Month: July 2002

As soon as you play this album, you just know that The Warm Guns possess every Beatles record ever written. Their own album, ‘Blown Away’ contains the kind of upbeat pop psychedelica and ‘socially aware’ lyrics that are rarely produced on these shores anymore. It’s the memory of the original Britpop invasion filtered back through an American West Coast sensibility – shiny guitar stabs and soaring backing vocals singing about time travel and Mao Tse Tung, with a liberal sprinkling Continue Reading

The latest in a series of split singles from Sorted records, ‘So Easy’ and ‘Subway Sex’ are two neat slices of punky guitar anthems. Circa 1983 – Kyle Hill (vocals) Sam Walker (bass and vocals) and Ash Sommerton (drums) – have spent the last year establishing themselves on the Midlands’ live circuit, and their track ‘So Easy’ sounds like it could be a  favourite at gigs with its spiky guitars and a sneer of a vocal, joined in the chorus Continue Reading

Familiarity breeds… well, it breeds a mixed bag for two particular Gallaghers. It breeds reaction from the lowest common denominator, it breeds nostalgia, ticket sales and most importantly to them it breeds number ones. And then of course there’s also the contempt. So a no win situation then? Well, hell no! It’s all win, you must have read a paper recently; Oasis are back on top of the world, on top of the charts and selling tickets like you’ll get Continue Reading

All bands grow older, either with each other or bickering amongst themselves in icy seclusion. Both of these behavioural patterns affect the music that the groups make. Either, like R.E.M., the boys are bashful enough with each other to just carry on regardless of anything but self-motivation and that they like spending time together. Whereas the Rolling Stones seem to prefer mutual exclusion and meeting every so often to complain about Ronnie Wood’s haircut and to discuss Mick’s latest conquests. Continue Reading

“Next On The Misery List” almost succeeded in melting my stereo like a Tofutti Cutie on the July sidewalk with drums that make Squarepusher sound like downtempo trip-hop. How is he hitting the ride cymbal that fast? Uphill Battle won’t be doing battle with The Pleasure Seekers for The World’s Most Decelerated Band any time soon. Following in the volcano-pissed, highest-octane, crack smokin’, triple-bass, caffeinated footsteps of Napalm Death, Repulsion, Extreme Noise Terror, Final Conflict and Dropdead, these guys make Continue Reading