Robyn Writes

Fatal Smile + Scarlett Riot – The Yardbirds, Grimsby 13/9/12

As far as venues go, The Yardbirds is a hard one to place. Home to the ‘Lincolnshire Warlocks’, an aging biker gang with a fondness for self-promotion and Americana, its purpose is oddly divided. Functioning partly as a biker crèche and partly as a tribute band support centre, you’d be forgiven for presuming that nothing of any real creative merit occurred within these walls. But thankfully, every now and again, they open their doors to original bands and patrons who can’t ride a bicycle, let alone a Harley. Although you’re greeted with a grunt and a deeply suspicious look, the drinks don’t require a bank loan and the atmosphere isn’t that frightening. Oddly, they have a projector running continuous live music DVDs and a sound system so powerful, it damn near dropkicks your eardrums. As far as the evening was going so far, the £6 entry wasn’t looking too bad, but with only one support band, we are all very aware that we wouldn’t be partying into the early hours.

Opening the evening of glamour and time-restricted debauchery were Scunthorpe’s finest Scarlett Riot (4/5), a hard rock outfit that sat comfortably somewhere between The Runaways and Halestorm. With amazingly catchy riffs and an originality that begs to be captured in an overly-expensive studio, to say they were impressive would be a huge understatement. I found myself to be truly aghast at how such a musically accomplished act could still be playing the lower realms of support slots. Nearly every song could have been deemed ‘a future classic’. As far as vocalists go, they’ve certainly got themselves a catch with Scarlett (Chloe Drinkwater) bearing a voice so rich and multi-faceted that you’d be hard pressed to admit she was born to do anything other than sing. Oh, and she’s pretty decent on the guitar too? Consider me sold. Saying that, the rest of the band were by no means surplus to requirements. The lead guitarist shone at every available opportunity and the drummer (despite being sat ridiculously high on his kit) was clean and crisp with a great natural groove. The bassist continued the trend and was certifiably hypnotic throughout their set, capturing my attention in every song; although his posture did impact slightly on the quality of his screams (although they were few and far between). Scarlett Riot were professional, original and more than a little bit exciting. With a new EP on the horizon, I’m sure their name will be cropping up a hell of a lot more.

When Fatal Smile (5/5) took to the stage, there were stunned looks and audible gasps aplenty. Imagine Motley Crüe had a sordid affair with The Defiled…in Sweden, all while listening to Queensryche, and you’ve just about got it. Fatal Smile encapsulates everything you ever loved about hard rock and glam, then they went and pushed it a little further. With big hair, bare torsos, tight jeans, pyrotechnics and sex dripping from every pore…  they certainly know how to make an impression. Harnessing the power chords and dirty grooves of 80s rock, they mix them with the vocal delivery of a European power metal band and create something rather bafflingly wonderful. This blend results in an overall sound that is both nostalgic and simultaneously fresh. The entire experience, at least in a venue of this diminutive size, was jarring to say the least. With enough stage makeup to make Black Veil Brides weep, smoke machines and lights crammed into every corner and custom mic stands that could well have cost more than the venue itself, the whole experience was akin to cramming an arena band into your living room. When their set came to a close, the powerful strains of their anthemic  S.O.B  transformed this tiny, sticky room into something far greater than any of us could’ve imagined. Although audience numbers couldn’t have exceeded seventy, they played their show as though we were ten thousand strong. They certainly won Grimsby over; it’s just a matter of time until the rest of the world follows suit.

Motion City Soundtrack – O2 Academy Birmingham 2, 23/9/12

Before The Big Bang Theory made nerds cool, there was Motion City Soundtrack. MCS have always been a little bit quirky, very clever and a ridiculous amount of fun. Fifth album Go made a slight deviation in terms of content – it’s hard to say that Motion City Soundtrack have matured but Go represented a definite shift in their musical style. Did that shift transfer over to their live performance?

We weren’t going to find out straight away. Redditch locals Page 44 (3/5) took to the stage first. If I was sixteen, I’d probably be dating their guitarist and at the front singing every word. As I’m 21 instead, I was stood listening to songs that echoed a dead scene. There’s nothing inherently bad about Page 44 – they seem to be like hard working guys and they’re completely natural on the stage, but the songs just fall flat, lacking the dynamism of the bands they’re trying to emulate. The newer material they were playing (including the song with no name yet) seemed to be slightly more interesting and complex, and it’s those songs, along with a hardworking attitude, that might get them somewhere yet.

Now Now (4/5), in contrast, were really impressive. The Minnesota three piece performed soaring indie rock without losing the audience’s devotion at all. Jess and Cacie’s vocals are sublime and came through wonderfully clear thanks to the excellent sound production that held steady throughout the evening. Although you could easily class them as a band that would likely have a track or two on the OC soundtrack, there’s nothing cliche about their act, or their tracks, at all. The electronic element of their sound works well live and incorporating some more non-traditional instruments (like the xylophone. Bitches love xylophones) kept their performance interesting and involving, which is sometimes pretty tricky in that genre. I’m definitely going to be checking out new album Threads.

Motion City Soundtrack (5/5) just can’t be faulted live in any way, shape or form. They get as crazy as they can for such a small stage and yet, every song just sounds perfect. Although the setlist was mostly formed with tracks from Go, Justin said, “we will proceed to play songs from that album! And four other albums” and the band brought forth classics from all five as the night went on. The tracks from Go hold up well live and enter a whole new level of excitement, despite appearing more sedate than their previous material on record. The entire band are completely charming, but Jesse really steals the show at times – nobody plays the Moog in quite the same way. Justin’s story about seeing Dementors in the Holloway Circus subway was also pretty cute, and it’s this kind of stage banter that really makes a difference – MCS don’t hurl insults at their crowd, or brag about their stage presence, they’re just genuine guys who love playing live music and that makes all the difference in today’s music scene. It just helps that they’re bloody good at it too. From the opening chords of Better Open The Door to the final chorus of The Future Freaks Me Out, me and about half the room couldn’t help but grin. If you want a completely uplifting live experience, then I implore you – check out Motion City Soundtrack.

Milhouse – Thrillhouse [EP]

Self coined “nerd punks” Milhouse arrive with a brand new curious four track E.P – Thrillhouse. Hailing from Sydney, the Australian pop punk three piece are relative newbies on the scene. Intelligent and quirky, the E.P is a thoroughly enjoyable listen and the mark of a band who have already found their niche in a genre chock full of clones and bands with the imaginative capacity of a puddle. Musically, they are really nothing more than a sum of their influences – relying on tried and tested techniques, chord progressions and dynamics that channel Into It. Over It and Australian pop punks Blueline Medic. Simple, stuttering guitar work remains tight to the accomplished drums. However, it is the vocals and to a greater extent, the lyrics, that make these four songs flourish. Joyous vocal harmonies courtesy of the rhythm section lift the music into a wondrous new dimension, layering their otherwise more one-dimensional sound with sumptuous melodic hooks. The one word song titles such as ‘Cereal’ and ‘Laundry’ may be a desperate attempt at a metaphor or allegory; or, they simply denote what each song is about. A song on the subject of cereal doesn’t sound like a very inviting or revealing prospect but there is a flair and wit to the lyrics that is instantly recognisable and engaging. The song may be about a relatively bland food product but the lyrics deal with the singer’s observation of the correlation between the eating of said food and social interaction. ‘Laundry’ can be perceived as one big metaphor about relationships or on the other hand, a fast little pop punk song concerning “spin cycles” and other laundry related dilemmas. ‘Monday’ deals with the tribulations of – you guessed it – Monday, going to back to the life of work and drudgery after a few days of fun. Yet, the song possesses a decidedly Weezer-inspired chorus the gives the greatest inkling of the band’s melodic capabilities. All in all a great little record of lyrically enticing pop punk with a glaring melodic emphasis.

3.5 out of 5 high fives!

Like Bats – Midwest Nothing

Like Bats are the type of band you’d want playing in your basement, screaming their lungs out about unrequited love and living in a shit-hole town whilst your inebriated friends plus rough looking random drunk dudes do the same. Emerging from America’s Midwest, an area the band obviously possesses much disdain for, Like Bats play a certain brand of gritty pop/punk that is very similar to umpteen other bands but very few are as earnest, engrossing or indeed noisy as these three lads.

Midwest Nothing packs some serious 80’s throwbacks that instantly conjure similar sentiments of such bands as The Replacements- breakneck and very angsty punk. ‘Sad Stories About Sad People’ explodes out of the blocks and one can imagine the throat gurgling punk sending specks of phlegm hurling at the audience with every word whilst the crowd dodges the odd broken splintered drumstick. As the album progresses, increasing amounts of Jawbreaker influence seeps into the music- adding some serious old-skool emo vibes in both dynamics and melodic expression. Standout track ‘Dry Heave’ begins in rather subdued fashion with lead singer Mike applying his raspy vocals and “fuck you whatever” lyrics to a simple four chord riff until the whole band erupts in angst ridden furore that descends into a delicious little fiddley emo guitar interlude before the four chords return to seal the deal. ‘This Haunted Life’ keeps things pessimistic with self-deprecating and somewhat overly familiar lyrics of emotional torment (“Waiting for someone to take the pain away/ Someone to break my heart” etc). But that’s the whole point of emo-tinged pop punk, right? This album really shines through though, when the band stop trying to play as loud and as fast and as “fuck you” as they can and permit themselves to let their musical abilities and their yet-to-be-realised ear for dynamics convey their emotions. The intro of final track ‘The Last Catholic In America’ is a prime example of this, slow building and melodically inclined guitar work over some restrained drums and simple bass lines, proving that sometimes it’s the subtleties within the music that carry the most impact. This album is definitely not perfect (whatever ‘perfect’ is) and definitely not original but it is definitely bloody good. A must listen for those who like their punk heartfelt, depressing and smothered in angst.

4 out of 5 high fives!

Taking Hayley – Tricks And Games


The debut album is always a monumental moment in the history of any band. Some, most famously Guns ‘N’ Roses’ smash hit first record Appetite For Destruction, almost serve to become the calling card of the band, forever living on as the artist at their best and creating the dreaded breed of fans who will always “like the old stuff better”. Others, and my personal favourite example here would be You Me At Six’s Take Off Your Colours, show the potential of what a band could become, allowing the artists to go from strength to strength in the future. I think it’s fair to say that Birmingham-based quartet Taking Hayley’s Tricks And Games fits rather more snugly into the latter category, an album showing the talent and passion of its creators, but one that exists as a stepping stone towards greatness.

The potential Taking Hayley show on this record is hugely exciting. Right from their very beginnings in late 2010 the band have always strived for nothing less than pop-punk perfection, and nowhere on the record is this shown better than the album’s oldest song, “Don’t Let Go”. Often cited by frontman Alistair Keenan as the first song TH ever wrote together, the ridiculously bouncy rhythm of this song is a pure pop-punk gem, and the titular hook at the end of the chorus has gone a long way to making this song a live favourite since the band’s inception. However, this isn’t the only example of the band’s love for their own genre, as the excellent “Better Luck Next Time” would happily be at home on an earlier Kids In Glass Houses release, while “From Now Until Forever” is a lovely example of their slower, kinder song, as a tribute to friends they’ve made along the journey, and is somewhat reminiscent of the tendency that bands like All Time Low show for including slower tracks on their albums.

The singles from the album, however, are easily picked out as the top tracks to discover from this collection. “Circles” still proves the high point of most TH concerts, with the shoutalong “Come on, come on…” chorus and some superb guitar work from Levi Keeling, while most recent single “Up All Night” features a chorus which sticks with you for days after listening.

This leads on to the undoubted highlight of the album, the final song before the instrumental closer, and a song which is both familiar and brand new to longtime Taking Hayley supporters. Their previous release – an eponymous EP – featured an excellent single titled “Crying Eyes”, a straight-up slice of pop rock with an addictive chorus and musical chops to put the bounce into any venue. However, this overlooked the song’s real strength, the beautifully written lyrics (for me, the best song the band have written to date). This issue is addressed with phenomenal skill on the new album. Crying Eyes reappears at the close of the album, only this time, for all of the song save the closing chorus, Keenan sings alone with just a keyboard for company. His voice sounds haunting with such little musical backing, and the lyrics resonate much deeper than on the original version.

The one and only criticism of this album could only really be made by those who have followed the band since their beginning – while the album is excellent, it has to be pointed out, there is a certain lack of original material. While I give the band full credit for the new version of “Crying Eyes”, other songs, such as “Holding On” and  “Don’t Let Go” are lifted pretty much directly from previous releases, and while they stand as impressive tracks, one wonders if their space on the record might have been better filled by new songs to add to the band’s fledgling canon. However, those songs on the record which are new are a great look into the exciting future of what I’m sure will one day be a force to be reckoned with in the UK music scene – and with an upcoming support slot on Mindless Self Indulgence’s UK tour to look forward to, their breakout moment may not be far away.

4 out of 5 high fives!