It’s that time of year again, that year when I get annoyed
by the TV and newspapers constant coverage of The X-Factor. My gosh that show
really annoys me. Fame hungry wannabes trying to get famous by using a sob
story to garner votes from the public to make them lots of money. When I see
these fools I think of all the bands that I love you travel up and down the
country, usually making a loss to play their music to half empty rooms just
because it’s what they believe in and what they love. Bands like these will be
about long after whatever cookie cutter boy band or RnB diva who will
inevitably win this year are gone and forgotten forever. Here is another collection
of some of the amazing acts in the United Kingdom that deserve your attention.
Acid Drop are a street/skate punk band from Leeds currently
signed to TNS Records and their own Pie Race Records. Their songs are full of
fast paced gravelly vocals and big sing along choruses. Check out the songs
Polly Piper and My Direction.
Andrew Cream is one of a number of fantastic folk/punk
musicians in the underground scene. Hailing from Peterborough this gentleman’s
songs are beautifully written and really make you think. This man has some
serious talent and needs to be noticed. Check out Celebrate Variety and It’s My
Day.
I can’t think of many bands that would fit into the genres
of folk, punk and ska but one that definitely does is Bandit The Panther from
London. They are a band I really want to see live due to their big chorus. This
is fun and unique music that will get you dancing and singing along but also
has a message. Check out 1-Up The Punks and Tesco Value Horror.
From Leeds, Big Wow are a three piece power pop band
featuring members from The Dauntless Elite and Get Human. I caught them live
earlier this year and loved their performance. They played hard and fast but
were also endearingly awkward. They have released their debut album Teamwork
Makes The Dream Work on Specialist Subject Records. Check out Art Without Plans
and Best Intention.
Billy Liar is an acoustic punk musician from Edinburgh
signed to Make-That-A-Take Records. Drawing on the influences of the ‘77 punk
rock attitude and the story telling balladry of his Scottish roots he has
crafted some beautiful songs about standing up for what you believe in and
making a difference. Check out Change and All I’ve Got.
Bottler are a four piece melodic punk band from London.
Their debut EP Smithereens (put out by their own Disconnect Disconnect Records)
is one of my favourite releases of the year. Song topics include being in
bands, religion and breaking the law. Check out Ex-Members and Smithereens.
Four piece Watford band Cement Matters play soul punk. Having
just released their debut album Drinking Seawater, these gentlemen are set to
become big players in the UK punk world. They combine punk rock riffs with
heartfelt vocals to create a sound all of their own. Check out Battery Acid and
House Fire Heat.
Chairmen Of The Bored are a band that who where their
influences of their sleeves, combining their love of band such as Strike
Anywhere, Lagwagon and Anti Flag to create an aggressive skate punk sound.
Check out Growing Up/Giving In and Stand As One.
Featuring members of former Southampton based punk rockers
Our Time Down Here, Creeper are a band going places in a hurry. Musically you
can hear how influenced they are by bands like Alkaline Trio and AFI but have
also put their own spin on it. Absolutely fantastic band. Check out We Had A
Pact and Gloom.
Darko are a hardcore melodic punk band from Guilford
currently signed to Lockjaw Records. They take the technical guitars of A Wilhelm
Scream and mix with a skate punk sound similar to Strung Out to create some
awesome sing along anthems. This year they released their latest EP Sea Of
Trees. Check out Timepieces & Locked Shaped Hearts and Chewbacca Defence.
The Dead Anyways are a punk rock band from Bromley. This
year they released their debut EP Direct Me Home. It’s an EP containing four
songs about feeling lost, drinking anyway your problems and break ups. Check
out Lost To The Fog and Oscar Wilde At Heart.
Bolton pop punk band Don Blake are probably one of the best
kept secrets in the UK punk scene. They play fast fun pop punk filled with
great harmonies. If you’re a fan of bands such as The Copyrights, The
Dopamines or Teenage Bottlerocket (and
who isn’t!?) then Don Blake are a band you will love. Check out Legacies and
The Ballad Of Bonnie Mcfarlane.
Drones are a hardcore punk band from Camberley, currently
signed to Lockjaw Records they have released their debut album Mutiny and a
follow up EP Free Marked Kid. Channelling bands such as Anti Flag and Rise
Against tey have become one of the most highly thought of bands in the scene.
Check out Assassins Of Youth and Burnt Stitches.
Scottish melodic hardcore band Get It Together that play
fast and loud. Late in 2013 they released the EP Perspectives which is full of
songs about friendship, standing up for yourself, hating your job and living
life to the fullest. Check out Unforgettable and Stumble, Fall, Get Up.
Giants are a young up and coming hardcore skate punk band
from Essex. The music is fast and aggressive and guaranteed to get the kids in
the pit extremely rowdy. Their song contain some fantastic gang vocals that
give the feeling of everyone being in this together, Check out Did It Mean So
Much To You and Misguided (which has a fantastic opening bass intro).
Signed to Paper + Plastick in the USA and All In Vinyl in
the UK are Birmingham’s Guerilla Monsoon. Playing some of the best melodic punk
rock this side of the Atlantic the vocals remind me of Ann Beretta’s vocalist
Rob Huddlestone, which is a great thing. Check out Summer Romantics and
Believers.
Hated Til Proven are a ska punk band from Warrington who
formed in 2008 and are signed to TNS Records. Combining break neck punk rock
music and aggressive, passionate vocals Hated Til Proven fill the listener with
a lot of energy. Check out Don’t Go Breaking My Legs and Going To War.
Haters are a female front pop punk band in Brighton. They
formed in 2013 and earlier this year they released their debut EP Skip To The
End, produced by known other than Thom Weeks from Gnarwolves. Check out Chuck
Your Boyfriend (Have A Sandwich) and Skip To The End.
From Leeds, The Human Project played fast, melodic punk
rock. Technical guitars, urgent vocals and fantastic Bad Religion-esque
harmonies are what to expect from one of the most highly thought of bands in
the scene. Check out Seance Fiction and No Brainer.
From Colchester via the Midlands comes acoustic folk punk
Jonathan Marriott. Armed with just an acoustic guitar Marriott passionately
sings with his heart on his sleeve. This music is what music should be about,
raw, passionate and full of heart. Check out This Is Your Scene and We Are Not
What We Own.
To Live And Die In West Central Scotland is the title of The
Kimberly Steaks debut album. Released on All In Vinyl it is an album full of pop
punk bangers. Played at break neck speed only three songs on the album break
the two minute mark in length (one is astonishingly five minutes long, unheard
of for a pop punk song). Fast, fun and superbly catchy, check out Career
Progression and My Quarter Life Crisis.
The Lemonaids are another pop punk from Scotland. Influenced
by bands such as The Ramones, The Beach Boys and The Queers this play fun,
light hearted music. The music is fast and tight and there are some harmonies
the Beach Boys themselves would be proud of. Check out Surfing Valentine and
Beach Blonde Girl.
Losing Sleep are a pop punk band from Kingston who I have
had the pleasure of seeing live a couple of times this year. These four young
men are fantastic at what they do and could easily give some of their American
counterparts a run for their money. Check out This Is My Dillon Now and This Is
Kingston Not LA.
Louise Distras embodies what punk rock for this generation
is all about, breaking boundaries, standing up for yourself and what you
believe in and community. The attitude is fantastic, the music is even better. Raw,
powerful and filled with strong, positive messages. Check out Shade Of Hate and
Stand Strong Together.
Maid Of Ace are an all female street punk band from
Hastings, combining the spirit of ’77 with the aggression of The Casualties to
great effect. Fantastic live and recorded they are a band to look out for if
you’re a fan of old school or new punk. Check out Enemy Within’ and Bone Deth.
Martha are a pop punk band from Pity Me in Durham featuring
both members of ONSIND. As you would expect their songs are fantastically
written and are extremely catchy. Something I really love about the band is
that all the members take turns to sing lead vocals which makes the band feel
really fresh. Their newestalbum Courting Strong is one of the best releases
this year. Check out Present, Tense and Sleeping Beauty.
Nathan Detroit are an emo/pop punk band from Trowbridge.
Their songs are packed with memorable melodies and big punchy choruses. They
are a band with a massive amount of potential and are on the cusp of becoming
huge in the UK’s alternative scene. Check out I Will Always Be Part Of This
World and Come Home.
Other Half are a punk rock band from Norwich featuring Cal
and Sophie from Ducking Punches. Channelling 1990’s indie punk this three piece
write some fantastic catchy songs about relationships, youth culture, job and
Osker (the band). Check out Loomer and Dimmer, Still.
Gruff punk rock band Only Strangers are from Stoke On Trent.
With influences such as The Lawrence Arms, Alkaline Trio and Hot Water Music
you can expect well written songs with brilliant shout at the top of your
voice, fists in the air choruses. Check out The Amalgamation Of Crispin Glover
and Fail To Notice.
Paperjets are a four piece pop punk band from London. Inspired
and influenced by the 1990’s Lookout era of pop punk expect, fast pace guitars,
hook filled verses and catchy choruses complete with excellent harmonies. Check
out Green Eyed Girl and Rescue Me.
Revenge Of The Psychotronic Man are a three piece band from
Manchester who formed in 2004. Their music can be described as hardcore thrash
punk. I would describe it as a fun whirlwind of noise. The music is fun of
aggression and barely comes out of top gear. Check out Ready, Steady Bastard
and Get Pissed, Talk Shit And Dance Like An Idiot.
Glaswegian skate punk band Sink Alaska formed in 2013.
Combining 90’s UK pop punk with a modern day melodic punk sound these lads play
some fantastic music. Why they are a lot bigger I don’t know, the music is punk
enough to keep the punk rockers happy but there is also an accessibility to
people who wouldn’t usually listen to this type of music to enjoy it. Check out
The Path Of Least Resistance and The World Ain’t What It Seems Gunny.
Skank Agenda are one of the most unique bands in the UK’s
punk scene. Their latest album Hate This Shit is packed with some raw and
wonderful acoustic punk. With topics ranging from drug addiction and politics
to George Clooney and playing friends punk music, I’m fully convinced Skank
Agenda can write a great song about anything. Check out Pete On Drugs and
Educating Richard.
Five piece punk rock band Sombulance are from Portsmouth and
London. Like so many bands in the scene they are heavily influenced by the
Epitaph and Fat Wreck Chords bands such as Strung Out, Propaghandi, Hot Water
Music and Ten Foot Pole. The music is fast and urgent and the mixture of
singing and screaming really adds another dimension to their songs. Check out
Wake Up Bitch You’re My New Best Friend and Airstrip One.
Brighton’s Summerslam 88 remind me of Maniacal Laughter era
Bouncing Souls. Combining some hard punk rock riffs with a pop punk style song writing.
Writing songs that need to be sung as loud as possible is something Summerslam
88 clearly specialises in. Check out The Prawn Don’t Know and YOLO.
Tindall are a pop punk band from Slough who play pop punk
the way it’s supposed be played – fast, loud and catchy. Having already been
compared to established bands such as Weezer, Alkaline Trio and The Ataris it’s
clear that Tindall have a massive upside. Check out Song 5 and 1918.
Throwing Stuff are a hardcore punk band from London,
Manchester and Liverpool. To fully appreciate just how good Throwing Stuff are
you have to see them live. Everything is turned up to eleven and played at a
hundred miles an hour. Lead singer Ben throws himself about the stage as he
bellows out Throwing Stuffs songs with a fantastic amount of ferocity. Check
out Big Yellow Taxi and Steve's Job.
Triple Sundae are a four piece melodic punk band from the
South of England. Taking influence from the old school of punk as well as the
new they write songs about social anxieties and personal issues. In April of this
year they released their EP The Brainfreeze. Check out Unseen and Recluse.
Vice Like Grip
Vice Like Grip
When most people think of the seaside town of Hastings they
think of a famous power, after hearing their newest EP Antidote I will now also
think of the melodic punk band Vice Like Grip. With songs packed with massive
hooks and even bigger choruses Vice Like Grip are definitely a band to look out
for. Check out Punch Drunk and Rise And Fall.
We Come First are a pop punk band from Surrey. These fellas
have written some brilliant punk rock that needs to be sung loud with fists in
the air. It’s fantastically fun pop punk with a great British feel to it. You
can imagine the songs been played in a cockney knees up or at a punk rock gig.
Excellent stuff! Check out How Could Anyone Love Me and Knees Up Of Suburbia.
From Colchester, The Wreck Up are a punk rock band featuring
three members of the ska band New Town Kings. Clearly influenced by legendary
punk bands Rancid and The Clash these boys have written some tightly played
punk songs that are dying to be sung along to. Check out Proppin’ Up The Bar
and Nothin’ Left To Lose.
Another band from Hastings are Xup-Sup. Who knew so much
great punk rock was coming from that town? Xup-Sup play punk of the poppy
variety and do it very well. Playing some catchy summer time pop music as well
as any of their American counterparts Xup-Sup seem destined for great things. Check
out Never See You Again and Shut me Out.
Young Attenborough are a indie pop punk band from Brighton. Something
I really love about this band is that all three members take turns in singing.
This leads to some brilliantly interesting songs and some cracking harmonies.
Check out Cables and Planned Obsolescence.
Now listening to Temple Grandin Too by Andrew Jackson Jihad
Now listening to Temple Grandin Too by Andrew Jackson Jihad
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