Crush are new to me, I’ve been missing out big time. OK so they hail from Manchester which may be why I haven’t heard of them before, focussing as we do on bands from Yorkshire. But it took seconds of of my first listen to say ‘yep we can review that, this is the sort of thing our readers would love’.

It’s a dreamy shoegazy thing ‘Glue’. This is enough, more than enough, to adore it but the cherry on the icing on the cake – at least for me – is Amber’s vocals. OK so I’m of an age to remember that female shoegazy vocal thing thing first time around, but her singing is just right, just fabulous.

You may focus on on the rather wonderfully warped guitar sounds that run through the track, or even the faster fuzzed up sections, that’s up to you, both are fantastic but it’s those vocals that do it for me.

The other thing I like is that it’s pretty loose in places, not so loose as to be on the dge of falling apart but it has that slightly loose lovely feel to it. And, when it’s not in the faster fuzzy sections, it’s all mellow and sleepily dreamy.

‘Glue’ is a lovely thing, go get a listen right now.

The info

Glue is Crush’s third single which follows last year’s debut release ‘How Come’ and their second release ‘Rinse’.

The band say; “This song is pretty relatable, it’s about all the ups and downs of a friendship or relationship and coming to the conclusion that the other person is no good for you. ‘Glue’ talks about the process of getting over someone and that happy feeling when you realise it doesn’t bother you anymore”

With an ambient shoegaze sound, which the band themselves describe as “fuzzy euphoria
fresh from dreamland”, Crush are influenced by artists ranging from Bombay Bicycle Club to Blur to Soccer Mommy.

The band have been building a Northern following with regular live dates, most notably their upcoming headline show:

Saturday 9th November, YES Basement, Manchester:
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/2346013352333940/?ti=icl
Ticket Link: https://tinyurl.com/y53kdm2o

Crush are Amber (guitar & vocals), Arthur (lead guitar), Will (bass) and Fotis (drums).

Crush on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crushbanduk/

I’d been looking forward to this gig since I’d heard tracks from Paradaeis’ EP ‘Suntrap’ so it was with a certain amount of excitement that I made my way to the Oporto through the Leeds’ Pride crowds. The gig also marked the release of joegarratt’s single ‘Swim Inside’ (Featuring Eskimoh on vocals).

There’s a man who sings softly over a synth, songs that are slow and strangely warped in places, and that’s Manny Bianco. And it’s fantastic.

And at times that synth sounds like a weirdly mutated 80s’ technology programme theme, and at times like some disco era big ballad, but it’s all off-kilter and slightly unsettling. It sounds like it shouldn’t work but it does. It’s compelling, mesmerising and engrossing. And sometimes it’s moving. And he produces these wonderful songs in a rather endearingly modest way.

I’m going to be honest, I had no idea what to expect and his first song had me rather confused as to what I was hearing but a few seconds into the second song and I was hooked, I spent the rest of his set totally immersed in the music he made. You must see Manny Bianco play, don’t expect a hugely visual performance, this is all about the music and the songs.

Having reviewed Paradaeis’ EP ‘Suntrap’ EP I was really looking forward to hearing her play live. She opened her set with the song ‘Hold On’ from the EP. She’s using a pre-recorded backing track but she’s solo up there, and it’s her voice that holds you. It’s a voice that draws you in and is frankly astounding.

Two rather dubby songs follow and these are lovely. It is at this point that my notes came to an end because I was totally hooked into what she was doing. She seems to immerse herself in her songs – she described some of them as a meditation on certain subjects – and that seems to drive that immersion. The song mix all sorts of styles – folk, synth pop, EDM, Arabian influences – into something that is uniquely her style. That with her voice makes her music beautiful.

The EP impressed me hugely and the songs I’d not heard before impressed me equally as well. Paradaeis is somebody you must see people.

joegarratt is new to me, I’d only heard the single he was launching at this gig before. So I didn’t know quite what to expect. He sings, and does something I don’t really know how to describe with pre-programmed tracks, backed by a keyboard player and sax player.

There is something of a moody darkness in his songs. There are hints of post-punk synth/electronica there. This started to catch my attention. His voice, which was fantastic, caught my attention more. The problem is that what he does isn’t really the sort of thing I like, for much of his set I switched between really liking it and not. Objectively I know it’s good – it has depth and feeling and passion, and is musically great – but this is not my ‘sort of thing’. The crowd loved his set, so I’m very much in the minority there.

Musing on his set as I made my way rather slowly through the post-Pride crowds to the station. I came to the conclusion that on balance I really need to see him play again, sometimes artists don’t grab me the first time I see them. But what I liked I liked enough to make me feel that I need to see him again, now I know what he does.

All photos on this page © Frank Roper Photography

Another Friday, another classy line-up from 360 Club. Two bands I’ve not seen before – Railroads and Honours – and two I’ve seen and reviewed in the past – The Greedy Souls and The Harriets. When The Harriets asked me down to see this gig they promised new material – we got lots of new material, but more of that later.

Opening band – Honours – play a kind of raucous indie rock with hints of that Manchester sound. Although more interestingly some of their songs have a raw R’n’B edge to them – I really liked that stuff. I was especially impressed with their guitarist – Struan McInnes – who pulled out some great guitar stuff.

Covering ‘The Chain’ (The Fleetwood Mac track that everyone knows as the music that was played by the BBC for motor sports programmes) might be considered to be a slightly risky thing to do. I loved what Honours did with this, they made it into a heavier raucous thing.

Overall I really liked Honours and have made a mental note to see them play again. If you like raucous indie rock with plenty of guitar I suggest you catch them.

It’s the second time I’ve seen The Greedy Souls, the first time was when the band hadn’t been going long. And they’re better, a lot better. They seem slightly heavier and raucous in places. For those of you who don’t know the band they play a kind of heavy alternative rock with a metal edge in places. It’s loud people. It comes with a hint of Manchester swagger.

The thing I really like about The Greedy Souls is that the guitar is just right – it’s great but not too flashy, it’s really solid. And their songs are catchy, they have tunes.

Their stand-out song for me – as it it was the first time I saw them – was their first release ‘We Will Rule’. This comes with a more raucous and heavier sound and is all the better for it.

I really like The Greedy Souls, I like loud guitar bands. If you like loud guitar bands I’d suggest seeing them if they’re playing in your town.

Before the gig I’d had a brief chat with some members of Railroads – they asked me whether I liked garage rock, I said I did – they promised garage rock aplenty. And boy did they deliver.

It’s all loose and thrillingly on the edge of falling apart, with tons of really raucous guitar. Bass and drums provide that much needed foundation. It’s wonderful, it really is. In the faster songs the drums trash with what we might call joyful abandonment. Both visually and audibly the focus is very much on their lead guitarist who rips out fantastic lines whilst throwing striking shapes. And it’s fun, garage rock should be fun, it left me with the hugest grin on my face.

Not having seen the band before I don’t know the songs but there’s great variation within that garage rock thing, they didn’t sound same-y at all. They covered ‘You Really Got Me’ early on in their set but they bring their garage sound to it and it’s fantastic. So good were the band that I quite forgot to take my usual copious notes, I love a band who do that to me.

Look people, for me Railroads were the discovery of the gig, I loved what they do. If you love garage rock or raucous guitar rock go see Railroads, you won’t be disappointed.

Opening with old favourite ‘Television’, after a kind of drum intro, The Harriets tear into the song. For those of you that don’t know the song it’s a kinda NYC punk sounding thing with hints of Talking Heads. It’s a great start to a set that is about 50% new material – boy have The Harriets been busy.

Their second song is a ‘quite new one’ called – according to the setlist – ‘Trip To The Moon’. This is a ballady thing and has what I can only describe as slightly punk edge to it. It’s lovely, that is the only way I can describe it. Up next is another new song – ‘Darling’ has a country-ish edge to it but only in the broadest sense.

Skipping ahead in their set ‘Cafe Disco’ – which I think is set to be the a single release – has that classic Harriets’ sound. It’s all slightly 60s’ pop with lovely harmonies. Watch out for this one people it’s fantastic. After that comes ‘Rules Of Travel’ (I think it’s called that, the setlist just says ‘Rules’) another new one. This is a brilliant slow starting song that builds into something wonderful with some great interplay between guitar and keys. Their final song – ‘Fall Out Of Grace’ is a stonking huge song, it’s an epic people.

They encore with ‘Harry’, I love that song, it’s a riot.

In my notes I wrote that ‘the new material seems bigger sounding, and the keyboards seem really integrated into it’. It’s a definite step up. There’s not one dud in the new songs at all. The more I see The Harriets the more I love them – they write great songs, their live set is hugely entertaining and leaves you smiling.

All photos on this page © Frank Roper Photography

I was lucky enough to hear a sneaky preview of the tracks on this EP when I chatted with Bob Brazill from Paradaeis’ label Monomyth. I was frankly stunned into silence, they astounded me. They still do. To the point where writing a review as I normally do – listening to the songs as I write – is impossible, I keep having to stop and listen.

While the songs on the EP vary in style, the thing that makes them hang together is Paradaeis’ voice, a voice that is compelling and striking. Musically there’s something folky there, but this ain’t folk music, there’s all sorts of other things. Paradaeis says ‘I felt free to blend contrasting genres and influences (such as folk, synth pop, arabian rhythms and uk garage) creating a lush soundscape that cocoons the listener with love, reconnecting us with our favourite memories’. What this beguiling mix sounds like is, at least to my ears, is sometimes something Incredible String Band like, sometimes Joni Mitchell like. If there’s some sort of sound that links these together it’s psychedelia, but only in the broadest sense.

The EP opener ‘DIVE’ is the song that – when I had my preview – stopped me in my tracks. It has something of that pastoral psychedelic folk of The Incredible String Band. But in this there are sudden synth sounds that catch you unawares, that thrill. The rhythm is Middle Eastern. It’s just completely hypnotic. You feel drawn into her world.

We are in indie-folk/alt-folk territory for ‘Chasing Thunder’. But again she brings her own edge to this, there are Indian rhythms there, there are sudden strange sounds and the most wonderful layers of sound. This takes what could have a very pleasant song to one that bears repeated listening with a huge touch of class.

‘Everything’ has that Arabian touch to a folk song. This is definitely one of my favourites from the EP. It’s beguiling and mesmerising. While the music is fantastic what stands out on this track is the vocals, I love the vocals on this.

EP closer ‘Hold On’ is a blend of styles that frankly has me unable to sufficiently describe it. All I can say that in the hands of a lesser artist combing these would end a mess but in Paradaeis’ hands this is frankly incredible. There’s folk, there’s synth pop, there’s EDM. That musical mix handled with fantastic skill with her vocals makes this beautiful.

The songs on this EP introduce us to Paradaeis’ musical mind. This is mind that refuses to stick to one particular style and she makes her songs her way. Listening to the EP as a whole you are left with an overall impression of beauty – beauty in the song writing, beauty in the way the music is put together and beauty in the her vocals. This EP leaves you wanting more. I for one am holding breath until the next release.

Joegarratt & Paradaeis play Oporto Leeds on Sunday 4th August for a co-headline show with support from Manny Bianco.