Glasspiders Self Titled EP

As I write this, the sun is beaming down on an unusually sunny British spring day. Who would’ve guessed that I’d be outside writing reviews in the middle of April? And if the weather wasn't already enough to kick start my excitement for the summer, I can’t seem to get enough of Pink Lemonade; the 4^th track of Glasspiders’ new EP. Glasspiders is the newest side project from, pop punk band, Decade’s front man; Alex Sears. The EP is yet to be released and after getting my hands on it early, I cannot express my excitement for it to be released in the coming weeks.

After my first listen, Pink Lemonade seemed to grab my attention the most. The song itself is a shouty, punky, riot of a 2 minute track with grungy noisy elements in addition to the usual emo guitar riff expected from bands such as Pity Sex.

I have to be honest; within the first few listens of the entire EP I was immediately hooked. Something about the catchy emo riffs and the punky feel gives the entire EP its own original flair that will be extremely valuable upon release. Recently, we’ve all noticed a sudden surge for bands such as Pity Sex, Snowing and Tigers Jaw and I’m certain that Glasspiders will steadily climb to the top of the game in the coming months and really make their mark on the seemingly undercover scene.

Each song packs a punch with poignant and true-to-feeling lyrics disguised in a punky head-bang rhythm which it makes them all the more effective in conveying a raw and edgy feeling hiding behind a feel-good guitar. The tracks are evidently budget recorded, yet still carry the clear, executive, professionalism of a studio EP without removing and editing the personal flair of the band itself. The raw gritty guitar doesn’t fail to grab your attention, bum notes and all!

All I have to say is, Glasspiders are one to be watch. And before you know it, they’ll be travelling around the UK with their poppy dance beats and shouty message taking the noisy emo pop scene by storm.

Enter Shikari / 22.02.2015 / Middlesbrough Town Hall

After reviewing Enter Shikari's new album 'The Mindsweep' back in January, I was expecting great things post release. And on February 22nd, I was given the opportunity to see whether my expectations were correct. And not only were my expectations matched, they were topped.

 

In my last review of their album, I identified how strong they were and how they'd really harnessed the best version of the band and made it even better (despite it seeming impossible to many). I was incredibly impressed to see that they had not only harnessed this version of themselves for the record, but were able to put this across in their live shows and give a performance the band and every single fan should be passionately proud of.

 

Enter Shikari exploded onto the stage at Middlesbrough Town Hall to show the small North Eastern town what they were made of, and I can assure you; the crowd were impressed. A band who carries a strong fan base and impressive repertoire of combining rock, heavier elements of alternative/metal and drum & bass certainly attracts a very varied and diverse crowd. But nevertheless, the atmosphere was electrifying. I was previously aware of Shikari's epic reputation of putting on a spectacular, consistently impressive show, and I was definitely not disappointed.

 

I was noticeably impressed with the set list. A 17 song set with the combination of 5 of the band's top releases including 'Common Dreads', 'Rat Race', 'Take to the Skies', 'A Flash Flood of Colour' and their newest release, 'The Mindsweep'. This combination of older songs was seamless. This is something I do search for in live performances of established bands. I find a performance very rigid if the transition between earlier music is obviously contrasted to their newer material. But with Shikari, this was not the case at all. They had control and confidence and originality in the execution of both their older and new material. I also felt that they executed songs from 'The Mindsweep' with incredible confidence and felt that the performance was established as though they had been familiar with performing this material for much longer than they had.

 

Finally, not only was the musical performance one to be remembered, the visual show was impeccable. The light show was something else and was visually attractive and genuinely captivated your attention for the majority of the show. However, I do not think it was off putting from the show at hand. In sync with the drum and bass parts of their music that the fans admire so much, it was an impressive addition to an already electrifying set from Enter Shikari.

             

Enter Shikari / Mindsweep

Enter Shikari, a 4 piece rock band from England, are set to release their new record this month. On January 16^th, the band is releasing their fourth album ‘Mindsweep’ which is set to be better, stronger and more developed than all the previous albums. The previous album was released in 2012 leaving a gap of nearly 3 years for fans to eagerly await the next album. In anticipation of the release date, the band has released 4 songs from the album to gage fans reactions. The four released songs, “Slipshod”, “Anaesthetist”, “The Last Garrison” and “Never Let Go of the Microscope” have met incredibly positive responses from fans that are eager to get their hands on the album in its entirety.

After receiving my copy a couple of weeks prior to the release date, I was looking forward to hearing how the band had developed their sound to create something worthy of almost a 3 year wait for fans. I was quick to notice a much heavier addition to the album. The band is famous for seamlessly interweaving features of post hardcore with features of heavy metal such as metal core and alternative metal and combining that sound with other features of electronic music including drum, bass and dubstep. This original sound has continued to progress the band and allow them to stand out that little bit more than other bands who are trying to achieve a similar response. The increase of electronic features and an increase of heavy stylistic features have pushed the band to really develop their sound and create an album that shows progression but familiar development.

A refreshing feature I noticed among the songs was that they did not have the annoyingly similar structure or features, much too often I discover songs are so similar that they are just different versions of each other, it was very good to notice a good band who had been successfully together for almost 12 years were still able to produce fresh tracks for their album. Although sounding similar enough to belong to the same album and still successfully displayed traits of their developed sound, the songs sounded different and felt fresh as I switched between tracks.

All in all, this album will storm the alternative scene and will make a significant impression on all cities visited on their upcoming tour. The album will have an extreme impact on albums and artists releasing alongside the date and has set the bar incredibly high for material of 2015. I find it very reassuring that the English alternative music scene is still as strong as ever and believe that ‘Mindsweep’ will remain many people’s ‘album of the year’ despite its early release.

MALLORY KNOX WITH SUPPORT FROM MOOSE BLOOD, FORT HOPE AND FRNKIERO ANDTHE CELLABRATION – 11TH NOVEMBER 2014

I had been incredibly excited for this gig from the minute I found out about it. Two of my favourite bands were performing in one gig and if that isn’t something to get excited about then I’m not sure what is.

The first act on, with a strangely short set, was Moose Blood. They are a 4 piece emo/alt rock band who has rocketed to the forefront of alternative music scene with their brand new album “I’ll Keep You in Mind From Time to Time”. Their grungey and original sound has become something that many people, including myself, have found addicting. After seeing them perform live before, I had a reasonable idea of what to expect from the band. All my original expectations were matched and exceeded, they were passionate, dedicated and original as per usual and attracted the interest from the crowd immediately, and sustained this interest to the end.

Frnkiero andthe Cellabration are new on the music scene and have made a startling impact with both positive and negative opinions surrounding the band. The lead singer, Frank Iero, is finding his own musical career after the break up of his previous band, My Chemical Romance. This break up came as quite a shock and this new music has also been the same. It’s different, quirky and definitely original and is something every individual who is interested should check out for themselves. I originally formed a negative opinion after hearing about it, but went to the gig with an open mind and I was actually proved wrong. However different this music and style may seem, it still has that raw and poignant sound that I associated so well with MCR. He has developed it and harnessed it as his own and executed it with such precision that I was incredibly impressed and it was evident in the crowd response that they were equally as impressed.

Last but certainly not least, Mallory Knox. After already creating quite a stir and impact within the current music scene, they did it again by releasing their brand new album “Asymmetry”. The album is a further developed version of their previous music, showing positive progression and consistency. Sometimes consistency can be seen as boring or predictable, but in this case, it’s neither. It’s their style that people adore so fondly and I found, purely from the crowd response, that they were adored by the audience who were raring to see them perform. The set list was a variety of older popular songs of theirs and some clear favourites from the new album creating a great response from new and old fans throughout. Their performance was energetic, confidence and electrifying from a band who were clearly experts in their field of performance with bags of experience and self confidence. All in all, I thought they were amazing and I’m sure many critics would agree that Mallory Knox are a permanent feature of the alternative music scene and will be for many years to come.  

Review of Moose Blood - I'll Keep You In Mind, From Time to Time

After seeing Moose Blood early last month, I was incredibly impressed by their overall sound and general aura. I was a fan previously, but after seeing them live they rocketed into my top 5 bands. They were a brilliant, sophisticated band who radiated confidence throughout the entirety of their performance. After such an enjoyable time seeing them perform, i was impatient to get my hands on their new album.
And I can honestly say all the impatience and frustration and excitement was worth it. I'm so impressed and can genuinely hand on heart say that this album is one of my most favourite albums so far.
"I'll Keep You in Mind From Time to Time" is the first album from Moose Blood following previous EP and single releases. From the first note, right through to the last, the sophistication and originality is evident. They have a strong identity that is carried throughout each song and sits comfortably with the band. Songs such as 'Cherry' carry such raw emotion that was not once a feature of their previous material, showing progression as a band and writers. They have also included re-recordings of previous releases 'Boston' and 'Bukowski' also highlighting the progression and improvement of the band.
The album really projects the feel of an emo/alt rock/grunge sound that Moose Blood so comfortably associate themselves with. It shows an established sound and a knowledge of what they're best at. They have succeeded in not only beginning to perfect their previous style but also shows the band furthering their original ideas to really push the progression and prevent any stagnation. 
I would recommend this band to everyone really (but more specifically to fans of Nai Harvest, Basement, Darlia, Joyce Manor, Tigers Jaw and Seahaven)
Overall, I find them brilliant. I personally believe the music scene can do little else other than welcome Moose Blood as they are certainly here to stay for a long time coming.

Review of Arctic Crescent

Arctic Crescent, an Irish band playing what i would relate to as indie acoustic with some alt rock features seamlessly weaved among the poignant acoustic guitar and piano. It is an original mix, something that works incredibly well, and did not fit into my previous expectations. I find the vocals are beautifully haunting in a strange and individual way. After listening to the 2 available songs as a sample from their YouTube channel, I discovered a theme of peacefully strong vocals and lyrics. I found this theme was a feature on both songs which to me signaled the beginning of a firm musical identity. This firm identity is something I find many new bands are lacking. If this identity is already a feature in the early days, I find them promising. Their potential is really just beginning and I believe that within the future they will progress and expand and grow, hopefully furthering their individualistic style and making promising changes to really expand this original sound and identity.

All in all, I believe Arctic Crescent are ones to watch as a strong band with big promise.

Make a Scene Fest – Middlesbrough – Sunday 5th October 2014

Make a Scene, acclaimed as the North East’s greatest alternative music festival, returns for it’s 5^th year. The festival has welcomed bands such as Lower Than Atlantis, Neck Deep, Blitz Kids, Mallory Knox and Young Guns to their stage year after year to perform for a consistently passionate and enthusiastic crowd. With a combination of the local music scene, for example Across All Oceans and more popular bands, such as Decade, Moose Blood and Roam, the festival truly catered for all. The festival boasts 4 stages, Uprawr Stage which is the equivalent to main stage, Sumo Stage which was a smaller stage opposite main stage, Knee Deep Clothing Stage which was a smaller stage in a room just off of main area and finally, Seaside Studio Stage which was downstairs near the bar area.

 Oh Pioneer. It has to be tough being first up on Uprawr Stage (main stage) when the majority of the crowd are milling between stages not really paying a great deal of attention. But this did not phase them in the slightest, performing a confident, passionate and slick performance, the band were genuine, chatty and talented and were the perfect act to open the festival.
Upon arriving, I was incredibly excited. I was a fan of some bands on the line up and incredibly excited to experiment with some newer local acts. First up was local band,

The next act on Uprawr Stage was another local band, Across All Oceans, a 6 piece pop punk band from Middlesbrough. My favourite genre of music happens to be pop punk, and I am massively aware that the North East is not the most popular place for up and coming pop punk bands. So discovering them is fresh and exciting, and I am certain they have a huge amount of potential. Their set was incredibly personal, lively, exciting and spontaneous. I found their energy electrifying and the most enjoyable part was seeing how visibly thrilled they were to be performing. They performed some of their more well known originals and even touched upon some new material. As a whole, they are fresh, incredibly talented and are oozing potential on a huge scale. I am unbelievably excited to see where the next few months take this band.

 

Funnily enough, my friend ended up chatting to a guy in the crowd after a photo being taken by a band on Sumo Stage. This guy happened to be the lead singer of Lost in the Crowd; he invited us to see his band downstairs on the Seaside Studio Stage.We were definitely not disappointed. They are an alt rock/alternative/experimental 4 piece from the North East and have an incredibly raw, original sound. They played all originals from their EPs and even some new material from an upcoming EP. We were even lucky enough to receive a free sample CD from the band after the performance. They were original, sophisticated and incredibly confident in their style and delivery.

Whilst waiting for one of my favourite bands, I stumbled upon the end of Roam’s performance which I had unfortunately missed due to the overlapping of bands. The crowd responded incredibly well to them, their confidence and atmosphere was contagious and their material was executed passionately. They responded well to the crowd’s enthusiasm and played a range of material including new and old songs.

I was incredibly disappointed to realise I was only able to see a select few songs and look forward to seeing them perform alongside Man Overboard next year.

Next up, was one of my most favourite bands, Moose Blood. Moose Blood are a 4 piece emo/pop rock band that are increasing in popularity with every passing day.

They were another band up on Uprawr Stage, however unfortunately not local. Their performance was as electric and atmospheric as I hoped, if not even better. I was even luckily enough to have Stay Here dedicated to me and my friend, it was one of many gestures that helped cement the idea that this band were one of the most genuine and kind bands I had ever had the pleasure of coming across. Their set was passionate, original and confident. With a range of material, including songs from their upcoming album ‘I’ll Keep You in Mind, From Time to Time’ and even some songs from their earliest EP. I was incredibly proud to notice that the crowd responded incredibly well to them and had livened up a significant amount as their set continued. I was incredibly impressed by their performance and I look forward to seeing them perform again very soon.

My final act of the night was Decade. Decade are a pop punk band from Bath who have recently created a very popular name for themselves touring with bands such Tonight Alive, Mayday Parade and Lower Than Atlantis. I have been a fan of theirs for a while and believe they are an incredibly talented band with heaps and heaps of potential. It is truly amazing to see them begin to receive the recognition they trult deserve. Their set began and it was electrifying from the start. They began with Fool’s Gold, a track from their newest album and it was an excellent choice. The majority of the set was from their newest album and the crowd response was incredible. They were incredibly stoked for this performance and the band did not let the audience down. They carried off one of the best and strongest performances of the whole festival and I was incredibly proud with the confidence and passion they executed so effortlessly through their performance.

All in all, I found Make a Scene one of the most enjoyable gigs of my life and found the bands were incredibly friendly and eagerly interacted with fans. I was lucky enough to meet Moose Blood, Alex Sears from Decade, members of Across All Oceans and Lost in the Crowd. Each and everyone was incredibly genuine, friendly and had no hesitation with communicating and were eager to take photos.