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EP Reviews

BLACKGOLD

BLACKGOLD

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BLACKGOLD

The mysterious BLACKGOLD burst onto the scene earlier this year with their debut single, ‘It’s Art’, and now they have unleashed a monstrous self-titled debut EP!

That single gets the EP started and sets a tone that remains throughout the other four tracks. That is a tone of passion and ferocity in a distinctly nu-metal-esque presentation.

There is a good mix of both a throwback nostalgic sound with a fresh and innovative twist on this statement of a record.

It can be hard for new bands to break through, but BLACKGOLD clearly have eye-catching aesthetics and a sound that can back up their bravado. The band could have an intriguing future and this EP is the perfect introduction to the world.

Listen to ‘Sorry’ from BLACKGOLD on our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist

Read our review of Muse live in London

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Live Reviews

Muse

Eventim Apollo, London

Monday 9th & Tuesday 10th May 2022

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MUSE – LONDON – LIVE REVIEW

Muse have stated that their new album, ‘Will of the People’, is “influenced by the increasing uncertainty and instability in the world”. For two nights in Hammersmith the band do what they do best in order to help. That is of course play live, and over Monday and Tuesday they raise money for 3 important causes – War Child, Médecins Sans Frontières and The Big Issue.

The chance to watch bona fide stadium-fillers Muse, oft recognised as the best live act on the planet, in the relative intimate surrounds of the Eventim Apollo is salivating and these shows aren’t just sold out but the queue stretches and bends all around town.

There is no support for night one, but Razorlight do a superb job of warning up the audience on night two. Choosing to focus solely on their first two albums, the reunited band have the crowd singing along to hits such as ‘In The Morning’, ‘Golden Touch’, ‘Somewhere Else’ and ‘America’.

Muse start both nights with the first single from their upcoming album, ‘Won’t Stand Down’, which already appears to be a fan favourite. Momentum is then maintained through a rip roaring ‘Hysteria’ and ‘Pressure’.

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Muse – ‘Won’t Stand Down’

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The setlist remains largely the same over the two nights with only a couple of alterations. Monday gets ‘Bliss’ and ‘Stockholm Syndrome’, whilst Tuesday gets ‘Map Of The Problematique’ and ‘New Born’.

There are rarities such as ‘Assassin’, ‘The Gallery’ and ‘Citizen Erased’, old favourites like ‘Starlight’, ‘Plug In Baby’ and ‘Supermassive Black Hole’ and another new single, ‘Compliance’. An ideal set mix really for fans at all investment levels, which finishes with a huge sing-a-long moment in the shape of ‘Uprising’.

Throughout the shows the band look to be having fun, relishing the opportunity to return to the stage after two awful years for the world. Speaking of which, these shows aren’t going to fix the mess that is Earth, but the money raised will help those in need; and those in attendance will be overjoyed at the majesty of Muse on top form.

An encore of ‘Space Dementia’ and perennial closer ‘Knights of Cydonia’ provide a spectacular end to both the evenings and serve as a reminder of the genius of this band.

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Read our review of Royal Blood live in London

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Album Reviews

Puppy

Pure Evil

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PUPPY – PURE EVIL – ALBUM REVIEW

London rockers Puppy offered great promise on their debut album, ‘The Goat’, back in 2019. Now the three-piece return with sophomore offering, ‘Pure Evil’, so how does this album hold up against its predecessor?

Well, from the very beginning the bands trademark sound remains intact as they produce a unique crossover of grunge and metal with a pop bow on top. Intro ‘Shining Star’ leads into single ‘The Kiss’ as the album very much picks up where ‘The Goat’ left off.

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Puppy – ‘The Kiss’

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That’s certainly not to say that there isn’t progress made on ‘Pure Evil’. Somehow the riffs feel meatier yet the melodies sound poppier as the band stretch the differing ends of their rock and roll rainbow.

In doing so the end result may well be a pot of gold. Well perhaps not literal gold, but definitely musical gold. The likes of ‘My Offer’ and ‘…And Watched It Glow’ show that Puppy maintain their power to craft strong singles; but it’s the overall quality on show that cements the band as one of the finest purveyors of new rock music.

As the album comes towards a close, the band deliver more examples of the maturity in sound reached since their debut. ‘Angel’, ‘Shame’ and ‘Glacial’ give ‘Pure Evil’ a stunning ending and leave you ready to hit play again.

Puppy have managed to back up their fantastic debut with another album packed full of sublime alt rock that further establishes the band as amongst the best young rock bands around.

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Read our review of October Drift live in Norwich

Listen to ‘…And Watch It Glow’ from Puppy on our ‘Hard & Heavy’ Spotify Playlist

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Magazine

News Report

Every week we roundup the best music news from the past week!

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News Report

Kasabian debut new single ‘SCRIPTVRE’

Kasabian – ‘SCRIPTVRE’

Welcome everybody to another edition of our weekly music News Report! We are starting off this week with our new releases section and the latest from Kasabian.

The band this week debuted their latest single, ‘SCRIPTVRE’, which you can listen to above.

They also revealed that their new album, ‘The Alchemist’s Euphoria’, will arrive on August 5th.

Pre-order your copy here.

Read our review of ‘Alpha Games’ from Bloc Party

Sunflower Bean share new single ‘In Flight’

Sunflower Bean – ‘In Flight’

This week saw Sunflower Bean release their latest album, ‘Headful of Sugar’. To coincide with the release the band also shared the latest single from the album, ‘In Flight’, and you can listen to to song above.

Of the track and video Nick Kivlen says,

This song is a romantic vision of meeting a lover, running away together, and entering a dangerous new world. It’s less safe but also less suffocating. The video follows me through a series of twilight zone-style mishaps as I search to be seen or understood. Things only improve when I finally find like-minded people. Is it a dream? Is it the multiverse? It’s for the viewer to decide.”

Get the album here.

Nick also joined us on The Full Pelt Music Podcast, listen here, or watch below:

The Full Pelt Music Podcast – Episode 9 – Sunflower Bean

Read our review of ‘Headful of Sugar’ from Sunflower Bean

Asylums return with new single ‘Crypto Klepto’

Asylums – ‘Crypto Klepto’

This week saw the return of Asylums with their brand new single, ‘Crypto Klepto’, which you can check out above.

Describing their new single, producer Dave Eringa says:

“I can honestly say this is one of the most unhinged songs I’ve ever produced & up above 215bpm one of the fastest too!! At that speed it’s genuinely difficult to get it this heavy but the booming tom overdubs & the phalanx of fuzz guitars that annex the second verse get us there I think and the “Lalala” backing vocals notch the crazy up a level too!! Wild punk rock insanity!!!! Love it!”

More from the band here.

Listen to BAIT on our ‘Discover’ New Music Podcast

Crows share video for ‘Closer Still’

Crows – ‘Closer Still’

We continue our News Report with another band sharing a new video this week was Crows for their new track, ‘Closer Still’. The song is the album opener for latest record, ‘Beware Believers’, and you can watch the video above.

One of several unapologetically political songs on the album, where single James Cox says, “‘Closer Still’ was written about the fit-for-work scandals that kept happening where the Department for Work & Pensions were deeming people fit for work when they obviously weren’t able to, taking away what little support they received from the state in an attempt to save on expenditure. It really highlighted our government’s contempt for the vulnerable. People whose daily lives were incredibly difficult.” 

Order the album here.

Check our the Spotify Hot List on Spotify

New hard rock group Iconic release debut single ‘Nowhere To Run’

Iconic – ‘Nowhere To Run’

New hard rock supergroup Iconic have shared their debut single, ‘Nowhere To Run’, which you can check out above.

The band features Michael Sweet (guitars), Joel Hoekstra (guitars), Marco Mendoza (bass), Tommy Aldridge (drums), and Nathan James (vocals).

“This was a very refreshing and unique experience. Musically, very different from Stryper, which is of course very different from all the other projects I am involved with. This is more of a throwback to the past and it felt good to do that. It reminded me of how great the music of the past really is” says Michael Sweet.

“Once the songs were arranged, I booked a studio and recorded my guitar parts, which is always the funnest part for me. I’m not sure why, but I guess because I’m a guitar player first and foremost and it’s just one of the most creative and fun parts of the process for me. To be able to get the right tone and play the right parts and hear it all come together….it’s very rewarding” he adds.

“The riffs were all very comfortable to me because I wrote most of them. 😀 I definitely have a great comfort level playing with Tommy Aldridge that’s developed over the last 8 years or so with Whitesnake. I’ve also co-written with Nathan, Michael, and Alessandro in the past, so everything felt very natural despite this being a “new” band” says Joel Hoekstra. 

“Michael asked me to write riffs without an arrangement (as he did with George Lynch on the Sweet & Lynch records) and then he arranged them with what he had written. I wrote melodic/hard rock riffs as that was the vibe we had discussed and then all the solo parts had more to do with trying to compliment Nathan’s vocal melodies and of course add a bit of fire” he continues.

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“I am on an album with so many of my heroes and it feels amazing, to be honest. I was lucky enough to be involved in the writing of a couple of songs, but genuinely everything I hear from the guys, I knew I could do it justice. I also feel that the guys wrote stuff that suited my voice perfectly. These are not only great musicians, they are great songwriters.

I practiced the songs a lot beforehand and then I recorded all my vocals at an amazing studio in only four afternoon sessions. I wanted to make sure it sounded like me and that my vocals had the precision that I’m so used to hearing from my vocal heroes, whom many of the guys in the band have played with. And of course, I was very aware that I would be on songs with the vocal master that is Michael Sweet. I felt the pressure for sure, but I just did what I felt worked and I’m so happy with the final result” says Nathan James.

“It was a blast playing some fresh, new material. Rehearsing, trying out parts virtually was not as much fun as doing it live, but considering the global circumstances, I‘ll take it. I just try to create a supportive environment for all involved while having fun in the process. It was easy to do as these songs really play themselves. It was a true labor of love, so very little work at the end of the day” adds Tommy Aldridge.

The single will feature on debut album, ‘Second Skin’ which arrives June 17th.

Pre-order your copy here.

Read our review of The Treatment live in Cambridge

Revival Black debut ‘See You Again’

Revival Black – ‘See You Again’

Finally as we close out the new release section of our News Report, we have the latest single from Revival Black, ‘See You Again’, which you can check out above.

The song will feature on new album, ‘Under The Light’, which is released on August 26th.

Pre-order your copy here.

Read our review of ‘Back From The Dead’ from Halestorm

News Report

Arcade Fire announce the ‘WE’ Tour

Our News Report now moves onto the weekly roundup of tour announcements. Just the one this week, but it is a huge World Tour from Arcade Fire which will include multiple arenas in the UK.

Tickets are here.

Read our review of The Mysterines live in London

News Report

Deaf Havana to headline Burn It Down Festival

Now we move our News Report onto festival announcements and kick off with Burn It Down Festival in Torquay.

The event this week revealed that Deaf Havana will be headlining the festival. They join the likes of Trash Boat, Tigercub, VUKOVI, As December Falls, Our Hollow Our Home, Haggard Cat and more!

Tickets are here.

Read our review of VUKOVI live in Norwich

Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival reveals updated line-up

Finally we stop off in Scotland and Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, who this week updated their line-up.

Appearing will be the likes of Emeli Sande, The Fratellis, Passenger, Stiff Little Fingers, Ash, Vistas, The Magic Numbers, Daytime TV, Kyle Falconer, Mason Hill, Hamish Hawk, Lottery Winners, Beans On Toast, Lucia & The Best Boys and many more.

Tickets are here.

Listen to our Podcasts including recent guests Daytime TV & Beans On Toast

News Report

As always we conclude our News Report with the latest additions to our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist, where we highlight the best new music from around the world.

Personal Trainer – ‘Rug Busters’

Amsterdam’s seven-piece Personal Trainer return with joyful new single ‘Rug Busters’

Vocalist Willem Smit says of their new single:

“I wanted to make a song to dance to for everybody – no one excluded. The idea was to make a song that brings people closer to each other, no matter who they are, who they are with, what they believe or what they’ve done. 

“Dance”, “Dance Dance Dance” and “Song 2 Dance 2” were three of the working titles before I settled on “Rug Busters” – “busting a move” meets “cutting a rug” or something.”

Krush Puppies – ‘Throw Me On The Fire’

Krush Puppies share new single ‘Throw Me On The Fire’, taken from debut EP ‘Love Kills The Demons’.

Vocalist and guitarist Jenny says on the single, “The song kind of acts as a confessional booth, it asks you to confide your darkest secrets within it, but questions the cost. The chant at the end urges you to face your demons instead of putting them onto someone else’s shoulders.”

Jack Valero – ‘Heaven Help Me’

The Brighton-based singer-songwriter Jack Valero is back with new single, ‘Heaven Help Me’.

Jack says, “I think every songwriter at the moment has their lockdown song. I suppose this is mine, but it covers far more for me than what the world was going through. It also covers what I was going through personally at the time,  so it all wraps up into one and is presented in a way that can apply to any age and any time. It’s a song for lockdown, it’s a song for me and it’s a song for anyone struggling with the reality of their own existence. I like to be inclusive.”

Listen, Follow and Discover your new favourite act now with our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist

Then find our the stories behind the songs on our ‘Discover’ New Music Podcast!

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Read our review of ‘Boombox’ from Fozzy

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Album Reviews

Sunflower Bean

Headful Of Sugar

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SUNFLOWER BEAN – HEADFUL OF SUGAR – ALBUM REVIEW

It’s feels like Sunflower Bean have been around forever, yet in fact it was only 2016 when the band arrived with their debut album, ‘Human Ceremony’. It didn’t take long for the band to release their follow up, ‘Twentytwo in Blue’ in 2018, now four years later the band return with album number three.

‘Headful of Sugar’ has been born out of the pandemic in many ways, but it arrives now as the world has largely unlocked and summer is on the horizon. This suits the album well as it really feels like an album to play loud with the windows down, perhaps driving along some coastal roads.

Sonically it’s a delightful album which is a highly digestible mixture of genres which blend into a familiar sound for the band. Lyrically the album tackles both the agony and ecstasy of the world that we live in.

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Sunflower Bean – ‘Roll The Dice’

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Singles ‘Who Put You Up To This?’, ‘Roll The Dice’ and ‘Baby Don’t Cry’ represent the overall album well. There isn’t much to catch out listeners on ‘Headful of Sugar’ just a band that is very good at what they do.

‘Headful of Sugar’ is an album that you will get lost in, so find the time to escape the world and take an opportunity to appreciate this charming record.

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We were recently joined by Nick from Sunflower Bean on The Full Pelt Music Podcast to discuss ‘Headful of Sugar’ and lots more! You can find audio options here, or watch the video edition on Youtube below:

The Full Pelt Music Podcast – Episode 9 – Sunflower Bean

Read our review of October Drift live in Norwich

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Album Reviews

Fozzy

Boombox

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FOZZY – BOOMBOX – ALBUM REVIEW

The career of Fozzy is a very unique one, but the trajectory of the band both in terms of quality and professional growth is simple. The group’s career progression has been driven by the continued advancement in quality of their musical output.

2017’s ‘Judas’ took the band to new heights, with major thanks to the success of the title track. Now five years on the band are back with their eighth studio album, ‘Boombox’, and looking to maintain that positive ascent.

The album starts well with the singles ‘Sane’, ‘I Still Burn’ and ‘Purifier’. These tracks had already given a strong inclination of what to expect from the album as a whole, and they provide a fine opening run for listeners.

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Fozzy – ‘Sane’

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Over the past 20+ years Fozzy albums have transformed from all covers, to a mix of covers and originals, to originals with a couple of standout tracks, to finally in recent years fully developed pieces of work.

‘Boombox’ continues this trend, and flows well with the bands signature sound taking centre stage with a few ebbs and flows mixed in to keep things interesting. ‘Army of One’ and ‘Ugly On The Inside’ particularly add something a little different into the mix.

Speaking of adding surprises into the mix, the band continues to throw in occasional cover versions and ‘Boombox’ features a surprisingly fun version of ‘Relax’ from Frankie Goes To Hollywood.

Fozzy have no doubt proven many doubters wrong over the years, and thankfully for their fans there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight. Eight albums in and the band feel like they have reached the peak of their powers, although you wouldn’t put it past them to keep on getting better.

On ‘Boombox’ the band show again that the likes of single ‘Nowhere To Run’ are no longer outlying standouts but they are now the normal standard for Fozzy.

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Read our review of The Treatment live in Cambridge

Categories
Album Reviews

Halestorm

Back From The Dead

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HALESTORM – BACK FROM THE DEAD – ALBUM REVIEW

Halestorm sing “…In my redemption, I’m my own redemption…” on their new track, ‘My Redemption’.

The band may not be in need of redemption but their upwards trajectory has appeared to be stalling recently. Let’s not talk about flattening curves however as we’ve heard enough of that over the past two years! But certainly momentum has been slowing for the band.

The band has built a solid and very dedicated fanbase over the past decade or so, but have they hit their peak? Well, they certainly never died, but with their fifth studio album, the band are ‘Back From The Dead’ as it were!

WATCH ‘BACK FROM THE DEAD’ ON YOUTUBE
Halestorm – ‘Back From The Dead’

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Yes, living up to the name of the album, new life now breathes through the band as they deliver some of their best work to date.

The album starts out strong with the title track, ‘Wicked Ways’ and ‘Strange Girl’; and the quality never really drops. Whether rocking hard on the likes of ‘The Steeple’ or captivating on ballads such as ‘Terrible Things’ or album closer ‘Raise Your Horns’, this is Halestorm on top form.

It has obviously been an appalling couple of years and many bands have struggled or seen their momentum hit during this time, but with ‘Back From The Dead’, you feel that Halestorm have caught the ball rather than dropping it!

The band will be returning to the UK for an Arena tour with Alter Bridge this December and you feel , with the reset button pushed, that the band are ready to live up to their potential and sit atop the throne sooner rather than later.

Rock most definitely isn’t dead (sorry Gene), and neither are Halestorm!

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Read our review of Ghost live in Birmingham

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Magazine

News Report

Every week we roundup the best music news from the past week

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News Report

Don Broco announce UK Arena Tour

News Report

Welcome to another edition of our weekly music News Report! We start this week with our tour news section and with the one and only Don Broco.

This past week saw the band announce a huge arena tour set for March next year. Support on the shows will come from Papa Roach and Dance Gavin Dance.

Regarding the tour frontman Rob Damiani says, “Beyond pumped to announce the Amazing Things arena tour featuring a line up only the sweetest dreams are made of. There’s no two ways about it, we wouldn’t be the band we are today if it wasn’t for the legends that are Papa Roach so as you can imagine we’re super excited to have the guys out with us as well as our ridiculously talented friends Dance Gavin Dance. See you next year!”.

Tickets are here.

The band also released a new single this week and you can listen to ‘Fingernails’ below.

Don Broco – ‘Fingernails’

Read our review of Don Broco live in Norwich

Alter Bridge reveal return to the UK

News Report

This week also saw Alter Bridge announce their return to the UK this December. As part of a bigger European Tour the band will be hitting arenas across the UK finishing up at the O2 Arena in London.

Joining the tour are very special guests Halestorm and Mammoth WVH!

Tickets are here.

Read our review of ‘Marching In Time’ from Tremonti

A Day To Remember announce UK Shows

News Report

A Day To Remember also had some shows to announce this week as they revealed a couple of UK dates around their appearance at Download Festival.

The band will be playing intimate shows in London and Glasgow this June.

Tickets are here.

Read our review of ‘You’re Welcome’ from A Day To Remember

Hard-Fi announce special London show

News Report

Hard-Fi this week revealed they’ll be returning on Saturday October 1st to play the O2 Forum Kentish Town.

The show was an instant sell out, for more from the band head here.

Find Full Pelt Music on Youtube!

The Mysterines announce new London show

Another band heading to London for a one off show at the O2 Forum Kentish Town is The Mysterines. The band will play the venue on Friday December 9th.

Tickets are here.

Read our review of The Mysterines live in London

Latitude Festival updates line-up

Festival news now as our News Report continues, and Suffolk’s Latitude Festival have updated their line-up this week with 60+ acts being added from across the arts.

Joining the music line-up were the likes of Courting, m(h)aol, Matt Maltese, Nova Twins and TV Priest.

Tickets here.

Read our review of Wolf Alice live in Norwich

The Foolhardy Folk Festival returns

Beans On Toast has announced he will be hosting a second edition of his Foolhardy Folk Festival.

Taking place at Nottingham Arboretum, the event will also feature She Drew The Gun, Will Varley, Holy Moly & The Crackers, Gaz Brookfield, Kitty Liv, Jack Flanagan and Georgie!

Tickets are here.

Watch Beans On Toast on The Full Pelt Music Podcast

The Full Pelt Music Podcast – Episode 3 – Beans On Toast

Read our review of Beans On Toast live in Colchester

Journey debut new single ‘You Got The Best of Me’

Journey – ‘You Got The Best Of Me’

On to new music release now as our News Report continues. First up is ‘You Got The Best Of Me’, the new single from icons Journey.

Listen to the track above, which will feature on a new album called, ‘Freedom’ which will arrive July 8th.

“I wanted kind of a punky rendition of ‘Any Way You Want It’”, says the group’s founding member, guitarist, songwriter, and producer Neal Schon about the single. “I usually don’t go in saying I’m going to look for something like that, but then it just came to me, like “Wheel in the Sky” did years ago. It just kind of flew out of my mouth.”

While the forthcoming album was made with visions of arena and stadium stages, it started from humble beginnings. In 2020, as COVID swept the globe, Schon was stuck at home like the rest of us. “During the pandemic, there wasn’t much to do,” he says. “I spent a lot of time in my little studio at home, learning how to play keyboards and looping. Some of those ideas ended up being songs. So it kind of came out of nowhere.”

Pre-order your copy here.

Read our review of The Treatment live in Cambridge

Deaf Havana debut ‘On The Wire’

Deaf Havana – ‘On The Wire’

Another band releasing new music this week was Deaf Havana. The band are gearing up for the release of their new album, ‘The Present is a Foreign Land’, on July 15th.

This week they debuted the latest single from the album, ‘On The Wire’, which you can check out above.

Pre-order your copy here.

Read our review of October Drift live in Norwich

MAN WITH A MISSION share new single ‘More Than Words’

MAN WITH A MISSION – ‘More Than Words’

Japanese superstars MAN WITH A MISSION have released their brand new single, ‘More Than Words’, the latest song to be taken from their forthcoming album ‘Break and Cross the Walls II’ out May 25th. You can check out the song above.

Bassist and songwriter Kamikaze Boy has a special connection with the song and says, “It’s about people sharing thoughts and feelings, even though they have a hard time exchanging words.“.

More here.

Read our review of ‘Ego Trip’ from Papa Roach

Nothing More debut ‘Tired of Winning’

Nothing More – ‘Tired of Winning’

We continue our News Report with Nothing More who this week debuted their new single, ‘Tired of Winning’, which you can listen to above.

The track will feature on the band’s upcoming new album.

More here.

Listen to ‘Tired of Winning’ on our ‘Hard & Heavy’ Spotify Playlist

Classless Act debut new track ‘Time To Bleed’

Classless Act – ‘Time To Bleed’

Rising Los Angeles rock band Classless Act this week debuted their latest track, ‘Time To Bleed’, which you can check out above.

The song will feature on their debut album, ‘Welcome To The Show’, which is released on June 24th.

Bass player Franco Gravante, who produced, mixed, and cowrote the track, explained the origins of the song, “It’s one of the first riffs I wrote for the record a couple years back. But I couldn’t finish the song. We got some magic dust sprinkled on it by Justin Hawkins and that gave me the confidence to know THIS song belonged on the record. But the record was already done and delivered. So we called the label and said, HOLD UP! Then we called Keith (Nelson), he booked a studio and 37 hours later, it was on the record and it’s coming out now! It was so fast. I think they’re still cleaning up the mess we made.  It takes what it takes, ya know?” 

After working on the song with the band during quarantine, Hawkins commented, “I had the pleasure of writing with these young men at the beginning of the Covidian era. It quickly became apparent that I had underestimated their musicality and talent. They make really sleazy good time rock and roll music with smiles on their handsome faces and I am proud to have contributed. Good luck boys!”.

Read our review of The Darkness live in Cambridge

TV Priest share ‘Limehouse Cut’

TV Priest – ‘Limehouse Cut’

Bringing our new releases section of the News Report to a close this week are TV Priest. The band shared new track, ‘Limehouse Cut’ this week and you can listen above.

The track will feature on upcoming album, ‘My Other People’, which arrives June 17th.

Vocalist Charlie Drinkwater says of the track, “The song is about a feeling dislocated and displaced in an urban space you once felt you knew and ‘understood’, however it’s also a coming to terms with an idea that you never really ‘own‘ somewhere as infinitely regenerative as a city. It’s a bit of a psycho-geographical study, a little bit of pathos at my own mortality and smallness in the great tide of history. We loved the idea of something quite abstract, something that references landscape, feels mesmeric, melancholic, a little sinister but also quite beautiful.”

Listen to The Full Pelt Music Podcast

As always we finish our News Report with the latest additions to our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist! Featured this week are:

‘Harlequin’ – Dissonants

A new look Dissonants return with new single, ‘Harlequin’.

“It’s been a tough year or so for us with the instability in the line-up, and at several points myself, Ben and Aaron wondered if the band would cease to exist, as it just felt like setback after setback was crippling us. Cuba and Harvey coming into the fold has been a massive breathe of fresh air, and has totally reinvigorated us with the ideas they’ve bought to the table. On this new track, Harlequin, I believe we’ve never sounded better as a band”, explains bassist Mike Barton.

‘Decay’ – Trashed

Bristol-based emo punk-rockers Trashed share new single, ‘Decay’, ahead of their debut album ‘Happy In Hindsight’.

Speaking about the single, the band state: “Decay was the first song written for the album. It’s like a journal entry about being trapped between existential apathy and a desire to overcome it. We wrote the lyrics to be deep and relatable without being overwhelming or uncomfortable. It’s also a transitional song for us. We’re ready to move on from what we’ve done before, which is symbolised in the artwork. This track lays the foundation for what’s to come, perfectly.”

‘The Moon’ – The Shipbuilders

Surf-Rock scousers The Shipbuilders ready debut album, ‘Spring Tide’ with the single, ‘The Moon’.

Speaking of the track, singer Matty Loughlin-Day explains: “I’ve long been fascinated and drawn towards the concept of ‘Cante Jondo’, the folk music of Andalusia that literally translates to ‘deep song’. Moon’ came from a contemplation of all of this. It’s a song written from the perspective of a soldier in the Spanish Civil War who, while standing underneath a haloed moon, can hear “the wailing of this life and the next collide” while lamenting his love’s death and pondering if the same fate will fall on him…”

Listen, Follow and Discover your new favourite act now with our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist

Then find our the stories behind the songs on our ‘Discover’ New Music Podcast!

Share our News Report on Social Media

Read our review of ‘False Start’ from James and the Cold Gun

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Live Reviews

The Treatment

J2, Cambridge

Thursday 28th April 2022

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THE TREATMENT – J2 CAMBRIDGE – LIVE REVIEW

All 📸 (c) Denis Gorbatov / Full Pelt Music

Cambridge rockers The Treatment released their latest album, ‘Waiting For Good Luck’ a year ago now. With the country still in lockdown at the time, the band are only now getting to properly tour what is perhaps their best work.

As we talked about in our review of the album, constant line-up alterations have somewhat stifled the growth of the band. That is until now, and as the band discussed with us on The Full Pelt Music Podcast, they feel that they are entering a settled phase and are ready to push onwards and upwards once again.

‘Waiting For Good Luck’, was a positive indication but for rock musicians the bread and butter is in the live performance, so how are they holding up on that front? We head to the J2 in Cambridge to find out!

Read our review of ‘Waiting For Good Luck’

SOUTH OF SALEM

Opening up this evening are South of Salem who themselves have a pandemic era album to present. Tracks such as ‘Let Us Prey’, ‘Cold Day In Hell’ and ‘Demons Are Forever’ translate well on stage and get the early crowd suitably warmed up for what’s to follow.

PISTON

Hotly tipped rock group Piston follow on stage and ramp up the atmosphere further with a run through of tracks from their self-titled album. They finish their set with a rousing rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival hit ‘Proud Mary’, which really gets the audience in the party spirit.

THE TREATMENT

That party truly gets going as locals The Treatment finally arrive on stage. The five-piece burst straight into ‘Let’s Get Dirty’ and ‘Let It Begin’ as those in attendance really let go.

Musically the band are tight and quickly demonstrate that they are fighting fit with the likes of ‘Devil In The Detail’ and ‘The Doctor’ sounding great. All new songs fit in well and sound excellent with ‘Wrong Way’ particularly standing out.

The band is an established act now with a dedicated following, but they’ve always had the potential to do more. With latest frontman Tom Rampton owning the stage and the rest of the band cohesive and polished, hopefully that long held potential can finally become reality.

As for tonight, a firing on all cylinders The Treatment plus an excitable hometown crowd equals a very memorable evening; an encore of ‘Rat Race’ and ‘Running With The Dogs’ sending fans home happy.

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Watch The Full Pelt Music Podcast with guests The Treatment

The Full Pelt Music Podcast – Episode 5 – The Treatment

Read our review of Ricky Warwick live in Norwich

Categories
Album Reviews

Bloc Party

Alpha Games

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BLOC PARTY – ALPHA GAMES – ALBUM REVIEW

It has been 6 years since Bloc Party released their last album, 2016’s ‘Hymns’. Since then solo projects, anniversary tours, pandemics and life in general have taken over, but now they are back with their sixth studio album, ‘Alpha Games’.

The group of course shot to prominence with debut album, ‘Silent Alarm’ back in 2005 and their career took them into huge venues across the world. Recent years however haven’t seen a great deal of activity from the band, with a couple of line-up changes also occurring.

It’s hard now to take stock of where the band fit into the musical landscape, are they are nostalgia act, or a creative entity still? Are they full time or part time? What direction are they heading musically?

Well, the fact we are discussing a new album demonstrates that the band still appears a viable commodity. This is great news as the band always did stand out from the crowded indie scene of the so called noughties.

Predecessor ‘Hymns’ however received rather mixed reviews, so how will ‘Alpha Games’ fare and how will it position the band moving forward?

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Bloc Party – ‘Traps’

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There are lots of questions here, but as soon as the album starts you sense the Bloc Party of old. Not in a rehash, cash in way but instead in the innovative and sonically diverse way that helped make them unique in the first place.

Opening duo ‘Day Drinker’ and ‘Traps’ set the standard early and the rest of the album manages to hold that level with only one or two slight lulls. There is a good mix of faster and slower numbers and the album flows pretty well with little drag.

This is a decent Bloc Party album that is well worth a listen, but it doesn’t really answer all the questions. Whilst this isn’t a lazy effort by any stretch of the imagination it isn’t groundbreaking either. It almost feels like the band hitting the reset button after a period of meandering change. Where they go next will be interesting.

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Read our review of ‘Skinty Fia’ from Fontaines D.C.