Monday 13 August 2018

Album Review: Have A Can by 6foot7


6foot7 are a five piece ska punk band from Cardiff, Wales. Featuring Tom Shazam on vocals, Marcus Maurice on drums, Nathan Allen on guitar and vocals, Craig Walker on trombone and Mark Lambert on bass, 6foot7 are about to release a brand new five track EP digitally on September the 1st with a physical release coming later in the month. Titled Have A Can, it promises five high energy ska punk offerings that will not only get you skanking but will also make you think.

The EP begins with title track Have A Can. The track starts off in a surprisingly moody fashion considering they describe themselves as high energy ska punk. Soon enough though some upstrokes come in and then some horns make us get our dancing shoes on. Tom's vocals then come in and we are treated to a wonderfully bouncy melody. As fun and as up-tempo as the track is it's actually about a very serious subject – dealing with mental health. Specifically turning to alcohol to try and cope with it all. I really want to see Have A Can performed live, I can only imagine how much fun this song is to dance to and to joyously sing along with the "nah nah nahs" in the chorus. Up next is the song Off My Face. This track is an all round rowdier affair with the highlight being some great back and forth vocals between Tom and Nathan. The song continues with the theme of using alcohol as a crutch to help you cope with your mental health problems. Off My Face features a great moment for some crowd participation during the chorus as they can shout "off my face" back at the band during the chorus.

I Am Incensed is much more of a punk rock song than a ska one. There's an infectious energy about the song that had me hooked immediately. Musically it's pretty simple and doesn't do much to reinvent the genre but when the song is so catchy this is never a problem. The song really comes alive when we reach the chorus. The penultimate track is titled Theresa and it's about the UK's prime minister Theresa May being a prostitute. Returning to their ska style, 6foot7 play a funky melody during the verse whilst vocalist Tom basically raps the lyrics. The chorus is another big sing-along moment and there's also a fantastic musical interlude that will get everyone having a great big skank. Finally we have the song Sobriety. This is my favourite track on the EP. It feels as if there is much more emotion in the song compared to the others, as 6foot7 sing a song about struggling to remain sober. As somebody who is tee-total and has never been drunk it's difficult for me personally to relate to the song but I'm certain the message will hit home hard for many people and will hopefully help them.

Have A Can is a superb EP that deals with the topic of using alcohol to deal with the difficulties of everyday life brilliantly. Like I previously said, it's not something I can relate to myself but I'm sure there are plenty of people who do. There seems to be more and more bands coming forward to discuss their issues and this is such a good thing. The more we talk about things the more we can help people. As well as having a important message, Have A Can has five superb songs that you can sing and dance along to and have a smashing time.

Like 6foot7 here: https://www.facebook.com/6foot7band

This review was written by Colin Clark.

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