Robyn Writes

Donnie Brasco – Drag The Blues [EP]

The quaint county of Dorset is probably the last place in the UK one would expect a forward thinking hardcore band to emerge from. But it seems all the boredom and banalities of living in a dead end town have been channelled into creating music that is visceral and direct yet endearing and poignant. One of Lockjaw Records’ new and exciting little hardcore punk prospects, Donnie Brasco are a band brimming with potential. Opener Loose Ends has clear indications of the bands influences in fellow hardcore progressive types Defeater as well as many of the so-called ‘Wave’ bands of US modern hardcore. For the most part, this album is more of a tip of the hat to those bands rather than an attempt to emulate their heroes – at times these influences are perhaps overly obvious. Stellar production means that each guitar in the potentially problematic three guitar assault is perfectly audible, providing added depth to the sound as well as sprinklings of melodic lead playing that permeate throughout the expressive chord progressions. The vocals are emotionally fraught, providing a bleakness and sense of desperation both within their coarse delivery and lyrical content which deals with the common tribulations of growing up in a town that offers little in terms of excitement for its young citizens.

The Great Depression is the only anomaly – a fifty second acoustic country infused song that provides a quick break in aggression before the two part Drag The Blues. The two songs provide a great example of the power of dynamics and subtle tempo changes. Backed by urgent yet refined drumming, the song twists and turns through various levels of emotional fragility. Send Me Back To Sleep brings the release to a brilliant close in a short flurry of melodically inclined chords delivered with fervent hardcore anger whilst vocals reach their most ardently desolate. A fitting ending if their ever was one.

Drag The Blues is a record that packs an emotional punch and there is no doubt that although this is a brilliant starting point, they are still far from their potential. To really stand out amongst those in their field, Donnie Brasco need to concentrate on carving their own niche rather than simply being a logical sum of their influences. Despite these detractors, this is a must listen album for anyone that possesses a slight interest in the more leftfield hardcore sphere.

4 out of 5 high fives!

Angry Bears – Stay Gold [EP]

The delightfully named Angry Bears from New England really bought into that whole pop-punk thing. As it stands, Stay Gold is six tracks of no-frills bouncy pop-punk mischief, if at times very tame mischief. Opening track Pieces begins with a great riff – not too overbearing but melodic and more impressive than the average pop-punk opening gambit. The band have two vocalists and in Pieces, this works great. They skip through all the currently hip genres in this one – pop-mosh, skate-punk, and even a little bit of hardcore – before settling back down into some Blink 182 influenced basslines. Title track, Stay Gold is also a surprising change of pace with an insanely heavy breakdown that comes out of nowhere and some pretty posi lyrics.

But unfortunately, the EP starts to go stale from there. The two vocalists can easily be likened to Tom Delonge and Mark Hoppus in their style of singing, and the one who sounds like Tom Delonge has the stronger songs. The Mark Hoppus-alike tends to drone and the songs weaken as a result. This is exactly what happens to New Days and Homecoming. Despite having some decent hooks in the chorus and some extremely catchy instrumental bits in both songs, they start to all blend into one with the droning verses. Even with the other vocalist, Straight Jacket starts to get a bit boring. Although Angry Bears are fairly strong performers, there’s little to no experimentation – it’s almost as if it was all done with in the first track and the later ones revert back to a comfortable formula. Taking each song on their own, that formula works, but as a complete release, it’s important to have more variety. And honestly, the one thing that’d fix it? Changing the guitar tone. A bit of pedal action wouldn’t go amiss.

The band do manage to bring it all back around with closing track Montauk though. It opens with some great drumwork and there begins to be some more experimentation. Deviating from the traditional pop-punk formula, the song features another brilliant breakdown with some superb gang vocals layered over the top. The song is a promise to keep going, no matter what, and it’s a sentiment that weaves its way through the EP. And if they can play to their strengths, then we’ll be happy to have them around, but regardless of all that, I guess Angry Bears are here to stay, for better or for worse.

3 out of 5 high fives!

Just to let you know what’s going on…

Hey everyone!

I’m afraid the new build is taking me much longer than expected. I’m not exactly a pro at PHP and WordPress themes but I’m getting there and it’s a learning experience. We’re getting reviews out pretty regularly still, but we are sorry to any bands that have sent us their release and it’s taken us a while to get round to it. I’m going to be at Reading Festival next weekend so I’ll try and update the site with some new content before I go.

Even with three new reviewers, we’ve still got a lot of releases to cover! So if you’d like to contribute to TwoBeatsOff, then please, drop me an email (ripper@twobeatsoff.co.uk) with a sample of your writing.

Stay classy,
xoxo – Ripper

Refused – HMV Forum London, 12/8/12

In 1998, Refused announced that they were over. Quits. Never to reform again and that was that. Several side projects later and here they are, back together again. When I first heard about the reunion, I was vaguely sceptical, despite being completely ecstatic. Why now? I soon realised that there was no other time but now.

The Forum was completely packed. The room was buzzing, and Pettybone (4/5), an all-grrl hardcore punk outfit burst onto the stage wearing “Free Pussy Riot” shirts. Half of them have balaclavas, in deference to their imprisoned comrades. Their particular brand of hardcore is visceral and captivating. There’s a lot of melodic parts, ridiculously dance-your-ass-off parts, but there’s also aggression, anger and a lot of passion. Pettybone are an inspiration to watch. They say that punk rock is about not giving a damn and doing what you want, but Pettybone clearly care a hell of a lot and that’s what makes them incredible. Forget Jessie J parading around in next to nothing at the closing ceremony – Pettybone are what the girls of today need to see. It’s such a shame that they’re breaking up.

And then there was a ridiculous amount of pre-show before Refused (5/5) hit the stage. I was bouncing up and down in exasperation, while Kitteh tried to placate me with the “who would you put in the First Impact ark” game. This is Refused. This is the other other band that convinced me to put my faith in music. I was tense. Then, after the longest wait in the history of ever, the curtain falls, the lights come on and the band explode into Worms Of The Senses. The crowd goes wild. Some of the biggest moshpits I’ve seen in a long time break out. There’s a lightshow to rival Nine Inch Nails. I stand there with my mouth wide open because Refused aren’t fucking dead any more, they’re alive and right in front of me.

Of course, they break into all the “classics”. Refused have nothing but. Refused Party Program, Liberation Frequency, Summerholidays vs Punkroutine all feature, and some of the earlier material like Coup D’Etat, Hook Line And Sinker and Rather Be Dead come to the forefront. I have never seen a band so perfectly in sync while retaining such rawness. This was a night for the whole band, but Dennis Lyxzen steals the show completely. He writhes across the stage as he screams, perfectly in time with the light show. He dives off of anything he can, wriggling his hips as he goes. He is impossible to ignore and when he gives a brief speech about how music and lyrics can change things, can shake governments, then I can’t help but believe him. But of course, none of that would matter if the music couldn’t back it up and the rest of the band perform with such style and it’s really breathtaking. Hardcore doesn’t just need to be shitty shows in tiny basements, it can be big, brash and bold and that’s what Refused are and always have been – ahead of the curve. There’s no new material but there doesn’t need to be – The Shape Of Punk To Come was their magnum opus, but it’s more than relevant today.

Every moment seems like it can’t be topped by the last, but the band go off, the lights go down and they come back and the opening riff of New Noise tears through the venue and that is it. Dennis bounds onto the stage. One… Two… “CAN I SCREAM?!” and the room goes wild. Followed up by Tannhauser and a hell of a lot of dry ice, we walk out inspired, overwhelmed and ready for anything. I have seen a lot of shows. I have seen a lot of bands. Hand on heart without further ado, I can honestly say that was the best show I have ever seen in my life. Mediocre pop-punk bands, say goodbye, because Refused just set the bar atmospherically high.

DARKO – From Trust To Conformity [EP]


DARKO are yet more proof that the scene is alive and well in the UK. The Guildford lads have put out a blinder of an EP that you’d be an absolute fool to miss out on. From the taunting screams of the fifteen-second intro to the abrupt and brutal close of title track From Trust To Conformity, this is a fifteen minute thrill ride like no other.

Opening track AWOL is fast and furious and instantly displays what’s really special about this EP. DARKO are not your typical hardcore band. Sure, everything’s played twice the speed of a normal song, there’s some brilliant growls and screams from Dan Smith but there’s also some ridiculous riffs. Chris Brown and Rob Piper’s guitars are completely and utterly relentless. AWOL itself sounds like somebody’s kidnapped Avenged Sevenfold and Fight Paris and forced them to work together until they create the perfect track. It dispenses with the typical breakdown, instead including a truly inspired instrumental part, where everything rings out clear.

DARKO are a band of many tastes though, and while they obviously have a very unique style that comes through in all their tracks, each track has a totally different feel to it. Neo Was An Amateur is fairly skate-punk in places, but with a hearty infusion of woah’s and pinch harmonics. The Smarter I Think I Am, The Dumber I Actually Am is reminiscent of No Trigger in its frenetic pace and posicore lyrics. It’s a total crowd pleaser in so many ways, with perfect singalong moments and a banging chorus, but it truly comes into its own in the solo, which is one of the coolest, most ass-kicking dual lead solos I’ve heard in a long time. Mindblowing. That’s not to say that the rest of the band isn’t as solid though – in Chewbacca Defence, Andy Borg’s drumming is so precise and so punctuating, giving the track an edge sharper than a samurai’s katana and Karl Sursham’s bass is just fantastic. Closing track From Trust To Conformity is simply a masterclass in how to end an EP. Melodic, aggressive and desperate, it drives the EP home, combining everything that was perfect about the release and ending with a chilling, droning closedown.

A very exciting addition to the UK hardcore scene, From Trust To Conformity is not to be missed. Blast it everywhere you can because these guys deserve to be huge.

4.5 out of 5 high fives!