Fatbwoi has been around for over a decade now and continues to sound great! They have previously been a 3 piece band, gigging around the Midlands but is now a solo artist project and this release demands that you give it some serious attention during this self isolating stage of your lives. The 8 track album will not disappoint and if you like to hear thundering bass, powerful guitar riffs and looping coming at you from everywhere in your music then this is the one for you.

Kicking off with the track ‘Emma’ which will also be the next single, I dare you to not move when the bass kicks in……see it can’t be done. This is how modern power pop should be going with fairly traditional chord progressions but driven by bass and drums to die for and all wrapped up in a tight 3 minute 30 package.

Fatbwoi is a really talented musician, I love the sound he has developed and I can hear the very best influences of Blur and Prodigy throughout. He has described his genre as Fluid Trash Troubadour and although I don’t know what that means, I know I love it! My personal favourites on the album include ‘Emma’,’ The Soulcalibur Song’, ‘Space (Gimme Some)’,’ According To Plan’……….in fact every track is my favourite. Just download the album and judge for yourself.

I just wish this self isolation was over now and I can rush out to see Fatbwoi perform!

Peace, Love and Cowbells,

Bassey

Andrew Brady is a singer songwriter from Dublin and released his album ‘A to B’ in February with the pretty unique approach of recording it entirely on his phone!

It is easy to hear that Andrew has been influenced by the legend Bob Dylan however he has certainly added his own style to the songs and the stripped back sound of just vocals and acoustic guitar gives us real emotion throughout the 12 tracks.

I love the simplistic construction of the songs and the album takes you back to a time when folk songs ruled, to a time before Dylan took to the electric guitar. These songs will move you and take you on an emotional and uncomfortable melancholy journey.

I love Andrew’s raw and emotional approach to his material, folksy and honest and written from the heart. Give this album a listen and I know you will be taken into Andrew’s world for a short time.

Peace, Love and Cowbells,

Bassey

Bassey https://open.spotify.com/album/0NMEw3jXxu1alHd6lJ3Pgo?si=jZ5xQbNzQ1GbTa1JQvd1lQ&fbclid=IwAR0Nf7CkdHiJnBd4N4oZxpaHVcGDAl5V1POon-YUrfG22NKlVyWHhlIgL4g

Our Man Jamie is a top bloke and a top poet. Derby poet Jamie Thrasivoulou has a long list of accolades to his name however I suspect being the official Derby County Football Club poet ranks as one of his favourite. Check him out on YouTube in front of over 30,000 fans at the Pride Park stadium spitting out his lines to the poem ‘We Are Derby’-if this don’t make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up then nothing will!

Jamie kindly sent me a copy of his book ‘Our Man’ released last year and I haven’t stopped reading it since. Don’t expect fine verses, love poems, an abstract ode and words you constantly have to google for an explanation. This guy spews out real honest lines that real people understand. Words like ket, choonz, crack, yam, twat, shite and much more. He’s brave with his work and happy to stir you up a bit, like JESSICA which is just 4 lines and 9 words long but cleverly leaves you thoughtful and wanting to know more. I personally loved ACT 1: THE PURGE and #IDENTIFYING THE MISSING and the 7 pages left me happy, sad, loyal, angry and smiling in different shades-awesome words. I loved the raw honesty and humour in LOVE and the pain in #NUB. I laughed out loud at INTERGALACTIC SEXUAL RELATIONS.

Do yourself a favour and buy his book from Burning Eye Books. It’s half the price of a vinyl album and it will take you on a similar journey.

Peace, Love and Cowbells

Bassey

This place isn’t homely

I don’t know exactly

I’m getting pretty lonely

But I’m now Psycho for Candy

I’m living in gluttony

I’ll trade sunlight for honey

I’ve got no money

Yet I’m Psycho for Candy

Beg cash from Daddy

Put weight on badly

Eating so sadly

Still Psycho for Candy

Possessed by anxiety

Obsessed, I’m depravity

They think that I’m crazy

I’m just Psycho for Candy

I’m writing this medley

Then I’ll get hit by a Bentley

It won’t hurt bad

But I wish it was deadly

Peace, Love and Cowbells,

Oscar

The Kingcrows play 1970’s style punk. It’s a fast, no frills style punk sound that is loved by the purists for the simple, fast 4/4 beat and songs rarely lasting more than 3 mins 30 secs. Think back to the greatest punk bands and you will understand where these guys are coming from. They consist of Phil E Stine-vocals, Lee J-guitar/vox, Rocco-bass/vox, Ratbag-drums/vox and they have developed a classic sound that they play tight. This latest album is released on lovely neon green vinyl and the 13 tracks give you an insight into their influences….I can hear The Damned, The Ramones, The Clash, UK Subs, Motorhead, and many many more.

The Kingcrows are not screaming, prog metal or emo wannabes with long guitar solos. They are old school punks with short and snappy songs for old school punks and long live The Kingcrows.

Peace, Love and Cowbells,

Bassey

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_l-zwFcCkbRX-tHJBCQDvRcvptpTLc0GjY&fbclid=IwAR3ocwRs_YB69IDnb_KrH3Q0Ywjevh13abdh4pOsmebJqTbBKcdMpYjG2gU

Bunkerpop. What a group. Influenced by the likes of Talking Heads, Bunkerpop delivers a brilliant mashup of experimental lo-fi and groovy krautrock that points to both past and future. I don’t think anything cooler has come out of hull since Throbbing Gristle themselves!

First you’ve got the wonderfully danceable bass and drum groove that is the hardcore backbone of Bunkerpop. I absolutely love the rhythm section here, but especially notable on tracks like “Don’t Upset The Hawk”.

The second thing you’ll notice is the brilliant synth work. The bass synth on “Start Something With A Stop” makes it into such a danceable anthem. The music video of this live looks absolutely mental, I’d love to see this lot play.

There’s pure musicianship on display here. The members of Bunkerpop are a little older than your typical band and clearly that experience gives them an ability and understanding of music that gives them the edge over other bands in the scene right now.

Brilliant live shows, creative music videos and mind blowing music, Bunkerpop has everything an artist dreams of obtaining. I truly wish them all the successes that are surely coming their way. Check out Bunkerpop, and if you ever get a chance to see them live please do, you won’t regret it!

Peace, Love and Cowbells,

Oscar

Yammerer released Reality Escape Resort ep late last year and for some reason I completely missed it-my mistake and my loss but I can now make up for lost time. Let me start by saying they are really really really good and I really really really like them. They have deliberately chosen to avoid social media so that listeners/fans/curious folk will make an effort to seek and find them. This ep is available on bandcamp and vinyl (great value for money by the way) and that is it. You must make the effort to search for them and you must take the time to consider if you like them.

This 4 track ep has set the bar for me this year and I can hear influences of Gang of Four, Wire (now who remembers them?), Julian Cope and The Fall. The members are Perm Doner-drums, Connor Simpson-bass, Steve Dee-guitar, Gajo Paco-guitar and J George JC-vocals and this post punk, psychedelic sound they have developed into a raw, energised sound with many layers that just keep getting better the more you listen.

Rather than list each of the 4 tracks and try to discuss each song I’m gonna give my opinion of the overall feel I have from the entire ep-driving bass lines alongside tight drums are the foundation, leaving the guitarists to freely riff to their hearts content and raw, emotional vocals that leave you uneasy, almost disturbed. There is such urgency in their songs that you are left with an itch that cannot be scratched. It’s intense, raw, emotional and now have to see them play live somewhere, anywhere.

https://www.facebook.com/events/944163559319252/?action_history=%22%5B%7B%5C%22surface%5C%22%3A%5C%22messaging%5C%22%2C%5C%22mechanism%5C%22%3A%5C%22attachment%5C%22%2C%5C%22extra_data%5C%22%3A%7B%7D%7D%5D%22

A couple of weeks ago I played an acoustic set in Nottingham with these chaps and I was immediately struck by how friendly all the members of the band are. Really nice guys who showed an interest in how other musicians write their songs, sources of inspiration and influences. No egos on display just a keen interest to get better at their songwriting and one of the best young bands to come from Mansfield for many years.
They are Kai Doyle on vocals and rhythm guitar, Josh Weston on lead guitar, Leon Chapman on bass and Frank Ashley on drums and this debut single is worth several of your listens. OK OK I know you will say the subject is naive and at a time when most bands want to get heavier in their sound, The Timeouts have a more pop/Arctic Monkeys style about them however they do it well. The sound is accessible and catchy and Kai manages to put over a some great vocal lines including……….He’s got a bottle of Stella Artois in his hand, watching me flirt with his bird. My escape routes planned. You know he gets up as though he’s gonna walk over but he’s too late, her arms are firmly wrapped around my shoulders.
Please don’t dismiss these guys, give them a listen and I bet you want to know them better? https://open.spotify.com/album/27wPQYyPvG4u7OoPkOS9eD?si=oxiiCKGASBKCYutCqS8azA&fbclid=IwAR08VOGPRvsJU3RZOIekp_YuyxeZfmpVO9QRKrzFdC8x5h5zlnLStB1xgVQ

Peace, Love and Cowbells,

Bassey

Eerie, mysterious, brutal. These are the words that spring to mind when listening to Export’s debut single “Eaten By The Sun”. Truly a haunting track. Louis Perritt of Sunlight For Honey who you may remember me reviewing way back when this blog started. I loved SFH and I’ve been eagerly awaiting to hear material from Louis’ new band. And let me tell you, Export pulls no punches with this one.

Now as we are aware, I generally criticise bands for not making records that aren’t accessible. But that is because if they don’t then they will never achieve mainstream success, which is something nearly every young musician wishes for. But Export clearly have gone against that idea in this song and it’s something I applaud them for. With this debut they are clearly trying to stand out.

“Eaten By The Sun” is not an easy song to listen to. It’s not danceable, you can’t whistle along to it. You feel uncomfortable listening. And all of this is clearly intentional. Truly revolutionary, different and utterly terrifying. With thunderous bass, heavy drums and dissonant synth, this track destroys your eardrums and melts your brain. In a good way of course.

We need bands like Export to push the limits of rock and roll, and they have been building this track up for a long time through their efforts on social media. It’s definitely paid off. Incorporating noise influences and Louis’ howling, spitting vocals. This isn’t a track you forget easily. Not because it’s catchy and sits in your head because you like it. But it’s something so utterly unique and frankly traumatic to listen to. I want to thank the band for allowing me to receive an early listen so I can review this absolute monster of a song. It’s available on all streaming platforms TONIGHT at 6pm. It’s truly an experience and I highly recommend listening to and following Export closely.

Peace, Love and Cowbells,

Oscar

This 4 track EP music project by Always Upstream is actually a collaboration by musicians from several other German Punk bands including old school 80’s style punk band- S.A.D, Ska Punk Band-NO AUTHORITY and Oi Punk Band-DRINKING SQUAD. The members are Marco on guitar and vocals, Fips on drums and backing vocals, Simon B lead guitar and Simon N on bass and backing vocals.
4 songs that in total last just over 9 minutes. Fast paced punk like it used to be and always straight to the point.
Track 1-You’re The One immediately hits you with a lead guitar riff and then vocals, 2 minutes 17 seconds of raw, fast punk and snarling vocals. By the time you are liking this track it’s over and gone!
Track 2-Weakdays is 2 minutes 9 seconds of hard hitting punk. Really tight and solid bass/drums absolutely on it. Nice bridge on this song and as always, relentless in tempo.
Track 3-You Said!. Great guitar riff intro and the shortest song (just) it wastes no time in getting to the verse, chorus pattern
Track 4-I still Believe is the longest of the songs at 2 minutes 46 seconds and personally my favourite. Really attacking guitar sounds and the bass and drums are sooooooo tight.
There’s nothing fancy or pretentious about these guys and if you like your Punk old school then you have to give them a listen. The great thing about them is that the musicians are all in other bands and you can check them all out on social media easily which helps you understand their various influences.
I just need to find out when they are gonna leave The Black Forest and come over to England to play! https://alwaysupstream.bandcamp.com/album/you-are-the-one?fbclid=IwAR0BtWB6Dt0KFvtQEPuhVkYzWfgCcznd_2gB2A287hNZY1Uq6xzQyEAtr0I