Gig Review: Faintest Idea Album Launch at The Owl Sanctuary 1/4/16

Last month you may remember that I reviewed King's Lynn rude boy punks Faintest Idea's new TNS Records release Increasing The Minimum Rage. The six-piece had their album release show at Norwich's premier independent venue The Owl Sanctuary with support from The Lagan and The Bar Stool Preachers. The show promised to be a memorable one.

I was particularly excited about going to The Owl Sanctuary. Over the past couple of years the venue has become an important part of the independent music scene in the UK. Earlier this year a property developer bought the building where The Owl Sanctuary was situated and things were looking very bleak. Thankfully The Owl found a new venue and it continues to be one of the best and most important venues in the country.

Up first were Kingston's The Lagan. It has been a few years since I had seen The Lagan play live and it looked like there had been some line-up changes in that time but that didn't stop them being just as fun as I remembered. The Lagan play (to quote The Art of Punk’s Emma Prew) shanty-piratey-irish-folky-punk that is very hard to keep still to whilst listening. Not that you'd want to. This music is made for dancing, singing and having a great time. I wish I had listened to them more over the years, as it was such an enjoyable set and I just wish I could have got more involved in the singing. If you like bands such as The Pogues, Dropkick Murphys or Flogging Molly then The Lagan are a band you need to check out.

Next up it was The Bar Stool Preachers from Brighton. The Bar Stool Preachers are a band I've heard a lot about over the past year so I was looking forward to checking them out. If I only had one word to describe the set I would use the word "fun". Luckily this is my blog so I have as many words as I fancy! The band I instantly thought of when the band began to play was Boston's The Kings Of Nuthin'. It's refreshingly upbeat ska punk with lead singer Tom McFaull's vocals giving the sound a bit of a bluesy feel. There are many ska punk bands around the UK scene at the moment (a scene that's apparently dead!?) so it's great to hear yet another band giving the genre a different spin. The energy and enthusiasm of the whole band on stage was infectious and I can't wait to see them again sometime soon.

The sold out Owl Sanctuary was now packed to its capacity for Faintest Idea. As ever they began their set with Back To The Asylum, which of course had brass players Bobble, Sara and Lil Dan starting in the crowd before. I've seen this so many times now but always get a kick from it. If you've somehow not heard Faintest Idea yet they play a mix of street punk and ska with a lot of political content. With this being an album launch show of course they played a set heavy with new material from Increasing The Minimum Rage. Aside from videos for Circling The Drain and Cocktails, the album had only been released on that day so I was pleasantly surprised to see so much singing and dancing for the new stuff. The two aforementioned tracks, plus Down Pressure, No Pressure and Corporation, got big reactions and fit perfectly into Faintest Idea's already strong set list. Songs from the band's back catalogue also got some great reactions, particularly Youth, Mutual Aid, House of Cards, Too Bad, Bully Boy and the show closer Bull In A China Shop. Basically every song in the set was sung along to, danced to and really, really loved. On stage Faintest Idea are a joy to watch, whether it's the dancing from the most entertaining brass section in the scene or the intensity pouring out of bassist and lead singer Dani or guitarist Jack P, the performance hits you like a fireball of energy that makes it impossible not to get swept up in the excitement and chaos that is a Faintest Idea crowd. Faintest Idea are constantly going from strength to strength, whether it's their music, their song writing or their live performance they are a band you need to know.

You can buy Increasing The Minimum Rage here: http://www.tnsrecords.co.uk/?product_cat=tns-releases

Art of Punk: Increasing The Minimum Rage

If you’ve listened to Faintest Idea before then you’ll know that their music is not only insanely catchy, and impossible to stay still whilst listening to, but it also comes with important messages, political or otherwise. And if you haven’t listened to Faintest Idea before, I highly recommend that you do! You can start with their latest album, Increasing The Minimum Rage, released last Friday which is excellent musically and lyrically. (You can read Colin’s review of the album here.) I’d probably even say that it’s my favourite album of the year so far and their album release party at the Owl Sanctuary on Friday night was also probably the best gig I’ve been to so far this year…but this is Art of Punk, so on with the art!

Increasing The Minimum Rage is an album filled with political protests – the title itself is a political pun – so it seems only right that the album cover should also have a strong political and maybe a little bit of a controversial message. No prizes for guessing who the pig on the cover might represent, but I imagine there’s some Animal Farm influence in there too.

Faintest Idea teamed up with Wisconsin, USA, based illustrator and graphic designer Dismay Design for the album artwork. Looking at Dismay’s other work it’s clear that he has a knack for combining in-your-face illustration with almost garish colours. It’s the colours of the Increasing The Minimum Rage artwork that first caught my eye – bold, vibrant and using a colour combination that probably shouldn’t work, but does. Of course, the illustration itself has a powerful message which is reinforced by the use of colour. The typography and treatment around the type (paint splats and jagged edges) have a grungy and very much DIY feel, which suits Faintest Idea perfectly.

Some other Dismay Designs including the wonderful Owl Sanctuary, Norwich:

I received my vinyl copy of the album early last week (before the official release date). It was great to see that the back of the sleeve not only continues the design theme but also features another illustration. It feels like a lot of thought went into the whole package rather than just having an awesome cover and then a plain track listing on the back. The artwork for the first single, Circling The Drain, also follows a similar design theme. Although interestingly it uses words that are neither the title of the song nor lyrics from it as the main focus, which is a little unusual.

I ordered the pink version, rather than green, which I think was a fine choice as it looks excellent alongside the artwork. See my Instagram post below:

A photo posted by Emma Prew (@emmaprew) on Mar 30, 2016 at 11:43am PDT

It also came with a bonus limited edition screen print designed by Faintest Idea’s own Sara Harrington. Thanks TNS Records!

Album Review: Fits Of Disorganized Boredom by Problem Daughter

Dying Scene Records is fast becoming one of my favourite record labels. They are consistently putting out fantastic punk rock records. Recently they put out Salt Lake City band Problem Daughter's brand new album Fits Of Disorganized Boredom. I heard a couple of the songs before the album was properly released and I loved them so was very excited for the full release.

The first time I listened to Problem Daughter one of the first things I noticed about the band was lead singer Regan Ashton's voice, it's not like any I’ve heard before. It's kind of a cross between snarling and whining but with a pop twinge. I really love it! The opening song on Fits Of Disorganized Boredom is O Bother, Where Art Thou? It starts out with some buzzing guitars and a thick bass line before some great, sing-a-long vocals come in. Immediately this is an album that screams fun. The song is about looking back on your mistakes in a relationship and is filled with great pop hooks and a quick tempo that fills the song with energy. Up next is the brilliantly titled Alda, Small Things. I love how this song starts with just vocals and a quiet guitar in the background. Within the first thirty seconds of hearing this song I can easily imagine it becoming a live favourite for the band. It's a pop punk masterpiece that doesn't really sound a lot like your typical pop punk song, which is an impressive achievement. This is in large part due to the vocals, which do a great job in keeping Problem Daughter sounding fresh and unique. The third song is named My Other House Is A Meth Lab and is just fantastic! After starting out with some jangly guitar and some vocals the song surprises me by moving into a more ska/reggae sound. To throw in a different style so early on the album shows a good amount of bravery from the band. Eventually Problem Daughter do return to their more familiar pop punk sound complete with an outstanding and punch chorus as the band sings "H-A-P-P-Y Lets Celebrate". Brilliantly uplifting and a completely epic track. The fourth song, Liars, starts raw and acoustic for a few seconds before things switch to full electric punk rock. It's like Problem Daughter are treating us to a brief glimpse of the first demo of the song. When Liars does start properly there is a bit more gruffness in Ashton's vocals, reminding me of the Flatliner's Chris Cresswell. The tempo of the song is slower than the previous songs with the band really focussing on the melody.

Lousy Smarch Weather takes is on a bit of a musical adventure. It begins with a upbeat, fresh pop punk sound that's perfect for dancing to before changing the mood with a slower, more deliberate, pounding sound. This then builds into a far angrier version of Problem Daughter than we've heard before; there is some real venom in the vocals. Lousy Smarch Weather then goes full circle by returning to the fresh pop punk sound to complete the song. The song is almost like a much shorter version of NOFX's The Decline. Like A Dog sees the band enter the realm of anthemic rock music. Starting out with a simple yet wonderfully catchy repetitive introduction before the striking lyrics of "I Slit My Wrists, Just To Watch The Crimson Flow" really get the song going. Lyrics like these grab your attention immediately. The song is a slow burner that really uses the vocals to carry the melody throughout. There is a great deal of theatre around the vocals that make me think that seeing this song performed live would be something else. The penultimate song on Fits Of Disorganized Boredom is titled Splinters. Splinters is another song with plenty of tempo changes that make you feel like you've been on a rollercoaster. Problem Daughter are experts at hooking you into a song and keeping you for its entirety. The highlight of Splinters is the breakdown in the middle part of the song where Ashton shouts out "Why Is It So Hard To Sing Without You?" over a pounding drum beat. Splinters transitions into the final track Dracula On A Budget perfectly. So perfect in fact I didn't realise that one song had finished and the other had begun. I like that. Dracula On A Budget is more of a conventional punk track and a great way to finish the album. It's a punchy, upbeat song that will get you singing in no time at all. The song is about not being stubborn and learning when it's time to move on. I really like the line "Our Time And Each Other Are All We've Got". A really simple but also lovely way to look at life. As with all the great pop punk songs, the song grows towards a fantastic sing-a-long chorus that will get a whole room singing as loud as they can.

This is an early album of the year contender. It's only eight songs long but it packs so much into those eight songs. Smart and engaging lyrics, great melodies and hooks and, most of all, it puts a big smile on my bearded face.

Like Problem Daughter here: https://www.facebook.com/problemdaughter

Stream and download Fits Of Disorganized Boredom here: https://dyingscenerecords.bandcamp.com/album/fits-of-disorganized-boredom

Gig Review: Sonic Boom Six at The Craufurd Arms 25/3/16

What is there to do on a Good Friday in Milton Keynes? Have a nice meal out with friends or family? A relaxing night at home in preperation for a busy Easter weekend? Go and see one of the greatest ska punk bands and best live acts you've ever seen? I'd go with the latter. The mighty Sonic Boom Six were playing at the Craufurd Arms so Emma and I went along for a dance.

And dance we did! After being supported by Bedford-based acts country singer Jimmy McKenna and pop punks Ashley Falls, Sonic Boom Six took to the stage and wowed the 100 or so people that were in attendance on the night. As good as the Boom are on record they will always excel as a live band. It's clear that a lot of time and effort goes into producing a polished and energetic set, whether they are playing a small room in the back of a pub or to a big festival crowd. The number one aim is to make sure everyone leaves with a smile on their face. As Barney, Laila and the rest of the band took to the stage and played the opening song Bigger Than Punk Rock the hardcore fans at the front of the stage got moving and it didn't take long for everyone else to follow suit. Over the past decade they have written hit after hit and tonight's show served as a greatest hits show with a few from the upcoming new record thrown in for good measure. Songs from the new album, titled The F-Bomb, included No Man No Right and Do What You Wanna Do and sounded fantastic, which has got me very excited for its long-awaited release. But, as good as the new stuff is, it was the old classics that really stood out. Sound Of A Revolution, All In, Monkey See Monkey Do and Piggy In The Middle especially got huge reactions from the crowd. I don't think I'll ever get bored of singing along and having a good skank to those songs. With this upcoming release it will mean that the band will be doing a lot more touring again and, judging from this performance, anyone who sees them will be in for a massive treat.

Album Review: War & Pieces by Lead Shot Hazard

Lead Shot Hazard are a six-piece ska punk band from London who describe themselves as a cross between two of the most beloved ska punk bands of all time - Capdown and Streetlight Manifesto. With those kinds of influences I was interested to hear their new three-song EP War & Pieces, which was released in January.

The first song on War & Pieces is named Current State Of Play. It starts with some upstroke ska guitar and some fantastic horns, giving you get a feel for Lead Shot Hazard's sound straight away: horn-led ska punk that's up-tempo and will get you moving. Current State Of Play is a song that talks about the poor state of today's society. Topics such as homophobia, politics and class are among the subjects touched on during the track. Something I really enjoy about Current State Of Play is how there seems to be music coming from everywhere in the song. It gives the song a big boost of energy because it's hard to know what's coming next. The second song on the EP is Safe From Harm. Safe From Harm has a nice reggae feel to it whilst still being very brass heavy. There are a few melody shifts during the song that stop it from getting stagnant and there is a great musical interlude, in which the brass players especially can really show off their talent, which builds towards a big ending. Safe From Harm has a feel of 90's third wave, ska punk, clearly another big influence on the band. I love it too. The third and final song on War & Pieces is titled Grids & Markers. The track starts out with a deep bass line and some trademark ska guitar. Then the horns come in and it makes me think of a big group marching into battle. There is a nice variety in the song, being contained during the verses before bringing the tempo up for the choruses. Grids & Markers is about supporting the scene you're in no matter what people think of it. Ska is often seen as uncool but there are so many bands and fan still so passionate about it and this track could easily become an anthem for how we feel.

War & Pieces features three ska punk songs that are all quite different in style. This is fantastic because many people often dismiss ska and punk as all sounding the same and that's quite simply not the case. Lead Shot Hazard are one of a number of supremely talented bands coming up keeping the ska scene alive and well.

Stream and Download War & Pieces here: https://leadshothazard.bandcamp.com/

Like Lead Shot Hazard here: https://www.facebook.com/LeadShotHazard

Album Review: Painkillers by Brian Fallon (by Emma Prew)

Brian Fallon is always going to be best known for being the singer (and guitarist) of New Jersey’s The Gaslight Anthem. With such a distinct and recognisable voice, it’s easy to suggest that everything else he does also sounds like The Gaslight Anthem (I think he’s at least just about escaped the comparisons to Bruce Springsteen now though… maybe). So, like many others, I was sceptical about how much I would like his debut solo album. I love[d] The Gaslight Anthem but I didn’t want Brian’s solo material to sound exactly the same. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

Painkillers was produced in Nashville by Butch Walker, known for his work with the likes of Fall Out Boy, Weezer, Taylor Swift and more recently Frank Turner’s Positive Songs For Negative People. In short Painkillers a very much Americana-based singer songwriter affair featuring pedal steel guitar, banjo, mandolin, piano and organ, alongside the standard guitar, bass and drums. In parts, of course, it does sound like The Gaslight Anthem but it also nods towards Tom Petty and Ryan Adams, much more so than Bruce Springsteen.

The album starts with a bang, or rather the crashing of drums and jangling of guitars, with a song called A Wonderful Life. The song was released as a single long before the album itself and I really did love it from listen. It’s a catchy track and a great album opener, but most of at it has a very positive feel. It sets the tone for much of the album which unlike The Gaslight Anthem’s last album, Get Hurt, is very much feel-good.

The next three tracks keep the positive vibes flowing and are all equally as good. The title track, Painkillers, is not as you might imagine about medicinal painkillers but instead it’s a good ol’ love song. The chorus reflect this; ‘And we want love like it was a drug, All we wanted was a little relief, And every heart I held in between, They were painkillers to me.’ Painkillers is followed by Among Other Foolish Things which is one of my favourites, if only for the ridiculously upbeat and bouncy chorus; ‘And they say such foolish things, like "Love, love, love, love is all you need”’. The fourth track, Smoke, is the perfect song for clapping and foot stomping – something I imagine I’ll be doing come the 8th of April when Colin and I see Brian Fallon on his UK tour.

Steve McQueen, the fifth track on Painkillers, is probably my least favourite song on the album. It’s a much slower song focusing on Brian’s voice and the lyrics (most of which are about Steve McQueen and his racing horses). I just didn’t connect with it like the previous songs, although the finger-picked acoustic guitar is nice. Luckily the album livens up again with Nobody Wins, another bright track complete with singalong hallelujahs in the chorus – although thankfully not in an overly religious-sounding way. Rosemary, the next song, is probably the most Gaslight-like song – and fairly early Gaslight at that – but with added (I think) glockenspiel. Can you imagine The Gaslight Anthem up on stage with a glockenspiel player?

Red Lights is another of my favourite tracks – alright, alright, most of them are my favourites – and a great one to nod your head or tap your foot along to. I love the chorus; ‘So yes I will take those, Whatever else they give me, If it stops the nightmares, It probably won’t kill me, And if I slow it down I’ll end up on one of my accusers' knives, So I only stop to tell her that I love her at the red lights’. It also has a lovely bit of pedal steel guitar at end – proper country music style! Long Drives is another of the slower tracks on Painkillers with more pedal steel guitar and a heartfelt chorus; ‘But you said, “I’m alright, Baby, I don’t mind, I’ll get on just fine, On them long, long drives”’. Honey Magnolia continues the slow pace, as the album draws to a close, this time with a more piano-heavy sound. It’s pleasant enough but it feels like Painkillers needs one final kick by this point.

Fortunately the penultimate track, Mojo Hand, is more upbeat and even has a bit more of a raw sound than the preceding songs, particularly in Brian’s vocals. It’s also one of the most americana-sounding songs on the album, and probably most unlike Brian’s previous musical endeavours. It’s the kind of song that as soon as I heard it I thought ‘My dad will like this one.’ – and he does! He says it reminds him of Tom Petty and the Travelling Wilburys (folk/country super group that included Tom Petty) in particular. It is definitely one of the standout tracks on the album. The final song, Open All Night, is a simple one, fairly stripped back with mostly acoustic guitar aside from the melodic albeit short guitar solo in the middle. I feel like the ordering to Painkillers has been particularly well thought out – which I find is not always the case with albums – and the closing track on Painkillers is certainly a perfect end to what really is a very good album.

I read a comment somewhere that said something along the lines of; On The Gaslight Anthem’s last album, Get Hurt, Brian was clearly a rather unhappy man (the clue is in the title) but with Painkillers it sounds like he’s found a way to be happy again. I don’t want to make a habit of copying what other people say, especially when I can’t actually remember who said it, but I think that sums it up for me too.

I recommend buying the album from Banquet Records (or, y’know, you can stream it on Spotify or whatever) here: http://www.banquetrecords.com/painkillers

Top Tens: Tim Louds Top Ten Punk Rock Influences

Hi, I’m Tim Loud, an acoustic punk/ antifolk musician from Leeds, I’m delighted to have been asked to say 10 of my top punk influences as I love talking about myself from an autobiographical perspective. This isn’t a definitive top ten, I’d probably give a different list if asked at a different time. But for now, here goes…

Bob Dylan
I realise he is probably not considered to be a punk act. But for me, punk has always been about an attitude, a desire to protest and do whatever the fuck you want, regardless of what anyone else says. And that’s what Dylan does, for me; he embodies that attitude and that state of mind.

Offspring
A lot of the music I got into when I was younger filtered down to me from what my brother listened to. I remember hearing Smash When I was 10, and apart from the swearing which I obviously thought was great, I found the music really accessible, I liked the fast rhythms and the hooks, I think at least one song off my latest album is overtly influenced by them as I’ve started getting back into the music of my youth in a bid to try and avoid feeling old.

Green Day
Again, Dookie came out when I was about 10 and I liked the nihilistic, defeatist lyrics (although I didn’t know what nihilism was at age 10). And the references to drugs and sex I thought were cool, because I was 10. I don’t really care that much about what they’re doing now, I’m not into stadium rock shit, but the first few albums were, and still are, great to me.

Pennywise
Fucking fast drums, political lyrics, big chanting singalong shit. I’m sure everyone can relate to Bro Hymn. Not much else to say, I just like it.

Billy Liar
I first met Billy through a stage I ran at Strummercamp festival, I thought his recordings were OK and I put him on under the recommendation of the guys from TNS. I was amazed and enamoured as soon as I saw him live - you can’t put into words the energy and aggression he has until you’ve seen him live. He’s taught me a lot about stage craft and that shit as well. He’s just great.

Kultur Shock
I used to play in a band that did all Balkan, pirate, diddly shit. I always hoped we’d eventually get round to sounding like Kultur Shock, but we never did, but that’s Ok, because there is still Kultur Shock to sound like Kultur Shock… Kultur Shock. They have a healthy balance of self-awareness, political anger and self-mocking and they have some fucking great melody lines and themes in their songs.

Elliott Smith
This is another choice that may not be considered punk in a traditional sense. But he did a lot of DIY shit at the start of his career and I just like his stuff. I like the idea of being able to record entire songs where you play everything on it and the song-writing is so complex and yet complete and natural sounding because it’s the vision of one individual person. He made me focus more on harmonies and using the voice as an instrument. It’s good.

Red Hot Chili Peppers
This is the band that made me want to play music. The first CD I ever bought was Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic and I had to sneakily remove the parental advisory sticker without anyone seeing because I’d been into the shop the week before and the guy had refused to sell it to me because it wasn’t suitable for an 11 year old. That album is a masterpiece and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. They put up with some serious shit in their early years, the 15/20 years before they were the stadium rock band everyone loves to hate now, and it gives me hope that if you keep doing what you love then it’ll come good in the end.

Nine Inch Nails
Just fucking love it! Seen them a few times, it’s another case of one man’s vision coming through the music. I love his attitude to his fans and the music industry as well, good shit.

Cypress Hill
I was well into hip-hop when I was about 13-18 and this stuff has stuck with me. I loved the Bones album and how it fused together the rap and metal thing in a far more convincing way than any of the Nu-metal bands of the time ever did.

Tim has a new album coming out which you can buy here: https://timloud.bandcamp.com/

Like Tim Loud here: https://www.facebook.com/LoudTim