The latest issue of the Full Pelt Magazine is here, and you can download your copy for free below!
Volume 16 is a special edition where we run down our Top 50 Albums of the Year! 2023 has seen some amazing records released, but who will take the coveted number one spot?
Our News Report is still here also covering the latest from Vended, Slam Dunk Festival, Liam Gallagher & John Squire, Teddy Rocks, Brighten the Corners and LeeStock!
Finally, we round up the latest additions to our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist with Telltale, Shooting Daggers and Fraser Morgan!
The latest issue of the Full Pelt Magazine is here, and you can download your copy for free below!
Volume 11 features cover stars Massive Wagons as they kicked off their UK Tour this week. We also review live shows from Millie Manders and the Shutup, Bob Vylan and Lonely The Brave.
We have our News Report rounding up new releases from Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Neck Deep, Heriot, The Dollyrots, Guise, Defects, BIG SPECIAL, BLACKGOLD, Gen and the Degenerates and Greywind!
Plus new live announcements from Joanne Shaw Taylor, The Zutons, Tool, Lightning Seeds, The Nightmares, Dirty Honey and Peter Hook & The Light!
Finally, we round up the latest additions to our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist with Hunter Oliveri, The Cain Pit and Creature Cult!
Our weekly music News Report has evolved into the Full Pelt Magazine, and you can download the tenth issue now for free!
Volume ten includes the latest from cover stars Fightstar plus we review Creeper live in London, Wheatus live in Cambridge. We also review the new album from Lonely The Brave!
We have our News Report rounding up new releases from Enter Shikari, Lake Malice, Banks Arcade, Stand Atlantic, Have Mercy, South of Salem, Florence Black, Jamie Lenman, Unpeople, Siamese, Courting and The Killers!
Plus new live announcements from Download Festival, 2000trees, 30 Seconds To Mars, Bruce Dickinson, Halflives and Bowling For Soup!
LONELY THE BRAVE – WHAT WE DO TO FEEL – ALBUM REVIEW
Lonely The Brave are back with their fourth studio album, ‘What We Do To Feel’. The album is the second with singer Jack Bennett and is perhaps the first to not feel under pressure!
There is always pressure releasing your debut album, pressure to deliver a solid follow up and there was certainly pressure on the band when releasing ‘The Hope List’ in 2021 due to the change in singer.
‘What We Do To Feel’ therefore does lack an intrigue factor in terms of expectation. That has hopefully though allowed the band some freedom to fully explore their ‘new’ line-up. It shouldn’t really be a surprise then that this album does feel like a natural progression of its predecessor.
This album finds a battle-hardened and more mature band working through the huge events of the past five years experienced by both the band and by the world. Sonically that produces an intense and meticulous ensemble of songs that echo the care and attention put into their creation.
Lyrically the album exudes a sense of respect for life’s battles, gratitude for small victories and optimism for the future. The band’s songwriting has always been thought-provoking and powerful, and that is definitely true of ‘What We Do To Feel’. You’ll just want to get lost in the music and the moment when experiencing this album.
Nobody expected Lonely The Brave to re-invent the wheel on album four, and they haven’t! What they’ve done is captured an honest and enlightened soundscape which will be cherished by their fans as Exhibit D of the case of Lonely The Brave being the most viscerally progressive band of their generation.
Our weekly music News Report has evolved into the Full Pelt Magazine, and you can download the eighth issue now for free!
Volume eight includes an update from cover stars Skindred, reviews of Rival Sons and Philip Seth Campbell live, album reviews for Skinny Lister, Rival Sons, The Rolling Stones, Chris Shifflet, Blink 182, Within Temptation and a load more!
We have our News Report rounding up new releases from YUNGBLUD, IDLES, Alkaline Trio, Lonely The Brave, Lambrini Girls, Black Water County, SCALER, Oakman, Blackout Problems, The Struts, The Cadillac Three, LostAlone, DragonForce, Royal Tusk, Dream State and The Cruel Knives.
Plus new live announcements from As Everything Unfolds, Slam Dunk, Grace Petrie, Black Orchid Empire, Slash, Liam Gallagher, The Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer, Punk Rock Factory, When Rivers Meet, Kris Barras Band and LostAlone!
Finally, we round up the latest additions to our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist with Jarki Monno, headcage and The Klittens!
Our weekly music News Report has evolved into the Full Pelt Magazine, and you can download the third issue now for free!
Volume three includes an update from cover star Chris Shiflett, and a review of ‘Race the Night’ from Ash.
We have our News Report rounding up new releases from Don Broco, Lonely The Brave, Dream Wife, TesseracT, DragonForce, Staind, Duff McKagan, Skinny Lister, All Time Low, While She Sleeps, K.Flay, The Meffs, END and Mother Mother!
Plus new live announcements from British Lion, Fozzy, KITE THIEF, VV, The Amazons, The Coral, Twin Atlantic and Lonely The Brave.
Finally, we round up the latest additions to our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist with Major Moment, Tropic Gold and Future Static!
Welcome everyone to another edition of our weekly music News Report!
We start this week with the best new releases from the past week and up first is the latest single from Creeper.
This week saw the band share, ‘Teenage Sacrifice’, which you can check out above. The track comes ahead of the release of new album, ‘Sanguivore’, out on Friday 13th October.
Singer William ‘Von Ghould’ says: “The song introduces Mercy, the protagonist of the Sanguivore narrative. She’s deceptively innocent yet savagely violent, and her ability to make people fall under her spell is just one indication that Mercy is not all that she seems.”
Next up is the return of Lonely The Brave, the band this week sharing their brand new single, ‘The Lens’, which you can check out above.
The track will feature on newly announced upcoming album, ‘What We Do To Feel’, which will arrive on November 10th.
Guitarist Mark Trotter comments: “You can plan it out as much as you want, but you’re just along for the ride. That’s the most exciting part, seeing what it decided to be. With this album, we’re certainly more mature as people and as a band. That makes sense with everything that has happened since our last one.”
Singer Jack Bennett continues about the single, saying it “is a track about the way we value each other. It’s different for everyone and we each have a unique perspective towards the world.”
The Struts are next in our News Report as this week saw the band reveal details of their new album, ‘Pretty Vicious’, which will be out on November 3rd.
The band also shared a live visualiser for their recent track, ‘Too Good At Raising Hell’, which you can check out above.
“This record showcases each individual member’s strengths,” vocalist Luke Spiller says of their impending album. “It’s some of my favorite music, hands down, we’ve ever conjured up. It’s the record everyone’s been waiting for.”
This week also saw Daughtry debut their new single, ‘Artificial’, which you can check out above.
“‘Artificial’ is about the potential nightmare that AI could become and the idea that everything and everyone could eventually be replaced, essentially to perfection, and rendered obsolete,” Chris Daughtry explains. “However, the heart and soul of humanity and the ability to feel love, sadness, and compassion can never be replaced. While there are plenty of applications where AI can improve our lives and assist in many areas of creativity, I feel it’s imperative that we find a way to protect our musicians, actors, writers, and all creative outlets from being destroyed.”
Teenage Fanclub continue to gear up for the release of new album, ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ on September 22nd.
This week saw the band unveil their latest pre-release single, ‘Back To The Light’, which you can check out above.
The track was written by Norman Blake who says:
“I liked the idea of using being in a band as a metaphor for a personal relationship. They are not entirely dissimilar experiences. Like a few others on the album, this song has saxophone on it. The first time we’ve had that since Songs From Northern Britain. Stephen Black (Sweet Baboo) played those parts; we really like the richness it brings to the song. Steve will be with us when we head out on tour in October in Europe.”
Saint Agnes recently released their new album, ‘Bloodsuckers’ and this week the band shared a video for the track, ‘Follow You’, which you can check out above.
The band will be joining us this week on The Full Pelt Music Podcast!
The Pale White have debuted new single, ‘Validate Me’, which you can check out above.
The track will feature on new EP, ‘A New Breed’, which is will released on October 20th.
“Ever felt like the world is against you? It probably is… Look around! We’re surrounded by social pressures of what is perceived as ‘normal’” say The Pale White.
“”Validate Me” explores the mental tug of war between following your true purpose, and conforming to what society thinks you should be. It was born during the pandemic when we all lost our social identity and this heightened self-sabotaging paranoia was just as contagious.”
Finally for this section of our News Report we have a big hit single from Gen and the Degenerates who have revealed their latest single, ‘BIG HIT SINGLE’, which you can check out above!
Speaking on their new single, vocalist Genevieve Glynn-Reeves comments:
“If you want the highbrow answer, then BIG HIT SINGLE is about the experience of creating art under late capitalism. If you want the lowbrow –and slightly more honest– answer, then BIG HIT SINGLE is me trying to wind up our label.”
“They’d made quite a reasonable request…‘Please can you write more songs like the song that did well and stop experimenting with every genre under the sun in a completely chaotic and hedonistic manner?’ Unfortunately, I have issues with authority…My parents often regale me with the tale of my Year 4 parent’s evening, in which my teacher described me as ‘too wild, in the bohemian sense.’
“If Mrs Baker couldn’t get me to behave, then what chance did Marshall Records have? Luckily, they have a good sense of humour over at Marshall.”
Some festival news now in our News Report and whilst this year’s event was still in progress, Bloodstock organisers have confirmed the first wave of artists for the 2024 event.
Both Architects and Amon Amarth have been confirmed as headliners, whilst they’ll be joined by the likes of Malevolence, Clutch, Flogging Molly, Green Lung and more.
The city based version of Live At Leeds returns on October 14th and this week saw the event share a massive line-up of great acts.
You can catch the likes of Another Sky, Benefits, Big Special, Feet, Hamish Hawk, Hotwax, Jack Valero, Lynks, Pigs x7, Pip Blom, Shame, Snayx, The Mysterines and Wunderhorse.
Next in our News Report we focus on the best live announcements from the past week and we begin with Neck Deep.
The welsh band will be taking over Alexandra Palace in London on March 28th for a huge headline show.
Sharing the news the band said, “It’s been a long time coming but we’re stoked to be finally headlining Ally Pally. We’ve always loved the venue, now it’s our turn for our biggest headline show. We’re expecting it to be the best Neck Deep show ever, & you wouldn’t wanna miss that would ya?”
Kerrang have team up with the Music Venue Trust for Conjurer to join the ‘United By Music Tour’ next month!
Support will come from Unpeople.
Conjurer’s Brady Deeprose says: “Conjurer simply would not exist without the UK’s extensive network of Grassroots Music Venues. We cut our teeth playing everywhere from Merthyr Tydfil to Barrow-In-Furness for years, and we were lucky to be able to do so. The threat that GMVs are under is an utter travesty, and something that we are so thankful to MVT for getting involved in – without this network, everyone from fans to bands suffers. Throughout my childhood, I would go to The Roadmender in Northampton, The Vault in Rugby (RIP), The Flapper in Birmingham, and Corporation in Sheffield to both play shows and see my favourite bands – that thriving scene inspired me to pick up a guitar and start a band. If we don’t protect it, we lose the next generation of musicians. It’s that simple.
“To come full circle, Kerrang! putting us forward for this tour is a real privilege, their support for not just us but the UK heavy scene in general, has been untouchable over the last few years. We hope that MVT continues to have success, and that the UK can continue to foster exceptional talent with a strong roster of grassroots venues to support it.”
Luke Morton, editor of Kerrang!, says “The UK heavy music scene is thriving right now, thanks in large part to the community and support of grassroots venues up and down the country. I’m so excited and proud for Kerrang! to partner with the Music Venue Trust for this very metal incarnation of the United By Music Tour, featuring the mighty Conjurer – a band I’ve seen cause absolute chaos in some of our best independent venues over the years. As fans of rock, metal and alternative music, it’s vital we all champion the homegrown, grassroots venues that are the lifeblood of our scene. Support your local venue and make sure you catch Conjurer tearing it to shreds!”
Mark Davyd, CEO and founder Music Venue Trust, says: “It’s great to be teaming up with Kerrang on The National Lottery’s United by Music Tour. The team at Kerrang! were so supportive to Grassroots Music Venues during the pandemic, and the heavy music scene is such an integral part of what makes live music in the UK so essential and vibrant.”
Vocalist Elin Allan comments – “When we were writing ‘The Tide’, I don’t think I realised how much this song was a cry for help. It’s such an energetic, in your face song and I was so angry at this point in my life that I honed in on a very cutthroat approach to life. I had just gone through a huge, very tough break up and was having one of the lowest points in my life and with time, now it’s finally released, I think I have accepted that anger and turned it into power.“
Bristol rock outfit Little Thief share their latest single ‘Geronimo’.
Vocalist and lyricist Charlie Fitzgerald states: “People do incredible things when up against it and true colours often show when everything falls apart. For me, it signifies sticking together through good times and bad.
We spent a few days in the basement of our place on Albany road in Bristol working together on a bunch of new tracks and Geronimo came from that batch. It was one of the first tunes where the music came first and the lyrics followed. I really enjoyed writing the words for this as they are a bit cheesy, fun and simple with a very repetitive nature. We had the demo banging around for ages and really enjoyed playing it live.”
Swear Blind – ‘Still’
Alt-Rock Nottingham natives Swear Blind share new single ‘Still’.
Drew Lawson says: “a certain global event gave us the time to finish a project we’ve been working on for many years and to continue our writing. It gave us a new focus in doing the things that we love doing, plus it gave us a good reason to hang out! We’ve been mates for years so that wasn’t an opportunity we wanted to miss.”
Nevrlands – ‘Chemicals’
NYC-based trio Nevrlands share a second track “Chemicals‘ from their forthcoming debut album, ‘Timeless’.
“‘Chemicals’ is about catching yourself in the heat of the moment,” shares Neverlands collectively. “About painting a portrait of passion and finding that distinction between love and lust in real-time. There’s a very fine line that can sometimes be blurry, or sometimes it’s crystal clear. Is this real? Or is it just another fugazi? ‘Chemicals’ is all about questioning whether or not that perfect chemical connection will last once the moment ends.”
It feels like an eternity ago that Lonely The Brave burst onto the scene with their incredible early EP, ‘Backroads’. That’s probably because that actually was almost a decade ago, and wow has the world been through some tough times since then.
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for the band either, with the switch of vocalist in 2018 a major hurdle. Thankfully the band secured the talented Jack Bennett to fill the very big shoes of David Jakes.
The problem for the band now is that just when they would need momentum the most, the world stopped moving. The pandemic disrupted all people in all walks of life with the music industry hit very hard. Imagine then the impact on Lonely The Brave as they looked to move seamlessly into their new era.
New album, ‘The Hope List’, was released in the midst of lockdown in January 2021 and plans to tour in support were naturally delayed. That time has belatedly arrived now and tonight they play a special hometown show at the Junction in Cambridge.
There are two support acts on tap with VLMV up first, captivating the early audience with a sonic smorgasbord of guitars, synths and vocals. Cult icon Jamie Lenman then blasts though a short set of new material which ramps up the intensity in the venue. Both acts have done a good job warming up a slightly lethargic crowd ready for the hometown heroes to arrive.
Welcomed warmly onstage Lonely The Brave instantly mix new tracks such as ‘Keeper’ and ‘Distant Light’ with old favourites like ‘Black Mire’ and ‘Trick of the Light’. This is a theme that continues throughout the evening.
Bennett as we say has had big shoes to fill vocally and he manages to do those old favourites justice tonight whilst also adding new layers both sonically and corporeally.
There is an unusual tense atmosphere in the venue tonight, which feels highlighted by this being a hometown show. It’s only really when the likes of ‘The Blue, The Green’, ‘Backroads’ and ‘Black Saucers’ appear towards the end of the show that the audience relaxes a bit.
Performance wise the venue witnesses three strong sets tonight from three acts at varying stages of their careers. The industry is in a tough spot right now, but you’d hope there is enough talent on show here that these acts can kick on from here.
Welcome everybody to another edition of our weekly music News Report!
We are starting this week with the best tour announcements from the past week and we begin with a special treat for Pendulum fans.
Yes, after their secret sets at Reading & Leeds Festivals, Pendulum revealed not one but two dates at the legendary O2 Academy Brixton for March next year.
Pet Needs have just released their sophomore album, ‘Primetime Entertainment’, and this week they announced the obligatory headlining tour to accompany the release.
Support for these shows comes variously from Tundra and Bridget..
The tour finishes in their hometown Colchester on December 16th with special guest Sean McGowan plus Ecto Peach and Oxbowlake!
Speaking about the show, Johnny says: “We’re headlining a 400-capacity venue in our hometown Colchester at Christmas. I moved here 7-8 years ago now. For local bands, if you play Colchester Arts Centre, you’ve got credibility. I never thought we’d headline that venue and If we can sell it out, that’d be incredible.”
We move our News Report now onwards to the best new releases from the past week and we start off with the return of Nickelback!
Yes the Canadians returned this week with new single, ‘San Quentin’, which you can listen to above. The track will feature on new album, ‘Get Rollin’, which will be released 31st March.
This week Black Star Riders shared the latest look at new album, ‘Wrong Side Of Paradise’, which is out January 20th. You can check out new single, ‘Pay Dirt’, above.
Frontman Ricky Warwick comments: “Rock’n’Roll is my lover, friend, enemy, ally, religion and saviour. Rock’n’Roll is my life.Christian Martucci and the late Todd Youth wrote the music for this. And when I heard it, it stank with defiance and attitude. It didn’t need changing, just some words to echo the power of the chords.It’s an ode to Rock’n’Roll… But also a dig at those that don’t learn their art and don’t play from the heart!”
About the album Ricky adds: “I am very proud of this record, Black Star Riders’ fifth release and the first with our new and exciting relationship with Earache Records. As with all BSR albums, ‘Wrong Side Of Paradise’ is an anthemic statement of intent, driven by ferocious guitars and thundering drums. I can only write about my own personal experiences, my families, my friends and how I see a world that is unraveling and changing faster than we can comprehend. That being said, I’m a firm believer in the power of positivity, something that echoes throughout this album”
In addition to the new record, Black Star Riders will embark on their 10th Anniversary tour, starting from 13th February 2023.
Ricky Warwick further comments: “Can you believe 2023 is 10 years of Black Star Riders? … How time flies while you are having fun! We decided to do something special to commemorate this occasion. For the UK tour only, to coincide with the album’s release, we will be bringing back the legendary Scott Gorham (guitar) and Jimmy DeGrasso (drums) for the dates to make them extra special!”
Our News Report continues with the latest single from The Cult, ‘A Cut Inside’, which you can listen to above.
The track comes from new album, ‘Under The Midnight Sun’, which is out on October 7th.
Leading to 2020, The Cult had been on a rolling cycle of releasing albums, touring, and recording. As the world shut down and everyone was forced to reprioritise the way they approached life and work. “When the world stopped, I had this moment to write in real time, to calculate,” says Ian Astbury.
When lockdown lifted and the group could meet to record, they teamed up with Dalgety. “I was compelled by this vision, this anomaly, this memory, of being under the midnight sun. Tom helped us bring a new musical shape and frequency to our process.”
Pixies up next in our News Report as they shared new track, ‘Dregs of the Wine’, this week, which you can listen to above.
The track comes from upcoming new album, ‘Doggerel’, which is out September 30th.
BlackFrancis says the song is about, “Living in Los Angeles in the ‘90s with my then-wife, hanging out with Joey and his ex-wife, lots of trips to Las Vegas, a lot of drinking, little bit drug taking, some genuine good times.”
Flashforward to the present day. Joey Santiago was jamming at home on his guitar and the initial idea behind the song may well have been lost to the moment.
He recalls, “I guess I was in kind of a zombie state, just playing. After I stopped playing I put it down and went, ‘Well, that was a fucking waste of time, what a piece of shit I am.’ I beat myself up a lot, but my girlfriend, unbeknownst to me, was recording me. She played it back to me and I go, ‘Fuck! Hold on a second here! This stuff is good!’”
Smith/Kotzen release ‘Got A Hold On Me’ live video
The duo of Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen will release ‘Better Days… And Nights’ on September 16th.
This week they shared the live video for ‘Got A Hold On Me’, which you can check out above.
Adrian Smith comments, “I think everyone in the band was extremely happy with how our very first tour turned out. We were all naturally a little anxious as we’d never played live together before but once we got out there, everything fell into place really easily and we all had a tremendous amount of fun. I can’t wait until we can do it again and get to play in many more places next time round.”
Richie Kotzen adds, “We spent a lot of time discussing which of the songs from the live show to include on this CD. We wanted to capture an accurate snapshot of the special vibe we all felt on the tour and I think we’ve achieved this in the songs we’ve selected, and hope our fans will agree. We’re looking forward to seeing everybody again on future tours.”
This week also saw Maximo Park share their latest single, ‘Merging Into You’, which you can check out above.
Singer Paul Smith comments on the song:
“Merging Into You’s organ sound reminds me of some of our early songs, which ended up on the flipside of our first singles. The song is a romantic look at the first, tentative moments of a relationship, enhanced by Du Blonde’s brilliant voice. We’re all fans of Beth’s music and she added a different texture to our sound, along with Faye MacCalman’s swooning sax that carries the song to its close.”
Stray From The Path share video for ‘Needful Things’
Stray From The Path celebrate the release of new album, ‘Euthanasia’, with the debut of the video for ‘Needful Things’.
The band will shortly play an intimate UK Tour to celebrate the album release even further.
Speaking of tour, guitarist, Tom Williams, says “We are stoked to return back to the UK and mainland Europe to do some small and intimate album release shows for our new record, ‘Euthanasia’. By the time we get there, it will be almost three years since we’ve been back. We’ve dropped ‘Guillotine’ and ‘III’ and our UK/EU people have been wanting us back ASAP, I’m glad we can get back there for them. We’re bringing with us a brand new album, two amazing up and coming bands in Vatican and Guilt Trip, and three years of too much time spent away from some of our favourite places on earth.”
As our News Report continues we look towards Wednesday 13 who this week debuted new single, ‘Insides Out’, which you can check out above.
The track comes ahead of 9th album, ‘Horrifier’, which is out October 7th.
About the track, Wednesday 13 says: “Our latest single ‘Insides Out’ is a very heavy song, so it only made sense to make a video to match the sound! Torture and violence is the main theme of this song, and we continue along the lines of the last music video with another horror movie theme here too.”
Beth Orton is another artist with an imminent album release. Her latest effort, ‘Weather Alive’ is out September 23rd, and this week she released her latest single. You can check out ‘Fractals’ above.
Orton says of the song, “The track is a beautiful example of the nature of collaboration, where people come in as they are,” she says. “You’re hearing the first take. I would never have been able to conjure that music without these musicians.”
Oakman have announced that their new EP, ‘SCP’, will be out September 30th. This week also saw the band share the video for the title track, which you can watch above.
“It is finally the end of a period. We are very excited to be able to give you the last pieces of this new baby,” says lead singer, Marine, about the new EP. “The last few months have gone by quickly and have been quite intense but it’s also a relief because we cannot wait to get our heads into what will be the next part of Oakman. We hope you enjoy this EP and we hope you can feel the sincerity of the emotions we wanted to share with you. Soon, this EP will belong to you.”
About the song, the band says, “Marine was watching a show during lockdown called “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”. The main character reminded her of a character she had played when she was doing theater. After the foundation of ‘SCP’ was written, she wrote the lyrics about these two characters. ‘SCP’ is a sarcastic and second degree track about the fear of loneliness and not being loved at all costs with a neurotic side.”
Grave Goods share the song ‘Die’ from their debut album, ‘Tuesday. Nothing Exists’, out now!
Speaking of the single, drummer Sarah Grimes said, “Lois sent us the idea for DIE as a sort of electronic track, and when we were all together we worked out how to make it into a live band sound and add our own stamp to it. Whilst recording at Invada we felt that the build up towards the end of DIE needed more layers, so Lois and Phil tried out a couple of synths and settled on a sound that worked – it’s the only song that has synth.
During the last 15 minutes of our recording time Phil added extra layers by messing around with some guitar feedback – the final sound to be recorded on the album, which is kind of special when you think about it especially as DIE is the closing track of the album.”
Harpy – ‘Medicine’
Harpy is back to share her brand new single, ‘Medicine’!
“Sometimes we don’t want to be saved. Sometimes we want to feel the pain, to revel in the misery. We do things that are bad for us, because sometimes they feel good… so good that we go back to them again, and again, and again. That’s what Medicine is about.” – Harpy
Creature Cult – ‘ughly’
Creature Cult are a duo from Colchester, Essex consisting of Connar Ridd (vocals/guitar) and Jonn Downham (synths/backing vocals). The present their latest single, ‘ughly’.
Explaining the track further, Connar said, “I had to leave a job recently because I was told I didn’t dress the way they wanted me to when I was dressed perfectly fine. If someone without piercings and tattoos and bleached hair would have worn the same thing I doubt there would have been an issue. I’m bored of being made to feel like an alien for just trying to be who I am, this song is exactly about it. It’s about paranoia to leave the f*cking house because you’re thinking about what homophobic comment someone is gunna say when you’re queuing in the corner shop. About feeling exhausted to be yourself because people try and make it hard for you to be. But there is a community for people who stick together and stand tall, a community where difference is celebrated and we are all ‘freaks’ together, and this song is a f*ck you to the people who try to take that away.”
Jonn adds, “I was recently sitting at a bus stop and had a group of guys hurling the foulest homophobic comments at me simply because I was wearing makeup and dressed in a faux-fur coat. It’s both crazy and sad that there are people who still have these sorts of views towards others simply for being or looking different to what’s considered ‘normal’. It’s not okay”
2021 has been another tough year to live through. There have been some signs of normal life, for example the return of live music, but we end it as we started with true normality a distant memory.
This year has however been a stunning year for new music releases. Yes, lockdown musicians and the odds are their creativity will take over. In Full Pelt Music’s first full year of existence we have reviewed 65 albums and the quality of those releases has been exceptional.
Last year we counted down our Top 20 albums of the year, with a special Advent Calendar countdown on our Twitter. This year we have expanded! Our 2021 countdown has taken place across all our social platforms, and has listed our Top 50 albums of the year!
With that social media countdown completed, it’s now time to compile our completed Top 50 in one place. So let’s get started!
What we said:
“there are stunning moments spread throughout the album”
“was anybody craving a new album from The Offspring in 2021? Perhaps not, but actually in this messed up world we live in, maybe, just maybe, we needed it!”
“vitality shouldn’t be mistaken for relevance and whilst the band may have peaked commercially, they remain of utmost importance to a generation of music fans”
Check out:
What we said:
“anybody that had any doubts about the natural talents of this group of musicians, they should now acknowledge a new force”
The quality of this year’s releases has been truly phenomenal as our opening 30 albums attests. The competition is extremely tight for the coveted top spot and that is clear throughout the prestigious Top 20 that follows.
What we said:
“a sublime collection of upbeat, heartfelt and powerful songs that is bound to be stuck on repeat for the foreseeable future”
“a rare talent that have now reinforced their passion and ability to create great music for anybody who wants to listen but without concession on their vision”
Well there you have it! What a truly magnificent year for new music 2021 has been. What will 2022 have in store? Remember to discover the best new acts by following our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist’!
Stay tuned for our 2021 Year in Review coming very soon.