Categories
Buzz Chart

Fist City

fist_cityFist City
‘Fuck Cops’
Transgressive

Bursting out of the basements of Southern Alberta and into Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio studios quicker than you can say, “It’s 1983, Grow Up!” Fist City are back with a brand new album titled Everything Is A Mess for June 22nd and we are very excited about it.

The first cut, ‘Fuck Cops’, is awash with their token guitar scuzz and hazey hooks, with a furious anti-racist, anti-police brutality mantra spat all over it. And if it’s anything to go by, the 16 other brand new tracks set to feature on Everything Is A Mess are sure to be bursting with just as much fizzing and impulsive energy as 2014’s sophomore, not to mention the on-stage antics they’re famed for. Catch them on tour at the below dates through May.

May
16th – Brighton, The Great Escape
18th – London, Alberta Showcase at The Islington
22nd – Liverpool, Liverpool Sound City Festival
25th – Leeds, Gold Sounds Festival

Everything Is A Mess is due June 22nd via Transgressive, be sure to pre-order the album here.

Categories
Live Reviews

Fist City / Cousins – Shacklewell Arms

Fist City / Cousins
Shacklewell Arms
16.05.2013

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Canadian bands have always delivered great underground punk music, from the recent slamming sounds of Fucked Up through to the old guard of SNFU and DOA, they just seem have a knack of digging out some classic stuff and bringing something beautiful to the scene.

Last night, Alberta rippers Fist City rolled into town for their debut London show over East and delivered an absolute treat to the lucky few who witnessed their balls-out, garage fueled surf attack. From the opening track ‘Endless Bummer‘ to their epic version of Devo’s ‘Uncontrollable Urge’, (video below) the quartet packed massive amounts energetic punk into their 30 minute set and blew the roof off.

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Fronted by Keir Griffiths on guitar and vocals, Fist City’s overall sound is trashy, powerful and underlined with a surf twang that invites a feel good factor on par with the best of them. We are talking the cheekiness of the Black Lips and Fidlar, riffs that would rival Rites of Spring, all delivered with a confident presence that brings their live work directly into your face.

This is not a band that plays a show and doesn’t get involved. These guys shake and move to the banging sound of Ryan Grieve’s pounding drums. Griffiths threw his guitar onto the stage and then threw himself into the audience, pulsating and gyrating like a woman on fire in a sandpit. His mic was hurled into the open jaws of the lucky few watching, whilst bassist Lindsay Munro and guitarist Evan Van Reekum kept the rolling pace flowing from the stage. Born a girl and now a man following gender reassignment, Keir stomped the shit out of every inch of space between those surrounding walls and left the onlookers in awe.

This band are special and they don’t come around that often, so look out for them on your travels and pick up their album ‘It’s 1983, Grow Up‘ whilst there’s still vinyl available.

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Headliners Cousins followed this carnage well and put on a good show. They hail from Halifax made up of guitarist/singer Aaron Mangle and drummer Leigh Dotey. The duo play rock and roll at each other with thunderous riffage. Their stripped down presence hails a sound as loud and as finely perfected to any four piece. Dotey’s rolling drum assault does a grand job of keeping Mangle’s deep garage swagger fulfilled and made this evening one of the most enjoyable this year.

Both bands are playing at the Great Escape Festival in Brighton this weekend alongside a bunch of other fine Canadian acts down there. If you find yourself on the beach, do yourself a favour and seek these two out.

Zac

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