RingMaster Reviews Interviews – Mark Vennis

For those who may not know who you are, introduce yourselves quickly.

MARK VENNIS & DIFFERENT PLACE: WE ARE A GENRE JUMPING BAND ALL TIED TOGETHER BY PUNK ROCK ATTITUDE

Describe your sound in as few words as possible.

JOHNNY CASH AND BOB MARLEY MEET THE CLASH

Who are your three biggest influences as a band?

THE CLASH, BOB MARLEY, JOHNNY CASH.

What’s the meaning behind your band name?

MUSIC TAKES YOU TO A DIFFERENT PLACE. IT CAN TRANSFORM THE EVERYDAY AND GET YOU TO LOOK AT THINGS DIFFERENTLY.

How did you approach your latest release in terms of writing and recording?

I WRITE AND WRITE, THEN I RECORD. THIS ALBUM WAS A COLLECTION OF EPS AND SOME EXTRA SONGS, SO ALL THE THREE EPS WERE AVAILABLE OVER THE PAST THREE OR SO YEARS. SO IT WASN’T RECORDED IN ONE GO.

Do you have any personal favourite songs on the release?

‘RATTLE SNAKE’, ‘ACHILLES REMIX’

Explain the meaning behind the album title.

‘A BEAUTIFUL LIE OR THE UGLY TRUTH’ IS THE TITLE. AND ITS REALLY ABOUT WHETHER YOU WANT TO BELIEVE THE BULLSHIT OR NOT.

Do you have any dates lined up at present?

CANNES FILM FESTIVAL 2019, FLASHFEST PORTSMOUTH 2019

What are your favourite songs to perform live?

‘WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE’, ‘AINT NO CHOICE’.

What are the best and worst shows you’ve played to date?

BEST: VOUT O RENEES, LONDON. JAN 2019, WORST: BLOTTED ANY BAD EXPERIENCE OUT OF MY MIND!

If you could open for anyone, who would it be?

PAUL WELLER

Any comical stories from your time as a band you can share with us?

NONE THAT I CAN REPEAT

What’s the plan for the rest of 2019?

GIG. RECORD. RELEASE NEW ALBUM.

Any closing comments?

WE BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF ROCK N ROLL TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER, MAKE THEM DANCE, MAKE THEM THINK AND, IN A LITTLE WAY, CHALLENGE ARTIFICIAL DIVISIONS IN SOCIETY.

https://www.facebook.com/Differentplaceband/

Questions by Elliot Leaver

Flesh Tetris – Wrong Kind of Adults

Photo by Julia Do Om

Self-described as “Retro SciFi Eurotrash armed to the teeth with barbed pop hooks and weaponised synths” or “Pop music for unpopular people”, the Flesh Tetris sound is to pin it down, simply one of a kind. Like an off-kilter dance-floor glitter ball it revolves through bold pop light and flirtatious electronic shadows, drawing the shades and hues of numerous more styles in its virulent adventure. It has already provided a riveting romp within the UK band’s first EP, Insert Coin, and is now in full exhilarating bloom and devilry within their forthcoming debut album, Wrong Kind of Adults.

Flesh Tetris sees the coming together of five unique talents already renowned for their exploits with other bands. It is fronted by duel vocalists in Eva Menon and Andy Heintz who had already seriously had us hooked through the bands Cauldronated and The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing respectively. Alongside the pair we find bassist/octaguitarist Andy Duke of Top Buzzer/The Duel/Cauldronated fame, drummer Jez Miller who also plays in The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing and keyboardist/vocalist Karen Bell who has a rather fine touch on the theremin too. Together they have created a sound and release which we cannot exactly describe no matter how we have tried but then again given the chance it does all the talking and persuading with ease.

As album opener For Fun swiftly reveals, it is a sound which is poppy yet rebellious, electronically mischievous but equally alternative rock sharp and all flirtatious temptation to body and imagination. The first track springs from law and order sirens, swinging in on the rhythmic strands of Duke and Miller as synths dance devilishly around them. Hips were swiftly infected, feet a rapid shuffle soon after as ears gripped the vocal uniqueness of Heintz and Menon. The track is untamed rock ‘n’ roll at heart, electro dance in its revelry and a riveting rousing way to kick things off.

Panic Buy follows swiftly revealing its own punk lined rock identity as beats and vocals steer the organic magnetism of the song. Bell’s backing vocals, though she is a must larger part to the band’s vocal prowess throughout the release then mere backing, simply seduced within the track’s own spirited allure; again a five prong creative attack gripping and manipulating. In some ways the song is something akin to a union between The Revillos and Dalek I Love You but distinctly all Flesh Tetris rascality.

Wrong Kind of Adults includes the tracks making up the band’s previous EP, all four being fully re-recorded, and first up is Hardest Part. Swinging in on a dub nurtured electronic saunter the track teases with skittish rhythmic scratching and electronic pulses as Heintz and Menon once more tantalise almost taunt with their combined vocal theatre. Theremin and an enslaving bass meander only escalate the hypnotic call, the song a perpetual simmer with moments of escalation which just enslaves from first breath to the final throbbing lure of Duke’s bass.

A sniff of Mindless Self Indulgence adds even more thrilling flavour to the outstanding Incoming, the outstanding track a schizoid slice of new wave/synth pop fuelled punk ‘n’ roll which easily lured away inhibitions with its predacious swagger and boosted throat borne eagerness with its own web of boisterous vocal variety before Jailbait Sex Pest Infestation offered up its own individual excellence. Apparently a song with an accompanying video which “was sparked by a misheard conversation between a toddler and his mother on the 29 bus” and is literally about a gang of flirty underage cockroaches trying to crash a party cockroaches, the track is an electro funk bred frolic which continues the album’s agility at getting into the bones and leading the body like a puppeteer. Like a musical equivalent to the little known but brilliant cartoon Oggy and The Cockroaches, the track just hit the spot.

Then again so do all as soon proven by Partners in Crime and its Bonnie and Clyde caper against an adult electro bred Scooby Doo musical landscape. Narrated by Heintz’s infectious growl and Menon’s Italian teases as much provocation as seduction, the track goes on the run with a web of imagination and sonic pleasure, Bell’s serenades in between pure delicious fondant on the richly flavoursome treat.

As mentioned the songs already introduced via Insert Coin come completely re-recorded to their benefit, next up Glass Bottom Boat especially flourishing in its keener swing and intrepid twists and turns. The summer of keys exuberantly sparkle against the rocky saunter of Duke’s basslines, their waves and earthy Brighton shore crisply swiped by miller’s catchy swings.

Both Landfill Cindy and Cat Box Journey kept ears and imagination aflame with matching ease, the first sheltering its misdemeanours within an electro punk confrontation as much threat and intimidation as infectious incitement. Its successor spins around a core hook which just had us at its first spiral, another instinctive lure of sonic flirtation matched by the fizzy embrace of synths and an espionage loaded bassline; the last of the two tracks another major best track contender.

The album finishes with the equally irresistible Rabbits, a track which from its opening warm synth coaxing had the body as its plaything with its electro dance and anthemic carousing. In many ways the track epitomises the Flesh Tetris sound though no two songs are really alike and despite are attempts are so much more fascinating and flavoursome let alone unique than our words have suggested.

Getting involved with Wrong Kind of Adults is the only way to truly find out; the album a tonic for the musically curious, a rousing reward for the bold.

Wrong Kind Of Adults is released on CD across all the usual digital platforms on 10th May 2019.

 https://www.facebook.com/fleshtetris/

Pete RingMaster 16/04/2019

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Obey – Swallow The Sun

Obey have not exactly been hidden in the shadows of the UK metal scene in recent years, finding acclaim and success with increasing intensity but now the Midlands outfit is surely poised to really demand and receive major attention with the release of their new album, Swallow The Sun. Offering nine tracks of the band’s firmly individual fusion of heavy rock, groove metal, and doom bred intensity, though that only hints at the flavours involved and it all wrapped in progressive metal individuality, the band’s fourth full-length takes the listener on a creative and emotional journey shaped by fascinating imagination and potent craft.

Formed in 2008, Obey has established themselves with increasing success within the British metal scene live and across a trio of previous albums starting with their debut, New Day Rising in 2009. If that first release for the Staffordshire trio tickled strong attention, Doom Laden in 2012 and Maelstrom four years later gave it a bigger jab to reinforce a redoubtable reputation earned by their live prowess and successes. As suggested though Swallow The Sun is a proposition which swings a mighty dextrous hook at ears, swiftly revealing itself not only the band’s finest moment yet but a release which easily grabs attention away from the majority of releases to grace the year so far.

With ex- Generations and Molly Leigh drummer Ryan Gillespie completing the band’s current line-up alongside guitarist/vocalist Steve Pickin and guitarist/bassist Dan Ryder last year, Obey joined up with producer Sam Bloor at Lower Lane Studios to record Swallow the Sun and immediately the album takes a robust hand on ears with opener Back Home. Riffs straight away nag at the senses, they soon entangled in the sonic intimation of a solar thread of guitar. The band describe the album as a “sonic journey dealing with the cruelty of Dementia and the devastation it leaves, melding that together with themes of fantasy and folklore” and from its first few seconds there is a haunting dark hue to sound and atmosphere even as the track quickly collects its attributes to create tides of rhythmic and sonic enticement. Like the band’s sound is a blend of open styles skilfully united, the song is a web of textures as voracious and often predatory as they are melodic and frequently seductive; an encounter as unpredictable as it is captivating for a simply superb start to the album.

Drive follows and it too simply seizes ears from its first wiry throes before opening up its kaleidoscopic landscape, one tempestuous and as unsettled as it is creatively magnetic but a maelstrom of enterprise fluidly consuming and exciting ears. Classic hues join modern and progressive essences as the song blossoms by the twist and turn, Pickin’s vocals a strong and emotionally disturbed match for the cauldron of sounds around him. Both the opening pair of tracks has an inherent catchiness to them which is just as instinctive within next up Call Of The Judderman. Initially there is a common wiring between the third song and its predecessor, a core asylum of sonic endeavour but it soon unveils its own unique character and presence across three minutes of compelling confrontation.

Star Crusher takes the imagination on a swift heavy doom laden cruise across celestial space, its fuel imposing intensity before landing ears and appetite at the siren presence of Esmeralda And The Doom Blues. Instantly seductive verging on the salacious, the track soon reveals its medusa-esque heart in sound, endeavour, and threat whilst simply ambushing any possible resistance to its melodic bewitchment before the album’s title track romps across the senses and instincts with its flirtatious rock ‘n’ roll. Defiance to its bounce and swing was futile; submission to its virulent scheme unsurprisingly inevitable as the song rivalled and at times eclipsed the already thrilling escapade of the album so far.

A calmer air embraces ears next as The Mountain looms up, the song soon ensnaring them in its own commandingly creative lattice of guitar as rhythms manipulatively infest. Even so it is a less volatile proposition though it carries certain tempestuousness in its outstanding body of sound and imagination while snarls and wonderfully harasses the senses with its technical mastery and physical agility. Both tracks keep the lofty heights of the album in place with ease leaving Emerald Eyes to bring Swallow The Sun to a similarly fine close if it took a touch longer to elevate to the stature of other tracks.

It does though simply epitomise the band’s craft and imagination and the wonderful unpredictability of every essence making up one addictive album; Swallow The Sun announcing Obey as one seriously striking proposition.

Swallow The Sun is out now @ https://obeyuk.bandcamp.com/album/swallow-the-sun

https://www.facebook.com/Obeyuk/   https://twitter.com/obeyuk

Pete RingMaster 11/04/2019

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Turning on the LoveSick Radio

US rockers LoveSick Radio “bring a distinctive blend of unapologetic rock guitar coupled with pop melodies and a little hip-hop swagger, creating a fresh sound all their own. “ The words of their bio are swiftly backed up by a sound which infests body and spirit and a live presence which has had halls bouncing long before the likes of All-American Rejects, Bon Jovi, Dorothy, Bobaflex, Scott Weland of Stone Temple Pilots, Justin Bieber, Blue October, Kid Rock, Steel Panther, Three Days Grace, Hinder, Twenty One Pilots, Safety Suit, Paramore, Dead Sara and New Found Glory have followed the band on stage.

A short while back we had the pleasure thanks to the guys finding out more with the band, chatting about origins, their sound, songs, and much more…

Hello and thanks for taking time out to talk with us.

Can you first introduce the band and give us some background to how it all started?

David (Guitar):  Thanks for having us! We are LoveSick Radio & we play honest rock & roll with a touch of blues/punk. This line-up started when I reached out to Troy, our singer. I asked him if he wanted to sing on a track I had & he was game. Oddly enough we have known each other forever but can’t remember how we met. That song snowballed into bringing in Glenn & the Matts. We’ve been writing & touring ever since.

Were you involved in other bands previously? If so has that had any impact on what you are doing now, in maybe style or direction?

Glenn (Bass): All of us have played in a bunch of bands prior to coming together and doing this one. We’ve all brought a lot of what we learned in the other bands, as far as what makes a band work and what doesn’t and what we want out of music, to this band. Everyone’s past musical experiences have really shaped the way this band operates. Being in a band is like a relationship: you have to go through some tough ones to discover what you want.

What inspired the band name?

Matt B. (guitar): Our previous drummer was going through a breakup. Whilst on his way to rehearsal he kept hearing all these songs about heartbreak on the radio & when he got to rehearsal he made a comment about how the radio seemed lovesick & everyone thought it sounded cool so we went with it.

Was there any specific idea behind the forming of the band and also in what you wanted it and your sound to offer?

Matt S. (Drummer): I wouldn’t say there were any specific ideas about forming the band.  We are just 5 guys who vibe well with each other musically, have an almost obsessive passion for music, and the drive to write and play day in and day out.  All of us have differing backgrounds musically, but at the heart of it, we love rock and roll.  The sound is a culmination of the individual influences of all of us, but more importantly, we just want to write good songs.  A good song is a good song, regardless of the genre.  Some might sound heavier, more twangy, or more soulful than others, but that’s all of our personalities coming out.

Do the same things still drive the band from those fresh faced days or have they evolved over time?

Matt B.: Essentially writing great songs that we get off on performing & connecting with an audience has always been the driving force within the band.

As the band evolves the drive to widen our reach & get our music out to the masses becomes stronger & stronger

Since your early days, how would you say your sound has evolved?

Troy (Singer): “Early days” kinda makes me laugh as I still feel like we are in our “early days”, but as far as evolution I think that honestly happens from song to song. Not just in our sound, but as a band overall…getting more comfortable with one another and for me as a vocalist pushing myself to new places. I think evolution has started since day one for us.

Are those things, that evolution, something organic or more the band deliberately setting out to try new things?

Matt S.: We aren’t afraid to try new things or experiment musically.  It just depends on the mood of the song and what makes sense.  We don’t just follow a music equation, but obviously we want our music to be accessible to everyone.  From the time that someone shares an idea, we build on it, we practice it, and we finally record it, the song could be almost completely different.  I’d like to think it happens organically.  When we get in the studio, that’s where the fun and experimentation begins.   On the current album we are working on, we have instruments which we do not have live on stage (strings, keys, horns), the band plays kazoos and sings gang vocals, we stomp, we clap, we play instruments that we have never played before, just to get the sound and vibe that we hear in our heads.. 

Presumably across the band there is a wide range of inspirations; are there any in particular which have impacted not only on the band’s music but your personal approach and ideas to creating and playing music?

David: Yes everyone in the band love a million different things but I think the artist the inspire our approach are Aerosmith, AC/DC, The Stones, LED Zeppelin, Sex Pistols, The Rival Son & Stereophonics to name a few. These are all iconic bands & that’s what we strive to be one day. So we are constantly pushing ourselves to be the best we can be.

Is there a particular process to your songwriting?

Troy: There are always gonna be some variations, but music usually comes first…typically a killer riff. I’ll take a rough demo and live with it for a while…usually spend time driving around coming up with ideas and bring them to rehearsal where everyone chimes in. So in the beginning it’ a very “isolated” process but as we get things worked up, the band as a whole will bring in all the different influences.

Where do you, more often than not, draw the inspirations to the lyrical side of your songs?

Troy: Inspiration for me is always life…either something I lived or something I am watching someone go through. The only time it would vary is if I am asked to write for a specific TV or movie thing, but even then I have to draw from personal experiences…As an introvert I spend a lot of my time just watching people. I write what I see.

Please give us some background to your latest release.

Glenn: Our latest release is a song called “Young Hurricane”. It’s written kind of like a poem in the way the vocals are structured. Basically it’s just about sticking’ to your guns and doing what you know is right (kind of a metaphor for playing rock n roll in 2019). A lot of the really cool elements of the song came together in the studio when we had a chance to really sit down and play with different ideas to build the song.

Give us some insight to the collective themes and premise behind songs.

Troy: I think it is fair to say we have some pretty universal themes with all our tracks…def some self-reflection and overcoming, some rebellious middle finger flipping and of course love and loss. I’d say our next release “Bloodshot Eyes” falls in the self-reflecting/ overcoming category but doing the reflecting in some smokey bar if those still exist…haha

Are you a band which goes into the studio with songs pretty much in their final state or prefer to develop them as you record?

David: It happens both ways in the studio. But a lot of time we will have the music done to a certain point & start tracking before the vocals are finished. The bed tracks might influence Troy to do something different then what we had for the rough demo. We are never married to an idea. We are always changing or rewriting trying to get the best out of the song.

Tell us about the live side to the band, presumably the favourite aspect of the band?

With the live show we want to sound like a freight train going a full speed. So we work on dynamics, power & energy. We want you to feel it when you come to a show.

It is not easy for any new band to make an impact regionally let alone nationally and further afield. How have you found it your neck of the woods?

Matt S.: Like any other band, you have to put in the time.  We have played for empty rooms, we have played for packed houses, and we have played festivals where you can’t see the end of the crowd.  People seek out good music.  The hard part is introducing it to them (luckily the internet exists).  I feel that we have the sound and energy to lure people in, and to keep them coming back to shows.  It doesn’t matter if it is regionally or worldwide.  As long as you connect to the crowd, you will build a following.  Whether it is a home show or something across the country, we put on the same game face each night and try to win over every crowd we play for.  We have found that people like the resurgence of good old fashioned rock and roll everywhere we go, so everywhere feels comfortable and like our neck of the woods.

Are there the opportunities to make a mark if the drive is there for new bands and talking of the internet how has social media impacted on the band to date?

Glenn: Absolutely. It all comes down to a band’s desire and willingness to push themselves and go outside of their comfort zone to grow and do something cool and original. Social media and the internet are a great thing for bands because it allows us to reach people all over the world as independent artists. Without the internet, we might not have the opportunity to do this interview!

Do you see it as something destined to become a negative from a positive as the band grows and hopefully gets increasing success or is it more that bands struggling with it are lacking the knowledge and desire to keep it working to their advantage?

Troy: I think there will always be both negative and positives whether being the “underdog” band on the come up, or at the top trying to stay there. I think the internet and social media will always have the ugliness and trolls looking to tear you down, no matter what your status….however, the positive of how many people can be reached is hard to argue. Honestly with this band being started in the “new world” of technology, it’s really all we’ve known so is kinda our new normal.

Once again a big thanks for sharing time with us; anything you would like to add or reveal for the readers?

David: Thank you again for having us!!

If you would like to check out us & the music you can go to these links. See you on the road!

AppleMusic: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/lovesick-radio/203509719

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/feels-so-good-single/1436316245

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7zca83vBdFEDg0119J8thJ?si=4bw6zx7-RL-fbpKajO1aHw

YouTube: Youtube.com/lovesickradio

Instagram: @lovesickradio

Twitter: @lovesickradio

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LoveSickRadioBand/

 & anywhere else you stream & download music

Pete RingMaster 03/04/2019

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

C Wired – Angel Circuit Engaged

Linking lyrical prowess and imagination with its musical rock equivalent, C Wired drew potent plaudits with eclectic debut EP, Omega, and recently repeated and out shone its adventure with successor Angel Circuit Engaged. Offering six slices of rock ‘n’ roll woven from an array of rock ‘n’ roll flavours, it is an encounter which has proven rather magnetic.

C Wired is Chuck Whyard, a singer-songwriter adept at casting potent imagery in word as in a sound embracing everything from alternative and indie rock to country and blues flavoured rock ‘n’ roll. It makes for a diverse mix and songs as proven on Omega early last year which are as individual as they are united in the C Wired touch. Since that well-received debut, Whyard has pulled in and established a hard rocking band to hit the live scene and bolster an already adventurous sound, Angel Circuit Engaged seeing the craft of guitarist/moog synthesist Addison Smith, bassist Andrew Renner, keyboardist Wil Houchens, and drummer Daniel Kelly alongside its frontman.

Angel Circuit Engaged opens up with its title track and swiftly offers up a multi-scented breeding, grooves and rhythms uniting to impose temptation. Whyard’s vocals are just as alluring as too the warm flirtatious lure of the keys, each matching the instinctive liveliness of a song just as eager in its calmer repose. Inviting from the off and more rousing with each play, and featuring Sol Philcox-Littlefield on guitar, it makes for a highly enjoyable opener.

Its success is followed by Botticelli Baby, it too making a richly enticing intrigue loaded entrance before slipping into its unpredictable stroll. As rhythms pounce and bounce, sultry streams of guitar light up the song’s suggestive body, surf rock hues adding to its already colourful fuel of styles. The track did not quite hit the spot overall as its predecessor but has moments of delicious rock ‘n’ roll in its bait and nothing less than keen imagination in its twists.

There is a great fire in the belly of next up Climb The Mountain, a fevered volatility which may not truly erupt but gives an already strong track greater drama and texture to create the EP’s best moment before Persian Woman rivals its success with a web of styles and tapestry of melodic enterprise from the ever enticing keys and inventive guitar, again provided by Philcox-Littlefield. Bolder by the moment, the song captivated with ease with Angels Are Not Afraid of the Dark sharing its own melodic and lyrical intimation soon after, both an authoritative tempting throughout the release. Another slow burner in comparison to others it effortlessly left ears richly satisfied.

The EP closes up with the excellent Little Sisters, a rocking stomping slice of rock ‘n’ roll with a penchant for pop revelry. It was a conclusion which the body effortlessly bounced to and appetite indulged in especially its fifties nurtured dynamics and mischief.

Produced by Addison Smith, Angel Circuit Engaged is our first taste of C Wired and sure not to be the last as it was rather easy to find a rather contented appetite for their sound; something we can be sure we will not be alone in.

Angel Circuit Engaged is out now across most stores.

https://www.facebook.com/cwiredband/

Pete RingMaster 02/04/2019

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Society Of Losers: Mr Ted – Muscle Milk/ Bisch Nadar – Leaders

Having our own musical journey seeded and bred in the small but tenacious independent record labels which leapt from the punk scene decades back there is an instinctive intrigue and appetite for the energy and passion which fuels such endeavours. They are adventures which are all about the music, it and their creators the reason for every move and release. This is no more epitomised than by Society Of Losers, a Liverpool hailing label formed in 2016. We were drawn to their presence and releases through the outstanding Salt The Snail before subsequently discovering the glories of . Now we have a couple of new tracks from two more of their bands with each confirming Society Of Losers a go to outlet for compelling escapades.

First up is the new track from the label’s latest recruits, Mr Ted. Liverpool bred, the band stepped forth around 8 to 9 years back but only released their first single last year, the ear stalking Shame. As its successor, the track was a feral contagion of grunge, punk, and noise rock emerging as something firmly individual to the band. Muscle Milk is a devious web sharing the same flavoursome threads entangled in many more but even more dramatically eventful and thrilling.

Consisting of Peter Williamson, Mark Hughes, Mark Charles Manning, and Phillie Collier, a quartet who list past and present the likes of Iron Witch, Pet Virus, and another of our favourites in Enamel Animal within their CVs, Mr Ted immediately tease ears with a guitar wire; a coaxing line to a tide of sonic trespass which swiftly rises up. Just as urgently, the track’s thick groove and swing invades ears and body, leading an eager sway as rhythms prowl within the nagging insistence of the guitars. With vocals equally as infectious in their untamed antics the song revels in its unpredictable imagination aligned to a moments of more composed grunge nurtured roars.

Never taking a moment to truly settle, the track twists and turns with a creative psychosis which just inflames its natural fever and bold enterprise. Muscle Milk is our introduction to the band and yep we are hooked and already impatiently anticipating the band’s upcoming debut album.

Leaders is the new single from another Liverpool outfit in Bisch Nadar who similarly cast a sound spawn from a blend of styles, in this case merging the essences of math and alternative rock with progressive and pop infused flavours. Their new track shows it makes for a potent proposition taking little time to have ears and enjoyment keenly engaged.

The thick grooves of A Rathbone’s guitar lay enticingly within the rhythmic lures of bassist G Yelding and drummer Andrew Finney, each aspect as inviting as they are imposing. The warm vocal tones of Rathbone similarly are allied to the throat rasping scowls of Yelding; that aligning of contrasts the heart and power of a song with bite to its welcoming character and organic volatility in its belly.

A song which tempts from the off but definitely grows by the listen, Leaders insists on closer attention upon Bisch Nadar and indeed as Mr Ted’s addictive bait, to one rather fertile field of freshness and pleasure at Society Of Losers.

Both tracks are available now @ https://societyoflosers.bandcamp.com/

https://www.societyoflosersrecords.com/

https://www.facebook.com/MrTedLives   https://twitter.com/MrTedLives

https://www.facebook.com/bischnadar   https://twitter.com/bischnadar

Pete RingMaster 29/03/2019

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Stoor – Fleam

Though addictions are triggered early on they seem to put on truly inescapable nagging shackles over time but there is one for us which was immediate, thickly gripping and has just squeezed the life out of free will ever since and that is the new album from Scottish outfit Stoor. Admittedly the seeds had been sown and blossomed already for the Dundee quartet’s unique sound through their 2015 uncaged self-titled debut album but a craving Fleam has now escalated to all devouring heights. Like the last and first thought around sleep will be of a true if maybe unattainable love, right now our every musical urge starts and ends with Stoor.

It is hard to believe that Stoor is still not a band eagerly on the lips of thick waves of indie, rock, and post punk fans after their striking first full-length but surely a puzzle going to be solved through the aberrantly extraordinary Fleam. Again bred in a sound which has echoes and inspirations of seventies/eighties post punk and rawer new wave antics, Fleam has discovered a whole new level of virulence in the hooks, melodies, and imagination which made up its predecessor. It is a mischievously multi-flavoured experience though which leaves predictability and expectations barren on the kerbside of its compelling adventure.

Released through Stereogram Recordings who are ever reliable to bring fascinating proposals to the ears, Fleam opens with the appetite securing instrumental simply called Stoor Theme. As the album’s title represents, the band’s fresh sound strikes at the heart and cuts through the thick, wasteful but deceptive excesses which fatten the success and manipulate the common ear into providing undeserved attention and through the simple but incisive groove ‘n’ roll of its initial offering makes the first hook loaded score.

It is an imagination sparking, body twisting coaxing quickly matched in craft and temptation by successor, Pain. Instantly there is an air of sonic vexation from which a bold and boisterous stroll swings forth wrapped in the wiry enterprise of guitarists Ross Matheson and Davie Young whilst driven by the tenacious rhythms of drummer Scott McKinlay and bassist Stef Murray. The track was soon scooping up lusty attention and even more so as it twisted through a great and devilish pop infested post punk escapades within its undiluted rock ‘n’ roll. With Murray’s lead vocals just as magnetic and persuasive to participation, the track easily stole the passions.

It is a success soon shared across Fleam starting with the pair of Lovebombing and Dig. The first comes equipped with danger and threat as well as another dose of pure musical contagion that infests ears and instincts. Nurtured in punk ‘n’ roll ferocity and armed with a lyrical prowess which grips as effortlessly as the feral sounds surrounding it, the track simply enslaved before the second of the two sauntered in and exploded in a flame of melodic discord and eccentric invention. With a breath akin to The Nightingales in league with Television Personalities to it, the track burrowed under the skin laying bait and temptation which for just over two minutes feasted on any possible resistance to its esurient endeavour.

Ark follows, its opening lure loaded croon posted in a dusty mono background before eventually leaping through ears with Murray’s tones riding its undisturbed stride. Within, the primal edge to his bass is just as appetising but equally so are the strands of sonic thread igniting the senses courtesy of the rapaciously enterprising guitars; it all seemingly imposing greater temptation as the track’s volatility ignites and erupts in a predatory trespass.

Dancing around as the world crumbles, new single Atrocities is next and immediately has the body bouncing and imagination flirting with its XTC/ Orange Juice-esque celebration bred in a Fire Engines tuned jangle cast amidst the howl of windy discordance and apocalyptic corruptions. Haunting and rousing from its first sonic rattle, its uninhibited dust finally settles as the adventurous exploits of Agags Groove steps forth. As ever the persistently captivating and manipulative beats of McKinlay steer an inescapable quest for band and listener, the instrumental simply a web of intimation and temptation spanning past decades of flavouring woven into its own unique espionage.

McKinlay is even more a puppeteer within Founding Father, straight away directing body movement with provocative craft which soon invites guitars and bass to add their own similarly devious ideation and touch. Celestial melodies subsequently escape to expand the fascination and draw of another sublimely delicious moment within Fleam, the track as seductive as it is a cauldron of disquiet and dark suggestion before the following Unlike Them brings a declaration of defiance, anarchy and musical insurrection to bear on an apathetic landscape.

The album concludes with the incendiary magnificence of Chivers; a tapestry of rhythmic stalking, carnivorous basslines, and melodic friction united in irresistible incitement further loaded by thought grabbing vocals. Lure and challenge, a term which can be applied to the whole of the release, the song is unapologetic slavery and a glorious close to the album, its mercurial but always agitational and rousing body pure inspirational pleasure.

If Stoor had been there helping drive the Scottish post punk/postcard scene way back they would be cited as an inspiration for so many just as Orange Juice, The Fire Engines, and Josef K but do not confuse that suggestion with thoughts that the band is not one of music’s most fresh and exciting propositions right now and with releases like Fleam you can be sure they will be inspiring the creativity in numerous propositions to come.

Fleam is released on white and black vinyl, CD, and download via Stereogram Recordings March 30^th across numerous online stores including https://stoor1.bandcamp.com/ with a special album launch show at Dundee’s Beat Generator Live! the release night.

https://www.facebook.com/stoormusic/   https://twitter.com/STOOR44   http://www.stereogramrecordings.co.uk/artists/stoor/

Pete RingMaster 26/03/2019

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