This EP from Welsh trio The Decoy is chaotic. It’s also quite brilliant. Restless from the outset, this band bring metallic edginess, new wavish quirks, post-hardcore sounds, alongside a dose of noise rock, touches of light reggae and jangly guitar rock together in a way that should appeal to the more open minded prog fan, or the math rock devotee. What they lack in obvious hooks they more than make up for with sheer balls. The results are not going to be for everyone, but we should assume that’s exactly how The Decoy like it.
THE QUIET ROOM – All The Frozen Horses
In 2013, Australian rock band Evoletah unveiled ‘We Ache For The Moon’, a huge surprise of an album that threw away most of their previous alternative rock traits in favour of a moody sound combining rock, prog and touches of jazz. One of the best albums of the year, it’s lower-key sounds really seemed in tune with the voice of frontman Matt Cahill, tapping into the understated qualities of his voice. It was a brilliant musical statement – and the band knew it; so, then rather than set about creating a similarly themed successor straight away, Cahill stepped aside and with a huge input from multi-instrumentalist Andrew Muecke, began creating material in a completely different style.
The Scandals: Month long Euro tour begins
New Jersey punk band The Scandals begin their month long trek across Europe tonight which finds them playing several shows with the legendary Gaslight Anthem.
All dates are listed below.
INTERIM – Metanarratives EP
Interim are a five piece alternative/hard rock band from Australia who’ve previously been championed by their own country’s famous rock radio station Triple J. By the time of their 2015 EP release ‘Metanarratives’ the band sounds more than established – the five songs on this release are of a very high standard indeed, effortlessly mixing hard rock, post-grunge and blues sounds to create a heavy yet melodic style.
REAL GONE GOES OUT: The Replacements, Roundhouse, London 2/6/15
The Replacements broke up in 1991. During their lifetime, they became one of the world’s greatest cult bands, gaining a legion of loyal fans, the actor Matt Dillon among them. Following the split, bassist Tommy Stinson embarked on an interesting career, as frontman of his own bands Bash & Pop (their album ‘Friday Night Is Killing Me’ an essential listen for ‘Mats devotees), and Perfect, maker of solo records and as a touring member of Soul Asylum. Rather unbelievably, he’s also been a member of Guns N’ Roses – an odd move, certainly, but one Stinson has previously claimed pays well. Guitarist/vocalist Paul Westerberg released a string of excellent solo recordings, some of a rather lo-fi persuasion, but always sharing his gift for penning a great lyric. In a move that pretty much no fans ever expected, Westerberg and Stinson reunited in 2012 as The Replacements, played their own live shows and appeared at festivals across the US.
In 2015, something even more unexpected occurred when The ’Mats announced gigs in the UK. For some fans this would be a great opportunity for revisiting their youth, but for many – and certainly for a huge part of the audience present at The Roundhouse on June 2nd – this would be their first experience of seeing the band live. A proper bucket list event.