Robyn Writes

Review: Fighting Fiction/Sweet Empire [7″]

First, an apology. I had planned to finalise this write up before these good people formally launched this vinyl offering of neo-politico punk in early September. But things got delayed. That’s the gonzo world of hobby writing for you. Family; work; then this stuff. Sorry.

And sorry, because this is really rather good. And well deserves the shout. Don’t expect hardcore – it’s melodic-p verging onto almost Billy Bragg territory of yore at turns – but this is still pokey enough fare with soul, brain – and heart.

Fighting Fiction – hailing from that Brighton… not that we should hold that against them… have been doing this for a while now. Album under their belt and a decent following driven by a touring ethic. I’ve written elsewhere that the predictions in some quarters of a upwelling of intelligent political music – of a hue unseen since the 80s – as a reaction to the current administration have proven distinctly hollow. Is the best we can do the King Blues..? Jesus… Nonetheless, some acts come up near the plate, Enter Shikari (maybe) – and these chaps. And that’s about it, unfortunately.

This split seven incher with the Netherlands’ Sweet Empire features four tracks that don’t hang around. You get a minimalist take on mass acceptance of exploitation (‘The Long and Short of It’) and a harder-egded vitriolic gobbet ripping brightly into the artistic and spiritual desolation of the talent show culture (‘Tonight Matthew..’) on the Fighting Fiction side – and classic-sounding melodic garage punk railing against Business Bastards on the Sweet Empire side. Sweet Empire’s contribution has a freshness and vigour to it that is infectious – no song longer than 2 mins 15 secs – and that is medically impossible to dislike. Blink and you miss it.

Do the kids even care about anything other than social media and getting the right quiff to go with their deck shoes these days? Does anyone care? Don’t know. But if you like your punk with a bit of a conscience and substance – alongside the same basic formula of hooks and riffs that have been going around for nearly thirty years now – then these bright, handsome young things are for you. Keep it up, gents. Do us proud.

4 out of 5 high fives!

Review: Self Defense Family – You Are Beneath Her [EP]

Self Defense Family, formerly knows as End of a Year, have already gained a loyal following amongst punk fans who value integrity and unabashed creativity over predictability and pandering to the whims of the standard exponents.  The prolific band are firmly amongst those who have taken the punk manifesto to heart and applied its one main rule: there are no rules, a guideline that many punk bands seem sadly unaware of or ignorant to.

You Are Beneath Her is a brilliant exercise in their idiosyncratic punk vision, unashamedly hooky yet adrift from any notion of contemporary pop-punk, you won’t find any high-school saccharine tales of awkward romances here.  Instead, the lyrical fare remains heavy in its emotionality, providing some essence of darkness amongst the comparatively up-tempo instrumentation.

Singer Caroline Corrigan takes the spotlight for the E.P’s four tracks, replacing outspoken frontman Patrick Kindlon’s gruff delivery in a flux of members that marks Self Defense Family as a defiantly unorthodox band, folk-like in their revolving membership policy. Her cooing vocals sit beautifully amongst the delicate acoustic opener ‘Eric Hall’ yet also stand up strongly against the band’s furore on the remaining three tracks. Layered harmonies on ‘Jeni Leigh’ provide a joyous depth to the otherwise basic production style, a production method used sparingly on the E.P but to sumptuous effect.

The straight-forward and propulsive ‘Marissa Wendolovske’ exudes urgency, the tempo upped and smattered with melodically inflicted chords. Closer ‘Philip Jose Farmer’ arrives amongst the ambient noise of a video game arcade, soon giving way to the most versatile song on the E.P as Caroline rallies against unoriginality: “Is there any good idea lame asshole won’t steal” she laments.

Instrumentation and production quality reeks of the classic Dischord Records house style, it may be basic but is certainly not unoriginal, the guitar work obviously taking much inspiration from Ian Mackaye’s Fugazi years: gimmick free and wonderfully simple.

You Are Beneath Heris a fantastic example of Self Defense Family’s continually studious punk. Caroline’s understated voice acts as focal point, delivering Patrick’s Kindlon’s typically opinionated lyrical fare with a breathless elegance that may seem oddly divorced from the dogmatic content, yet her warm vocal grain provides a soothing experience for the ears. A wonderfully intellectual little punk record that offers a genuinely individual and slightly eccentric take on the ageing genre.

4 out of 5 high fives!

Review: Amberline – The Art Of Reinvention [EP]

Since their debut release ‘Soundtrack Of Your Life’ came out at the start of 2011, the boys of Amberline have been very busy. Their schedule has been filled with highlights such as a sold out Camden Barfly and festival spots at Defest, Step Up Festival and 100% Bitchfest. Their hard-hitting, high-energy live shows have even led to support slots with bands such as Attack! Attack!, Kids Can’t Fly, and Lost Boys. Now they have surely cemented their status as one of UK’s most promising young bands with their second EP ‘The Art Of Reinvention’.

Full credit to Amberline, they have managed to do something not many bands I’ve reviewed have; they surprised me. So many bands out there in the ether claim to be pop-punk and more; usually this ‘and more’, if it even exists, it’s only there because they band haven’t figured out how to get that full pop-punk sound yet. This isn’t the case with Amberline. Through The Art of Reinvention they craft a sound that really delivers true pop-punk highs, largely thanks to the soft vocals of lead singer Mark Steggall, but also brings out heavy instrumental elements, with sweet riffs and breakdowns aplenty.

You can often be found listening to a song and thinking “that shouldn’t work”, but knowing as you sing along that it really does. This is what second, and outstanding track, on the EP ‘The Lost and Hopeless’ does with ease. It lures you in with a gentle riff before the two guitarists really kick into gear along with an intense drum beat. The chorus with its love fuelled lyrics will be great for crowds to sing-along to, joining Mark in emotionally singing “I feel so lost and hopeless, and I need someone for closeness”. It even finishes on a hell of a strong note with a harmonious guitar solo leading into a final emotive rendition of the chorus.

Other highlights include the amusing ‘I’m Not a Grower, I’m a Show-er’, reminiscent of Blink-182. As well as bringing many more riffs to the proverbial table, this track includes a pop-punk staple of gang chanted vocals, with the band joining Mark in singing: “Fuck YOU! Your threats are overrated; we will defend all of our friends”. With more energy and humour this is true to the pop-punk of the nineties and is a great addition to the EP.

As a complete package The Art of Reinvention is well-rounded, instrumentally diverse and spilling over with catchy pop-punk hooks. It’s a solid release by the Guildford band, showcasing their obvious potential. It may not be the whole future of the genre but it’s a welcome addition to the fold and is well worth a listen, so what are you waiting for? The Art of Reinvention is out on iTunes from 30 September.

4 out of 5 high fives!

Live: Layers, O2 Academy Birmingham 3, 20/9/13

Birmingham, the grey, gargantuan pulsing heart of the country. It’s not really our cultural heart, nor does it pull in a vast amount of tourists, and once you get out of the city centre, it’s kind of a dead zone, slap bang in the middle of the country. But once you get past its need for regeneration and the sense that ‘this isn’t quite London’, you might discover that there’s a passionate and unrivalled music scene that refuses to give up the ghost. Bands like Layers, who are uncompromising, innovative and incomparable, are the kind of bands that grow from these Midlands scenes and in this case, are going to take the UK by storm.

Traffic mishaps and misadventures meant that we walked in halfway through Dead Sea Skulls’ (3.5/5) set, but the half that we caught was good fun. Indie rock and roll but with a neat twist in that the drummer is the frontman and he plays his drums standing up. It’s an endearing and charismatic move, even if it means that on occasion, the songs end up becoming a bit simplistic in their structure. Nevertheless, their showmanship and cheeky hooks more than made up for it.

There is nothing at all lacklustre about Layers (5/5). From the very first bars of their set, it was clear that something special was about to happen. Frontman Lance Joseph is entirely captivating as he dives from stage to floor, running the length of the room with pure childlike glee, all while maintaining the perfectly soulful vocals that make Layers stand out from the rest. That’s not to say that the rest of the band aren’t equally as involving or brilliant – the harmonies that make the new EP so exciting sound just as incredible live, there’s a great bit of slap bass and Layers take their musicianship extremely seriously while still retaining that passion for live performance. For the encore, the band play epic Gradually in its entirety, complete with string section and their ambition is entirely refreshing and joyful to behold. It’s a set filled with crowd favourites as well as the stunning new tracks though, and the packed out Academy 3 is filled with grinning faces and sweaty bodies by the end of the night. After all, this is a hometown crowd at an EP launch, who knew exactly what to expect, but there’s no doubt that in a different venue in a different city, Layers would have just the same effect. For any who thought that the Midlands wasn’t capable of producing anything as innovative as Layers any more, who play a weird but compelling combo of soul, pop and hardcore, they need to get down to a show. Mindblowing.

Interview: HEY YOU GUYS!

I’m very excited to finally be able to share this with you! HEY YOU GUYS! are cracking lads. My interviewing skills were a bit rusty, but the guys were funny, dead interesting and clearly love what they do. Get the lowdown on how they got together, writing their debut album and their recent European excursion. Catch them on tour with [spunge] this November!