Variety is the spice of life – and Demob Happy are living, breathing proof of that fact. Press-ganging almost every grunge-related rock subgenre into a wickedly unpredictable set, Demob Happy spread buckets of good cheer and solid rock riffs around the Boileroom’s main room. If you fancy the musical equivalent of an early Christmas, look no further than the links below. Read more…
Somewhere in the labyrinthine depths of the Scala, Allusondrugs got this Friday night off to a raucously grungy start. Stir remained as shiver-inducing as ever, while the Reuben-esque Am I Weird? elicited laughter followed by hectic headbanging. Throughout this short but perfectly formed set, Allusondrugs shone through the dirt like a five-piece Nirvana, with jagged guitars rending the air before climaxing amid a frontman-versus-guitarist wrestling match. Read more…
Although Bypolar and In Tyler We Trust gave decent showings and played their hearts out, this show was definitively all about Reeves Gabrels & His Imaginary Friends. Bypolar have improved significantly since their support slot under DZ Deathrays, and In Tyler We Trust offered a ton of hard-rocking energy twinned with the occasional flamboyant display – but it was clear from each support’s tentative and uncertain experimentations that both acts are still testing the water and building their confidence. Reeves and his über-solid band, on the other hand, are old pros at this sort of thing – and, as you’d expect, it really showed here. Read more…
Now this was a real rock show. TMMP favourites In Dynamics got things off to a wicked start, performing flawlessly to an already-rammed Boileroom and running through epic tunes old and new. Immense alt-rock crackers like Waking Life and personal favourite The House sound extra fierce live, while In Dynamics’ freshest songs hint at a slightly heavier djent-influenced direction spiced up with even more delicate clean sections. In Dynamics are slowly carving out their own niche somewhere between Biffy Clyro and Arcane Roots, showing promise, progress, and some real reasons to get excited about their future. Read more…
Belladonnas
Given how inexperienced and nervous Belladonnas were, critically deconstructing this set and expecting it to meet professional-grade standards wouldn’t be fair. Although Belladonnas have some decent songs and got a good crowd response, more practice and gigging experience is definitely needed. Effective grunge sets always seem as if they’re on the verge of falling apart – but beneath it all is a solid core of highly experienced musicianship that enables the performers to find the right balance between rags and riches.
With time, I’m sure Belladonnas will find that balance too.
Happy Accidents
Melodic garage punk that could fit easily onto the Scott Pilgrim soundtrack. Rough edged pop songs with cool grooves and a decent if patchy vocal performance. Nothing massively original and more work needed, but well done and entertaining. Read more…
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. Read more…
Wearing your influences on your sleeve can be a risky business. It’s a precarious tightrope walk between sound-alike copycat crap (let’s be honest – if you sound exactly like a famous band with a big discography, all you’re going to do is make your listeners head toward that band and forget you in the process), and diluted and directionless wishy-washiness. Few bands manage to keep their balance.
The Kut, however, do. Read more…
Heart, hair, swagger, and balls. Autumn Eases You Into The Dark has all these things in abundance.
Especially the balls. Read more…
The Cottonettes
After a long, very tiring day, I needed a proper full-on rock pick-me-up with a little bit of complexity. The Cottonettes delivered on that first count with a ton of punk rock energy. A little too straight ahead for my liking, but you have to admire their passion; not to mention a knack for some really solid punk songwriting. If punk is your thing, The Cottonettes will tick all your boxes, and you must click their social media link ( provided in the list below) immediately.
In Dynamics
These guys really did it for me. As a longtime Biffy Clyro fan, it’s really heartwarming to hear their influence coming through via the music of a new generation of musicians. The world needs more music that lies a little to the left of centre, and Biffy and their devotees deliver precisely that.
When a band’s first notes gently lull you into a false sense of security before brutally punching you full on in the ear-guts, you know a stellar set is going to follow. If I’m being totally honest, when In Dynamics really got going my inner Cynical Critic Copycat Alarm was triggered for a song or two, but it wasn’t long before the sheet weight of their sound, passion, and confidence – not to mention their tunes – won me over.
It’s official – I am now a fan of In Dynamics. Nicely done, guys!
A Plastic Rose
This set was great fun to witness. A Plastic Rose really know how to relax in front of a crowd and work around the silliest technical difficulties (too-high mic stands, for instance) without getting flustered. A Plastic Rose just seem at home onstage – the mark of a well-experienced band who are going to be doing very big things in the future.
Musically, there’s plenty of grungy riffage with hints of Feeder, Biffy Clyro, and the kind of pissed-off punk energy that harkens back to the roots of modern rock as we presently know it. A Plastic Rose know their history, taking influence from a range of eras – but there’s something about the way they mix it all together that marks them out as something just different enough to really pique our interest.
Although I’d heard of A Plastic Rose prior to this show, I’d never heard them on record. This set was more than enough to make me kick myself for my complacence and rectify that sacrilege ASAP. All the self-kicking meant I had to hop home, but hey – learning from your mistakes is the best kind of learning.
As regular readers will know, Jamie Lenman is a big deal where I’m from. My Facebook feed literally blew up with the release of the double-A-side Fizzy Blood/Pretty Please, news of his secret set at The Boileroom in Guildford, and the dates for his Heavy / Mellow Band’s recently completed tour. On top of all that, of course, there is this album. Not just a standard-length LP, but a 70-minute double album that takes in so many styles that I felt compelled to delay this review and let it all sink in and mature for a while. Now, however, it’s ready to go. Read more…