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Basement


Basement
Colourmeinkindness

[Run For Cover Records]

For only their second album, Basement’s ‘Colourmeinkindness’ oozes with maturity and sophistication. After just one play through its timeless nature is overwhelming, you sense you’ve have heard it before, but not in a negative, generic way; more in the sense that it has the overall feel of a classic.

The rasping vocals and chugging riffs of opener ‘Whole’ kick the record off to a great start and what’s most pleasing is that the rest of the album is just as strong. Although ‘Covert’ drops the tempo, the level of emotion rises as surly lyrics drone over the music in an almost Nirvana-esque style. It’d be easy to analyze each track positively, every song on the album is beautiful. But it’s lead single ‘Spoiled’ that sums up ‘Colourmeinkindness’ in all its glory. The engaging vocals delivered in a soothing nature contrast against a guitar tone reminiscent of Sunny Day Real Estate and Silverchair. ‘Spoiled’ and ‘Colourmeinkindness’ as a whole provide a breath-taking juxtaposition between peace and rage.

With Thrice leaving a void that needed to be filled by a modern emo/post-hardcore band, Basement look like the perfect contender. However after announcing a shock indefinite hiatus which will commence after the release of ‘Colourmeinkindness’ we are again left waiting for the next king to take to the genre’s throne.

It’d be fair to say Basement have made an impact on many hearts in a short amount of time. ‘Colourmeinkindess’ sends them out on an undeniable high leaving one to contemplate what great things this band could achieve if a future was still ahead of them.

Words: Emma Wallace

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Live Reviews Music

La Dispute and Title Fight Live at The Garage

La Dispute/Title Fight
The Garage, London
20th September 2012

From the get go, Title Fight had the audience exactly where they wanted them. Everyone was ferocious, and as eager to sing along with vocalist, Jamie Rhoden. The crowd, ever so relentless, couldn’t help themselves but to climb on the stage at every opportunity.

At any one given time, there were at least three fans either climbing on the stage, or diving off. At first, it was quite cool; fans showing their support and singing along, forgetting about the bruises and jumping into the pit, but the novelty factor soon wore off. If not for the Title Fights’s musicianship, it would’ve been difficult putting up with such distractions. It was impressive to see them pull of a flawless set in the midst of cables being ripped off mics, and roadies on call every few minutes to fix a stand or make sure nothing else was damaged. Gang chants are one thing, but to have the crowd to sing, more like shout, to every word in the set was something else.

Title Fight occasionally drifted off in an almost shoegaze-esque fashion, taking the crowd with them in these calm moments before the storm reappeared. The set list was filled with songs from their debut album ‘Shed’, EP ‘The Last Thing You Forget’, and not forgetting tracks from latest release ‘Floral Green‘. Title Fight pulled of an awesome performance, despite the over eager and somewhat off-putting crowd.

The crowd, the energy, the feel and the atmosphere refined to a less destructive and a more aware audience as heroes La Dispute emerge. The hardcore kids seem to have got crowd surfing out of their systems. La Dispute just make the crowd listen and hang on to every word.

La Dispute, one of bands which make up “The Wave” which have taken Post-Hardcore by storm and stand out because of the their eclectic styles and lyrical content, with the majority of their songs based on true events, accounts and retelling of old stories which they’ve acquired from meeting various people on their travels. And this is precisely why the songs are so gripping. And despite being sad they’re honest memento’s to lives once lived.

Tonight’s set list was varied, covering material from the acclaimed albums ‘Somewhere At The Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair’ and the most recent ‘Wildlife‘. The show started of with all out bruised bodies and the whole heart shrinks which perfectly exemplifies Jordan Dreyer’s vocal styling, from starting off like a spoken word poem and drifting off to screaming out the rest.

They played, for the first time live, ‘St Paul’s Missionary Baptist Church Blues‘ which was a hit with the crowd. But the outstanding song of the night, one that’s rarely played was ‘Andria’ .

After charging through a truly awesome and emotional set. La Dispute re-emerged for a two song encore. ‘Most Beautiful Bitter Fruit’ and ‘King Park’ which left the crowd roaring out loud “Can I still get in to heaven if i kill myself”. La Dispute need to hit our shores more often, too many people missed out on tonight due to the intimate venue size, plus there are many more epic songs to be heard live.

Words: Arif Noor
Photos: Adam Waugh

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Album Reviews Music Reviews

ESO

ESO
‘Nothing Left To Lose’
ESO_album_review_Nothing_Left_To_Lose

Born from the ashes of old band esOterica, ESO‘s debut ‘Nothing Left To Lose’ is a bold revival that depicts the struggles of a band attempting to make their desired mark on an impossible industry.

The production of the record is beautiful, so it comes as no surprise to find that producer Matt Hyde (Slipknot, Fightstar) was the master behind the tracks. The overall vibe of ‘Nothing Left To Lose’ is that of an epic theatrical performance, it seems that’s esOterica touring experiences with Marilyn Manson and HIM have influenced ESO’s work on this album for the better.

The record’s stand out track comes quite early on; appearing at number three, ‘The Divide (feat.Wizard)’ sees the band perfect electronic rock, with subtly remixed elements and powerful vocals, its a song that could easily dominate a radio playlist, a club or gig. Just as Pendulum did with tracks such as ‘Propane Nightmares’, ESO have accomplished full crossover appeal with ‘The Divide’.

Unfortunately, ‘The Divide’ really is the only stand out track, with the twelve others becoming much of a muchness. Although the album runs smoothly each track needs to have more differentiation to turn this from a solid debut to an awesome album, perhaps 13 songs was a little overambitious and ‘Nothing Left To Lose’ would have been better constrained to 10 more varied songs for ESO to show off their talent.

Words: Emma Wallace

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Album Reviews Buzz Chart Music Reviews

Deaf Havana

Deaf Havana
‘Fools And Worthless Liars – Deluxe Edition’

I have to admit, when I first heard Deaf Havana‘s material after the departure of unclean vocalist Ryan Mellor, I couldn’t help but feel a bit disheartened. It really lacked the punk bite that their early work was full of. But eventually 2011’s ‘Fools And Worthless Liars‘ began to grow on me, and I’d happily put it up there as one of the most solid rock albums to come from the UK that year.

Via a short documentary put out in summer 2012, the band announced they would be re-releasing the album later this autumn. Rather than just doing some fancier album artwork and a couple of bonus tracks, Deaf Havana went the extra mile and re-recorded the whole thing. Ever the pessimist and never fully content, front man James Veck-Gilodi admitted he didn’t feel the album completely reflected his taste in music where as this re-release does.

All of the songs have been reworked, some slightly, others completely, making the album a totally different listen to the record that appeared first time around. Tracks that were previously acoustic are now performed as a full band and rockier numbers are now toned-down gems. Its beautiful. Lets pick a few stand out tracks to discuss…

Opener ‘The Past Six Years’ feels like its heavily influenced by Irish Rock (think Flogging Molly), and despite being a million miles away from DH records such as ‘It’s Called The Easy Life’ it gets this album off to an optimistic and quite literally stomping start. Piano and vocal track ‘Anemophobia’ is absolutely stunning. Broken down to structurally core elements, James Veck-Gilodi sounds vulnerable and desperate against the lonely notes. Its a heart wrenching performance that could connect with even the emptiest of souls. During ‘Hunstanton Pier’ the guitar tone adds nostalgia and brings the lyrical content to life, but its ‘I’m A Bore Mostly’ that epitomises why this album is a must have.

The recording process of using multiple microphones placed around an old warehouse is slightly bizarre but the effect it has on the track puts it into a different dimension. As the music reverberates through your speakers it feels as if you are there with James as he passionately performs. Even the sound of him slamming the door as he leaves the ‘studio’ is included on the track, a unique element that adds a personal touch to the piece, emphasising the emotion.

Again it has to be said, this isn’t Deaf Havana of old, but thats not a criticism. Its not their early punk/hardcore style, its not their most recent mainstream rock vibe, it’s something else. It is a showcase of the band’s (and in particular their dynamic front man’s) extraordinary talent. It is a touching album which has re-worked a commendable original into something worth treasuring.

Words: Emma Wallace

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Live Reviews Music

Pierce The Veil Live at The Underworld

PIERCE THE VEIL
w/Crown The Empire, The Getaway Plan

The Underworld, London
21st September 2012

It’s a great feeling when you can sense excitement in the air. Tonight’s show at Underworld sold out long in advance and every punter inside this dungeon like venue is experiencing the same static charge that makes neck hair stand to attention. Senses are heightened as the show kicks off.

First on are Australian rockers The Getaway Plan. After a short hiatus the boys are over on our shores to seduce with their impressive melodies. Definitely the most mainstream of all acts on the bill tonight, but there’s no shame in that when the sophisticated ‘The Reckoning‘ is delivered to perfection. The Getaway Plan perform solidly, and will most definitely have drawn in a few new fans with their set.

Crown The Empire are what many dislike about metalcore these days. Their gimmick laden nonsense wins the hearts of the crowd but would see metal gods of the past turning in their graves. Random dustup elements, generic riffs and mock brutal breakdowns with dual clean and screamed vocals defines their music. Imagine The Blackout combined with Asking Alexandria finished off with an overdose of American sleaze. In their matching suits and styled haircuts Crown The Empire are every scene kid’s wet dream. Fair play to the band, they know what is working in the market currently, they will develop a loyal following from younger metal fans, but their musical integrity is questionable.

Just like with Crown The Empire, the average age of a Pierce The Veil fan at the Underworld tonight seems to be about 16. But the difference with Pierce The Veil is that their music can appeal to a much wider audience than those screaming in front of them; their music isn’t made to target a particular market, their sound feels sincere and a genuine combination of heart-felt cultural and musical influences.

With tracks from ‘Collide The Sky‘ now making a welcome appearance on PTV’s set list, their repertoire has been turned up a notch. The fast paced ‘Hell Above‘ makes for a triumphant opener that instantly portrays the bands intent to make this show a great one. ‘Bulls In The Bronx‘ contains one of this years sweetest solos and proves to be song structure excellence in a live environment. Old favourites like ‘Caraphernelia‘ and ‘Bulletproof Love‘ result in mass sing-alongs and crowd surfing frenzies. Ending with ‘King For A Day‘ sums up Pierce The Veil’s dominance, they own this show and have performed impeccably tightly in this crowed sweat box.

Pierce The Veil provide a masterclass tonight. Although they could be battling in an over saturated market, they are carving their own way, breaking out and away from stereotypes with something unique and undeniably special.

Words & Photos: Emma Wallace

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Album Reviews Buzz Chart Music

Streetfight Silence

Streetfight Silence
‘Cutting Strings’

[Angry Badger Records]

On first listen Streetfight Silence’s debut seems slightly average, not exactly an album to shout about. But in fact this record is one of those that slowly but surely reels you in with the catchiest of choruses and hook laden tracks.

‘Low’, ‘Find Me’ and ‘White Flags’ are textbook pop-punk. Think back to early You Me At Six and Fall Out Boy, back when their music had grittier riffs yet still a strong ear for melody. Streetfight Silence have their own melodic genius in Russ Merry whose vocals are exquisite. Merry hosts a range that even idols Josh Franceschi and Patrick Stump would be proud of.

Surprisingly the stand out track from Cutting Strings is ‘6th November’ which showcases the bands emotional integrity through beautiful acoustic guitar work and heart felt lyrics. A song that will certainly appeal to many a City & Colour fan. ‘Pieces’ closes the album in a dramatic style culminating a successful first record for the young band.

A greater punch in the production department would make ‘Cutting Stings‘ a true force to be reckoned with. Hearing these tracks in a live environment is sure to give them the extra beef they deserve and inspire many a sing-along.

Words: Emma Wallace

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Live Reviews Music

Red Bull Bedroom Jam 2012 Live Final Review


Last Monday saw the Red Bull Bedroom Jam competition come to an exciting climax with Dead Harts, Golden Tanks and I Divide competing head to head in a live final streamed for all to see via the RBBJ website.

The first act to take to the stage was Dead Harts. As soon as the northern lads launched into their brutal take on emotive hardcore it was clear to see that this event was going to be a weird one. The band were absolutely caning it onstage, but with an audience made up of journalists and industry professionals the mosh pit that needed to kick of never happened.

Although also falling under the umbrella of hardcore, Golden Tanks had a different style to Dead Harts. With a swagger similar to Every Time I Die, this band wear their influences on their sleeves. Personally I’ve seen this act numerous times before and they’ve torn the stage apart, but tonight it is a more restrained performance. Maybe the pressure of the strange setting has to the boys. Nonetheless James Illsley nails a sweet solo and Tanks’ performance is an overall success.

I Divide bring a whole different approach to the final, more than anything they are a straight up rock band, the sort of thing that would dominate a more versatile radio playlist. Vocalist Tom Kavanagh sinks into the performance, he is completely overpowered by the music and barely opens his eyes throughout their set, either that or he’s ridiculously nervous. It’s probably the least energetic performance, but sound wise the most refined, a polished effort from a solid band.

As far as interludes go, having Don Broco play a surprise set as the votes are counted isn’t bad! If I Divide looked polished, Don Broco are on another level of professionalism, ‘Priorities’ is rock music at its finest. Front man Rob Damiani even manages to get the surly press filled crowd a bit hyped up. Don Broco have really stepped up their game from the early days and it’s delightful to see the RBBJ alumni demonstrating why this competition is so significant to underground acts in the industry.

Finally, host Katie Parsons brings the three finalists together to reveal the winner. This year I Divide are crowned champions, and they look thoroughly ecstatic. Their second performance of the night to celebrate the victory is full of confidence and they justify themselves as a worthy winner.

It really is a cliché to say, but it was so hard to pick between the three acts. Dead Harts were ferocious, comparable to home-grown heroes While She Sleeps. Golden Tanks had riffs with groves as commendable as Cancer Bats but ultimately it was I Divide’s slick set and catchy choruses that stole the show.

Words: Emma Wallace

Categories
Live Reviews Music

Torche Live at XOYO


Torche
w/ Old Forest
XOYO, London
16th September 2012

An unfortunate injury to a band member sadly meant Hang The Bastard were unable to play XOYO this evening, leaving just two bands to share the stage. There has been more conjecture among underground pundits about the potential of Old Forest rather than their music: tonight’s performance did little to quell the excitement of the former, but raised some inevitable frustrations regarding the latter.

The south-west London three-piece grab strands from Seattle grunge and stoner rock with remarkable confidence, weaving them into a set of loud, down-tuned rock music, the proficiency of which belied the obviously tender ages of the band members. There can be no doubt that they have written some killer riffs and play them with intuitive composure, but it is not merely the fresh-facedness of the band that shows them to be a touch unfinished. It would be good to see them once they have taken possession of the prerequisite self assuredness to rock out, strum hard and loosen up. At present, it all makes for a rather stilted spectacle, and while their live sound is already formidable, it could just be spectacular with time.

Torche’s new album, ‘Harmonicraft’, tends very much towards the melodic side of the band’s sound. It is a brighter and less overtly riffed-up version of what some have felt the need to label, in abhorrent taste, ‘bubblegum stoner.’ The horror. However, such fuss has certainly played a part in wafting the band’s sweet yet heavy tones to some very lofty ears and there was a sense of expectation in XOYO. The venue was unusually busy for a Sunday night, thronging with an amusing blend of people who had presumably been told to be there by Zane Lowe and others who would not have needed any prompting to see this band play a genuine shore, or ditch.

Those who might have feared Torche’s newest material might be a case of ‘too much Grohl and not enough soul’ should, I imagine, have been assuaged by their blistering performance this evening. The songs from ‘Harmonicraft’ sound refreshingly heavy live – even the saccharine-sweet ‘Kicking’ had something of the night about it – while diehards were well served by a generous haul of older songs from ‘Meanderthal’ and their self-titled debut. This was a great set. It had the populism of the Foos alongside the pugilism of Floor (frontman Steve Brooks’ previous, highly recommended sludge metal band). And, support bands of the capital take note, they looked like they were having a great time.

Words: Martin Brown
Photos: Graham Berry

Old Forest
Torche

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Live Reviews Music

Devil Sold His Soul Live

Devil Sold His Soul
Shadows Chasing Ghosts, The Elijah
Album Release Show, The Fighting Cocks, Kingston
17th September 2012

Devil Sold His Soul released their third album ‘Empire of Light‘ on the 17th of September and courtesy of the folks at Banquet Records, they celebrated with a release show at the Fighting Cocks in Kingston that night.

If you’ve ever been to the Cocks then you know it’s a rad little rock pub that has a leopard print pool table, and has hosted some amazing shows in conjunction with Banquet (the local independent record store, run by people who love their music as much as we do). For example Four Year Strong, Tonight Alive, Let Live and New Found Glory have all graced this tiny stage. So, keeping all that in mind as well as this show being a sell out, the evening promises to be something very special.

First up to break the ice is the jaw-droppingly amazing band The Elijah. If you haven’t seen them, or heard them before, then this is a band you have to see to believe. Their music is a big batch of prog-rock, alternative and melodic songs that hit you hard. Although their set is only a short one tonight, within a minute of playing they’ve captured everyone’s attention and hold it right until the end. Their headline Underworld show on November 16th, is definitely a date for your diary, you won’t regret it.

Shadows Chasing Ghosts are up next, if I had to define SCG’s style I’d say throw Alexisonfire into a room with Asking Alexandria. So to follow The Elijah is a big ask, and to warm up the stage for the Devil boys is a pretty big ask too, one can’t help but feel a bit sorry for Shadows Chasing Ghosts as the room empties a fair bit. Unfortunately, he sounds not quite right either, making it a set full of good intentions, but it’s only just adequate in comparison to The Elijah.

Then with a quick sound check out of the way Devil Sold His Soul come on, and the room erupts as the band launch into their set. The room starts to heave as one mass, and everyone’s heads start to rock as the boys launch into an epic metal soundscape. The band are pitch perfect, you actually get nearly the same sound as you hear when you listen to the albums at home. It’s genuinely amazing. Every single person in the room is moving (to some degree) all the way through this set. Think metal meets the Pied Piper of Hamelin as everyone’s hypnotized by the set.

It was genuinely a pleasure to witness this intimate gig from a band that could definitely command the attention of a far bigger audience. They rip their way through most of Empire including a searing rendition of ‘A New Legacy’, but they also throw in some older material in the shape ‘An Ocean of Lights’, ‘Drowning/Sinking’ and ‘Dawn On The First Day’. I thoroughly recommend catching them on their tour later this year.

Words: JJ Nattrass

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Album Reviews Buzz Chart Music Reviews

Giants

GIANTS
These Are The Days

This isn’t the first time Giants have graced our buzz chart, earlier this summer they launched into the top spot with lead single ‘Snakes’. Now with a mini-album to add to their arsenal, Giants are again dominating the Crossfire stereo.

The band seem to display what a lot of hardcore and punk bands are lacking at the moment, it’s something that is impossible to put your finger on, but this band just get it right. Basically, their style is gnarly as fuck without the guys taking themselves too seriously.

‘These Are The Days’ races through as an adrenaline fueled assault. ‘When It Comes Down To It’, ‘Bottled Up’ and ‘Snakes’ are barely over a minute each, but why drag out the length of a song when you’re already nailing the point in a nutshell?

The bass and guitar tone of the mini-album gives the overall impression of an old school skate punk record, whilst the occasional ‘two-step’ pace and constant aggressive vocals propels ‘These Are The Days’ straight back into the realms of present day hardcore. This is a little corker that needs to be blasted out at full volume.

Words: Emma Wallace