Vol. 88
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Full Pelt Magazine
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Garbage
Let All That We Imagine Be the Light
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You could argue that Garbage are enjoying something of a fabled career renaissance. The group have always been somewhat sporadic with their releases but new (eighth) studio album, ‘Let All That We Imagine Be the Light’ is their second since the world locked down.
Predecessor ‘No Gods No Masters’ was a frank indictment of the modern world and came at a time when the world was suffering. The band set about this time making a different record and leaving the socio-political analysis behind, alas that couldn’t possibly happen with the planet still facing such worrying times.
There is therefore still an undertone of challenging injustices still present on this album but as highlighted by the album title itself, the overarching theme is one of hope. The band are acknowledging the darkness but striving for the light.
WATCH the video for ‘There’s no future in optimism’
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Sonically the record follows this path too and whilst still undeniably Garbage’s signature sound there is an evolutionary experimentation throughout which ensures that this is a standalone record for the now as opposed to a direct sequel for ‘No Gods No Masters’.
‘Let All That We Imagine Be the Light’ comprises ten eclectic tracks each harnessing different elements of the bands varied influences. From statement opener ‘There’s No Future In Optimism’ to epic conclusion ‘The Day That I Met God’ and all in between; this is an absorbing collection which will only further emphasise that Garbage are enjoying a real purple patch of artistry.
With their shows drawing plaudits and their recent albums gaining such admiration, hopefully we will continue to get more Garbage in our lives over the next few years because just the eight albums over their thirty-plus year career is somewhat slim pickings.
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Vol. 87
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Slam Dunk Festival
Hatfield Park
Saturday 24th May 2025
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SLAM DUNK SOUTH – FESTIVAL REVIEW
Next year Slam Dunk Festival will celebrate 20 years of existence. A milestone for an event which started out as a small one-dayer in Leeds. Over those years the event has grown exponentially and taken over campuses, spawned into a multi North, South (and for awhile even Midlands) event and now takes place within two large parks in their spiritual homes of Leeds and Hatfield.
It’s the Hertfordshire version that we head to this cloudy May Bank Holiday Weekend for what has become the traditional opening ceremony for another stacked festival season.
Walking into Hatfield Park and again thinking about the growth of the event is unavoidable. For years A Day To Remember have been touted as the perfect headliner for the festival but always seemed out of reach. Their positioning at the top of the bill this year is itself therefore something of a milestone.
As however we consider the impact of this booking and the potential further growth of this beloved gathering, we turn our attention to another dynamic which has been so vital to building the Slam Dunk brand – championing new music.
EARLY AFTERNOON DELIGHTS
Yes, on a line-up dominated by big American acts, some of the most exciting bookings are the young homegrown acts spotlighted earlier on in the day. The first of which that we head for is Lake Malice who make the absolute most of their time on stage. Visually the band come across as stars with backing dancing adding to the big stage feel. It’s musically though that makes the crowd let go of any early morning inhibitions and get the party started.
Next, we head over to one of the two main outdoor stages where we catch the always emotive Dream State who attract a fairly sizeable crowd for the time of day. The lack of actual sunshine today does little to dent fans determination to enjoy themselves and watching the audience let loose, clearly the empowering sing-alongs of Dream State help!
Over the past handful of years Slam Dunk has suffered a few issues with poor layouts, overcrowding, sustenance options and traffic management just some of the problems that they have endured. This year thankfully everything is running pretty smoothly with no major obvious gripes.
One issue that becomes apparent is that the Key Club Stage is running late and messing with people’s schedules. This can be massively frustrating for avid music lovers but for us it enables us to catch Kid Bookie and Greywind who were initially caught up in some of those infamous Slam Dunk clashes.
Kid Bookie, despite some technical challenges, is his usual defiant and captivating self as he blasts out a number of tracks from ‘Songs for the Living // Songs for the Dead’ – one of our favourite albums of 2024. Greywind meanwhile showcase their fantastic recent singles such as ‘I.K.A.M.F.’ and ‘Acid Rain’ both of which sound huge in the tent.
A COMPETITION FOR SET OF THE DAY
Perhaps the new band that we were most excited to see today though was Winona Fighter and they certainly didn’t disappoint! Despite an abridged set due to the running time issues in the small tent, the band are phenomenal, and their blistering set says that they are very much going to be breakout stars in the coming years.
It’s soon enough time for our first dose of nostalgia today and that comes over in the bigger tent with The Ataris who have fans cramming in. A set focusing on their early material does wonders and the sing-along to ‘The Boys of Summer’ is one of the loudest of the day.
Before we spend the evening in the company of the bigger hitters however, we still have time to catch a short run of notable newer acts with Rain City Drive and Free Throw both impressive.
It’s Mouth Culture however that completely own the Key Club Stage and deliver a performance to rival Winona Fighter for the set of the day. Again, if this show is anything to go by then Mouth Culture are going to be gigantic. The likes of ‘Sharkbait’ and ‘No Shame’ get the audience engaged but it’s the finale of ‘Ratbag’ which leaves you wondering how anybody can top them today!
It’s another turn towards the nostalgic now as we head back to Main Stage East where Finch serenade a passionate audience with classics like ‘Letters To You’ and ‘What It Is To Burn’.
AN EVENING OF FESTIVAL FAVOURITES
A quick march over to Main Stage West for the first time today follows and the pop punk goodness that has been the backbone of Slam Dunk Festival is delivered with aplomb by New Found Glory and Neck Deep. These two acts typify the mix of big US acts and homegrown talent that has been the bread and butter of these stages for nearly 20 years.
Each of these two performances are exactly what they need to be and provide an enjoyable evening as the clouds grow and the temperature starts to drop. We are able to catch a short glimpse of Alkaline Trio next who have the big tent singing every word of ‘Stupid Kid’ as we return amongst the hordes leaving Electric Callboy to find a spot for our headline act.
The crowd present for A Day To Remember is likely the largest the festival has ever seen, and the band instantly have them onside as they smash out ‘The Downfall of Us All’ and ‘I’m Made of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of?’.
The pace never really relents despite the inclusion of a number of new tracks from their latest album, ‘Big Ole Album Vol. 1’. Despite their recent lacklustre outputs, the band can still deliver the goods live and on a day like this their whole set feels like a celebration of the scene which Slam Dunk has helped build.
As the band finish their performance and the fans make their way back home, everyone will undoubtedly look back on a great day out. The rain stayed away, the festival flowed well, and the bands all delivered. Another festival season is underway and whilst there is plenty to look forward to still, attention for Slam Dunk now will turn to delivering a monstrous 20th Anniversary edition in 2026!
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Skunk Anansie
The Painful Truth
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SKUNK ANANSIE – THE PAINFUL TRUTH – ALBUM REVIEW
‘The Painful Truth’ represents the seventh studio album for Skunk Anansie. It is their fourth since reforming in 2009 but is also their first in nine years. It also happens to be their most ambitious and expansive selection yet!
Working with renowned producer David Sitek, the group have taken his advice to simplify their process and in doing so have conjured up an album full of complexities but elevated by the simplistic notion of writing damn good pop songs and adding that Skunk Anansie alt-rock tenacity.
This is demonstrated immediately with the statement lead single and first track ‘An Artist Is An Artist’ with its mad sax solos and extravagant groove. Each track thereafter has its own identity and style as the band showcase the eclectic influences that have made up their signature sound.
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Whilst each track stands strongly on their own, the album flows incredibly smoothly and just works so well. It always feels clichéd saying a new album is the someones best work, especially when they already carry such a strong back catalogue with them. But this album exudes those words.
This really is a stunning collection with the fierce talents of vocalist Skin naturally echoing throughout. Sometimes a break can help and after a release gap of similar length to their first split, this feels like another big comeback from one of British rock’s original disrupters.
This is a magnificent celebration of Skunk Anansie’s past but more importantly their glorious present!
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The Callous Daoboys
I Don’t Want to See You in Heaven
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THE CALLOUS DAOBOYS – I Don’t Want to See You in Heaven – Album Review
You can’t really say that The Callous Daoboys have exploded on the scene considering that they’ve been active for pushing a decade, but the group has certainly had an impactful past year.
The band have been building towards their third album, ‘I Don’t Want to See You in Heaven’, and now that record is here in all of it’s madcap glory! An actual genre-defying label applicable collection which truly defies any sense at all yet it is still absolutely fantastic.
Maniacally frantic yet oddly measured, these thirteen songs and interludes take the listener on a chaotic journey through what vocalist Carson Pace describes as his museum of failure. A personal and introspective construct which is also explained away by Pace as a “snapshot of 24-47. A scrapbook of trial and error”.
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Given that description you can only help but wonder what these years have witnessed in the life of Pace given song titles such as ‘Two-Headed Trout’, ‘Body Horror for Birds’, ‘The Demon of Unreality Limping Like a Dog’ and ‘Douchebag Safari’!
Sonically the seven-piece have manifested a ferociously brutal bombast of modern nu-metal inspired heaviness. The overriding takeaway feeling being that these songs are going to go hard when played live.
Their own journey may have been slow, but the band feel on the cusp of a bigger breakthrough and if that is the case then this is the album needed to act as a launchpad.
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Vol. 85
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Sleep Token
Even In Arcadia
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sleep token – EVEN IN ARCADIA – ALBUM REVIEW
Sleep Token are the poster children for the TikTok generation of heavy music fans. They have amassed a fanbase of fanatical followers in a timeframe not really seen in the modern music industry. Whether you love then or loathe them, you have to respect their success.
There will naturally be jealous naysayers seeking to belittle their ascent and take away from their achievements, but these mysterious masked figures have captured the imaginations of a diverse cross-section of the world.
Time comes now for those followers to worship a new offering – their fourth album, ‘Even In Arcadia’. The album very much treads the path that they’ve already forged on their releases thus far and those fans will enjoy dissecting every lyric and every sound on this record.
LISTEN TO ‘CARAMEL’
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The entire build towards the album has again sent those dedicated fans down many a merry path as they uncovered details of the record. Any band that can cause such hysteria over the unveiling of a tracklist must know that they are on to a winner.
Their core fanbase will not need to read any reviews of the album. They will be fully absorbing themselves into the ten tracks in the coming days. That again is some commitment with the record pushing an hour in length.
Our review then will just tackle the headlines. There is some small evolution of their signature sound but not enough to make this a truly interesting record. The most interesting facet is the most revealing and personal lyrics yet from the secretive Vessel. Sonically the album could be described as lounge music for metal fans, but that means that you’ll need to be in the right mood for this album.
Realistically you’ll again love or loathe this record based off of your pre-conceived perception of the band. It may not be earth-shattering, but it’s another step in the quest for world domination by the band of the moment.
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The Amazons
21st Century Fiction
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THE AMAZONS – 21st CENTURY FICTION – album review
In their relatively short career thus far, The Amazons have already shown that they are happy doing things their own way. A rock band who in a different generation would’ve been huge, have still managed to make a hell of a dent on their own timeline.
Their self-titled album shot them into the picture of an always challenging landscape of young bands trying to make their mark before ‘Future Dust’ served to solidify their presence in the consciousness of the current music scene. Their third album, ‘How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me’ then displayed their ambition and willingness to experiment.
One criticism that you could throw at their last album though was perhaps a lack of truly anthemic standouts. That however is rectified delightfully on their new fourth album, ‘21st Century Fiction’!
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This new collection is the best of everything The Amazons have shown that they can deliver. Those arena rock anthems are back, but their penchant for the epic and more grandiose also hits it pinnacle.
From the gradual build of the opening number ‘Living A Lie’, all the way through to the big finale of ‘Go All The Way’, this is a highly ambitious piece of artist expression which is more of an experience for listeners than a mere album.
The band have been brave but clever with both their songwriting and their album craft and the results are pretty stunning. It’s always a risk for a band to take something of a punt on themselves, but you can tell that The Amazons have poured their passionate selves into this record and the outcome is their best collection to date!
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