THE NUTS – EP

the nutsItaly isn’t short of great punk rock bands.  The Manges have gained a big cult following with their Ramones-obsessed schtick, enough to secure them a US released split with the legendary Queers; Killtime do almost as good a job at being Screeching Weasel than the Weasel themselves; then in addition to those who’ve broken through to the US, there’s a whole scene of hardcore bands…   Hailing from Piacenza, The Nuts are another Italian band on which to keep a very close eye.  The three piece band are yet another outfit that take four chords and an unhealthy obsession with Joey & Johnny, but like so many others borrowing from such a timeless source, the results are absolutely first rate.  On their 2014 EP they capture four lightning bolts of punk guaranteed to please.

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THE BREAKDOWNS – Rock ‘n’ Roller Skates

a3078986893_2The Breakdowns are a four piece power pop combo from Nottingham, but despite their roots, can be heard indulging in some very transatlantic sounds.   They’ve released a couple of excellent albums (with 2011’s ‘The Kids Don’t Wanna Bop’ being particularly worth seeking out), they’ve supported Ginger Wildheart and each year increases their cult status.  2014’s ‘Rock ‘n’ Roller Skates’ [issued early 2015 in the US under the name Los Breakdowns on Rum Bar Records, sometime home of Kurt Baker] takes their previous musical blueprint and polishes it a little, delivering eleven old-style power pop gems in the process.

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FOR THE GIRL – Kick It EP

KICK ITFor The Girl are a five piece indie-rock band from Nottinghamshire.  As part of the promotion for their self-released EP ‘Kick It’ (their second of 2014), the band received good exposure supporting UK pop-punk/emo act Orchard Hill on a short tour of academy venues.  Since each night of the tour was free entry, the four night stint showed a rare generosity, most welcome in the times of hardship facing chunks of the UK during the end of the year.

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