Album Review: Hope This Ends Well by Feeble

Here's a review for an album I am really late to the party with. Hope This Ends Well by Feeble was released back in June of 2018 but I only discovered it on Bandcamp this month. Feeble are a four piece kind of pop punk band from Honolulu, Hawaii, who have been putting out music regularly since January 2017. Normally I have a rule about reviewing albums that came out so long ago but I enjoyed Hope This Ends Well so much I just have to! Plus it's an opportunity to feature a band from Hawaii, we've never done that on CPRW before.

Hope This Ends Well begins with the song Jules. Starting out with some jangly indie punk guitars, it quickly feels upbeat and even chirpy. Quite a surprising way for the album to start considering it was described as being by four "kinda bummed dudes". It is a positive and upbeat song where lead singer Brent Vida encourages his girl to cheer up and hang out with her friends. The chorus is quite the highlight and I imagine it's a lot of fun to sing back at the band in a live scenario. This is followed by the track Peeling Scabs. It starts with a fairly lengthy intro which sounds a bit distorted. This adds to the overall raw feel of the album and I really dig it. When the vocals do come in there's a real sense of urgency and Feeble immediately have your attention. Vocally this song is so intense, particularly as the song builds it becomes more of a scream than actual singing. It's about coming to the end of a relationship or friendship and realising that there's nothing worth holding on to. The third song on the album is called Jobs. Jobs is one of the real stand out tracks on the album, tackling the subject of being stuck in a job you dislike and realising that you're wasting your life away. This is quite a bleak subject but musically Feeble sound as if they're having a bit of a celebration. Perhaps the song is quite cathartic for them, like I imagine it would be to a lot of the listeners. Much like Peeling Scabs before it, there's a reasonably length intro before the party really gets started. This seems to be a technique that Feeble like to use.

On Labon it seems as if Feeble are at their lowest. Gone is the cathartic upbeat nature from earlier in the album, there's a real feeling of glumness throughout the song. Even at the highest points of the song, it just feels really sad. The lyric "make me better, as if I mattered at all" is the one that really stands out and it just breaks you. The fifth track, Ms Mullins, She's The Man, is the song that first caught my attention when I discovered Feeble. On this one Feeble spend no time on the introduction and Vida launches himself into the opening lyrics of "I wanna bring you flowers when you're not okay". From then on I found myself completely hooked on the song and quickly found myself wanting to sing-along. Luckily the song is written in such a way it doesn't take much time at all to pick the song up with its simple structure and catchy lyrics. Reverting back to the sad song/upbeat sound formula, it's another song that is brilliantly cathartic. It tells the story of rejection from someone you have some strong feelings for – we've all been there. I loved the clash of styles with the raw vocals and the pop style instrumentation on the song. The styles contrast but also give the song that special feeling. Grampa is another big favourite on Hope This Ends Well. It begins with just Vida's bass and his vocals. This style again quickly has me yearning to sing-along. It doesn't take long for the rest of the band, Caleb Corpuz and Caleb Limbaga on guitars and Ethan Limbaga on drums, to join in to create a near perfect pop punk track. It seems to go at a faster pace than anything else so far on Hope This Ends Well and it's so easy to get swept away with the song. It's a track about trying to get on with your life despite the grief you're suffering due to the loss of relative. It's a heartbreaking song when you really get down to the bare bones of the track.

The seventh song on the album is Pencil Fight. Again wasting no time in getting going, there's a chaotic energy in the song with the band seemingly all doing their own thing at times in the song before coming back together for the choruses. It's about breaking up and having a extremely hard time dealing with it. There's a bitterness in the song that everyone feels at the end of a relationship with Vida's raw vocals adding plenty of emotion and anger to the track. The penultimate song on Hope This Ends Well is A.C.P. This track had me thinking of Jeff Rosenstock after my first listen, in that it sounds like a rough around the edges pop song that could seemingly go off in any direction. It's totally rambunctious and I love it for this reason. I really enjoyed the storytelling aspect of the song, with it feeling as if you can picture exactly what's going on in the song. Last up is Four More Beers. This is a slower and more methodical track about using beer to escape all the bad feelings you're having. The song is an emotional one that builds throughout, really pulling tightly on your heart before just breaking you. What a way to finish the album.

Hope This Ends Well shows a new band with a huge upside. On this album Feeble show they can write some great songs that people will relate to and will really grow an emotional attachment to. All nine songs will have you shouting along whilst being in bits. Feeble are a fantastic new band and I hope to see them grow and grow.

Stream and download Hope This Ends Well here: https://feeblehnl.bandcamp.com/album/hope-this-ends-well

Like Feeble here: https://www.facebook.com/feeblehnl/

This review was written by Colin Clark.

CPRW Playlist: January 2019

CPRW Playlist: Here's what Brett, Dan, Emma, Jack, Omar, Richard, Robyn and myself have been listening to this January.

Column: European Festival Preview 2019

Continuing our two part series giving a short preview of the best festivals in the UK and Europe, today we look at some of the great festivals on the mainland – if you fancy going a bit further a field for your punk rock adventures!

Groezrock, 26th–27th April
Groezrock is a long running festival that takes place in Meerhout, Belgium. When you think of European outdoor punk festivals, this is probably the first that comes to mind. And perhaps rightly so, they've been putting on the biggest and best bands in punk rock for years! This year they've arguably got the most impressive headline act of all the festivals in Europe. The legendary Jawbreaker are headlining the first night of the festival. The headliner for the second night is Dropkick Murphys – not too shabby either. Other bands already announced include Millencolin, Comeback Kid, Good Riddance, Dave Hause & The Mermaid, Restorations, Joyce Manor, Teenage Bottlerocket and Marky Ramone with Greg Hetson.

SBÄM Fest, 1st–4th May
Back for it's third year this year is SBÄM Fest which takes place in Alter Schlachthof Wells, Austria. Taking place over three days, if fast sing-along punk rock is your thing then SBÄM Fest is the festival for you! The line up is superb, headlined by Toy Dolls, Good Riddance and The Real McKenzies as well as a great mixture of bands from Europe, the USA and the UK. Bands that stand out on the line up include Teenage Bottlerocket, Get Dead, Rebuke, Chaser, Authority Zero, Useless ID, The Lillingtons, Petrol Girls, Dee Crack, Krang, Snuff, Jaya The Cat and The Human Project.

Obenuse, Fest 4th May
Obenuse Fest is a one day festival that takes place in Zurich, Switzerland, in six different venues and features thirty five different bands. The festival is now in its fifth year and I've no doubt this is its best line up yet, with the likes of The Lillingtons, Spanish Love Songs, Pkew Pkew Pkew, Bad Cop Bad Cop, Tim Vantol, The Run Up, Four Lights, Antillectual, Luke Hilly and Pity Party. As a day in Zurich goes, I can't think of a better way to spend it.

El Topo Goes Loco, 17th–18th May
El Topo Goes Loco: Welcome To The Ska Punk Jungle, to give it it's full name, is a DIY festival that takes place in Mol, Belgium. Put together by Jason of El Topo Bookings (who also is a part of the Level Up Festival team) it features bands, free camping, a swimming pool, cheap beers, cocktails and great people. That's reason to attend before even mentioning some of the bands playing. But I kind of need to mention the bands in this preview or it would be a terrible preview, so some of the bands playing are The Filaments, The Junk, From The Tracks, Braindead, Overweight and Wröng.

Bearded Punk Festival, 1st June
Yet another Belgian punk festival happens on the first day of June. Bearded Punk Festival, obviously put together by Bearded Punk Records, is back for its third year and is based in Genk. No bands have been announced yet but in previous years bands such as Straightline, Eat Defeat, For I Am, River Jumpers and F.O.D. have appeared at the festival.

This Is My Fest
Here's a line up that has me very excited, mostly for one band. Wank For Peace are back to play This Is My Fest in Paris! This is the seventh edition of the festival which also features P.O. Box, Nightwatchers, Good Friend, The Arteries, Mighty Bombs, The Deadnotes, Jodie Faster, Lone Wolf and Decent Criminal. Wank For Peace are back!

Booze Cruise, 7th–10th June
Booze Cruise Festival is back for its fourth year in June. Taking place at Hamburg Harbour, the festival uses multiple spaces around the area as well as a boat for bands to play. Bringing over some of the top bands from the USA alongside the best from Europe and the UK, this is closest you're going to get to The Fest without heading to Gainesville. Bands announced for this year include Chamberlain, War On Women, Ducking Punches, Petrol Girls, Bong Mountain, Überyou, Typesetter and Not Scientists.

Punk Rock Raduno, 11th–14th July
Of all the festivals in Europe that I've discovered over the past few years, Punk Rock Raduno is perhaps the one I most want to go to. This Italian festival, situated in Bergamo, specialises in Ramonescore pop punk – maybe my favourite style of pop punk. Despite only being in its fourth year, the festival has managed to attract the biggest names in the genre including CJ Ramone, The Queers, The Bombpops, Even In Blackouts, 20belows, The Manges, Dr Frank of The Mr T Experience, The Apers, Zatopeks and Chixdiggit. Only four bands have been announced so far but what a collection of bands it is – Dan Vapid & The Cheats, The Creeps, The Copyrights and Kepi Ghoulie. The Copyrights and Kepi will also be joining forces for a set as The Kepirights.

KNRD Fest, 12th–13th July
KNRD Fest in Germany got some rave reviews from everyone I know who attended last year. It's a not-for-profit festival with a goal of supporting the punk rock scene and bringing folk from all over the world together. Taking place in a woods near to Nuremberg, the festival is now in its eighth year. No bands have been announced yet but you can bet that the very best in fast skate punk will appear. Something extra special about KNRD Fest is that it offers a pay what you like scheme for the ticket prices and also offers free camping – that's amazing.

Brakrock Ecofest, 2nd–3rd August
Brakrock Ecofest first came to my attention last year with the most ridiculous line up that included The Vandals, Satanic Surfers, TSOL, Mute, The Lawrence Arms, The Menzingers, Authority Zero, Mad Caddies, This Is A Standoff, Nothington and Useless ID to name just a few. The line up this year is similarly insane with Descendents, Propagandhi, Less Than Jake, The Bennies, Pulley, Cigar, Pears and The Dopamines – plus even more to be announced. Brakrock takes place in the beautiful area of Terelst, Belgium, and uses its surroundings to create the most unique festival experience. Brakrock is a punk rock festival that is all about having a positive mindset with a focus on sustainability in all its facets.

Punk Rock Holiday, 6th–8th August
Punk Rock Holiday has become THE European punk festival to attend over the years. Not only attracting the best bands on the planet, its setting is absolutely stunning. Taking place in Tomlin, Slovenia, in a beautiful forest area complete with a beach on the side of a lake, there is no other punk festival like this in the world. Now in its ninth year, the festival is more popular than ever. Showcasing some of the biggest bands in the world along with some of the emerging talent from Europe, Punk Rock Holiday is definitely a bucket list festival. Among the bands playing this year are NOFX, Less Than Jake, Sick Of It All, Ignite, Teenage Bottlerocket, The Bennies, Masked Intruder, Pears, Hit The Switch, The Dopamines, as well as CPRW favourites Call Me Malcolm and Goodbye Blue Monday.

It's looking like a massive summer of punk rock for all you festival goers. Europe has been spoilt with all these great weekends lined up. Click that you're interested in all of the events to keep fully update with all the future announcements.

This column was written by Colin Clark.

Top Tens: Moonraker's Top Ten Punk Rock Influences

Here’s our list of ten influences. I left out obvious stuff like Bad Religion, Lagwagon and the 90s/early 00s Fat/Epitaph catalogues, and more abstract stuff like jealousy and inadequacy, but make no mistake, those are all HUGE influences on everything we do. But, without further ado, here’s our list:

1. Alkaline Trio
What can I say about the Alkaline Trio that hasn’t been said? For my money, with Skiba’s ability to craft a perfect metaphor and turn it into melodic perfection while Dan lays down beautiful harmonies and Derek completely kills it on the drums and high notes, hardly anything can come close to fucking with it.

2. The Lawrence Arms
Matt Skiba may be the gold standard for metaphors, but the way Brendan Kelly takes snippets from every aspect of pop culture and weaves them together to explain the personal struggles that he (and all of us) are going through is a HUGE influence on everything we’re trying to do over here.

3. Futurama
I talk about it all of the time, but I compare the way I love a band like NOFX to the way I love The Simpsons: extended back catalogues, that are still active today, that as a child/teenager everyone relates to heavily, and despite being weighed down by years and years of whatever, it’s hard to compare anything to their golden early-middle outputs. That being said, Futurama (and, for a band example, The Lawrence Arms) is perfect from the jump and is a contained entity that is perfect throughout its entirety that as an adult, I find myself relating to so much more than any other TV show (or band). It’s a show that will make you laugh, cry, think, smile – whatever you want, it’s got. We’ve incorporated everything from song titles and sound clips (“War Were Declared”, “Forget the Park”) to references in lyrics, to band bios, etc. from this show.

4. Comic Books
Perhaps the backbone on which our band is built is Nick and mine’s love of comic books. When I first met Nick, we bonded over the fact that we were both really into comics. It’s sort of defined who we are and the way we think about everything. Our new record “Lanterns” would not exist without the Geoff Johns run on Green Lantern (from like Green Lantern: Rebirth through Blackest Night), our EP “String Theory”’s cover art is inspired by the DC character The Question, an old EP of ours is called “New Ways to Die” which is the name of an arc from The Amazing Spider-Man from like 2008 (even though I don’t really consider that EP canon anymore [even me considering things canon and non-canon is comic-inspired]), our song “Post-Crisis Origins” is inspired by the fact that certain things became non-canon after Crisis on Infinite Earths and how our band sort of had a soft reboot around the release of that song. There’s more examples, but you get the idea.

5. Jeff Rosenstock and Ryan Young
Not in the sense that Bomb the Music Industry/Jeff’s solo stuff and Off With Their Heads are huge influences on us (even though they totally are and I LOVE those bands), I’m talking about how the two of them as people are huge influences on us. At our inception, our band was a lot different. We had different guitarists, different lead singers, a different vibe. But when we were trying to, for like the fourth time in a couple years, find someone to join our band and play guitar, we hit a wall. Some people who lived in town were like, “I can play local shows, but I can’t tour” and people we had met on tour were like, “I can tour, but I wouldn’t be able to do stuff where you live.” So the way that a band like Off With Their Heads or Bomb the Music Industry (especially in their early years) is set up with Ryan or Jeff and then a rotating cast of different people really helped us shift into the band we are today with a guy who plays bass, a guy who plays drums and some other people we trust from different places. I mean, it was either that or wait and do nothing ’til we found someone who wanted to do it full-time (which we still haven’t and it’s been like 5 years at this point).

6. Bojack Horseman
Nothing had a bigger impact on the writing of our first album, “Fail Better”, than the first season of Bojack Horseman. Maybe it had a lot to do with where I was at in my life when I saw it, but I watched that first season front to back like 10 times when it came out. The only thing I wanted to do was put out an album that could maybe make people feel the way I felt when I watched that show. The desperation, the heartbreak, the word-play. It quickly became and still is my favorite show of all time. Our songs “Sandpaper Skin”, “X-Rays” and “No, I Think YOU’RE the Tar Pit” are all directly influenced by it, but the entire album’s vibe was crafted around it.

7. The song “The New Style” by The Beastie Boys
This song is just so cool. The entire vibe of it is just insanely cool. Front to back, just the sarcasm and confident boastfulness of stuff that’s not worth boasting about is incredible. The way that MCA comes in talking about being tough and hard and then Ad Rock comes in to echo his statement and hype him up but he’s doing it in a Jerry Louis voice, the way that most rappers are bragging about drinking champagne and The Beastie Boys are bragging about drinking Budweiser and eating White Castle with just as much pride in their voice as the guys bragging about actual cool stuff. It’s the way that they’re kind of not cool, but so stoked about it that makes them the coolest mother fuckers ever. To this day one of the coolest things we’ve ever done is sit in Nick’s truck eating White Castle while blasting this song.

8. The scene from “Wet Hot American Summer” where Ken Marino crashes his van
It’s just so fucking funny! His eyes aren’t even closed when he’s singing and then when he starts swerving, the exterior shot of the van is just driving straight! And that tree is like RIGHT in front of him. We watched the clip of it like 100 times one tour and every time there would be ANY kind of traffic or something on the road, whichever one of us was driving screamed, “OH FUCK!” Like he does and started swerving the wheel and all of us always lost our shit laughing. It hasn’t really influenced any songs or anything, but there was no way it wasn’t making the list.

9. Ben Folds Five
This is the one that always surprises people, but we fucking LOVE the Ben Folds Five. They’re a HUGE influence. The way that Ben Folds, Robert Sledge and Darren Jessee are just insanely talented musicians but downplay it so much, and that they’re just hilarious! Ben Folds had a guest arc on “You’re the Worst” (an amazing TV show, by the way) a couple years ago and he was so goddamn good on it. The freaking band name is the Ben Folds FIVE and there’s only THREE of them. They’re just awesome and write great songs. And how good was that come back album?!

10. The films of Mike Birbiglia
We’ve always been huge fans of Mike Birbiglia’s stand-up and it’s always cool when he pops up in things as an actor, but the two movies he wrote, directed and starred in are some of the most brutally relatable things I can think of off the top of my head. “Sleepwalk With Me” is an emotional gut punch about long-term relationships and touring. I’ve watched “Don’t Think Twice” a bunch of times and I don’t think I’ve ever made it through without crying. There’s a scene where Keegan Michael Key is tweeting to promote his improv show that night while he’s at work and says something like, “Sup everyone! Just out here delivering food. Fuck my life!” Chris Gethard has a line about how he’s fine working his stupid day job as long as he has improv because it makes him feel like he has a secret identity. Gillian Jacob’s line towards the end about feeling trapped in a well but being okay with it shaped our record “Lanterns”. I can not recommend these movies enough.

You should like Moonraker here and check out their music, including their newest album Lanterns which is incredible here.

Album Review: Wherever That Is by Panhandler (by Emma Prew)

Panhandler are a four-piece punk band from Stockholm, Sweden. In December they released a new album titled Wherever That Is on Trash Crusader Records (Sweden) and Whisk & Key Records (Australia). It was through the Australian label that we first heard of Panhandler. Intrigued by why this Swedish band was on an Australian label, I had little listen on Bandcamp and instantly took a liking to what I heard.

The album opens with its title track, Wherever That Is. A blast of energetic guitars and pounding drums instantly lures the listener in. It’s in a similar vein to bands such as Iron Chic and is definitely a style I love. The use of two vocalists is great – Shifty taking the first verse with a slightly rougher vocal and Frieda taking the second with a warmer, perhaps more polished vocal, before both joining together for the chorus. These vocals remind me a bit of RVIVR which is no bad thing. Wherever That Is is about knowing that someone is with you in your head and your heart, despite not knowing when you’ll actually see them again. Don’t Get Out Much is the second song of Wherever That Is. This is a fast paced and shorter tune which packs in plenty of melody. It has a sort of care-free indie punk feel at the beginning but this develops into a screamier fists-in-the-air punk rock banger. At points, the song reminds me of early Menzingers which is never a bad thing. Don’t Get Out Much is about dealing with the anxieties that come with everyday life including, but not limited to, leaving the house. A big guitar solo outro with the closing line ‘Isn’t that just what you wanted?’ finishes the song in style.

Musical styles are switched up further for the third track, Heroes. This is a rousing tune that feels almost folk or country-like. The best likeness I can think of is Dropkick Murphys, but without the inclusion of any typical folk instruments. Heroes is a heartfelt anthem for those unsung heroes in our lives. The song is a slow one for half of its duration before the pace and intensity picks up for the second half, returning to a more typical punk style. Vem Är Du Utan Pengar? (which translates as Who Are You Without Money?) is next up. Opening with crashing drums followed by fast, raspy and raw vocals, it all feels a bit angry but I mean that in the best way. It’s quite the contrast from the folk vibes of Heroes but I appreciate variety like this in an album. Vem Är Du Utan Pengar? feels like one big singalong with the chorus in particular being so cathartic – ‘So you look away to alleviate the guilt, So you don’t have to break up, A little piece of your heart.’ This song feels like the perfect release from the pressures of working your life away everyday.

Bad Daze will get your head nodding along in no time with its speedy guitar-based introduction. The mid-tempo verses where the instruments take more of a backseat allow the listener to fully take in the vocals. Panhandler seem to be quite the storytellers and this is particularly apparent on Bad Daze. The song is about having a bad day, or week, or month… but battling against giving up or giving in to negative feelings as best as humanly possible. Towards the middle of the track everything slows down and there’s a sort of interlude within the song. It’s not something you hear very often so it really grabbed my attention. As did the line ‘I just need to be a little more horizontal for a while.’ – I get you completely, Panhandler. Bitter vocals from Shifty kicks things off before anything else with Pacify Me – ‘I wanna be distracted…’. This is the first time we’ve heard the vocals take centre stage from the outset and it is something that hooked me immediately with the song. Slow verses compliment a bigger sounding chorus – ‘Pacify me, pacify me, pacify me, pacify me, Until it’s, until it’s gone.’ – and there’s a great sense of building between these, as well as contrasting instrumental sections and vocal parts. A highlight of the album for sure.

More of those huge-sounding, melodic guitars that we’ve come to expect from Panhandler lead us into the seventh song of Wherever That Is, Church. There’s an exchange of sorts between the quieter, mid-tempo vocals of the verses and fast and furious guitars parts on display here. Lyrically, the song is more than a bit self-deprecating but it is also strikingly honest. The line that really stood out to me is ‘I’ll let you down, Just like I used to.’ I’m getting more of The Menzingers-feel here or perhaps Spanish Love Songs. Parasites is the name of the next song which kicks off with some wonderfully warm guitars and a subtly fuzzy bassline. The track is about feeling frustrated and angry but trying to channel those feelings into something more worthwhile. I think the overall message is a positive one and the way in which it’s delivered is certainly effective. The upbeat chorus just might win the award for being most singalongable of the album – at least it would, if I could figure out each exact word.

The penultimate song of the album is titled Ache. It’s a slow burner that allows the listener to take a bit of a breather whilst taking in all the bitterness and emotion packed into the song. Ache feels a little alt-country in style which reminds me of punk bands like Timeshares. I initially thought it odd that Panhandler list their genre as being ‘emo country’ on Facebook but I kind of get it with songs like this. The repetition of ‘Someday you’ll ache like I ache.’ that ends the track feels like a huge emotional release for the band. It also leads us perfectly into the final song. I Want To Believe feels like an album closer, not least because with a 4 minute 18 second running time it is the longest track on the album. With a slow start featuring gentle guitar but no drums, this is another Timeshares-esque number with the alt-country vibes staying onboard from the previous song. There is perhaps also a hint of The Hold Steady, musically but not so much vocally. I Want To Believe seems to build as it progresses, the vocals increase in volume and intensity for one last jolt of energy. Towards the end I’m pretty sure there’s some brass alongside some whoa-oh-ohs. What a finale and a triumphant end to an excellent album.

You can stream and download Wherever That Is from Bandcamp (or buy it on vinyl!) and, obviously, you should also like Panhandler on Facebook.

This review was written by Emma Prew.

Album Review: Set Sail by Beat The Smart Kids

Last year I went out of my way to try and discover some underground ska punk bands from America as I felt that my knowledge was severely lacking. I had a lot of success in my search and discovered some really great bands. One of those bands, Chicago's Beat The Smart Kids, put out a brand new EP titled Set Sail towards the end of 2018 and I figured that after spending so much time finding these bands I should give it a listen.

The EP begins with its title track, Set Sail. It starts with some scratchy sounding guitar and some rough vocals, before some trombone hits and the song begins properly. On my first listen of the song I was immediately impressed with how the band implement a few different styles and tempos on the song without the song feeling clunky or clustered. It's also a song that you can pick up very easily and will have you singing along quickly. Set Sail is about doing your own thing and going your own way despite what the naysayers might think. On the second song, It's A Bomb, Beat The Smart Kids show off some diversity with their sound. The song starts with a much heavier tone than on the previous track and has a massive introduction before we get into some high tempo brass that will get everyone skanking. Vocally I'm really reminded of Dave Kirchgessner of legendary ska punks Mustard Plug. That is until Beat The Smart Kids really change things up and we get super skacore, perhaps giving the similarly named UK band Beat The Red Light a run for their money with some fantastic screaming.

Skippin' The Gym starts out quite slowly with more of a bouncy sing-along style about constantly avoiding things that you don't want to do. Soon enough the song picks up some real speed and will quickly get you dancing and getting your cardio before slowing down again to complete the track. I really enjoyed how a song that talks about avoiding exercise will get you doing it. The penultimate song on the EP is named Table For One. Table For One is about living in solitary, not giving up your time for other people and generally being a bit selfish. It sounds like quite a sad way to live and you'd think that musically the song would represent that, but no, this is a ska punk song. The trombone at the beginning of the song in particular put a huge grin on my face and it's another song that you'll be singing along to very quickly. The fifth and final song on the EP is titled Better Than Just Fine. It's a shorter song, at under two minutes in length, and finishes Set Sail off in a real positive way. It's a song about being happy and enjoying your life. The chorus was what really stood out on my first listen with the whole band taking turns to sing about what's making them so gosh darn happy and then combining for a gang vocal shout of "we're doing better than just fine." What a wonderful way to finish this fantastic EP.

If I had spent a little more time with Set Sail before the end of 2018, there's a very good chance that this would have finished up on my end of year list. Yes, it does sound very Mustard Plug but they're one of my favourite bands ever so I'm more than okay with that. I hope Beat The Smart Kids eventually find their way to the UK where they will be very well received.

Stream and download Set Sail here: https://btskska.bandcamp.com/album/set-sail

Like Beat The Smart Kids here: https://www.facebook.com/btskska

This review was written by Colin Clark.

Gig Review: Jake Jellyfish and Arms & Hearts at waterintobeer, London 17/1/19 (by Emma Prew)

Thursday 17th January marked the first (of many) gig of the year for myself and Colin. It was also specifically the first (also probably of many) South London gigs of 2019 – South London being the home of DIY punk rock, of course. Hosted by Gold Soul Theory Promotions at waterintobeer, a small shop selling all things beer, the all acoustic line-up featured Jake of Jake & The Jellyfish, Arms & Hearts, Tommy Simpson and C-Rage.

Having travelled to and across London from Bedford, we only just about made it to waterintobeer on time to see C-Rage open up the show – arriving during his first song, Fenchurch Street. The venue was already busy with plenty of pals, us included, keen to watch him do his thing. Usually found down the road at the New Cross Inn, there were plenty of the New Cross ‘crowd’ in attendance with a lovely chilled atmosphere for C-Rage’s set. The mixture of self-deprecating and nostalgic acoustic pop punk tunes was warmly received with attentive silence throughout the songs and enthusiastic applause after each. The set included a cover of Mixtapes’ Orange-Yellow and, fan/friend favourite C-Rage original, Soundcheck. We couldn’t have asked for a more lovely start to the evening.

Up next was Tommy Simpson, someone who I am most used to seeing as a part of London-based punk trio The Exhausts. I’m a big fan of the band but hadn’t listened to any of Tommy’s solo stuff before so was interested to hear him play and, with everything being unplugged, I didn’t have to wait long. It turned out Tommy Simpson, who frequently performs at waterintobeer, plays sad indie punk songs that are not too dissimilar to a stripped back Menzingers. Think songs about growing older and wondering what you’re doing with your life – it was his 30th birthday the next day so there was a bit of a theme. The songs were great, as was the banter in between, including introducing us to his best pal Buster, the dog, who happened to be outside the venue. I really enjoyed Tommy’s set and I’ll definitely be checking out his solo EP now.

The second part of the evening featured two musicians from a little further afield, the first of which being Arms & Hearts from Manchester. I saw Arms & Hearts last year for the first time, at Manchester Punk Festival no less, and was thoroughly impressed. Being completely unplugged at waterintobeer however gave this performance a different feel. Steve kept the audience captivated from the very first note with his gruff vocals carrying with ease despite not having a microphone. Arms & Hearts plays a sort of Americana-style acoustic punk, in a similar vein to Dave Hause, and was the only act of the night to bring more than just his acoustic guitar, with the addition of harmonica bringing bluesy Springsteen-esque vibes to the evening. Finishing a great set with the brilliant Fortitude, Steve encouraged the waterintobeer crowd to join him for a little singalong of ‘Home is wherever you happen to be tonight.’ Perfect.

The singalongs didn’t end there as it was time for the last act of the evening – Jake Jellyfish aka Jake from Jake & The Jellyfish, from Leeds. I’ve been a big fan of the folk punk stylings of Jake & The Jellyfish for several years now and have seen the band live multiple times, I had never seen a solo Jellyfish show however so this was going to be quite the treat. Jake’s set was choc-a-block with everyone’s favourite Jellyfish songs – hence the further singalongs – including Tunnel Vision, DIY, Dotted Line, Reading List and Same Old. The stripped back renditions of songs in such an intimate setting made for perhaps an even more emotional connection with the crowd than usual. Full band Jellyfish sets often feature an acoustic last song where Jake, and sometimes other members of the band, join the crowd for a final sing-song. So, to have a whole set of unplugged and much-loved Jellyfish songs just like that really felt special. We all loved it so much in fact that Jake agreed to play a bonus song at the end of his set – 23. A wonderful end to a wonderful evening of acoustic punk.

We probably didn’t really need easing back in to another year of punk rock gigs but it was nice to kick things off with something a little different all the same. Thanks to Gold Soul Theory Promotions and waterintobeer for making a Thursday in January thoroughly more enjoyable than staying home.

This gig review was written by Emma Prew. (Rubbish photos also by Emma.)