Vol. 55
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Full Pelt Magazine
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The Offspring
SUPERCHARGED
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THE OFFSPRING – SUPERCHARGED – ALBUM REVIEW
When The Offspring released their tenth album ‘Let The Bad Times Roll’ in 2021 we commented, “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!”. The album was their first in nine years and they’d long been presumed to be fully on the nostalgia bus.
Now they dispel those speculations completely with their second album in three years, ‘SUPERCHARGED’. This new era has sparked even more interest in the band and they find themselves in something of a renaissance period.
Working again with producer Bob Rock, there is a back to basics feel about this record with the band clearly focusing on delivering what the fans have lapped up in years gone by. That worked well for them on the surprisingly good ‘Let The Bad Times Roll’ and does ensure that this new momentum is continued.
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Fans of the band will feel at home with these songs and at just over the half hour mark this is an easy listening experience. Ultimately you do feel though that there is a big lack of standout singles and much like its predecessor you suspect these tracks won’t last long in the bands setlists.
They are good enough however to deserve a chance, which ‘Let The Bad Times Roll’ sadly seemed to lack as the band stuck to that nostalgic approach with their live shows. Naturally, they can’t win here because fans will moan if they leave out old favourites or if they fail to play these songs. Thus is the joys of stardom hey!
Much as we said in 2021, this album is far better than a new Offspring album in 2024 has any right to be and that should mean this record is heralded as a great success. Unfortunately, though the band will always be compared to their best work, and it would be hard for them to ever hits those heights again!
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Myles Kennedy
The Art of Letting Go
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MYLES KENNEDY – THE ART OF LETTING GO – ALBUM REVIEW
Across his various ongoing projects Myles Kennedy is nothing short of prolific with the frequency in which he lends his incredible voice to new albums. Full Pelt has only existed for four years and in this time he has already released albums with Slash, Alter Bridge and under his own name.
‘The Art of Letting Go’ marks his second solo release in this time and his third overall, and as with any release on which he features, it is his intense voice which is the greatest instrument!
His debut solo release, ‘Year of the Tiger’, found Kennedy showcasing a stripped back blues-tinged sound before 2021’s ‘The Ides of March’ brought a straighter rock sound to a world emerging from the pandemic.
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On this new record, Kennedy rachets things up another notch or two with some heavier, bolder riffs making this by far the most Alter Bridge adjacent solo release thus far. A big positive of this is of course that you find Kennedy in familiar territory and therefore the release is an easy digest for his followers.
On the flip side, it has been nice to see the different sides of Kennedy and this release therefore can feel a little safe. Still, any gripes are soon blown away by the sonic onslaught that delivers as many big moments as any Kennedy featuring release to date.
You would imagine that after some nineteen studio albums for various projects, Kennedy would be struggling for ideas, but instead after three decades of songwriting Kennedy shows that he is still thriving.
Indeed, it’s undeniable that this is Kennedy at his very best and that is saying something because Kennedy has long established himself as one of the artists of his generation.
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Pale Waves
The Waterfront, Norwich
Thursday 3rd October 2024
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PALE WAVES – NOrwich – live review
If the length of the queue outside The Waterfront in Norwich is anything to go by, then anticipation is high for the opening night of the ‘Smitten’ tour!
Hot on the heels of the release of their fourth album, Pale Waves are back on the road and many shows on this run are sold out as fans clamour to see how these charming love songs translate to the stage.
SWIM SCHOOL
Before then however, the packed venue is treated to an opening act making waves of their own. swim school are one of those bands that have built some good early momentum and now need to ensure that they capitalise on their potential.
Despite a rather polite Norwich crowd this evening, you are still able to see the impression that the trio leave on the crowd. Singer Alice Johnson quips that they have been referred to in the past as a “sh*t version of Pale Waves” before adding “hopefully we aren’t so sh*t anymore”. Tonight the likes of ‘give me a reason why’ and ‘see red’ certainly dispel any such thoughts. Instead you are left further rooting for the band to succeed!
PALE WAVES
That concept is evidently ingrained into the fanbase of Pale Waves. Again, as they arrive onstage you can see and feel the special connection they share with their audience. It’s a beautiful thing to witness and even when kicking off with two new tracks, ‘Perfume’ and ‘Not a Love Song’, the crowd sings back every single word.
‘There’s a Honey’ and ‘Change’ then take it up a notch or two and by the time Pale Waves deliver rarer number ‘Drive’ the symbiosis between fan and artist is complete. This remains extant throughout the rest of the performance and ensures an uplifting atmosphere is enjoyed by all.
We spoke in our recent review of ‘Smitten’ about the prolificacy of Pale Waves, and as the set progresses the sheer amount of standout tracks that the band now possess is another testament to this.
Particularly noteworthy is that the new tracks can undeniably hold their own amongst old favourites ‘Television Romance’, ‘Eighteen’, ‘Easy’ and ‘She’s My Religion’. Finally, an encore of ‘Glasgow’ and ‘Jealousy’ is more than enough to send the audience back home happy.
It has been an engaging night with both acts delivering on the promise of the evening. Pale Waves are operating at a consistently high level across their studio and stage outputs and swim school are hot on their heels!
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Full Pelt Magazine
Vol. 54
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FEVER 333
DARKER WHITE
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FEVER 333 – DARKER WHITE – ALBUM REVIEW
Intrigue was always going to surround the first FEVER 333 release post their extensive line-up shake-up which left frontman Jason Aalon Butler as the sole original member.
In truth though this group has always been a vehicle for the charismatic singer and the pre-release singles certainly didn’t lead anyone in to thinking that ‘DARKER WHITE’ would see any substantial change in direction.
As you delve into the fourteen tracks on this album, you’ll find a familiar sonic explosion of rap, rock, punk and more. Yes, FEVER 333 have always carried an element of the genre-defying, and they’ve again captured a smorgasbord of influences and explorations.
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Aalon Butler is in typically ferocious form as he continues to call out social injustices and personal experiences within his biting lyricism. As a writer Aalon Butler has always been as fearless as he has as a performer and that conviction helps to maintain the impetus of the new look groups sound.
There may be those that feel given the propensity of Aalon Butler to push boundaries this is something of a safe release and maybe this is all overly familiar despite those line-up changes; but the counterargument would be that this collection is exactly what FEVER 333 needed to deliver.
Fans can be assured that everything they value in the output of FEVER 333 remains as potent as before. Perhaps with that some excitement can build in wanting to see where they go next!
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Mouth Culture
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Chubby and the Gang
And Then There Was…
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CHUBBY AND THE GANG – AND THEN THERE WAS… – ALBUM REVIEW
Chubby and the Gang are another one of those fateful acts that made their mark at the wrong time. History will show any band releasing their debut album in early 2020 were given a rather big hill to climb, but whereas many have subsequently disappeared – Charlie Manning aka Chubby still drives forward with this one.
Despite a few false starts, the band are now sharing their third studio album, ‘And Then There Was…’, and it’s another hefty mix of attitude, swagger, rage, reflection and vulnerability.
Sonically the sixteen tracks encompass a plethora of punk sub-genres which are tied up with a pub rock style bow. This helps to make Chubby and his Gang connect with the working classes in our constant struggle to survive.
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You do get the likes of the slow burning ‘To Fade Away’ in that mix to provide a little relent from the punk rock onslaught but in the main this is another set of ready-made punk anthems. Not paint-by-numbers by any stretch, but there is obviously a formula to Chubby and the Gang and hey, if it’s not broke then why fix it!
It does just feel like Chubby is having fun and that adds a lot to the brash charm of this album. It probably is a tad long in terms of both runtime and track volume but then it’s not like Chubby and the Gang are trying to win the Mercury Prize.
This album doesn’t need to be perfect. These songs will get audiences moving at shows, which is ultimately what you feel they are designed to do, and that makes this collection a resounding success!
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Trash Boat
Heaven Can Wait
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TRASH BOAT – HEAVEN CAN WAIT – ALBUM REVIEW
In 2021, Trash Boat surprised many with the direction and quality of their third album, ‘Don’t You Feeling Amazing’. Gone were the nostalgic skater punk anthems and in were the darker, more ambitious modern rock ragers.
Now with their fourth studio effort, ‘Heaven Can Wait’, the band are doubling down on their ambition with another stunning collection of scream from the rooftop rockers. Wearing their influences on their sleeves the band have completed their shift from Sum 41 and Blink 182 pop punk to Linkin Park and Deftones alt-metal.
Perhaps what makes these songs so damn catchy though is the ultimate merger of those influences into an accessible but still interesting sound which should serve the band well as they continue their ascent.
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Cooler riffs and catchier melodies jump out on the likes of ‘The Drip’ and ‘Break You’, as the group seemingly perfect their sonic identify. It’s also great to hear singer Tobi Duncan pushing himself on these tracks and the Chester Bennington channelling scream in ‘Are You Ready Now?’ is testament to his vocal power.
Lyrically the band also continue down an assured, serious path as they embrace their beliefs and unashamedly stand by their convictions. This really does sound like a band more comfortable than ever in their own skin and this album truly benefits from that confidence.
‘Heaven Can Wait’ may just be the album which pushes Trash Boat to that next level, it certainly deserves to be!
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Coldplay
Moon Music
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COLDPLAY – MOON MUSIC – ALBUM REVIEW
Coldplay are megastars, their legacy is set in stone, their standing is unwavering, and they can apparently sell out Wembley Stadium ten times over with the snap of a finger!
The tenth album of any band is always a milestone, but with Coldplay enjoying this untouchable status and riding the crest of their Glastonbury headlining wave, ‘Moon Music’ lacks a little of its own impetus.
Acting as the second part of ‘Music of the Spheres’, the record is another shot of modern Coldplay and is packed with bells, whistles, samples, guests and an overarching sense of the grandiose. Hyper-produced and extremely polished these ten tracks represent everything that is great and everything that is wrong with the band in 2024.
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The record will undoubtedly be another enormous success in terms of sales and streams, but you have to ask given the alleged budget for the album – is it really as good as ‘A Rush of Blood to the Head’, ‘Viva la Vida’, ‘Mylo Xyloto’ or even it’s predecessor? You’d have to arrive at the simple conclusion that it’s not.
Musically this album is as ambitious as you’d expect, but you just have feel to that this collection is missing it’s standout moments. Collectively these songs will make great ambient music for restaurants and elevators, but you’d be surprised to see any make a best of release compiled from these first ten albums.
Indeed, Coldplay aren’t setting any worlds on fire with this tepid collection of love songs, less moon music and more mood music! That said though, you know that the band will make those Wembley shows magical and perhaps it’s in that realm now that Coldplay stand the best chance of furthering their glowing reputation.
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