As far as day jobs go, being a tattoo artist, videographer, or lifeguard can’t be too bad. Still, I, The Lion seem set on giving said occupational titles up in favour of rock stardom – and on this evidence, they’re definitely on the right track. Read more…
If your plans for the night of February 2nd 2015 involve chugging absinthe, spinning round in circles until you fall over or puke or both, repeating the above until you pass out, and then waking up and putting on your coat and going to work, this album is the soundtrack you need. Read more…
As far from happy-go-lucky cheerfulness as it’s possible to get, Die Trying is a fat slab of throat-rending catharsis – and a clear indicator that Hawk Eyes’ 2015 album Everything Is Fine is going to be fucking immense. Read more…
In music, the term ‘side project’ is all too often synonymous with ‘pretentious and execrable waste of time’. Not so here – although given that we’re talking about a member of Between The Buried And Me (who even managed to put out a non-shitty covers album), it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. Read more…
Swim Good consistently rock good – and this fresh threesome continues the winning streak so far upheld by previous release Yeah Yeah Great Yeah and a pair of storming live sets. Little Victories contrasts undeniable catchiness and jaunty guitars with vicious, go-for-the-throat lyrics; Love Don’t Tempt Me shines through live demo-level production that lends a surprisingly invigorating rawness to proceedings; and the closing cover of Ella Eyre’s Comeback is slinky, shiny, and entertaining. Read more…
When I first discovered Half Crown at a secret Sofar Sounds show in a beautiful Brighton basement, I was struck by how comfortable they were in such an exposed and intimate environment. On Everything Goes, Half Crown manage to achieve that same sense of fearless liveness and meaningful connection without any face-to-face contact whatsoever. This is a rare and valuable feat in today’s increasingly digital and digitised world.
Fusing gritty blues-ridden rock’n’roll with elements of hip-hop and reggae, Half Crown have developed an energising and exciting sound that retains enough familiarity to ensure accessibility while pushing a collection of idiosyncratic personalities to the forefront. While many rock-oriented acts talk the talk and look the part but put out a self-consciously studious, even bookish vibe on record and onstage, Half Crown have not only done their homework but also twisted their tastes into something more suited to getting their plaintive and heartfelt message across. That message changes from song to song, spanning the spectrum from the personal to the political, but you cannot doubt the passion behind the playing or words for so much as a microsecond. Read more…
Hardcore isn’t normally the kind of music I can get into outside of live shows – but with this track, Palm Reader just became an exception to that rule. Maybe it’s the ultra-complex DEP-meets-the-theme-from-28–Days–Later vibe; maybe it’s my fresh, indignant anger at YouTube’s incessant insistence that I spend my time on their site consuming some Creationism-endorsing crapfest; or maybe it’s the bleakly abstract video below efficiently complementing this track’s relentless and ear-rending catharsis. Well, whatever – I Watch The Fire Chase My Tongue is fucking excellent, and if this is just a taste of what to expect from Palm Reader’s next album (Beside The Ones We Love, due out in 2015), then it’s also a reason to get very goddamn excited indeed. Read more…
Some shows are born special. Although I’m relatively new to The Hell, I’ve already become hopelessly addicted to their latest album (reviewed here) – so nothing short of a bad case of death was going to stop this show (the first of The Hell’s A Shitemare Before Christmas tour) from getting featured on TMMP. Read more…
Biffy vibes, buckets of energy, raging outro riffs, and one of the most random videos I’ve seen this side of Baby Godzilla’s YouTube channel. All of my yes is being given to Fish Tank right now. Definitely a band to watch out for in 2015. Read more…
Welsh alt-metallers Kyshera have a lot going for them right now. Their fans are true fanatics, getting hyper at shows and spreading the good word about their favourite band all over the world; the respect and love afforded them have been hard earned through two albums and countless shows; and 2015 is looking bright and promising, with third Kyshera LP Circles on the way. TMMP caught up with frontman James Kennedy to find out more. Read more…