Not only lighting our ears this November with another thrilling Horse Party EP, Seymour Quigley of the band and R*E*P*E*A*T Records / Pure Deadly have compiled and unveiled a striking compilation offering some of the best bands helping to make the Bury St Edmunds underground DIY rock scene one of the most exciting to emerge in recent times within the UK. Twelve bands providing a dozen, without exception, ear pleasing tracks, This is the sound of Sugar Town is a magnetic and thickly enjoyable invitation to explore a host of great new bands whilst helping a great cause with all its profits going to Bury St Edmunds Women’s Refuge.
Wrapped in the artwork of local artist and musician Kate Jackson, once of Long Blonde, This is the Sound of Sugar Town opens up with the alternative rock quintet Voter Kernel and instantly has ears and attention gripped. The band covers the senses in a web of sonic guitar bait before relaxing into a vocally rowdy and rhythmic inviting incitement laced with acidic enticement from the guitars. Into its stride Unnatural Gathering Of Animals blows a punk wind with anthemic simplicity and potency, perpetually confirming itself as one of those inescapable roars that just grabs full involvement of the listener.
The same applies to the darker post punk bred What I’d Do from Horse Party. The guitars of Ellie Langley and Seymour Quigley tempt as the beats of Shannon Hope entice, each warming ears for the ever siren like voice of Langley. It is a mix that breeds the great diversity to drive the band’s releases over the past year or so, but also a unique presence to the band’s sound which is no better epitomised than in this tantalising song.
As the third track comes in view, already there is a glimpse of not only the quality in the Bury music scene but the diversity too, The Few adding to that subsequent realisation across the album, with Bury’d Alive. Not to be confused with the truck load of other bands with the same name, especially in the US, the Bury hailing proposal is an indie punk quartet which as its predecessors, soon has appetite and imagination held with an opening lure of guitar and firm beats. Carrying a tasty seventies DIY punk tone to its sound with layers of bluesy spicing amongst it, the track whips up rich bait somewhere between Swell Maps and Outcasts.
The Machismo’s has already ignited lust in these ears with their releases, and do so again with their offering Rise Again and its punk infused seduction. The trio of Sam Marsh, Rachel Marsh, and Karly Stebbings cast a web of flavours and textures bred in varying styles, creating their own temptation which again comes in varied hues as it prowls with mischievous relish through twanging bass groans, sonic sighs, and scything beats. Lyrically the open humour of the band brings a thick smile to the face as its adventure of drooping hopes and their resurrection hit, as the sound, the sweet spot.
As mentioned the variety within the album and the town’s scene is a refreshing enjoyment, continuing with the great tempestuous sound of Rats as Big as Dogs. Their track, Same Difference, is a mesh of harmonic warmth and mesmeric calm aligned to explosive raw energy and aggression. It is only around for two minutes, but a dynamically eventful and captivating time before passing the baton of temptation on to Scare The Normals and their track Tomorrow. Stalking ears with its sinister electronics and prowling rhythms, the song grows into a compelling infestation lying somewhere between Autopsy Boys and Naked Lunch; an electronic/sonic exploration also carrying an alluring scent of Fad Gadget to its creeping enterprise.
A fascinating embrace of psychedelic grooving greets ears in Sky Dance from the quartet Pale Fires next, its sultry shimmer and flowing harmonic tenacity an immersive celestial delight whilst site favourites The Vitamins saunter in with their highly flavoursome rock ‘n’ roll, The Present (Stairway) to entice with a riveting canter of potent vocals and melodic enterprise laced with a grunge/alternative rock toning. Expectations expect the trio to provide a full meal of texture and expression and the track does not disappoint with its virulent shuffle and vibrant personality.
Some growling heavy rock with punk belligerence erupts in ears next courtesy of Tryal of Witches, its Motorhead meets Kyuss meets XII Boar roar Sweating Rum, a dirt crusted pleasure contrasting well with the melodic, ambience scented enticement of alternative quintet Cathedrals and Cars. Posterity Measure is a hug of melancholy and tantalising melodic beauty becoming more energetically aroused and in turn enthralling with every passing minute.
Fortunato provide a track from their well-received Under Your Teeth EP next, Utopia a fuzzy and dynamic croon of voice and sonic imagination with a healthy line in hooks and jabbing rhythms. Its flavoursome charm parts to leave Eleanor Lou to bring the album to a fine close with Ring The Change. Hailing from the market town and currently based in Manchester, the songstress dances on ears and imagination with voice and song, the acoustic hug a mesmeric reflection further honed by the elegant tones of the singer/songwriter.
From start to finish, This is the sound of Sugar Town is a thrilling discovery of Bury St Edmunds’ underground musical heart. Some bands were familiar, many brand new, and each contributing to a release worthy of everyone’s investigation whilst at the same time helping others.
This is the sound of Sugar Town is out now via R*E*P*E*A*T Records / Pure Deadly digitally and on 12” vinyl @ https://repeatfanzine.bandcamp.com/album/this-is-the-sound-of-sugar-town
Album track listing…
VOTER KERNEL – Unnatural Gathering Of Animals 03:59
HORSE PARTY – What I’d Do 03:42
THE FEW – Bury’d Alive 02:38
THE MACHISMO’S – Rise Again 02:53
RATS AS BIG AS DOGS – Same Difference 02:00
SCARE THE NORMALS – Tomorrow 06:15
PALE FIRES – Sky Dance 04:47
THE VITAMINS – The Present (Stairway) 03:03
TRYAL OF WITCHES – Sweating Rum 03:35
CATHEDRALS AND CARS – Posterity Measure 03:52
FORTUNATO – Utopia 03:33
ELEANOR LOU – Ring The Change 02:32
Pete RingMaster 18/11/2015
Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright
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Opener F.T.B is a minute long lure into the release but much more than an intro, its belly of craft and passion a potent roar on ears and indeed and already brewing appetite. Its strong coaxing is quickly matched by the punchy swagger of Mirrors. Straight away the anthemic swings of drummer Mat Capper and the dark alluring tone of Sam Hughes’ bass grip ears as a spiralling of sonic enterprise escapes the guitars of Tim Brown and Josh Pasley. It is a rousing entrance that continues to entice as the enjoyable varied vocal attack of Archie Hatfield blazes away with angst and passion. He shows a diversity and imagination in this song alone which is echoed throughout the band and song, and though Mirrors offers familiar spicery, it makes for a stirring slice of post-hardcore bred rock ‘n’ roll.
The EP opens with Burden, a track growing from an initial sonic mist punctured by firmly swung beats into an energetic and boisterous canter led by the quickly impressing vocals of Charlotte-Jayne Gilpin. Nicely backed by the more raw throated tones of rhythm guitarist Sam Harrison-Little, she is a potent focal point from which the magnetic shuffle of Danny Rayer’s bass and the melodic intrigue rich enterprise of the guitar spring. The track continues to entice and please, its body unsurprising but character and heart dynamic as it provides a thickly satisfying start to Consequences.
East London bred False Heads made its first steps in the opening month of 2014 and quickly began enticing attention and whipping up a loyal and quickly increasing following. Around the summer of that first year, the trio released the Tunnel Vision EP, a rousing quartet of tracks more than doing its bit to lure further and greater focus the way of the band. It also provided a strong base from which the band could expand and explore its songwriting and sound, and that they had by the time its successor, the Wear and Tear EP, had leapt into ears this past April. Whereas the first encounter was a grunge hued affair, its successor revealed a dirtier and heavier rock tempest to its enterprise and invention. Steal And Cheat shows another strong twist in sound from those before it whilst carrying the increasingly distinctive False Heads character and voice.
The foursome of Luke Branch, Jazz Miell, Henry Tyler, and Michael Webster introduced us to their scintillating creative credentials through the exceptional Wet Dream Fanzine EP this past February. It was a three track collection of the band’s singles to date, and a slightly deranged explosion of angular noise pop to get lustful over. Released via the band’s own Cool Thing Records, the EP was an inescapable wakeup call later backed by the single Joy In A Small Wage. Play-listed by Radio One amongst thick support and attention all round, the track opened up the more seductively mellow side of the Asylums sound whilst accentuating a busy summer of success which saw the band playing a host of UK and European Festivals including Glastonbury. Now it is the turn of Missing Persons to light a fuse to swift acclaim and hungry new appetites for more; success hard to see being escaped such the persuasion of the richly dynamic song.