A lot can change in ten years. Unlike most DIY punk/alternative bands, though, for Bad Mary, issues with an ever shifting line up hasn’t ever been a factor. Since day one, the unity between vocalist Amanda Mac, her drumming dad Bill, bass playing husband Mike and guitarist David has been unquestionably strong. What has changed in that time, however, is the band’s recording budget and their collective musical skills. The 2024 Bad Mary sound much bigger and much fiercer than their younger selves. With that in mind, they chose not to mark a decades’ worth of work with a career spanning compilation, but to re-record some of the best tunes from their ‘Better Days’ debut disc.
Tag Archives: indie
Listen: The Othyrs share new track ‘Nobody Knows’ ahead of album release
On their self titled debut album, The Othyrs – a band featuring members of indie band The Wolfhounds – explored a world of acoustic-based folk and pop music. On stripped down tracks like ‘Money To Burn’, the quieter musical stance provided a superb backdrop for Alice Golding’s pure vocals, whilst busier numbers like ‘Time’s No Martyr’ and ‘Wasps & Nettles’ showcased great harmonies shared between the various band members. With a couple of tracks that sounded very much like a callback to Indigo Girls’ classic self-titled disc, it was a record with an almost timeless sound.
KEELEY – Beautiful Mysterious
Keeley’s first full length album ‘Floating Above Everything Else’ was a game changer for the cult dream pop/shoegaze band. It showed how Keeley Moss and her assembled musicians could sustain a great sound far beyond their previous EP format, but also weave a compelling narrative. With a suite of songs largely devoted to the murder of traveller Inga Maria Hauser it blended great music with a thoughtful lyrical construct. It was clear from the beginning of their journey that Keeley were a cut above any similar bands, but, with its truly absorbing style, this album more than proved it. The recycling of the earlier ‘The Glitter & The Glue’ single certainly didn’t hurt either, since in terms of all round accessibility and catchiness, it’s one of Keeley’s strongest numbers.
VARIOUS ARTISTS – Popscene: From Baggy To Britpop 1989-1994
The early nineties were an exciting time for guitar based music. Grunge dominated the rock scene, but as any avid viewer of the ITV Chart Show will tell you, circa 1992, the indie chart was brimming with great bands, often more of a UK vintage. Shoegaze sounds captured the underground; jangly indie acts – like The La’s and World of Twist – celebrated more of a 60s vintage, and the social commentary that drove bands like Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine and The Wonder Stuff found itself crossing over for massive chart success.
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #72
Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. This time around, we bring you a superb light indie track, a really intense slab of metal, an 80s star continuing to forge ahead with a solo career, and more besides. As always, the SB continues to mix future classics with the unexpected, and we hope you’ll find something new to enjoy…
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