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Album Reviews

The Treatment

The Treatment

Wake Up The Neighbourhood

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THE TREATMENT – WAKE UP THE NEIGHBOURHOOD – ALBUM REVIEW

When we reviewed The Treatment’s last album, ‘Waiting For Good Luck’, we commented on the aptness of the title and the fact that their revolving line-up had stifled their early momentum. Well a status report ahead of their new album, ‘Wake Up The Neighbourhood’ and the line-up remains static with a prevailing wind once again behind good ship Treatment!

This record is the groups sixth studio effort and remarkably marks the first time across those albums that the same vocalist has featured on three successive releases. It does have to be said that Tom Rampton’s stunning voice has played a big part in recapturing the magic and righting the ship.

Those vocals again stand out throughout what is easily the band’s best work, which is saying something given their fine previous work. On an album which aims to pay homage to the roots of the classic rock genre in the 1970’s – then of course just known as rock!

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘WHEN THUNDER AND LIGHTNING STRIKES’
The Treatment – ‘When Thunder and Lightning Strikes’

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As we focus on two newer bands from the ‘New Wave of Classic Rock’ in our Magazine this week, it should of course be noted that it was the likes of The Treatment that really started that movement back in the early 2010’s, and it’s great to see the band not just coasting but pushing full steam ahead.

The opening run of ‘Let’s Wake Up This Town’, ‘Back To The 1970’s’, ‘When Thunder and Lightning Strikes’ and ‘This Fire Still Burns’ will tell you all you need to know about this eleven track and forty minute collection. It’s all out rock ‘n’ roll, but with a truer classic sound and a little less of the pub rock elements of previous albums.

This helps to create a genuine throwback sound but with a modern twist, and ensures that many of these songs will be stuck in your head for some time. These songs will sound huge live and this album should act as a new marker for success for a band still capable of making a mark!

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EP Reviews

BLACKGOLD

Back With Another One

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Live Reviews

When Rivers Meet

When Rivers Meet

Epic Studios, Norwich

Thursday 9th May 2024

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WHEN RIVERS MEET – NORWICH – ALBUM REVIEW

📸 (c) Denis Gorbatov / Full Pelt Music

The sun is out today in Norwich and the city’s rock fans are out en masse as well, queuing up early to catch one of the new faces of classic rock, When Rivers Meet, live at the fantastic facility that is Epic Studios.

DUSK BROTHERS

It doesn’t take long after doors opening for our opening act to take to the stage and start making some real good noise! Dusk Brothers immediately parade their unique homemade setup, including petrol cans and kebab shop oven sheets, before showing what an incredible racket the duo can make.

Imagine if Seasick Steve had a twin brother and had gone through a metal phase in his youth and you’ll be close to picturing how the Dusk Brothers present. Their Bluesy Americana and quick witted charm makes for a highly enjoyable forty minutes and the audience tonight is clearly appreciative, giving the duo a rousing ovation at the end of their set.

Dusk Brothers are well worth a deep dive and the band highlight throughout their set tonight that they host regular livestreams. This is noteworthy also for the correlation with our headliners When Rivers Meet, who made their own name during the pandemic with a series of popular livestreams!

WHEN RIVERS MEET

Those innovative sessions gained engagement and traction for the band when live shows were taken away, but since the return of live music, that momentum has only continued to build for the husband and wife duo.

Playing live as a four-piece, Grace and Aaron Bond bring their songs to life this evening through skilful musicianship and stunning visuals aided by the set-up at Epic. The show has a special feel, as the band return to their original home county and the venue provides a striking background.

In just five years the band has already released three albums and the latest, ‘Aces Are High’ is front and centre this evening with all ten tracks featuring in the lengthy setlist. This is a great sign of faith in the quality of the album and that faith is indeed well placed, with the fans already lapping up the likes of ‘Play My Game’, ‘Infected’ and ‘Perfect Stranger’.

Whilst aligned with the “New Wave of Classic Rock” movement, the folk aesthetic that runs through the threads of When Rivers Meet helps to set them apart from the pack. A stripped back portion of the set is a particular highlight this evening as the obvious chemistry between the Bond’s shines through.

Despite their relatively short touring life, When Rivers Meet know how to connect with their audience and there is a kind of awe that befalls attendees this evening as they relish in the talent emanating from the stage.

An encore of ‘Golden’ and ‘Did I Break the Law’ provides a fitting finale to a polished performance from a band still seemingly going from strength to strength. With the tease of new music mentioned tonight, you can’t help but be excited to see what comes next.

Whenever that new music does come, you can safely say that on the evidence of tonight the show that follows is sure to take things to another level once again.

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Album Reviews

Kings of Leon

Kings of Leon

Can We Please Have Fun

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KINGS OF LEON – CAN WE PLEASE HAVE FUn – ALBUM REVIEW

Kings of Leon are in the position many mega-selling artists find themselves in. They’ll forever be shackled to their back catalogue and the weight of expectation to replicate past success. That burden however equally can become a gift. Their career is stable, they will forever be able to sell out the biggest venues across the world, and therefore it perhaps doesn’t matter if they continue to produce hit records.

Well, for Kings of Leon they have linked up with producer Kid Harpoon for their ninth collection as a band. In advance the band have talked of their positive experience working with the Brit and have classed ‘Can We Please Have Fun’ as the music they’ve always wanted to make. Perhaps then those shackles are now off!

Given recent output has been somewhat hit and miss from the Followill tribe, it’s interesting that on this album they lean into their more methodical side. Slower but perhaps more meaningful the sonic ambience of the record is far removed from their bigger rockier hits with an almost shoegaze-esque feel creeping across these tracks.

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘MUSTANG’
Kings of Leon – ‘Mustang’

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That perhaps could be the influence of the Harpoon kid or perhaps just an expansion on their own garage rock roots but it ties the album with a cohesive albeit basic thread. The band have commented in press for this record that not everything has to be turned up to 11 and in fact there is nothing here really turned up to even an 8.

This album is all very easy going, which isn’t necessarily a criticism but you kind of wish they would step it up at least once or twice. This record though, despite its title, isn’t designed for the dancefloor or even the festival stage.

It would however suit a long, sunny car ride somewhere and ultimately you suspect the album title is more self-fulfilling. Hopefully, the band enjoy this record because they’ve earned the right to make music for themselves, just as long as those hits continue to fill those stadiums!

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Album Reviews

Indoor Pets

Indoor Pets

Pathetic Apathetic

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INDOOR PETS – PATHETIC APATHETIC – ALBUM REVIEW

A lot can happen in five years, and it certainly has in the five years since Indoor Pets backed up their early promise with brilliant debut album, ‘Be Content’. The world has seen chaos, disorder, panic, isolation and depression, and Indoor Pets haven’t been impervious to modern life’s crushing weight either.

With the world stopping, the band took time away from the music industry including the rigours of maintaining a constant social presence. Thus, they disappeared for a while from public view, but thankfully they eventually reconvened to harness their creative powers once again.

Now the group are back with their sophomore release, ‘Pathetic Apathetic’, which sees them emerge from hibernation with a harder sound and a point to prove, even if just to themselves!

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘LONDON (LOVE TO HATE)
Indoor Pets – London (Love To Hate)

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The record bursts into life with the scathing indictment of our capital city that is ‘London (Love to Hate)’, and that honesty both in terms of lyrical content and musical soundtrack continue through the rest of the album.

It does feel like on ‘Pathetic Apathetic’ we are getting Indoor Pets unchained and free to make music the way they want to without the burden of expectation. There’s a passion and an energy that seeps through the substance of these songs and the results are magical.

During their early years, Indoor Pets managed to beautifully showcase their pop sound utilising indie-indulging guitars, but on this record, those guitars thrash and fuzz more like a British Weezer. This helps to affirm ‘Pathetic Apathetic’ as an incredibly catchy return for a band that has never failed in creating enjoyable pop rock earworms.

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Album Reviews

BIG SPECIAL

BIG SPECIAL

POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES

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BIG SPECIAL – POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES – ALBUM REVIEW

Should it be any surprise that 14 years into the chaotic rule of the Tory party, we’ve seen a boom in politically conscious groups gaining substantial popularity? Anyone would think that the working class were sick and tired of being taken for granted and treated like fools and even an inconvenience to those in power!

Given it’s a rather important year for politics it’s perhaps more imperative than ever for the voices of the general public be heard. It’s perhaps just a coincidence then that many big hitters of the so-called post-punk movement have released or are about to release new albums this year.

It’s a new act however that has been generating the most hype and now BIG SPECIAL are taking this opportune moment to share their huge debut album, ‘POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES’.

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘THIS HERE AIN’T WATER’
BIG SPECIAL – ‘POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES’

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That is huge in terms of the themes present, huge in terms of the sonic kaleidoscope on offer, huge in terms of impact and indeed huge in terms of size. The collection sits at fifteen tracks and nearly fifty minutes of running social commentary intermixed with a sublime blend of punk, of course, but also alt-rock, soul, goth-rock, pop and a heavy dose of blues.

Whilst much focus, even within this very review, will be on the frank and pertinent lyrical content which is of great relevance in the current climate, the most impressive aspect of this album is the variety of stunning musical turns. It really is the sonic onslaught that grabs you firmly and hypnotises you into absorbing those words of brutal poetry.

The words that do come forth from the music are different from the standard post-punk clichés because they don’t preach and they don’t look to answer the problems identified. The album simply places on record observations of the impact of modern life whilst subtly holding out hope that things can get better.

Despite much of the duo’s promotional materials offering the quip that “It’s not big and it’s not special”, on listening to this superb collection you’ll be left under no uncertainty that this is indeed very big and this is truly very special!

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Album Reviews

Attic Theory

Attic Theory

What We Fear the Most

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ATTIC THEORY – WHAT WE FEAR THE MOST – ALBUM REVIEW

The so called “New Wave of Classic Rock” continues to flourish with dedicated rock fans always on the lookout for something new. As such, a name that will have caught their gaze in recent years is that of Attic Theory.

The group have been winning over audiences with their live shows whilst supporting the likes of Terrorvision, Black Spiders and Dead Man’s Whiskey or hitting up festivals such as Firevolt in their native North West.

In late 2020, a well received EP further pushed their name as “one’s to watch”, but now feels like the time for the band to arrive as it were. That’s because the fateful moment when Attic Theory release their debut album is upon us.

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘NARROW LINES’
Attic Theory – ‘Narrow Lines’

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‘What We Fear The Most’ acts as a statement of intent, capturing on record the sound that has won them their plaudits thus far. That is a hard rock sound that pulls in elements of metal, classic rock and even grunge – the latter stemming largely from the powerful voice of singer Lewis Wright which brings with it Eddie Vedder and Chris Cornell vibes.

The guitars are crushing and the rhythm section is methodical which gives the majority of the record some real thunderous momentum. There are standouts and quirks however with the likes of ‘Tattooed Heart’, ‘Narrow Lines’ and softer numbers ‘Million Little Things’ and Lucy Ellen featuring finale ‘The Legacy’ all worthy of mention.

All in all though this is a very solid documentation of what Attic Theory are all about, and with the hurdle of a debut album skilfully navigated you can only imagine that the band will continue to go from strength to strength.

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Magazine

Full Pelt Magazine

Full Pelt Magazine

Vol. 34

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The latest issue of the Full Pelt Magazine is here, and you can download your copy for free below!

Volume 34 features our cover stars PET NEEDS as they take ‘Intermittent Fast Living’ out on the road. We also review the first new album from The Zutons in 16 years!

Our News Report has all the latest music news including live announcements from David Gilmour, Accept, Saxon, Creeper, Imagine Dragons, Kid Bookie, Seasick Steve, DIIV, Weatherstate, Willie J Healey, DEADLETTER and Kissin’ Dynamite!

Plus all the best new releases including Attitude Festival, Dead Pony, Sea Girls, New Years Day, The Dead Daisies, Hot Milk, The Menzingers, Frank Turner, Fit For An Autopsy, Sylosis, Lauran Hibberd, Darnell Cole and Teen Mortgage!

Finally, we round up the latest additions to our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist including Fast Blood, Gigi Gold and Masca!

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Live Reviews

Kira Mac

Kira Mac

Waterfront Studio, Norwich

Sunday 5th May 2024

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KIRA MAC – NORWICH – LIVE REVIEW

📸 (c) Denis Gorbatov / Full Pelt Music

After months of miserable weather, spring has finally sprung with the sun shining this Bank Holiday weekend. Revellers on an evening walk past the Waterfront in Norwich this evening get see a long queue mixed with rockers and goths as music fans line up for two different events.

Downstairs is a tribute band for The Cure and upstairs we are here to catch rising bands Kira Mac and Jayler in the Waterfront Studio. I’ll let you guess which sub-culture group is headed to which show!

JAYLER

Those upstairs don’t have to wait long for the entertainment to begin and kicking off proceedings this evening are youngsters Jayler. The four-piece look and sound like they’ve been rescued from the 1970’s by Bill and Ted in order to pass an exam asking what blues-soaked hard rock should sound like.

From opening duo ‘Acid Rain’ and ‘No Woman’ onwards it’s clear that the band are heavily inspired by the likes of Led Zeppelin and Greta Van Fleet. Those are some big old shoes to fill, but with their mesmerising performance tonight, Jayler prove that they are here to give it a good go. In fairness, on this evidence, you wouldn’t put it past the group from making a big mark in the near future.

KIRA MAC

Headliners Kira Mac have certainly been making a mark since the release of their debut album, ‘Chaos Is Calling’, in 2022. Word is certainly spreading about the rockers and the venue tonight is packed and eager to see their new heroes.

The band come out all guns blazing and the first portion of their set sees them fly through, ‘Save Your Whiskey’, ‘Dead Man Walking’, ‘Chaos Is Calling’ and new tracks ‘Play the Game’, ‘No Way Out’ and ‘Scorned’.

Next, the band change the pace with a special acoustic portion – something the band comment won’t be repeated in the future. If so, that would be a shame as the next twenty or so minutes are a fantastic showcase not just of the talent within the band but also their charm.

Singer Rhiannon Hill is able to hold the audience and make them hang off of every word. A handful of rarer played tracks and covers is well received and is a real highlight of the evening.

A rousing cover of Alanis Morissette classic ‘You Oughta Know’ then kickstarts the third section of their performance and gets the crowd singing along. Six more tracks follow with some favourites and a sneak peek of what to expect from album number two. During all of these tracks, you are left to appreciate the camaraderie and talent held within the tight group.

That kinship and audience connection will help to set the band apart as they move to the next era of their career and you’d have to expect that when they return to Norwich, they’ll be playing in the bigger presently goth occupied room.

An encore of ‘Downfall’ and ‘One Way Ticket’ delivers a final knockout blow this evening and has the fans raving about what they’ve just witnessed as they file back into the warm spring night.

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Magazine

Full Pelt Magazine

Full Pelt Magazine

Vol. 35

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The latest issue of the Full Pelt Magazine is here, and you can download your copy for free below!

Volume 35 features our cover star Frank Turner as announces show 3000 and shares his 10th studio album, ‘Undefeated’. Plus we review the new releases from Emily Barker, P.O.D., Dea Matrona, The Exact Opposite, DAYTIME TV and EEVAH.

Our News Report has all the latest music news including live announcements from Frank Turner, David Gilmour, Massive Wagons, The Lemon Twigs, Alien Ant Farm, LostAlone, Levellers, Don Broco and Myles Kennedy.

Plus all the best new releases including P.O.D., Robert Jon & The Wreck, Black Country Communion, Fire From The Gods, The Lovely Eggs, Mannequin Death Squad, FM, Blossoms, Jaret Ray Reddick, SAFIRE, Yours Truly, Hamish Hawk, Mt. Onsra, VOWER, Our Hollow, Our Home, Heriot, Lizzy Farrall, Raven Numan, Soft Play and Richie Kotzen!

Finally, we round up the latest additions to our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist including SHADE UK, HRTLSS, Sleep Theory, Peter Bibby, The Fever Kings and Caroline Romano!

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