Review: Catfish & The Bottlemen // The Ride

Catfish & The Bottlemen’s 2014 debut ‘The Balcony’ made an absolute storm, it’s an album that has propelled them to within touching distance of festival headline status. Their latest outing, ‘The Ride’, could be what puts them their.

‘7’ opens the album and it epitomises the step they’ve made between albums – a very small one. Other than polishing up the sound from the first album it’s difficult to see how the band has changed. Lyrically not a huge amount has changed with songs about girls, partying and regrets. Musically not a huge amount has changed either other than a slightly less frantic and fuller sound.

The most glaring thing missing from this album and Catfish & The Bottlemsn’s discography is a ‘Wonderwall’, a ‘Mr Brightside’, a song that will launch them from a good band to a great one. ‘Soundcheck’, their first single from the album, is the one that comes closest. With a sing-along chorus and a theme reflecting the difficulties of love and touring it’s an absolute hit with fans of the band, but not one that’s going to convert people that aren’t.

With all this said ‘The Ride’ is an excellent album, it improves and develops the band from their raw debut, however second albums are always difficult, especially if your first one is as successful as ‘The Balcony’ was. However it’s hard not to look at this album as a disappointment because it could have been so much more.

(8/10)

-Luke

Review: Frightened Rabbit // Painting Of A Panic Attack

Not all music has to be loud, political and rebellious. Likewise not all music has to be brainless, thoughtless pop manufactured for the masses. Sometimes music can be delicate, thoughtful and personal and this is the kind of music Frightened Rabbit have been dealing in since their creation. From humble beginnings as two brothers playing in a band together, Frightened Rabbit has gained a few members, gotten a little older and have now released their 5th studio album - 'Painting Of A Panic Attack'.


Since their last album, released over 3 years a go, a lot has changed; lead singer Scott Hutchison has moved to LA leaving the band separated by the Atlantic ocean, the band has lost a member and the whole of Frightened Rabbit has been given a rethink. After the success of album number 4 - 'Pedestrian Verse' - to Scott, atleast, Frightened Rabbit had reached a triumphant finale, becoming the band he envisioned from a start. However he decided it was the end of a chapter not a story and the next chapter, 'Painting Of A Panic Attack', began to form.

The album opens with 'Death Dream', the first song released for the album, which very much sets the tone. Organ driven and ghostly the song paints a sombre and painful picture, one that appears even more personal than that of previous albums, before dropping into 'Get Out'. The two songs together really show what the album is about - love, loss but also hope. More than anything these songs lay out a new Frightened Rabbit with a slightly different sound but who's core element - the lyrical content - remains familiar and if anything more focussed.

'I Wish I Was Sober' and 'Woke Up Hurting' along with 'Get Out' compound the slightly rethought style of the band, introducing a greater element of electronic and a lesser use of the acoustic guitar - only really appearing on the closing number.

Despite the number of sombre songs on the album, there is the occasional moment where the guitar driven Frightened Rabbit from 'Pedestrian Verse' punches through. Particularly in 'Break' the guitar driven chorus is infectious and is certainly the most upbeat and positive sounding track on the album.

Catch Frightened Rabbit on tour this autumn

'Painting Of A Panic Attack' draws to a close with three very different songs. The piano driven '400 Bones' is the closest to a love song that Frightened Rabbit have ever reached, reflecting on the small intimate moments between two people. The song builds and builds to dramatic effect before dropping back to a singular piano in an almost eerie stillness. 'Lump Street' however delivers a dark, thumping and harsh reality to the listener before the album draws to a delicate conclusion with 'Die Like A Rich Boy'. The song completes the album combining elements of the Frightened Rabbit of old with the new style while providing a ghostly and refreshing view of life.

'Painting Of A Panic Attack' is the bands most complete work to date; reinventing and reworking themselves while maintaining the soul and quality of the band - a feat rarely pulled off by any artist. Frightened Rabbit have gone from strength to strength over the last decade, expect them to keep growing for another 10 years to come.
(9.5/10)

-Luke

The Fused // Are You Ready For A Dance?

The Fused are an indie rock band from Cardiff who are slowly establishing themselves on the live scene. We saw them support the unfathomably good October Drift and they more than held their ground on stage when compared to the established main act and other support The Broadcasts in April.

You can find the full review of that night HERE

Today The Fused released their single 'Are You Ready To Dance?' on Soundcloud and Bandcamp.

The title track of the single is an excellent example of modern indie rock incorporating elements of bands like Catfish & The Bottlemen infused with classic indie rock with a killer bassline and distinctive vocals.


The B-side is called 'The Bouncer And The Underage Teen' which is just as good as the title track. This, like the title track, reflects classic indie rock and is about, as the song name suggests, underage teens tackling a night out.

As we said in our article on their live performance The Fused have a very current and modern sound and are a band that could go on to bigger an better things. Catch them while they're hot!


The single is available to download on the bands BANDCAMP

-Luke

Rusty Shackle // The Moon Club, Cardiff // 15.04.16

Having released their 3rd studio album 'Dusk' earlier this year, Rusty Shackle embarked on a UK wide tour and the penultimate night was a sold out show in Cardiff. The upstairs bar was packed to the rafters with people struggling to fit into the room, perching on the stairs just to be able to see the tiny stage, a stage made to look even smaller with a six-piece alt-folk band filling it.

Rusty Shackle @ The Moon Club

Opening with the first single from 'Dusk' - 'When The Morning Comes' - the atmosphere was instantly electric. The crowd bounced and sung to every tune creating a carnival of perspiration and happy faces. The band fed off this energy, seemingly enjoying every minute of their show and getting the crowd involved at any possible moment.

Midway through the set the band broke into 'Bonkers' - a cover of Dizzee Rascal's hit song. It's difficult to cover songs of such popularity at the best of times, but with a complete change in genre required from the original, it made it even more impressive that Rusty Shackle executed it perfectly. Certainly worth seeing the band just for this interesting and unique take on the popular song that had the whole room ecstatic.

Trumpeter & Bassist Ryan during 'Bonkers'
Rusty Shackle @ The Moon Club

With the room reduced to a dancing mess, they broke into 'Lucinda Returned' which, despite being relatively new song, appeared to be a huge hit with everyone in the room. By the end the crowd were singing the chorus back to the band with such glee lead singer Liam had to clarify "We're not doing a reprise!". The band then closed with two of their older more popular songs - 'Bones' and '3am' - both of which are clearly well established in the bands set-list and known by all in the room. It was an incredible atmosphere to have at a gig for any band, let alone a lesser known one.

Rusty Shackle @ The Moon Club

The band left the stage and the fans filtered out the room, everyone sweaty but smiling staggering off into the cold april night. After creating such an atmosphere and such a hype, a gig like that can be a catalyst for any band, launching them to bigger and better things and it certainly looks like that's a huge possibility for Rusty Shackle.

-Luke

The Hunna // Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff // 04.04.16

There's something about indie rock bands at the moment. Bands following the template of the likes of Catfish & The Bottlemen and The 1975 means the popular music scene is full of them. The Hunna are another example of such a band and their set in Cardiff marked their last night of a completely sold-out tour.

Support came from HUNTAR, a solo artist who sings over pre-recorded electronic tracks. If you imagine somewhere between Jack Garratt and Justin Bieber that's where HUNTAR sits, in a type of genre which is very popular at the moment. Despite clearly being an incredibly talented artist, each song appeared to blend into the next in a set almost completely full of similar sounding songs; the only exception being a drum & bass number which he closed with. Even with this 'samey' sound, HUNTAR deserves credit for bringing an incredible energy to the stage which transferred very quickly into the crowd and built up an insatiable hype before the main act.

HUNTAR @ Clwb Ifor Bach

The Hunna took to the stage to a packed out room which was buzzing with excitement. For a band only launched in October of last year and only spread through word of mouth and social media, having a series of sold out shows is an incredible achievement. Once they start playing, you can see why. With exciting guitar parts, a good beat and an excellent voice from the lead singer, The Hunna had the young crowd in the palm of their hand and the energy they brought to the stage was reflected by the fans bouncing and singing along. Having released only 3 singles so far – 'She's Casual', 'Bonfire' and 'We Could Be' – it is a great achievement to attract a crowd with so much energy.A mosh pit even broke out during the last song.

The Hunna @ Clwb Ifor Bach

The only fault with The Hunna is how similar each song sounded to the next. However, they know their fanbase and the formula that their music follows is very current. They may not be a band that breaks musical boundaries or has an important message, but they are a band which are good fun, if nothing else. With a debut album on the way this summer – which they announced to the crowd during the show – and another set of dates added to their tour due to high demand, it could be a big year for The Hunna as they look to follow in the footsteps of similar bands that have made it to the top.

-Luke
(edited by Kelcea)

#tbt - Positive Review From Negative People

After the success of ‘Tape Deck Heart’, album number 6 from Frank Turner had a lot to live up to. Dubbed as the album which launched Frank Turner into the public eye along with his appearance at the Olympic opening ceremony three years ago, it was going to be a hard act to follow, however ‘Positive Songs For Negative People’ has lived up to every expectation.

With sing along anthems like ‘Get Better’ and ‘The Next Storm’, the album highlights a new direction in Frank’s music, reflecting his feelings and a turn for the better in his personal life. These songs are extremely difficult to not dance down the street to, or at least mouth along to while looking like an idiot to everyone else.

What I love about Frank Turner is he can write anthems but also craft songs like ‘Mittens’, ‘Demons’ and ‘Josephine’ which to an untrained ear sound very upbeat but listening to the lyrics it still reflects Franks emotional intensity which you can hear a lot more obviously in his previous albums. Despite this being less obvious, his way with words is still present and is rivalled by very few songwriters (a close second to Scott Hutchison in my book but that’s just me (still waiting for a collaboration guys)).

More importantly he revisits his old stripped down style in this album, not seen as much in ‘Tape Deck Heart’, and there are a few more intimate songs such as ‘The Angel Islington’ and especially ‘A Song For Josh’ which certainly brings a tear to the eye in a touching tribute for his friend who committed suicide in 2013. These songs recognise the journey Frank’s been on and despite this album being titled as ‘Positive’, there are still bad times in anyone’s life. Songs like these show that you have to move through the bad times to make the good times better, a theme present throughout the album.

Overall this is a stunning album, reflective of Frank’s usual skilful lyricism but with a positive twist: 9/10

-Luke