Broken Flags - Sweet Decadence (Single Review)

Broken Flags are an indie rock 4-piece, from my hometown of Stoke-On-Trent. The quartet consists of; Jack Dooley on lead vocals, Lew Adams on lead guitar, Ash Clay on the drums and Josh Buckley on the bass. Broken Flags have supported some very well-known bands from out of the area such as; Riding The Low, The View and they are even supporting Shed Seven on the 29th of July this year! 'Sweet Decadence' is Broken Flags debut single and it was released on the 18th of April in 2016.  When I was asked to write this review, I was immediately intrigued by the song title - I don't know what it was about it, but it just catched my eye... Resulting in me doing a bit of snooping, and I came across a very well-fitted definition. The way that I interpreted the definition was that the meaning of decadence was to excessively self-indulge in something or rather, however the sweet represents the finer things in life - the treats. So let's find out if this track is actually about what I think it is about - excessively indulging in the more luxurious things in life...

Riveting guitar riffs from Adams and Buckley open up the track, alongside the punching, rhythmic drums from Clay. The band were shortly accompanied by Dooley's Mancunian brit-pop styled vocals, as he sang out the title in a Gallagher whine. This track sounds very inspired by the brit-pop era, I can hear sprouts of Oasis and Blur within the track. This line in particular proves my point about the title of the track, about the finer things in life...

'Because; the women, the money, I'm 'tryna find it funny.'

There's quite a sinicister line within the track as if to say 'you get what you deserve' when you're a materialistic snob and then you lose everything in the blink of an eye.

'And all the tears you've cried, let them run because the man don't lie.'

The chorus noticeably stood out to me, because just where is home? Is home a past-time? Is home your childhood?

'Won't you take me back home, take me back home.'

In conclusion this track is jam-packed full of riveting indie guitar riffs, punchy drums, and brit-pop inspired vocals. The title of the track is incredibly clever as the lyrics match precisely to the meaning of the song title, and you can't fault how intellectual the title is - the song title just captivates you before you are even given the chance to give the track a listen. 'Sweet Decadence' is just about the materialistic values of things in life and I'm presuming that home is childhood whereby you do not put a materialistic value on anything because there is simply no need to. The only piece of constructive criticism that I have for Broken Flags within this track is that the pronunciation on the lyrics needs to be a lot clearer as there were quite a few areas whereby I couldn't quite grasp what Dooley was saying, however this could be a quality difficulty within the production of the track. On the other hand if the quality isn't the problem, then the instruments need to be toned down when certain climax's of the track appear in order to emphasise a focus on the lyrics and vocals as a whole. Apart from that minor issue the track is brilliant, and Broken Flags should be very proud at how far they have come and the production of their track. I wish them the best of luck with all of their future endeavours, and I hope that they have an absolute ball supporting Shed Seven! You can listen to their track in the YouTube link that I have added below or on spotify.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3fy0VKd63G4

Richard Ashcroft - These People (Album Review)

Richard Ashcroft is the Wigan-born former frontman of the well-known britpop band from the 90's called 'The Verve'. 1999 was the beginning of Ashcroft's solo career; following the split from The Verve, he released his first solo album in 2000 called - 'Alone With Everybody.' The Verve did actually reform in 2007 but then they split up again in 2009, then Ashcroft formed a new band afterwards and in 2010 they had already released new material and this band was called 'RPA And The United Nations Of Sound'. However Ashcroft decided to stick to his solo career and as of the Friday that has just passed; 20th of May 2016, he has now released a new solo album called - 'These People'. Ashcroft released two teaser tracks before the album release and they are called; 'This Is How It Feels' and 'Hold On'. Fans of Ashcroft were over the moon to hear that he was in fact releasing a new solo album for the first time in 10 years! So let's see what this lyrical genius has come up with this time!

The first song to open up the album is called 'Out Of My Body' and the instrumental sounds like a shoot-off is about to occur in Texas! This song is very abstract as it is about death and what you see when you die, as the title basically says... It is an out of body experience.

"Out of the darkness you saved me, I was alone and you came down to claim me."

The beat picks up after this line, and during the second half of the chorus you can imagine everybody with their hands in their air dancing side to side belting out the lyrics. As the song begins to fade out, violins were added in order to add that extra bit of tension that the track needed.

"Out of my body out of my mind, free of control, the way I like yeah. Out of my body out of my mind, out of this world out of time."

The second track is one of the teaser tracks called 'This Is How It Feels'. Now I reviewed this track on the 13th of March 2016 so if you would like a more intense analystic review don't hesitate to scroll down my blog and have a quick read. This is a really deep track, and it is full of depth and meaning. This is a typical Ashcroft track whereby he captivates you with his smooth rock voice and his well thought-out lyrics. The following song is called 'They Don't Own Me' and this track reminces me back to The Verve and personally, I think that this is one of the best tracks on the album by far. With the title of the track being used as the catchy chorus line, and the use of the violins was perfectly constructed and the violins were a beautiful addition to the song. 

'Hold On' is the fourth track on the album and the second teaser track. The piano opens up this song, shortly assisted by an electro element which was added to the instrumental. During the instrumental, Ashcroft was singing some quiet backing vocals, yet again this is another lyrical masterpiece from the musical prodigy himself, and my favourite line is...

"Fighting on your own can turn your heart to stone."

This line basically means that due to fighting all of your own battles alone you have seen a lot of things that you should not have seen and you have been through a lot of things that you should not have been. This has resulted in making you very thick skinned whilst simultaneously making you emotionless and cold-hearted. The catchy chorus to this track explains why it was chosen to be one of the teaser tracks...

"So hold on, hold on. Hold on, you know there ain't a lot of time. But I know that we can make it, you better hold on."

The mid-album track is also the title track called 'These People' and I think that it was very well placed as it breaks up the album nicely, instead of being the opening or closing track like the majority of albums. This is without a shadow of a doubt a romantic, slow love ballad. This song is about the battles you face within a relationship, and why the good times are worth the arguments.

"Imagine my life without your morning smile, your look of love says stay a while."

The chorus explains how people will try and interfere within your relationship and the battles that you may face, and how you will eventually overcome them.

"These people; sent to test us, sent to play with our minds. Come on baby, we're a little stronger, I know we can survive."

The next track is called 'Everybody Needs Somebody To Hurt' and it has that electro feel to it again on the intro and a pulsating beat accompany's it. 

"Everybody needs somebody to hurt it seems, caught in the middle of life it's just a riddle full of bad dreams."

When you've received so much pain, your inner sadist wants to know how it feels to be the one to hurt for once, and not to be the one who always gets hurt. Everybody needs to inflict pain on somebody else at one point in their life instead of you being the one who's hammered with emotional pain all of the time. 'Picture Of You' is another slow and romantic love ballad to come off this album. A slow acoustic guitar leads the instrumental, however it was shortly assisted by several other instruments before Ashcroft sings the opening verse of;

"I've got a picture of you, the glory of you. In my mind, on a hot summers day babe you know you blew them away with your smile, with your smile."

'Black Lines' cuts almost immediately in with the vocals, yet again this appears to be another love ballad. Except this is about trying to figure someone out who appears to be a bit of an enigma... The second to last track is called 'Ain't The Future So Bright' and it has a piano instrumental which shortly alternates into a slightly electro instrumental. 

"It's been a long time since I felt that sunshine."

You could take this song one of two ways; either that he's waiting for the sun to shine again or that infact the track is pretty controversial as the meaning of the song is the ultimate opposite of the title of the track. The last track to wrap up the album is called 'Songs Of Experience' and it is 5 and a half minutes of pure bliss ... Slow, yet uplifting - what a brilliant track to close the album up with.

In conclusion, Ashcroft has lived up to my expectations and beyond with this album and I am sure that none of his fans have resulted in being disappointed. I wish I had the money to go and see him on tour because it would have been amazing, and I have heard so many positive remarks back from the people who I know who have seen him on his 2016 tour. Every song was slightly different and the lyrical genius has still got it and has never lost it, to say the least! If I had to narrow it down my top 3 favourite tracks would have to be; 'Out Of My Body', 'They Don't Own Me', and 'These People'. Ashcroft just sings with pure passion and soul, and he's just such a believable songwriter and a captivating singer it will always be next to impossible to find faults with his work. I would definitely recommend that you give this album a listen and the other work that Ashcroft has done within his two previous bands and his solo career if you haven't already. What a flawless album, and a brilliant come back - it has been a pleasure listening.

10/10

The Retroaction - Time Won't Wait (Single Review)

LITTLE LUCY WYNNE FROM STOKE-ON-TRENT HAS ONLY MANAGED TO GO AND GET HERSELF GLOBAL HASNT SHE?! This is my first ever review that I have written for an unsigned band outside of the UK! A band from Ontario, Canada got in touch with me via social media and they are a 1950's/1960's styled rock n roll band called The Retroaction. The Retroaction consists of four band members; all of which sing within their songs, however they swap over lead vocals throughout their different tracks. The quartet for this track consists of; Thomas Duxbury on lead vocals and guitar, Keith Moffat on guitar, Charles Kostash on bass and Ron Lang on the drums. The band are inspired by many great bands and artists such as; Muddy Waters, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, The Beatles, Small Faces, The Kinks, Bo Diddley and The Yardbirds etc... The track that I got asked to review was 'Time Won't Wait' and this interestingly titled song was released on the 9th of May 2016.

The 1950's Rock n Roll intro is first induced by the guitar, followed by Kostash singing some very 1960's 'ooo's alongside the guitars. Strangely soon as Duxbury starts singing the song reminds me of a summery Beach Boys track. The first line follows as so...

'Goodbye my darling, hello new beginning.'

Straight away you know this track is going to be about reminiscing about the good times whilst simultaneously relating the effects it has had to current events - hence the title of 'Time Won't Wait.' Time won't wait because you can't leave anything too late, and every second that goes by you are pushed into the future whether you like it or not. This soon leads on to their catchy chorus which is repeated several times throughout -

'Time won't wait for me, any longer than it has. Time won't wait for me, any longer than it must. Time won't wait for me, time won't for me.'

After the third chorus a guitar solo appears which leads on to the last verse, which is shortly followed by the chorus again. Their last line is my favourite ...

'Time won't wait for me, any longer than it has in this life.'

Basically it is now or never! Time won't wait for anyone, it is a non-discriminatory measurement! In conclusion I love this track, and it is nice to hear a band outside of the UK who are still interested and influenced by 'old music' from the 1950's and 60's. In many ways due to the nostalgia as a whole, it made the track sound a bit psychedelic and a bit 1970's. They are very different, and different is always good. I just wish that Lang on the drums had a bit more time to shine as the vocals and guitars tended to distract you away from listening to the drums. Furthermore, there is no doubt that they are all very talented musicians and they have managed to create a very solid and strong sound to themselves. The lyrics are also on the strong side, as they have a very solid and repetitive chorus which allows the listener to join in with ease, and the verses are well constructed with poetic depth and meaning also. I wish you all the best with your future endeavours as a band and I really appreciate you choosing me to review you! Let's hope that you manage to make it to the UK now! Their link is below...

https://youtu.be/gltM-SLrdz8

Any enquiries about my reviews - my contact details are below;

Instagram/Twitter - lucywynne89

Facebook - Lucy Wynne

E-Mail - lucywynne89@gmail.com

The 48K's - Out Of Time (Single Review)

The 48K's are a five-piece indie-rock band from Sheffield and they formed in late 2009. The quintet consists of; Lead vocalist - Ryan Lightfoot, Simon Katuszonek on rhythm guitar & backing vocals, Steven Dale on lead guitar & backing vocals, Adam Golightly on the bass & backing vocals and the fifth member is Chris Morris who plays the drums. The 48K's have supported many well-known artists on the indie/alternative scene such as; The View, The Enemy, Reverend & The Makers, The Strypes, Cast and many more! The Enemy's own Tom Clarke even said - "The 48K's have some top tunes and they sound like a cross between The La's and The Who." This quintet have based their lyrics on the standard working class life, and they also cover topics such as; going out on the lash, football, clobber, beer and music. This track is a teaser as to what is going to be released on the 24th of June 2016 in their 4 track EP called 'The Ends The Start Where We Begin.'

Cracking guitar riffs open up the track, shortly followed by Morris on the drums then finally Lightfoot on vocals. Immediately I noticed Lightfoot has a very distinctive voice and he reminds me of a cross between Ian Brown, Alex Turner and Mick Jagger; a strange combination I know, but if you listen to their track you will hopefully know what I am on about... On the other hand I think Lightfoot only sounds a bit like a cross of Alex Turner because they're from the same location, so I am presuming that it is just an accent thing. The opening lyrics are sung with a flow of nonchalance about them...

"Words that flow across my mind, I tried to call - but you're out of time."

These lyrics tell me that the lyricist has been over-analysing a situation and needs to get his thoughts out there, so he can fix something that has happened. However, she no longer has time for him anymore because he has left the situation too long without saying anything. Ultimately resulting in her being out of time. Furthermore; the main thing that particularly stood out to me within this track was the catchy chorus - and it goes as followed...

"I don't need a new reaction, and you can't see your attraction."

Within the chorus is where the backing vocals take place and they have resulted in being very effective as it just makes the song even more catchy, due to the repetitiveness of the lines. The guitar solo was also very well placed and it showed off the other talents within the band as Lightfoot had a vocal rest and just let the rest of the band do their own thing, and I think that as a band they do work very well together and I suppose that's why they're still strong 7 years down the line! Chemistry is key!

In conclusion I was rather intrigued as to what this band had to offer due to their experiences in supporting some very well known bands. The track was short, sweet and catchy which are 3 brilliant attributes to have to a teaser track as it keeps fans on their toes and curious to find out more... The track still had depth and was simultaneously catchy too which makes a perfect sing-along indie track. Another thing which I really appreciated was a new sound - Lightfoots voice is a compilation of inspiration from various different artists; the list is endless! However his voice is his own and he's brought a new sound to the scene; he's no Liam Gallagher or Alex Turner replica - he is Ryan Lightfoot. The band work very well together and have created a solid sound for themselves that moulds around Lightfoots voice as well. I would definitely recommend you give them a listen; they have created a solid sound and within that; their track is full of catchy riffs, righteous drums and contagious lyrics. All the best within your future success The 48K's. 

The links to view their tunes are below;

https://www.facebook.com/The48ks
https://twitter.com/the48ks
https://www.youtube.com/user/The48ks
https://soundcloud.com/the48ks
 

Roosevelt Room - Loose Lips (Single Review)

Roosevelt Room are a four-piece alternative rock band from Blackburn, in the UK. The alternative quartet consists of; Ben Kirton on lead vocals & guitar, Jordan Westwell on guitar, Michael Russle on the drums and Alex Roberts on the bass. They recently released this single on the 18th of April 2016, and they have currently got their biggest gig yet in Manchester @ the Ritz on the 3rd of June 2016 - so if you're up there, do go in and support these guys! The Roosevelt Room have supported acts such as; Jonny Brown (Twisted Wheel), Joe Carnell Jnr (Milburn/Reverend & The Makers), 7 Shades and The Crookes.

The intro consists of a very slow guitar, opening up the track shortly followed by the grisly distinctive rock vocals from Kirton. Roosevelt Room have a quite 60's/70's psychedelic rock vibe to them and the slow, patient beat of the drums from Russle as well as the peaceful strumming on the guitars creates this melancholic vibe.

"Like the cuts on my wrists, they make me feel unnerve."

Often a lot of mental health issues lead to bodily self-harm which creates more issues including anxiety, paranoia etc... He feels unnerved because he's lost a sense of self-confidence that he had before as he now feels weak. This song will be very relateable to a wide-spread of people and it will touch a very sensitive spot. The closing line is also very moving...

"Now the rest of my days I spend trying to forget, the day that we met."

In conclusion, when I first listened to the track I thought it needed to pick up a bit more and have a bit more of a punch and adrenaline. However, the more I listened to the words the more it made sense - the slowness and melancholia is to represent how he feels inside. I'm glad they mentioned about mental health issues, even if it was only brief as it still isn't a very talked about topic and people need to know how common they are and how they can derive or stem from anything. In this case, it stemmed from a broken heart and betrayal and lyrically the song is very impressive. The only thing I'd say would be to make it more repetitive and catchy but due to the pace of the song I understand why it isn't like that - just a personal preference. Moving on, the song was incredibly moving and very deep and Kirton's vocals are also very distinctively different from other lead singers which makes Roosevelt Room unlike many other alternative rock bands out there - they are no replica. Good luck with all of your future endeavours in the band and I hope you get all of the success and appreciation that you deserve.

YouTube Music Video -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYU0amqtNVU

Soundcloud-

https://soundcloud.com/roosevelt-room/loose-lips

Divine Youth - Please Pour Away Those Petrol Eyes (Single Review)

Divine Youth are a 3-piece alternative rock band from my hometown of Stoke-On-Trent, and they released their debut single called 'Please Pour Away Those Petrol Eyes' on the 25th of March 2016. The trio consists of; Dan Sheldon on lead guitar & vocals, Michael Sheldon on the bass & vocals and Liam Kaye on the drums. Divine Youth have shared early gigs with; Drew McConnell (Babyshambles) and Billy Lunn (Subways). Divine Youth have also shared gigs with new and upcoming bands like; Kagoule and Racing Glaciers for example. All of these experiences that the band have had has allowed them to develop a larger following around the West Midlands, and these experiences have also helped to expand their fan base. Moving forward... With their rhythmic drums, rapturous guitar riffs and ardent vocals - this is a band you need to watch out for!

The intro consists of a simultaneous clash of the bass, guitar and drums - shortly to be followed by the distinctive gritty, ardent vocals from Sheldon. Within this track there are three main verses, and they are all sung more than once, which makes this song incredibly catchy. 

"Stop! 'Cus this ain't a new idea. Concrete Jesus, you're so cheap. Stop! 'Cus this ain't a new revolution. Ray of sunlight, I keep all in line."

However I must say that my favourite line is the one that also closes off the track, which I personally thought was a nice finishing touch - and it goes like this...

"Cus I'll paint you black and blue, but I still choose you. You got me to come back in, got nothing - what I had, what I played for."

 I especially like this line because being "black and blue" often refers to being beaten up, however he is 'painting' her which tell me that he sees her as a piece of artwork and he'd even sacrifice his own self-image, as potentially being a wife beater just to stay with her, because he thinks that she is this glorious masterpiece. He could never leave her because he has nothing; nothing to lose, but nothing to gain either. 

In conclusion this song is incredibly intelligent and an enigma in many ways; the song has various meanings, and most people will view it differently. This gives Divine Youth an edge on many bands, because they go deeper than just the surface level when it comes to their lyrics - and whoever has written this song out of the band is a brilliant lyricist, if I don't say so myself. Lead singer, Sheldon also has a very distinctive voice which is harboured with emotion and a sense of pain in many different ways. The guitars, and drums were also very good as Divine Youth stand out because they are very alternative rock, rather than indie which makes their songs sound that little bit more edgy and different, as well as having a very catchy rhythm and lyrics. Very impressed, it has been a pleasure reviewing your debut single Divine Youth - so thank you. I wish you all success on your future endeavours as a band, and I look forward to hearing more from you.

YouTube - 

https://youtu.be/m32FdI97V-E -

Facebook - facebook.com/divineyouthofficial

Twitter -

twitter.com/divineyouthuk

Instagram -

Instagram.com/divine_youth

Soundcloud -

soundcloud.com/divine-youth

ALMA @ The Underground - Stoke (Gig Review)

ALMA are a five-piece alternative rock band from Stoke-On-Trent. The five-piece consists of; lead vocalist, Jack Frasier Kennedy, Ross Litherland on lead guitar, Kieran Breese on guitar & backing vocals, Sam McCambridge on the bass, and Ian Simmonds on the drums. The band confidently entered the stage of The Underground on the 15th of April 2016 with their very distinctive individual style, only to be welcomed on to the stage by an incredibly energised and full crowd.

The ALMA set list consisted of eight songs; four of which were their own, and the remaining four were songs that they had covered from well-known artists within the indie/alternative rock music industry such as; Bloc Party, Arctic Monkeys and SLAVES. ALMA's opening track was an instrumental called - 'Get Me Out'. This instrumental really got the crowd going; it was opened by Litherland on lead guitar, followed by the exhilarating drums, Breese on the other guitar and then McCambridge on the bass shortly joined in. The instrumental was feisty and punchy then the lead singer; Frasier Kennedy got himself into his alter-ego by working himself up, off the energy of the crowd.

Their second song was a cover of Bloc Party's well-known track - 'Helicopter'. Drum sticks were getting thrown into the air, Breeze and Frasier Kennedy got into the swing of things immediately and it was a good cover; however the bassist seemed a bit too concentrated, so I was eager to see if he would perhaps loosen up further into the set list as he seemed a bit tense throughout the first two tracks. Also, there wasn't much connection on stage with the other members of the band, however on the other hand there is no doubt that this cover definitely got the crowd proper pumped up. Then this cover was followed by one of their own songs called - 'Antidote'. Frasier Kennedy introduced the song, I thought that this track had a very heavy and strong beat to it; due to the hard-hitting drums and heavy guitars. The track sounded heavily influenced by the likes of Jamie T and SLAVES. Lead singer and Breese began to show the audience an onstage-connection, which was good to see.

Their fourth track was another one of their own songs, and it is called - 'Devils Advocate'. Immediately this track was very heavy due to a simultaneous clash of instruments, and as a result - the crowd became very boisterous. A part of this song what I really like is when all of the instruments halt to a stop for the lead singer to sing the chorus line of;

"Devils Advocate!"

The crowd were going wild! Also all of the band members were now warmed up and feeling a lot more comfortable on stage. The frontman and lead guitarist, were both beginning to connect with the audience by going down to their level on the front line; whilst they were performing on the stage.

Their next performance was a cover of SLAVES - 'The Hunter'. Now, the boys are in luck because if you have read my review on SLAVES - 'Are You Satisfied?' - you will know my opinion on this band. However, you will also know that this is one of the very few songs that I actually like off their album! Breese was assisting the lead vocals for this track, and the crowd was getting wilder, the drummer was pulling subconscious angry facial expressions due to being so devoted to this performance, McCambridge on the bass loosened up a lot more and the lead guitarist was still actively connecting with the audience.

'You keep it! We don't want it!'

'Taken For A Fool' was their next track that was written by ALMA and that has a guitar intro and very powerful, repetitive drums also took their toll. For their last song of the evening (so you think) the lead singer starts to replicate Alex Turners dad-styled dancing when he was at The Strokes with Miles Kane. This only means one thing! Their next song is going to be an Arctic Monkeys cover! Frasier Kennedy begins to sing 'Do Me A Favour' with Alex's slight twang that he has when he sings. This was a good song choice as the majority of the audience knew the words and could sing along, however it would have been better if ALMA had added their own twist to it... It remained a quality cover though - regardless. Did you think that, that was the end of their set list? Nope! They closed off their set with an extra song which was, yet again - another SLAVES cover, and the cover was - 'Where's Your Car Debbie?' Kieran heavily assisted the vocals again on this cover, which added to the intensity of the instruments and the song itself. 

"Where's your car Debbie? Debbie, where's your car?!"

In conclusion the Riff Factory presents gig was brilliant and I was amazed with the variety of all of the differenciated bands; and ALMA played very well, but I think that they all need to start taking tips off eachother on how to calm the nerves throughout their first couple of songs. Their own songs were very creative and had a very contagious beat to them; however when they covered a song they'd lose that sense of individuality that they have created within their own songs, as their covers tended to be immaculate replicas of the original song and it would be better if I could have seen ALMA's individuality being brought into a song that wasn't their own. Moving on; every single musician is extremely talented and having nerves is a perfectly normal thing, but they all need to start believing in themselves a lot more and believe in their capability and future as a band. The last thing I have to say is - the band need to be spending more time off-stage with eachother because they don't connect enough with eachother on-stage. Regardless of that, they still managed to put on a great show, they got the crowd going wild for the next act to follow them on stage - Arcadia. Every song on their set list was introduced to the audience before they even began performing and I liked this because that way the band are also influencing the crowds music taste by telling them what track they're performing. All in all, it was a very good performance for a young band who haven't been together for a remarkable length of time and I hope that they will take what I have said on board! Good luck with all of your future endeavours lads, and I wish all the best of success for you and your band!