After after five years of working and experimenting as a trio, alt-rock band Franks Wild Years added an extra guitarist to their ranks. The dual guitar approach helped the Mancunian outfit – in their own words – “hit upon the right formula”…and listening to the resultant EP ‘Four’, it’s hard to argue with that. They’ve not captured something that not only works, but works wonderfully, with songs possessing not just a depth of character and plenty of opportunity to show off their expanded line-up, but with each also given a more than reasonable send off in the production department.
Tag Archives: alternative
Silver Arm UK tour dates
Still promoting their ‘He of the Slow Creep’ EP, UK noisemakers Silver Arm have a handful of live appearances upcoming…
SHERBERT – 2013 Never Happened
Following a couple of digital downloads, Nashville alt-pop band Sherbert released a five song EP ‘This Never Happened’ in the summer of 2013. With a host of influences taken from the Boston “scene” of the late 80s/early 90s, its shimmering pop qualities meshed with a grubby edge in a way that would surely please the younger Tanya Donelly. A few months later, they dropped a second EP ‘Stupid Hat’, largely constructed of more of the same…choosing not to tinker with what seems, essentially, a perfectly good musical formula.
REAL GONE GOES OUT: ALL – Islington Academy, London 28/04/14
Live shows in the UK by punk legends Descendents are a rarity and appearances by their sister band ALL even rarer. With that in mind, this – ALL’s only UK show in 2014 and their first since forever – seemed like a visit from punk rock royalty. Over the course of almost a quarter-century between 1988 and 2000, the on-again, off-again band recorded some great albums, with 1993’s ‘Breaking Things’ and 1998’s ‘Mass Nerder’ being just as essential in any collection as the Descendents’ seminal ‘Milo Goes To College’, and 1990’s ‘Allroy Saves’ standing as a good example of their more angular, playful and arty styles. A support slot from UK punk stalwarts Snuff only heightened the idea that this one-off gig shouldn’t be missed.
DUKE AND THE DARLINGS – Irwellian EP
In the spring of 2013 Manchester alt-rockers Duke And The Darlings unleashed their second EP, ‘Champagne of the People’, a brief work that showed the band to have a lot of energy – an energy they really harnessed when choosing to record that EP live in the studio, thus capturing their core sound in a much welcomed unfussy manner. While their song writing wasn’t always memorable in the long term, the EPs music had moments of great drive and an enthusiasm which guaranteed those lucky enough to hear it would wind up musing on how the band’s sound would develop in the future. Surely in an upwards direction, taking the best parts of their sound, refining them for an even better release…?