are that hyped up by the so called clued up media it puts you off straight away. At least Idles had released an album before the greedy hype machine got on board. Fontaines DC have been around a while as Louder Than War reported way back before their debut has dropped. Is it justified? Fuckin' damn right according to my ears!



This bunch of Dublin lads seem to have come from nowhere, however they've been around a while, honing their craft with an early rockabilly style that has melded into this stormer of a debut. It kicks off with a short sharp blast with Big, clocking in under two minutes it's pure guitar fuelled punk with Grian's distinct vocals stating 'My chilhood was small, but I'm gonna be big' A smart start that shudders to a holt suddenly. Sha Sha Sha is pure rockabilly tight shit with it's terrace like chanting and smart beats. If you've not heard Too Real by now you are not into music. It's been played to death but never gets boring, kicking off with a Smiths like guitar sound  which pulls you in then drags you by the neck with that great crunching noise and the mantra of 'Is it too real for ya?' It's the vocals that get me. Grian sounds like no-one else around with his repetitive drawl that works on all levels. Television Screen is the nearest he gets to actually singing and sounds like the direction Joy Division would have veered into if Ian was still around. Top tune. Hurricane Laughter is a tour de force of squalling crunching guitar that builds and builds like a future Fall track and is a rush to the senses. A stand out for me with it's hypnotic drum beats and repetitive mantra. Roy's Tune slows the whole thing down with it's melodic undertones and poetic lament from Dublin City. A total change in direction. The Lotts doesn't crank it up again but is an excellent track that swings along with cryptic lyrics and a sort of Cure type direction if you get me. It then cranks up again with three belters in a row, the surf rocker banger Chequeless Reckless which is another short sharp hitter, Liberty Belle which is a nod towards Libertines / Vaccines territory and bounces along nicely. Boys In The Better Land is a proper indie rock bouncer which will be played for years on our airwaves, probably the most radio friendly song on there and an oldy in their terms. Last track Dublin City Sky is an ode to the fair place they have grew up in and could easily come from the songbook of Shane McGowan. It shows their proper love of Irish roots and is a fitting end to a fuckin good debut. The trick is that each song is different yet the same, they have a unique vocalist, the repetitiveness that The Fall used to great effect has been perfected and they pen a great tune. A rush of a record that places Fontaines DC firmly on the music map.

UK/IRE TOUR DATES:
11 APR 2019 / UK / Bristol / Thekla SOLD OUT
12 APR 2019 / UK / Leeds / Brudenell Social Club SOLD OUT
13 APR 2019 / UK / Manchester / Gorilla SOLD OUT
14 APR 2019 / UK / Glasgow / King Tuts SOLD OUT
16 APR 2019 / UK / Nottingham / Rescue Rooms SOLD OUT
17 APR 2019 / UK / London / The Garage SOLD OUT
18 APR 2019 / UK / Brighton / The Haunt SOLD OUT

13 JUL 2019 / UK / Glasgow / TRNSMT Festival
14 JUL 2019 / UK / London / Citadel Festival
26 JUL 2019 / UK / Oxford / Truck Festival
27 JUL 2019 / UK / Rainton / Deer Shed Festival
28 JUL 2019 / UK / Pikehall / Y Not Festival

02 AUG 2019 / IE/ Waterford  / All Together Now

29 AUG 2019 - 1 SEP 2019 / UK / Wiltshire / End of The Road Festival

19 NOV 2019 / UK / Manchester / O2 Ritz
20 NOV 2019 / UK / Liverpool / O2 Academy
21 NOV 2019 / UK / Glasgow / SWG 3
22 NOV 2019 / UK / Leeds / Stylus
23 NOV 2019 / UK / Sheffield / Leadmill
25 NOV 2019 / UK / Birmingham / O2 Institute
26 NOV 2019 / UK / Oxford / O2 Academy
27 NOV 2019 / UK / London / O2 Forum
28 NOV 2019 / UK / Brighton / Concorde 2
30 NOV 2019 / UK / Bristol / SWX

1 DEC 2019 / UK / Southampton / The 1865
7 DEC 2019 / IRE / Dublin / Vicar Street SOLD OUT
8 DEC 2019 / IRE / Dublin / Vicar Street

 * = supporting IDLES
+ = with support from Pottery

The C33s: Manic Depression - Debut Single Review

The C33s

Manic Depression

These Bloody Thieves Records

Out now DL / stream

The Next Wave rolls on and along comes another promising band to rock the scene. If ever a band could follow in the footsteps of The Blinders, these are the fiery trio to do it. However there are differences here that Wayne Carey discovers to his liking.

 Although this bunch of firebrands have already hit us with an EP, this is officially their debut single and it kicks you straight between the legs with it’s rush of incendiary swamp rock. There will be comparisons to the adopted Mancs from Doncaster but take another listen carefully. If Quentin Tarantino invented a band to write tunes for his future films they would be called The C33s. They have that sound that can be transformed into a soundtrack. They mean business and this track just speeds along like a train into a proper rock out of white noise. It sounds dirty with tribal drums, it rocks like fuck and Manic Depression ticks all the boxes in the raw indie rock corner  inhabited by the likes of Scuttlers, Deja Vega, Callow Youth and Dirty Laces.  It’s already been aired on 6 Music this week which bodes well. One of the best debuts this year for me.
Produced by sonic maestro, Gavin Monaghan at his Magic Garden Studios, The C33s are:Judy Jones (Drums/Vocals), Cav Green (Guitar/Vocals), Ste Phillips (Bass Guitar)
Tour dates:30 Mar Manchester The Whiskey Jar (5pm)  YANAfest (Mind, Mental Health Charity) 14+
20 Apr London (afternoon) Soma Festival
20 Apr Birmingham (evening) Sunflower Lounge with The Cosmics, Violets

03 May Birmingham Magic Garden Studios at The Wagon & Horses

19-21 July Blackthorn Music Festival, Stockport 16 Aug Cotton Clouds Festival, Oldham

More confirmed dates to be announced.

Due to technical issues the download may not be available until Monday. Maintenance in progress!!

The C33s online: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

Dead Dead Good Weekend Festival: Northwich - 9/10/11th May!!!

CW9 is back for three days of music and more, taking over Northwich yet again on the 9th, 10th and 11th May, which looks likely to become a yearly event. Just like The Charlatans shindig last year, this event will be promoting some of our up and coming bands from the music scene whilst also adding the odd surprise such as last years LTW favourites Cabbage, who were also in our Top 10 albums of the year. 

The bands will be playing at various venues across Northwich including The Memorial Hall, The Dead Dead Good Stage based in Barons Quay, The Salty Dog, Obied Gallery which will host an exhibition of artists strongly linked to the Northwich and Manchester music scene, where you can actually buy some never seen before archive pieces at a reasonable price. Crate Hair & Lounge will be hosting local total talent along the weekend and you can even get your barnet done whilst having a beer or a non alcoholic beverage. Retros Bar will be hosting Manc Legend Clint Boon on the decks and there will be live music in The Salthouse NW and The Quayside are hosting a 90’s indie night with DJ Scotty.

The full line up can be found on the website www.ddgw.co.uk. Wayne Carey gives you an insight into some of the highlights for the weekend.

Tom Hingley & The Kar-Pets – Tom Hingley takes to the stage with his full band for a stunning performance of the Inspiral Carpets classics. A cover band with a difference. They’ve only got the bloody real singer from The Inspiral Carpets as frontman! Should be a night of 90’s nostalgia for those old indie heads out there. I’ve always sited them as one of my favourite bands to come out of the Madchester scene.

UNE – Mark Radcliffe (BBC 6 Music) and Paul Langley join forces with a new electronic project that is set for festival domination over the course of the summer including Kendal Calling festival.

UNE is electronic music spanning many styles with a plaintive lonely voice at its heart. A happy accidental collision of man and machines.
These UNE songs are inspired by words from other languages that have no literal translation into English: Boketto, Waldeinkamseit, Saudade, Komorebi. The music and lyrics have therefore tried to convey the feelings those words invoke.
UNE is two people working on a single concept.
UNE means one-word titles.
UNE is about being alone.
UNE is an anagram of NEU (and very nearly of ENO).
UNE is pop music for dreamers.

Silent K – The brainchild of Liverpool musicians Chris Taylor (Pineapple King/Ramifications/Fat White Family) and Dave McCabe (The Zutons). Also featuring Boyan Chowdhury (The Zutons).

The Snuts.

Drawing comparisons with early Arctic Monkeys, Kings of Leon and Oasis, West Lothian quartet THE SNUTS have emerged as a word-of-mouth phenomenon throughout Scotland. In the process they’ve already passed a million streams at Spotify of their early demo recordings – all achieved organically without being promoted to radio, playlists or press.

THE SNUTS’ combination of sheer energy, natural charisma and a growing catalogue of indie anthems has already been rewarded with a cult following. Their first headline show at the Glasgow institution King Tut’s sold-out in a matter of hours, and was soon followed by subsequent sold-out dates in Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee and Manchester.

With such homeland backing to their name, THE SNUTS are now looking to take their ragged rock ‘n’ roll manifesto to a wider audience. That process starts with the release of their first full single ‘Seasons’.

Dave Smalley and The Bandoleros (USA) – Dave Smalley is a legend of the US punk scene, with releases on the mighty Dischord records his bands DYS and Dag Nasty are to this day influencing swaths of bands, notably 1986’s ‘Can I Say’ (produced by Ian Mackay of Minor Threat/Fugazi) is cemented as a stone cold classic. In the 90’s he started All with ex members of The Descendents and then went on to form the amazing Down By Law, signed to Epitaph Records and at the forefront of the 90’s punk resurgence. Dave has continued to push boundaries and work on new projects, most recently teaming up with Southern Spain’s finest to form The Bandoleros and releasing one of the most vital punk records of 2018, this is their first visit to the UK and the only North West date, suffice to say it’s going to be dead dead good!

Reclaim Vienna – In their short existence Reclaim Vienna has cemented themselves as one of ‘the’ new bands to watch, effortlessly combining indie and electronic music to carve out a totally original sound and they are home grown talent to boot!

The Cheshire based band have had early comparisons to bands such as early Duran Duran, Slow Readers Club and New Order.

“If you like Slow Readers Club, you’re going to love this! Go watch this new band at the intimate venues, before they explode and start selling out stadiums and cricket grounds in and around Manchester” Sophie Sviennson of XS Manchester radio.”

The Empty Page – One of the most exciting bands on the Manchester scene, this three piece isn’t afraid to rock, with intelligent and thought provoking lyrics combined with an explosive live performance you won’t want to miss them. Boss man John Robb had them on the bill at his now becoming staple Membranes gigs a few years back and I took notice big time. Kel can belt out those tunes. Check out the latest single.

Time For Action – Formed in Manchester in 2018. Influences include, The Damned, Sex Pistols, Discharge, The Ruts, The Undertones, SLF, The Clash, Subhumans, Warsaw, Dead Kennedys, New Order, The Stooges etc you get the idea. Dermo returns from the Northside years with his band of punk fuelled tunes that are miles aways from those indie days of Shall We Take A Trip. And he still looks like the Dermo we know and love.

Deja Vega – Déjà Vega are vocalist and guitarist Jack Fearon, drummer Tom Webster and bassist Mike Newton. They formed in Winsford, Cheshire, a fitting backdrop to their gritty, guitar led psychedelia. Rhythmic and rage-fuelled and boasting surging riffs, Fearon’s hypnotic slurring lyrics lurch in and out of poetic chants, battling over chaotic drums and the razor-sharp bass lines underneath. Live, Déjà Vega demonstrate that they’re a force to be reckoned with. I fuckin’ love this band. They get better every time and are on my Next Wave 2019 list. They’ve released a set of excellent singles and continue to rise with their fearsome sets. They totally blew away the Salty Dog last year!

Callow Youth – Arguably the most hotly tipped young band to emerge out of Manchester in the past year, Callow Youth are a bunch of 18 year old upstarts whose catchy, melodic, original songs belie their age, experience and short time together. Having played their first gig in May 2018, 1 year after forming from scratch with little musical experience, the lads recently sold out their first Manchester headline show in 4 hours. Their February debut single “Did It Really Matter? achieved XS Manchester’s single of the week. I reviewed their debut single here ( https://louderthanwar.com/exclusive-callow-youth-release-debut-single-really-matter/). Ones to watch!

Faraday – Indie band from Newcastle-Under-Lyme. ‘Intoxicating melodies over huge chorus and verse, Faraday are the band you didn’t know you were searching for…’ Rebel Bear.

Alfa 9 – Back in 2005 Alfa 9 signed to Blow Up Records, and the same month recorded at The Charlatans’ (who they shared management with – Steve Harrison)  Big Mushroom studio in Cheshire with Liverpool producer Mike Cave (The Coral, Ian McNabb). Mostly recorded in under two weeks, with additional production in Liverpool at Mike’s studio. The completed album was mastered in Devon at Super Audio Mastering by Simon Heyworth (Tubular Bells) at the end result being the psych rock masterpiece Then We Begin.

Fast forward to today, Alfa 9 return with their third album ‘My Sweet Movida‘. The Newcastle-under-Lyme based four piece are back with their Morricone-esque tinged cosmic country psych rock, that’s layered with vocal harmonies delivering what the band believe to be their strongest set of songs to date.

Campfire Social – Captivating Indie-pop collective; Campfire Social craft a dynamically rich sound bursting with bright harmonies carefully layered over hypnotic melodies. Their honest approach echoes a love of 90’s ‘heart-on-sleeve’ emo culture. At times sobering, a hopeful message prevails; we’re better together.

Over the years the band has received some well-deserved recognition from some influential names in UK music scene. Their 2017 single ‘‘Nothing Nowhere Never Now’ was featured on the end of year round ups of Adam Walton (BBC Wales), Rock Current (podcast) and Drunk on Music (Blog). The follow up ‘Wellbeing’ EP was selected for the A-list by BBC Radio Wales resulting in continued airplay, a live session with Janice Long and further BBC 6 music plays.

The Train Set – Influences were the Manchester and Liverpool scene of the late seventies, early eighties.
The Train Set sound like – The Smiths, Bodines, Teardrop Explodes, Echo and The Bunnymen, Happy Mondays etc.

Saltwounds – 4 piece melodic punk band from Worcester. Formed in 2015. Make music, be happy.

The Big I Am – The Big I Am is a punk rock 3 piece from Oldham with its roots firmly planted in the old school British punk rock of the late 70s spat out from the mouths of The UK Subs, the Sex Pistols and The Clash smashing it into the ferocious sounds of the The Who. Using Pete Townshend’s broken guitar and Jim Morrison’s Oedipus sexual fantasies brought back from the grave gives The Big I Am a massive sound that lives up to its northern colloquialism of a name!

The C33s – Punk/Garage/Rock 3 piece from Manchester. Judy Jones, Cav Green and Ste Phillips. Think The Blinders with an added twist of love for Tarantino soundtracks and some fuckin’ kick ass dirty swamp rock. Their debut single is my favourite release this year by far. Review here ( https://louderthanwar.com/c33s-manic-depression-debut-single-review/).

Weekend Recovery – Furious guitar riffs and all consuming vocals swiftly engulf you as you are unapologetically swept up amongst an electrical infused wave of poker-faced furore. As the band have continued to grow and improve since inception, they have caught the ears of many industry leading blogs, leading them to be championed by the likes of Louder Than War, who premiered their album ‘Get What You Came For’. Whilst also being reviewed by the likes of NME, Cat On The Wall, Get In Her Ears, Music Glue and being recommended by Abbie McCarthy on BBC Introducing in Kent, Planet Rock, Radio X, Amazing Radio and Kerrang!

ARGH Kid – Wordsmith Sensation ARGH KiD (AKA DAVID SCOTT) has toured the country, played to sold out crowds and dazzled millions with his lyrical prowess. This Manchester-raised poet is winning hearts and minds with his verbal energy, gaining celebrity fans such as Liam Gallagher, Christopher Eccleston and Chris Evans. Another LTW favourite who has a fantastic band behind him. He’s gonna slay everyone when his debut album hits the streets. New single Neighbours is the bomb. Single review ( https://louderthanwar.com/argh-kid-neighbours-new-single-review/)

And to top the lot we have the brilliant wonk from Cabbage who have toured relentlessly and have decided to choose Northwich for a night to remember. New sing Torture is the usual angst politic melodic stuff from the Mossley lads. Their live performance goes from strength to strength and I’m sure they’ll light up the town in true incendiary fashion!

Tickets available from the website: www.ddgw.co.uk

Kerosene: Broken - Album Review.

Kerosene

Broken

Self release CD / DL

Kerosene are back after 25 years with a promising new album of gems from their past recordings that were never released, all dusted up and brought to life in a time when many bands could have fit right into this amazing scene we have at the moment. Wayne Carey remembers the times and welcomes the boys grown up into this diverse arena in the world of the t’internet.  

In 1994 there was a healthy underground thing going on just before the Britpop explosion blew a hole in the grunge / punk scene of Manchester, paving the way for lad rock, Suede, Blur et al. I remember the bands on the outside fringes at the time as I was part of Fruit Tumor who got the attention of the boss man who produced their first single. We all gigged together, bands like Thrush Puppies, The Wax Tablets, Kerosene, Flatback Four, Skywalker, who became the excellent Solar Race. We all had regular gigs in Oldham, Manchester City Centre (mainly The Roadhouse, The Boardwalk, PJ Bells, all now sadly gone, sole survivor Band On The Wall) with healthy followings that came back for more. We all played In The City, the brainchild of Tony Wilson n all! The two bands of note were Skywalker who signed to Silvertone as Solar Race (George Lucas issues…) and released some fuckin ace stuff (R.I.P Eilidh) and Kerosene who originally released some tunes on Dead Dead Good (Charlatans label) before finally going for the big bucks with Seymour Stein’s Sire Records. Kerosene have unfinished business hence this new album I’m reviewing. I thought I’d include their press release to give you a bit of insight before I fuckin’ bore you with my review….

Back in 1995 Manchester’s noisy pop-punk kids, Kerosene were mentally and physically ‘broken’. After years of relentless touring and studio work the band left Sire Records in disagreement over the planned second album release and subsequently the doors were firmly closed on that chapter of their lives.

In late 2017, after more than two decades apart the founding partnership of Paul Taylor (vocals) and James Mountford (guitars/programming) were back in contact, and the band’s Facebook page was created to establish an historical footnote of their work. Soon afterwards contact was made with Mr Hancox (bass) and momentum further gathered on the social media front. In the summer of 2018 a box of VHS tapes were recovered from James’ loft, which included live footage of the band at Manchester’s Roadhouse in 1994. This included a live performance of a never released track ‘Bravura’ which had become a live favourite with its mega-crescendo whig-out ending. This footage was coupled with an early studio demo of the song as a bit of fun to share with the band members for prosperity. Around the same time another unreleased track ‘Shut Up!’ surfaced on Sound Cloud, leading to the re-connection with drummer Chris Willcocks and finally with guitarist Chris Walton. Although the five members were split across different parts of the UK and Germany, a reborn creative energy sparked up, and following the sharing of ‘Bravura’ via YouTube, the band opened the dusty boxes of reel-to-reels containing over 30 never released songs! The band took it upon themselves to conduct a full audio overhaul on the best of these tracks. Using current digital technology these songs have been fully reworked, with new eq remastering, reediting, enhancements, extensions, extra vocals, drums, guitars and brand new compositions. All this has been done digitally, remotely and with no financial input, true to the original DIY punk ethos of the band. December 2018 saw the download and streaming release of the ‘Concussion EP’, a collection of 6 tracks, headed up by ‘Comatose’ and supported with ‘Weird Up Here’ and ‘Formula Rock’ – the latter two having video project releases via YouTube. This EP clearly demonstrated the band’s more mature and diverse song writing stance and paved the way for the 12 track ‘Broken’ album.

The album kicks off with three fired up grunge punk numbers including All A Lie and Punk Rock Agenda which bring back those hard fuckin grafting days of DIY we all had to sweat for. Catchy riffs and vocals from that 90’s era that sounds so fresh today.

Inside Me comes across as something that could have been a big hit with its pop hooks infused with that grunge feel that resonates in 2019. Broken is a slow number that tells the story of the scars that are healing from the fallout after the Sire incident and is quite heartfelt within the lyrics. Heart Set is another anthemic type pop punk Americana themed tune which fits well in the scheme of things. Luna is a pure Pixies influence cracker which bodes well. Spacegirl goes into Ash territory with it’s pop hooks and melodic guitars from James, and Paul Taylor sounds exactly the same as he did in the 90’s. Shut Up! and Tonight (another Pixies influenced winner) keep it real without sounding all same oh same oh which gives the whole listen a nice experience for the nostalgia crew who couldn’t quite get the Britpop thing.

Best track by far is the closer Bravura. It starts off with a pyschedelic atmospheric stance that builds into a Soundgarden on acid type rumbler on a night out with Peter Doherty, then totally rocks out with excellent chugging riffs and a bit of white noise on top before bedding down into that chilled space again.

A cracking comeback from the lads who have a point to prove, and wouldn’t let sleeping dogs lie. Good luck to them! Check out this rare footage from The Roadhouse in 1994!

Website: https://keroseneofficial.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kerosene.uk/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerosene_baby

The Next Wave 2019 - The Salty Dog, Northwich - 19th April - GOOD FRIDAY!!!!!

Every once in a while you come across a gig that is memorable and sticks with you. This happened to me last September when I was given the nudge to check out the new project of Chris Bridgett (Dubsex, G.O.D.), Cold Water Swimmers.  Why not? It ended up being one of my gigs of the year and I teamed up with Features Ed, Nigel Carr for a joint review (https://louderthanwar.com/cold-water-swimmers-manchester-castle-hotel-live-review/) after witnessing the future. So then I thought, lets re live that night in a new location supported by us at LTW under the moniker The Next Wave 2019? Since six months ago each band have singles out and are improving at every gig, smashing it at venues up and down. I now give you the lowdown on three of the hottest bands around.

The Tinfoils

The Tinfoils are a three-piece garage-punk band based in Manchester, whose frantic brand of ‘no frills’, DIY guitar-driven music rages against the private security companies who police the streets of Britain, the royalist media machine, the inescapable nature of a 20-odd year old’s overdraft – as well as having the odd song about thrush.

Since taking to the stage in early 2018 the band have played a string of gigs and festivals across the North of England, with highlights including supporting HIMALAYAS and checking off some of Manchester’s most prestigious live music venues. Born in Yorkshire but made in Manchester, The Tinfoils are predominantly influenced by contemporary bands such as IDLES, Thee Oh Sees, and Cabbage, but also take inspiration from a number of ‘70s rock ’n’ roll bands such as Buzzcocks, and Richard Hell & the Voidoids.

LTW review here: https://louderthanwar.com/exclusive-tinfoils-release-debut-single/

The Pagans S.O.H. (Shepherds Of Humanity)

This bunch of hip hop funk infused Black Country lads are getting a name for themselves on the circuit. Marcus is one of those bonkers front men who stamps an impression on you from the start. The strength of their songs speak for themselves and his rap delivery is unique with the falsettos and snarls and sometimes freestyling craziness. This is a band that can go all experimental one minute then pull it all together again into a tight structure at the drop of a hat. They improve with every gig and they have their own sound which can’t be put into any scene at the moment.

LTW Review here: https://louderthanwar.com/debut-single-video-exclusive-pagans-sheperds-humanity-banananah/

Cold Water Swimmers

Chris Bridgett needs no introduction on the Manc music scene. He’s been around for some time, notably with the underrated Dub Sex who still have a large cult following to this day. CWS are like a summer breeze (!!!). Teaming up with the tight knit team of Selina and Carrie works well, with the fragile vocals from Chris which are out there individually in terms of sound. Hollow and stark yet also uplifting as witnessed on the chorus of Summer Breeze, which is in my top 5 single releases this year. Another band that don’t fit into any scene and can hold there own on the live scene. Professional, tight and sometimes enthralling to watch. A great band to add to your ‘must see live’ lists.

LTW Review here: https://louderthanwar.com/cold-water-swimmers-summer-breeze-ill-be-your-witness/

Six months down the line and all three of these groups have come a long way with their live sound, improving with every show and it’s great to get them all back together for a reunion gig before festival season. If it’s like last year it’s gonna be one night to remember!!

Tickets:  https://www.wegottickets.com/event/463506

Words by Wayne Carey who writes for Louder Than War. His author profile is here and you can catch his  website here