Kath and The Kicks play big alternative rock, big heavy alternative rock. But for ‘Stay Away From Me’ they have added one more thing – epicness. By this I mean it comes with a sense of musical weight and depth. What we are talking about here is big riffs, big lead guitar, pounding drums. But, and crucially, it also comes with a great tune; it’s hum-able and catchy.
It is absolutely musically spot on. But I want to shine a spotlight on two things that I think get missed about Kath and The Kicks – the words and Kath’s vocals. This song comes with words that are worth listening to, words that have meaning and emotional depth. It feels like they are rooted in personal experience; and this for me is a very good thing. The band say about the song “In ‘Stay Away From Me’ we are the voice that has been suppressed in your mind, giving power to your reality. As a singular, we can feel vulnerable to the force of group mentality. But by challenging, we are able to confront; we do not have to remain silently passive. The song represents ownership over who you are and who you choose to have around you; an acknowledgement of the power of influence”.
Kath’s vocals on this are absolutely fantastic; they drip with emotion. And this is something I find you don’t get that much in alternative rock.
If the band are new to you then get on this. The band are playing their hearts out with their souls on their sleeves. This rocks, it rocks big time.
The info
The band are:
Kath Edmonds – Vocals & Guitar
Matt Larkin – Drums
Tony Harrison – Bass
Yes, that’s right Clue is celebrating a big birthday, and of course there’s some special stuff going on to mark the occasion.
Let’s take a trip back back in time to the beginning
The label began after Scott had finished a volunteer role for Oxjam Music Festival’s core team in Leeds, raising funds in aid of Oxfam. After finding some amazing new talent, Scott wanted an outlet to use his experience working with artists. He & childhood friend Ste got together to work out what the next thing would be. They’d toyed with the idea of setting up a record label but had no practical idea of what starting a label meant. With this open approach and a willingness to make mistakes, Clue was born.
Now a staple in the Leeds scene, Clue’s artists have achieved incredible things, touring internationally, playing festivals including Glastonbury, Leeds & Reading, Y Not, Download, Tramlines and being featured by NME, The Independent, Q Magazine, The Metro, Loud & Quiet, DIY, BBC Radio 1, 6Music, KEXP and more.
Scott and Ste also host a monthly show on Amazing Radio, showcasing the best new music.
Ste (l) and Scott (r)
And then there was a merger
After seven years, and through Scott working closely with Come Play With Me’s Tony Eriera, Clue merged with Tony’s other label Hatch Records (ran by Tony Ereira and Paul Thomas).
Scott on the 10 years
“When I realised in 2021 that we were on the cusp of turning 10 it felt like a nice time to celebrate and get back in touch with all of our artists, see how they wanted to be involved.
It wasn’t until the planning started & conversations with artists had begun that I started getting really excited about it. Everyone I spoke to was so enthusiastic and excited to be part of the celebrations, it made me reflect on just how much we’d managed to achieve in the last 10 years and the brilliant people and artists we’d build relationships with. The music industry has been a difficult place to exist recently so it’s nice to be able to have lasted as long as we have. And it’s not the end either, we’ve plenty more in us yet, bring on the next decade!”
Business as usual
But the work of a label never stops. As well as 10 year celebrations, it’s been a busy year for Clue with some significant releases. They launched the 24 Songs project with The Wedding Present in January, releasing a brand new 7” featuring two new tracks every month of 2022. Every single has charted in the official UK Top 40 with 1 single hitting the number 1 spot earlier on in the year.
Clue also announced the signing of Tyneside based fuzz-rock band Pit Pony who released their debut album World To Me on July 1st to rave reviews. Bored At My Grandmas House released Detox earlier, with the 7” vinyl charting in the Top 10, before going on to play Glastonbury. Clue also released the debut album from indie-punk outfit Gawjuss in September.
Proof if needed that the label shows no signs of slowing down.
The goodies – compilation album, beer range, live shows and more
Earlier in this year, to help support them with celebrations, Clue launched a crowdfunder, raising over £6,000 to help put their plans into action.
The compilation album: ‘Give Us A Clue – 10 Years Of Clue Records’
The compilation album created to mark the achievement will feature Clue artists past and present including The Wedding Present, Bored At My Grandmas House, YOWL, Nine Black Alps, Avalanche Party, Team Picture, Crushed Beaks and lots more.
The main staple of this release is a special edition gatefold double vinyl which features a Zoetrope picture disc which, when played, comes to life by creating a moving picture as it spins. This will be partnered with an ecomix ‘lucky dip’ coloured variant.
The album is also available as a deluxe double CD and on all good streaming platforms from November 4th.
The compilation album is available from Clue’s website, Bandcamp and selected indie record shops.
The live shows
The first of the planned live shows will take place at Brudenell Social Club, Leeds on Saturday November 5th with a line up spanning the decade the label has been going. It will feature Bored At My Grandmas House, YOWL, Crushed Beaks, Nine Black Alps’ Sam Forrest, Avalanche Party, Pit Pony and Gawjuss.
The second show takes place in Scott and Ste’s home region of Teesside with a show at Base Camp, Middlesbrough on Saturday November 26th. Artists to feature will include Bored At My Grandmas House, Gawjuss, PLAZA and more to be announced.
And sandwiched between these, Scott will be DJing at Vinyl Whistle in Headingley on November 10th where artists from the label will be on hand to sign copies of the record.
And then there was beer
These live shows are not the only showcases for Clue. In collaboration with Meanwood Brewery, Clue launch two different beers. The first, named Give Us A Clue after the album release, is a stout with amaretto flavourings, a rich, warming stout with almond & cherry notes. The second is Stupid Clue-pid, a light and hoppy pale ale, the perfect gig beer.
To celebrate, they’ll host a free entry launch party at Terminus Tap Room in Meanwood.
Upcoming releases
14th October – Forever Cult ‘Bitter’ (single)
21st October – The Wedding Present – *Single 10 from the 24 Songs Project*
4th November – Give Us A Clue – 10 Years Of Clue Records (Compilation Album)
18th November – The Wedding Present – *Single 11 from the 24 Songs Project*
16th December – The Wedding Present – *Single 12 from the 24 Songs Project*
Over time I have become a huge fan of Fold. I love that they combine thought provoking song topics with music that grooves bloody hard. Hey it’s great; throw some dancefloor shapes AND get your brain working.
So for ‘Sustain’ Fold have taken that Nu-Jazz thing that runs through their music, and turned it up to the max. This thing is so smooth it hurts; mellow keys, gorgeous horns and groove that just doesn’t let up. Get your dance shoes on people.
The song is about communities; it’s a call to unite and help each other survive. On another level because the song’’s release marks 10 years of Fold it can be seen as a celebration of the Fold community, all those people who have been part of it.
Look I had planned a longish piece on this song but when it comes down to it it’s simple. Get together with your friends, your neighbours, your community, dance endlessly to the infectious addictive groove, and experience the joy and power of togetherness.
Boy, is this good. Three minutes of fantastic music that makes you want to dance. And words to take in and act on. This is killer.
The info
Fold say:
It’s been a decade since we first got the band together and released Mr President, We’re In Trouble. It’s been one hell of a journey. We looked back at all of the voices on our records and realised that two people have left us in that time: bell hooks (she insisted on lowercase) and Michael Ruppert.
Although they may seem an unlikely pairing, their solution for our troubled world was the same: communities sustain life. This was also our most important learning in all that time.
And so with joy and hope for the future we celebrate the lives and learnings of bell hooks and Mike Ruppert along with our own 10 year voyage. With elements of funk, dancehall and hip hop Sustain also sneakily incorporates bits from previous Fold tracks (for super fans only).
This is the second release from the band’s limited edition cassette EP ‘Pop Vulture 2019-2022’. – see below on how to get your hands on this.
And now back to ‘Lionel’s Big Problem’. For this the band have continued the musical vibe of their last release ‘C.M.E.’; it’s based around that No Wave sound but, and it’s a moderately sized but, the sound is less sparse. It keeps that angular and jagged sound but there are other layers of sound round that out; a drone-y sound, odd bits of an entirely different tuneful style. What is there from ‘C.M.E.’ is the shouty vocal. It’s like the band have taken two or three musical styles and picked the best bits from those to make this; they are called Pop Vulture after all.
As the vocals are way upfront, there is rightly a strong story to the song; Luc Gibbons explains “Lionel’s Big Problem is a quick message from us to the suits and ties at the top. It tells of the anxieties of ‘our Lionel’ a stereotypical businessman, as his world comes crumbling down around him. If a successful person is forced to lose their wealth (in this case due to tax evasion) suddenly it makes breaking headlines, whereas the working-class are forced to suffer in silence. It’s just ridiculous.”
Pop Vulture’s musical journey is a thrill, every release is glorious, and ‘Lionel’s Big Problem’ is no exception. Playing that is just outstanding, words that tell a story brilliantly. And, and this is important, it’s positively forcing you to get up and do the jerky dance. Fabulous stuff.
The info
The cassette EP can be ordered from Bandcamp
Tracks
A1) Half Sister (Live at Mabgate Bleach)
A2) A Discussion of Tolerance (Live at Mabgate Bleach)
A3) Ashtray Man (Live at Mabgate Bleach)
A4) Losing Teeth (Live at Mabgate Bleach)
B1) False Alarm!
B2) Kosmische Musik?
B3) A Discussion of Tolerance
B4) C.M.E
B5) Lionel’s Big Problem
The question which lurked in the back of my mind when I first heard this album was whether Two Spirit’s music is pop, folk, Americana or indeed alt world music. The thing is it’s any or all of these. So on this level it’s a head scratcher. On the other hand, it’s not; this is an album of incredibly endearing songs that charms you.
The aforementioned head scratching started with the first track ‘Brighter Than The Sun’. It sounds a bit like a Beatles’ ballad. Acoustic guitar, great incredibly catchy tune, lovely words. But in the middle of this track sits a viola solo in a Country style. And actually, and it took more than one listen to get this, the track carries that Country twang. Put simply I was charmed.
‘Dream Song’ carries the vibe from the opening track. But it’s more plaintive, it’s emotional. And crucially it has a koto (Japanese harp) on it, which I mistook at first as a banjo or mandolin, given that it sits in the Country musical slot those would occupy. But the tone of it adds this other worldly wistful sound that adds yet another level to the song.
There’s a kind of retro Country sound to ‘Got Me Under His Thumb’ which the first two tracks hinted at. The standout on this track, apart from the vocals which I’ll get to later, is the viola which provides a counter melody to the vocal. Given that by now that I’ve got used to their sound at this point it’s the song as a whole that I’m concentrating on;p and it’s sadly beautiful, the story of an unequal relationship. The words tell a story wonderfully.
With ‘You’re My Boy’ we go slightly more uptempo, that Mersey Beat ballad feel returns but the koto takes a central role which makes this song sound ‘different’, fantastically differently ‘Be My Muse’ swings people. And boy, that string solo. Lyrics with humour.
And then ‘Boy’ surprises me. Musically it has more than the hint of electronica turned acoustic, vocally it sits in an arch art-rock style, that is until there’s a rap break – provided by Leeds based Jodie (AKA Chubby Chubbsta). It’s pop people, but not as you know it.
‘Rockin’ In Ma Stockins’ kinda hits a sorta early Dylan talking vocal note. There are whoops, there are laugh out loud words. It’s a riot. ‘Don’t Need That Man’ is a kinda Country Blues stylee. The words, dear readers, the words are an utter joy.
And now album closer ‘How Long’, a slow Country Blues track. The emotional impact of this song! And bloody hell what is going on with that acoustic guitar, fabulous. It may be down beat but it’s no downer. Incredible.
This is a wonderful album, The songs are about life, love and the world through the eyes of Riana, there is humour, there is heart wrenching emotion. The band’s sound is kinda based in Country and Americana; except when it isn’t of course. And the playing and the vocals are compelling. These songs sound very personal, and you can’t but help hear the influence of Riana being a transgender woman. I didn’t mention this before because it’s not important, these are beautiful songs, although personal, with a meaning for you whoever you are.
Fantastically written and played songs, and that’s all we need isn’t it. This is charming, beautiful and emotional.
The info
Two Spirit utilises two minority instruments, viola and (Japanese harp). They are fronted by local transgender female busker, Riana McGovern who wrote all the songs on the album.
How to describe this single from Yutaniii? Well, my helpful friend could only say ‘bloody hell, that’s, that’s, …’. I will try a little harder; it has something of a post-hardcore sound, it reminds me of some of the more freaky Hawkwind tracks, it bears a connection sonically to psych garage/punk and noise-rock, and it has more than a hint of early Here & Now. Or to put it more succinctly It’s a gloriously menacing track that defies any attempt to stuff it into any sort of niche.
It’s full of grinding sounds that come from the depths of hell, and a vocal that proclaims loudhailer style. This is until, and inexplicably, it breaks out into a passage of extremely tuneful space-rock. But hey, who the fuck cares, it’s all part of the joy.
Even the band don’t seem to want to enlighten us with a snappy descriptive phrase to give us some help. All they say is ‘What do you get when you cross a love for sci fi and horror, an overwhelming sense of existential dread, and 5 musicians from Leeds?’. This is undoubtedly true, but…
The thing is, and I can’t for the life of me say exactly why, I love it. I love music that seemingly comes from a place of chaos, that makes no sense musically but triggers that bit of your head that says this is music for me. It connects with you on some primaeval level And this does that.
Samh’s new EP is a journey through our northern landscape, its history and the mixing of musical genres. It will only take a quick look at the song titles to see this but this won’t reveal that the sound of the tracks, in different ways, reflects what I’m going to call, something uniquely northern. And more it feels like one particular part of West Yorkshire; Huddersfield, Marden and Saddleworth.
The opening song ‘Naked Landscape’ musically evokes the feel of our landscapes while lyrically telling a story. The feel at first is folk influenced but it seamlessly, and gloriously, breaks out into a horn driven break. It’s moving, deeply moving.
Next on our journey ‘Gateway to Saddleworth’ speaks of the building of the Huddersfield narrow canal from the point of view of the people that built it. This track introduces fiddle to a track that goes from up beat folk to something that has a very definite Klezmer feel. It’s one for dancing as well as listening. Do listen because it has some wonderful lrics
‘Cropper Lads’ is a song about a skilled part of the weaving industry, and their part in the Luddite protests. The song is thought to have been written around the time of the events it describes. I’ve taken the following explanation from a website:
“Croppers, although relatively few in numbers, played a central part in the activities of the machine-breaking Luddites in Yorkshire. Prior to the introduction of machinery to do the job they had been top-grade apprenticed craftsmen, trained to produce a smooth even nap on the woollen cloth after it had been woven. They cropped the woven cloth with heavy shears and were highly skilled, and relatively highly paid so had more to lose than most by the introduction of the machinery. Prior to this they had blacked any cloth produced in a gig mill and therefore had already shown their anti-machinery stance and solidarity with the weavers. Thus croppers joined the Nottinghamshire Luddites in raids on mills to break the machinery which resulted in desperate battles between mill-owners backed by the police and militia, and the Luddites, which resulted in much bloodshed and even death. The main action took place in and around Huddersfield.
The song refers to Great Enoch wish is a thing rather than a person:
“Great Enoch was the name given to a big hammer used to smash the machinery, rather ironically as it was named after Enoch and James Taylor of Marsden near Huddersfield who were the ingenious blacksmiths who invented the cropping machine.”
Samh’s version follows a traditional form – with acoustic, sparse rhythm and fiddle. I love two things about this track – the vocals and the fiddle which provides atmospheric emphasis.
The final stop sees us visiting Bates Mill, the last surviving textile mill in Huddersfield. It also has a completely different musical fee. It evokes the mill atmosphere by electronica, and heavily reverbed vocal. This song sounds beautiful which perhaps doesn’t reflect the historical working conditions of textile mills; but there is a world weary feel to the song which does. Perhaps I’m reading too much into this but I think we may think of our now devastated textile industry as a past good thing, whereas the reality wasn’t. There’s an innate contradiction.
This EP is a collection of songs that are beautifully put together, played and sung. They encapsulate much about our history, landscape and the people who lived and worked within it. But, and it’s big but, this isn’t just ‘an educational exercise’, it’s absolutely beautiful musically, showing yet another side of Samh’s versatility as a songwriter and performer. It’s folk, yes even the final track, because it evokes place, people and history; but it brings into the now. This is a jewel of a release, a precious jewel.
Although I’ve seen Mayshe-Mayshe play (and reviewed some of those performances) this is my first review of a recorded release from her. This is somewhat of a fresh thrill, so bear with me if I gush.
For those not aware of Mayshe-Mayshe her music is, and this may sound awkward, electro art pop. So while, if you click play on the stream, and you should, it may initially strike you as electro-pop, just wait and you’ll get what I mean. The emotional depth and art of her music will become clear.
The key to ‘Dark Mountain’ is the apparent disconnect between the music and the words. The music is almost too joyful, you’ll see that it is driven to a point when it sounds edgy with a sense of sonic anxiety. But just wait until the track breaks down, then it hits you. And her vocals have this fragility which is almost painful. While the words seem to reference things being too much; to the point of drowning under it all. You are left with a sense that the song is very very personal. The combination of the music and words is brittle, is fragile; but counterintuitively the obvious honesty is a strength
So there are layers to this song. The music is deceptively simple; it has layers of sound that draw you in, and an emotional depth. The words demand close listening. And finally, if you can drag yourself away from listening more closely, you can dance to it; for it is pop. So it’s a complex thing ‘Dark Mountain’ but it’s the whole song which is important.
The whole has a mesmerising fragile musical beauty and emotional depth that goes way beyond what we might expect from electro-pop. This is absolutely fabulous,
Mayshe-Mayshe is the solo project of Yorkshire-based writer-producer Alice Rowan. Since releasing her debut LP ;Cocoa Smoke’ in 2018, much in the world has changed – or at least become more apparent.
She has also played alongside members of Juffage, Vessels and Esper scout in Leeds-based band Living Body.
Her new album ‘Indigo’ – due out in November – follows suit by unpeeling layers of ennui, uncertainty and melancholy against a backdrop of glittering DIY electronica. ‘Dark Mountain’ is the first single to be released from ‘Indigo’.
The album is written, recorded and produced by Rowan. Embracing the DIY ethos that’s a clear drive behind all Rowan’s creative output, she’s spent the last years honing her production and home recording skills. “Learning to self-produce my music has been such a joyful, empowering experience – it feels like having a super power, having this new ability to create sonic worlds from my sofa.”
Upcoming live dates:
10 November – Newcastle @ Cobalt Studios
11 November – York @ Fortyfive Vinyl Cafe
12 November – Sheffield @ Hatch
14 November – Derby @ Dubrek Studios
15 November – Durham @ The Holy Grale
17 November – Leeds @ Oporto Bar
18 November – Manchester @ Peer Hat
20 November – Halifax @ The Grayston Unity
26 November – Richmond @ Blues Night
I’m a big fan of L.O.E; the band otherwise known as Last Of Eden. They play big progessive alternative rock, and oh I should mention that they play instrumental music. Now for those of you that are put off by the instrumental bit, you shouldn’t because their songs use found sound and aren’t really in song format. By this I mean their tracks musically reflect their subject and are ever changing pieces.
This track is about the secret groups and cabals that direct the world, the ones we know are there but have no control over. A subject that is as relevant today as it was in 1961 when John F Kennedy gave the powerful address to the American Society Of Newspaper Editors that is used in the piece. It’s shocking that without any effort on our part we can apply J.F.K’s words to Britain and the rest of the world today.
The band further explain “‘Secret Societies Rule The World’ is our dystopian look at how the global elite control our societies. The establishments are shrouded in secrecy and corruption is a worldwide machine that continues to be fed by mainstream media propaganda. Secret societies seem to rule the world and the news outlets only serve to fuel an already biassed narrative in favour of the super rich. Lies & distrust are amplified and spread until they plant roots that divide us all.
“The track was inspired by a powerful feeling of unease at our current state of global affairs and the misinformation that is fed to us by news sources. We wanted to create a soundtrack for our frustrations and despair at the inequality and injustice that we all face.
Musically the track mixes big powerful rock sounds with passages of strings and piano; in a way that seems to reflect classical music and classic film soundtracks. For me there is a sense of the unease and frustration we feel, and the overwhelming power of these groups have over us.
I am always unexpectedly affected by L.O.E’s music and this track doesn’t break that. It has both a musical power and the power to move you emotionally and intellectually. Need anything else, thought not, go listen.
The info
This track is off their forthcoming EP, ‘Secret Societies Rule The World’ set for release on November 25th.
For those of you for whom Hull band King Orange are new, they are a post-punk band. Now this is a somewhat vague description as post-punk is a many legged beast. For this release the sound is akin to mixing Joy Division, Bauhaus and early Goth. By this I mean that it’s all pulsing bass, angular frantic guitar and declared vocals. This might, or might not depending on your point of view, mark this out as a more ‘trad’ post-punk sound than other post-punk bands that are around now. This, I assure you, is not a criticism, merely an opinion.
As you’d expect from a post-punk track of this nature it’s about a weighty subject. The band explain “On the surface, it’s an examination of the relationship between our history and our present; that which we value and that which we trust. It asks if we have too much faith in those that we put it in, and if complacency is damaging that which we hold collectively dear. As the song moves on, it changes from the societal perspective onto the personal, shifting from a focus on the connections between different parts of society to the individual and their links to their immediate environment,” says singer and bassist Leo Joslin.
“As with the rest of the forthcoming EP’s tracks, there’s heavy use of theological and religious imagery in ‘Patriot & Father’, from the title to the last verse. The meeting of religion and society, in both the good and the bad, is at its core. I also think it matches with the angular and direct sound quite well.”
That is a big subject to explore in a song and there are a lot of words. But the words are good. This is a song that you will gradually understand. And this is part of the joy of the song.
The great thing about the track is that it has space; all the instruments are given space to breathe, to fully attack your ears. The contrast between the angular frantic guitar and pulsing bass is there to thrill. This is a song to dance to frantically; it’s a wild, swirling thing.
I’m loving the resurgence of post-punk; the whole range of the sounds rejuvenated by the current crop of bands, and where they are taking the genre. King Orange deserve your rapt attention if you’re into post-punk, but not only then because they’re a part of that post-punk – noise rock continuum.
This release is total joy; wild and frantic, angular, compulsively danceable, and yet you can sit down and really listen to it. In a phrase, absolutely brilliant.
The info
King Orange emerged from Hull’s vibrant post-punk scene, but have crafted their own sound using wiry guitars, a churning rhythm section and deep vocals to create short, sharp songs that leave little in the way of excess. Working with renowned producer Alex Greaves (bdrmm, Heavy Lungs, Working Men’s Club), ‘Patriot & Father’ offers up the first piece from their gothic and doomy debut EP due in October.
The band are
Leo Joslin – Vocals and Bass
Tom Green-Morgan – Guitar
Oliver Witty – Drums
The compilation album created to mark the achievement will feature Clue artists past and present including The Wedding Present, Bored At My Grandmas House, YOWL, Nine Black Alps, Avalanche Party, Team Picture, Crushed Beaks and lots more.
The info
The info