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Live Reviews

Millie Manders and the Shutup

Millie Manders and the Shutup

The Reindeer, Norwich

Saturday 11th November 2023

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MILLIE MANDERS AND THE SHUTUP – NORWICh – LIVE REVIEW

📸 (C) Denis Gorbatov

The autumnal sunshine that graced us today has given way to a cold evening as winter ensures that you know that it’s coming. It’s fitting perhaps then to head to The Reindeer in Norwich for a grassroots punk show.

It’s nights like this, in independent venues like this that the truest testaments to musical community transpire and tonight is sold out well in advance. The Norwich punk rock scene is clearly thriving and excited to welcome Millie Manders and the Shutup as they play a local show towards the end of a lengthy UK trek.

THE CAIN PIT

Up first are another local act The Cain Pit who deliver their punk with a bluegrass/country base. The outcome is thunderously good fun as the group do a commendable job of warming up those coming in from the cold.

A relatively new band The Cain Pit have the makings of a new live favourite with songs like ‘Roses’ and ‘Tapestry’ going down like that fifth shot of whiskey at your best friends wedding!

MILLIE MANDERS AND THE SHUTUP

Our headline act tonight Millie Manders and the Shutup have already established themselves as live favourites and this year have backed that up with fantastic sets at the likes of Rebellion, Slam Dunk and Bearded Theory festivals.

As already touched upon, tonight finds the band almost at the end of a 17 date run with multiple sold out shows including tonight. It’s a great way to end a year that has seen Manders share the first tastes of new material since 2020’s debut album ‘Telling Truths, Breaking Ties’.

New tracks ‘Shut Your Mouth’ and ‘Rebound’ both sound huge tonight as the band deliver an hour or so of relentless punk intensity. There is clearly a connection between Manders and the audience that leads to a joyous atmosphere reverberating around the venue.

Playing as a three-piece tonight due to an ill bassist, the energy and fervour emanating from both the stage and the dancefloor extinguish any missing elements they as meld the aura of the evening into one big old party.

Inside venues like this all of the world’s troubles are temporarily pushed to the back of your mind. Even when the time comes to leave the venue and head into the frostbitten night, the memories of drinks flowing, mohawks dancing and Millie Manders and the Shutup delivering the goods provides a much needed glimmer of hope. That after all is the magic of live music.

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The Full Pelt Music Podcast – Episode 17 – Millie Manders and the Shutup

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Magazine

Full Pelt Magazine

Full Pelt Magazine

Vol. 10

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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!

Finally, we round up the latest additions to our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist with The Gems, Kite Thief and HAVVK!

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Album Reviews

Lonely The Brave

Lonely The Brave

What We Do To Feel

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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.

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Lonely The Brave – ‘Long Way’

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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.

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Magazine

Full Pelt Magazine

Full Pelt Magazine

Vol. 9

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Our weekly music News Report has evolved into the Full Pelt Magazine, and you can download the ninth issue now for free!

Volume nine includes an update from cover stars The Hunna and exclusive interview with The Pale White. Plus we review Fall Out Boy live in London and album reviews from The Cadillac Three, The Struts, WARGASM and Black Water County!

We have our News Report rounding up new releases from Green Day, Chelsea Wolfe, Beans On Toast, Dead Poet Society, Casey, Mother Mother, The Beatles, New Model Army, Pet Needs, Pendulum, Therapy?, Normandie, Bob Vylan, Amongst Liars, Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard and Kid Kapichi!

Plus new live announcements from 2000trees, Isle of Wight Festival, Takedown Festival, Radar Festival, Bearded Theory, Bruce Springsteen, Hayseed Dixie, Feeder, Delain, Saint Agnes, Chris Shiflett, Black Honey, The K’s, Lake Malice, Kaiser Chiefs, King Nun and Blossoms!

Finally, we round up the latest additions to our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist with Tropic Gold, Interlaker and Jock!

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Album Reviews

The Cadillac Three

The Cadillac Three

The Years Go Fast

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THE CADILLAC THREE – The YEARS GO FAST – ALBUM REVIEW

The Cadillac Three have made their name on the back of their unstoppable ability to write sublime country rock songs. Singer Jaren Johnston’s songwriter capabilities are so sought after these days by other artists that it’s a surprise that the band have time to write a new album!

But they have! Yes, ‘The Years Go Fast’, represents the trio’s sixth studio effort and again sees them in fine form. Album opener ‘Young & Hungry’ provide the title of the album in its lyrics and sets the tone for the record from the opening notes.

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The Cadillac Three – ‘Young & Hungry’

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Since releasing two albums in 2020, the band have experienced a pandemic, the loss of loved ones and the birth of new life after which Johnston admits the band needed a “breather”. It should be no surprise that when the band reconvened the source material has been big life changes. The outcome is perhaps naturally a more mature sound which is reflected perfectly by the lyrical content and album title.

Whilst there is an added maturity, there is still a playful experimentation in the albums sonic palatte with elements of country, rock, funk and metal all evident at times. Ultimately this feels like a stock take record, whereby the band fuse everything that they’ve learned over the past decade or so and produce these twelve tracks as a document of their career thus far.

‘The Years Go Fast’ is a very apt title as it does seem that despite the tedium of lockdown, recent years have flown pasts; perhaps as a consequence of all the big life events that have cascaded into a short timeframe. That does mean that this a highly relatable album and musically, lyrically and relevancy wise that makes this The Cadillac Three at their very best.

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Album Reviews

The Struts

The Struts

Pretty Vicious

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THE STRUTS – PRETTY VICIOUS – ALBUM REVIEW

The world is a serious place right now, and inevitably the musical landscape follows trend. An awful lot of bands take themselves far too seriously these days and seem almost afraid to just let it all hang out and have a little fun.

It’s unlikely though that anybody has ever accused The Struts of taking themselves too seriously. Their incredible live reputation comes from the outlandishness of their performance and on record they are just as enthrallingly enjoyable!

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The Struts – ‘Too Good At Raising Hell’

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‘Pretty Vicious’ represents their fourth studio effort and perhaps acts as the truest testament of their personality. Opening with the all out ‘Too Good at Raising Hell’, the album sees the band wearing their collective hearts on their sleeves.

From all out rockers like ‘Do What You Want’ and ‘Rockstar’, to slower grooves like the title-track and ‘Bad Decisions’, the band really flex their songwriting muscles. The album almost feels like a band trying to prove themselves as more than just a great live act.

Ultimately there can be no doubt that the band are in top form and that with ‘Pretty Vicious’ they’ve managed to create a glorious rock n roll hurricane.

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Album Reviews

Black Water County

Black Water County

The Only Life Worth Living

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BLACK WATER COUNTY – The ONLY LIFE WORTH LIVING – ALBUM REVIEW

Over the past decade Black Water County have built their reputation through great live shows and two albums full of traditional folk storytelling delivered with a punk rock attitude. Now they share their third studio album which manages celebrate everything that makes the band who they are but also offers a glimpse of where their story takes them next.

‘The Only Life Worth Living’, is a passionate and urgent stand against life’s pitfalls, trials and tribulations. The music is uplifting and encourages the listener to make the most of the life that they’ve been given. It may be a tale as old as the sun but it’s never been more relevant than it is now and the band deliver the message superbly with their innate ability to craft a fine song.

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Black Water County – The Only Life Worth Living’

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Sonically this album is an encapsulation of everything you’d expect from the band but dialled up to eleven. There are songs here that go harder than the band ever has before and that adds to the urgency of the overriding themes perfectly.

Four of the albums ten tracks appeared in advance of the release and did give a good insight into what to expect, because the rest of the album is just as stirring. This isn’t a case of the singles standing out above a mediocre album – no, every track here stands on its own and the album as a whole is sublimely inspiring.

Ten years in and Black Water County feel like they are just about to really hit their stride and take themselves to new heights. ‘The Only Life Worth Living’, may just be their catalyst for earning wider respect and appreciation for their talents.

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Live Reviews

The Hunna

The Hunna

Junction, Cambridge

Monday 30th October 2023

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THE HUNNA – CAMBRIDGE – LIVE REVIEW

📸 (c) Denis Gorbatov / Full Pelt Music

It’s the night before Halloween and it’s a typical autumnal evening in Cambridge. The bars and restaurants are bustling and the Junction is doing what they do best and welcoming music fans in for an eclectic night of entertainment.

BAND OF SILVER

The first act to grace the stage this evening is Band of Silver hailing from Nashville. The sibling trio have a modest early crowd to win over, but they set about doing just that. The three bands tonight are an eclectic mix as already mentioned, but Band of Silver are pretty darn eclectic themselves!

Mixing rock and pop with elements of new wave and prog, there is an awful lot going on with their sound. This isn’t a bad thing and certainly makes for an interesting half hour, although the audience doesn’t really reciprocate the energy exuded from the stage. Further exploration of Band of Silver is definitely on the agenda though as the band do the most important thing and leave a mark.

SICK JOY

The main support act on the tour are Sick Joy who slow things down with their darker, grungier sound. The crowd has grown in both size and intensity as the venue is captivated by the groovy rockers.

Following the release of their debut album last year, Sick Joy are already building their next phase and recent single, ‘Hypodermic Sunshine’, gives a positive glimpse of what’s to come. The band are well on the way to establishing themselves as a must see act and shows like tonight will only grow their fanbase further.

THE HUNNA

Cultivating a fanbase isn’t something that has been a problem for our headliners The Hunna. Ever since the band broke through in 2016 they’ve been on the cusp of huge things. Their debut album has ensured that the band will always be able to pack out venues like tonight and it’s no surprise that by the time the band come on the venue is full and raring to go.

From the moment the band arrive onstage you feel in the presence of something special and the atmosphere ramps up throughout the likes of ‘We Could Be’, ‘Fugazi’, ‘I Wanna Know’ and ‘Can’t Break What’s Broken’.

Self-titled album, ‘The Hunna’ takes centre stage tonight amidst a well structured, career-spanning setlist. The album continues the bands momentum and is a great collection of songs, many of which come across well live tonight with ‘Apologies’ and show ender ‘Trash’ particular highlights.

The main set closing run of ‘She’s Casual’, ‘Bonfires’ and ‘Dare’ is electric as you’d expect and with the tease of new music on the horizon, it’s very clear that The Hunna still have plenty more to offer.

There were no tricks at the Junction tonight, but for those in attendance there were an abundance of treats!

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Full Pelt Magazine

Full Pelt Magazine

Vol. 8

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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!

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Album Reviews

Within Temptation

Within Temptation

Bleed Out

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WITHIN TEMPTATION – BLEED OUT – ALBUM REVIEW

‘Bleed Out’ represents another evolution for Within Temptation as their sound and lyrical content takes a darker more resilient tone. Across the album the band show that they aren’t afraid to speak about the issues that matter to them, and the result is perhaps the most important record of their career.

It’s a record that was created over a longer time due to the pandemic and has seen the band share over half of the tracks ahead of the release. There’s perhaps not a lot here to surprise fans therefore as they should’ve gotten the gist already but the overall progression is more than enough to capture and hold interest.

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Within Temptation – ‘Bleed Out’

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As touched upon, the sonic gravitas of the album is much more encompassing with less emphasis on the expected operatic vocals of Sharon den Adel. Those spectacular soaring choruses are still on here but there are many moments where den Adel hits the lower registers and the band down-tunes with darker guitar sounds.

Given the subject matters including war and women fighting oppression this tweak in sound fits well and shows a greater range from the band than we’ve fully experienced before. It’s refreshing for a band pushing three decades in and with such a distinctive sound to be brave enough to do things differently.

With ‘Bleed Out’, Within Temptation continue to grow their brand, so it’s also valiant that they are willing to call out issues and to sneak a pun in ‘stand their ground’! Whether you are a fan already or just picking up on the band, ‘Bleed Out’ is well worth your time.

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