carsick – devizine.com

By Ben Niamor (with Devizine edits)

This evening I’ve been reminded of a different feeling, something missing in recent years; noisy, energetic, bordering madness…..

Youthful bands with something to say, a truly incredible gig. Sheer Music Presents Carsick at Trowbridge’s Pump, with Devizes own Nothing rhymes with Orange, and first out Meg, from Trowbridge.

Meg has a great voice and some great original songs. NRWO are a great, bouncy, mosh-friendly, superb band with huge potential for a wider audience.

And Salisbury’s Carsick – holy shit, good band! They reminded me of seeing new wave punk, or laterally The Computers. Clearly the whole assembled crowd of all ages felt the same, a resonance, an energy, a way to make people feel alive.

Instant fan, incredible…

It’s been too long since I’ve seen anyone stand on a balcony, or the drum kit, since I saw crowd surfing or saw so many people having fun in this way.

Pump promoter Kieran J Moore continues to impress and influence me, with bands but also the incredible support he offers a scene that evolves. Nights like this makes me proud to know him.

I have been told by record store owners, reviewers, many people I needed to see these bands and somehow I’ve landed on my feet and seen both together. Thank you all of you, amazing gig and won’t be the last time I see any of you.

Kieran said of the gig, “it’s single handedly more impressive, valuable and important when a band can come to a rural backwater town and blow up a scene, show and venue. Last night, once again, we showed that you don’t need to leave Trowbridge to have the time of your life.”

“Three young, fresh new artists played The Village Pump, and hundred people witnessed something you cannot fake, or throw money at to create. We saw something real, genuine, pure and incredible. It was that simple.”

The Devizine editor, gutted for being unable to make this one(!) wishes to extend this by congratulating all at this fantastic grassroots venue on our doorstep. The Pump continues going from strength-to-strength, last week the subject of a BBC Points West filming, highlighting hostess and trainee sound engineer Megan, as part of her work via The Prince’s Trust. The filming will be broadcast this Thursday 4th May. On our maiden voyage to the Pump, Megan made the perfect host, and her enthusiasm for this opportunity spoke volumes.

We continue to ensure all forthcoming gigs at the Pump are listed on our event calendar, and a direct link to their website is HERE.

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The younger they are the more tempting it is to excessively praise, despite honest constructive criticism being far more helpful than flattery. So, I press play on these three tracks which make up the debut EP from Devizes-based teenage indie-pop band, Nothing Rhymes With Orange, with the intention of deliberately finding a possible downgrade or two, to convince you it’s not the case here, which is not as easy as it sounds……

It’s not even near beginners’ luck, that which we fondly reviewed their first single from the EP, Chow For Now, in October, and if I went in blind, I’ve a better perspective of where they’re coming from now, and predict very soon everyone will, least should.

The fact they’re releasing an EP called Midsummer bang central in autumn is the only bombast in me. This is unconditionally distinction-type stuff, the like I’d have said of a band of ten plus years of professional experience under their belts. Far from the odious din of antagonism and rage of many a youthful punk-pop experiment, which isn’t my preferred cuppa, this is universally age demographic spanning, appealing to all.

If they cite their inspirations from The Wombats, Smashing Pumpkins and Arctic Monkeys, my elderly soul picks out early Jam, and a plethora of bands from that late seventies, early eighties era. Mind, they also cite The Cure; I’m happy with that compromise, though suggest it’s never as gloomy as goth. Look at the picture, they bounce; Robert Smith never bounced!

Reason being it ticks every box is it’s shrewdly written with original angles on themes of fledgling passion and relationships, yet it’s lively, happy, beguiling, and danceable, and, concluding with a cliche word I don’t like to overuse but find myself in a position no better than to define it as “catchy.”

Recorded at The Badger Set Studios in Potterne and released this Friday, 4^th November, if Chow For Now rides a degree of optimism in the despair of a relationship breakup, Creatures is equally as expectantly ingenious and dynamic, commenting on a larger picture of teenage delinquency, reminding me somewhat of Supergrass’ Alright, yet with far more punch. This one is simply anthemic, picture future fans singing back to them, perhaps even more than Chow. But while Manipulation reduces the tempo, proving the boys can execute the obligatory melancholic superlatively too, though subtly, the wordplay steps up another notch. Example; “you make manipulation seem like a lullaby, go get your education, I’m not your type of guy,” just, yeah, works.

You can pick these tunes apart and if the characters in Creatures, suggest they think they’re “cool because they don’t listen to the teachers,” I really hope your English teachers are listening to you, guys, for this is quality badinage, astutely written pop. To retort on my mockery of the EP’s name unfortunately inconsistent to the current season, these tracks were put down during the summer, in a barn in rural Wiltshire. Country schoolkids, huh? Typical, nothing better to do than hang around barns, picking up guitars and drums, practising like hell, precisely promoting, and marketing their outpourings, and coming out with this monstrously superb sound to upstage the best of our local scene, you should be ashamed of yourselves!

The original four-piece line up consists of frontman Elijah Easton on guitar, with the apt strain of adolescent sincerity in his vocals, Fin Anderson-Farquhar, also on guitar, and drummer Lui Venables, with bassist Ivor Ritson who since moved on to be replaced by Sam Briggs. Fast creating a loyal fanbase after reaching the finals of Riverbank Chippenham’s Take the Stage, they’ve managed their own sell out gig, and supported upcoming Carsick at Trowbridge’s Pump. I suggest you do yourself a favour, young and old, pre-save this EP here, ready for Friday, and keep a keen eye on these lads. They’re playing a Freaky Friday at St James Vaults in Bath, Friday 11 ^th November, with Chasing Kites supporting Harmer Jays. I’m sorry not to be able to make it but urge local promoters to get these guys booked.