Currently promoting their brilliant ‘Whale EP’, an apt title given the sheer size and power of their live show tonight, this blues/grunge three-piece take to the stage and defy the limits of their stripped back line up.

Whilst melting into the general throng of Buckle Up gig-goers to watch tonight’s support acts, the eclectic and sometimes misunderstood genius of Arcane Roots followed by the cool rock sound of brother fronted band Fear No Fish (note to self: must find out if there is a story behind such a good band name) Los come across as friendly, unassuming music fans.

The band move to their instruments and after a quick glance over amp settings etc, are good to go. The set that follows should have come with a disclaimer: WARNING Seriously good music inside, excessive depth and sounds of a sexual nature.
From the very first fuzzy blues note that Chris Hamilton (guitar) plays, Dan Hale is there completely tuned in with his drums whilst systematically beating them to death (along with the overhead mike). The two of them displaying a chemistry and passion in their playing that is often posed but very rarely actually achieved. Through this, almost like smoke,the first few notes are uttered from singer Helen Sargent as she tears into their first song with a voice that puts the current list of fashionable singers in the charts to shame. Veering from punchy pop songs to blues laments the band truly are inspiring.

Such a tight bond is felt from the audience when they play together that watching would almost feels voyeuristic if Helen didn’t occasionally break the fourth wall to chat with the crowd. All in all, a very special band and a brilliant night. I heard the band and yes, I bought the T-shirt and I wouldn’t miss their next gig at the Hobgoblin for love nor money.

SAM PICKETT

I have seen this band a couple of times in bars and they were kinda underwhelming… but put that frizz and fizz on a big stage like Sticky Fungus, Staines and – KAPOW – Four Wheel Drive are sizzling sensations.

Strongly influenced by the blues of the South with its virile aggression and hard working honest-to-goodness energy, Four Wheel Drive are not really declaring musical independence or even starting their own confederacy… They just wanna have some fun playing some agreeable rock pieces to a smashed audience.

But ‘It’s not what they do, it’s the way that they do it’, that counts. On a damp Friday night in Staines town I am looking for a bag of excitement and passion. I am looking for a bit of boogie and a whole lotta woogie. And boy, this group fired me up like a stick of dynamite. If you, like me, enjoy the concept of sharing a bottle of acid-mash Tennessee liquor whilst hanging out with some unseemly can-can girls in the back-room bar of some sleazy no-good dive on Bourbon Street,  then this band is definitely for you. They put pepper in your pants…

Staines is a long way from Vicksburg, Mississippi and, in our wet world, where we experience fog, flu, fish-cakes, footie, ford fiestas and girls called Fiona we clamor for escapism. We want a dream. A desert. A cactus. A  rattlesnake. And a bit of moonshine. And that is what 4WD The Band provided for us at Sticky Fungus last night.

Distortion fuelled guitars (“Distortia” as  Rihanna would call it, whilst doing that mad thing with her hands) and rolling thunderous drums were the backdrop to Jamie Lailey’s superb ‘Brian Johnson’ style vocals.  Think of that rasping, high-pitched silver shafting energy in AC/DC songs such as  “Whole Lotta Rosie” to get the idea of the sound.   Lithe Ben Austwick and sleek Paddy Achtelik share the guitar duties admirably, and the quality and vitality of their exciting solos is inspirational. And this was truly a theatre of rock …. it was like having two frizzante haired ax wielding acrobats whirling around the stage in a blaze of psychedelic glory. It was like reliving the early days  of Led Zeppelin all over.

The crowd just stood and stared… not in a bad way either… it was through sheer astonishment and wonder. They wanted to focus and to be grateful. Towards the end of the set the Sticky Fungus crowd started to limber up a little but there was still a kinda magic on stage that held the audience in some kind of mysterious hypnotic trance.

The band plays songs like ‘White Lines’ with its chunky chords worn a bit like a hip 1970’s vicar. With thumping bass sound-tracks like those panadol adverts – you know the one with ‘constant throbbing pulsating pain’. And with the twangy southern feel of the muted lead guitars that start to creep into your head and play footsie with your sensitive and vulnerable parts. The band also has Jaggeresque vocals a la Mississippi Delta together with  singsong corn-bread chorus lines – helping to underline that their music is from the Great British southern-rock scrapbook.  Fuzzy-felt lead breaks are satisfying and accomplished … with  ‘sensible’ chugging rhythms from Will Richards on drums (sensible as in your younger sister wears ‘sensible’ shoes when she goes out clubbin’ on a Saturday night)

Other songs are Black Crowes-ish in feel and texture- with accomplished guitar lines i.e. like Black Oak Arkansas or Kentucky Headhunters. Other numbers have funky southern rhythms (and the blues) with yowser vocals similar to ‘Bad Company’ i.e. British Southern rather than ‘proper’ Southern drawl-rock. Other material was staple fare with plenty of classic sounding riffs and sing along verses.

If you are the kind of person who loves Aerosmith, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bad Company / Free and AC/DC, then you are gonna just lurve this band. When I saw Four Wheel Drive for the first time, a couple of years back, I thought that they were a bit like a musical version of a 1990’s Land-Rover Discovery. You know … the one in blue with nylon trim and chipped paint. It does the job- it gets you to work and back and gets you around town – at times it is fun even, it can keep things movin’ on a long hard day – but it doesn’t really make your heart sing and your jiggly bits shiver with excited anticipation…

But after that totally triumphant concert at Sticky Fungus Staines yesterday evening I have to admit that the band has now become a shiny top of the range Hummer softop with an expensive LA chop-shop paint job, screaming flame decals, roaring afterburner exhausts and decorated by leggy babes wearing cut down denims, cowboy boots and tiny polka-dot bras.

God,  I love  ‘em!

© Neil_Mach
May 2009

You get the feeling that the music of the KTP did not start out as a vision, but that the sounds gradually emerged, like grubs from pupae after a long dead summer. You get the sense that the music only evolved once that stifling long sessile period had reached a natural end and once the arid ideas and dead-end formulas had been tested, retested, drained and dried. Consequently the birth of the new sound, the emergence, is a warm and finely crafted creation … and well worth the wait.

Zimbabwe born brothers ‘Beans’ and ‘Wes’ formed the band back in 2005 with Martin on bass. Jim Davies (ex Loki) was a later UK addition to the outfit with his flying V lead guitar, dreads swishing and flipping in the air, and cosmic energy pulsing through his vital sinews like a rampaging torrent. Like the name of the band, the band members are a contradiction unto themselves…the diversifying contribution from each musician creating a stylistically unique tapestry of sounds and experiences.

Most of the KTP songs start out as simple riffs played upon fibrous frets. The sounds are then built up, layer-on-layer, with generous funky chord backdrops and feverish jazzy drum accompaniments, ultimately reaching satisfying plateaus of finely produced rock and blues. The two gung-ho heroes- Beans and Wes- have a good old time smashing and thrashing. Beans provides the formidably heavy metal vocals (actually Ozzie-esque in both size and quality) and Wes pounds out those drums. Under all that flamboyant thrashing and swirling, Jim seems tougher and more focused than the brothers, but no less intriguing. Martin is the quiet man of the band, with his black porkpie hat and dark beard, beady eyes flicking left and right. He produces a succession of thrumming bass lines and lively rumbles. Very pluckin’ good.

At the start of the gig the early sounds of KTP reminded me of Second-Coming age ‘Stone Roses’ with that heavy bluesey-rock sound predominating, interlaced with subtle jazz-funk touches. But later in the show I was reminded more of ‘System’ when the sounds developed a progressive metal edge… strange time sigs, thematic links, unorthodox sound patterns etc. Tribal rhythms and stoner rock sounds are fused with complex metal guitar-work and harmonies to become complete backdrops onto which the boys can add their richly enjoyable African chants.

These boys write their own songs (credits also to Gavin Creedy) and go down a storm with their (mainly) student following in Berkshire UK. The funky beats and, at times, almost jazzy licks, added to those jump blues syncopated rhythms and a ‘twin lead guitar’ approach to the breaks, mean that this band is very reminiscent of old school classic rock. Large portions of solid noise (man, this band is noisome) and spot-on harmonies add to the overall texture and quality.

I particularly appreciated a heavy and almost instrumental track ‘Kumusha’ with its insistent hooks, possibly influenced by the likes of Black Label Society and, I would even guess, Iron Maiden. It is a fine rock song with plenty of false starts, vague whaleback dwalas and promises a-plenty reminding the listener of SOAD…but with additional vocal arrangements in the Bantu language, Shona, this song a classic-rock delight.

You can pick up the Kamikaze Test Pilots new six-song EP “Into The Sun” at their gigs or off their space. Go out to see them SOON in venues around the Reading area.

It is the Hobgoblin, Staines. April 2009. It’s the eve of the end of the world (swine flu, credit crunch and all) and what are the Alphabet Backwards playing? Folksy pop songs. That’s what. All our fears are gently tossed aside as we sink into their faintly nostalgic end-of-the-pier show of merry-go-rounds, ice-creams, summertime romances, handclaps and salty tears. This band takes the gloom and turns it into bloom.

So the seaside shuffle melodies and all the fun of the fair mentality keeps the hungry audience braying for more. This band’s brand of Kieran Hebden type electronica is less poppy and more Avant Garde in its claims-  with those keyboard based rich textures. At times the modulations and fuzzy notes remind me of classic chip chops but with very little glitch- this is more precision based toolcraft. The lightly chiming guitars and the strong pop melodies with their sweetly innocent lyrical content, take me back to Belle & Sebastian and even further, to a folk-pop heritage that evokes memories of The Byrds.

My favourite song from this Oxford based band is ‘Polar Bears’ with it’s folksy strumming chords and icy-cool beat licks from the Korg. The authentic folk-sounding vocals remind me of me of Bowie’s ‘Bewlay Brothers’ but the  pin-point accuracy of the keyboards escalates this song into a newer, fresher dimension.

The band’s new single is also a joy. Played with appealing lines from Bob and enhanced by James, this is a low dependence electro acoustic number of brilliant quality. Like a flawless gem, clean and clear cut.

Much of their work reminds me of the sixties Kinks (Sunny Afternoon) with plenty of picturesque Englishness in their simple sounds and nuances- yet although their work is not overblown nor exaggerated- it is perfectly formed and a joy to be treasured.

Expect a lot more from this rather special little band.

© Neil_Mach April 2009

In melodramatic song it is all about that gravel road journey we take, hand-in-hand with the artist, on the way up to the larger-than-life crescendo finish. Those big expectations are seeded early – in the first few bars – then sealed and stressed in new verses within each movement. We have all been to places like this before -  those weepy movies watched on the sofa with  mother, or the two hour soap-a-thon specials on a Sunday. One of the first musical melodramas of this kind (outside of classical music) was the legendary Beatles epic “A Day in the Life”.

AGF provided all those familiar excesses, and more, in a performance of such painful heart sobbing emotion and tension that we ended up feeling completely exhausted after the show. Our nails were bitten to the quick and our nerves were crushed. It was high school drama- in a musical form.

The sounds of this band are grandiose and eloquent. They are opulent in the same way that opera is. But at least A Genuine Freakshow tends to maintain some sense of proportion, so their conclusions are not as stately or as impassioned as something that Jim Steinman  /  Meat Loaf might come up with.  Instead think ‘Morrisey with orchestration’ to get some idea of what this young band has to offer.

The highly complex Freakshow sound is achieved by a group of seven musicians (looking something like a ‘SpecSavers Advert’.) The main man is Tim Sutcliffe – prima vocals and rhythm guitar. He is joined at the ‘rock end’ by Simon Evans on lead guitar, John Szmidt on bass guitar and Jack Bryant on drums. Up the stern faced ‘posh end’ of the show we have Melanie Dickson on electric cello, Marianne Casey Canning on electric fiddle and Mr. John Dunstan on trumpet.

The effect of all these instruments working together towards an inevitable climax is like being on a gruelling trek through the foothills of pain and hysteria before attempting the nursery slopes of mounting heartache. The suspense is nerve tingling
and not for the faint hearted. In each of their songs the band accomplishes a climbing ‘wall of sound’.  But often the songs are strange folksy anthems, reminding me of The Pogues or Fairport Convention. Like British folk songs, the tunes are often a trifle effete in their whimsy, quirkiness and lightness-of-being.

Torch singer Tim Sutcliffe is the ‘Nigella’ of the vox mic. He is all gasping and girly in that flirty and coquettish way…his voice is, quite simply, hauntingly beautiful. This mesmerising young dogie is like a luxurious cutting-edge version of Dido / James Blunt. If you close your eyes you may hear some Freddie in the high notes too.  His performance at The Hobgoblin, Staines was captivating. Simon on lead guitar provides an abundance of thick slices and power cords, whilst John on the bass (in one Spinal Tap moment played with a bow) provides the locomotion. The marching band type drums are all half-beats twirls and twinkles. The ‘classical’ instruments create that layer-cake of sound and add moans, mystery and intrigue. I would like to have heard the trumpet a little more ( the instrument seems to be prominent on the recordings) but that is a tiny gripe. All-in-all the arrangements were a huge success in a ‘write the theme toon…sing the theme toon’ type of way.

A Genuine Freakshow is not for everybody. Whilst I heard one person declare, “That is beautiful, that is” I also heard someone else say “that was pretentious twaddle”. Yes, maybe the band does tend to gravitate towards the mawkish – the realm of scarlet ribbons, little boy blue and red balloons….but the sounds are not so stickily sweet that the whole thing becomes a nightmare. This band manages to neatly balance upon the tightrope of good taste. I would like to have heard some more vocal
harmonies from the other band-members (Tim is the sole singer) and I would also have liked to have seen a smile or two from the classical musicians – look like you are enjoying it! I would also have liked a bit more attitude, perhaps a bit of de-wop-de-wop, from the trumpet.

Hypnotic and fanciful they may be, but A Genuine Freakshow really are a truly remarkable act. I predict that they have a huge future ahead of them.

Neil_Mach March 2009
(Review Exclusive for Buckleup Promotions)

© Neil_Mach

March 2009

exclusive for Buckleup Promotions

Stylistically the sound is closer to the ‘Roine Stolt’ vehicle ‘The Flower Kings’ than many contemporary bands but there are slices of ‘Dartz’ type guitarwork garnishing the cocktail of sounds and, I think, a ‘Vines’ type vibe with grown-up ‘Craig Nicholls’ sounding vocals. The Siegfried Sassoon seem to populate the vacuum left by 70’s prog-rock masters, especially ‘Gentle Giant’ (which, like Sassoon, are sophisticated enough to have their own literary muse in their form of François Rabelais.) Unexpected compositional twists, altering subtly in each repeat, and intelligent management of the transitions, mean that Sassoon could easily be placed into the Jazz-Fusion bargain-bucket alongside their (local) buddies Cats & cats & cats but this also means that they are forever to be placed into that difficult ‘unhummable’ slot that is reserved for the clever muso-headed brain-box crowd… so the chavs in Staines aren’t as fick as you might fink!

I instantly liked the (missing) single ‘Muscle Beach’ and that clever start with a supermarket check-out sounding beep-beep ( a little like the “Tricky” Stewart of ‘ella ‘ella fame new Beyonce track ‘Single Ladies’.)  This song envelopes a rich and fairly complex affair with a graceful conclusion very reminiscent of work by ‘The Flaming Lips’. Satisfyingly zingy elasticated chords from Adam Easton were stretched far beyond their tolerance and the frequent guitar highlights from Simon Gould reminded the crowd that they were listening to one of the few properly focussed Experimental / Psychedelic / Rock bands out there right now. It’s a shame that the B side could not be played live with a female lead singer though.

The track ‘I Galactico’ sees Chris Pratt (keyboards and lead vocals) take the band into magical territory. With Jim Carroll playing nimble bass guitar and Nick Owsianka playing steadily supporting percussion augmented by drum patterns by Chris. The smug faced crowds grunted and wriggled to that one! It was a jiggly ball of fun.

The whole Sassoon effect is spacey and neo-psychedelic with multi layered experimentations (including electro-acoustics) being the norm. The show was not (in any way) slick and could have been better managed. The performances were adequate but you get the feeling this lot prefer the studios and the rehearsal rooms to a live stage.  This band has a superior musical quality but they do seem to need some better leadership and / or  management if they want to get up to the next level.  Chris mentioned that the band had T shirts and other merch with them (but, even though I had a handful of cash in my greasy mitts I couldn’t get hold of any stuff) and he told the crowd “If you want a motorhead T shirt go to Top Man – if you want our stuff – hang around”. Yeah, I get it. You have to hang around and work for Sassoon. It is ‘thinking man’s’ music and doesn’t easily fall off the shelf and into your lap. Got it.  Give ‘em a whirl.

The sheer exhilaration and power of their stage presence reminded me of Muse.  However, although the AR songs may sometimes be sweet, and the themes melodramatic, the overall nu prog effect is actually more similar to Coheed and Cambria than Muse. The agony and the ecstasy is often ‘emo’ (in a good way) and the foundations of each track are defined as solid slabs of rock.

The song ‘Rouen’ starts with gently gathered stringwork beneath a thin lace of sweetly latticed vocals posing the question ‘what are you waiting for?’ This is followed by a change of pace and some raspy distortion fueled arrangements and it is here that we witness the truly exceptional talent of Andrew Groves. Andrew is the AR frontman, singer and lead guitar supremo. Andy looks and sounds like a 1964–66 Ray Davies. He plays furious rhythm and lead guitar, often simultaneously, upon his trusty Gibson. He plays this with a surprising and terrible intensity that reminded me of a ferret in a flask fighting for freedom. ‘Rouen’ sounds ‘Kooks-ish’ with its lovely tapestry of gently chiming soulful images and high-toned voices. This tale of nostalgia and despair is a bittersweet experience for any listener. The sense of loss is magnified by the wailing, repeating chorus. The grief is spread out like a blanket might be across a corpse, the final stage of a magnificent hymn to sadness.

The song ‘Nylon’ is another tune that reminds me of The Kooks (although Andrew’s voice is not as exceptional as Luke Pritchard’s.) But there is more substance and depth of feeling in the Arcane material than within the Kooks prep-pop style- there are rusty razor-blades on their kitchen tables and the streets are littered with broken glass in the Arcane world.  Daryl Atkins on the drums adds backing vocals to the emotive harmonies of each number and plays astounding firecracker percussion on a stripped-down kit. Whilst Adam Burton, on bass, does a sterling job- but you can’t help thinking that he is always struggling just to ‘keep up’ with Andrew Groves- who zips ahead of his bandmates without so much as looking back.

‘An easy smile’ is far more ‘SOAD’ than the other AR sounds (I kept getting reminders of Serj throughout the gig) with driving chords and changes of tempo and pace. The pauses are important to the Arcane Roots…just as in good choreography, the audience is called to witness and appreciate these frequent stops and starts. Each pause is like a blinding flash of sunlight from a broken mirror. The sounds seem to be swirled around the room like silken scarves, and the sudden bolts of energy seem to whizz harmlessly away- far above your head. This evokes a feeling of disharmony and disjointedness that, perhaps, prevails in our daily lives.

Even if the room smelt faintly of old leather boots and denim, the crowd at The Hob were in fact quite young and well-groomed (on the whole). They were also unnaturally restrained. To be fair most of the punters were there for ‘the other band’ who were hosting a single release party straight afterwards- so the plaintive soul-searching of the Arcane Roots songbook was, perhaps, a little too ‘full-on’ for most of this fun-loving hip crowd. But the standout performer of the night, for me anyway, was the ferociously attacking guitarist Andrew Groves who possesses the rare emotional power of a cathedral on fire. He employs guitar techniques that are normally reserved for ‘right on’ jazz musicians – or at least prog-rock stars- techniques like glissandos & stomps on the effects pedals are all part of his glistening repertoire. I particularly enjoyed the new song, ‘To The Hold You Had’. (Andy gave me this title – so don’t blame me if it is wrong!) This song had a simple structure and an enjoyable riff but also revealed a satisfying complexity.

So the band ripped down the flag of indifference and crushed it with their teeth. Rock is a jungle and this group are the predators. Watch the blood spill and the fur fly. But don’t look away!