Promoting and Supporting Women in Music
Kate was presenting solo this week & playing loads of new music for your listening pleasure. Highlights include tracks from Bad Sidekick, AE Mak, Caswell, hear & Fisty Muffs.
There’s no show next week, so you’ll just have to keep this one playing on repeat instead…
Listen back here:
Following the release of their previous singles ‘Circus’ and ‘Crook’, London/Bristol trio Bad Sidekick have shared their debut self-titled EP, and it’s a fistful of brooding indie noise.
“Everything I touch / it gets destroyed,” confesses vocalist Cooper Rose with her powerful Bristol intonation on opening track ‘Run Boy’. Guitarist Joe and drummer John create loops of fuzzy, furious sound as Cooper warns of the storm that’s coming. It bleeds into the snarling ‘I Ain’t Sick’ on which she oozes more enviably slick vocals, backed by a cacophony of guitar noise and thumping beats.
Bad Sidekick’s stellar song-writing skills are showcased on the gentler ‘Lost Cause’, which broods with quiet intensity before the drop-in. The spiralling ‘Romeo’ and penultimate track ‘Think About It’ are cut from the same cloth, full of visceral riffs and driving percussion that urge listeners to contemplate Cooper’s invitations.
A glitchy sampled recording opens final track ‘If I Were The Devil’, on which Cooper sings “I don’t wanna be like the others / trapped inside these dead eyes / waiting for the flames to turn me to ashes”. With her superb vocal delivery, there’s no danger of her burning out anytime soon, especially when paired with Joe’s razor sharp riffs and John’s knockout drumming. Together, Bad Sidekick have crafted a collection of infectious, gritty alternative anthems on their debut EP. We recommend you invest immediately.
Listen to Bad Sidekick’s debut EP on Spotify.
Follow Bad Sidekick on Facebook for more updates.
Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut
Released via their own label Cool Thing Records, a strong sense of fun and frustration fuels Southend-based rockers Asylums‘ brand new album, Alien Human Emotions. The band’s second record is a turbulent, tenacious collection of tracks that buzz with enthusiasm and self-awareness.
After the success of their critically-acclaimed debut Killer Brain Waves in 2016, Asylums have embarked on a new aural adventure. If they were presented differently, the tracks on Alien Human Emotions would shrink your heart with sadness, but the band’s riotous delivery makes this record a hopeful, heart-swelling affair.
The album kicks off with ‘Day Release To The Moon’, documenting a grand, but turbulent emotional journey that will “pull us closer to the sun / annihilate everyone,” with Jazz’s manic guitar riffs masking the dark side of vocalist Luke’s pessimistic wish. Henry’s relentless percussion punches through on second track ‘When We Wake Up’, which assaults the senses from start to finish. Luke’s anthemic lyrics invite listeners to take a “front row seat for Armageddon,” which sounds tempting against their back drop of manic guitar noise. ‘Bottle Bank’ follows with more of Jazz’s trademark spiralling riffs and Mike’s thundering bass lines, leaving listeners sweaty and short of breath just three tracks in.
The eponymous ‘Alien Human Emotions’ comprehends emotional black holes via dense bass lines and thoughtful lyrics, before the gentler ‘Millennials’ provides a moment for introspective reflection. Named after a social label that’s doused in negativity, Asylums have reclaimed the term and turned it into a thought provoking, comforting tune.
Just as listeners are on their way back down to earth, the toxic punk blur of ‘Napalm Bubblegum’ blasts them back into the band’s sonic atmosphere. Luke’s visceral Essex intonation and Henry’s savage drumming provide the ultimate punk-infused sound to bounce around your bedroom walls to. ‘Pause’ is an aptly named interlude track – even Asylums need to take a second to catch their breath sometimes.
‘Graveyard Tourism’ is a distraction from “morbid fascination”, whilst the timely ‘Homeowners Guilt’ dissects feelings towards “characterless buildings” and the unfair working-class reality of having to always make sure ends meet. The penultimate ‘Sexual Automation’ starts the gentle descent down to earth, manically resisting the “impulses you can’t castrate.” The rawness of ‘The Company You Keep’ closes the record on an optimistic note – an ode to true love, friendship and a poignant reminder to appreciate the people around you.
Alien in the sense that it blasts you into an sonic universe, but Human in its quest to make sure no listener feels left behind, Asylums’ Alien Human Emotions is an intense, joyful second record that kicks and comforts in equal measure.
Order your copy of Alien Human Emotions here.
Follow Asylums on Facebook for more updates.
Photo Credit: Kana Waiwaiku
Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut
After watching Hackney trio Indian Queens perform to a packed out Purcell Room at The Southbank Centre last night, we have only one ambition: to become as skilled a guitarist as Jennifer O’Neill. The band were hand-picked by The Cure’s Robert Smith to play his exceptionally well curated 2018 Meltdown Festival, and after their mesmeric, sharply executed performance, it’s easy to see why.
Together, vocalist & guitarist Jennifer, bassist Katherine and drummer Matt create thoughtful, atmospheric sounds reminiscent of bands like Warpaint and Radiohead. Performing against a backdrop of kaleidoscopic visuals – which were a fusion of live footage and urban buildings – Indian Queens played a captivating set, featuring brand new single ‘Pretty Little Thing’, released via Cool Thing Records on the day of the show.
Bare-foot bassist Katherine was animated throughout, delivering her moody bass lines with stylish aplomb, whilst drummer Matt was the driving force behind it all – even after he dropped a stick, he recovered the rhythm seamlessly. Jennifer’s vocals were as magnetic as her guitar riffs, effortlessly anchoring the performance of singles ‘Save Yourself’ and ‘Get No Rest’. She confessed mid-way through that the band had accidentally left their set-lists in the dressing room, but the trio moved from song to song with such ease and precision, this oversight was barely noticeable. Their set closed with a standing ovation, which was unsurprising, but entirely deserved.
If you haven’t caught Indian Queens live yet, a) what have you been doing? They were the secret openers for our March gig at The Finsbury earlier this year, and b) buy a ticket to their headline show at Hoxton Bar & Kitchen in October here. They’re a must-see for those who appreciate hypnotic, alternative guitar tunes.
Photo Credit: Emma Viola Lilja
Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut
Get In Her Ears 