Their name might not be instantly familiar, but Broken Links have built a loyal following over the past few years. From the back of three self-released EPs and a pair of albums, a pre-pandemic world saw them sharing stages with My Vitriol and The Boxer Rebellion. Their music has been likened to a mix of Depeche Mode and Manic Street Preachers, and while that might not be entirely accurate, it definitely takes a little influence from both in places and then boosts that with a massive dose of riffs that fall somewhere between the more basic elements of Biffy Clyro and the best 90s emo.
Tag Archives: rock
Ex-Foo Fighters & Sunnydale Real Estate man William Goldsmith returns after a decade; stream new track
Drummer William Goldsmith first came to prominence as a member of emo pioneers Sunny Day Real Estate. He later reached a much larger fan base as the drummer of Foo Fighters, before stepping away from the spotlight.
ATTIC THEORY – The Sign Of An Active Mind EP
Formed from the ashes of three underground bands in 2017, Liverpool’s Attic Theory quickly gained some high profile champions on the rock scene. Def Leppard’s Joe Elliot is on record as being one of their early fans, and long before their debut release emerged, the band had already shared stages with Terrorvision, US legends Candlebox and Saving Abel.
Their 2020 EP introduces their work to a wider audience via six tracks that blend a classic rock heart with elements of a very 90s inspired post-grunge edge. It’s a sound that, when it works for Attic Theory, works brilliantly. Even when it misses the mark slightly, as most bands do on occasion, their musical intents are always more than clear. Whatever angle of hard rock the band chooses to tackle, however, the riffs are huge and the hooks are more than assured.
TOE FAT – Bad Side Of The Moon: An Anthology 1970-1972
As the 60s drew to a close and musical fashions began to lean towards heavier sounds, The Gods renamed themselves Head Machine and headed back into the studio. The resulting album – the dubiously named ‘Orgasm’ – featured a couple of songs that sounded like 60s psych jams in bigger boots; others forged their way into the new hard rock sounds, following the example set by Deep Purple. Although it wasn’t necessary the most coherent record, it was an enjoyable one. It failed to be a commercial success and the band split almost immediately. A few months on, the core of Head Machine – Ken Hensley (gtr/keys) and Lee Kerslake (dtums) – resurfaced as the core of a new rock band Toe Fat with previous mod hit maker Cliff Bennett, whose Rebel Rousers had seen him providing vocals for a band that included Chas Hodges and legendary session pianist Nicky Hopkins.
Toe Fat released two albums between 1970 and 1972, both of which spent approximately two decades out of print between the early 70s and mid 90s. Both albums crept out on CD for the first time in 1994 thanks to the German label Repertoire Records, but the official nature of these reissues remains open to question and those CDs quickly became impossible to find, making Toe Fat a 70s curio that – much like Head Machine – went largely unheard by all but the most ardent Uriah Heep collectors. A double disc reissue from BGO Records briefly made the Toe Fat recordings available in the States, but for UK audiences, their work remained elusive.
UK AOR legend Gary Hughes to release double disc solo anthology in March
Since the early 90s, vocalist Gary Hughes has been one of the most important figures on the British melodic rock scene. His second solo album helped launch the much missed Now & Then record label and his subsequent work as frontman with pomp rockers Ten has taken his big voice around the world.