Almeida / Atiptoe / Parachute For Gordo / Throatpunch City [Live Review – The Boileroom, Guildford, 27/1/15]
Fuck Suzuki. Their cars are crap. My formerly faithful four-wheeler failed at completing a function even more basic than going forwards, and refused to even start. While Throatpunch City were getting through their set, I was pretty much doing this:
One train journey later, and Parachute For Gordo were, as always, goddamn incredible. Few instrumental post-rock bands infuse their music with Read more…
Modern pop-punk bands can be divided into two categories: those who settle for penning copy-and-pasted pastiches, and those who pump their heart and soul into their music and make even this now-getting-quite-old-and-tired genre feel fresh and exciting again. No prizes for guessing which side Boston Manor fall on; if they were shit, I’d have just moved on and you wouldn’t even be reading this! 
Last night was a reset-hitting moment for a venue whose continued survival was confirmed just over 24 hours previously. Vintage swing music played in the background while earlycomers gathered around a table laden with instruments, effect boxes, microphones, an iPad, and even fairy lights to await the arrival of first act, A R T E L S. 
The Boileroom team sure know how to throw the quietest (or at least best-soundproofed) album launch parties in town. 
One thing’s for sure: Surrey-based indie label Failure By Design have great taste. For evidence, just give this split EP a metaphorical spin. 
Songs like this make me proud to be British. Musically, our underground alt-rock scene is thriving right now, packed full of frequently mathy and always epic tunes – and Atiptoe are doing more than their fair share with tracks like Sir Real.