It rapaciously rattles as it tenaciously rolls, aggressively snarls as it leaps around with viral infectiousness. No this is not a riddle but the sound of Millie Manders And The Shut Up on their new EP, Shutup; a proposition which had us instinctively drooling even before the first track of the inescapably mouth-watering release reached its finale.
London based, Millie Manders And The Shut Up stepped out in 2015, the band emerging from Millie’s solo career sharing ear grabbing acoustic enterprise which itself sprung from varied previous projects including Second Sense. With The Shutup around her vocal dexterity and prowess on the ukulele and alto saxophone, the band creates a punk rock bred incitement eagerly embracing varied flavours from pop punk to ska to aggression loaded alternative rock. Similarly though, there are moments certainly within the Shutup EP, our introduction to the band, when essences of styles such as swing, new wave and R&B more than tease. It is truly an appetite rousing crossover flavour which with hindsight shows just why the first two EPs from the band, The Free-P and Obsession Transgression, were so warmly welcomed and praised by fans and media alike and now why, finding its fullest most adventurous character yet, it is a sound which seeds one of the year’s most exciting offerings.
The EP opens up with Right To Life, a shimmer of guitar caressing the immediately striking presence and voice of Millie as the song rises slowly but purposively to its feet. Its sepia jazz kissed sound is alluring enough, Lewis Slater’s guitar winding up the temptation, but it is just a smouldering kiss before the boisterous carnival of its stomp to come. A flick of its hips and the spontaneous burst of dancing flames from the trumpet of George Alan and the tenor sax of Dom Walker spring the track into contagious urgency; ska punk instincts entangling its more spiky rock endeavour as the track bounds along like a mix of Sonic Boom Six, No Doubt, and The Selector. Yet even with those easy to offer references, song and sound swiftly proves its own uniqueness with Millie herself vocally as individual as they come but with a great whiff of Brody Dalle in league with Imelda May and Pauline Black.
The track is superb but instantly rivalled by its successors for favourite track honours here starting with Brave. The imposing ticking of a clock incites the muscular swings of drummer Alessandro Vitiello and as quickly the magnetic tones of Millie. Slipping into a slightly more restrained canter compared to its predecessor initially, the song carries a portentous air; an inviting threat which erupts with fiery blasts of brass searing its chorus placed expulsion. As with all tracks, the body was quickly manipulated by the captivating antics of the song, the imagination and appetite as quickly seduced and enslaved before the equally irresistible Lollipops launched its own compelling escapade. Again Vitiello’s beats thump away with relish and poise as the even grumpier bass of Matt Munford twangs with tenacity, the guitar adding its attitude lined riffery to the virulent slice of punk rock.
New single, One That Got Away, completes the creative scheming and magnificence. The coaxing of the fuzz lined guitar alone offers intoxicating hooks but every aspect of the song from rhythms, brass, and vocals breed their own distinctive barbs to be hooked and aroused by. It might be punk in its heart but as all tracks, it is pure rock ‘n’ roll; manna to the ear and instincts.
Millie Manders has been sharing the goodness for many years now but the Shutup EP is surely the moment attention explodes around the band; so just do what it says and get down to some serious inhibition free rocking.
The Shutup EP is out now @ https://milliemanders.bandcamp.com/album/shutup
Upcoming live shows:
October
25th – The Waterloo, Blackpool
November
9th – Pie Race, Warf Chambers, Leeds
10th – Breaking Barriers, Leuven, Belgium
December
1st – Fighting Cocks, Kingston
7th – The Harp Restrung, Folkestone
8th – Blueberry, Norwich
13th – Portland Arms, Cambridge
14th – Smokehouse, Ipswich
15th – Voodoo Lounge, Stanford
21st – Alma Inn, Bolton
22nd – The Bobbin, Lancaster
23rd – The Ainsty, York
https://www.facebook.com/milliemandersmusic/ https://twitter.com/milliemanders https://www.instagram.com/milliemanders/
Pete RingMaster 03/10/2018
Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright
The calmer All Wanna Go To Heaven through its initial less energetic entrance, compared to its predecessors, only leads into a snare of boldly catchy and melodically enticing temptation. The voice of Hermes once more stands tall and captivating within the song, a given proven track by track as the sounds around her cast their creative theatres. Pop, rock, and metal strands all go into its ear wrapping weave before the contagion of Hellawake continues the diversity bred within the Sick N’ Beautiful’s sound with its electro pop meets industrial punk shuffle.
From the moment the EP’s title track looms right up from its distant entrance attention was not only hooked but chained to what was to follow. Wiry tendrils of guitar wrap around ears immediately, senses slapping beats alongside and once the first track hits its voracious stride and the vocals of Targett unleash their incitement, the deal between lust and the devil’s music roaring from the speakers was done. Swiftly the singer impresses with a throat abrasing attack and venomous delivery but it is when she breaks into a glorious clean delivery that realisation at her talent is inescapable. Before then guitarists Callan Hughes and Jay Bacon gnaw at and chew on the senses, twisting and turning with grooves as their hooks pierce with imagination as the swinging rhythms of drummer Willem Mason-Geraghty infest body and spirit just as potently. The track is immense and no better way to succumb to the first abusive seduction of VNDTA.
Recorded with Brian Crowe at Kreischer Mansion Studios, their new release opens up with Motor Mouth needing little time to have the body bouncing and instincts to rock uncaged. Commandingly infectious from the off as riffs and rhythms frame the potent vocal presence and hooks of Amanda, the song is a punk rock bred pop infested persuasion soaked in attitude and rascality. There is nothing majorly remarkable about the track yet every second is instinctive temptation laying the grounds for a lusty adventure continued by next up Still Love Me. The outstanding second song swiftly shows more of the magnetically powerful tones of Amanda, her alluring roar superbly backed by those of Mike as riffs and hooks dance within the early No Doubt/hard rock spiced punk stroll. As its predecessor, the song infests ears and imagination with viral like efficiency, raising the temperature and involvement of the listener by the second while a roving bassline is the icing on the contagious cake.
The band’s inspirations are never far from the surface at times, the second song evidence but spices used to shape songs which undoubtedly have The Hostiles character, as shown again in the prowling You Liar. Swaggering alone with mischief in its creative glands, the song is confrontational but an epidemic of big hooks and intimidating attitude, and quite superb. It reveals the great mix of pop honed and punk rock driven sounds which have sparked the band’s passions over time, all woven into another distinctive proposition before things calm a touch with I’ll Assume. It is just a touch too as the song soon shows its teeth and melodic prowess in a King Prawn like canter with exotic melodies and moody basslines entangling the ever potent vocals and swathes of mariachi hued trombone.
Performing as a singer and professional dancer over recent years, Natalie eventually pulled together the band which is Indya last year, recruiting the talents of guitarist Daniel Baune, bassist Raymond Tagnola, and drummer Tobias Miorin to help bring her life bred songs to life. Combining inspirations from the likes of Rainbow, Deep Purple, Bowie, Madonna, and Amy Winehouse into their hard rock seeded rock ‘n’ roll, the band is looking to make a potent impact on ears and attention in 2016, and if Harder Faster is a sign of things to come, it is hard to see them failing.
The excellent opening to the album continues with Selfish Burn which again has that Gwen Stefani and co spicing to its feisty pop ‘n’ roll. Throaty funk infused bait from Fred’s bass provides a potent spine to the song, an agitated smoulder of sonic and melodic resourcefulness laying upon it whilst Margarita’s tones again add a lusty freshness with a tinge of mischief to the temptation. Though seemingly crafted from the same template as the first and next up Yellow & Bliss, each song reveals its own individual and forcibly enticing character. The third track, and the band’s brand new video/single, is a lively shuffle with skittish rhythms and an animated gallop of chords and hooks beneath a breeze of warm harmonies and psych rock tinged enterprise, and quite irresistible.