Tag: Indie

Rooks; New Single From M3G

Chippenham folk singer-songwriter, M3G (because she likes a backward โ€œEโ€) has a new single out tomorrow, Friday 19th December. Put your jingly bell cheesy tunes on hold for a moment, because this is a beautiful, epic journeyโ€ฆ.

M3Gโ€™s seventh release, Rooks, poignantly pulls on the heartstrings when presented by the rise and fall of a romance, rooks often being a slang for cheating someone. It runs into six minutes, and reflecting the heartbreak of the subject, the song rises and falls accordingly. It creates a spellbinding ambience of both hope and worry equally, and is of magical vocal and acoustic guitar composition, with a gentle cajon drum subtly placed.

Inspired by the likes of Florence Welch and AURORA, Meg was open about her autism in our interview from 2023, and claimed it as the backbone to her creativity. In this, what she creates is completely original, unique, and unequivocally personal. Meg doesnโ€™t just sing, she projects her innermost thoughts and expresses them, angelically. In Rooks, you can literally feel the characterโ€™s heart breaking, causing yours to inevitably go with it.

The hyphen in the term singer-songwriter has never been so apt with another. Sure, I hear lots of brilliant expressive singers and lots of songwriters who can pen a marvel, but no one merges them so seamlessly and forgoes any fear theyโ€™re exposing too much of their innermost thoughts, dreams or desires. You only need to venture ten seconds into Rooks to observe what I mean, and if Meg constantly strives for improvement, causing me to say this is her best song yet each time, here we go again; this is awe-inspiring, her magnum opus to date.

Recorded and mixed by Phil Cooper, his genius registers on it, yet still, itโ€™s Just M3G; layering her backing chants over her main vocals like choral had a singular tense, and who even designed the cover. She says working with Phil is โ€œa massive step above my other releases. I am so proud of it.โ€ It is on a next level, Iโ€™m uncertain what she could do to top it, but assured she will, and Iโ€™m certain Rooks will appease her fans and make her find new ones.

Rooks streams tomorrow, 19th December 2025.

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Rooks; New Single From M3G

Chippenham folk singer-songwriter, M3G (because she likes a backward โ€œEโ€) has a new single out tomorrow, Friday 19th December. Put your jingly bell cheesy tunesโ€ฆ

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Pet Shop Boys, Actually with Talk in Code at the Tree House

Having to unfortunately miss Devizesโ€™ blues extravaganza on Friday, I crossed the borderline on Saturday to get my prescribed dosage of Talk in Codeโ€ฆwith a Pet Shop Boys tribute thrown in for good measureโ€ฆ..

Two classic tracks into their set at Frome’s little sister venue to the Cheese & Grain, The Tree House, Pet Shop Boys, Actually from Shropshire hailed their support act as better than them. Self-deprecating isn’t unheard of, rare for music acts, but the bottom line is, I’ve heard far worse tributes than The Pet Shop Boys, Actually, actually.ย 

For Talk in Code, though, it was an accolade fully deserved, as they did what they do as fantastic as ever, and thrilled more than their fanbase at the modest venue. The other attendees, there for classic pop they cherish, found Talk in Code fitted like a glove, despite their songs being original, because they have a timeless universal appeal, and their uniqueย synth-pop spin on indie provides it with a defining eighties feel.

Itโ€™s an ideal opportunity to reopen the perpetual debate I have with myself over the worth of tribute acts, even cover bands too, against those producing original music. Like any tribute act, the value of their performance hinges predominantly on the individual and their association with the act theyโ€™re attributing. Whether a tribute act is good is far more subjective than an original act; based upon personal reflection. โ€œItโ€™s comfort music,โ€ Talk in Code guitarist Snedds expressed to me outside the venue; agreed, personally Iโ€™m impartial to The Pet Shop Boys, therefore passably comforted.

They broke through in the middle of electronica. I brought and loved my 7โ€ of West End Girls in 85, others did too as it hit number one, and the duo walked away with awards. Though the Pet Shop Boys created their own take on electronica, much like Madness did with Two-Tone, were hugely successful with it, and again like Madness, they continued the template way past the trend fizzling the competition out. Such a practice causes division, you attain a fan following, whereas mild observers tend to consider if the uniformed style gets repetitive, especially over decades. Iโ€™m of that mindset, hence my impartiality.

So here at this rather snazzy tree house, carpeted and significantly more congenial, hospitable than the big cheese, but smaller and rather more conventional than Fromeโ€™s hipster and counterculture reputation, being situated within a housing estate fashioned sports bar, The Vine Tree, a fair crowd of Pet Shop Boys diehards gathered amidst regulars and โ€œTalkersโ€ for a cracking night in a nice, welcoming and universal pub.

Often to miss the support act is unfortunate, for this gig it wouldโ€™ve been sacrilege. Talk in Code were on fire as ever, blasting out their cheerful tunes, frontman Chris wiggling moves in his Adidas uniform and rightfully boasting of their success at The Wiltshire Music Awards, outside our county! Itโ€™s a lively show I will never tire of, and if I have to witness tribute acts too, if by some miracle I make eighty, will someone please wheel me over to a tribute act show to Talk in Code?!

As for The Pet Shop Boys, Actually, prior I considered if The Pet Shop Boys is quite a simple act to make a tribute from, compared to other eighties acts; call up a proficient keyboardist, buy him a BOY cap, don a tuxedo and white scarf and play musical statues! Although they tended to lightheartedly play their accomplishment down, they made a brilliant job out of it. As those pop classics came through adept and nimble, I paused to consider if my opinion of the Pet Shop Boys isnโ€™t a smidgen harsh; through the splendour of this tribute I saw them in a refined light, and that is a true sign of a proficient tribute act, and their worth. 

Interestingly, they adopted a female singer too, to soften the vocals to match Neil Tennantโ€™s camp tones, and to play the incredibly tricky part of Dusty Springfield for What Have I Done to Deserve This? Likely the trickiest part of the show. To my approval, Pet Shop Boys, Actually covered a Beloved track too, a kind of raverโ€™s answer to The Pet Shop Boys, and they thumped out the newer, technologically progressed tunes after a workout of eighties classics, and returned to the hits for an outstanding finale; someone get me one of those jackets that looks like I got stuck in a carwash!

If you go to see a tribute act with expectations of precisely recreating the magnitude of the original act, youโ€™re an idiot and will be let down in most cases! If you go to see a tribute act open-mindedly, with your priority on having fun, nine times out of ten you will, especially if you hold a passion for the act being attributed. Use your noddle, donโ€™t see Pet Shop Boys Actually if you’re hoping for a tribute to Slipknot, but do if you like The Pet Shop Boys, and youโ€™ll find theyโ€™re really rather good!

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Butane Skies Not Releasing a Christmas Song!

No, I didnโ€™t imagine for a second they would, but upcoming Take the Stage winners, alt-rock emo four-piece, Butane Skies have released their second song, but itโ€™s not a Christmas song, noโ€ฆ.

If youโ€™ve had enough debating if Die Hard is a Christmas film with the family, when obviously nothing says Christmas like Hanz Gruber falling from the Nakatomi Plaza, maybe try this stocking filler for size; Not a Christmas Song isnโ€™t a Christmas song, not a jingle bell or a Noddy Holder to hear here. I didnโ€™t ask Santa for a Christmas song anyway.

It is, though, marvellously negative about the commercialisation and the absence of snow, wrapped wonderfully in a theme of seasonal romantic disruption. Oh, but it has the subtlest hints of Yule in reference; folky and in the odd twinkling piano riff, so not entirely a thrashed punk anti-Christmas feel neither. As ironically as Alanis Morissette, and as proficient as her too.

If The Pouges & Kirstyโ€™s seasonal offering was subtle but pimped somewhere along the lines by commercial radio, Butane Skies takes the disguised holly and mistletoe to another level. You could listen to this in June without being told off; clever concept, but then, the composition of the song is equally a stroke of genius and it rolls out all rather wonderfully. Take a listen, thereโ€™s no partridges in pear trees yet.

Streaming Options HERE

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Duality; Debut EP From Melkshamโ€™s Between The Lines

It was never just the fervent ambience created which made me go tingly with excitement about Melkshamโ€™s young indie band Between The Linesโ€™ demo single Fading Time, it was the profusion of potential. A latent driving me to Swindon Shuffle this year, where theyโ€™d be playing at The Hop, but now a manifest for all to hear the reason for my tingle, as Between The Lines release their debut EP Dualityโ€ฆโ€ฆโ€ฆ..

Four tunes including the demo Fading Time, flowing on an exceptionally defined style of breezy, female-fronted indie pop-rock. Age makes me contemplate Fleetwood Mac, younger might cite Florence & The Machine, Iโ€™m left thinking of The Corrs, particularly the opening track of hurt heart, Personal, with subtly building rich layers akin to grunge, but subtle and so incredibly cool. 

I interviewed bassist Belle upfront, lead guitarist George, and Ethan and Louis, who both switch between drums and guitars, the latter being the rhythm guitarist, back in February and their professionalism impressed me enough to go in with high expectations for this debut. I was expecting goodness, I got my earful and it was even better than I imagined it might be. This is delightful magic with universal appeal, charming yet biting with tender guitar riffs.   

Debatably Fading Time has the snappy hook, but Stuck in This is melodiously superior, the metaphorical drowning theme. Oh my, Belleโ€™s vocals reflect off the water on this. Iโ€™m going out on a limb here to suggest something comparable to Kirsty MacColl, but donโ€™t assume thatโ€™s sacrilegious or exaggeration until youโ€™ve listened, please.

I worry Iโ€™m overusing the word sublime recently too, possibly reducing its impact, but I happen to like it, and can find no word more apt to describe Duality, and for a debut that itโ€™s a fantastic achievement, an accolade they should all be very proud about.

But they saved the best till last. Simply titled Your Love, the final song is an uncomplicated rolling pop ballad, rich in ambience, and possibly the most durable, accomplished technically, and commercially viable. While fresh and contemporary with smooth indie-pop vibes, the EP flows akin to something timeless, even prog-rock, and if Your Love is the one to be accompanied with a dreamy showcasing video, which I believe it deserves to be, Iโ€™d like a slightly extended bridge, to really show the listeners what theyโ€™re made of.

And to meet Between The Lines isnโ€™t the zesty teenage gang with stars in their eyes encounter, rather a modest and humble unity who seem thoroughly at ease with their talent, and while thereโ€™s a confidence which needs blossoming on stage, given the quality of Duality, it remains the boost they will naturally attain. I’ve high hopes, this is beautifully constructed and produced.

Deadlight Dance New Single: Gloss

You go cover yourself in hormone messing phthalates, toxic formaldehyde, or even I Can’t Believe It’s Not Body Butter, if you wish, but it’s all the same soap but in a different bottle to me. Lab mice with slap and economical slaves in sweatshops, so unethical multinational bastards can prey on your vanity, when unless you can photoshop yourself for real you’re never going to look like the girl in the magazine; the actual girl in the magazine doesn’t even look like the girl in the bloody magazine! Ah, our dynamic gothic duo Deadlight Dance are onto them, with a brand new single out todayโ€ฆ.

Edgy and with synths heavy enough to make New Order blush, Gloss attacks the beauty industry, its harmful lies and unrealistic standards, in an era most pop stars are encouraging it; good on them…. Deadlight Dance that is, not the pop star!

Punk enough to meet the Stooges, yet the dark electronica of Joy Division mostly, it comes in laden for its three and a half minutes entirety. Nick and Tim state it’s not strictly typical of the forthcoming album that the band is releasing in 2026, yet they always apply a unique and innovative narrative, so we look forward to whatever direction it takes.

For now, though, Gloss is a storming dark sound, with Nick’s howling vocals somewhere in the distance, sighing the same thought-provoking lyrical content we’ve come to love Deadlight Dance’s for. It’s a monster in Dior.


The duo have held our attention only last week with a great gig at Devizesโ€™ Cellar Bar with JP Oldfield. But if the live show is blossoming, Gloss does likewise for recordings. Ah, top production again from that purple-bearded legend Nick Beere at Mooncalf Studio.

Out on Ray Records and streaming worldwide across all platforms from Friday 17th October 2024. Gloss is accompanied by a video on the bandโ€™s YouTube page, another collaboration with Haunting the Atom.

Deadlight Dance suggests it’s a new chapter for the self-styled Wiltshire Gothic; I welcome it, and as I’ve said before, whilst I was a mere window-shopper to gothic rock in its heyday, Deadlight Dance caused me to realise what I missed.

Right, review done, I’ve got to go shave my eyebrows off, and draw them back on with a Sharpieโ€ฆ..

Six Reasons to Rock in Market Lavington

Alright yeah, itโ€™s a play on band names and thereโ€™s only really two reasons to rock on Friday 17th October at Market Lavington Community Hall; Six O’clock Circus and The Reason. See what they did there? Genius! But, theyโ€™re two of the heaviest heavyweight headline acts you should discover on our local cover circuit, so, as for the sum of the entertainment youโ€™ll receive by attending, you could deservedly multiply them by at least three, and make six! (I do maths too!)

Big time Calne mod-Britpop loving lads Six O’Clock Circus will raise the roof, and Westburyโ€™s The Reason, with a penchant for timeless rock classics only intend to double it. Fronted by Nicky Davis, formerly a member of People Like Us and co-founder of the Female of the Species fundraising supergroup, find The Reason gigging locally and strap yourself in for a party! Not usually a function band, likely because theyโ€™d upstage the reason for the actual function, (ambiguously the story behind their name?!), they recently performed at Melkshamโ€™s proudest country-rock singer-songwriter Becky Lawrenceโ€™s wedding, where the bride simply had to join in!ย 

Likewise with Six O’clock Circus, find them gigging locally everywhere. A longstanding band of friends knocking guitar frenzied indie-mod-pop-rock favourites out of any park they care to stop by, and a few others along the way! I appreciate thereโ€™s already been a lot of maths for a Sunday article, but this is simple; tickets are ยฃ12 a pop. The show starts at 7:30pm (NOT 6′ o’clock like the circus) at Market Lavington Community Hall, next Friday 17th October for a highly recommended party!

Bonnie Weather: New Single From Swindon’s RnB Star, Weather

You might think it’s a laryngologist’s dream come true, this Lewis Capaldi-led decade’s penchant for the blue-eyed soul singersโ€™ melismatic strain to cause Mick Hucknall to issue a health and safety warning, but to Swindon’s Brandon Clarke, aka Weather, it appears to be a natural and phenomenal giftโ€ฆ..

This short and to the point new single from Weather, Bonnie, Be Mine, remains a prime example. Awash in contemporaneous RnB silkiness, Brandon’s vocal range is impressively evocative and weaponises a defence against any criticism of contemporary pop. If Alex Warren is the millennial solitary Bieber from across the pond, Weather is more the Solomon Burke of Swindon, which I believe is a deserved higher rewarding accolade by a country mile!

Yet, despite the sombre emotional outpouring of a hopeful romance, there’s a subtle carefree attitude in Weather’s tenet which awards his sound with a nonchalant sunny side of the street feel, and it’s positively contagious.

This was displayed with panache at Swindon Shuffle, where he blasted the Tuppenny with his prerecorded tracks and toasted merrily over them, enticing the crowd. If it might sound overtly conceited and is something I’d usually turn away from, to a generation where hip hop is an ancestral baseplate it’s acceptable, but with Weather’s delivery it was so confident and indulgently cheerful it affixes a compulsory smile and an irresistible urge to stay to watch.

Even the cover to Bonnie, Be Mine displays an irony of Weather, if his sound is refreshingly modern nu-soul slash indie, with AI it conveys the retrospection of a Donald McGill postcard. So, if you’re reaching that far back before I make a comparison, Brandon, rather than eighties blue-eyed soul boys like George Michael, or even Motown/Stax artists like Wilson Pickett, with this humorous element could we go as far as someone he’d probably have to Google, like Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five?!ย  You might think it’s audacious of me, but considering the whimsical merriment of rap trios like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul are forty years old, why not?!

Whatever the weather, it’s a great single and being Weather is prolifically pushing out professionally clasped greatness, we look forward to hearing more.

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You’re So Cruel; New Single From George Wilding

Nothing cruel about our George Wilding; with his perfect match and another local legend of local music, Jolyon Dixon, they’re knocking out great singles like it’s child’s play…..

You’re So Cruel is out today and is a prime example. It’s an upbeat two minute blast of feelgood indie-pop, seemingly unfazed by the cruelty of the subject in the song, just you know, pointing it out, getting it off his chest! In subject it’s more akin to George’s earlier songs than the previous recent ones. Yet George seems to have captured the rule of not overthinking and keeping it to a simple hook. Yeah, rocks!

Add it to your playlist, even if you’re the cruel person in the song!!

Shearwater: New Single From Nothing Rhymes With Orange

Thereโ€™s a new single from Bristol-based Nothing Rhymes With Orange out tomorrow (Saturday 20th September) which takes the band to a whole new level, and it has got me thinking back to their Devizes rootsโ€ฆ..ย 

You know, I really cannot remember how this thing started, if they contacted me or if I found them. It was three years ago, at a time when local media seemed rampant with scare stories sensationalising teenage hooliganism. Folk jumped the bandwagon, naming and shaming wayward youth on Facebook like it was modern gallows, and making fearmongering sweeping generalisations, classing every child as a psychotic delinquent.

I figured this wasn’t the same picture I was seeing. That thereโ€™s always been a handful off the rails, but in comparison to previous generations, most Gen Z were passive, thoughtful, and creative. So I set out to prove this wonky narrative wrong, and in doing so found many aspiring teenage bands to use as examples, but none so accomplished and motivated as Nothing Rhymes with Orange.

There was always something staunchly between the members of this Devizes School band, frontman Elijah Easton, Sam Briggs, Fin Anderson-Farquhar, and drummer Lui Venables, an unequalled camaraderie which combined their honing skills harmoniously. Their calculated sagacity writing painted a blithe picture of Gen Z, equal to how punk bands like The Newtown Neurotics summarised life for generation X, and it spawned a zeitgeist.

Image: Gail Foster

Moments after reviewing their debut single, Chow for Now, they launched an equivalently impressive EP called Midsummer. I figured it was overdue to check them out live, as they organised their own gig at West Lavington Village Hall. Divided between parents and youth I witnessed the birth of a local phenomenon. I dubbed it โ€œBeatlemania in Devizes.โ€ Teenage fans chanted the chorus of Manipulation back at them, as Elijah jumped from the stage relishing in the moment.

I encouraged teenage budding writers and photographers to record this blossoming movement for us, as alongside bands like Melkshamโ€™s The Sunnies, they were inspiring a new generation of musicians too. And for the adults, I wanted them to quit whinging about youth, by showcasing NRWO in an environment free from age division, where they could see for themselves this emergent youth fandom and the local band which created it. I urged our carnival committee that their annual โ€œInternationalโ€ Street Festival in Devizes should showcase such a local act, and pride overcame me as I introduced them to the masses gathered in the Market Place, because alongside their excellent self-promotion, Devizine expressed with honesty that townsfolk should support this spectacular homemade band, and they did.

The lads released several new songs, all of which were tiny progressive steps to a maturity in their sound. At a gig at The Three Crowns in May 2024 Devizes-own BBC DJ and presenter, James Threlfall gave me constructive criticism regarding their production levels, suggesting it wasnโ€™t quite to the level necessary and in comparison to upcoming bands across the southwest. I also worried at this time, moving along that adolescent rocky road generally was the make or break of a young band, usually the latter.

Delighted that they planned to study together in Bristol Uni, I finished off our local angled reporting of them with a parting interview, safe in the knowledge both the uni and bustling life in Bristol would open new doors for them and hopeful it would perfect their skills to the level James so honestly pointed out. A huge festival touring summer at Dot 2 Dot, Golden Touch, 110 Above and Camper Calling, returning to Studio 91 for the session which produced their new ear-invasive single, Shearwater, out at 6pm on 20th September across all streaming platforms, surely proves they have.

Image: Gail Foster

Shearwater signifies a hotly-anticipated next chapter, one of huge guitar sounds, jacked up drums and Elijahโ€™s desperate vocals, evoking stories of fiery lust and explosive aftermaths. This is the single which will do for an international audience what Nothing Rhymes With Orange did locally three years ago. The spritely frenzy is replaced by the concentrated rhythmic flow and evocative ambience of the kind of timeless indie-pop anthem a multitude of audiences will shine their phone torches too. The layers are divine, the composition professionally crafted.

Iโ€™ve never needed to exaggerate my appraisal nor flatter NRWO for encouragement. I saw this potential, as did their local fanbase. And tomorrow you can hear the fruits of their labour in full bloom, a categorical advancement of Devizes export to the world, and it makes me feel proud to have backed them to this point, what the future holds is answered in this track, and it looks orange!

But donโ€™t just take my word for it; chatting to James Threlfall just yesterday, I pointed out this single felt like the entry level we were talking about last May, and he agreed, telling me they’ve landed a featured artist spot on BBC Introducing South and West, which is live at 8pm tonight (Thursday 8pm.) The single will be debuting live at their upcoming headline show, 26th September, at The Old England, Bristol. Thereโ€™s also an exciting word on the grapevine: an album is the pipeline. Oh, and donโ€™t forget they’re playing our Wiltshire Music Awards on 23rd October here in Devizes, and will be at Devizes Arts Festival next summer like Bruce Springsteen returning to New Jersey!

For me, Iโ€™ll always have those early moments, like blagging a Sharpie from the sound engineer at street festival, so teenage girls could have their T-shirts signed (not by me, you understand?!!)

Yesterdayโ€™s Tomorrow; Debut Album From Ursa Way and its Launch at the Tuppenny

If the eonian motivation of youths picking up guitars and forming bands has hit Gen Z enough that they’re two to a penny, I’m in the right place to discover one new to us, The Tuppennyโ€ฆ.ย 

An adept drummer pinched from Bristol, with the remaining homegrown members formed aย  youthful and hopeful Swindon indie-rock four-piece called Ursa Way, and they’ve ploughed two years into their debut album Yesterdayโ€™s Tomorrow, launched on the night in question. Now was the time to show it off, and they did in an exceptionally accomplished and entertaining way.

If an early start to a Friday evening one weekend before the celebrated Swindon Shuffle was risky, especially being Thursdays are usually the favoured live music nights for The Tuppenny, seems the band are risk-takers, as diving straight in with a twelve track album is ambitious.

Generous to a loyal fanbase when the archetypal EP usually appears first, for the same fiver pricetag, but equally generous are the young punks and an assortment of others who’ve gathered to see them, as they applauded their efforts as if a new wave of hysteria was imminent, which it could well be. Though, this is Old Town, the epicentre of Swindon’s nightlife, where they’ve ingeniously adopted road closure blockades to create Swindon-fashioned alfresco dining areas!

Ursa Way played out their album, but unlike the shameless enterprise of a legend, I predict it was the bulk of their repertoire, and that’s acceptable for an upcoming band. More importantly they did it with bells on; the composition tight, the delivery confident. They seemed most comfortable with a melodic pace rather than thrashing it out, but at perkier tunes they still held it harmoniously.

In a roundabout way they confessed many of their songs were sporadic and spontaneous muses rather than poignantly planned thought processes, which was both amusing and honest, perhaps ironic too I figured after listening to the album. But not as amusing as complimenting Swindon, only to then ironically knock it in a song called Shit Town of Swindon!

While not the poetry of Keats, many of their co-written songs rise above the mocking of their hometown, which if only a standout track for its satirical title, others convey more concentrated narratives. Thereโ€™s a sense of irony throughout though, if Yesterdayโ€™s Tomorrow is surely today, the title track is the penultimate one, and depicts a hungover hope of new horizons of a romantic interlude, in a Britpop style.

The album kicks off with Southbound, an evenly-paced contemporary punk-pop attitude sourced from millennial indie bands like Busted and McFly. Though this album flows brilliantly, itโ€™s onto something decidedly more traditional punk two tracks in, then the aforementioned Shit Town of Swindon continues the style, Britpop influences gradually building. This one has to be anthemic in good time, particularly for their Swindonite fanbase.

Chasing the Sun four tunes in really picks up the pace, again with a comment on their hometown, but with optimism riding the narrative; thereโ€™s a clever and simple hook equal to the previous one here, proving these boys know how to construct a pop song with energy and enthusiasm.

A ballad, Just a Game follows, balancing the pace, and again proving something, that Ursa Way are no one trick pony. Noahโ€™s Nosey Neighbour takes an almost prog-rock style to Britpop, creativity abound here too, this rocks with surprising substance, and weโ€™re only halfway through this twelve-tracks-strong brilliant debut album.

With adroit contrasts in riffs, mainstream rock influences, perfectly placed hooks and intelligent lyrics, thereโ€™s promise in this album that Ursa Way are destined to create something much more memorable, but right now the potential signs are all encompassed in Yesterdayโ€™s Tomorrow. It ends with Another, a monstrously clever drifting Britpop tune seemingly about jealousy, dripping with edge and emotion.

They played this album out at The Tuppenny on Friday, reflecting the feeling weโ€™ll be hearing more of this young band in the future, and the gig felt like a groundbreaking moment for them, in respect of that notion.ย 

LinkTree to Ursa Way

I love the Tuppenny, a hospitable tavern with universal appeal. Thursdays are the live music nights usually, but as I said, itโ€™s Swindon Shuffle next weekend, see my recommendations here, Iโ€™m certain some were at the Tuppenny!

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Chatting With Burn The Midnight Oil

Itโ€™s nice to hear when our features attract attention. Salisburyโ€™s Radio Odstock ย picked up on our interview with Devizes band Burn the Midnight Oil andโ€ฆ

The Lost Trades Float on New Single

Iโ€™ve got some gorgeous vocal harmonies currently floating into my ears, as The Lost Trades release their first single since the replacement of Tamsin Quinโ€ฆ

Barrelhouse are Open for Business with New Album

Rolling out a Barrelhouse of fun, you can have blues on the run, tomorrow (7th November) when Marlborough’s finest groovy vintage blues virtuosos Barrelhouse releaseโ€ฆ

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Talk in Code Down The Gate!

What, again?! Another article about Talk in Code?! Haven’t they had enough Devizine-styled publicity?! Are their heads swelling?!ย 

Didn’t that crazy toothless editor catch them at The Vic in Swindon just last week? And now The Southgate in Devizes? Isnโ€™t that his second home anyway?!

Hold back your keyboard warrior typing fingers from those vicious comment sections, critic, I will attempt to answer these burning questions I falsely imagine straining from your lips, in a short piece about a Sunday gig well worth mentioningโ€ฆ..

Yes, again, it is another article about Talk in Code. It’s either that or I risk playing a brain training game on my phone; it’s Monday, and my brain refuses instruction.

Yes, they’ve been showered with love from us, but being this an opinion based blog, I reserve my right to express my honest opinion; they deserve it! I have succumbed to being a T-shirt embossed โ€œtalker,โ€ a more family fashioned classification than fanbase.

If the idiom of enlarged heads implies they have a conceited, exaggerated sense of self-importance due to our consistent splatters of flattery, that’s the biggest untruth you could suggest about them. I only said it in ironic jest; woe is me for my fractured sense of humour; pinch of salt, please!

Whilst their performances are showy, that’s pop; they’re the most down to earth bunch you’ll ever have the pleasure to meet … .especially musicians!! Observe them engaging with their audience, young to old. Observe the attention they attract wherever they happen to play as being a product of their universal brilliance. If they appear excitable about this, it derives from their dedication, motivation, and the deserved positive feedback from their audience, not a two-bit blogger!

So what, yeah I was at the Vic last week for their awesome single launch gig, when I said it was theย  best I’ve ever seen them play, suggesting perhaps because it was on their home turf. I’m considering taking this back after catching them yesterday, for two reasons, firstly but less important, Swindon is only home to two of them, Snedds is home here in Devizes, or as near as dammit. Secondly, pop grows on you, the more you listen the more the hook catches you, and they have this down to a T, so maybe the level of skill they’ve attained has now become standard as more fans amass;ย  it certainly seemed that way Sunday at the Southgate. They rocked it with professional ease, just as they did the Vic, as they always do, and it was only a Sunday afternoon at Devizesโ€™ answer to the O2 arena. Given the actual O2, I predict they’d rock that one, too!

Matter of fact, I’ve not been down the Gate for what feels like ages, honest, mum! This occasion was purely circumstantial; I was in town to attend the dress rehearsal of an emotionally sobering play at the Wharf. It is fantastically evocative and reflects a sad time for me personally. See the review to understand, and go see the play. I needed cheering up, and being that it ended when the gig was kicking off, I thought I could sit in the back row and scribe some thoughts on my phone with a pint. It didn’t quite work out this way, not for the want of trying, because Talk in Code’s sound is irresistible, and yeah, it cheered me up a treat.

I’ve not been down The Gate recently, what with a summer season of festivals, a family holiday and inflation mugging us all off. But being the Southgate is so insatiably irresistible, friendly, and  affordable too by comparison, I slip back into its gorgeous rustic appeal like a glove, anyone would.

I’ve stated numerous times how my honest opinion casts it as the best pub locally, these facts stick more than mud, and perhaps it hasn’t been that long, it only feels like it has! George seemed to remember me as a gullible accessory to doggie biscuit snatching crimes. Autumn drawing in, save me the cosy chair.

All hail Talk in Code and The Southgate too. The first play top class indie-pop within a more humble local scene than following a national pop star and praying you can mortgage your home for a ticket to see. The latter is a cathedral to our humble scene, and lively pub culture too, with a rich history of showcasing local musical talent, one all our writers have been disciples of since day dot.

There’s so many artists still to mention, pinky promises I will, all in good time, but a Talk in Code gig at The Gate, despite catching them only last week, was still too good not to drop into!

Recommendations for when Swindon gets Shuffling

Swindon’s annual colossal fundraising event The Shuffle is a testament to local live music, which raises funds for Prospect Hospice. If you’re ever going to spend a weekend in Swindon, believe me, the 11th-14th September is the oneโ€ฆ..

An entirely free stroller festival centred in Old Town; saunter the eight venues at your leisure and discover a wealth of talent, mostly ฤบocally sourced. Pop some cash in the buckets and help raise some funds as Old Town comes alive with the sound of music!

As usual I’m going to be the judge and jury for this piece, and recommend those who I personally know who will deliver great sets to amaze you. But in no way is it an exhaustive list, for there will be many others and sometimes you have to put your little toe into the waters and find acts unbeknown to you, for the surprise element; an event of exploration! Whatever you do discover you can rest assured, every act is cherrypicked by the Shuffle Team, of Ed Dyer, a promoter who knows his stuff, Jamie Hill of Swindon Link, Kelly Adams, Paul โ€˜Pajโ€™ Jellings, Avril Jellings, Linda Gulliford, and Paul Gemmill, all equally as aware of what makes Wiltshire rock.

Thereโ€™s a printed program, online too; I’m working off that. Given the fantasy scenario of having the whole weekend to attend and choose between the huge lineup, hereโ€™s how I would tackle the mammoth task of maximising my experience…….

Without further ado, then, Thursday 11th of September belongs to The Tuppenny on Devizes Road, and the Hop, literally a hop across the road. A clash already, 7:15 at the Hop, Bathโ€™s spacey indie outfit Aqaba kick off proceedings, while Swindon soul singer Chloe Hepburn is at the Tuppenny at half past; tricky disco to begin, but Chloe has been on my must-see list for a while!

8pm at the Hop, Sebastain and Me is a deffo, but youโ€™ve only a quarter of an hour to drink up and catch the amazing Joli Soul at the Tuppenny. Again, I would be wearing out the traffic lights or flipping a coin. Iโ€™m unaware of all the headliners from there at both fantastic venues, yet the Tuppeny seems more funky soul and jazz while the Hop is indie, so it would be whether I packed my jazz hat or not!

Friday 12th September again is at The Hop, The Vic aptly on Victoria Road, and the Castle on Prospect Hill. Easy picking to begin with, itโ€™s our favourite Marlboroughโ€™s goth duo Deadlight Dance, on at 7:15 at the Castle.

In fact, Iโ€™d feel inclined to stay at the Castle unless Iโ€™m feeling like Dora the Explorer (which is surprisingly common for me!) as after a new one on me, Loophole, the amazing mod/new wave/britop cover band, whoโ€™ve just begun recording originals, Static Moves is on at 8:45, followed by Black Hats, new to me but promising something skanking, and SN Dubstation, who as the name suggest is Swindonโ€™s premier contemporary reggae export. The Hop is mostly folk on Friday, the Vic is indie-punk-rock and the Castle is alternative and reggae. If I was to fancy venturing off to The Vic, it would be at 10pm for Viduals, an emerging indie rock band who play it hard!

Saturday 13th then, when reality checks in, for this is the only day Iโ€™m likely to be able to make it up to Swindon for realz! You can get a bus from Devizes, you know, they run late now!

All guns blazing, The Tuppenny and the Pulpit rule the daytime, from 2pm until dinnertime, and The Hop, The Castle and the Beehive on Prospect Hill take the evening shift.

The great Jim Blair starts at the Pulpit, a new venue to me, but hey, Chippenham singer-songwriter Harmony Asia plays at 3:15 and thatโ€™s simply unmissable in my honest opinion. Oh but oh, Iโ€™ve heard so much good stuff about Swindonโ€™s pop star Kate X, who is on at The Tuppenny at 3:30, and seriously recommend her too!

Shedric and David Corringan at the Pulpit are two Iโ€™d love to see, and Swindonโ€™s answer to Dylan, the incredible Jol Rose is a must-see at 5:30, but dammit, at the Tuppenny has Emma Doupe at 5pm, followed by the freshest indie-pop fellow I simply must touch base with, Weather at 5:45pm. Ed Dyer, what are you putting me through here, or has Swindon got free cloning booths on every street corner now? Weโ€™re a little behind the times in Devizes!!

Saturday evening, and right, and Iโ€™ve made my mind up about how to attack this, though itโ€™s always subject to change. Bit of cheese, sir? At the Castle from 7:15 with Calneโ€™s comedy rock band The Real Cheesemakers is tempting, Gromit, but thereโ€™s a young Melksham band called Between the Lines on at 7pm at The Hop. I cannot lie, these winners of Take the Stage I wanted to play the Music Awards, for while they weren’t nominated, they should have been and I wanted folk to know why. Iโ€™m heading that way and will report on my findings, hopefully bring them to Devizes by hook or by crook!

The Hop continues with lots worth exploring, Iโ€™ve heard particularly good electronica things about The Crystal Wolf Project, there at 9:15, and Iโ€™ve seen headliners Trunk who will ram the place with devoted fans. But look, The Beehive might be my final Saturday resting place. Dulcet Tones at 8pm, then Bristolโ€™s Hannah-Rose Platt; look, just read my album review HERE and youโ€™ll understand this is without doubt a must. And, double-whammy, she is preceded by one of my all time favourite Swindon bands ever, the dark twisted country of Concrete Prairie. Always a must, especially at the Beehive at 9:30pm; save me a quarter of an inch to squeeze into, somewhere near the Tardis.

After that Iโ€™m anyoneโ€™s cheap date! Maybe Iโ€™d check out the Castle, as itโ€™s downhill and looking like hard rock underfoot with Lucky Number Seven coming the most personally recommended, at 9:30pm and followed by Modern Evils.

Then thereโ€™s Sunday 14th September, doesnโ€™t Swindon Shuffle know when to stop?! Wowzers it gets better; The Pulpit, Tuppenny and Beehive are up for your attention. Daytime, 1pm at the Tuppeny for Plummie Racket, stay there for Sienna Wileman and youโ€™ll be glad you did. But pop across to the Pulpit for 2:15 where Devizes is represented by our most excellent blues crooner and kazoo blasting JP Oldfield. I love this guy; Devizes man-hug!

Itโ€™s a Chippenham takeover from then at The Pulpit, Mexican Dave Iโ€™d recommend at 3pm, but M3G is a must and one of my personal favourite singer-songwriters on the local scene right now. Just prior to M3G though, be very tempted to nip back to the Tuppenny at 3:15 when Richard Wileman and Amy Fry do their thing, and thatโ€™s worth its weight in gold. 

Across to the Beehive for the finale to what looks like another unforgettable Shuffle, 6pm, Canuteโ€™s Plastic Army is unmissable, and so too is Joe Kelly & the Royal Pharmacy at 7:30pm.

No forgoing the fringe events, a Shuffle quiz night at the Beehive on Wednesday 10th, the Shuffle Community Ceilidh with The Cowshed Ceilidh Collective Saturday night at Eastcott Community Centre from 7pm, and open vinyl DJ sessions at The Prospect Hospice Book & Music Shop on Victoria Road, each day midday till 4pm.

Then, youโ€™ve only got to wait until the end of January for the Shuffleโ€™s winter version Swinterfest! Swindon Shuffle is a whoโ€™s who of local music, a convention and an institution, a fundraiser like no other, and you wonโ€™t even have to navigate the Magic Roundabout, pinky promise!

Info about Swindon Shuffle and full line-up HERE

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Tidy: Talk in Code at The Vic with Riviera Arcade and Flora Flora

It was only ever supposed to be a single launch gig but it could’ve been for a gold-crested gatefold triple LP, because Talk in Code were larging it last night at their hometown premier venue, Swindon’s Victoria. The crowd was ecstatic and the atmosphere was highly flammableโ€ฆ..strike a light!

If witnessing a great band on their own turf adds a communal elevation to the thrill of seeing them at all, Talk in Code certainly pulled out all the stops, even if the je-ne-sais quoi of these masters of indie-pop perform with sublime quality anywhere they happen to appear.

If this crossing the friend barrier themed quintessential grower, More Than Friends sits perfectly into their eighties vibe discography, we were leaked forthcoming singles might venture somewhere slightly different, but right here, now, at The Vic, Talk in Code was rewarded equal rapturous praise in throwing it out there as they were marching triumphantly through their beloved anthems.

Tunes which, like the best memorable pop, have universal and timeless appeal. At a Talk in Code gig you could mute the sound and still comprehend that the individual takes what they want from their style by observing the diversity of the demographic present. Here, this tight group of musicians evoke memories of everything gorgeous about eighties pop from Ah-Ha to Simple Minds, for me. One generation younger, especially when they backtracked to Oxygen, might wallow in nineties indie, and likewise youth will recognise their own contemporary influences.

If homeliness provides confidence to experiment, we were treated to something I’ve never seen Talk in Code do before; as the band Twix breaked, dynamic Adidas- sponsored frontman Chris Stevens proved he was no one trick pony, and blessed the Vic with an immaculate acoustic number, an original he called We Remain.

If appreciation was a pair of knickers, Talk in Code would have a visible panty line, as devotee โ€œTalkersโ€ in blue sunglasses and merch amassed between Vic regulars, equally relishing their vibrant, danceable and electric hoedown! And all took home a CD embossed goodie bag akin to a toddler’s birthday party, save a slice of squashed sponge cake!

Yet if there’s an honourable family-fashioned ambience surrounding this band, where Talkers would follow them to the four corners of the globe, else create Lego fan-videos or shower them with deserved fondness, the mood for a quality evening was pre-set by two awesome support acts TiC cherrypicked.

Gloucestershire soloist, songwriter and model Flora Flora opened the gig with acoustic splendour. New to me, I’m now keenly following her socials. Not because she took control of my phone from my intoxicated sausage fingers to ensure I did, though she did, but because I’ve since come to realise there’s subsequent levels to her talent than the perfection of her rocking performance last night!

An inspiring Gen Z Swifty wordsmith, crafting evocative songs praised and played by our hero James Threlfall on BBC Introducing. A new one drops on streaming platforms on 29th August but is available now on Bandcamp, Need to Say; it’s far more ethereal than Flora Flora’s edgier performance, and you’ll be foolish not to bookmark it as a favourite; fill your ankle-length boots.

Penultimate act, Bristol-Swindon longstanding five-piece rockers Riviera Arcade, I must confess, I preconceived to be a fair, hard rock band; they certainly came out like one. It only took near to the completion of the first song for me to come to complex reasoning why they’re punching well above that weight. Multi-layered precision with captivating guitar riffs set me contemplating subtle nods to eighties mod or punk, sometimes skanking, but still, it heralded heavier rock. They’ve a 2022 album Gone By Ten on stream, so you can hear what I’m waffling about.

An interesting and certainly unique style which, while I was thinking The Police or Costello, they finalised their set of beguiling originals with an apt and superbly delivered cover of The Stonesโ€™ Paint it Black, a perfect summary to their ethos. I returned home as a newfound fan, a bit wobbly on my feet and Notra-Dame bells ringing in my ears fan, but deffo a fan!

Talk in Code was officially on the best form I’ve ever had the pleasure to witness, but it was the combination of acts, venue and atmosphere which famed this fantastic night too; The Vic is renowned for doing so, historically. Owner Darren Simons assured me, though the venue is up for grabs, it’s only going to someone prepared to continue in his shoes, so this flagship to Wiltshire live music should thankfully continue to reign; dodge magic roundabouts and onwards to The Shuffle!

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Steatopygous go Septic

If you believe AI, TikTok and the rest of it all suppress Gen Zโ€™s outlets to convey anger and rage, resulting in a generation ofโ€ฆ

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Jol Roseโ€™s Ragged Stories

Thereโ€™s albums Iโ€™ll go in blind and either be pleasantly surprised, or not. Then thereโ€™s ones which I know Iโ€™m going to love before theโ€ฆ

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Wither; Debut Single From Butane Skies

Whilst dispersing highly flammable hydrocarbon gases into the atmosphere is not advisory,  Butane Skies is a name increasingly exploding on local circuits. The young and aspiring Frome โ€œa little bit emo, a little bit notโ€ four-piece released a debut single Wither last month (while I was on my jollies.) So, even though this mention of it might be belated, itโ€™s worthy of your attention, as I predict Butane Skies is a name youโ€™ll be hearing a lot more ofโ€ฆ..

If the name suggests an all-out fireball of frenzied rock you should note itโ€™s taken from a line in the My Chemical Romance song Skylines & Turnstiles, and akin to their emo influence thereโ€™s delicate rising and falling sections of emotive outpouring in Wither. With a dystopian themed desperation, perhaps metaphoric, this is intense yet melodic, as exquisitely composed as Evanescence, and as genius as Frank Turner.

Thereโ€™s an intricate piano, blessing it with a sense of optimism above the emo melancholy of the subtly placed fuzzbox riff and the powerful vox harmonies of a double-Alanis Morissette. Iโ€™m thinking Iโ€™ve not heard local emo quite as good as this since Life in Mono, but not to typecast within the emo pigeonhole, thereโ€™s something more universally indie about them too, Muse-fashion.

Such high accolades deserved, Wither firmly places them on the first runner of the local recording artist ladder, and while an impressive kick start, itโ€™s moreish and patent theyโ€™ve more tricks up their sleeves. Butane Skies established themselves in 2022 after school duo Amaya and Ash collaborated at just 14 years old, and bassist Mia and drummer Alex joined. Theyโ€™ve notched numerous gigs and festivals since Future Sound of Trowbridge at the Pump, and winning Riverbankโ€™s Take The Stage in 2024 with the prize to perform at Minety Music Festival.ย 

Other appearances at Festival on the Farm, Figglefest, Bradford Roots, Corrfest, Chippenham Pride and Sounds at the Ground, and at venues such as The Boathouse, The Neeld, Fromeโ€™s Tree House and a number of local stages at Glastonbury sees them Bristol-bound for The Louisiana and Komedia Bathโ€™s Electric Bar soon. They are nominated for our Wiltshire Music Awards, and now top of never-ending must-see list!

Hereโ€™s a band with a track you must listen to, but the ambience feels something wonderful is blossoming; Butane Skies are yet to hit their magnum-opus, be there when they do.  

LinkTree

Talk in Code Announces New Single; More Than Friends

Atmospherically anthemic and reinforced with that infectious rhythmic groove weโ€™ve come to love Talk in Code for, More Than Friends is chockfull of it, and itโ€™s their latest single, to be released on Friday 22nd August 2025 via Regent Street Recordsโ€ฆ.

Even if youโ€™re accounted for now, happily married and matured like a fine wine, the recollections of a blossoming relationship and the eagerness versus apprehension it provokes will never be pushed down a dark alley of your memory lane; successful or epic fail, they live inside the mind forever, Iโ€™m afraid! Frontman, Chris Stevens said of the single, โ€œweโ€™ve all been there, in a situation waiting for the other to make the first move, to validate our feelings, or save face!โ€

I could tell you a few stories, but will save you the agony! Especially as the earliest would be set in the eighties, about getting hot under the collar over girls in rah-rah skirts, leg warmers and dippy-boppers! But thatโ€™s the beauty of this songโ€™s simple premise; if youโ€™re older the irresistible eighties feel to the sound assists you in extracting the emotions needed to savour a memory or two, and youโ€™ll stare back up at your Morten Harket or Kim Wilde poster, should the blu-tac not have dried out, praying theyโ€™ll bless you with a cure to your longing!! Billy Joel, you charlatan, it isnโ€™t that easy to tell her about it!

Whereas if youโ€™re younger and, as gen z generally are, far more practical to be praying to Smash Hits pullout posters, you might relate the songโ€™s narrative to a newfound emotion, sharable on TikTok. But the eighties vibe still functions as a mechanism, because, letโ€™s face it, musical innovators of the eighties are the catalysts to contemporary pop. I was careful here not to suggest eighties music was better, though with my rose-tinted specs on, the thought was! 

And thatโ€™s what makes Talk in Code so universally engaging; it bridges a needed gap between eighties new wave electronica and nineties indie pop. In goes the synths, guitars riffs, the immortal choruses and rousing hooks, and what it exhausts is fresh and pumping, modern yet as timeless as Chris’s Adidas jackets, like someone slipped a rocket between the bum cheeks of Tony Hadley, and whip, zoom heโ€™s top of the download chart faster than you could cry Oasis.

For the reflective mood to the bandโ€™s artistry, which this track seems to strengthen, More Than Friends might be considered typical for the bandโ€™s direction, but as ever, they are growers, and after a listen or three youโ€™ll find the quintessential is challenged with each new release, because this band are tight, theyโ€™re professional, and bounded by great PR, management, and a truly loyal fanbase. A base which will be singing this back to them, in blue sunglasses, at their numerous live performances within the next month!

The single’s launch party is at the Vic, Swindon, on Friday 22nd August. Tickets HERE

Another cracker, Talk in Code. For everyone else, pre-save it HERE!

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Ann Liu Cannon’s Clever Rabbits

Ann Liu Cannon is the Marlborough success story I hadn’t heard of until yesterday; thanks to local promoter and frontman of the Vooz, Lee Mathews for the tip off! Her debut album  Clever Rabbits was released today, and itโ€™s a mustโ€ฆโ€ฆ.

Brit Award winning Paul McCartney and Tom Jones producer Ethan Jones spotted Ann Liu performing at Camden’s Spiritual Bar, leading her to a publishing deal with BMG. Ann, who now lives in London, represented Whispering Bob Harris at The Great Escape and Black Deer Festivals, featured on Beans on Toast’s stage at Bearded Theory and on his UK tour. She opened for Lewis Ofman in Mexico, played prestigious venues like The Clapham Grand and The Hotel Cafe Hollywood in LA, but delighted to tell me she schooled in Marlborough and grew up in a nearby village; and I thought St Johnโ€™s girls just sat around the Priory Gardens smoking menthols!

Okay, calm yourself. That was just an eighties joke, and you know this! But remain calm for Clever Rabbits because itโ€™s a breathtaking ride, a tapestry of Anglo-Celtic folklore, sacred texts, sonic binaries of modern digital synthesis and Ann Liuโ€™s classic singer-songwriter roots. โ€œI am the rabbit that knows how to kill the hill, and I have only just begun,โ€ she expressed.ย 

Experimentally playful, with two piano-based ballads opening Clever Rabbits, there’s an ambience of musical theatre about them, then with an irresistibly simple drum and bass the title track runs akin to a Mardi Gras iko-iko chant. Lost Ways has the shuffle of South America rhythms, and weโ€™re halfway through these ten uplifting masterpieces with a bittersweet psychedelic swirl called Tangle.

No You Donโ€™t is acoustic blues with a hint of lounge jazz, as gorgeous as the ultimate Norah Jones song. Another tune in, and rather Iโ€™m now pitching this alongside Joni Mitchell; itโ€™s that strong, naturally raw, and yeah, folk, fundamentally.

The album continues in a similar fashion, uplifting jazzy folk under sublime soundscapes and broken wonderfully with snippets of humorous band banter, which usually are outtakes. It lifts in tempo with False Hope, and chills for the penultimate Movement of Standing Stones, which builds in layers of atmospheric spiritual ambience, and finally a minute and half of bizarre with Gobbleknoll, breaks the concept this isnโ€™t really a book by Richard Adams and Ann Liu is not a rabbit after all!

Exploring limits of prescribed identity in a timeless, brave and sensitive challenge of the zeitgeist, the album is inspired by a Chinese idiom โ€œclever rabbits need three burrows,โ€ and the imagery of three rabbits found in Devon’s churches and China’s caves. Clearly, with profound narrative, you would need to dive deeper into this warren to explore. After one listen, though, you will feel it criminal not to. Everything in this melting pot of influences is subtle, the overall feel is a mellowed thoughtful prose sitting somewhere between the exploratory of Kate Bush and punch of Alanis Morissette, both jamming under the aura of Steeleye Span.ย 

This isnโ€™t an album for streaming. This is a take my money album. The attention to detail is divine. The unedited recordingsโ€™ background goings-on authentically puts you in the room. In promoting it, Ann Lui revealed the backstory. โ€œWhen I was ten,โ€ she explained, โ€œmy father gave me records by Ethan. When I turned 21, I got a call from Ethan after Raf sent my music to him. We began capturing these songs, and my father began dying. Today I turn 26, my father is dead, and the record is born.โ€

โ€œIn the first 25 years I found powerlessness in slow, bad, unwanted death. In limbos and dependency. I found power in wilful endings. In choice. Love ran underneath in a welcome riptide, contextualising the hurt and loss. I nursed wounds, read my stories, read other peopleโ€™s stories, broke away, reflected, mourned, rejoiced, set free. The first quarter century has been about endings, leavings, dying, and dying well. This album is a good death. The bin men are smiling. I am smiling, too.โ€

A launch for Clever Rabbits is at Londonโ€™s Lexington tonight. Ann Lui returns to her roots, as she regularly does, with an Instore at Sound Knowledge, Marlborough on Thursday 17th July at St. Peter’s. Entry is FREE but please do let them know to expect you if you’d like to attend, or pre-order a copy of ‘Clever Rabbits’ from them to guarantee your place.

LinkTree Website

Wendy James Tour Coming to Fromeโ€™s Cheese & Grain

Photo credit: David Leigh Dodd

Pioneers of the indie-rock sound which would lead us into the nineties, Transvision Vamp lead singer Wendy James has announced a UK tour in October in support of her recently released tenth solo album The Shape of History, which includes Fromeโ€™s Cheese & Grainโ€ฆ..

Wendy will be accompanied on tour by a full band, featuring Transvision Vamp’s bass player Dave Parsons, Jim Sclavunos from Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds on drums and Alex Ward (Thurston Moore Group) on guitar. They will be playing songs from across all of her albums, from TVV Pop, to New Wave Punk to Lo-Fi Racine No.1, through to the big productions of Queen High Straight and The Shape Of History, picking off favourite songs from each.ย 

For full tour dates see here, but closest to us is Tuesday 14th October at the Cheese and Grain, and The Fleece, Bristol on Tuesday 28th October.

Wendy James

While The Shape of History doesnโ€™t begin with a sound akin to Transvision Vamp, thereโ€™s underlying echoes of it as the album builds. Layers of electronica envelope the familiar vocals, so while itโ€™s not what you were expecting, the effect is as The Independent described, โ€œlike a patchwork of memories โ€“ victories, heartaches, the feeling of racing down a California highway, no destination in mind.โ€ And Classic Rock expressed that 

โ€œThe Wendy James of 2024 is an older, wiser and far more intriguing prospect. The Shape of History, never dull, and certainly never predictable.โ€ 

 โ€œMy songwriting has always been a wide mix of sounds, which naturally reflect the different music and references I have and love,โ€ Wendy explained, โ€œThe Shape Of History was recorded on Scrubs Lane, West London with Alex Ward, Harry Bohay and James Sclavunos. I then went off to NYC and Brooklyn to record the pianos and organs with Dave โ€˜The Mooseโ€™ Sherman. Overdubbing continued with Al Lawson at the engineering helm in his Shepherdโ€™s Bush studio and then I went back to Berkeley, CA to mix with Jesse Nichols before mastering with Fred Kevorkian in Brooklyn NY. I have spent so much time with this music, I know it note-for-note and love it and am so happy for you to make it your own now”.

 โ€œThe Shape Of History has a lot about love in it, a lot about appreciation of oneself, oneโ€™s life and importantly, of others. It is lifeโ€™s arc of starting out, blooming into something and in some ways maturing. I donโ€™t think my music has got older, I know Iโ€™ve not gone mellow! My attitude can be more ferocious and fearless than ever, but there is an acquired wisdom, which naturally comes after having been alive for a few decades! โ€˜The Shape Of Historyโ€™ is a love letter and a Thank you note to life so far. The culmination of my tenth album is the result of co-musicians and engineers who Iโ€™ve worked with previously and with whom I share a language. We know each other, we choose to work together. We enjoy each otherโ€™s talents and personalities. There is a happiness, a belonging, when we meet up, and an open and determined desire to achieve what we know we have to.โ€

โ€œFrom meeting Nick Christian Sayer and forming Transvision Vamp, the two of us walking into EMI Records, and demanding to see the head of Artists and Repertoire, Dave Ambrose. Getting signed and making our hits of the late 80โ€™s and 90โ€™s. From collaborating with Elvis Costello and mixing that album at Sunset Sound in Hollywood where The Stones mixed โ€˜Exile On Main Stโ€™, then moving to NYC to start writing and recording as a solo artist, all the gigs Iโ€™ve played and the friends Iโ€™ve made around the world, the astounding, incredible, wonderful people whose lives Iโ€™ve crossed paths withโ€ฆ I am so grateful for it all.โ€

Buy Shape of History HERE

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CrownFest is Back!

Yay! You read it right. After a two year break, CrownFest is back at the Crown in Bishop’s Cannings. So put a big tick ontoโ€ฆ

Six Reasons to Rock in Market Lavington

Alright yeah, itโ€™s a play on band names and thereโ€™s only really two reasons to rock on Friday 17th October at Market Lavington Community Hall;โ€ฆ

Clock Radio Turf Out The Maniacs

The first full album by Wiltshireโ€™s finest purveyors of psychedelic indie shenanigans, Clock Radio, was knocked out to an unsuspecting world last week. Itโ€™s called Turfinโ€™ Out The Maniacs, which perhaps should be fact-checked as it sounds to me like theyโ€™re letting them all in, as they arrive on yellow submarines and check into Frank Zappaโ€™s 200 five-rhombus rated motelsโ€ฆ..

Self-described as โ€œeasily triggered, dishonest, cryptic yet flirty deluded jangle rockers,โ€ Clock Radio have produced a string of catchy slacker pop wonders here, as they continuously reach inside the box, like theyโ€™re four elfish Rowan Atkinsons all cast as Paul Atreides. But one thing is for certain, Chris Genner, Oliver Daltrey, Gary Martin and Fraser Wilson will entertain you.

Turfinโ€™ Out The Maniacs sound like the results of the Coral offering The Divine Comedy a hashpipe in a moulded teenage boyโ€™s bedroom; thatโ€™s a compliment by the way.

The opening tune Blood on Chrome certainly reeks of that breezy retrospection of Merseyside garage bands or sixties surf-rock, with an added preliminary Quo guitar riffs. Stoned at the Dojo, which follows emphasises the mock lounge style of The Divine Comedy. Itโ€™s vaudeville throughout, all Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Bandโ€™s twirling circus, and an accordion welcomes in the next song, yet the tempo is upbeat indie rock. Handsome Weeping Man might leave you questioning if itโ€™s necessary to connote the narrative, but it will leave you amused.

Clock Radio knows precisely what buttons to press to evoke a mood, and press them with free will. To say itโ€™s a tad bonkers, itโ€™s only a tad, and Mountains Beyond the Sun kindles a gentle side, drifting surf-rock, sunny side of the street vibe.

Thereโ€™s ten three minute heroes on this impressive debut album, recorded, mixed and mastered by Dominic Bailey-Clay at Nine Volt Leap Studios, with Fender Rhodes piano, percussion by Dominic and a triangle by Shoshi B. If weโ€™re content with getting halfway through and assuming theyโ€™ve calmed slightly, No Death takes us back onto the weird and wonderfully expressed if questionable muses of the opening.

Turfinโ€™ Out The Maniacs is a comfy yet nippy prank, like being stung in the bottom but launching away from it to splash into a chocolate lake. Not so unlike Noรซl Coward playing a Bond villain, with Bowie as Bond; something you couldnโ€™t imagine happening, but being Marie-Georges Mรฉliรจs directed it and itโ€™s on FilmFour at 3am, you might as well grab a bag of cheesy puffs and thirty grams of Amber Leaf, stay up watch it in your pants. โ€œCactus is cooler, Iโ€™m no Ferris Bueller, I do as Iโ€™m told,โ€ is just one line Iโ€™m cherry picking to illustrate my point, youโ€™ll be amused and rocked in plentiful equal measure.

It has an acoustic ending called Complex 5 which will leave you incarcerated in the meandering yet meticulous peculiarly pulp portrayals of Clock Radio, as if you melted into a bubble sofa. It is available now on the streaming platforms, or buy the digital album from Bandcamp.

Shoot Me, A New Single From George Wilding!

I loved it, but if the jury was out in March over Isn’t She Lovely, the last single from George Wilding under the production of Jolyon Dixon for its experimental vaudeville ambience of Queenโ€™s later material and sprinkles of doo-wop at the intro, the third single comes out punchingโ€ฆ..

Shoot Me is released today across all platforms, and if we’re used to George’s wispy moments of psychedelic Velvet Underground, this rather takes on Lou Reed’s more edgy rock n roll. In line with the blossoming tendency of many local bands, from Nothing Rhymes With Orange to Talk in Code, this adopts the timeless indie-rock angle of The Killers and Arctic Monkeys. It’s lively, fire in the belly driving music, I can imagine a crowd hailing it back at him within a relatively short time.


A slight move sidewards for George and a wise decision; millennials to gen z, and even Britpop nineties kids are going to lap this up. It’s a timeless belter. My immediate thought laid with the La’s when the song opened, the notion quickly shifted to something more contemporary, of Franz Ferdinand, and the others I’ve already mentioned.

Yet George is a force in his own right and needs no comparison. Shoot Me contains those recognisable vocal delicacies we’ve come to love him for, that understanding he could shift into any pigeonhole and come up trumps.

Jake Martin: Heโ€™s a king, and it was in the Castle, with SOP Swindon

By Ben Niamor

Itโ€™s been way too long since I saw the irrepressible Jake Martin, and he did not disappoint, classic songs as ever, open, maybe even anarchic delivery.. he found himself in front of mostly familiar ears….

On tour with some friends on a multi head bill, having fun whilst often singing and talking of lifeโ€™s serious side, all of them; relationships, drinking games and mental health, all up for dissection and deliberation through song.ย 

Mexican Dave opened, a wisecracking confident man with a definite penchant for singing fast, and getting us to sing whilst other key figures in this scene, Gaz Brookfield and Ben B-Sydes become improvised captains for each side of the room in a chorus battle.. as you do! My friend and I sat either side of a table at the front wearing our respective captains tee shirts by coincidence amused us and Dave..!ย 

Blake Cateris, was the middle man in the line up, a little more settled and profound.. an Aussie in our midst. Perhaps more reflective, though, are some great songs, and having a look at his poetry book this morning, he is a great writer. About to set off for a 22 date tour in Germany before returning to Sydney, wish him well and hope to see him againโ€ฆย 

The headline, the main man, Jake Martin. Heโ€™s famously self deprecating and among the most appropriately described musicians in the folk punk remit. Your mother may not appreciate every turn of phrase, but his crowds always will!

I consider him an anthemic hero, all on the bill actively involving us, but none with such fervour, perhaps through widespread familiarity of his rousing songs. I am one to try for instance, of loving, failing and trying in equal measure.

Songs about relationships, poor decisions, mental health, and all with an openness that rarely is found in larger yet less enveloping venues and in many artists. Foot stomping common ground, for many present will have had these problems, for my part my antidote to the modern condition is music, so thatโ€™s how perhaps I should wrap up my ramblings, Jake and all the wonderful musicians that grace our venues are the antidote. All you need to do is go find some that work for you. 

I am pretty sure Ed (Dyer) will forgive me for likening last night as it nostalgically did for me, to the venue which opened this world for me, the fold in Devizes. It literally changed my life. Sadly gone yet seeing old friends and musicians alike roll eyes, and wax lyrical of shared nights such as this many years past, aware how important it is to seize the moment. 

There are great venues around and tirelessly passionate people, many among my friends, itโ€™s as simple as doing a little research, and getting out to support them.

Thankfully I wonโ€™t wait too long as aside from town gigs this weekend , I shall be back to Old Town for the incredible Wilswood Buoys at next week’s Thursday night club at the Castle.

Hannah Rose Plattโ€™s Fragile Creatures

If Whitney Houston set a benchmark for female vocalists many did before her too, but while others were influenced by them, they never felt obliged to attain a sound precisely mimicking them, as, it seems to me, many modern female singers striving for pop success do with Whitneyโ€™s. And when they do, it sounds, well, manufactured and impassive. A Liverpudlian now residing in Bristol, Hannah Rose Platt releases a concept album tomorrow, Fragile Creatures, of which Iโ€™d compare more to like of Kate Bush, whereby Hannah can weave beautiful tapestries, adapting her voice to reflect the sentiment of her narrative, mood and style of the track; and thereโ€™s a lot going on in Fragile Creaturesโ€ฆ.

It is undoubtedly a concept album, anatomising the complex relationship between women and medicine throughout history. It explores how antiquated myths and misconceptions in the pursuit of science have impacted female health, while creating countless injustices and inequalities. If this comes across sounding more akin to a poignant lecture, Hannah Rose Platt shifts between a collection of musical influences to imprint her wisdom, causing Fragile Creatures to be an altering and compelling journey of prowess and refinement.

It opens introductorily with a spoken word sample of Helen Andelinโ€™s Fascinating Womanhood, a controversial sixties manual encouraging women to uphold their conventional marital role. Ataraxia is as calming as the meaning of its Greek philosophical title, ambiently floating over an acoustic guitar riff and drumbeat, musically reflecting on Diazepam-flavoured tranquillity, as if conformity to the sample will land us all in a world to make Aldous Huxley quiver. In this, Hannahโ€™s voice is bitter, eerie, to convey the point.

But by the second tune, Curious Mixture, a drifting acoustic vibe, Hannahโ€™s voice is as silky and smooth as Kylie, which shifts to a sharper more indie-punk feel as the songs progress. Thereโ€™s a definite Bristol trip hop scene there too, causing me to consider Portishead as an influence. By the fourth tune weโ€™re blessed with the most gorgeous ballad to Mary Magdalene, reminding me of Daisy Chapmanโ€™s folk angle. Itโ€™s at this conjunction I realise Hannah is reciting her deepest thoughts and observations on the theme, historically, and theyโ€™re gender ecumenical rather than bitter stabs of feminist vendetta. I didnโ€™t feel under attack as a guy listening to this, provided I ponder the meanings Hannah so poignantly expresses.

This is eleven tracks strong, melding myths of pseudoscience, superstition and patriarchy with medicine and chronicles of the resilient and defiant women who unyieldingly fought for equality and autonomy. At times itโ€™s Kate Bush vocalising for Massive Attack, as is the tune The Yellow Wallpaper, at others, such as La Grande Hysterie, itโ€™s a contemporary Alanis Morissetteโ€™s Jagged Little Pill covered by Siouxsie and the Banshees. It ends playfully like musical theatre, but penultimately is horrific and beautiful in equal measure.

The album is a themed anthology. Each song has its own narrative, weaving into each other. From the tale of Anne Greene, accused of infanticide under the Concealment of Birth of Bastards Act, and pardoned after being revived from hanging to reflections on the health gap that lingers to this day. Thereโ€™s so much more I still need to discover exploring its sheer brilliance as a concept and how the music compliments it.

Hannah explains the concept, โ€œThis record is both an offering and a tribute to female pioneers in medicine; and an endeavour to honour, and give voice to, the unsung heroines in the history of our health. What struck me most during the research and creation of this album was the deeply ingrained, sinister nature of myth and misconception surrounding womenโ€™s health, and the harmful, cyclical dismissal of experiences; decade after decade, century after century, often reinforced by outdated and dangerous practices. My hope is that listeners will not only be intrigued by these stories but also inspired to dig deeper and empowered to challenge the systems that have long ignored or misrepresented womenโ€™s voices, as this dismissal remains so prevalent today.โ€

At this I could agreeably sigh, like any poignant art which usually preaches to the converted those who really need to take heed of its message will likely overlook it. Nevertheless, if others cite Fragile Creatures as the work of an upcoming artist, Iโ€™d favour to compare the depth and production of this fantastic album to Dark Side of the Moon. And with that the right audience might spare its lesson a thought. A high but deserved accolade, in considering it took Pink Floyd seven albums to accomplish this magnum opus, when this is Hannah Rose Plattโ€™s second; what comes next will be astounding because Fragile Creatures is a sublime keeper.

The advance single Curious Mixture is out now. Full album is released tomorrow (April 25th) via Xtra Mile Recordings and mastered at Abbey Road, with production and playing from Ed Harcourt. Launch party is Friday 25th at Rough Trade, Bristol.

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Oh Danny Boy!

Oh Danny Boy, oh, Danny Boy, they loved your boyish Eton looks so, but when ye was voted in, an all democracy wasnโ€™t quite dying,โ€ฆ

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A Quick Shuffle to Swindon

Milkman hours with grandkids visiting it was inevitable a five hour day shift was all I was physically able to put into this year’s Swindonโ€ฆ

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Bits of Elation; Chatting with The Belladonna Treatment

One of Swindon’s premier grunge pop-punkers, The Belladonna Treatment released their debut single, Bits of Elation, with London-based SODEH Records earlier this month. I spoke about the single, the band and local circuits with the bassist in the band, Ian James, as he was the most punctual at a recent gig at the Vic!

Bits of Elation is fifteen seconds under a three-minute-hero which doesnโ€™t come up for air, compensates for those missing seconds with a dynamic and retrospective Ramones-fashioned riff and the feelgood vibe of pop-punk this side of the millennium.

It is far from the Belladonna Treatmentโ€™s first outing to a recording studio, there was a single last year The Torture Garden, and a three-track EP called Pleasure from 2023, which cherry-picks the best elements of many punk subgenres and moulds them into an imitable and infectious house style. Though Ian expressed working with SODEH has opened doors for the band popular in Swindon, evidently blossoming elsewhere. โ€œItโ€™s being played on radio stations in Belgium, Brazil, USA and Canada,โ€ he told me with delight.

The Belladonna Treatment I witnessed live once, in awe at how they rammed the Castle with adoring fans at Swindon Shuffle. Tonight they play a double-header with I See Orange, who alongside Liddington Hill and a number of others usually on this burgeoning Swindon grunge scene, have turned my head toward the subgenre which passed me by at its inception, save Smells Like Teen Spirit. The Belladonna Treatment are ahead of this game, their appeal is universal and seemingly not confined to aficionados of the grunge subgenre. That was clearly evident at the Castle gig, but other than playing Minety last year, I rarely see their name pop up on local circuits other than Old Townโ€™s lively route of The Vic, Castle and Beehive.

Understanding thereโ€™s a number of local grassroots venues where The Belladonna Treatment would fit like a glove, I was surprised to note they hadnโ€™t yet ventured to Trowbridgeโ€™s Pump, Bradford-on-Avonโ€™s Three Horseshoes or even Chippenhamโ€™s Old Road Tavern. I pondered on bands which seem to get stuck in certain fanbase circuits, despite being fully deserved to be showcased across the county and beyond. โ€œIt all depends on what everyone wants to do,โ€ Ian began, โ€œthings like this pop up and itโ€™s nice to do them, but we do want to expand and do other gigs.โ€

โ€œIt is very easy to get stuck into that circuit, of doing the Castle, and those,โ€ he expanded, โ€œbut itโ€™s nice to get out too. I mean, we played a gig in London at the end of January; a cracking venue, which James put together. There were other bands there, all different, but it was a brilliant show, packed out. We were two or three under the bill, so there were loads of other bandโ€™s fans watching us and we can get more followers this way.โ€

Guitarist James has recently moved to London, hence the opportunities for gigs there, but originally the band were all from Stratton, and knew of each other prior to forming The Belladonna Treatment just over two years ago. โ€œLee and James accidentally got together about five years ago, wrote some songs and went around as an acoustic duo, but weโ€™ve all known each other our whole lives. Then they decided they wanted to get a band together. I hadnโ€™t seen either of them for about twenty years, but I was getting back into playing. Stu, our drummer has been around in lots of other bands, played Glastonbury and stuff like that, and again, weโ€™ve known him, and for the last two and a half years we’ve been playing as a full band.โ€

The Belladonna Treatment have been honing their sound since, and Ian felt Bits of Elation is a milestone. Pigeonholing their style he cited Nirvana and The Manic Street Preachers as influences they grew up on, and also mentioned Bowie, โ€œbut if you listen to the songs theyโ€™re melodic, itโ€™s not just head down thrash punk, itโ€™s more melody-orientated, grunge too. That’s why we like playing with I See Orange, thereโ€™s a whole nineties feel about us, similar to them.โ€

We rapped over the idea of levelling off the thrashed out element for a more melodic preference might once have been considered as โ€œselling out,โ€ in punkโ€™s heyday, rather now itโ€™s more of a natural progression and causing the sound to become viable to a wider audience. โ€œIt can do,โ€ Ian agreed, โ€œitโ€™s also a case of, you want to sell more records and if you want to be popular, you have to do this.โ€ Such progression is kingpin to crowds turning up at the Vic tonight and ramming the Castle at The Shuffle, knowing thereโ€™s a motivated band which rocks!

So I threw in the labour of love concept, and we talked cheerfully about while theyโ€™re sharpening their style to suit wider appeal, theyโ€™re also determined to strive for individuality, create their own methodology and not clone existing successful bands. Ian spoke of three new songs ready for release, the snowballing of radio plays and their determination to accomplish wider appeal, โ€œthatโ€™s what weโ€™re going for.โ€ 

It was great to meet Ian, and the rest of the band briefly, when they turned up! Dadโ€™s taxi was on duty and I could only remain until the end of the Wildcats game, unfortunately missing the gig. A valid reason for highlighting bands seemingly confined locally to our larger towns and encouraging venues to book them around here, because you only need to stream some of their infectious tunes to see what I mean, and why The Belladonna Treatment should be popping up at grassroots venues across the UK, at the very least; fingers and toes crossed.  

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No Rest For JP Oldfield, New Single Out Today

It’s been six months since Devizes-based young blues crooner JP Oldfield released his poignant kazoo-blowing debut EP Bouffon. He’s made numerous appearances across the circuitโ€ฆ

DOCA’s Early Lantern Workshops

Is it too early for the C word?! Of course not, Grinch! With DOCA’S Winter Festival confirmed for Friday 28th November this year, there willโ€ฆ

I See Orangeโ€ฆ.And Doll Guts!

There was a time not so long ago when I See Orange was the most exciting new band in Swindon. Their latest offering released atโ€ฆ

Talk in Code Down The Gate!

What, again?! Another article about Talk in Code?! Haven’t they had enough Devizine-styled publicity?! Are their heads swelling?!ย  Didn’t that crazy toothless editor catch themโ€ฆ

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Isnโ€™t She Lonely, New George Wilding Single

The second single from Georgeโ€™s sessions with Jolyon Dixon is out today, Isnโ€™t She Lonely. With the vaudeville ambience of Queenโ€™s later material and sprinkles of doo-wop at the intro, this whisps around crooners with subtler psychedelic undertones than usual. One could ask if this is tongue-in-cheek or a mature direction for George, to delve into post rock n roll influences, yet, of course, it retains, through its incredibly inventive uniqueness, the definitive George Wildingโ€ฆ..

For his fans itโ€™ll remind them somewhat of Terrible Little Secret from his decade past Being Ragdollian EP; how George is skillfully capable of frolicing vocally with the schlager of artists like Tony Christie, and remain cool throughout by splicing this music hall vibe ironically with a degree of melancholy in the narrative. It is, in short, impressive.

โ€œThe lyrics were born out of the idea of changing one letter of โ€˜Isnโ€™t She Lovelyโ€™ so it takes on this whole desperate air,โ€ George explained. โ€œIt goes from so celebratory to a real longing when you change it to โ€˜Lonely;โ€™ the instant flip side of love. When I wrote it I had it as a 60โ€™s thing in my head; think Bobby Veeโ€™s โ€˜Take Good Care of My Baby.โ€™โ€

George Wilding

My immediate reaction was Stevie Wonder was referring to his newborn daughter in the title, rather a romantic interlude, but this take only bears resemblance to it by title, and just like how George can make a cover his own, Isnโ€™t She Lonely is not in any way a parody of Wonderโ€™s 1978 hit. Though the commercially viable element rings home, and sticks. 

Just as Madonna did with True Blue, yesteryear pop hooks will be recalled and reused so not to be archived in an impenetrable chest, and in that they become timeless, precisely summing up this song. If the last single back in October, Signs of Life, bore elements of gothic and most definitely indie, this is George being more playful, different, yet still being George!

Isn’t She Lonely is across streaming platforms today….

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Geckoโ€™s Big Picture

In 1998 a pair of pigs escaped while being unloaded off a lorry at an abattoir in Malmesbury and were on the run for a week. The brother and sister pigs were dubbed the โ€œThe Tamworth Two,โ€ during the huge media sensation. I didnโ€™t remember this bizarre scoop, I was told about it in 2022 by London-based artist Gecko, on stage when Kieran of Sheer Music used to do gigs at Trowbridge Town Hall, as an introduction to his new song; itโ€™s a track on his latest album, The Big Picture, due for release this Friday, 7th Marchโ€ฆโ€ฆ

If the storyโ€™s location, or the gigโ€™s, is a feeble excuse for reviewing something not locally produced, as I vowed to uphold, neither matters; Iโ€™m willing to make an exception for something so uniquely satisfying as Geckoโ€™s humble and sentimental outpourings. For in these days where the pop song template is generally concerned with how compassionate someone is in the sack, or how ignorant someone was in the sack, thatโ€™s why they dumped them and now both parties involved are agitated, Gecko breaks the mould so absolutely ingenious and inventively. His singing of a song about two pigs escaping their fate is surely proof!ย ย 

Gecko

And if Iโ€™m intending to pigeonhole such outpourings I must go broadly with hip hop, though nothing remains of the ostentatious machismo stereotype of the genre, quite the opposite here. Iโ€™d only mention it with a flux capacitor in hand, ready with Doc Brown to form an alternative timeline where the mixture of sounds to suit a cosmopolitan society still resides in hip hop, and the bullshit doesnโ€™t.

For Gecko is a inoffensive dreamer, like the rare influential teacher who inspired a class, his songs drizzled with the utmost sentiments, and innocuous observations, sprinkled with humour. In which case his intelligent writing better fits indie rather than hip hop, his DIY stylistic choice of lo fi electronica reflects the contemporary, and will suit the mood of the narrative.

Thereโ€™s three songs as examples to what I mean, before the one about the pigs. Geology opens with a retrospective thump, elucidating the overall theme of The Big Picture rests on environmental concerns, though nothing about Geckoโ€™s delivery is vexed, rather calm and reflective. Darn it, itโ€™s a good start, I expected it would be. Though the second track threw me, in general the humour is subtler than 2020โ€™s Climbing Frame, the sentimental wordplay remains, and this one, Itโ€™s You (That I Find) parodies a conventional love song, using a jazzy beat and favouring singing over rap, as if Jamiroquai is a Gecko tribute!

Whereas the third tune, In This Tree, raps over a tropical or tribal bassline, Iko Iko fashion. Gecko always fits the soundโ€™s style around the narrative, in this case a luxuriant rainforest, the next a racing acoustic guitar celebrating the Tamworth Twoโ€™s break for freedom, orchestrated for the uplifting sentiment, kazoo applied for tongue-in-cheek underscore!

If heartfelt sincerity is key throughout The Big Picture it builds in layers of emotion. The Dawn Chorus is a piano based ballad to the morning reflecting an awakening, like the most memorable primary school assembly youโ€™d ever be blessed to be present at! The lounge-jazzy Family to Me follows, extending the positive attributes of friendship. Itโ€™s a lengthy journey of goodness, ten family-sized tunes. The Lost Boys beautifully tells a story of precisely what it says on the tin, and the sense of adventurousness is so overwhelming you assume itโ€™s a memory, only using J. M. Barrie as an analogy.

Gecko at Trowbrisge Town Hall 2022

Being The Tamworth Two has a backstory, I assume Bowling in Madison has too, but how Gecko makes the motivation of a bowling team so concentrated and purposeful, one can interpret it more vaguely, as the importance of any achievement. But if the run up to the finale has become the best possible saccharine vibe, the penultimate Take a Look Around is a formulated Gecko at his best, with the observational and uplifting rap sprinkled with humour. And lastly, The Universe is another lounge jazz parody which is the most perfect ending to a live show ever. Itโ€™s a goodbye message which incorporates every golden element to this most perfect album, the mindful study of deeper meaning to the everyday, pondering the stars above, and everything in between which nature gifts us with. 

It is, in short, beautifully executed with the best ingredients, thoughtful prose and ingenious blending, the sum of which can only leave you spellbound. Do not delay, listen to it, tomorrow, your ears will thank you.

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A Busy Week For Lunch Box Buddy!

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Wither; Debut Single From Butane Skies

Whilst dispersing highly flammable hydrocarbon gases into the atmosphere is not advisory,  Butane Skies is a name increasingly exploding on local circuits. The youngโ€ฆ

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Between the Lines; Melkshamโ€™s Upcoming Teen Band

We remain in awe of the deserved success of indie-pop band The Sunnies, which has continued to flourish since winning Take the Stage at the Neeld two years ago. But is their hometown ready for the next big teen sensation? If so, Iโ€™m predicting it will be Between the Lines, because it should be Between the Linesโ€ฆ..

Last weekend The Sunnies headlined a town councilโ€™s 4Youth โ€œNext Gen Gigโ€ at The Melksham Assembly Hall. Being just a smidgen over the age limit I missed this, but a video of the support act, Between The Lines, shared on social media caught my eye, or at least, my ear!

Formed five months after The Sunnies took the Neeldโ€™s stage, in October 2023, Between The Lines are smooth indie-rock female-fronted four-piece, consisting of bassist Belle upfront, lead guitarist George, and Ethan and Louis, who both switch between drums and guitars, the latter being the rhythm guitarist.

They put out a demo single, Fading Time earlier this year, with an irresistible classic rock riff, some nonchalant and confident vocals, and an enchanting hook. Itโ€™s raw, for sure, but a grower. Its ingredients blend wonderfully, painting a melancholic picture of adolescent romance; the tune is moreish, and blossoming to bursting point with potential.

โ€œFading Time was the only song we recorded in that session,โ€ George explained, as I thought I should catch up with them, sooner rather than later, โ€œbut there are exciting new ones due to be released very soon.โ€ I look forward to hearing them; progression feels imminent with this promising new band; you should keep an eye out for them.

With the band members currently studying music courses at either college or sixth form, I always like asking teenage groups what their music teachers thought of their band, poorly assuming it’ll break the ice! Even if referencing their education is highly unlikely to do that, I tend to stereotype teachers in retrospection of my own, wondering if they retain the doddery notion rock music is the โ€œwork of the devil,โ€ and attempt to throw classical violin at them, or theyโ€™ve modernised, least enough to be hip to be square on a Huey Lewis level!

Louis answered this one, elucidating Georgeโ€™s and his music teacher had, โ€œsupported our band on multiple occasions, with gig opportunities and equipment in the past, and has always been enthusiastic about it. Fortunately, no classical violins!โ€ Ah, got you. Our music teachers used to be funky too, though only in the archaic definition of being unpleasantly smelly!

Ethan expanded on this, and moved onto their first few gigs. โ€œMy drum teacher was always telling me to form a band and after talking with Isobel,โ€ He said, โ€œshe was adamant to get something going. Through music GCSE, we started Between The Lines, playing songs with each other for assignments and eventually starting regular rehearsals. Weโ€™re still new to the gigging scene, and have performed at the Kings Arms in Melksham and The Queenโ€™s Head in Box.โ€ The latter being a fortunate venue to play so early, Ethan also went on to reveal theyโ€™re on the bills for Box Revels in May and CorFest at Corshamโ€™s rugby club on June 21st.

George explained how theyโ€™d heard of The Sunnies before they had formed, upon me cheekily asking them if they thought they were the next big thing to come out of Melksham; youโ€™ve got to big yourself up in the Sham, theyโ€™ve got a golden arches, and Henry Moule inventor of the dry earth toilet, as claims to fame!

โ€œWell, hopefully!โ€ he laughed, but remained modest. โ€œIt really was great to play with people that youโ€™ve looked up to, in a way, and of course they bring such an energetic and fun performance which is something to be fond of. As for us, it’s exciting to see lots of new people enjoy what we do and it brings a lot of motivation for us to keep moving forward and expand as much as we can, it’s only up from here.โ€

Based solely on this single, I strongly hope and suspect it will be, so we moved on to the demo, Fading Time. I suggested the opening riff reminded me of the intro to Sweet Home Alabama combined with a dollop of Natalie Imbruglia’s Torn, even if itโ€™s showing my age, itโ€™s an accolade. I wondered if this smooth feel-good indie-pop rock was the kind of quality they were going for.

โ€œThe song itself came from a simple melody idea that I had for ages never necessarily taking any inspiration from others,โ€ George expressed, โ€œand we bounced back and forth from each otherโ€™s ideas until we recorded it in the short space of time we had.โ€

Ethan expanded on the backstory of Fading Time, in answering that cliche question I fired at them about their working process. โ€œSo far,โ€ he clarified, โ€œour originals have stemmed from one idea. For example, โ€˜Fading Timeโ€™ came from a melody idea from George and our unreleased single developed from a project I created for a college assignment. We then developed the song together to add a little bit of each otherโ€™s personality in our parts. We are fairly new to songwriting as weโ€™re mainly a cover band but we all develop our own little ideas and send them to each other!โ€

Their current repertoire includes covers of The Foo Fighters, Radiohead, and Chris Isaak, among others. โ€œWe try to choose covers that are both crowd-pleasers and that reflect the same vibes as our originals,โ€ Belle expressed.

Between The Linesโ€™ website cites Radiohead and Matt Maltese as influences, Belle expanded on this, โ€œas the main lyricist of the band,โ€ she suggested she took inspiration from โ€œvery poetic artists, like Boygenius, Fiona Apple and Bon Iver. Ethan focuses on instrumentation, inspired by Big Thief and Better Oblivion Community Centre. George is all about the hooks and guitar riffs, heโ€™s influenced by Wallows. Louis works on a strong rhythm, taking from Foo Fighters and Seal.โ€ 

Phew, at least the last two my dilapidating database has heard of! Youโ€™ve got to love Seal, I saw him live once, but he didnโ€™t do Kiss From a Rose nor Crazy, just balanced a beach ball on his nose and clapped his flippers. That was the last time I went to a gig at the Sea Life Centre.

As a finale, I pondered whatโ€™s in the band name, perhaps they met in a history class about WWII, you know, between enemy lines … .perhaps, ah, forget it, Iโ€™ll get my coat! When actually, Belle revealed rather than history, they did meet in GCSE music, โ€œdoing a project for the Christmas concert!โ€ Not too far off the mark then, just the wrong lesson, which goes in line with my own schooling. I was often found in the wrong lesson, and if I was in the right one, I tended to be somewhere else mentally; kind of explains a lot.

โ€œChoosing a name for the band was quite difficult,โ€ Belle said, signalling her vast music knowledge supersedes her age, โ€œeveryone suggested different names every day. Ethan suggested the name In Between The Spaces, which reminded me of two things – Between The Bars by Elliot Smith and especially the album Between The Lines by Janis Ian. After numerous ideas for names we decided on Between the Lines!โ€

Deliberating on a band name is important, it might fatefully fade into obscurity as the competition of a tough market to break takes its toll, or it could be that name in lights for decades to come. I wish Between The Lines all the very best with their ambitious beginnings, and very much hope the result is the latter.

I advise you to support new local talent and follow their socials, TikTok, and website here, as while Iโ€™m no clairvoyant, I know what I like, and predict we will be hearing a lot more good stuff from Between The Lines in the near futureโ€ฆ..

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FullTone Festival 2026: A New Home

It’s been a wonderful summer’s weekend, in which I endeavoured to at least poke my nose into the fabulous FullTone Festival, despite being invited toโ€ฆ

Bouffon! JP Oldfieldโ€™s Debut EP in Review

Once the demonic entity Spring-Heeled Jack entered folklore it became subject to many books and plays, diluting the once real threat of this Victorian bogeyman into a mockery of mass hysteria and hoaxes. If our local upcoming blues soloist JP Oldfield is resurrecting the legend as an opening to his forthcoming debut EP, Bouffon, the trackโ€™s haunting ambience is broken by the usage of his kazoo, implementing the very vaudeville element of satire the albumโ€™s title reflectsโ€ฆ.

Bouffon, being a French theatrical term for a performance of mockery, much like a jester becomes subtly apt once youโ€™ve listened, but thereโ€™s deeper prose at work. โ€œI threw a lot of names around in my head for this project but nothing seemed to fit,โ€ Josh told me, โ€œI wanted a name that summed up everything that these songs, my style, stood for. As such Bouffon, I think, is an unexpected title for my debut EP but I’ve never really seemed toย  like following the mould with any of this musical stuff and despite at first I rejected the idea, it sat in the back of my mind and wouldn’t go away.โ€

In a town where blues is taken extremely seriously my initial reaction to this EP was โ€œthere he goes again, blowing that kazoo when traditionally there should be a harmonica!โ€ But it soon dawned on me, this, and his beaten up suitcase pedal-drum looking like a juke joint throwout, is all part of the unique and idiosyncratic approach JP Oldfield has forged, and its originality works wonders.ย ย 

If thereโ€™s one notable eccentric kazoo-blowing duo on the local circuit itโ€™s Devilโ€™s Doorbell, who Josh supported at Chippenhamโ€™s Old Road Tavern. But whereas those crazy boaters with ukulele and washtub bass rely solely on the jaunty and jocular, thereโ€™s a much deeper tenet to JP Oldfield, richly layered, psychologically.

โ€œTo me a Bouffon clown holds a mirror up to the audience,โ€ Josh explained, โ€œat times it can be hard to look at, deeply sad, and presents you with things you’d rather not face, but in the end it doesn’t pull its punches, and allows for anything to be possible, a blank space where youโ€™re truly free to explore. I really resonate with the idea of this. I’ve always enjoyed the strange, quirky and unlovable. Elements of this have bled far enough into my music to feel a need to name my debut after it.โ€

The second tune asks this directly, if the singer has the blues, as if the melancholic disposition of blues is an affliction the doctor can diagnose. But three tunes in and weโ€™re blessed with such melancholy, Last Orders is a gorgeous ballad to vainly justifying alcoholism. Magpie which follows delves much deeper in its narrative.

โ€œA lot of people associate me with lively suitcase drum playing, jazz chord kazoo mania,โ€ Josh expressed, โ€œand I get it, but that’s not the only side to my music and I would be doing myself a disservice if that was all that I recorded. All my songs are dark but sometimes it needs to bubble up fully to the surface and see the light of day.โ€

He examples the two as those which โ€˜really fill out the point of the recordings.โ€™ โ€œLast Orders is a deep dive into my previous alcohol abuse and really aims to look behind the curtain on the inner workings of a lonely alcoholic. Magpie is a story told from the point of view of a child whose parents have just lost a baby and the confusion that comes from that as the parent’s attempt to hide and dress up the truth. It was actually written in half an hour, the afternoon before hitting the studio, when I put it down on tape it was only the fifth time I ever played it. I had the lyric sheet in front of me and sat real close to the microphone. We did it in one take, the studio went silent and we all seemed to be in agreement that despite it not being perfect, it was exactly the take we needed for that song.โ€

I suggest, in its rawness, Magpie is the most emotionally driven track on the album, the song an audience will take away with them. Though achieving the balance is key here. When we first met for an interview, the topic rested mainly on his powerful basso vocal range, likening him to Cash or Leonard Cohen, and while Josh should pursue this angle in his recording, his live show wouldnโ€™t be the same without the more kazoo blowing mockery of his macabre topics. For the finale Josh pulls in all resources. By title and topic, Satanโ€™s Bar one could imagine weโ€™re off in a similar style as Last Orders and Magpie, but no, mate, itโ€™s jump blues and off he goes with that kazoo again! I suppose, solving the dilemma on how to go out, Satanโ€™s Bar has both sides to JP Oldfield covered nicely.ย 

If I tend to relate baritones to Jim Morrison, and his ability to induce his crowd hypnotically, (taking into account their probable intoxication!), one can suggest JP Oldfield has a similar commanding voice, and thatโ€™s a high compliment, but deserved on the strength of this EP alone.

Oliver Stone projected this well in his 1991 biopic, though those who knew Morrison criticised his persona as deeper layered than that which was represented. They claimed while Morrison was the unbalanced and sometimes vexatious character portrayed, that Stone missed his more playful and humorous side. Josh undoubtedly has the capacity and skill to mesmerise a crowd, like Riders on the Storm, yet if those middle tracks on the EP proves this, the beginning and end ones suggest his favourite Doors track might be the more gamesome Alabama Song, showing Morrison to the way to the next whiskey bar.

Bouffon is released on 25th February 2025, it certainly wonโ€™t disappoint his live fans. With this original balance of melancholic delta blues with a sense of vaudeville satire, thereโ€™s deep personal reflection versus folklore and contemporary narrative, all encompassing and blended superbly.ย 

When I first heard Josh perform, I figured this needed the kind of guided hand only the legend Nick Beere at Mooncalf Studios could master. Coincidentally I bumped into him the weekend after Josh sent the album, and Nick not only confirmed he had recorded it, but agreed the kazoo and all JP Olfieldโ€™s gubbings were all part of the uniqueness of the act. 

โ€œNick’s not only very knowledgeable but also a great guy,โ€ Josh finished on. โ€œWe’d met a couple of times before, at open mics, and he already had a fairly good idea of what I sounded like. I left the production side completely in his hands, he’s the master, I just make the sound. It was the first time Nick had ever recorded a kazoo and a suitcase so I was happy to be the first!โ€

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Devizes Dilemma: FullTone or Scooter Rally?!

Contemplated headlining this โ€œClash of the Titans,โ€ but that evokes the idea of a dramatic power struggle with fierce consequences rather than proof Devizes canโ€ฆ

Goodbye to The Beanery but Hollychocs Lives On

Popular award-winning artisan chocolate business Hollychocs has announced that its Beanery Cafรฉ will close on Saturday 23rd August, marking exactly two years since its openingโ€ฆ

Park Farm; Mantonfest Came to Devizes!

The first Park Farm Festival happened Saturday, it was fabulouso, and in some way Mantonfest came to Devizes; conveniently for me as I had toโ€ฆ

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Mental Rot; New I See Orange Single

Hold on tight, the new single from I See Orange, Mental Rot embodies everything I love about this Swindon grunge trio, and takes no prisonersโ€ฆ..

If there are few bands on the local circuit to have turned my head and caused me to wallow in self-pity that I sorely missed out on the grunge zenith, I See Orange is the kingpin to this personal change of tide; proof youโ€™re never too old!

With sublime professionalism abound, theyโ€™re creating riotous rock anthems; my untrained ear evaluates what I deem to be the conventions of grunge, and this tune in particular, while sits into the subgenre only subtly, relishes more in orthodox, good old punk rock, with perhaps a slice of metal, to be savoured, and not overly-pigeonholed.

In the words of Chuck Berry, who, face it, knew what he was talking about when it comes to rock n roll, โ€˜you can’t lose it, any old way you choose it.โ€™ Iโ€™m getting more Joan Jett than Nirvana with this one, a timeless sound you cannot ignore, to that of what the Smalltown Tigers are more recently putting down.

Upon hearing the title was to be Mental Rot I wrongly assumed this new one would drift in the layers of melancholy and emotionally rise and fall, in that grunge formula many their past tracks follow, but this rocks out from beginning to end and sustains an explosive feel good energy aging punkers like me simply cannot whinge about! If, as the lyrics suggest, itโ€™s โ€œgnawing up and getting to the claw,โ€ hey, I like it like that!

They’re one of six finalists to play The Finsbury in London tonight for a place in The Musos Awards Soccer-Six finals at the Electric Ballroom in March; we wish them the very best of luck. Play like this new single, and I reckon you’ve got it in the pocket I See Orange.

Just a Little New Single From Sam Bishopย 

โ€œThis song speaks to anyone who’s ever felt like they weren’t quite enough for someone, yet still held out hope for just a hint of validation,โ€ Sam Bishop explained to me about his latest release, Just a Little which is out today, 7th Februaryโ€ฆ.

The immediate hook to this song is in the simplicity of the riff, it glides with a summer breeze echoing in feelgood ambience. Refreshingly vehement and not overworked, Just a Little caused me to think of Natasha Bedingfieldโ€™s Unwritten, and further back to how Madonna secured her queen of pop title with the Latino hook in La Isla Bonita, or am I going too far back for you now?! Noah Kahan brought back fervency, this goes along similar lines, though Sam likened it to Coldplay and Bastille, stating, โ€œI hope people can connect to it.โ€ย 

Itโ€™s certainly miles beyond his beginnings in Devizes School boy band 98 Reasons and the duo Larkin with fellow member Finley Trusler, in commercial viability. It shows a maturity, but if weโ€™ve followed this natural progression I could argue his previous songs were growers, whereas this was an instant like, and swift appeal is whatโ€™s needed in the fast-paced industry.

Sam scribed this beauty whilst travelling the States over summer and produced it once home. โ€œThis song is for everyone whoโ€™s ever felt like they were giving their all but still wondering if itโ€™s enough,โ€ he expressed, โ€œI wanted to create something that felt vulnerable, yet comforting, that also feels personal.โ€ Yeah, Sam, I think youโ€™ve captured that!

Just a Little is out across streaming platforms from 7th February. Check it out HERE; it’s already top ten on UK iTunes – deservedly.

New Album from Illingworth; Man Made of Glass

Four years of hard work in the making, and it sure shows, Man Made of Glass, the third album from John and Jolyon, aka Illingworth, is released across streaming platforms this week. If youโ€™ve seen this Salisbury duo performing on the circuit, the unyielding passion they inject into the obligatory classic rock covers set isnโ€™t half of what they put into their own compositionsโ€ฆ..

Pardon me if you came here for a respite from the onslaught of inflammatory international headlines and to read a nice music review, Man Made of Glass contains much prose on the tyranny of contemporary politics. As the idiom is defined, this narcissistic disorder of egotistical figureheads is fragile and therefore likely to shatter manifests abstractly, particularly in the title track and single Gaslight, but hey, I think itโ€™s safe to say we know the people it is directed towards.

Itโ€™s a floating opening, building in layers, this title track, richly written even if poignantly critical of power corrupting. As ever with Illingworth thereโ€™s this breezy air of feelgood rock too, of Foreigner or The Cars, which enriches the sound naturally. Soulless might be the subject, but soulful is the expression; itโ€™s a contrast.

Superior single Gaslight does similar theme-wise, but as powerful as an indie rock anthem, and rolling on a tougher riff than the title track, throughout, it takes the manipulation of its titleโ€™s term to the worldly encouragement of avoidance; this โ€œdonโ€™t be convinced by propagandaโ€ concept.

Bittersweet is the general ambience Illingworth delivers with here, and thatโ€™s no new thing in rock, but they do so with such passion and expertise it polishes the delivery and leaves you feeling alive and stimulated, with nothing bad you could possibly say about their songs. They are rich with honesty over vanity, reflecting on the theme. Gaslight may be the kingpin to the album, the running motif becoming less prominent in the other tracks. Every tune is a beauty though, embracing all stimulating elements of being uplifting, inspiring and catchy, just subtly with differing moods and tempos.

We Donโ€™t Have to Try is a country-rock ballad on an eternal love subject, whereas, Heart To Rule Your Head, is an inspiring โ€œyou can get it if you really wantโ€ upbeat track. 

Another Passion is upbeat too, of if, buts and maybes, whereas New Year is arousingly paced, reflecting on the unification and love perpetrated by the annual occasion. Love conquering over evil becomes the inclusive factor as the album drifts archetypically. This conquering notion to avoid the brainwashing of those seeking power lessens somewhat in favour of identifying affections, yet never fully expires. The finale is not to let it worry you, as the matter will shatter like glass.

While great, if previous Illingworth albums can feel fragmented, like randomly placed collections of their memorable songs you rarely hear enough of when theyโ€™re gigging, Man Made of Glass is more rounded, it has an overall concept. Like a classic rock album, the tracksโ€™ narratives combine and flow wonderfully. Itโ€™s not a โ€œconcept album,โ€ per say, but in the same classic fashion, and thatโ€™s a welcomed rare find these days of media overload and the average attention span of a goldfish!

Man Made of Glass is more suited to a vinyl, CD or cassette format, of a time when album composition contained an all-inclusive message, and you sat in the dark listening to it. Just like those albums of yore it feels like something to cherish, a testament to a bleeding heart of sentiment you identify with and get emotionally involved with, rather than simply hearing it while you wash the dishes. But hey, streaming is the mainstay these days, and thatโ€™s where youโ€™ll find this treasure buried.

Apple Music Link

Amazon Link

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Ann Liu Cannon’s Clever Rabbits

Ann Liu Cannon is the Marlborough success story I hadn’t heard of until yesterday; thanks to local promoter and frontman of the Vooz, Lee Mathewsโ€ฆ

Live in Pewsey, at the First Oak-Fest

Amidst another packed summer weekend’s schedule laid that lovable large village Pewseyโ€™s turn to shine; always a law unto itself, things went off; if itโ€™sโ€ฆ

Stepping Up My Spine; New Nothing Rhymes With Orange Single

Developed in Devizes, blossoming in Bristol, as well as a snazzy new website, indie-punk phenomenon Nothing Rhymes with Orange released their next single, and itโ€™s stepping up their spines … apparently!

A narrative of pending infatuation in the hope the feeling is mutual, Stepping Up My Spine is instantly lovable, projecting a more lenient and ubiquitous indie-pop sound than the bandโ€™s raw punkier past; a direction they seem to have been progressing towards with each new release.

Image: Gail Foster

I cite many local bands like Talk in Code and Atari Pilot, reflecting a national indie trend to return us to an eighties pop-rock vibe, and this follows suit, but only slightly. It retains the โ€œreal instrumentsโ€ rock ethos theyโ€™ve sworn to uphold, thereโ€™s no electronica influence, thus maintaining the edge we know them for. Letโ€™s call it a natural progression rather than a desire to follow a trend, not forgoing itโ€™s still stylised to their sound and is bound to appease their maturing fans.

If weโ€™ve keenly watched Nothing Rhymes With Orange and their devoted fanbase evolve and proliferate, this new single reflects and preserves that continuation. And long may it be so!

Keep up the good work, guys! You catch NRWO at SwinterFest next Saturday, at the Castle.ย 

In Retrospect With Gary Martian

So yeah, not only has Cracked Machine and Clock Radio drummer Gary Martin added a letter A to his name to make it sound more extraterrestrial, heโ€™s also fired a sonic blast back to planet Earth in the form of a whopper of a solo rock album! In Retrospect does what it says on the tin, taking inspiration from his most treasured rock bands of yore, and does it loud and proudlyโ€ฆ..

Starter for ten, now Gary Martian, proves heโ€™s a supernova of a multi-instrumentalist, taking the helm of every aspect from guitar to drum and the recording, mastering and distribution of this heavily-laced monster. If Cracked Machine are known for returning us to those heady days of space-rock, the intro to the opening track Lifeboats feels this is going the same direction, but in seconds weโ€™re awash with slamming guitar and drum combos letting rip of a riff more akin to grunge. Whoa, it didnโ€™t even wait for me to attach keychains to my flared cargo trozzers.

Yet while thereโ€™s rising and falling influences from nineties grunge like Nirvana and Therapy? I also taste nods not only to pioneers of the Seattle sound like Alice in Chains, but a broader spectrum of alt-rock too, and even rooted at the few tender moments, with electric blues and the soundscapes of Floyd, such as the closing of a few tracks, one called Bang in particular. Thing is, this value for your dollar, twelve dynamite tracks perpetually exploding at an average full four minutes each, and an epilogue song, Red Handed running into the twenty-minute margin, sublimely. Time enough then to input a carrossel of nods to every influence which has inspired Gary over time.

And there are Syd Barrett moments of whimsical psychedelia, something about Your Coffee Table, thereโ€™s metal grinding like Pearl Jam, breezy moments of The Smashing Pumpkins, such as Summer in the Autumn, and brief commercially viable moments like Jane’s Addiction. โ€œItโ€™s a big-olโ€™ rock album,โ€ Gary told me, โ€œinspired by the bands I love.โ€

Iโ€™m not in my comfort zone connoting such heavy rock and nailing its influences, I confess. I just say what I like, and like recent outfits coming out of Swindon, I See Orange and Liddington Hill, this is the kind of thing which causes me to regret my ignorance to harder rock subgenres, particularly during the ravey nineties. I guess it was all that slushy โ€œsoft metalโ€ previously, for it was an impermanent trend which put me off track; still time for me to catch up, isnโ€™t there?!

This album erodes the Muppetโ€™s Animal stereotype of drummers just being drummers and bit bonkers, as Gary excels in mastering not only all the instruments required to stage an entire rock band, but also in the composition of them. In Retrospect was released across all streaming platforms and is downloadable from Bandcamp, at the beginning of the month, apologies for the delay, but this will rock your cosy Christmas foozies off!

Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Deezer, etc…. https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/garymartian/in-retrospect

Youtube Music: https://music.youtube.com/playlist…

Amazon Music: https://amazon.co.uk/music/player/albums/B0DPHGW1MT…

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IDLES’ at Block Party

With their only UK shows of the year quickly approaching, the 1st and 2nd August will see IDLESโ€™ and music festival Block Party take overโ€ฆ

Riot Grrl in Devizes? Steatopygous Release Demo

Featured Image: Kiesha Films

In times of pain or stress cats mimic the cry of a human baby to best attract attention. You may not like it, but if you donโ€™t address the situation and aid the pet, you are unfortunately part of the problem. Riot Grrrl is a subcultural movement of anti-punk feminism deriving from the USAโ€™s northwest in the nineties, which, like it or not, has found a new resting place in Devizes thanks to rising teen band Steatopygous…and with a debut demo, theyโ€™re rightfully attracting attention too.

Not Devizes you may whimper, our affluent yet insular market town steeped in tradition, where the most commonly reported crime during October this year was violence and sexual offences, more than double the second on the list, this anti-social behaviour we’ve got a bee in our bonnets about? Seems a rather apt location for youthโ€™s screams of anger and frustration at the inequality of patriarchy to me.

Dealing with issues facing youth, our townโ€™s newcomers, riot front-grrrl Poppy Hillier, bassist Eliza Brindle and drummer Ewan Middleton may well have facetiously named their band after an accumulation of fat on the thighs and/or bum, but their musical subjects are far from ironic or amusing. Neither are they the female answer to NRWO, with their blithe and amicable indie-pop style. This is artistically righteous, a freedom of expression, and just like the catโ€™s meow, you’d better take heed.

Stalwart support act at Trowbridgeโ€™s Pump, a venue dedicated to hosting the upcoming, whereby I saw them first, in June, despite our much younger reporter Flo singing their praises prior, when headlining Devizes Youth Action Group gigs. Steatopygous delivered varying themes there, such as one song on the crisis in Gaza. But the two tracks released on this demo, recorded by Kieran Moore at Komedia, concentrate on matters closer to home and traditional to the ethos of Riot Grrrl; boys taking advantage of a male-dominated world.

Cassowary, a bird with unusual reproduction behaviour which sees the male tend the egg while the female seeks other mates, is the metaphoric name for perhaps the most composed tune of the two. With archetypal driving drums and laden guitar it’s short, fiery and in your face, but perhaps not so aggressive as the other tune, Little Boy, which is a style-defining peach. Angry and unabashed, it takes no prisoners.

Image: Kiesha Films

It is the screech of utmost exasperation, the deliverance of cries typically bottled or only released alone. And therein lies the brilliance and reason of Steatopygous, this erudite anti-sensitive artistic licence opens a matured eye to the vexations and anguish of youth, particularly identifying the uneven game of love and all its sordid undertones. Or if you fall into the category subjected and victimised by the behaviour expressed so poignantly by Steatopygous, theoretically thereโ€™s the emotive response of identifying with it and not feeling alone with your troubles.

This is thunderously original and raw, daring samaritan punk, released on Trowbridgeโ€™s cassette label Sketch Book Records, which if it honours anything, itโ€™s this wholly DIY ethos of Riot Grrrl, and though will remain niche, is something you cannot ignore; phew, I might need a little lie down now!!

Merch at Bandcamp. Instagram. Spotify.

They support Perennial at the Pump on 7th December.

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Emo Night: Slash Fiction and The Yacht Club Nationwide Tour Comes to Trowbridgeโ€™s Pump

Sheffieldโ€™s DIY punk queer emo five-piece, Slash Fiction will be at the Pump in Trowbridge on Wednesday 20th November as part of their nationwide tour. A winter-warming double-header with their tour buddies, Londonโ€™s math-emos, The Yacht Club, and Devizes’ own upcoming nu-gaze band Enguun, with Steatopygous drummer Ewan Middletonโ€ฆ.

Comparable to Get Up Kids and The Wonder Years, Slash Fiction, recently released their debut album, Gender, Trauma & Friendship, which Kieran J Moore of the Pump hailed as hisย album of the year. They also claim The Yacht Club are equally as wonderful; โ€œthink math-y guitars a la American Football combined with a Jimmy Eat World pop sensibility,โ€ they said. Four members fighting their guitars, The Yacht Club define their style as Revival-Revival Math Rock and have an EP out called IDTTIARTBWY.

Itโ€™s unusual for the Pump to be open for a Wednesday night show. โ€œThis will either prove that we’re mentalists OR that Trowbridge is great throughout the week, and not just at weekends,โ€ they said. 

Engunn proved a hit at Devizes Youth Action Groupโ€™s club nights in February and June. Our reviewer Florence Lee said, โ€œwhen Enguun went onto the stage, I was simply blown away. They are insane. My ears were in euphoria as soon as Ewan Middleton and Joshua Allen started to bless the audience with their music. As a musician, their ability to capture audience attention and put everyone in a trance-like state of freaking out was out of this world.โ€ย 

Tickets Here, from the Pump Website.

Slash Fiction & The Yacht Club

Sign of Life; The New Single From George Wilding

Am I going to tell you about this new George Wilding tune, or not? Huh? Oh, sorry mate, what was that again?!

Sounds like George is irked with a distracted nomophobe, much less speaks out for everyone ignored when addressing someone permanently glaring at a phone screen and risking causing a hitch in a relationship; I donโ€™t blame him and suspect most of us have been both victim and guilty of violating basic manners while gawking at someone’s lost cat or unappetising supper photo on Facebook.

Maybe this review will make you think twice, maybe it’s hypocritical even reading it, but whatever; it’s the damn good welcoming home song we’ve come to expect from this local legend.

So, pay attention now, because it’s been a while since we’ve been able to say we’ve a new single from the prodigal George Wilding to mention. He’s been enjoying being the human jukebox aboard cruise ships, guaranteeing his bread and butter, and if he’s got some stories to tell, we’re glad to see him back to tell them.

Sign of Life is out across streaming platforms on the 24th October 2024, we’ll drop a link here to it when available, so check back in or follow his socials. Its working title, Canโ€™t Get Through to You, may be more enlightening, but not so punchy.

George Wilding

A medium-paced post-gothic indie rock riff, comparable to those who dared buck the noncommercial ethos of the subgenres of new wave, The Smiths, The Cure both spring to mind, though George’s distinctive and often adventuresome vocal range should be no stranger to anyone locally based and therefore needs no comparables. This is a grower, creeping up on you, and after a few listens youโ€™ll be hooked. But besides, itโ€™s George, and doesnโ€™t divert from the style or excellence of his previous outpourings; fans will be pleased to hear, I reckon.

Double-whammy, as itโ€™s produced by the amazing Jolyon Dixon, renowned for bringing the best out of many artists new to us; weโ€™re delighted to hear of this perfect coupling. Jolyon told me, โ€œit was great fun working with him, canโ€™t believe we hadnโ€™t done so before!โ€

Look out for it on Thursday, just donโ€™t ignore your better half when they complain youโ€™re supposed to be taking the bins out rather than listening to this amazing new song from George Wilding, as that is what ear-pods were invented for!

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Harder to Breathe; New Single from Talk in Code

Itโ€™s been a fantastic summer for Wiltshireโ€™s indie-pop favourites Talk in Code. I think Iโ€™ve caught them live at least four times, and only once blagged a lift home from guitarist Snedds, of which is customary to drunkenly chew his ears off on as many random subjects the journey time will allow; I guess that officially makes me a โ€œtalker?!โ€

But hey, nights drawing in, back to recorded sound, and Talk in Code have a new single, Harder to Breathe, out this Friday, 4th October 2024; it is still 2024, right?!

Again this one follows the irresistible building template of the band, bridging the gap between 80โ€™s new wave electronica and 90โ€™s indie pop. This one, I believe, really harnesses the bandโ€™s objectives of creating timeless pop with dynamic eighties synth and guitar combos. The effect is akin to iconic producers like Peter F Wolf or Narada Walden; Harder to Breathe evokes blissful recollections of songs from the peak of the era, from Go West to Madonna, and weโ€™ll never stop dancing to them; try to stop me, I double-dare you!

Harder to Breathe is another universally exemplary precedent of this original timeless anthem ethos Talk In Code are achieving. The sound reaches that blinkered emotion of ones infatuation suffocating the object of their desires, at least in a pop-tastic fashion, as is the theme. At least I think it does, it’s been a long time since anyone was infatuated with me, but once upon a long time ago, believe it or not, some did; funny old world, isn’t it?! No one was even paying them!!

Frontman Chris Stevens said of the single, โ€œwe want to evoke the feelings you have when you meet people that have a huge impact on your life; being overwhelmed, lust, falling in loveโ€ฆthe song addresses if it is simply instinctual to gamble with matters of the heart.โ€

A versatile force live, able to suit a variety of festivals and venues, itโ€™s been a great summer, but the fun doesnโ€™t stop, this tune matches the gusto of their performances, in the comfort of your own home; give it a listen, just don’t try to stop me from dancing!

Pre-Save this beauty HERE. Return Friday in diddy-boppers and rah-rah skirt, I know I will!

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Clock Radio Turf Out The Maniacs

The first full album by Wiltshireโ€™s finest purveyors of psychedelic indie shenanigans, Clock Radio, was knocked out to an unsuspecting world last week. Itโ€™s calledโ€ฆ

The Light at the End of The Bottle of Dog

The Light at the End of The World is a fourteen tracks strong album which scores a goal directly from the kick-off with the aptly titled opener Letโ€™s Go. Released at the beginning of the month (August 2024) the timeless goodness of hard rock is firing off on all cylinders, and it doesnโ€™t wait for the opponent to tie their shoelaces. What did you expect? This is a band called Bottle of Dog, who use a logo design adapted from the Newcastle Brown Ale labelโ€ฆ.

Lady Red follows, then Push Up Push On, and this Chippenham three-piece indie self-defined raw powerhouse shows no sign of letting up. Thereโ€™s something ZZ Top about all this love at first sight monster. The band was accidental; formed from a one-off gig, now on their two-hundredth, a splendid accident.

Their Facebook blurb pigeonholes it as indie, combining โ€œseventies classic rock sounds with modern day indie,โ€ yet I find it takes four tunes to meander from the outright frenzy of early eighties hard rock. The riff of Chancing hints at mod rock of the same era, something that reminds me of the Undertones, or and especially, Secret Affair. Better Than Me, which follows immediately after tingles with a goth rock edge. Clearly thereโ€™s more going on here than the initial blast, but through influence nods it never loses its frenetic, loud and proud edge.

Okay, The Light at the End of The World doesnโ€™t dare to experiment, opting for the tried and tested rock template, and only moving from subgenre to subgenre, but it does so thunderously and with the โ€œif it brokeโ€ notion; hard not to like unless youโ€™re George Gershwin! And anyway, before you know it, Loveable Idiot at the halfway point has taken us back to hard rock, and you wonโ€™t be complaining. Itโ€™s authentic noise, lyrically felicitous and admissible for the bill.

Three quarters through the album you consider yourself safe from getting a slushy or moody angled track, Bottle of Dog give it their all throughout. Break the Page perhaps the pre-eminent, a rolling riff to make to hurry your fag and get back inside the pub to headbang! The penultimate Captainโ€™s on Board, has an anti-establishment yell, providing adequate narrative over the rolling drums and a โ€œHey!โ€ chorus, which leaves you confident the audience of a live gig will be singing back to them no matter how unaware of these confident originals they are, or pissed they happen to be!

And we finish with Zombie Town, which quotes London as the inspiration, alien to the communal Chippenham, yeah, keep your nose out, pal! Unsure if any inner meaning to this, or if this is quite a light at the end of any road, or album, as the title may suggest, but it sure is fiery fun, quality blaring and doesnโ€™t come up for air. If a metaller went to a boozer expecting covers of Ace of Spades and Hallowed Be Thy Name, or punk wanting White Riot and Teenage Kicks, neither would go home disappointed if Bottle of Dog simply runs off this album.ย 

They play the Fleece in Bristol 8th September, The Royal Oak, Corsham 2nd November, Colerne Liberal Club on 7th December.

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Thieves Debut EP

Adam Woodhouse, Rory Coleman-Smith, Jo Deacon and Matt Hughes, aka Thieves, the wonderful local folk vocal harmony quartet of uplifting bluegrass into country-blues has aโ€ฆ

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Some Days with Paul Lappin

Paul’s self-made cover to his latest single, Some Days depicts a fellow sitting under a tree pondering life, while an autumn zephyr blows leaves around him, and perfectly sums up the mood of the singleโ€ฆ.

It’s breezy, everyday contemplation, and as smooth as Fonzie in a health spa, as is Paul’s distinctive, euphoric style! A style which he cites Britpop as an influence, a genre I’m not so knowledgeable about, ergo can’t think of a suitable comparison within it, hence the reason I dub Paul’s prolific outpourings as unique, and also suggest it’s artists like Paul who’ve redirected my attention to its worth.

Maybe you could think of a Britpop group similarly so leniently exquisite, but I always hear an edgy wailing guitar in even the most saccharine. I feel the pink moon rising, this is akin to my most favourite of Paul’s flavoursome releases, the intimateย Live at Pink Moon Studios EP recorded during lockdown.

Paul Lappin

There’s a sunny side of the street narrative, in the face of challenges to wreck your optimism, apt for the mood of the sound. In a way, like Elbow’s One Day Like This. Paul levels it up a notch, though, throws his curtains wide but puts his boots on and actually goes out for a sunny ramble! I get the impression that’s when his inspiration strikes, as it feels so honest and homey! And this is the result, try it for size, and check his backlog discography too, for everyone is like this, a winner.

Paul was from Swindon, his Bandcamp bio still suggests this, but he now lives in the South of France. His output reflects the finer quality of life there, such that updating his Bandcamp bio is easy forgotten against wine, good food and music! But to note we’re supposed to review local artists, there’s a tenacious Swindon link to justify mentioning him, and when you hear his beautiful songs you’ll understand why I’m reminding you!

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You; Lucas Hardy Teams With Rosie Jay

One of Salisburyโ€™s most celebrated acoustic folk-rock singer-songwriters Lucas Hardy teams up with the Wiltshire cityโ€™s upcoming talent who’s name is on everyoneโ€™s lips,โ€ฆ

Bands At The Bridge

Organised by Kingston Media – to raise money for Dorothy House and Wiltshire Air Ambulance – the 3rd of May saw Bands At Theโ€ฆ

Phil Cooper is Playing Solitaire

Trowbridge singer-songwriter and one third of The Lost Trades, Phil Cooper has actually been doing more than playing solitaire, heโ€™s released a new soloโ€ฆ

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Talk in Code are All In for New Single

Swindon indie pop virtuosos Talk in Code released their brand new single, All In, Yesterday, via Regent Street Records. And We. Love. Talk in Code here at Devizine Towers….

Bridging the gap between eighties new wave electronica and nineties indie pop, Talk in Code are producing original timeless anthems. All In is unarguably their finest example to date.

With an upbeat euphoric ambience and a racing chorus to a rousing hook, it hints at Sam Fender but relishes in reminiscence of the memorable pop of A-Ha or Spandau Ballet; one can almost envision a comic book drawing of a distressed Morten Harket, banging his head on a doorframe; ah, school disco era seems like yesterday!

The narrative is one of hope for a rekindled romance, that maturity will warrant it successful this time around. The mood is optimistic, creating an engaging, danceable riff with pulsating rhythms under a shimmering soundscape.

Recorded with Sam Winfield at Studio 91, Newbury (Amber Run, The Amazons, Fickle Friends) The track is the fifth release on Regent Street Records, in partnership with Phoenix Music International and Horus Music. All In continues to ascend Talk in Code to beguiling pop greatness.

Frontman, Chris Stevens said of the single, โ€œthe songโ€™s narrative takes us through a journey of recovery from adversity and mistakes over the sound of a pulsating rhythms and glistening soundscapes enough to want to hit the dancefloor โ€˜Mr. Brightsideโ€™ style!โ€

โ€œWe feel itโ€™s a true statement of our thumping, upbeat anthems weโ€™ve become renowned for.โ€

Talk in Code have been supported by BBC Introducing and Amazing Radio networks together with achieving editorial streaming playlist placements with Apple Music, Soundcloud and FLO. Live they are a versatile force able to suit a variety of festivals and venues, and they extensively tour. Highlights this summer are Minety Music Festival, Home Farm Fest, Napton Festival, Aston Clinton Beer Festival, Box Rox, and The FullTone Festival.

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LilyPetals Debut EP

One of many young indie bands which impressed me at Bradford Roots Festival, and proof thereโ€™s more than the name suggests at The Wiltshire Music Centreโ€™s winter convention of local music, Bristol-based LilyPetals released their debut EP this weekโ€ฆ.

Firing on all cylinders, thereโ€™s five three minute heroes and one slightly longer tune on this impressive introduction to an equally-gendered and equally promising four-piece. Contemporary themes imploded by two fierce opening tracks, Currently Unavailable and, particularly, We Want More, arch a punk flavour of punkโ€™s heyday; and I like that a lot! Thereโ€™s wailing guitars, echoing chorus lines, and emotion pouring out.

If weโ€™re talking emotion though, the tempo lessens for the third tune, Thatโ€™s What You Said to Me, proving LilyPetals is no one trick pony. Itโ€™s a rolling ballad, with a euphoric element akin to a rock classic. If this tune will raise your eyebrow, note, Playwright reverbs with passion and fire, thereโ€™s almost shards of glam rock meeting gothic in there too. But LilyPetals have mastered the hook, leading to a bridge via a finger click, is clever and beguiling stuff.

The four minute tune is the penultimate one, and it just drives from the intro. Break Your Mind is perhaps a magnum opus to date for this band, though I highly suspect from the concentrated and tight compositions of all these tunes, weโ€™re going to be moving onto even better stuff from them in the near future. In principle then, this is encouraging, and it feels like punk is saved for a new generation in their indie passion. This is to Bowling For Soup what Reef is to The Rolling Stones, but the potential for improvement is gapping in their hands; the canvas here is ripped and ready to rock!

It finishes with Spaceman, mate, check this out, the hook is a sinker, it has all the elements of a classic, and, as weโ€™ve seen with bands like The Radio Makers, punk rock can evoke modern generations, and punk can live on through them. LilyPetals, arguably ironic namesake, yet the fervour is at a blossoming point, and this is a great and lengthy EP, verging on an album, and album worthy of your perusal.ย ย 

LilyPetals LinkTree

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Wiltshire Music Awards Website Goes Live

Last month we were pleased to announce our involvement with the new Wiltshire Music Awards in conjunction with Wiltshire Events UK, details of which areโ€ฆ

Soupchick in the Park

And there was me thinking nothing good comes out of a Monday! Today local bistro Soupchick, popular in the Devizesโ€™ Shambles opened their second branch,โ€ฆ

Family Easter Holiday Events

Devizine isn’t only about music and gigs for grownups, y’know? It’s about events for everyone. This Easter we’ve lots of things to do over theโ€ฆ

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All Catโ€™s Eyes for Nothing Rhymes With Orangeโ€™s New Single

Firstly, to clear up any confusion, as I know I was, a little, and I also accept it doesnโ€™t take much these days, Devizesโ€™ finest musical export since The Hoax, Nothing Rhymes With Orange will play a homecoming gig at The Three Crowns on the Friday 24th June, and not as previously advertised on the Saturdayโ€ฆ.

Reason being is symbolic of the monumental progress this young band is making nationally; on the Saturday theyโ€™re at the third heat of this yearโ€™s Pilton Stage party in Glastonbury, the winners of which will go on to share the stage with a major headliner in front of 8,000 people on Worthy Farm in September, thatโ€™s all!

Here at Devizine Towers weโ€™ve got all fingers and toes crossed for the guys, itโ€™s a tough cookie, but we look forward to catching up with them on Friday. If you need confirmation of my claims of their blossoming progress, check out the latest single, Cats Eyes, which they launched today, and you will realise Iโ€™m not making this up; shits got real.

If eyes are a window to the soul, and cats are sly, this bountifully bodacious banger is the wild romantic ride of Born to Run, with an nonchalant and stylised ring of youth. The narrative is elementary though noteworthy, the post-festival blues of confusing mental bedlam over a fleeting romance, and coming to terms with it all when homebound; itโ€™s convincing, I get the inkling theyโ€™ve been there.

Yet itโ€™s the professionalism of a lively style defined here which impresses, having watched these Devizes lads progress from the levels of fun yet amateur punky knockouts like Chow For Now. And itโ€™s all contained within a relatively short space of time whereby each single is a moonwalk to initiating a universal style.

If the early singles like Chow and Manipulation fuelled a local fanbase of peers, Cats Eyes will play the same part in enthusing the big kahunas of the music industry, and if not, I want an inquiry as to why not. These songs theyโ€™ll undoubtedly look back on as stepping stones, yet while thereโ€™s a modification to a growing professional trend which sounds to me retrospective eighties indie-pop, the like I hail bands like Talk in Code for reverbating, their rawer punker influences arenโ€™t completely saturated here. It doesnโ€™t feel like selling out, it feels like a natural progression to a permeating and accomplished sound, which will equally not disappoint fans but amass newer ones too.

If weโ€™ve always been impressed with Nothing Rhymes With Orangeโ€™s insatiable ability to energetically harmonise, itโ€™s evident here in abundance too. Theyโ€™ve mastered the hook, and taking it to a bridge, they detonate the pop formula with indie goodness, something which only gets better each time; Catโ€™s Eyes makes another positive leap forward.

The band have been consistently gigging across the South West at festivals and niche music venues since they met in a secondary school, and have been championed by many local radio stations including BBC Introducing who have featured two of their tracks. With a summer tour announced they’ll be playing a range of headline and support gigs right across Wiltshire and on to Hampshire, Bristol, Reading and London. 

But while itโ€™s great to see them heading out, you know when they arrive back in Devizes, the party is on, and fans will be chanting their lyrics back to them; the highest accolade aside a blinding review from me, naturally!!

LinkTree HERE

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Ruby, Sunday at the Gate

It’s a rarity that I should drag myself off the sofa on a Sunday these days, one usually reserved for the monthly Jon Amor Trioโ€ฆ

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Steatopygous & SHOX: Two Teen Devizes Punk Bands Appear on Trowbridgeโ€™s Pump Triple-bill this Saturday

Two teen Devizes punker bands appear on Trowbridgeโ€™s Pump triple-bill this Saturday, as the search for the Future of Trowbridge reaches its eighth instalment; unsure if Flo, our youngest reporter (by a country mile!) will be on the scene, so I’m tempted to leave my embarrassing grandad cap in the drawer and have a nose myselfโ€ฆ.

A new one on me, Menthol Lungs headline the show, with an ambiguous base I’m taking a wild stab in the dark to be Trowvegas. They promise hardcore shenanigans which never fall below 180 bpm. I might try to attempt to keep up with that, but kids, please stop me if you see me turn purple!

Now, our town’s newcomers, riot front-grrrl Poppy Hillier, bassist Eliza Brindle and drummer boy Ewan Middleton, aka Steatopygous, take the middle slot. In accordance to Flo’s recent interview with them, in true punk DIY fashion this band formed at Devizes school, and was the one she was most excited to see at the youth gig set up by Devizes Youth Action Group at the Corn Exchange in Feb.

Progressive indie fusion with a drum n bass DJ, apparently, SHOX also played the gig, and Flo had only good words to say about them too, concluding thus, โ€œthese guys have some awesome ideas, which makes them stand out and make a unique sound that I would love to hear some original songs with.โ€ A concept that leaves me intrigued, I must say.

There’s one damn decent way to further these band’s progression locally, and that’s to feature at the one true venue dedicated to being their, and so many other upcoming talentsโ€™ launchpads, The Pump. Whereas most venues want to bring in a big name, The Pump strives to introduce you to the next big namesโ€ฆ. Bloominโ€™ lovely place too.

Bucking the trend of depleting support, this Trowbridge golden nugget goes above and beyond grassroots schematics to host what will surely be, The Future Sound of Trowbridge. Hats off to all who sail in her, and I’m over the moon if it is to be suggested Flo’s excellent coverage of the Devizes Youth Action Group gig on Devizine encouraged Mr Moore, our favourite-most promoter, to book these two. But, hey, if we’re talking hats, there’s bound to be some other codger to share gardening tips there, surely? What the hell, if I do attend this gen z hoedown I might take my grandad cap after all! Best of luck to Menthol Lungs, Steatopygous, and SHOX.ย 

Tickets are only a fiver, go, invite your grandad along too! HERE.

The Future Sound of Trowbridge #8

The Clones at the Three Crowns, Devizes

Forget your pedal board setup for a moment, it was as if The Clones knew precisely what buttons to press to rouse the party crowd at The Three Crowns in Devizes last night, and whilst I’d admit it doesn’t take a lot to get them going, this four-piece certainly put an earnest shift inโ€ฆ

It seems irrefutable, the Three Crowns is the go-to pub to party and let your hair down in Devizes right now, particularly for Millennials and those tipsy enough to think theyโ€™re also twentysomething, like, I dunno, me?!! These wheels have been in motion for a few years and show no sign of slowing yet. Itโ€™s busy but hospitable, uses card-only payments to speed up service, inside it serves a respectable plate, and if previous generations favoured DJs in club format, the modern method of live cover bands is the epoch The Three Crowns abides by, and delivers in a spacious heated and covered beer garden, with zest โ€ฆ.but you knew this already, right?!

Whilst thereโ€™s the obvious popularity of regularly returning local bands such as People Like Us, The Roughcut Rebels and Illingworth, itโ€™s a blessing to see a new band to the pub attract the same colossal positive response. The Clones hail from Corsham, I was unaware of them and my curiosity paid off. As we witnessed in Devizes last night, they sure put the cor in Corsham. Akin to when Pewseyโ€™s Humdinger arrived in a blaze of glory, the punters showed them the Devizes appreciation and the atmosphere was electric.

Through a motley genre-mapped setlist they delivered a range of covers all with gusto, sharp class and attention to detail. Two lead singers generally adopted different stances, one taking the funky, soul numbers, with a sublime medley of Superstition and equally funky classics, the other with a penchant for eighties new wave, mod to Britpop; the Jamโ€™s A Town Called Malice being my fav of the set, if I was forced at gunpoint to provide one.

Yet both duetted on a number of miscellaneous pop and rock classics. There were few tunes you might consider clichรฉ, but they handled this well because often the crowd wants this, and mostly though sing-a-longs, they werenโ€™t the archetypal songs to falter a cover band setlist. Daring attempts too, from Bowie to Jackoโ€™s Billie Jean, there were some your average cover band should only try at home! It was nonstop fun, never attempting to sooth with a love ballad, or experiment with a synth, just the rock n roll four-piece format of drums, bass and lead, brought up-to-date with an exemplary setlist to rouse any diverse demographic audience.

It was loud, proud, and teetering with polished enthusiasm and professionalism. Landlords, if you want a band to make your punters thirsty by jumping for joy, this might be the cover band for you.

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๐€ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐Œ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐œ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐Œ๐ž๐š๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ : ๐…๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ญ๐จ๐ง๐ž ๐Ž๐ซ๐œ๐ก๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐š ๐š๐ญ ๐“๐ž๐ฐ๐ค๐ž๐ฌ๐›๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐€๐›๐›๐ž๐ฒ

Review by Pip Aldridge Last week, I had the privilege of seeing the Fulltone Orchestra perform at the beautiful Tewkesbury Abbey beneath the Peace Dovesโ€ฆ

Darren Worrow's avatar by Darren Worrow

Cracked Machine at The Southgate

If many space-rock acts have more band member changes than most other musicians change their socks, Hawkwind are the exemplar of the tendency. There mightโ€ฆ

Darren Worrow's avatar by Darren Worrow

The Wiltshire Gothic; Deadlight Dance

With howling, coarse baritones Nick Fletcher, the main vocalist of Marlboroughโ€™s gothic duo, Deadlight Dance chants, โ€œhere comes the rain, and I love the rain, here she comes again,โ€ proving two things: one; heโ€™s never been a milkman, and two; theyโ€™ve covered the Cult classic Rain on their upcoming second album, The Wiltshire Gothic, released tomorrow, 29th March 20224. Iโ€™m one step ahead, you are advised to catch upโ€ฆ.

If the time of the Black Death brought about radical advances in music and arts, weโ€™re engulfed in a similar epoch post-lockdown; lone contemplation and plotting is paying off with overwhelming creative output, and Deadlight Dance is a perfect example. Messages exchanged between two members of an ex-St Johnโ€™s Sixth Form late eighties gothic band, Nick, and multi-instrumentalist Tim Emery, was the root, a retrospective passion to return and pay homage to their influences. The result, a reunited touring duet finding a new-wave-gothic gap in the market, and the recording of an astounding debut album, Beyond Reverence last year.

The debut was superb original material top-heavy, nodding to their influences through substantial synths and drum machines; to suggest the Wiltshire Gothic is an addition to the concept is wildly off mark. Live, the pair appeased audiences through covers, with a strengthening acoustic take; think how Gary Jules stripped back Tears for Fearโ€™s Mad World in 2003, add some lutes, youโ€™re close enough to the picture. It was Timโ€™s idea to record them, and Nickโ€™s wish to do so in an Anglo-Saxon church. Tim said, โ€œwe wanted to capture that side of the band. We were moving forward with the sound from the first album, but this was no more or no less valid.โ€

On 28th November 2023 Deadlight Dance played some of their favourite covers acoustically at the 12th century All Saints Church in Alton Priors and with help from filmmaker Haunting the Atom, shot a promotional video. They felt it vital to clarify the church had no heating and averaged 3o; but hey, you are goths, I thought you liked coldness?! โ€œMy initial idea was to involve Nick Beere of Mooncalf Studios,โ€ Tim furthered, โ€œand record them live there, with a view to perhaps releasing them.โ€ Tomorrow you can hearken the result, essentially join them in that church.

The Wiltshire Gothic is a love letter to the songs of Deadlight Danceโ€™s early days playing music, discovering bands, and then ultimately discovering themselves, through music. A love letter you can copy and paste because the effect is a thing of beauty. Three songs each from The Cure and The Cult, two of Joy Division, one being Love Will Tear Us Apart, naturally. Others from Bauhaus, Fields of the Nephilim, The Mission, The Weeknd, Sisters of Mercy, and lastly, the one alongside love tearing us apart which you need not have been a goth to appreciate, OMDโ€™s Enola Gay. But hey, this is so encapsulating itโ€™s enough to turn Roy Chubby Brown into a goth!!

If I award points for doing what it says on the tin, The Wiltshire Gothic is off the scale. For me, with mandolin, mandocello and bouzouki blessing these covers, subtle bass, and Nickโ€™s evocative and mood-fluctuating vocal range, Iโ€™m taken back to my innocence of youth, and its drive, born of frustration and anxiety for the mysterious direction life might take me. New to the Marlborough area, as a teenager, friends took me exploring the sights they mightโ€™ve taken for granted, off the beaten track. Iโ€™m there again, sharing a bottle of red wine, perched atop West Kennet Long Barrow or the Devilโ€™s Den, gazing into the sunrise. And Robert Plant resonates โ€œoh, dance in the dark of night, sing to the morning light,โ€ from a busted-up cassette recorder. The Wiltshire Gothic is this enchanting, the selection of lutes, the pure acoustics ringing out simplicity, breathes the fire of a dragon into authentic, timeless folk.

And there it is, yeah, Deadlight Dance are recapturing the gothic classics of their youth sublimely. In the video Nick stresses the flexibility of goth-rock compared to the confines of archetypal folk, but if these are the songs you took out with you, on your Walkman, even if just to Marlboroughโ€™s Priory Gardens during school lunchbreak, then they are, in essence, your folk. They mayโ€™ve broken the mould, and thatโ€™s good, isnโ€™t it, thatโ€™s what post-punk was all about? And that is what The Wiltshire Gothic not only recaptures, but reimages, divinely. It’s as if Robert Smith sang his songs in an 18th century Wiltshire field, whilst uprooting turnips!

โ€œBecause of the unique instrumentation,โ€ Nick explained, โ€œwe didnโ€™t worry too much about staying too close to the original versions and felt we could be respectful to the original artists in how we interpreted their music. Itโ€™s not a radical shift in direction for us; this has always been part of our sound. I would imagine weโ€™ll follow this up with another dramatic musical tangent.โ€

The Wiltshire Gothic is released via Ray Records on Friday 29th March 2024, streaming everywhere worldwide. Available on Bandcamp. A limited run of physical copies is available from the band. The album is accompanied by a short film of the day that is released on YouTube on release day, we will add the link tomorrow. Deadlight Dance have an album launch on Sunday 14th April at The Blue Boar in Aldbourne from 6pm.

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Park Farm; New Music Festival in Devizes

A new music festival is coming to Devizes this July. Organisers of the long-running Marlborough based festival MantonFest are shifting west across the downs andโ€ฆ

Results of Salisbury Music Awards

All images: ยฉ๏ธ JS Terry Photography An awards ceremony to celebrate the outstanding musical talent within the city, aptly titled The 2024 Salisbury Music Awards,โ€ฆ

Static Moves at The Three Crowns Devizes

Bussing into Devizes Saturday evening, a gaggle (I believe is the appropriate collective noun) of twenty-something girls from Bath already on-board, disembark at The Marketโ€ฆ

Ashes of Memory; New Single From M3G

The fifth single coming out from Chippenham singer-songwriter M3g on Friday, Ashes of Memory, and if Iโ€™ve said in the past what separates Meg from the average singer-songwriter is her stark individuality, this one stands out as the perfect paragonโ€ฆ.

Thereโ€™s a choric aura in the undertones of this acoustic dream, evocatively expressed as ever, but perhaps more ambient and succinct than any of Megโ€™s previous winsome outpourings. Itโ€™s rich with poignant and lucid definition, hope in turning a metaphorical new page in her life, and the sorrowful trajectory which succeeds fades into tears, literally.

Itโ€™s one of those three-minute marvels that leaves you breathless and in a dilemma of quite what to do now itโ€™s over. Meg played many local festivals, and has supported the likes of Gaz Brookfield and Amelia Coburn; any musician following her better pray she doesnโ€™t finish on this one!ย 

Find her Spotify page below, follow, or at least return here on Friday to hear it and judge for yourself, I think it’s a beauty!

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The Emporium in Devizes to Close

If Devizes boasts an abundance of independent gift shops of unique and exquisite or often novelty items in the face of a national pandemic ofโ€ฆ

Mental Rot; New I See Orange Single

Hold on tight, the new single from I See Orange, Mental Rot embodies everything I love about this Swindon grunge trio, and takes no prisonersโ€ฆ..โ€ฆ

RowdeFest 2025!

Okay, I canโ€™t keep the secret any longer or Iโ€™ll pop! While all the hard work is being organised by a lovely committee, because theyโ€ฆ

Never Changing the Rules With Atari Pilot

Swindonโ€™s sonic indie popsters Atari Pilot are a prolific bunch, and have a new single out called The Rules Never Changeโ€ฆ.

And, they donโ€™t. Thereโ€™s a definite uniformed methodology to Atari Pilot which builds with each new single. Yearning vocals, never without a repetitive chorus to hook you, neatly packaged in retrospective new wave electronica. It may not be as commercially viable as, say, Talk in Code, but itโ€™s irresistibly beguiling and universal to be pop you need to hear. 

Love it! I donโ€™t want these rules to change!

LinkTree

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Events This Weekend; January Into February!

If weโ€™re nearly out of the prolonged gloom of January, note itโ€™s still winter but weโ€™ve climatised and are ready to party. February this yearโ€ฆ

Something Of Nothing; New Single From Talk in Code

Swindon indie popsters Talk in Code return tomorrow (1st March) with a new single, Something Of Nothing โ€ฆ..hold tight to your Deely-Boppers, things are about to get eighties around hereโ€ฆ.

Every time Talk in Code releases a single I find myself pondering deeper into what makes good pop, and if the word pop is a suitable term to use to describe a song at all. Wikipedia defines โ€˜popโ€™ as a โ€œgenre of popular music,โ€ a rather incontrovertible statement, being it defines โ€˜genreโ€™ as โ€œa conventional category that identifies pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions.โ€ Find me โ€˜shared conventionsโ€™ between Elvisโ€™s Heartbreak Hotel and Doja Catโ€™s Agora Hills, other than both were commercially produced? If they weren’t โ€˜popโ€™ they would hardly fall into the same category. Theyโ€™re styles apart, separated by time and influences, ergo โ€˜popular,โ€™ at the time, and that’s an epoch, not a genre.

Iโ€™d argue pop is only a genre when thinking outside its own sphere, ie; classical, jazz, folk. Ergo, everything else is pop, making pop a blanket term. Not all pop songs are popular, even if the intention was; singles flop, or, era depending, they become timeworn. Ah, but we were discussing โ€˜good popโ€™ and for that there’s two distinct categories.

Category one is throwaway, only encapsulating briefly, fitting with a current trend. Think of those songs you bought back when, but you’re now horrified you liked them, compared with those songs you consider classics, and will still drag you down to the dancefloor today. I bet you thought of more classics than the once trendy ones, because the latter you block from your mind, until some radio DJ spins it and you think, did I really like that shite?! Therefore, good pop breaks the very rule of pop, itโ€™s not trending, rather itโ€™s timeless. Ask yourself why tribute acts are big business, or a current act feels the need to sample an eighties electronica riff, it’s nostalgia.

Talk in Code often cite The Killers and The 1975 as influences, and certainly their root lies in another ambiguous genre, indie. Indie to me implies nineties dance-indie or Britpop, but whenever I hear a new TIC single I’m contemplating eighties electronica pop, more with every release.

Something Of Nothing is no exception, it accentuates the euphoria of an eighties dancefloor filler, and wouldn’t sound out of place on a chart hits compilation of 1986. By the opening bars I thought Ah-Ha were making a comeback, I thought Roxette might sing. The fact that when I addressed this eighties influence with the band they were agreeable, despite citing nineties influences themselves; itโ€™s what you want to hear, meaning one thing, that their sound is timelessly classic, ergo, good pop.

If it was so, that this tune was on a mid eighties hits album, I’m assured it would be a smash and Bruno Brookes would be introducing them on Top of the Pops. Equally with a nineties one. Talk in Code cherrypicks from era-spanning memorable and timeless pop songs, garnishing them with contemporary freshness.   

Subject is equally perennial for any good pop, they blurb this one as, โ€œtaking things at face value, over analysing and the scene of one person wanting more than the other from a relationship.โ€ Woody Guthire wrote this lyric, โ€œand it’s hard and it’s hard, ain’t it hard, To love one that never did love you?โ€ in 1941, again, recurring themes are so because theyโ€™re eternally popular subject matter, ergo good pop!

The song will be available via Regent Street Records on all streaming platforms from tomorrow, 1st March. Recorded with Sam Winfield at Studio 91, Newbury. Talk in Code take their dynamic show on the road,ย  7th July โ€“ Minety Festival, 20th July โ€“ Southgate Inn, Devizes, 27th July โ€“ Fulltone Festival, Devizes, 2nd August โ€“ The Three Horseshoes, Bradford On Avon, 3rd August โ€“ The Castle Inn, Swindon and 26th August โ€“ Box Rocks, Box. The act which can neatly slip into these diverse events, can equally thrill an audience at say, FullTone, or the Three Horseshoes, proves my waffling point, I think!

Pre-save it HERE!

Trending…….

Wiltshire Legends Jesus Jones Announce Co-headline tour with EMF

Think early nineties dance-indie crossover and the Madchester circuit might understandably spring to mind. Yet Pop Will Eat Itself were Brunmies, The Shamen were Scots, but EMF and Jesus Jones were West Country, from Cinderford and Bradford-on-Avon respectivelyโ€ฆ.

International, and bright, but perhaps not quite so young, Wiltshire’s own Jesus Jones announced a first ever co-headline tour with EMF this autumn with Echobelly in support; who said they were rivals?!

Right Here, Right Now two of the 90โ€™s most enduring alternative-rock acts are delighted to confirm they will be going toe-to-toe on whatโ€™s shaping up to be an Unbelievable run of shows together. 

Taking over big rooms in Manchester, Bristol, plus a major date at Londonโ€™s O2 Kentish Town Forum this October, the co-headliners will be sharing a bill for the first time ever. A tour that promises Great Things, EMF and Jesus Jones will also be joined by very Special Guests: Echobelly for the Manchester and London legs of the tour. The full list of dates are below.

Expressing their excitement for the Autumn tour, James and Ian of EMF state:

โ€œWe are so happy to finally be announcing these very special shows with our long term friends Jesus Jones, itโ€™s been very hard keeping this news a secret! From EMF at these shows you can expect all the old hits with an added couple of bangers from our new album โ€™The Beauty and the Chaosโ€™โ€. 

Echoing their sentiments in a year where Jesus Jones celebrate their 35th Anniversary, frontman Mike Edwards adds: 

“People always assume EMF and us were great rivals – nothing could be further from the truth, we’ve been best friends for more than thirty years! Then, the same people always assume we must have been on the same bill, loads of times. Incredibly, it has NEVER happened before, until now. These shows are going to be fantastic – and having Echobelly on the bill too – it’s a brilliant line-up.”

Sporting over 20x Top 40 hits between them, Jesus Jones, EMF, and Echobelly dominated the charts during a vintage era for indie and alternative-dance music. 

Forged in the cross-over crucible of the bubbling Acid House and Indie-Rock scenes of the time, Jesus Jones were formed in Wiltshire in 1988. Landing a Top 40 smash with their acclaimed debut album โ€˜Liquidizerโ€™ (1989), the quintet would go on to find huge success in the early 1990s with major hits including โ€œReal Real Realโ€, โ€œRight Here, Right Nowโ€, โ€œInternational Bright Young Thingโ€, โ€œThe Devil You Knowโ€ and many more across the decade. Releasing their most recent studio album โ€˜Passagesโ€™ in 2018, the band are celebrating their 35th Anniversary this year with a world-wide tour, with shows across the US, Canada, Australia and these momentous UK co-headline shows this year.

Across the border in Gloucestershire, the stars were also aligning for fellow scenesters EMF. Founded in late 1989 the dance-rock quintet would quickly rise to fame with the release of their platinum certified debut album, โ€˜Schubert Dipโ€™ just two years later. Shifting over a million copies sold and charting at #3 in the UK (and #12 in the US), it featured the infectious debut single โ€œUnbelievableโ€ a track that conquered the charts on both sides of the Atlantic and remains their calling card to this day. From there, the hit singles kept coming throughout the decade, with their next 7 singles all besieging the Top 40 including โ€œI Believe,โ€ โ€œChildrenโ€, โ€œLiesโ€, โ€œPerfect Dayโ€, โ€œItโ€™s Youโ€ and more. Releasing a further 3x Top 40 albums, the band would take an extended hiatus following the release of โ€˜Cha Cha Chaโ€™ in 1995. Reuniting for special live shows and festivals since then, EMF returned with their acclaimed new album โ€˜Go Go Sapiensโ€™ in 2022. Continuing their hot-streak of recent years, the band have just released a brand new album, โ€™The Beauty And The Chaosโ€™. The first single from the album, โ€œHello Peopleโ€ featured a guest appearance by Stephen Fry and gleaned rave reviews. A second single, โ€œReach For The Lasersโ€ will be released on 8th March 2024.

Fast forward to 2024 and the catalogues of EMF and Jesus Jones remain as vital as ever. Pooling their creative forces and impressive collection of hits for a series of major shows together in 2024, tickets for the EMF + JESUS JONES tour – will go on sale this Friday, 1st March @ 10AM. 

2024 TOUR DATES

Academy Events presentsโ€ฆ

25/10/2024 – Manchester O2 Ritz* 

Academy Events presentsโ€ฆ

26/10/2024 – London O2 Kentish Town Forum*

Pink Dot & Gigantic presentsโ€ฆ

27/10/2024 – Bristol Marble Factory

* w/ Echobelly

*****

TICKETS

Tickets go on sale this Friday @ 10AM here: 

O2 Ritz: https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/event/3E00603800AC2001

Kentish Forum: https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/event/3E00603DF84725F5

Marble Factory: https://themarblefactory.seetickets.com/event/emf-jesus-jones/the-marble-factory/2954083

Goths in Devizes: Deadlight Dance at The Southgate and Vinyl Realm

Every weekend is a dilemma, with so much going on. Invitations to see The Beat at the big Cheese, Sorrel’s book launch in Lockeridge, but sometimes I just wanna go where…. .. cue the theme from Cheersโ€ฆ..

And they’re always glad you came, at the Southgate in Devizes, a truly landmark tavern for bringing the town a steadfast, free and happy music venue. With a spectacular month’s line-up, incredible yet forever modest hometown singer-songwriter Vince Bell today at 5pm, those flip, flop flying Junkyard Dogs next Saturday, outstanding virtuoso Ruzz Guitar the following Saturday, grungy Cobalt Fire nestled between them and the legendary Jon Amor Trioโ€™s monthly residency shifted from the usual Sunday to Thursday 7th to allow a convenient opportunity for the incredibly cool Ian Siegal, yeah it caters for the town’s historic penchant for the blues and prog-rock, but the Southgate never stands on convention; last night proved this.

What Devizes anchors in blues, each local town has its own niche, Chippenham, folk, Trowbridge, indie, but eastwards, Marlborough way, the tendency leans towards post-punk and gothic. It was something intriguing, if a smidgen eerie to me, drafted there at a tender age from suburban Essex, only knowing black eyelined boys with wicker necklaces and stormtrooper boots from vampire movies. Accepting gothic was a necessity if I wanted to fit in, get off with โ€œposhโ€ girls, and avoid being bitten by the head vampire down Figgins Lane; none of which actually happened!

Something to look back on and laugh with Tim Emery, one half of duo Deadlight Dance, who was one of those goths in my school year. The other half, Nick Fletcher, arrived at St Johns for the sixth form but I was outta there by then. Together they formed teen bands, nowadays they’ve reunited to form Deadlight, playing here tonight after making a morning in-store appearance at Vinyl Realm, which I missed; could still taste the toothpaste.

In fondly reviewing their wares and gigs they’ve made me realise what I missed by only calling a meagre compromise of liking Robert Smith and teetering on the edge of full blown gothic; hence my reasoning for making a beeline to the Gate.

When the cumulation of the gig came to pass and Tim and Nick paid homage to their influences, I confess I’m in the dark about Sisters of Mercy or Fields of the Nephilim covers, but being in the dark for goths is a good thing, I thought?! I can, though, appreciate the more commercial or pioneering quarters, as they covered The Velvet Underground’s Waiting for my Man, or electronica classics from OMD and Joy Division; you know the ones.

Covers were sprinkled to begin with, as Deadlight Dance delivered their originals superbly, from a forthcoming album and their debut one, Beyond Reverence. With acoustic beginnings they built in layers from emotional melancholic expressions, on subjects like loving rain (despite wearing shades throughout the gig!), revolution, burning like fire in Cairo, and even a gothic sea shanty, to backing tracked beauties to enhance the second half of this poignant show with the new wave electronica and ethereal wave, and roused the crowd.

With a sorrowing rendition of Heartbreak Hotel, as found on their album, and these breathtaking impressions of gothic rock and electronica of yore, Deadlight Dance put the breath back into a genre often overshadowed these days by shoegazing pop or grunge; indie subgenres surely derivatives of post-punk but not as memorable for me.

If anyone’s going to bring out my inner-goth, it’s Deadlight Danceโ€ฆpass my blood rose lined black corset and skull and cross pendant, pronto, because last night was another great night at the Southgate, again offering diversity to our town’s entertainment program. Bringing a touch of Marlborough to Devizes is a welcomed rarity imho, it often feels as if there’s anย ocean between Avebury and Beckhampton rather than just a flooded roundabout!

Thanks to the Gate for parting the sea, and thanks to Nick and Tim for a splendid evening. Even got the opportunity to briefly chat with two other bands on our ever-growing must-see list, The Radio Makers and Static Moves; watch this space!

Trending…..

Discovering Swindon Story Shed

With Dad’s taxi on call in Swindon and a few hours to kill whilst her majesty is at the flicks, it was fortunate localโ€ฆ

The Rise of Winter Festivals

Once upon a time it seemed to me, that folk would grin and bear the winter weather for the sake of a Christmas lightsโ€ฆ

In Retrospect With Gary Martian

So yeah, not only has Cracked Machine and Clock Radio drummer Gary Martin added a letter A to his name to make it soundโ€ฆ

The Worried Men Take the Pump

And Morpheus said unto Neo, โ€œunfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.โ€ Funny cos, I kinda feel similar about The Worried Men! So much so, it’s worth forgoing my weekend cider ration to drive down to the Pump to catch themโ€ฆ

Fast becoming our flagship grass roots music venue, enough for Wiltshire Councilโ€™s area board to reward them with a grant, Kieran and his team have transformed The Pump in Trowbridge from its origins as a folk club, through offering a diverse programme, and we love it here at Devizine Towers. It’s quirky, quaint, and most importantly, it’s impressively welcoming.

The grant was used to purchase some new equipment for The Pump that will enhance the artist and customer experience. There is no need to up their game with the programme of events though, in my honest opinion. Every show is a gig in heaven already, if heaven has an antique pitcher pump as a feature! Kieran said, โ€œwe’re really trying to contribute to our community and thank you for joining us along the way!โ€ The pleasure is all ours, thank you Mr M.

Their worthy Future Sound of Trowbridge project to promote youthful upcoming bands at the Pump may well be in full momentum, but was put on hold for this Saturday night to make way for experienced, marginally older musicians! One thing you could be certain of, Worried frontman Jamie Thyler handles his guitar like Michelangelo handled his paintbrush. Cruising that well-oiled machine through a medley of every known Renaissance blues and rock guitar riff, with the ladders of his highly accomplished bassist and drummer, moulds them into one beautiful Sistine Chapel ceiling.

The Worried Men show consists of a few originals from their extensive discography, which sound like rock classics anyway, meddled with this cascade of known riffs and only pauses to allow some time for Jamie’s quick-witted, Gilbert Shelton humoured quips. They’re not wholly covers, per say, more improv homages and nods to his influences, the guitar heroes of yore, the blues master axemen from Muddy to Howlin Wolf and Hendrix to prog-rock’s Deep Purple or Zeppelin. Enthusiastic trainspotters will pick out Mungo Jerry, Spencer Davis, The Stones, but never will Jamie simply re-enact, it’s simply acknowledged in a beautiful mesh.

Opening with a decidedly Muddy Water’s version of Just Make Love to Me, and ending with a Jumpinโ€™ Jack Flash encore, it truly was a breathtaking barrelhouse of delta to electric blues, with enough psychedelic swirls to overspill a sugarcube at Woodstock, but more importantly, it was delivered with sublime passion and exceptional skill.

First time I caught the Worried Men was at our trusty Southgate in Devizes last April, I made an odd but fitting oral hygiene comparison, โ€œJamie holds an expression of concentration, occasionally looking up at you through these spellbinding Hendrix fashioned excursions, as if to ask โ€œis that alright for you?โ€ Like a dentist with his tools stuck in your gum, you feel like responding, โ€œyes, fine, thank you doctor.โ€

But none of this magic occurred until after newly-formed indie-punkers Future Plan gave us a grand support. With an attention to the heady dawn of punk, Future Plan attacked an indie set with ferocity and fire, making for a wild ride of originals. It was confident, rocking, and having it. Particularly entrapping was a track they called Rinky Dink, Future Plan might just be the most bookable pub punk band, if the landlord wants drinks to fly off the bar. With a debut EP in the pipeline, and some singles pre-released from it, find them on Faceache here, and I look forward to catching them again on the local circuit.

Another, what might be usually fantastic night at The Pump, and a most agreeable double thumbs-up from me. Though, Iโ€™m still none the wiser as to what worries the Worried Men to call themselves such, if anything Iโ€™d say if itโ€™s not ironic, it should be.

Trending…..

Christmas Greetings From Devizine!

Here’s our Christmas video Greeting, ho-ho-ho! Filmed on location at DOCA Winter Festival, Devizes, 2024 by Jess Worrow. Merry Christmas everyone!

Daisy Chapman Took Flight

Okay, so, if I praised the Bradford Roots Festival last weekend and claimed to have had a fantastic time, itโ€™s all as true as Harrison Ford retelling Daisy Ridley about the Force, with one embarrassing hiccup!

Finally, for a brief moment between closing fire doors I met Trowbridge-based singer-songwriter extraordinaire, Daisy Chapman. She was going in, with her daughter badgering her for ice cream, and I was wandering out, assuring her Iโ€™d check the release date of the album she had kindly sent me for review. All a bit embarrassing on my part, I shouldโ€™ve checked prior, She Took Flight came out in May last year, so opps, apologies, Iโ€™m late for the party, again!

Maybe this Daisy has equal power over the Force as Daisy Ridley, granddaughter of the Sith emperor Palpatine, or maybe sheโ€™s thinking, please donโ€™t make Star Wars references when reviewing my album, you stupid fanboy! but wowzers, this is one magically epic and euphoric seven-track strong album only a Jedi couldโ€™ve made!

I wasnโ€™t going in blind though, fondly reviewing her 2017 album Good Luck Songs, albeit belated again, in 2021. By way of comparing the two, Iโ€™d say while as the name suggests, Good Luck Songs is a sublime selection of songs with random muses, She Took Flight is concentrated on a theme and flows much better, with an overall narrative of life, motherhood, loss and love. Far be it to suggest it’s a concept album, but the thought, perhaps, is.

Dare I also suggest, akin to how Taylor Swift has financially benefited bending the folk rulebook to incorporate pop, Daisy folds similar, uniquely through dramatic piano and violin to define a confident euphoric and epic sound, like a musical classic. Though, with elements from so many sources and influences, to create something inspiring and enchanting, something she defines as “anti-folk,” I call it, in a word, enchanting. The uplifting musical reference is particularly true in the opening tune, Starlight, itโ€™s a grand start.

Porcelain draws again on the epic, though incoming is Daisyโ€™s refined and expertly crafted writing, often of arduous or dejected souls. This song drawn from a diary entry of the day her father died in hospital. Though there’s optimistic prose, as if life is starting over, only to be knocked back by the darker, probably most beguiling tune of the album, Womxn.

Over a subtle drumbeat the piano cruises like a well-oiled machine, and Daisyโ€™s voice enchants like Kate Bush at her finest. Womxnโ€™ chronicles a list of women
whose work was credited by men.

At the summit of the album lies the only cover, a perfect rendition of The Kinksโ€™ Waterloo Sunset, this sunny side of the street against all odds concept is gallantly captured, and Daisy makes this song her own. I couldnโ€™t think of another song so absolutely fitting for this journey, which mood changes with such gorgeous subtly, itโ€™s breath-taking.

The Gashlycrumb Tinies will then twist the narrative of the theme. An abject abecedarian, inspired by Idilia Dubb, a girl who met her fate trapped up a tower in 1851, and various other historic tragedies. Herein lies Daisyโ€™s writing influence, the likes of Leonard Cohen, and her ability to weave magic in her wordplay.

Wind Horses takes on the penultimate melancholic trip to insure youโ€™re suitably impressed before this amazing album ends, a poignant piece, a cinematic nod to all whoโ€™ve attempted to climb the worldโ€™s highest peaks.

Then thereโ€™s something downhearted lounge-room jazz about the building layers of Ballad of a Distracted Mother finishing you off in no uncertain terms, Daisy Chapmanโ€™s voice is breathtaking, her writing astute and perceptive, and the dramatic string arrangements over her own ‘Nymanesque’ piano makes a this harmonic composition truly something to behold.

After forming bands at University in Bristol, Daisy released her first solo album
in 2004, a collection of sombre songs for just vocals and piano. Her cover of Cohenโ€™s Halleujah proved hugely popular at the time on the iTunes chart and caught the attention of German label โ€˜Songs & Whispersโ€™ who have since formed a 15 year relationship with Daisy, booking her shows across Europe and beyond.

Another cover song, Umbrella, received her an International Independent Music Award (USA) in 2009, which inspired a self-booked tour of coffee houses up and down Highway One on Californiaโ€™s Pacific Coast. Upon returning to the UK, Daisy was asked to be part of super-group Crippled Black Phoenix alongside members of Portishead and Hawkwind.

Iโ€™m sorry to have her performance at Bradford Roots, and wonder why they put an artist of this calibre on so early, but after hearing this I endeavour to catch her live as soon as, and I believe you will too.ย ย Find out more about Daisy Chapman, here.

Trending……

Chapters, New Single From Kirsty Clinch

Okay, so, Iโ€™m aย  little behind, recently opting to perfect my couch potato posture and consider hibernation, meaning Iโ€™ve not yet mentioned Kirsty Clinchโ€™s newโ€ฆ

Devizes Writers Group Win Silver Award

Congratulations to Rosalind Ambler and Paul Snook from Devizes Writers Group… At the National Community Radio Awards held in Cardiff on 16th November Together!, theโ€ฆ

New Nothing Rhymes With Orange Single

Friday is over, I’m a day late to the party, but there’s a new single from Devizes-own Nothing Rhymes With Orange, and you’ve not heard anything like this from the boys before…..

Starter for ten, Friday is Over sounds four-five notches more professional than anything which went before, a result of 91 Studios in Newbury and a push to obtain a crisper sound for radio by our very own skateboarding Vernon Kay, James Threlfall! (I know, it probably bugs him when I call him that!) But tech is nothing without the skill to use it to your advantage, and from the off Friday is Over twinkles with a surprising eighties synth-pop intro. There’s retrospective elements of what local indie bands like Talk in Code, the Dirty Smooth and Atari Pilot aim to achieve, but not without the archetypical NRWO sound in the forefront.

So, Don’t go off thinking the band are the new A-Ha, the guitars roll and Elio’s vocals build to something we’re familiar with, as Nothing Rhymes With Orange fans. Still though, we’re on another level with this, the bridges and hooks, all chartable stuff from our hometown boys; for crying out loud Devizes Town Council, lets a get a statue of these kids in the Market Place, pronto!

If past tunes filled me with hope for them, this one fills me with assurance, knowing how hard they’ve all worked towards this, and pride too, to say we’ve been following and supporting them since day dot. Friday maybe over, but this is the start of a great adventure and we wish them all the best…. take a listen.

Trending…..

Hansel & Gretel: Panto at the Wharf!

Images: Chris Watkins Media It was lovely to spend Sunday afternoon at Devizesโ€™ Wharf Theatre, to see how this yearโ€™s pantomime Hansel & Gretel, isโ€ฆ

No Worries; Worried Men at The Pump

Long overdue a visit to the Pump in Trowbridge, Jamie Thyer, frontman of the Worried Men twisted my arm Friday night and there I was,โ€ฆ

Ian Siegal at Long Street Blues Club

Devizes is often spoiled for choice when it comes to live music. Swindon folk ensemble SGO at the Gate would’ve been an excellent decision forโ€ฆ

Wiltshire Music Centre Announces New Joint Leadership

Wiltshire Music Centre is delighted to announce the new appointments ofย Danielย Clark as Artistic Director, andย Sarahย Robertson as Executive Director.ย Danielย andย Sarahย join Wiltshire Music Centre in a new co-leadershipโ€ฆ

Way to Start the Year; Bradford Roots Festival 2024

Hibernating since Christmas, now I feel like a turkey, making up for it, stuffing eighteen bands into eight hours, such is the beauty of Bradford Roots Festivalโ€ฆ..

Impossible to provide detailed analysis of each with such a sizable quota, not without an essay-length review, and there’s the handful I missed. Suffice it to say, every act I witnessed at Bradford Roots Festival was top notch, and locally-sourced, just as we like it here on the De-viz-ine!

Over two years from 2019, our man Andy returned from the annual convention and reported back. I skipped through it and published. I need not doubt his words, dedicating my time writing something else. I wrongly assumed at the time, likely from its name, that the Bradford Roots Festival was a folk festival, rather โ€œrootsโ€ I now believe refers geographically; it’s the music of the here and now. I discovered this for myself attending last year’s and unexpectedly hearing jazz and youthful grunge bands you wouldnโ€™t usually hear at a folk festival!

Open any fire door to the wonderful Wiltshire Music Centre in Bradford-on-Avon, and there’s another surprise behind it. The festival is an annual indoor feast of music over four stages, fundraising for the Centre itself, their Zone Club, a musical group for disabled adults, and a chosen charity, this year’s being Parkinson’s support. I like to define it as a convention of local musicians rather than a festival, only because it’s all indoors and winter, but it doubles up as either. Either way you view it, it’s a brilliant event for all ages. For the elders there’s a bar and food options, for the youngest there’s craft rooms, workshops and naturally for a festival in January, ice cream!

You could also see it as a taster for the wealth of musical acts we have on this circuit; youโ€™ll find them performing in our local venues. Some I’ve previously tried and tested, others were new to me, and some essential to check off my ever-growing must-see list.

The latter true of the first, gutted to have been too late for Daisy Chapman at the acoustic Gudeon stage, Jol Rose followed. He’s the Swindon-based Americana soloist I met at a Swindon Shuffle of yore and been meaning to catch perform. Like all others, he didn’t disappoint, despite only catching his finale. Here’s a prolific acoustic magician with the experience under his belt to engage an audience. An open mic hour followed at this stage.

If Jol, though, came as no surprise, Thieves did. My next venture to the Wild & Woolley stage where blues is the order by day, and youth gather for indie by the eve, Thieves were playing an acoustic harmony not unlike the Lost Trades, and hey presto, I’m standing next to the one only Phil Cooper, one third of said Trades! Heโ€™s compere for this stage, and will perform at the bar stage later. As Thieves progressed through a sublime set of bluegrass I likened it more to Concrete Prairie, and of similar quality. I’m staring at the frontman from a distance, thinking, by Jove, thatโ€™s Adam Woodhouse, who I know as a soloist with a penchant for rock n roll covers. This new outfit, Thieves, only formed in June and is barking up his alley, youโ€™d imagine the four-piece to have done this all their life. Adam tells me theyโ€™re playing a Sunday at The Southgate, Devizes, in April, well worth your attention.

The festival breaks for its foyer tradition of Holtโ€™s morris dancers and childrenโ€™s parade, known as the Wassall, then Phil Cooper takes the Bar Stage, kicking off with his own Road Songs, finding time to superbly cover Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

Such is diversity on offer, when itโ€™s time for some jazz hey presto, again, Iโ€™ve finally made my way to the Main Stage for The Graham Dent Trio. Jazz pianist with a double-bass player and Nick Sorensen on sax, this is divine melodic invention, contemporary and unique, though I knew what I was letting myself in for, I saw them last year.  

Drag myself away, for Bristol Uni indie four-piece, LilyPetals. New to me, confident youngsters with funky basslines over the archetypal rock, big tick from me. And a tick off my must-see list, Be Like Will on the main stage, a varied strong female-fronted three-piece pub circuit band who used the festival to play through their originals rather than their usual covers to appease a pub audience, which, either way, theyโ€™d accomplish with bells on. The new tune finale was a definite article to how rousing this band can take an audience.

The showstopper though, and itโ€™s a big show to stop, came from Ruby Darbyshire at the Gudgeon. An absolutely spellbinding performance left the crowd in awe as others mingled outside praying someone would leave to replace them; few did. Rubyโ€™s stage presence has drastically improved in a relatively short space of time, her talent to adapt from acoustic folk to jazz scat need not. With just the right balance of originals and covers, she held us in awe, was the only artist to get an encore, and through Sinรฉad O’Connor, Dylan, Bob Marley and Springsteen covers she nailed them all and made them her own. Particularly poignant, Ella Fitzgeraldโ€™s Misty, simply, wow!

Beguiling building layers of goth-rock were sounding from the Wild & Woolley, though, as Bristolโ€™s female-fronted Life in Mono took to the stage. Evanescence in shape, yet solely idiosyncratic, hereโ€™s a euphoric original band to look out for. With Life in Mono indulgently ticked off my must-see, a new one on me rocked the main stage, the steady gypsy-dad-folk of The Mighty Rooster, prior to ensuring I was at the Bar for the unmissable Chippenham folk singer-songwriter, Meg. A passionate and thoughtful young artist, Meg delivers in such a unique yet proficient way I deem it impossible for anyone not to love her.

Such is the tight schedule though, should I need waiver artists weโ€™ve seen and featured before in favour of ones Iโ€™ve yet to catch live? Trowbridge soul artist extraordinaire, Frankisoul is due on the main stage; anticipation brewing from the crowd while the band frustrate themselves with minimal setup times, resulting in a few technical mishaps, would, in any other circumstances be somewhat off-putting, but, fact is Frankisoul is such a character, and such a vibrant and sublime soul vocalist, hiccups were easy to polish over, still, they came up smiling and were my second showstoppers of the festival.       

Clichรฉ is putty in Frankisoulโ€™s hands, if his only cover, Gloria Gaynorโ€™s I Will Survive is so, and they rinsed their originals with gusto and stylish proficiency, even down to a moment of hilarity upon Frankisoul mimicking the coat stage gimmick of James Brown. Itโ€™s these originals which gravitated me towards them, reviewed here, I shivered apprehension comparing him to likes of Luther Vandross, particularly Otis Redding, and yeah, live thereโ€™s a hint of eighties soul, of Kool & the Gang, but now I know he can live up to these.

Meanwhile the wonderful Courting Ghosts were unplugged at the Bar Stage, with their amazing blend of folk-rock, and Melkshamโ€™s finest youth band The Sunnies rocked the Wild & Woolley. One Iโ€™ve been aching to catch, yet I didnโ€™t catch enough of due to Frankisoul gluing me to my seat, if I liken The Sunnies to Devizes-own sensation, Nothing Rhymes With Orange, I think itโ€™s fair to now state, The Sunnies angle slightly to more indie-pop, their originals tinged with a carefree and indeed, sunny-side-of-the-street feel; a blessing to watch, bloominโ€™ marvellous!

With lively function band the Corporations attracting those left standing to the main stage, crowds lessened at the Wild & Woolley, sadly just when the epic finale was due. Yeah, itโ€™s Devizesโ€™ Nothing Rhymes with Orangeโ€™s headliner; those in the know and a few curious punters stayed to observe our hometownโ€™s fever as the boys pulled out their typical energetic and competent show. Evermore is their attraction spreading, with gigs lined up as far as Manchester now, NRWO, Iโ€™ll be banging on about their brilliance for a while yet it seems!

Conclude this now, Worrow, in some manner, youโ€™re sounding boring! I Know, but, over a colossal word-count only teetering on covering all the happenings at Bradford Roots Festival, and only the one day of it too, I struggle to find anything to grumble about. What a way to start the year, Bradford Roots Festival is amazing, the shell, The Wiltshire Music Centre is a blessing to our county, the value for money is righteous, the atmosphere is equable and convivial, and long may it be so.

Trending…..

What’s Happening During November in Devizes?

Remember, remember, weโ€™re moving into November; leaves, loads of โ€˜em! Being as we are no longer doing weekly roundups, hereโ€™s some highlights of events inโ€ฆ

YEA Devizes: DOCA New Youth Project

Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts announced their upcoming project, YEA Devizes today. Made possible by a grant from National Grid Electricity Transmissionโ€™s Community Grant Programme, theโ€ฆ

Gazelles: Follow-up Album from Billy Green 3

Our favourite loud Brit-popping local Geordie and gang are back with a second album. Theyโ€™re calling it Gazelles, after the previously released single opener Endless Scrolling Gazelles, a sardonic rap on the overuse of social media. Yeah we reviewed that back in 2022, and it sure was a different approach for Billy Green 3, yet the breezy journey cruising interchanging archetypal indie styles dotted with experimentation puts them firmly back on the mapโ€ฆโ€ฆ.

Thereโ€™s three previously released singles on this eleven-track strong album which weโ€™ve covered before, Garden being another stab at social media wrapped in quasi-rap poetry teetering with Geordie mockery, it holds an ironic slate against the charade of social media embodiment. โ€œPeople posting inspirational memes in one post, and ruining people in the next,โ€ Bill described its subject to me at the time.

Betwixt those, four tunes, Raised Scars is the dreamy side of indie, the Verve, the exotic hopeless romantic melody of I Donโ€™t Really Sleep (โ€˜til You Get Home) drifts more akin to Primal Scream, thumbs up for that, surely showing the trio at their finest. Back to the upbeat rock-rap with one called Not That Deep, swapping back to soulful ballad for With You.

Broken is the third, Britpop still, yeah, but with a melancholic riff drifting over a subtle Latino backdrop, I summed it as โ€œMadchester in Ibizaโ€ back in 2022. Four tunes follow, The Fire Works cherrypicks the euphoric element of the rest and embellishes it, thereโ€™s a spoken word section here, and the whole U2 album track feel displays yet another tactic that Billy Green 3 is no one trick pony.

Scars sends us carelessly drifting to shore, another previously released single, it seems, this technophobe mustโ€™ve missed due to all being on Spotty-fly these-a-days; hadaway and a shite, Bill, get in touch, oh and โ€œup the toon!โ€ (Thatโ€™s the only saying Iโ€™ve got which sounds anything remotely Biffa Bacon.) Where was I? Lovesick, again a single release from 2023, fuses this hopeless romantic standard Billy Green 3 push, yet waivers between song and this spoken converse over a beat decidedly nineties indie-dance.ย 

And oh, another reference to the title, Gazelles plays out this beautiful album. Epic closure on the theme of the human disposition versus scrolling through endless media, this one encapsulates every angle explored on the album and rolls it into one conclusion, with a snippet Easter egg at the finale, and thatโ€™s my best gamer reference. Superb album, engineered at Potterne’s Badger Sett studio, especially for the wee brit-popper inside us all, though I expected as much, going on the debut Still.

Even if the second album is always a worry, Billy Green 3 can welcome in the new year confident. Put this on, grab yoorself a braan ale, n kick back like Guimaraes int nivvor leaving St Jamesโ€™ Park! But if you need further reading about Bill and his relation to Wiltshire, see here.

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The Mist; New Single from Meg

Chippenhamโ€™s young folk singer-songwriter Meg, or M3G if you want to get numeric, will release her 6th single The Mist on Friday 18th October, andโ€ฆ

Nothing Rhymes With Orange Storm The Southgate

If The Southgate is Devizesโ€™ finest and most reliable pub music venue, it’s usually favoured by an adult crowd. Yet it’s without doubt that Nothing Rhymes With Orange is the most cherished Gen Z band in town. Having not played Devizes since summer, it was a certainty such a free gig wouldย crash the age demographic of the trusty tavern down a notch or three, never a bad thing, though not a given they’d raise its roof, but, they did that tooโ€ฆ

It’s been on the cards for a while. After a long-lost summer Sunday when the band popped in to witness how it’s done, by the expertise of Jon Amor Trio’s monthly residency. Now, being their first time huddled in the infamous alcove, they brought the most diverse entourage we’ve seen at the Gate, and with zest and a righteous sense of confidence, they provided a proficient, high energy show of their unique brand of indie-punk. The atmosphere was fire.

Ageism didn’t turn up, it chose to stay home, cuddling the sensationalised myth blankie of teenage hooliganism other local media will have you believe, for clickbait. The youngest were respectful of the elder regulars, behaved accordingly, the regulars welcomed the youngsters, and surprisingly, behaved too! If Haribo temporarily replaced cider, the Gate issued a statement prior that all under eighteen must be accompanied by an adult, meeting the delicate balance needed. It’s one thing providing a safe space for the fledgling generation to enjoy, and I salute landlords Deb and Dave for this, but another in this economic climate to insure a gig is profitable for a pub through takings at the bar.ย 

Thus it made a most unusual evening at the Gate, one half as the matured yet lively and hospitable establishment it always is, the other town’s teenage fanbase, who wouldn’t usually frequent the place, dancing their socks off and hailing back the lyrics to the group in unison; the benchmark for any band in vogue.

There’s no mistaking the simple notion, Nothing Rhymes With Orange are at a peak right now, locally. How this widens geographically is down to their motivation and commitment, but I, for one, urge those outside our locality to check them out, as the sensation they’re attracting here is akin to Beatlemania. If their stage presence has flourished, their harmony and ability to execute intelligent and often witty narrative in the present, has always been an accomplishment and goal scorer from day dot.

They look like they really want to be there, that’s the ticket, as it reflects on the audience and reverberates equally to their wailing guitars. Frontman Elijah Eastonl is worshipped when he stands amidst the fans, it’s something to behold. The band play on, lead guitarist Fin Anderson-Farquhar covers the riff, splices vocals, bassist Sam Briggs layers it, enthusiastic drummer Lui Venables sets the pace, but more often than not, it’s their unison which compliments Elijah’s spontaneous spotlight moments.

The first half of this show fire-breathing their beloved originals, Monday, Chow for Now, Creatures, with an alternative downtempo take on Lidl Shoes, I felt a little experimentation was afoot, some crashing endings aliken to prog-rock rather than their archetypal punker base. Was this to appease the Southgate regulars or a new avenue for them, I’m unclear, but it was an interesting move.

After Butterflies, the second half was adroit covers heavy, ending with an encore of Manipulation, their most treasured original for audience participation. The boys are back in the studio soon, after having a brief break, and we look forward to hearing what they come out with, because last night at the Gate, they were positively buzzing, a real stocking filler!

Phase Rotate at the Southgate tonight, and leading up to brussel sprout day, Chrissy Chapman as One Trick Pony has a fundraiser on Friday 22nd, Marlborough’s blues aficionados Barrelhouse return on Saturday 23rd, and that’s always an unmissable one.

Viduals Release New Single

Is that ex still playing on your mind? It’s been an age, mate, but no amount of friendsโ€™ attempts to console you will help, or Domino’s pizza. You need a good old road closure. Yep, mobile traffic lights with a five mile queue to vent your grievances, take your mind off it; come to Devizes, we’ve got loads!

Okay, this isn’t Dear Deidre, that’s such a middle-aged Karen response it worries me to be honest. I do vaguely recall wallowing in self-pity, generally worsening it by listening to Portishead, nothing helped, but it was all so long ago. Thanks to Swindon’s dynamic indie four-piece, Viduals, for the reminder on how it feels!

Seriously though, a new belter from them today, fresh out of Western Audio Studios, called Where Did The Time Go? It’ll warm you up! After fondly reviewing their EP, On The Wayside just short of a year ago, Viduals have leaped and bounded. This is pro-indie-punk going places.

Despite the melancholic subject, this is throwing yourself into the mosh pit stuff, zesty and brim-full of youthful energy, but at the same time exhales a more universal and matured sound for the band. Sure presses my buttons and I’ve been happily married for โ€ฆ..ermm โ€ฆ..oh, where did the time go?!

At least you can be certain, this is a great tune, and if Mrs Devizine reads this I’ll be in the doghouse. Now, where’s that Portishead album, and what’s the number for Domino’s pizza?!

Trending….

Autumn-Winter Comedy in Devizes

Comedy in Devizes is a rare thing, unless you count visitors turning right at the Shaneโ€™s Castle junction, reading opinions on the Devizes Issues (butโ€ฆ

Snakebite Tune From The Dirty Smooth

Snotty nose, change of weather, otherwise Iโ€™d have dragged my sorry ass down to Underground, formerly Level III in Swindon for last weekendโ€™s Children in Need fundraiser with our heroes Talk in Code, and these Malmesbury guys, The Dirty Smooth. Instead I stayed in, feeling sorry for myself; man flu, the struggle is realโ€ฆ.

Rub salt into the wound, why donโ€™t you, Dirty Smooth, and put out a buzzing new single?!ย 

Itโ€™s a rare find, a single from The Dirty Smooth, last one was all out Guns n Roses fashioned power rock Black Jack City, last March. A welcomed return then, and Snakebite has a more pop feel, the like Talk in Code are putting out, and their punchy Seed The Spark. Snakebite is tempting, with this archetypal smooth bridge for the band, and it just rolls, slick, give a whirl, do yourself a favourโ€ฆ..

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Forestry Operations Due to Start at West Woods

Featured Photo: Forestry England/Crown copyright Planned timber harvesting is set to begin at popular walking destination, West Woods, from the end of September until Marchโ€ฆ

Swindon Gets Shuffling!

Despite the population of Devizes throwing confetti and paint at each other in their most celebrated annual ritual, I believe I picked the right weekendโ€ฆ

The Juggernaut Delivers Back at The Southgate

If there’s been welcomed stand-ins for the monthly Jon Amor Trio residency at the Southgate in Devizes recently, Ruzz Evans and Eddie Martin, Jon โ€œtheโ€ฆ

Deadlight Dance New EP Chapter & Verse

Marlborough gothic duo Deadlight Dance are due to release an EP of new material. Itโ€™s called Chapter & Verse and itโ€™ll be out on Rayโ€ฆ

Beyond Reverence: Deadlight Danceโ€™s Debut Album

According to the confines of youth cultures of yore, I shouldnโ€™t like Marlborough-based duo Deadlight Danceโ€™s debut album, Beyond Reverence, as while attempts to fit into my new surroundings of Marlborough meant my teenage musical tastes meandered in a rock direction, I drew the line at โ€œgoth,โ€ but on matured and eclectic reflection, still donโ€™t like this, I love itโ€ฆโ€ฆ

Released on Friday (15th September 2023) the sublime Beyond Reverence will be digitally available via Ray Records. You can download it via Bandcamp, stream from all platforms, and a special small run of limited-edition CDs will be available through the band; I suggest you take one of these options, it goes way beyond my expectations.

The two-and-a-half-minute sombre bassline peregrination overture to the opening track, Nice Things sets mood and pace, and Iโ€™m knee-deep in retrospective melancholy, the desired effect Iโ€™d imagine. Contemplating growing up in suburban Essex, a friend of my elder brother, so cool attired in the look of the new romantic, all frilly shirt sleeves, black eyeliner, all Adam Ant, whereas I? Standard hand-me-downs! He gave my brother a new wave electronica mix tape I adored. Echoing the pop of the era, ergo, I was unaware though already accustomed, to a degree, just later washed away with the carefree and whimsical hip hop and electro fashion, pre-acts jumping the incensed bandwagon post Grandmaster Melle Melโ€™s The Message.

To reaccept the dejected goth element of new wave electronica would take puberty, frustration at the bling and gun direction hip hop was heading and attempts to acclimatise to the west country rural village I found myself dumped in. Solace in the wild romantic fantasy of soft metal and general rock like Springsteen I discovered, but those โ€œgothโ€ pupils of St Johns would require a radical shift to modify myself to. One of those St Johnโ€™s pupils was Tim Emery, one half of the Deadlight Dance duo, something we can laugh about now, but then, I wasnโ€™t ready for the plunge, no matter how newfound schoolfriends supplied me with Sisters of Mercy and The Fields of the Nephilim tapes. I ventured as far as the Cure, but only to improve my chances of getting off with girls; it failed miserably, but thatโ€™s another story for another time!

The origins of Deadlight Dance stem back to 1989, the year I left St Johns, when Tim formed a short-lived Sixth Form goth band with Nick Fletcher. Friends for the best part of thirty-five years, the two periodically worked on music together. Born from lockdown, Deadlight Dance is a project to merge their favoured retrospective bands, The Cult and The Mission, with contemporary acts like Bragolin, Actors, Twin Tribes and Molchat Doma.

Story goes, during an initial jam Tim โ€œfinally convinced Nick to sing,โ€ a turnaround from the original collective idea to source guest singers. But itโ€™s in Nickโ€™s deep growling vocals and the elegant synths of the second tune, Innocent Beginnings, and up-tempo haunting Infectious where I get these reflections of the roots of gothic, the ominous, Bowie-esque component of new wave electronica, particularly of Joy Division, and herein lies my reasoning for taking to Beyond Reverence, even if Iโ€™m not about to dye whatโ€™s left of my hair black anytime soon!

At eleven tracks strong the album is epic, evolved from an original intention to record an EP, another crisp and proficient achievement for Nick Beereโ€™s Mooncalf Studios. While the sound is retrospective themes are of contemporary social conscience, Innocent Beginnings comments on the environment, the following, Dark Circles about autism. Though the single Missives from the Sisters sticks to true goth prose, a classic tale of misogyny set in the time of witchcraft, and being โ€œgothโ€ it levels on this topic appropriately, and duly sullen. Though thereโ€™s a lot here which suggests you need not be in the niche, it has wider appeal than I imagined it might.

Thereโ€™s an interesting instrumental interlude, Samuri Sunrise, which reprises a Sunset at the finale, with four tunes between them, two unorthodox cover choices. A quirky interpretation of Lou Reedโ€™s Iโ€™m Waiting for my Man I get, but the latter I was far from suspecting, a sorrowing rendition of Heartbreak Hotel you must hear for yourself!

Deadlight Dance are picking up radio play, and while usually they go out with pre-recorded synths and drum tracks, they equally operate acoustically on mandocellos and mandolins. If you came to my birthday bash early enough to find me semi-sober, youโ€™ll have seen them, theyโ€™re opening the Saturday shift at the Beehive at Swindon Shuffle this weekend, alongside Concrete Prairie, the Lonely Road Band, Atari Pilot and Liddington Hill. Thursday 21st sees them at Nick Beereโ€™s open mic at the Mildenhall Horseshoe, and Saturday 23rd they support Ghost Dance at Bathโ€™s coolest record shop Chapter 22. They are delighted to be included on the bill of the legendary All that is Divine VI Festival in London in 2024, and with big plans Iโ€™m left with no doubt this album will push this the maximum.

Beyond Reverence is up for pre-order on Bandcamp, released tomorrow 15th September 2023. Find Deadlight Danceโ€™s Website HERE, and on Facebook & Instagram. Find your inner goth and cheer them up a bit with this nice present, I enjoyed it so much Iโ€™m going to see if my lace trim gothic corset still fits and try it with this spikey rivet leather neck collar; somebody draw me a pentagram pronto! ย 

Trending……

Fulltone Confirmed For 2025 in Devizes

The Fulltone Orchestra has confirmed today that their annual festival will take place on The Green in Devizes from 25th โ€“ 27th July 2025โ€ฆ. โ€œItโ€™sโ€ฆ

Get ‘Lifted’ by Chandra

Chandra, Hindu God of the Moon, with his own NASA X-ray observatory named after him, and also frontman of a self-named friendly Bristol-based four-piece pop-punkโ€ฆ

Atari Pilot are Waiting for the Summer

Kempston joystick! There’s a new single from Swindonโ€™s sonic indie-rock blasters Atari Pilot, and it seems theyโ€™re waiting for the summer to fall. Hint, guys, itโ€™s usually, particularly this year, when the kids go back to schoolโ€ฆ.

I’m not wrong, though, am I? Never without that euphoric retrospective tinge, Atari Pilot I liken to Talk in Code, for swinging indie poptastic hooks and unrivalled energy, yet with undertones of sonic soundscapes akin to post-rave dance music, of the Chemical Brothers and Daft Punk et al.

This one certainly doesnโ€™t skip on it,though its theme reminds me of Don Henly, and is equally as passionately delivered. From Jerry Keller to Taylor Swift, summer may be a common topic, but winter songs only hark on aboutโ€ฆ.whoa there, donโ€™t even say the C-word until late November, I thank you! And anyhoo, all the seasons are given a mention in this breezy pay-what-you-like track, save spring. What have you got against spring, Atari Pilot? Donโ€™t make me get all Zebedee on you, I happen to like spring!

Check this out, before it pisses down! Catch them at the Beehive at Swindon Shuffle!

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Local Book Review: Dadโ€™s New Dress

Spent most of Pride month, and the following month too (what? Iโ€™m a slow reader and a busy chap!) reading an apt book, given toโ€ฆ

Some Days with Paul Lappin

Paul’s self-made cover to his latest single, Some Days depicts a fellow sitting under a tree pondering life, while an autumn zephyr blows leaves aroundโ€ฆ

Imberbus is running this Saturday !

Following on from last monthโ€™s email, this is a final reminder that yearโ€™s Imberbus service will be running this coming Saturday โ€“ 17th August 2024.โ€ฆ

Marlborough, I’ve Seen Your Pants

โ€œWe can’t stop here. This is Tory country,โ€ I chuckled while fiercely yanking the handbrake, as if Dr Gonzo was in the car. We canโ€ฆ

Song of the Week: Paul Lappin

Another wonderful nugget of lonely contemplation from the chillaxed Britpop kahuna, Paul Lappin, formerly of Swindon now residing in the South of France. Unfortunately You makes for our song of the week, and youโ€™ll be drawn into its five minutes of drifting prose and beautiful composition, of that Iโ€™m certain.

Paul Lappin

A man of many talents. I love the personal touch of designing your own cover too, in which Paulโ€™s watercolour and pen work has nearly equalled his artistic skill in music. And it goes so well to accommodate the mood of the tune, which is melancholic bliss. 

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Ruzz Up The Gate!

I was intending to start this along the lines of โ€œyou don’t need me to provide another reason why I love The Southgate,โ€ butโ€ฆ

Sing Another Love Song with Rosie Jay

Second impressive single from young Salisbury singer-songwriter Rosie Jay is released today. Sing Another Love Song; a sound of the summerโ€ฆ.. Her debut breakupโ€ฆ

Cotswold Water Park to be Renamed

Here’s a prime example as to why I could never be a councillor….. Cotswold District Council will vote on changing the name of Cotswoldโ€ฆ

Nothing Rhymes With Orange Release New Single Monday, on Monday!

Rapping on this today, because Devizes young heroes Nothing Rhymes With Orange unleash their latest catchy banger, Monday, tomorrow, which is coincidently or not, a Monday, and we all know Mondays are a load of old tosh and if we had a half decent government Mondays would be banned by now, and being itโ€™s Monday I doubt I’ll get time to mention it then, because itโ€™s Monday, which is kind of what this indie-punk treat is aboutโ€ฆ..

I could direct the bandโ€™s attention to Smiley Lewis, who prior to The Boomtown Rats, New Order and The Bangles, had a single whinging about Mondays way back in 1954, and note the though the concept is far from new, Nothing Rhymes With Orange are not only the first to reference a Greggs steak bake in a song about Monday, but also, Smiley Lewis or none of the above ever drooled on their mate while sleeping on the bus, as far as history books reveal.

The band tells us the tune has โ€œmore of an indie-punk sound, a step away from the softer indie-rock of previous tracks and weโ€™re exploring this genre with more songs of a similar style.โ€ Though the subtle difference will, and does already, encourage the live audience into a frenzy at the bridge, to consider such may not be as commercially viable is to note it was the track picked up and played by BBC Introducing this month. Canโ€™t blame them really, itโ€™s a brilliant tune.

โ€œThe inspiration for our new single, โ€˜Monday’, came about when we were chatting about the โ€˜Monday morning dreadโ€™,  when you wake up tired and everything goes wrong,โ€ they explain, though you could effectively walk into a lamppost on any other day, you can bet your bottom dollar it will be on a Monday, but Iโ€™m afraid, when it comes to pastries, you get what you pay for, boys; believe me, Iโ€™m something of an expert on them.

Image:ย Kiesha Films.

Timeworn romance topics can be a stable subject, but something which drops in some light-hearted humour itโ€™s more often than not a chicken dinner, particularly within their genre. I pray you’ll recall Wheatus for Teenage Dirtbag rather than A Little Respect, or Foundations of Wayne for Staceyโ€™s Mom rather than Someone’s Gonna Break Your Heart.

It sure is a great tune, with a lot of work gone into it, despite the festival season in full flight, and the band have certainly been gathering appeal and pushing new geographical boundaries, with 30K streams across all platforms. Still to come, theyโ€™re live on hometown Fantasy Radio from The Crown in Devizes on 24th August, and a couple of summer festivals remain, Honey Fest and Box Rocks. They also play The Pump on 1st September, The Lamb, Marlborough the next day, their self promoted gig at Devizes The Corn Exchange on the 10th, and its onto Moles in Bath, and weโ€™re looking at 15th December for them to make their debut at the trusty Southgate. 

Pre-save Monday, for Monday, HERE!

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Devizes Scooter Rally Rules, OK?!

If it’s been a fantastic weekend on Devizes Green with the orchestral Full-Tone Festival, further out of town scooterists, mods, skins and anyone else withโ€ฆ

The Next Season at the Wharf Theatre

Featured image byย Chris Watkins Autumn, finish your ice lolly, as we need to to start thinking about it! Our wonderful, one and only, theatre inโ€ฆ

Nothing Rhymes with Orange at Devizes Corn Exchange

By Florence Lee. Images by Kiesha Films.

Booking Devizesโ€™ most prestigious venue, The Corn Exchange was mighty ambitious for newly formed promoter Lost Monkey Productions, but to say that Nothing Rhymes with Orange was a marvel last night would be an understatement. They completely enthralled the whole hall and captivated the attention of everyone listeningโ€ฆ..

Image: ยฉKiesha Films

Last night kicked off with OverStory, a band only created earlier this year. They had a mix of exceptional covers and originals which were both extraordinary. They even brought on a female voice, which added diversity and elevated their performance. Their relaxed music created a chilled out mood that the audience enjoyed. You couldnโ€™t tell they only called themselves a band early this year. These boys go to Bath College studying music and call their music phenomenon โ€˜messing around.โ€™ I look forward to seeing Overstory โ€˜mess aroundโ€™ again.ย ย 

Image: ยฉKiesha Films

OverStory then handed the baton to Foxymoron, who exceeded all high expectations. They delivered originals, all with a unique sound that the crowd thoroughly enjoyed. Foxymoron portrayed both great charisma, and a natural ability to perform. Their song โ€˜signsโ€™ was compelling to watch and listen to; I hope they release their music soon. The audience was enchanted with the band and was hanging on to every note. Their fan base is ever expanding with each performance and everyone is hoping to witness their flourishing successes.ย ย 

Image: ยฉKiesha Films

As soon as Nothing Rhymes with Orange walked onto their stage, the audience was buzzing with anticipation. NRWO started their set with their new single โ€˜Butterfliesโ€™ whilst the crowd belted out every word, even though it was only released at the end of May. The dedication of their fanbase to know every lyric truly reflects how NRWO has a committed growing audience, which enjoy both their company and music. They continued their set and continued to amaze all that were there to witness it. They produced an astounding cover of the Kings of Leonโ€™s โ€˜Sex on Fire.โ€™

Image: ยฉKiesha Films

The place was absorbed by the energy from the audience and the band’s connection with each other. Continuing from that remarkable cover, NRWO performed more originals and unreleased music, which had the audience engrossed in their show. They performed nearly all their released music, including โ€˜Creaturesโ€™ and โ€˜Chow for Nowโ€™ as well as their unreleased song โ€˜Monday,โ€™ which was played on BBC Music Introducing. The fluidity between their own songs and a few covers was incredible and well practised. Their individual performances and characters are starting to develop as well as maturing into a tight band. Their bright guitar, interesting riffs, unique voice and insanely fast and technical drumming gives them an individual sound which separates them from the boy bands of this day in age. The love for their own music and the music of the other performers is projected through the interactions with both. It is clear to see that Nothing Rhymes with Orange appreciate the growth that their band is rightfully getting. 

Image: ยฉKiesha Films

Nothing Rhymes with Orange shows the coming generation of musical talent in an amazing light. They are kind to their fans, respectful of everyone who helps them and show appreciation to any support that they receive. They are not only a band, but friends of the audience, which shows as they feel at home on stage. Coming from a local school, it shows that โ€˜ordinaryโ€™ people can create something which inspires and includes the people around them.  I canโ€™t wait to see what all the bands come up with next. 

Image: ยฉKiesha Films

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A Perfect Picnic in the Park

A perfect sunny(ish) Sunday at Hillworth Park in Devizes, if not to overcome one’s fear of public speaking while dressed in a giraffe onesie andโ€ฆ

The Pleasure was all Minety!

Broke my Minety Music Festival cherry, and it was gurt lush! When it comes to live music and festivals, I initially set a high bar.โ€ฆ

DOCA Picnicing in the Park!

With the unfortunate cancellation of Devizes International Street Festival this year due to Arts Council cuts, all eyes are on our wonderful Hillworth Park nextโ€ฆ

Michelle Gonelan Makes History

Last political rant from me for a while, given all that happened today, pinky promise! Hitler shot himself, then, as requested, he was doused inโ€ฆ

Becca Mauleโ€™s Teenage Things

I mean, yeah, press releases can be as handy as sitting next to Einstein in a physics test, but reviewing music isnโ€™t an exact science, and while they speed up the process itโ€™s tempting to allow them to spoon-feed you. Sometimes itโ€™s a pleasant surprise to go in blind, as it was with Teenage Things, the debut EP from Salisburyโ€™s young singer-songwriter Becca Maule, due out this Saturday, the 15th Julyโ€ฆ..

I donโ€™t know why, perhaps taken in by earlier images of Becca sporting a pink bob, and by her supporting Carsick, but as Iโ€™ve not had the opportunity to catch her performing I dove in with a preconception this was going to be an all-out riot grrrl explosive thrash of punker style emotional outpouring with little to credit her with other than, well, that was loud!

What I hadnโ€™t taken into account was it was produced at Haxtonโ€™s Tunnel Rat Studios with backing by Jolyon Dixon, the studioโ€™s wizard and one half of duo Illingworth, and as a result itโ€™s a dreamy soundscape over acoustic goodness, as is the style Illingworth also purveys. But if the drifting musical ambience has something Pink Floyd-come-melancholic indie, like The Verve or Radiohead, about it, Beccaโ€™s voguish and relaxed vocals breath the freshness and vigour of youth into this, and it flows sublimely.

Opening tune Mother Nature is an obloquy commentary on the political ignorance of environmental concerns, and as such while Beccaโ€™s self-penned vilification drifts causally alongside the sound, this observation gives in to a spiralling angle of fury; a definite slice of the punk I was expecting slowly builds throughout the tune. This, Iโ€™d argue, is astute and profoundly crafted songwriting for someone twice Beccaโ€™s age; sheโ€™s eighteen and just completed an extended diploma in music performance & production at Wiltshire College.

Teenage Things is no whim project for Becca, the single was released shortly after she performed the title track two years ago, with another Poison Roses, to win a Tunnel Ratโ€™s talent competition, telling the Salisbury Journal at the time, โ€œwinning the studio time is golden for me – as a student I donโ€™t have much money and therefore booking studio time is really hard; winning the time means I can professionally record all the ideas in my head instead of trying to do it at home on my not-so-good laptop.โ€

Letโ€™s just say, that paid off! Vocally I was immediately taken to imagining if Kirsty MacColl came after Lily Allen, she might sound a little something like this. Though not the rap of Kate Nash, her causal inflection brews hints of that voluble style, itโ€™s refined singing still, and I mean this as a high compliment. Though thereโ€™s no mention of Kirsty MacColl, Becca replied, โ€œI love Lily Allen, so defo a compliment,โ€ after I put this to her. Am I showing my age now?!

This slightly more upbeat title track follows in this five track EP, and as the name suggests, the subject is teenage anxiety, and the curse of misunderstanding elders. Itโ€™s a woeful mard rather than Anthony Burgess fashioned vexation, over a steady beat. If antidepressants like Fluoxetine are insinuated itโ€™s subtle but poignant nonetheless. From here you accept, Becca has more than a few things to say, and she does so with zest and expression. While her peers will identify with this song, parents should take heed too, and consider theyโ€™ve forgotten what it was like to be a teenager. This is a double edged sword.

With a conceptual running theme evolving, Little Girl continues on the subject of confusion over coming of age; this drifts so nicely, it is the song Madonna shouldโ€™ve replaced Papa Donโ€™t Preach with! Now, if Becca has got you onboard and youโ€™re now contemplating how marvellously plotted this is, she throws Affliction of Melancholy Lies into the pot, and peps up the emotive intelligent songwriting another notch or twelve. This moves onto the next stage, relationships and their breakdowns, and is simply gorgeously ruminative. 

And though I donโ€™t want this to end, Creatures has the most beguiling singalong chorus, folding in dark indie connotations, and Iโ€™m undecided if the safety of wild animals topic is metaphorical, or not, but it is a gratifying cumulation to a sublimely played EP which you really need to delve into wholeheartedly, rather than simply listen to, and that is a rare gem these days.

Iโ€™m so much more than pleasantly surprised, Iโ€™m in awe; use any part of this as a press release if you wish, Becca, but perhaps your astute words and the beautiful way you have presented them speak volumes for themselves, and as I said at the beginning, the wow-factor is often a dish best left as a revelation!

I’ll pop Beccaโ€™s Link-Tree HERE so you can check in on them on Saturday 15th and stream the EP, and will update this review too with links to it. 

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MantonFest Magic, Again

With the danceable penultimate act attracting a packed crowd, I observed a young teenager, who, on spotting a disregarded beer bottle, picked it up andโ€ฆ

Devizes Arts Festival Rules, OK?!

Alas, it’s been a long week since the Devizes Arts Festival called time. It feels a little like when my Dad would take the Christmasโ€ฆ

Nothing Rhymes With Orange at the Barge, and Beyond!

Another quick one from me, to say Devizes upcoming indie band Nothing Rhymes With Orange smashed it out of the park and down the Kennet & Avon all the way to the Barge on Honeystreet last nightโ€ฆ..

Canโ€™t give a full review as I only rocked up with a half-hour to spare, but it was plenty to witness, Nothing Rhymes With Orange are no hometown novelty. Punters at the Barge on Honeystreet were equally enthralled by their dynamic show of originals and the occasional cover. Of which one hailed out their request for an encore should be an original of theirs, which was interesting as it fully projects what weโ€™ve been saying all along about this band; their dedication to creating an exclusive and prototypical sound is primary, yet while their ability to project that to an audience is something theyโ€™re continuously perfecting, the result is sheer exhilarating.

It was at this point then, I stress, Nothing Rhymes With Orange seemed more at home and familiar in these pub venue surroundings than ever before, despite what is a legendary local venue with an historic appreciation for the quirky and unusual, it didnโ€™t phase them to perform confidently and superbly. I left thinking everywhere these young guys go they will imprint their music on those who attended and while they may have amassed a blossoming fanbase here, it will only extend further. But more to the point, it is so thoroughly deserved!

Heading a generational scene and finding time to network within it to showcase others is clearly making an impact, as a group of local youngsters form a new production company called Lost Monkey Productions, who arenโ€™t taking things one step at a time, rather hosting NRWO with Foxymoron and Overstory in support at Devizes most prestigious venue, The Corn Exchange on Friday 14th July.

Tickets for a tenner (hurry!) HERE.

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Talk in Code are All In for New Single

Swindon indie pop virtuosos Talk in Code released their brand new single, All In, Yesterday, via Regent Street Records. And We. Love. Talk in Codeโ€ฆ

Swindon band Talk In Code in race to Glastonbury Pilton Party; show offs!

Those cheeky popsters who rocked up at my 50th with a beanie hat present from their own merch range and expected me to parade around wearing it like I was their personified billboard, yeah them, the fantabulous Talk in Code, well, right, havenโ€™t seen them since, say theyโ€™ve been busy on the festival scene, when all of a sudden without a drop of notice, tell me theyโ€™re travelling to Pilton this Saturday, 17th June, and we all know what happens there!

Turns out Swindonโ€™s toppermost indie-pop band are playing in the first heat of the Glastonbury Pilton Party competition to audition to win a coveted slot at the Glastonbury Pilton Party, held on the Worthy Farm site, home of the world-famous Glastonbury Festival; show offs!

This Glastonbury Pilton Party is held in early September, and previous headliners have included Liam Gallagher, Elbow, Fatboy Slim and Bastille. Talk In Code have been chosen from hundreds of hopefuls to audition, and I say, while itโ€™s a bit warm for a beanie, thank you so much for my hat, and, oh yeah, also for playing an absolute blinder at the Three Crowns, I feel honoured and it will be a day if I hadnโ€™t have overindulged in Thatcherโ€™s Hazes I will never forget.

But all this aside, as I cannot be bought by showering me with gifts, in my book, Talk in Code would remain the best band in Swindon even if they dunked me in a bath of hot & sour piranhas in just my mankini till I cried like a baby, so I wanted to wish them all the very best of luck, and I hope you will join me in wishing them all the very best of luck, bloody good luck to them!

Itโ€™s all going down at Pilton Club, a stones throw from the Glastonbury Festival Site on Saturday 17th June. Tickets to come and support Swindonโ€™s best indie pop band are available from HERE. 

Talk In Code are thrilled to be flying the flag for Swindon at this prestigious event, and I know theyโ€™ll knock ’em for six, and if not I want an inquiry as to why not. If you canโ€™t make this, I get that, bit short notice, you should have a listen to Talk in Code, who have amassed over 400,000 streams and been added to over 700 Spotify playlists, HERE.

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Has Swindon’s Liddington Hill Created Celtic Grunge?!

Explosive new EP from Liddington Hill released tomorrow, Edge of Insanity, begging the question, have they created a whole new subgenre?

As an impressionable Essex teenager coming from a hip hop background, thrust unwillingly into an eerie Wiltshire village like Sam Emerson in the Lost Boys, I endeavoured to align myself with the musical tastes of the natives. Yet, while I pre-gained a penchant for soft metal, the pop charts latest exploitation, I never envisioned lying semi-subconsciously under a fallen Christmas tree with a gang of crusty kids, while the needle stuck on the last notes of the Pouges’ Transmetropolitan, and everyone too drunk on Cinzano to change the record.

Fair to assume The Pouges belted me hard in the bum-fluffed chops, it would be unthinkably embarrassing to show affection for folk music, surely? But this, this was fast and furious, like the punk of a bygone childhood, and turned my preconceptions on its head. Now it’s commonplace, the Celtic punk of Flogging Molly and The Dropkick Murphys are instant likes, but I’ve become immune to their ferociousness; the violent police response to break up parties, and mass of abandoned fires burning across a post-apocalyptic looking Glasto main stage after The Levellers spoke out about not letting the travellers in that year made sure of it.

Yet a want for angry music never extended to grunge by the time it arrived, though I now see it’s worth and power, I was a raver, and felt reggae was the only meaningful source left I’d consider; dance music was blithe and fantastical. So, as I’ve only ever been a window shopper of grunge, I confess dubiousness when Matthew of Liddington Hill emailed me, “it’s a bit grungier.” Not forgoing, it’s been two years since we featured them last, reviewing their debut EP Cow, and if I liked it, which I did, there was always a niggly its songs of traditional Irish shanty and tales of Swindon pub crawls lacked that archetypal anger commonly associated with Celtic punk; they’ve sure made up for that now.

New EP then, out tomorrow (2nd June) called Edge of Insanity, rips a new hole in the fabric of what’s acceptable and very possibly creates a subgenre, for Google searching โ€œCeltic Grungeโ€ doesn’t amass much more than separate Celtic punk and grunge offerings. The Swindon five-piece ask on their blog, “is Celtic grunge a thing yet?” It is now, well done you, because it works, take it from someone for whom grunge is not usually their cuppa.

With some band changes and maternity leave, Edge of Insanity goes much further up Liddington Hill. Peering down on themes of serial killers and the Aberfan disaster, it takes no prisoners itself, carelessly teetering on the edge, as it suggests on the tin. The Celtic riffs against grunge chords is a match made in heaven and a wonder no one thought of it before, bands like Ferocious Dog only meeting part of the way. It’s this blend staring us in the face which makes it for me, bending my grunge preconceptions of โ€˜yeah Nirvana was great, but I’m delving no deeper than the baby on the cover;โ€™ Iโ€™m a Celtic folk hussy, add a slice of it and I’m yours!

Another winner is, beneath the dark and angry dispositions on offer, thereโ€™s historical gospel in the narrative. The opening tune In Rosie’s Room concerns a real mid-19th Century prostitute in gold rush America who tried to steal from a gold mine with her lover. With a hypnotic riff it rings how this EP is going to play out; indignantly dynamic and in your face.

Hold onto your hat though, as itโ€™s about to get real screamy. Keep Hold of your Heart really is a furious thrashed punk expression from the perspective of an inmate in a Sanitorium. Illustrates my point though, usually my toes would curl at this intensity, but given this Celtic roots riff running through it, I can get aboard; it makes The Pouges sound like Brotherhood of Man!

The edge chills off, slightly, Capped in Black is the Aberfan themed song, possibly the ace of spades here, the balance of grunge and Celtic punk is refined and the anger within comes to a dramatic close leaving you aghast at the notion this disaster was allowed to have happened; the effect is achieved.

American serial killer Aileen Wuornos under Liddington Hillโ€™s radar next, the track Maid Of Mayhem is perhaps my personal favourite, retrospectively punk with their new bassist Alannah on first person vocals and making a wonderful job of it, itโ€™s akin to Siouxsie Sioux reworking Springsteenโ€™s Nebraska, on fire!

The 1940s Lipstick Killer, William Heirens is next on the bandโ€™s unglorified hall of serial killer fame with the finale, Lipstick. The band explained, โ€œLiam, for some reason became inspired after reading about a few serial killers and the reasons behind such terrible actions. So he wrote a few songs and we put some together with a couple of other heart-wrenching songs we’d written.โ€ The grunge element seems to wane in favour of upfront punk rock, as we progress past Keep Hold of your Heart, and Iโ€™m grateful for this. Lipstick polishes this explosive caliginous EP off, suitably akin to The Stooges or even early Ramones, while retaining this Celtic folk riff credited to The Pouges, and for this, plus itโ€™s astounding step up in expression and production, is a yes from me.

Free entry to the Vic in Swindon on Thursday 15th June for the EPโ€™s launch party with support from Lucky Number Seven and Dark Prophecy. Find out more info about tomorrowโ€™s release on Liddington Hillโ€™s website, HERE and Facebook HERE.

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Lady Nade at Devizes Arts Festival

If the opening Friday evening of Devizes Arts Festival was amazing for lively pirate-punk craziness, Saturday night was too for precisely opposite reasons. Bristol’sโ€ฆ

LilyPetals Debut EP

One of many young indie bands which impressed me at Bradford Roots Festival, and proof thereโ€™s more than the name suggests at The Wiltshireโ€ฆ

Courting Ghosts Debut Album: Falling My Friend

Images used with kind permission of Pacific Curd Photography West Wilts and Somerset folk-rock collective Courting Ghosts are about to release their debut album,โ€ฆ

Nothing Rhymes With Orange have Butterflies

If Lidl Shoes, April’s blast from our aspiring homegrown four-piece indie-punkers, Nothing Rhymes With Orange certainty raised the rafters with energetic enthusiasm, I held subtle solicitude, despite the amusing name, it did only a smidgen to progress the band any further than their mind-blowing debut EP Midsummer. By contrast today’s new single, Butterflies, is a Neil Armstrong sized leap in the maturing direction they need to be heading to attain a mass appeal.

With an infatuation theme, the band express a continuation of narrative relating to Lidl Shoes, yet while maintaining their archetypal jab of youthfulness, Butterflies ventures into a pensive mood, it’s dreamier, swapping guitar distortion and resounding choruses for a softer emotional sound. Don’t run off with Coldplay connotations, it remains punchy enough to warrant influences they cite, like Arctic Monkeys, The Killers and The Wombats, and it lies equally as beguiling as their most celebrated tune to-date, Manipulation.

If the chorus of Manipulation is hailed back at them by fans, Butterflies is clearly in the making to evoke the same effect. It’s instantly loveable, their best work so far, proving as I said since day dot, Nothing Rhymes With Orange are going places.

Nothing Rhymes With Orange Image: Gail Foster

With this interesting development, I wonder how their predominantly teenage fanbase have responded to this, as they will mature in-line with the band, and should, in theory, relate. Idolised acts of teenage years always rely on this familiarity with the path their fanbase are personally on, and their songs become stories of their own life. Butterflies identifies definitively, calls out to them, it’s an anthem, I tell you!

Frontman guitarist Elijah Easton, drummer Lui Venables, guitarist Fin Anderson-Farquhar and bassist Sam Briggs have cracked it again, furthering a natural development in their sound, and in conglomeration have penned another standout masterpiece; you’d be a fool to yourself for failing to make it down to the mainstage of Devizes Street Festival on Sunday by 2:30pm, where we should join in celebration at the remarkable achievement this young Devizes-based band has made, amidst the selection of international acts on show.

Nothing Rhymes With Orange. Image: Gail Foster

Here’s a linktree to all you need to know about Nothing Rhymes With Orange 

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Gen-Z Party; Nothing Rhymes with Orange and Guests In Lavington

Images by Gail Foster

I could’ve guaranteed myself a great night with peers and those purveyors of space rock, Cracked Machine down the trusty Gate, or danced socks off with twenty/thirty-somethings at the Three Crowns to the unique take on covers of the ever-entertaining People Like Us. But, oddly if not in the know, I opted for a Saturday night at West Lavington village hall, nodding my approval as frontman Elijah Easton mingled with a gen z frenzied crowd singing back to him their beguiling magnum opus, to-date, Manipulation, for an encore the fans will forever cherishโ€ฆ..

For if it’s Devizine’s intention to highlight all that’s great about our music scene, it’s surely a priority to point out what’s upcoming, and Nothing Rhymes With Orange are the freshest squeezed fruit on that tree right now. I’ve been singing their praises since reviewing their EP Midsummer, unseasonably released last November, and now I can tick catching them live off my must-do-list I’m only going to enforce my words on how astoundingly awesome these youngsters are.

With blow-up orange segments bouncing between them on stage and their enthused blossoming fanbase, I figure I’m witness to a burgeoning local phenomenon akin to the roots of any mainstream band, left pondering the pensioners once screaming teenagers at Liverpool’s Cavern Club, when Beatlemania was imminent. If you consider that’s a tall order for comparison, I’d shrug, but while NRWO can clearly rouse the crowd, it feels like the building hysteria is a newfound blessing for them and they’re unsure how to react. This is a wonderful inaugural experience for a blossoming band, exposing them to reactions to the hard work they’ve clearly put in, and digesting those streams are from real kids, appreciating their sound.

Nothing Rhymes With Orange

For the fanbase so young in our rural zone, it’s not so simple just to rock up to venues, particularly pubs, and if the village hall is kinda “village hall like,” it’s because it is, but it’s an adequate space with a hospitable outlook. The band and their families have self-organised this sell-out gig with the intention of making this a homecoming atmosphere for a local band venturing to Bristol, Bath and Trowbridge’s Pump, and who will undoubtedly take that road a lot further in the near future. 

For the time being, they are here and they are now. If seeing Springsteen in the eighties was an amazing experience, seeing Springsteen play New Jersey was another ballpark, ergo in this case, Lavington is those Badlands.

The sound is frenzied indie-pop, but not all-out ferociously punk, they find the perfect middle-ground; easy on the palate for any age demographic. Precisely why they’re subject to my highest acclaim, homing in on what the kids want, is, historically, the recipe for success. They did this with bells on, belting out their known EP tracks, a couple of defined Arctic Monkeys covers, their latest release Lidl Shoes, and treated the crowd to a sneak at the forthcoming two singles.

But not before a triple bill of support they’re introducing to home fans. First up Dauntsys own Paradigm, who, though I only caught the final couple I’d suggest are a promisingly tight young band to watch out for.

Paradigm

Secondly Frankcastre from Portsmouth with a frontman originating locally, even penning a song named after Great Cheverall, which has to be a first! Perhaps as oddly as their name, to generation X a band attired in Fred Perrys and skinheads might connote mod influences, but the confident frontman was looking decidedly teddy-boy!

Frankcastre

Trivial is the significance of the uniforms of youth cultures of yore to this era, their originals came fiery and skater-punk; they refined the contemporary noise with brewing confidence and it was welcomed by the NRWO fanbase, particularly the girls. Two covers either side of their set though revealed a penchant for sixties blues-rock, covering firstly The Doors’ Break on Through, and The Animals’ version of House of the Rising Sun, with gritty vocals and devine accuracy. Something for the parents to acknowledge, perhaps, though the frontman delighted to elucidate his fondness for the era to me and I had nothing but to accept his knowledge on the subject. Their sudden usage of a keyboard, for example, to replicate The Animals classic was different, tilting it to one side while playing was beyond Jerry Lee Lewis; put him in your Google search bar!

Arguably the more accomplished of the two, Bath’s StoneFace produced lengthier original compositions, evoking mood with pitch and tempo alterations. With an air of neo-emo Stooges, interestingly with saxophone, damn they looked the part of Iggy Pop to envy!

Though sounding as good as they looked, this volatile style didn’t seem to wash down quite as well with the teenagers as Frankcastre, who, like punk, seem to favour the frenzied three-minute hero, though I personally fished with their hook. Introducing a new track Blue for You, and a particularly adroit one called Cave, the downtempo was plodding indie of perhaps a previous generation, but they did it exceptionally.

StoneFace

To conclude, those in local media sensationalising a minority of hooliganism for click-bait would’ve had their tails between their legs if they’d bother to attend this last night, for all I saw was the new generation, clean-cut by comparison of formers, thoroughly enjoying themselves and causing no issues in the slightest. Just in awe of four of their own, who’ve worked tirelessly to perfect a cooperative brand and inspire others. The forthcoming single Rishi speaks volumes for a current tongue-in-cheek satire they’re intelligent self-penned anthems extend to, though for the most part politics are avoided in favour of topics relative to gen z, like romantic interludes breaking down, and for this Nothing Rhymes With Orange prove their diversity.

It was an astounding achievement, bringing some class acts to Lavington’s youth, and onwards for NRWO I’m pleased to say in collaboration with DOCA, Devizine is proud to now annually suggest a best upcoming local act to feature on the main stage at the Devizes Street Festival, and you can bet your bottom dollar they are the chosen ones to get that ball rolling on Sunday 28th May.

You can also catch them next Saturday, 29th, at the Pump in Trowbridge, Bathโ€™s Party in the City at St Jamesโ€™ Vaults on 12th May, at Corsham Rugby Clubโ€™s CorrFest on Sunday 17th June, The Barge on Honey-Street on Saturday 1st July, Marlborough Festival July 8th, and Urchfontโ€™s Boundary Bash on the 15th Julyโ€ฆ. The future is bright, and doesnโ€™t rhyme with orange!

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Poppy Rose, Ready Nowโ€ฆ.

Not being able to hold a note myself, I tip my hat to any musician in a band. Yet thereโ€™s something so much more valiant,โ€ฆ

Across the Water with Paul Lappin

Remotely possible he misses all the roundabouts, Paul Lappin came from Swindon, now resides in the South of France, yeah, across the water, which is also the title of his latest EP; coincidence? Remotely possibleโ€ฆ.

Itโ€™s been since last July when we mentioned Paul with previous EP, Flowers in the Snow, this new title track is dreamy family reminisces sailing across a tranquil sea. Plucked from his Britpop inspiration, Paul never fails to create a beautiful ambience of meaningful prose, and this hits the spot.

Sophia, the middle track picks up the beat, twirls with the guitar riff closer associated with Britpop, Lee Moulding and Jon Bucket adding drums to this Stone Roses fashioned track, at their smoothest.

Polishes off with Chasing Rainbows, and we return to the dreamy style of the title track, making a wonderful finale. Check it out today, itโ€™s Sunday music for the soul.

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Song of the Week: Talk in Code

You canโ€™t stay on the sunny side of the street; youโ€™ve got to cross over at some point. But if the blurb Iโ€™m sent for Talk in Codeโ€™s latest single Hindsight suggests theyโ€™re showing โ€œa darker side,โ€ donโ€™t run off with the notion theyโ€™ve come over all Radiohead.….

Taken from their second album, The Big Screen our single of the week is out on Friday 31st March, but you know how it goes, you can pre-save on the streaming platforms. And do, because yeah, so itโ€™s perhaps a clichรฉ theme of biblical teachings; penitent, should-have-known-better sentiments returned unto you with a cold, hard slap in the chops, but wake up, weโ€™ve all been there, and Talk in Code project it with finesse, as ever, and of course itโ€™s cradled in the uniformed indie-pop synth style. A chic instantly recognisable and beguiling, every Talk in Code single is ageless and unhindered from pigeonholing, itโ€™s darn good pop, dammit!

Image: Helen PolarPix

Atmospheric thumper describes it best on the publicity, anthemic soundscape with swirling synths, shimmering guitars and soaring vocals. Recorded with Sam Winfield at Studio 91, Newbury (Amber Run, The Amazons, Fickle Friends) and out on Regent Street Records, continuously ascending, Talk in Code go from strength-to-strength and Hindsight exhibits precisely this.

https://www.facebook.com/talkincode/videos/1350060825774735/

Pre-save it HERE, and you’ll wake up Friday singing a new song!

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A View to a Thrill

“The Thrill of Love” at the Wharf Theatre by Ian Diddamsimages by Chris Watkins Media Just over a year ago, the Wharf theatre performed aโ€ฆ

Song of the Week: Atari Pilot

It’s Wednesday night, it’s Song of Week time….and here’s your host…. yeah, sorry, it’s just me, couldn’t afford Stephen Mulhern.

Haven’t heard from them for a while, but they’re far from collecting dust in a loft like a retro game console. Swindon-based Atari Pilot return this week with a new single, Train of Life.

If choo-choos are a common metaphor in blues and reggae, moreso to describe the chugging beat, we’re on another platform from Sister Rosetta Tharpe, or Keith and Tex. Sonic indie rockers Atari Pilot have their joysticks calibrated to this philosophical theme, life’s long train comin’, and it sure is a grower. Especially, I’d fathom, if you’re new to this band’s unique style, I ask you take at least a few listens before passing judgement.

But with lyrics like “rolling on til the track runs out, is it the journey or the destination you dream about?” there’s thoughtful prose admist those sonic riffs, and it affirms Atari Pilot firmly on the right track.

It’s up on Bandcamp as a name your price. Linktree HERE, go give them a like on the book of Face too, while you’re standing on the platform waiting for the strikes to end!

bandcamp width=100% height=120 track=539157991 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

On The Wayside with Viduals

Akin to Ghostbusterโ€™s nemesis Slimer when he appears over the hotdog stand, I was squatting a spacious windowsill at Wiltshire Music Centre with an Evieโ€™s burger summoning me to munch, when a mature lady swung open the fire-door to the third stage at Bradford Roots Music Festival a couple of weeks ago. She looked agitated, speechless at the brash raucous reverberations of the next bandโ€™s soundcheck, as if this wasnโ€™t what she ordered at a โ€œrootsโ€ festival, and not alone in her opinion. Naturally, I smirked….

In this much, I consider, not being Peter Pan established, if thereโ€™s something psychologically wrong with me. Iโ€™m pushing fifty, and welcome the unforeseen, refuse to join pensioner grumpy club. Hark, I say, to the sounds of youthful post-punk indie rock, retains faith musical progression is eternal, and Iโ€™m game for upcoming, fledgling bands to do their worst and try turn me into a fuddy-duddy with progression above my capacity. For try as they might, it doesnโ€™t wash; Iโ€™m going in if theyโ€™re coming out.

The festivalโ€™s age demographic was wider than I imagined, and salute the organisers for supplying wild cards, things to appease younger attendees. There was a couple of bands which fit into this pigeonhole, Iโ€™m focussing on the one I managed to catch, Swindon-based four-piece Viduals.

This hard-hitting fury, in-your-face indie rock with flavours of skater punk and post-grunge, but never with an air of melancholy, though awash of surprisingly universal dejected romantic topics is a dish best served at a pub-like venue, known for diversity, if not Reading Festival. Our own Nervendings do it with cherries on, and along with a plethora of bands I cite Devizes-own Nothing Rhymes with Orange. The guys of Viduals know both these bands from gigging at The Vic and elsewhere, as I bought up comparisons chatting to them outside.

What came across from our brief conversation was, although not without a touch of understandable adolescent carefree banter, these young guys are level-headed and have a clear understanding what they want and where they wish to take this. Just mentioned that for the sweeping generalisations of stick-in-the-muds! Because, while the performance suffered somewhat with poor technical engineering, causing the Muppetโ€™s Animal-like drummer to be too upfront and drowning out vocals, there was something which grabbed me about these guys, and their EP The Wayside confirms my suspicions.

Five songs pack a punch, Viduals donโ€™t come up for air, the production on this EP affirms the perfect balance of a united group, working as a unit, and the splendour of Viduals shines through. It kicks off with Separate, like a little toe in the water, Look Away increases this degenerate, dysfunctional youthful amorousness theme, both never faulter to a bridge of forlorn downtempo mood, just rocks loud and proud throughout.

To mumble this general theme is clichรฉ, Viduals do it with finesse. Drums roll like velvet over nimble guitar-thrashed riffs and intelligent lyrics, Embraces perhaps the best example. Hereโ€™s a thing though; contemplating the aggression of punk of yore, metal or hardcore, while thereโ€™s bursts of adolescent emotion within these upcoming bands, the like of The Karios and Mellor, itโ€™s never as incensed or furious as punkโ€™s roots, it takes you with it rather than sticks two-fingers up at you.

Viduals do this with exceptional balance, itโ€™s tolerable universally, unlike, say, The Sex Pistolsโ€™ fashion of deliberately offending. I feel it collates various influences along the way, such as the mod-rock garage bands of the eighties, grunge, and in this it ceases to become a โ€œnoise,โ€ living in a limbo between acceptable and unacceptable, a kind of halfway house.

But the thing is, taking hardcore bands like Black Flag, through to grunge, thereโ€™s never been a more progressive, and consequently, creative time for this genre than now; it has matured into pop, officially and naturally. Enthusing youths to pick up instruments, motivating them to self-promote and persevere with creativity, is a surely good thing. Coming Back to You, being prime to what Iโ€™m getting at, perhaps the politest song on offer here; thereโ€™s a need to rock, but not spit at or nick the audienceโ€™s belongings while doing it!

The finale Permanent Daylight feels something of a magnum-opus, at least to-date, and is symbolic of my overall valuation; in laymanโ€™s terms, it kicks ass!

Ironic EP title, in my honest opinion, playing it down. Viduals are a young Swindon-based band destined not to fall by the wayside, rather stand solid and secure on that highway to hell, likely above one of those massive motorway signs straddling this borderline; if the lane is closed, shit, you’re gonna know about it, blasting their non-harshness sublime sound across the stratosphere! Yeah, love it, itโ€™s unexpectedly refined rather than raw, with bags more potential to boot.

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Beating January Blues, Bradford-on-Avon Roots Style

If the last thing you’d expect as the final sound you hear before leaving a festival carpark is of scraping frost off windscreens, notion of festivals as a summer thing is about to be turned on its head. January blues is curable in Wiltshire, The Bradford Roots Music Festival is your prescription.…

Devizine is not Time Out, writing about our music scene is a personal voyage of discovery, but until now I’d not reached the core. Because Bradford-on-Avon boasts The Wiltshire Music Centre, a modern, purpose-built hub of music and arts, and I’m happy to confirm it’s a wonderful place.

Andy fondly reviewed their past roots festival, on the strength of this and the stunning line-up, it deserved sending my grumpiest of hibernating reviewers, so here I am, with beanie on.

Situated on a housing estate next to a school, first impressions are school-like, by design and decor. Interesting, a festival in a school, even has a coat rack, and fire doors held open by polite teenagers; imagine! If I get a detention here, Iโ€™ll be glad.

I believe itโ€™s part-funded this way. Cause and effect are a wide age demographic; yes, a majority are those elders who can afford to fork out ยฃ20 in January, but it notably caters for the youngest too, with a vast craft area and workshops, a dinnertime finale of the latter being a Wassail kids’ procession led by Holt Morris Club in the foyer.

Also noteworthy, though I missed this, part of the proceeds goes to Zone Club, an in-house musical programme for learning disabled adults, who’s improv show opened the festival. The other half goes to the centre itself, which has charitable status, and is worth its rather hefty weight in gold.

Wowzers, I was impressed enough already, with plentiful to engage in, yet I’m told this three-stage single day is scaled-down post lockdown, previously housing two other stages and a food court, over three days. Though it was expressed this is the level they’d like to see it return to in future. Iโ€™m letting the cat out the bag, you canโ€™t keep it a secret forever, Bradford, the south-west needs to know!

Though if food options were filtered to one, Bradford’s own Evie’s Mac N Cheese wagon is most definitely the one, my burger was to die for! There’s me, stomach-thinking first, when I’ve so much to report, so, so much great music, some completely new to me, others well-grounded in my favourites, and many to tick off my bottomless must-see list.

Aqaba

If I told you what I didnโ€™t love, itโ€™d be quicker, but blank! The only way to do this, is to get chronological, but before I do, itโ€™s crucial to point out what’ll become clear by the end; the logo’s tree growing out of a guitar, and the whole name of Bradford Roots Music Festival can be a tad misconceiving; going in with the preconception it’s all folk, fiddles and hippy-chicks dancing barefoot, though these are present, to assume it’s the be-all-and-end-all is wildly off target. The diversity on offer here is its blessing, its quantity and quality is serious value for money, and likely the most important elements I need to express in order to sell next yearโ€™s to you, which I do, because it was utterly fantastic.

Not forgoing the hospitable atmosphere, its easy access under one roof, and its professionalism in staging the best indoor local festival I’ve been to, if not a forerunner for the best local community-driven festival, period. On programming I could point similarities to Swindon Shuffle, in so much as grabbing an international headline isn’t their thing, favouring promoting local acts. But unlike the Shuffle where you wander Old Town pub-to-pub, there’s a treasure behind nearly every fire-door.

Lodestone

Arriving as prompt as possible, unfortunately not as early as I’d have liked, finding Phil Cooper and Jamie R Hawkins packed up and chatting in the foyer, I consoled myself by noting there’s so much happening under this cathedral of music’s roof I won’t miss. Firstly, I found the main stage, a colossal acoustic-heaven seated hall, where came the cool mellow vibes of Chris Hoar’s Lodestone, soon to be renamed Courting Ghosts, with drummer Tim Watts from It’s Complicated, a band booked to headline the third stage, Wild and Woolley, but had to cancel.

Lightgarden

Though at this time, I’d not even found said third stage, dragging myself away from the balcony to the foyer, where a smaller makeshift middle stage hosted the duos and acoustic acts. The beautiful folk of Lightgarden currently attracting a crowd.

Mark Green’s Blues Collective

People tended to settle in one place, I rushed from stage to stage, excited as a sugared-up kid at Disneyland! Discovering the third stage was the best thing I did, as Mark Green’s Blues Collective thrilled with a reggae-riffed version of Knocking on Heaven’s Door.

The Graham Dent Quartet

Decided I need to settle down, smooth and accomplished piano-based jazz on the main stage by The Graham Dent Quartet could’ve easily helped, but hot-footing back to the third stage to catch Junkyard Dogs was a must.

Likely my acme of the daylight hours, if it’s nearly as impossible to rank the best thing any more than picking faults in the festival, Junkyard Dogs rocked this stage with sublimely executed Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry timeless classics of the raw RnB origins of rock n roll, (apt for a “roots” festival,) with added amusing originals, a downtempo Suzie Q, and a funky guitar chilled Dusty Springfield’s Spooky.

Junkyard Dogs

With fantastic delta blues in the foyer, via Westward, and a Wassail choir workshop in the main room, I tended to hover around the more unorthodox third stage, where Mod-type synths band Aqaba rolled out some damn fine originals.

Westward
Caroline Radcliffe Jazz Trio

Meanwhile joyful lounge jazz was blessing the foyer with the Caroline Radcliffe Jazz Trio, as I made my way to way to the main stage once more, to tick Billy in the Lowground off my must-see list. Missed this unique banjo and fiddle five-piece folk ensemble when they’ve graced the Southgate, but though their fiery foot-stomping loud โ€˜nโ€™ proud scrumpy & western is hard-to-pigeonhole, I won’t be missing them next time.

Billy in the Lowground

This is where the stages vacated for dinnertime, and the Wassail children’s parade accompanied an entertaining Morris dance ruled the hour. It mayโ€™ve felt as if the festival was slowing pace, but it was only temporary. Outstanding Bristol-based soloist Zoe kicked off the foyer happenings again, a stalwart of the festival, while young Swindon popular post-grunge wild card, Viduals blasted the third stage.

Zoe
Viduals

It was great to meet the level-headed youths of Viduals, one to watch on the indie circuit, asserting the third stage now was for younger attendees. Man, they had some upfront drumming I likened to Animal from the Muppets, and some defined originals!

Foxymoron

The similarly youthful band, Foxymoron, to grace the headline at the third stage since It’s Complicatedโ€™s unfortunate cancellation, sounded prodigious, slightly more accomplished with slithers of retro post-punk, but I confess with so much going on, I didn’t catch enough for a full assessment. Because, I was equally surprised by Karport Collective at the main stage, but in a different way. Didnโ€™t get any info on these guys, only to lean over to the frontman expressing my delight at them daring to cover Outkast classic Hey Ya at a roots event! If a pop repertoire of Fatboy Slimโ€™s Praise You medlied with that Elvis breakbeat rework, wouldnโ€™t fit at a folk festival, they did Bowieโ€™s Letโ€™s Dance too, engaging a mass-exodus to the dancefloor; surely a defining factor in my point about diversity here. Gallant five-piece, Karport Collective pulled a rabbit from their hat, and would be a superb booking for a function or large lively pub with universal appeal.

Karport Collective

Dilemmas over what to watch beached, the ultimate decision was the finale, where subtle yet powerful folk duo Fly Yeti Fly took the foyer, and my new favourite thing, Concrete Prairie played the main stage. Letโ€™s get this straight, okay? Concrete Prairie are unmissable by my reckoning, though this is my third time seeing them live, and Fly Yeti Fly is one I so desperately want to tick off my list. The problem is solved by this easy access, weโ€™re only one fire-door away from simultaneously viewing both, which I did; bloominโ€™ marvellous!

Complete with double-bass accompaniment, predicted gentle positive acoustic vibes from Fly Yeti Fly, if a song about burning the furniture for firewood on a frozen canal boat is gentle and positive! But, oh, how a duo can hold an audience spellbound, Fly Yeti Fly are the enchantment. My night was completed by their tune Shine a Light, which (plug) you can find on our Juliaโ€™s House compilation, together with swinging that fire-door to catch the sublime country-folk of Concrete Prairie as they polished off a set of debut album tracks, covers and new songs, with the magnum-opus Devil Dealt the Deck.

Concrete Prairie

Still at 1,000 feet of an impressive mountain; Bradford Roots Festival, I conclude, is faultless.

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The Tap at The Peppermill to Host Open Mic

Two local musicians have joined forces as Nightingale Sounds to host their first Open Mic Night at the new Tap at the Peppermill in Devizesโ€ฆ.โ€ฆ

Illingworth Celebrate Their 100th Gig!

Salisbury-based acoustic rock duo John Illingworth Smith and Jolyon Dixon play The High Post Golf Club, between Amesbury and Salisbury this Friday 2nd December, and celebrate that it’s their 100 gig.

Although the duo had been collaborating musically for over three decades, gigs dried out proir to 2019, and they stopped, as Jolyon vaguely explained, “for one reason or another!”

He told of how around the Christmas peroid of that year, “John and I were chatting about how we missed doing gigs, wondering if we should maybe get a set together and have go at performing again as a duo.”

“We wasn’t certain if anyone would want to listen,” Jolyon continued, “if we could actually get any gigs at all, or even how to get the songs working with just the two of us playing.” Today it’s still a wonder to us how they manage such a gorgeous sound as a duo, but they do! At Bishop’s Cannings’ CrownFest this summer they stole the stage following two heavy rocks bands, and to see Illingworth stamp their mark on a cover as technical as Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here, or The Beatles’ Hey Jude, is something really special.

To maintain a pub circuit, Illingworth have mastered the cover scene with a plethora of memorable and sing-along rock classics, but neither are they strangers to creating originals, knocking out two breathtaking albums to date. This is where their relationship with Salisbury’s Tunnel Rat studio producer, Eddie Prestidge, comes in handy.

“Our good friend Eddie encouraged us to give it a try,” Jolyon said, “offered to become our manager and handle the bookings. So, we gladly accepted and sure enough we got our first booking in February 2020, with several more following soon after. Of course, early in March the lockdowns started and we couldn’t go out and play. We were gutted, but, undeterred we used the time to make a new album of original songs and we did gigs whenever the restrictions allowed.”

“Well, this weekend will be our 100th gig, So we would just like to say thank you so so much to all the excellent venues that have booked us, the weddings, parties, festivals, celebrations and absolutely everyone who has come to see us along the way! It’s been an absolute blast getting to this point. We still love doing what we do, and hope to make it to our 200th gig!”

With the trajectory these guys are flying on, I estimate that’ll be around spring! What more of an apt venue name, then, for their 100th gig than the High Post?! But seriously, these guys could bring joy to punters and provide a cracking night to any pub. I’d wager they could even raise the morale of the Queen Vic in Eastenders given half a chance!

Congratulations to John, Jolyon and Eddie, and hope to catch you again soon, guys.

Nothing Rhymes Orange, Fact

Oh, for the enthusiasm of emerging talent; new track from Nothing Rhymes with Orange is a surprisingly garage band delight……

My dad never revealed his feelings about being in an amateur teenage band. Though I knew he was, he played down its importance. Sacrificing his guitar for parenthood, heโ€™d shrug and tell me they were never any good, anyway, then explain it was the trend of the era, everyone tried picking up a guitar. A tendency succumbed to electronica and the pop machine of my youth; we grew up hailing the DJ and the sound system. Yet the DIY ethos of swinging sixties is very much revitalised these days, and if thereโ€™s lots of current notable young bands on Wiltshireโ€™s circuit, one to watch are called Nothing Rhymes Orange.

But, if itโ€™s fact nothing does rhyme with orange, I confess to know little else about this emerging talent, save theyโ€™ve a Devizes connection, recently rocked up Lavingtonโ€™s Churchill and supported Carsick at The Pump, as Sheerโ€™s incentive to promote upcoming locals never fails to spot greatness. And greatness it is, if raw and somewhat undercooked; such is the delight of discovering a garage band, as they come out of Martin Spencerโ€™s Badger Set studio with a blinding original track this week, Chow For Now.

Garage is an appropriate blanket term, I was pleasantly surprised not to hear some expected grunge-inspired thrash, rather the balance of indie-pop akin to the Coral, with occasional nod to post-punk, when fitting. This sounds garage, yeah, basslines of early Jam, even, which rings out a beguiling riff of contemporary sparkle, not forgoing an original concept for theme. Ah, Scouting for Girls, or more; taking on local favourites like Longcoats and Daydream Runaways.

Immediate like from me, guys; one to watch. Aside another two tunes in the works, you can find Nothing Rhymes Orange supporting Harmer James and Chasing Kites at a Freaky Friday down St James Vaults, Bath on 11th November. Link-tree is here, go figure.

This is what picking up a guitar is all about, albeit to suggest it takes perseverance; likely where my dadโ€™s Who-like wannabes failed, but Nothing Rhymes Orange seem to excel. Guess Iโ€™ll never be sure about the first, but Iโ€™m certain of the latter.  

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The Wiltshire Gothic; Deadlight Dance

With howling, coarse baritones Nick Fletcher, the main vocalist of Marlboroughโ€™s gothic duo, Deadlight Dance chants, โ€œhere comes the rain, and I love the rain,โ€ฆ

Talk in Code: The Big Screen

Talk in Code’s second album has been out a while, overdue to mention it……

January 2019, and I find myself making several eighties cultural references in reviewing Resolve, the debut album by Wiltshireโ€™s own Talk in Code. A band which turned my aged preconceptions of the โ€œindieโ€ pigeonhole on its head.

For me, wedged in the nineties, imaginings of that somewhat depressing outlook of the riot-grrrl, the post-gothic period of indie my rave fixation required an abhorrence of by default. Though it was hardly mods and rockers in that era, as in we didnโ€™t fight, โ€œraversโ€ and โ€œindie kidsโ€ simply didnโ€™t recognise each other until the remerging of the crossover, through the likes of the Chemical Brothers and Prodigy, yet, reflecting, it was always there with Madchester and the progressive Primal Screamโ€™s Screamadelica.

So, whoโ€™s up to debate it, does any of it matter now? I likely chewed the ears off of guitarist Alastair Sneddon on the most memorable occasion of a road trip with the band last March! Weโ€™re in a period where the trend is to cast-off that nineties flavour in favour of citing influences like U2 and Simple Minds, and Iโ€™m game for that, even if the band tend to name more modern inspirations.

The point is, Talk in Code build on this ethos, their sound ever strives towards it, ergo, everything after Resolve increasingly adds to this method, of its standout single Oxygen and its gorgeous dreamy emotions akin to a John Hughes soundtrack, and gradually onward. Yet somehow this panache isnโ€™t regressive, forgive the eighties references, itโ€™s retaining freshness in the contemporary, just allowing a serious nod toward early to mid-eighties feelgood pop.

It’s a fashion which Talk in Code hooked me onto bands like Longcoats, Daydream Runaways and Atari Pilot too, and a scene has developed to the point Swindonโ€™s pop darlings are now Talk in Code; they played the Coleview Music Festival this weekend, entertained crowds during the interval of the Wildcats ice-hockey game at the Link, and generally, the excitement is consistently blossoming for them, and deservedly so.

Back on our outing to Portsmouth they stressed the importance of both gigs and recording, and since their connection to Regent Street Records, there was a keenness in the band to grab wider appeal in anticipation of the forthcoming album, The Big Screen. The release of it was pushed back to accommodate this collaboration but has been up-for-grabs since last month. Having already reviewed many of the tracks of singles Iโ€™ve been biding my time, apologies to Talk in Code, but here it isโ€ฆ.

To begin, The Big Screen has had nearly as many singles coming off it as Jackoโ€™s Bad, yet the comparisons end there. The opening title-track though, is exclusive, and it rings as the perfect intro as all the shaping Iโ€™ve described above. Illogical chronologically follows, their last single released, which I defined at the time as summing up โ€œtheir undeviating style, upbeat and optimistic,โ€ and suggested it was more danceable than the previous singles.

One of my personal favs follows, Talk Like That, came out back in January 2020, of which I suggested would โ€œblow your diddy-boppers off!โ€ Track four is Hindsight, an album track, perhaps, least one I havenโ€™t heard of, but again, listening to it everything just falling so neatly into place. Talk in Code are so stylised, this flows as an album rather than a collection of singles, and nothing here will disappoint.

April 2020โ€™s single Courage (Leave it Behind) is followed by a cooling new song, Someone Elseโ€™s Shoes, which takes on the Wham boys at their earlier best. This is a drifter, but yeah, I said Wham, I donโ€™t know about you, but it got me reminiscing the greatness of Everything She Wants, a hidden gem of their discography often obscured by later hits.

But Save It returns to paced euphoric, and one canโ€™t go wrong towards the finale, as the last three tracks are recently celebrated singles. The Molly Ringwald moment of Young Loves Dream, autumn during lockdownโ€™s neon song Secret and ending on the summery Taste the Sun, dripping in fun, and sunshineโ€ฆ. club tropicanaโ€™s drinks are free, yโ€™ know? And in that, a certain moreish finesse weโ€™ve come to accept as standard from Talk in Code shines on.

In all, despite reviewing the singles as and when they were released, itโ€™s worth revisiting as together in the compilation of The Big Screen, you can hear what Iโ€™ve been waffling on about with each and every single review, about the tightness of the band to create this uniformed joyous chic of universal pop appeal. Honest, in a Tardis, feels like you could pull out a Smash Hits poster of Talk in Code and blu-tac it to your wall, and your dad will approve. Whatever did happen to Terrence Trent Dโ€™Arby?!

Get the album here, s’ only seven quid.

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The Drum n Bass Huntr/s of Old Devizes Town

In true Royston Vasey style, unfortunately due to time and resources we donโ€™t review international music as we did during lockdown, choosing to focus moreโ€ฆ

The Best He Could Do at The Time, Joe Hicksโ€™ Debut Album

A little late for the party, as ever, Iโ€™ve been procrastinating, and my computer is equally as listless; failing to save my original words on this. Meanwhile Newbury good guy, but welcomed regular on our circuit, Joe Hicks has been busy with a debut album launched yesterday, worthy of a rewriteโ€ฆโ€ฆ

Titled The Best I Could Do at The Time, Joe is seriously playing it down, like the nerd at college who tells you they โ€œhavenโ€™t done muchโ€ for their assignment, so you follow suit only to find them offering a feasible cure for all known diseases in a presentation with U2 providing the soundtrack, while the best you can offer is a scribbling of your pet cat, which you did on the bus journey there.

The opening tune, Sail Away, for example, is far punchier than David Grayโ€™s appellation of the same name, and we wonโ€™t contemplate sailing down the Rod Stewart route. Though itโ€™s best pigeonholed like Grayโ€™s, as folktronica, thereโ€™s a whole lot more going on here from this stalwart who could just as easily fit comfortably into a blues dance as he could a folk festival, and does.        

The blurb suggests The Best I Could Do at the Time is โ€œa journey through many of the emotional peaks and troughs we go through as humans,โ€ Joe explained, โ€œand more specifically me as a musician in such uncertain times. Itโ€™s about acknowledging them, living in those feelings for a while and ultimately finding the hope we all have within us to take control and rise above the worst of them. Itโ€™s about doing the best we can with the tools that we have.โ€

The first thing to hit you is the sheer production quality, a euphoric yet upbeat anthemic joy from the off, Sail Away, sustains the timeless pop formula, making him balance on the edge between aforementioned folk and blues, and allowing this album to flow tidy, but traverse any given pop subgenre at will, while retaining originality and stylised inimitability.

If One More Step, the timeless pop second track is a prime example, it builds on layers like a contemporary hit of say a George Ezra-Bruno Marrs hybrid, Maybe When Itโ€™s Over follows, and this stretches back further, reeking of unruffled seventies soul, like Curtis Mayfield.

Four tracks in and youโ€™re safe in knowledge to accept anything, Pieces is sublime acoustic fluff, and there was a line in the subtle skank of Lost in Love, โ€œoh, such a reckless emotion,โ€ where I paused for thought on a comparison which I couldnโ€™t quite put my finger on, until it came to me; the velvety vocals of Paul Young, especially when he sang Come Back and Stay.

Mirror Mirror reflects an indie side-order, while Out of My Mind surprisingly nods of township jive, designating a hint of Paul Simonโ€™s Graceland. Hand in Hand settles the pace once again to this euphoria, so that even if the narrative traverses the downhearted at times, itโ€™s always a musical ride with the glass half full. And herein is my point; this is ageless pop goodness, borrowing from what went before, but fresh and contemporary throughout, which is the even balance of magnitude.

The final trio of tracks on this eleven-strong album returns to the early eighties pop formula with, Alive, folktronica goodness with the inspiring Make It Home, and Weightless polishes it off with the pop roll of The Corrs, or something along those lines, though the whole shebang holds itself in its own pocket.

Itโ€™s a wonderful album, deservedly to be considered a remarkable achievement; The Best I Could Do at The Time huh? Well, the time is nigh. Having made a name for himself as a session guitarist, Joe Hicks was ‘BBC Introducing Artist of the Weekโ€™, directly from his first solo single in 2017. Since heโ€™s built up a sizable online following, touring the UK and Europe, appearing at CarFest, The Big Feastival, Are You Listening? Festival, Pub in the Park, over thirty Sofar Sounds shows and slots supporting Sam Fender, James Walsh and Starsailor.

Here in Devizes, heโ€™s regularly appeared at Long Street Blues Club and Saddleback, and is always a delight to chat with; just a genuine modest talent, of which this album truly blows the lid off his cover. I got your number, Hicks; bloomin’ amazing album, my son!

Link-Tree to Buy

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Let’s Clean up Devizes!

You’ve got to love our CUDS, the Clean up Devizes Squad, hardworking volunteers who make the town look tidy and presentable. Here’s your chance toโ€ฆ

Ashes of Memory; New Single From M3G

The fifth single coming out from Chippenham singer-songwriter M3g on Friday, Ashes of Memory, and if Iโ€™ve said in the past what separates Meg fromโ€ฆ

Never Changing the Rules With Atari Pilot

Swindonโ€™s sonic indie popsters Atari Pilot are a prolific bunch, and have a new single out called The Rules Never Changeโ€ฆ. And, they donโ€™t. Thereโ€™sโ€ฆ

Sheer Music Grand Return to Devizes

Ah, it’s on the grapevine alright; godfather of Wiltshire’s millennial live indie scene, Kieran Moore isn’t sneaking in the back door with his tail between his legs like the prodigal son, rather he’s returning to Devizes, the origins of his promotional stamp Sheer Music, in a blaze of heavy rock glory.

Not content with setting the soul of live music in the bright light city of viva Trowvegas on fire, or getting those stakes up higher at Komedia in Bath and legendary venue the Vic in Swindon, he’s
just a devil with love to spare…. for his roots!

It’ll be loud and proud, that much is for sure, when Sheer takes the Corn Exchange on Friday 7th October, and, hold your breath, it’ll be a free gig, yes I said free. When was the last time you got in the Corn Exchange for nought? Obviously as chief blagger I’m not at liberty to answer that question myself, but you catch my drift I hope!

They’ve got that kick-ass skater punk collaboration of Trowbridge, Devizes, Westbury and Wotton Bassett,ย Start The Sirens as support. A promising upcomer we handsomely reviewed their debut “Just the Beginning,” back in June.

Next up is two-thirds homegrown purveyors of noise NervEndings, who should need no introduction locally, abielt to note the boys are creating quite the stir forever further abound, headlining this Saturday at the very same Victoria, for the Swindon Shuffle.

Plus hard-rocking contemporary punkers Lucky Number Seven, which I’ll confess is a new one to me, but they certainly sound like a belter, featured alongside NervEndings at the Shuffle, and who tore Bristol’s Fleece apart at the beginning of the month.

Kieran labels his promo posts with “shit the bed, Devizes,” leaving me pondering; are you sure you’re ready for this, Devizes? Stage diving all the way to Chick-O-Land?!

Really Got Me Now; The Roughcut Rebels Storm the Three Crowns

Prince Akeem of Zamunda, that’s the bugger, least the fictional character played by Eddie Murphy in Coming to America, who walks over a shower of rose petals; that’s the Roughcut Rebels gigging in their hometown right now, but replace the petals with “party!” Yes, they dance over a bed of party, waltzing the crowd with them, and punch above their weight for the mod covers championship belt.….

For a band that know they can switch from the Beatles’, Hard Day’s Night, to Jack Bug’s Lighting Bolt, a local crowd will lay the petals for them. More so, they bring the party, as they saunter through them with a breeze of confidence. Confidence in their younger frontman, Fin, but also in the tightness of the knowledgeable band; it’s one not to be missed, as it was in the Three Crowns last night.

In pub with a McDonald’s-paced drinks service, due to its cashless agenda, there’s a marvellous outside venue completely covered with sparkling canope. The boss here knows his customers as he flicks me through his diary; The Three Crowns pays particular attention to accomplished local live cover acts it knows will bring the party, such as People Like Us, Illingworth, Paradox and, as clearly evident last night, those Roughcut Rebels.

They push the boundaries of eras, spanning in comfort any anthem with a mod tinge, and saunter from sixties to eighties, from Rolling Stones to The Jam, yet slide equally as neatly and timelessly as a Fred Perry shirt into Britpop and into contemporary indie sing-a-longs.

Polishing the evening off with the Stereophonics’ Dakota, it’s a scooter rideout through time, from The Who to Oasis, and everything in between. This equates to a highly entertaining show, akin to a Now, That’s What I Call Mod Music compilation album, but live and with Wiltshire hint; I honour Fin doesn’t attempt a cockney accent when reenacting Phil Daniels’ Parklife monologue, because it’s a little west country thing, and it rocks!

With a extensive gourmet burger type menu, The Three Crowns is a golden nugget on our pub circuit, and Finley and Mark of the band are the next stop musically, playing the bank holiday Monday in support of The Reason.

The Roughcuts can be seen again at The Barge in Seend Cleeve on September 2nd, and appear at the highly anticipated Party For Life fundraiser at Melksham Town FC on the 10th September.

Talk In Code Return to Swindon for a Homecoming Show & Album Release

We love โ€˜em here at Devizine, and Swindon-based indie pop quartet, Talk In Code are set to return to The Victoria in Old Town Swindon on Saturday 23rd September for a massive homecoming celebration show following a packed summer of festival appearances at Lechlade Festival, Minety Festival, Home Farm Festival, Taunton Pride, Box Rocks, Great West Fest and many Foodies Festivals all over the UKโ€ฆ..

The band have spent the summer playing to packed audiences across Wiltshire and all over the UK, supporting esteemed names such as Jesus Jones, Cast, Scouting For Girls, My Life Story, Blue and The Feeling.

Talk In Code, recently signed to London based Regent Street Records, released their instantly danceable, upbeat single โ€œIllogicalโ€ in June of this year, playing a headline set at Pimms In The Park at Lydiard Park on release day.

Image: Helen’s PolarPix

The gig at The Victoria on 23rd September will also see the release of the bands new single โ€œThe Big Screenโ€ and also their third album of the same name which will be available to purchase on CD on the night.

Chris Stevens, lead vocalist said โ€œSwindon is our home, and it feels so right to be returning to The Victoria, which is one of our favourite venues to play.. Darren and Violet from The Victoria have been incredibly supportive of Talk In Code over the years and we cannot think of a better place to showcase our new album than The Vic! We are proud to be Swindon!โ€

Join Talk In Code for what promises to be an incredible night of live music, with support from Riveria Arcade and Tom Moore.

Tickets are just ยฃ6.00 in advance from https://www.seetickets.com/event/talk-in-code-riviera-arcade-tom-moore/the-vic/2319587 Listen to Talk In Code here.

Ah, my road trip with Talk in Code!

Trending….

Peace, Love, Americana and Jol Rose

I trouble procrastinating upon being gifted a previously released CD from an artist for review, unfortunately they land on the backburner, prioritising upcoming news items.โ€ฆ

Date Set for Devizes Pride

Hear ye, oh, hear ye, with much yet to plan for the event, we’re pleased to announce the date of Saturday June 29th has beenโ€ฆ

Flowers in the Snow; Paul Lappinโ€™s New EP

For want of content during lockdown I broke borders and publicised about music worldwide, gradually crawling Devizine back to its original ethos of focussing on local happenings. Pardon me if I donโ€™t get all Royston Vasey on this EP, recorded in the South of France, for the reasoning is twofold; Paul Lappin originates from Swindon only partially significant, mostly itโ€™s because for music this good Iโ€™m willing to break any rules about content I mightโ€™ve once made!

Through the album The Boy Who Wanted to Fly, if in October 2020 I raved about the Britpop goodness of Paul and his band, the Keylines, a following live unplugged and largely acoustic release Christmas last year, Live at Pink Moon Studios simply knocked it out of the park for me. Stripped back and set within an intimate lockdown performance, Live at Pink Moon Studios not only reinforced the absolute brilliance of Lappin, it earmarked its place in my all-time favourites, outside the confines of what we review here.

No pressure then, Paul, if I donโ€™t compare this new release to other items currently in review, rather provide assurance to our readers, this again dreamy, mostly acoustic new EP Flowers in the Snow, is immediately enchanting, best paralleled with John Martyn, Jeff Buckley, or Nick Drake, the latter of whom Iโ€™d imagine Paul to cite, being the studio name refers to a Drake album.

Though, I feel at times, aforementioned comparisons are somewhat lost in their own era, Paul reflects this too, his work never retrospective, it sounds fresh for the now, as Britpop comes of age, this is matured indie, favourably over a beechwood fireplace in a cabin recollecting times past, with a customary glass of wine.

Three average-length tunes make up this EP, though as suspected, thatโ€™s all which is average here. A tale of better times on their way begins the proceedings, a best served acoustically title track. It smooths the soul, quite literally. Moodier soundscape introduction of subtle guitar riff following for track two, Blue and Gold, brings out the best in Johannes Saalโ€™s drums and bass, and Thomas Monnierโ€™s subtle congas.

โ€œThe rest of my band were busy with other projects,โ€ Paul explains of springtime, โ€œI spent a week at Pink Moon residential studios in the south of France working on some new ideas with producer and recording artist Saal.โ€ The result is this EP; three songs loosely linked by the theme of the seasons and mixed on a beautiful 1980’s GDR era broadcast desk. โ€œThe download includes a 14-minute bonus track of all three songs linked together, as was originally intended.โ€

Okay, so Iโ€™m guessing spring on Flowers in the Snow, dead reckoning Blue and Gold is summer, but the last tune confirms, itโ€™s winter; Not Hiding Just Sliding is perhaps the most experimental, such a beguilingly unassuming melody, holding you out to dry in want for more. This is an exceptional set of flowing songs, no two-ways about it, if the seasons really came and went as smoothly as this, Iโ€™d still be wearing a t-shirt and khaki shorts through the bleak midwinter!

Trending…..

Mantonfest 2024

Images: Gail Foster Whilst festivals around us come and go Mantonfest has been a constant of the Wiltshire music calendar since 2009….. The 29th ofโ€ฆ

Broken, with Billy Green 3

Rain after a heatwave can be โ€œrefreshingโ€ rather than its normal, โ€œannoying.โ€ Save drizzle, though forecast, weโ€™re still waiting for the storm. If itโ€™s refreshing you want in the meantime, local Britpop trio, Billy Green 3 paid a visit to Potterneโ€™s Badger Set studio, and the result is Madchester in Ibizaโ€ฆ.

Melancholically drifting over a subtle Latino riff, Broken is the surprising new single, out tomorrow (Friday 22nd July,) and itโ€™s gorgeously chilled, like lounging on a porch-swing with a touch of bourbon, while mizzle rejuvenates the charred grass. Itโ€™s the morning-after pill from a heady beach party, yet donโ€™t rush off with the idea Bill has done gone turned into a bossa nova star or anything rash like that!

Thankfully more air-conditioned Santana than gold bikini-clad Shakira, weโ€™re some way even off what Oakenfold might spin at some Balearic archipelago chillout zone, because Broken retains the model Verve-Embrace come new wave mod indie sound of Billy Greenโ€™s past tracks, just with a subtle nod to something retrospectively Latino, akin to Morcheebaโ€™s Big Calm, or Screamadelica; something like that. โ€œThink Cafe Del Mar…in Newcastle,โ€ our Geordie frontman Bill pitches it to me, rightfully.

Phone speaker listening never does a song justice, I must break the habit, but it took me seconds to fall in love with this tune, despite lack of amplification. Fond of this, because it works, key is the simplicity against overthinking, at least with such a style, I put to Bill.

โ€œI think so,โ€ he replied, โ€œI had an idea that I wanted to have a two-chord structure, and the emotion would come through the story in the lyrics, I’m not really had any songs with a complete narrative arc, so that was the very loose plan, once I had that we just build the instrumentals around the lyrics and that ebbed and flowed…โ€ And it has itinerant romantic narrative, as tranquil as the sound, working as a cruising solo song, or maxing-relaxing with a loved oneโ€ฆ just donโ€™t try the aforementioned gold bikini-clad Shakira look in an accompanying video, Bill, itโ€™s only going to lower the poignant nuance of a superb tune; well done, guys, very summery!

Trending……

Swindon Palestine Solidarity Hold Charity Dinner

On Saturday, people from across Swindon came to Swindon Palestine Solidarityโ€™s charity dinner to raise funds for Medical Aid Palestine and raise awareness of the realityโ€ฆ

The Lost Trades to Release Live Album

To international acclaim on the folk circuit, weโ€™ve loved to follow the progress of the Lost Trades since day dot, when Phil Cooper enthusiastically told meโ€ฆ

Wormwood; Cracked Machineโ€™s New Album

A third instalment of space rock swirls and cosmic heavy duty guitar riffs was unleashed in January from our homegrown purveyors of psychedelia, Cracked Machine. Plugโ€ฆ

The Worried Men Take the Pump

And Morpheus said unto Neo, โ€œunfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.โ€ Funny cos, I kindaโ€ฆ

Hooch on Streaming

Once a cover band, east Wiltshire’s rootsy four-piece Hooch have moved to writing and recording original material. Their discography goes onto music streaming sites today (Sunday 3rd July,) and if you like your country-rock breezy and uplifting, with a subtle touch of psychedelia and surf, then it’s worthy of your attention…..

The instrumental Eagle Ray is particularly awash with this aforementioned surf-rock style, while all tracks have this sunny-side-of-the-street, retrospective feel about them. Slowburn, for instance, is good time mid-era-Beatles in nature and Voodoo Hair is outright groovy.

Well even if you don’t do the streaming platforms you can get a listen direct from their website.Ten tunes on offer here, enough for an album, guys? An album of ten jumpy, anthemic ballads like Sweet Maria would see us fine, this one in particular is a beguiling peach I could imagine fans chanting back at them after only a few listens.

Live is a bigger part to Hooch, I’m certain you’ll make a beeline for a gig upon hearing these well crafted tunes, they’re at the Seven Stars in Bottlesford Saturday July 16th, tickets are a purple one, I believe this includes a barbecue thrown into the bargin, and a summer mini-fest at the Horseshoe Inn, Mildenhall July 23rd.

Expect “unusual” covers choices, they say, but I’d argue the cited Depeche Mode, Space and The Coral are apt, this upbeat melodic blend from Martyn Appleford, Nesh Thompson, Simon Dryland and Matt Ryan reflects this, with a dash more roots than perhaps, new wave mod, but with a move to electrification enhacing their acoustic roots, they weave perfect pop simplicity into their lyrics, and that’s where it is to pinning an imitatble, memorable style.

If the name derives from the late 19th century abbreviation ofย Hoochinoo, a North American tribe in Alaska renowned for brewing booze, this is certainly fun time drinking music, but the sound is far more matured than its commonly associated brand of alcopop. Ha, whatever happened to that, do they still sell it? It certainly took the brunt of the blame for underage drinking in the nineties, as if they invented the concept and no kid ever tried alcohol before their ingenious bottle of wobbly lemonade came onto the market!

Sickly sweet though, wasn’t it? Precursor to the Bacardi Breezer and Smirnoff Ice, but try the tune Aluna for size, and you’ll see, though there’s elements of the Kinks at their most comical, or subtle Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band at times, it’s a choice for grownups, with no immature persuasion; I love it, and hope they’re encouraged to perform their own tunes live, rather than an all-covers set; the difference between buying spirits and mixing it to your own taste or letting mainstream brewers decide on your sugar levels!

Talk in Code get Illogical

The only person who isnโ€™t going to love this is Mr Spock! Swindonโ€™s Talk in Code released a new single today, Illogical, their first release on Regent Street Records, since signing at the beginning of the yearโ€ฆ…

Only seconds of a Tangerine Dream fashioned intro elapses before the boysโ€™ flare that uniformed indie-pop at you; the kind theyโ€™ve grown into and weโ€™ve come to love them for. Again, Illogical sums up their undeviating style, upbeat and optimistic, each new title shimmeringly fresh and more astute to the โ€œcode.โ€

Built-in euphoric backing consecrates this imitable style; yeah, thereโ€™s tinges of eighties pop while retentive of the contemporary knowhow, so to have discovered it on an โ€œHits Albumโ€ of the era wouldโ€™ve likely caused a seizure of excitement for the listener, and a technical enquiry call from Kraftwerk for the band.

Recorded and produced with Sam Winfield and Tom Millar at Studio 91 (Amber Run, The Amazons, Fickle Friends), the โ€˜guilty by designโ€™ theme connotes relationship complexity, contradiction and confusion. Yet, as with universal pop formula, their leitmotifs pale by the energetic beat, until the bridge which winds down and highlights subtle narrative. Talk in Code find that perfect balance, which I why I tip them one of the very best on our local circuit. More so, the theme of the song seems to suggest this.

But their strive for wider appeal is deservedly paying off independently amassing 170k streams and over 600 Spotify playlist adds, radio airplay from Amazing Radio and BBC Introducing, and thriving festival appearances.

If youโ€™re expecting covers at their gig, you might be disappointed, but Talk in Codeโ€™s beguiling singles are immediately palpable by effect, and will have you thinking youโ€™ve heard them before; โ€œcatchyโ€ is a word I try to avoid, but is apt. Illogical is perhaps more danceable then their power-pop previous single, Young Loveโ€™s Dream, and more akin to 2020โ€™s Talk Like That. With such an amazing discography gradually building, probably best now to compare Talk in Code singles with Talk in Code singles rather than cite influences. Progression is the only issue here is, each one seems to better the previous and each new one binds this aforementioned uniform style.

โ€œAnalysis please, Mr Spockโ€ฆโ€ฆโ€

โ€œGiven variables, Captain, it would be illogical to find fault with this new Talk in Code single!โ€    

Showing off the day I made a rubbish roadie on the road with Talk in Code!

Trending….

Daisy Chapman Took Flight

Okay, so, if I praised the Bradford Roots Festival last weekend and claimed to have had a fantastic time, itโ€™s all as true as Harrisonโ€ฆ

New Nothing Rhymes With Orange Single

Friday is over, I’m a day late to the party, but there’s a new single from Devizes-own Nothing Rhymes With Orange, and you’ve not heardโ€ฆ

Learn the Art of Chocolate with HollyChocsย 

Devizes-based chocolate engineer Holly Garner, 2023 Chocolate Champion for the Southwest, has launched her new chocolate classes for the first half of 2024โ€ฆโ€ฆ From learningโ€ฆ

Cobalt Fireโ€™s Butterfly

In the words of the great Suggs, โ€œbut I like to stay in, and watch TV, on my own, every now and then,โ€ after three gigs on the previous weekend, I opted a weekend off, albeit I was with the family, and succumbed to Britainโ€™s Got Talent for my entertainment, one little part of me wishing Iโ€™d headed down the Southgate.….

To rub salt in the wound, Swindon-(I think)-based Cobalt Fire, who were providing the sounds at Devizes most dependable pub for original music last Saturday, also released a debut album called Butterfly, so naturally I wanted to hear what I missed.

Self-defined as a fusion of โ€œthe retro sound of 90โ€™s grunge and post-punk with a modern take on folk,โ€ I can see where theyโ€™re coming from, and itโ€™s no new thing for them, formerly known as Ells and the Southern Wild, the band developed their fresh sound from acoustic roots, and yes, thereโ€™s tinges of this still in them. Though their bio suggests they formed in 2103, I gather thereโ€™s either a typo or a gothic timelord in there! But in their switch to electric they strive to retain the core features of the songs, โ€œcreating a more muscular beast in the process,โ€ they put it.

And theyโ€™ve certainly achieved this, Butterfly, usually more bug than beast, is a boom of emotional overdrive, as grunge commands, with echoes more of Evanescence than Nirvana, what with Ells Chaddโ€™s haunting vocal range. It packs punches from beginning to end, the finale of which, Another Round, particularly poignant to this nod to acoustic roots, middle tracks like His Words Lie Heavy breath an air of eighties post-punk, ah, goth tinge, Siouxsie Sioux style, while it begins strictly grunge, with those rising and falling echoes of emotive authority.

The magnum opus, though, is three tracks in, Crimson Red summarises everything great about this potent four-piece, itโ€™s dynamitic, driving.

It’s basically ten professionally executed, blindingly touching three-minute heroes, in a fashion not usually my cuppa. But if I sing praises for a genre more me, thatโ€™s easy work, for music to make me consider oh yeah, I like this though pigeonholing obligation says I shouldnโ€™t, the result is even more impressive, and with Butterfly Iโ€™m near to breaking out some multi-belt buckle platform boots, growing my hair and dying it black!

This is a powerful and emotive creation, indulgent of all rock subgenres, yet beguiling grunge, and it never strays from its unique sound. See now, Iโ€™m sorry I missed you guys, another time and Iโ€™m beeline; embarrassingly for BGT too, though Iโ€™ve given my best cat ate my homework excuse, and though I doubt youโ€™ll turn Simon Cowellโ€™s frown upside-down, going on this album, youโ€™d have got my golden buzzer.

Ah, it’s all lies, anyway; not sure my hair will grow back!

Trending….

Richard Wileman on the Forked Road

Fashionably late for the party, apologies, the fellow Iโ€™m not sure if he minds me calling โ€œthe Mike Oldfield of Swindon,โ€ though itโ€™s meant asโ€ฆ

Lego Club at Devizes Library Announced

Everything is looking awesome at Devizes Library as they announce the Lego Club for six to twelve year olds will begin on Saturday 27th January!โ€ฆ

Rootless; New Single Ushti Baba

Bristolโ€™s fine purveyors of idiosyncratic folk-raving, Ushti Baba, who if youโ€™re in Devizes you might recall played Street Festival in 2022, have a new singleโ€ฆ..โ€ฆ

Billy Greenโ€™s Garden

To deal with my forgetfulness I have a to-do-list. The only issue with my to-do-list is I forget I started it; Billy Green released a new single last month, itโ€™s a poetic stonker of indie-rap, with his usual nod to Britpop, and still it fell through the floodgate. Apologies to Bill, but itโ€™s a convenient time to bring it up, as he gigs at Trowbridgeโ€™s Pump next Friday, May 27th, for Sheer Music.…..

What makes it even more exasperating for me, is that I was gossiping about the man himself, with Pip Phillips of People Like Us at Long Street Blues Club, what was it, just last week?! All good things, reminiscent of when they were in the nineties indie band, Still, together. Because Billy Green has a history, and itโ€™s savoured in a nimble and accomplished style of the time; zip your tracksuit jacket up to the chin and hide your swirly pupils under a Kangol bucket cap!

The impression of Still remains a forefront for Bill, who named his 2020 album after the band, and followed it with a preceding collection of lost demos, made with the band mid-nineties. Tales of musical happenings in times of yore, before I landed on planet Devizes, always fascinate me, and I never tire of hearing about the blues bands of an era long past, with good folk like Exchange-owner Ian James. Yet Billy echoes out his antiquity, The Pump gig will incorporate his songs from the Still album, which relish in this bygone fashion, adroitly.

Billy Green @ Still

Surprised I was to note the quasi-rap poetry of this new tune, Garden, but twas a pleasant one. Teetering with his Geordie mockery it holds an ironic slate against the charade of social media embodiment, โ€œpeople posting inspirational memes in one post, and ruining people in the next,โ€ Bill describes it to me; I know that sentiment, probably a smidgen guilty myself, Bill, you bloody stickler!

Though hints of the everyday rap style of The Streets, itโ€™s wrapped rather in the upbeat jaunty attitude of Blur, awash with Britpop influences of acts like James, for example. But donโ€™t take my word for it, ere, have a listen yourself mate, and youโ€™ll be mad-for-it too; sorted.

Trending…..

Gazelles: Follow-up Album from Billy Green 3

Our favourite loud Brit-popping local Geordie and gang are back with a second album. Theyโ€™re calling it Gazelles, after the previously released single openerโ€ฆ

The Magic Teapot Gathering

Okay, so there must be a truckload of local social and political ranting to cover, but itโ€™s new yearโ€™s day, Iโ€™m going to waffleโ€ฆ

Devizine Review of 2023

Here we are again with another year under our belts and me trying to best sum it up without restraint; I reserve my rightโ€ฆ

New Single from Billy in the Lowground

The third single from Billy in the Lowground in as many months was released today, they’ve been ploughing their own furrow since 1991, beenโ€ฆ

The Closing of Cooper Tyres

By T.B.D and D Rose for Devizine.The author can be reached at housetyg@gmail.com This month the historic Cooper Tires factory in Melksham which beganโ€ฆ

Waiting for M3Gโ€™s new Single…..

So yeah, I thought Iโ€™d be funny by commenting โ€œcanโ€™t waitโ€ on Chippenhamโ€™s upcoming folk singer-songwriter Megโ€™s Facebook post announcing her latest single, because,โ€ฆ

Daydream Runaways, with Butterflies

Daydream Runaways have released their first single for a while, and itโ€™s got superpowers!

Being a little over four years old, Devizine has grown up with a number of young bands and acts on the local circuit and itโ€™s always nice to hear back from them. I overuse the word โ€œmaturedโ€ to describe the progression theyโ€™ve made since we first met, but itโ€™s not a word Iโ€™d use today, as part Swindon-based part Devizes-based indie-pop fourpiece Daydream Runaways, release their first single since their amalgamation EP Dreamlands in November 2020.

Benjamin Heathcote, Nathaniel Heathcote, Cameron Bianchi and Bradley Kinsey promote the new single, Butterflies with images of them head locked into golden age American comics. I spammed the social media post with a selfie of me reading an antique Dandy, one nearly as antique as me!

Itโ€™s not the first time the band have used imagery conveying what some might deem nerdy or adolescent pop culture references, from childlike depictions of fairgrounds, cuddly toy mascots etc, and though, in some ways the retrospective nods to the eighties power-pop of a John Hughes soundtrack and youthful themes of unrequited love and romantic obsession might return us to our coming-of-age era, thereโ€™s nothing technically in this new song to suggest theyโ€™ve matured necessarily, because that air of ripened quality and proficiency in their sound has been there since day-dot.

Akin to Robert Johnson, did they sell their souls to the devil at a crossroads to be, like, automatically this good?! Doubt it, it takes time and dedication, two elements really on show here.

So, I put them on a pedestal and they knock it right over, Butterflies is an absolutely awesome song, I expected nothing less. Iโ€™ve called them one of the most underrated bands around these waters, I stick by that. Again, itโ€™s this delicate balance between sounding fresh and replicating a fond era, fused with a sturdy appetite and palpable passion which creates these eternally sublime indie-pop belters, the like I praise Talk in Code, The Dirty Smooth and the Longcoats with too. Ah, itโ€™s like the eighties never ended, just got better, cos, as with their others, perhaps even more so with Butterflies, you could fit these on an eightyโ€™s movie soundtrack, or Now compilation and theyโ€™d blend perfectly with the likes of Simple Minds, U2, Echo & the Bunnymen, et al.

I hope you catch my drift, Butterflies certainly is skilfully progressive, the band seem tighter than ever before, the timeless subject of unrequited obsession has been used to full efficiency, and it just works on all levels, but Daydream Runaways always had that in them, ergo itโ€™s not worthy of the term matured. Beguiling via hook-laden layers, building and crashing drums and guitars, it drives with optimistic emotion and screams authority till the point itโ€™s impossible to deem this anything other than anthemic.

It’s also embracingly DIY, sticking with their indie roots, they release Butterflies completely independently. Recording, mixing and mastering was the task of drummer Bradley Kinsey, and the artwork designed by frequent collaborator and friend ‘Ezra Mae Art’.

The band suggest the lonely heart theme, has a twist; the lyrics are written from โ€œthe perspective of the titular superhero, Butterfly Boy.โ€ Wanting to write a song fit for a comic book hero, they created their own rather than โ€œgoing the route of existing meta-humans from the likes of comic giants Marvel & DC.โ€ Maybe I need to align my spidey-senses, or just give it a few more listens to see the connection, but thatโ€™s easy to do with a track so invitingly good.

Trending….

Bradford on Avon Green Man Festival

Featured Image: Colin Rayner Photography If Iโ€™ve recently been singing the praises of arts diversity in Bradford-on-Avon, centred around the Wiltshire Music Centre and notโ€ฆ

Viduals Release New Single

Is that ex still playing on your mind? It’s been an age, mate, but no amount of friendsโ€™ attempts to console you will help, orโ€ฆ

12 Bars Later Pop into The Badger Set

Mustโ€™ve been a sweaty August night last year at our trusty Southgate, when I turned up on the off chance, and staggered home mightily impressedโ€ฆ

On The Road With Talk in Code!

You know that millennial movie, Almost Famous, set mid-seventies, where Rolling Stone Magazine mistake a nerdy teenager for a music journalist and send him on the road with an outrageous prog-rock band? It was nothing like that. Neither did it resemble 200 Motels, where a man dressed as a vacuum cleaner convinces you Ringo Starr is actually Frank Zappa in some freaky acid flashback. But I did have an awesome adventure yesterday, on the road with local premier indie-pop favs, Talk in Code.…..

There were no campervans with CND slogans painted on the side-door, no sign of Goldie Hawnโ€™s daughter unfortunately, and though my bubbles of anachronistic pre-imaginings burst, it allowed me to chart the regular labour of a touring band, rather than my usual practise of slouching up halfway through a performance with lame excuse. For if Iโ€™m going to write on the subject, I need to comprehend the inner workings, and the thoughts of a band going to a gig; even though Iโ€™m far from teenage music journalist with an advance from Rolling Stone!

So, by dinnertime Iโ€™m lone with guitarist Alastair Sneddon at the steering wheel, hereafter referred to as โ€œSnedds,โ€ with an amp case knocking in the rear of his car, and distracted by my inane waffling, weaving between musical subjects, badly following his sat-nav to Portsmouth.

Likely the eldest of this four-piece band, Snedds is a family man with a wealth of musical experience. He fondly recalls playing in cover bands, jazz and blues groups and our chat swifts across his past, musical influence brushing off on his children, current past gigs and local venues, to the importance, or insignificance of pop culture, the mainstream music industry and current trends of listening to music from streaming platforms to amplification to listening through phone speakers; we couldโ€™ve chatted all night on his passionate chosen subject, least it perceived to reduce the travel time. ย 

Before I knew it, we were awkwardly parked on a busy street in Southsea. Awash with cheesy club type pubs, restaurants, kebab houses and chippies, lies an equally misplaced theatre to our right, and a more traditional looking city tavern, The Lord John Russell, which will be our venue for the evening. Like a true roadie I felt a sense of haughtiness as I assisted lugging equipment through the already bustling pub; make way, yes, Iโ€™m with the band, ladies control yourselves!

But nothing felt ostentatious for the band as they amassed their kit in a corner, greeted each other and the promoter; hereโ€™s a tight working team despite the geographic distance between them. Talk in Code are part from Swindon, Reading and Devizes, but here they are with an excited air of anticipation brewing. Thereโ€™s a trio of bands on tonight, Talk in Code are second on, while the first are already sound checking, locally based to Portsmouth, Southerlies are a seven-piece covers band, fusing Americana with punchy hooks into contemporary pop; they proficiently delivered their set with good male-female vocal harmonies, and being local I observe they attracted a fanbase.

Quite eclectic then, to switch to Talk in Codeโ€™s more electronica indie-pop, which as I discussed in the car with Snedds, perpetually seemed to fuse conventional nineties indie sound to a more inimitable eighties synth-pop style with every new tune. Yet tricker still was the notion the Talkers insist to play only their originals, which would be unknown to this rather heterogenous crowd. Besides, frontman Chris gets his fill of covers with the Britpop Boys.

Seems Friday live music nights are relatively new-fangled for the Lord John Russell, with a promoter keen to create the venture, the pub also adhered to cater for the pull on itโ€™s street with screens showing sport and archetypical club music between acts. As much as market town pubs like Devizesโ€™ Southgate work here, with a penchant for original live music and solely that, it wouldnโ€™t work in this busy city location judging by the footfall. But a splendid, convivial and dynamic pub it was with a wide demographic.

One thing I was keen to gage from Talk in Code, the priorities and feelings towards playing a gig outside their usual stomping ground as opposed to returning to a venue like Swindonโ€™s Victoria where a fanbase would be welcoming. They stressed the importance of both, and being their recent connection to Regent Street Records, thereโ€™s a keenness in the band to grab wider-appeal in anticipation of the forthcoming album. The release of which has been pushed back to accommodate this collaboration.

Still, all the band are united in praising recent local gigs, particularly Trowbridge Town Hall where they supported The Worried Men, and were keen to pick out the importance of the many locally-based festivals theyโ€™re booked at, from Minety to Live at Lydiard and IWild in Gloucestershire. And with appearances at places like Oxfordโ€™s HMV, things are really looking up for them post-lockdown.

And itโ€™s easy to see why when they bounced on stage last night at the Lord John Russell, after their virtually nail-biting eagerness while the Southerlies launched into their final song, Chris already polishing his guitar and Snedds confessing the waiting game is a pet hate. A technical issue with leads to the backing tracks solved, the band applauded the previous and proficiently executed their thing, introducing themselves and delivering their songs with panache.

For me it was a blessing, being Iโ€™m aware of much of their discography, to finally get to witness them do it live, and had to stop to ponder their stage presence is as exhilarating as their recorded work. Yet, my view of the performance differed from the crowd as the band were likely new to them. Still, they got the place jumping, sprightlier, and louder than the previous band. They confessed a spirit of fair competition was unavoidable in them, yet affirmed their ethos to never do their set and bunk, in respect for other bands; Talk in Code come off as outgoing throughout and it was an honour to be welcomed into their web.

Also present, I spent time chatting connections, her background as music journalist and her fanzine making past, with manager Lyndsey. From Milton Keynes she avidly followed the group in their early years, falling in love with their sound it seemed only natural to mutually agree for her to manage. And part-time freelance photographer Helen, whose PolarPix Facebook page is dominated with Talk in Code shots. I put it to her she seems to have another band photographed then a Talk in Code one, then another Talk in Code one, then another random band. She acknowledged most of the other bands were on the same bill as TIC! A true โ€œTalker,โ€ as is their fanbase appellation.

Percival Elliott

A pleasant change from trudging the local circuit, as the finale was a euphoric rock band named Percival Elliott, who, with barefoot frontman on keys, executed a sublime set, the like youโ€™d want Coldplay to achieve. In many ways here was a band apt for our own fond venues such as aforementioned Southgate and Trowbridge Town Hall. Without boast, coming highly recommended by yours truly occasionally has some clout, though there was part of me who, if in control of this triple-bill, wouldโ€™ve put Talk in Code as the final band, being more upbeat popish.

We give no more review of The Lord John Russell for the sake of it being outside our boundaries, but if youโ€™re Pompy bound this would be an ideal pub to consider, offering a variety of free live music dates on Fridays. Now Iโ€™m home, unpacked my Peppa Pig bucket and spade, but while I unfortunately didnโ€™t see the seaside, or Kate Hudson, I was in good company with a band which goes from strength-to-strength. ย 

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Skanking Up The Muck with The Omega Nebula

What an electric and energetic night of dub-fuelled goodness at the Muck & Dundar in Devizes, with Omega Nebula; I need a historical rewind toโ€ฆ

Wiltshire Music Centre; Proper Job!

Devizes celebrated rum bar, The Muck & Dundar are hosting a dub reggae night with Omega Nebula on Saturday, and received this weekโ€™s prestigious awardโ€ฆ

A Gecko in Trowbridge Town Hall

It’s always a warm greeting as you enter Trowbridge Town Hall, even if, like me on this occasion, you’re running late…..

Prior to my arrival I digested the fact I’d likely forgone the supposed support act, Gavin Osborn, but was dammed if I’d miss Gecko, as since reviewing his sublime second album Climbing Frame back in October 2020, I’ve been aching with the understandable desire to see him pull it off live.

Mellowed piano song oozed from the humble hall ahead, oh no, I figured, Gecko has already begun. Such it is that Gavin recently resigned event coordination at the hall to the capable hands of then sound engineer, Kieran Moore, I assumed he was billed as a kind of farewell to his previous position, unmindful I’d emerge from the Hall a Gavin Osborn fan too. Even by the evening’s culmination I was also dubious of suggestions the two were collaborative, or if it was just banter between them.

But it seems a tag-touring-team is a reality, and given I’d mistaken Gavin for Gecko in the vestibule, who could be more apt to work with for the reptilian-named poet-esque singer? For luckily, Gavin was still on the subtle stage, virtually stripped bare of instrumentation save a banjo, microphone, music stand and randomly placed hardback chair.

Yet a guy looking remarkably like photos I’d used of Gecko accompanied him on a piano, tucked away by a side door. After the song I’d made my stealth entrance to was over, the pianist sat behind me. Uncertain glances behind affirmed, if there was a gecko in the room it was undeniably him, giggling at Gavin’s witty prose. I suppose this, coupled with their styles so similar I mistook the pair, should’ve been damming evidence this was more than a headliner and support act thrown in for sentiment, but what can I defend myself with, naivety caused by surviving on powernaps?!

In this, is the delight of the communal venue too. If there’s a stage green room it’s unused every time I visit; awaiting performers merge into the audience. This is no venue for egotistical celebs, and with barely raised stage and modest lighting, it’s a non-gimmick venue which bases solely on performance rather than dazzling affects. Professionalism and proficiency given, if you can hold an audience spellbound with such minimal affects and props.

Both did with bells on, and while I suspected the case with Gecko, Gavin was the surprise element. Akin to Gecko, Gavin is more storyteller than singer, though splices of prominent points were executed through great folky vocals, and highly amusing prose. Unlike Gecko, Gavin’s baseplate is folk, who through exceptionally crafted verse reminded me of the sentimentality of our own folk hero, Jamie R Hawkins.

Perhaps more akin to Beans on Toast, lacking Ozzie tinge, through observational narratives he weaved through subjects with spellbinding accuracy, hinging on familiarisation; I identified with many, particularly the amusing banjo led ditty of an aged fellow sneaking out to gigs while his wife seemed blissfully unaware in her slumber! But with heart-melting twists, Gavin wraps them up amusingly, either echoing retrospective contemplation or hinting at his political stance.

Time for Gecko’s opening song; could be anything less than the hilarious start of his album, Can’t Know all the Songs, which counteracts those who shout requests. Virtually unplugged he executed highlights of the album acoustically, and gave us unheard of tunes too, passing off his lack of backing as witty repartee. Such as pausing the song to switch from singing to kazoo during an amusing and uplifting tale of the Tamworth Two pigs, Butch and Sundance, who escaped their fate at a Malmsbury abattoir in 1998.

On this note it’s appropriate to highlight the major reason Gecko is so utterly entertaining, for not through particular quality of musician, though he is a natural, rather his choice of content and subject is so original, and his method of metaphorically weaving it into a more general point. Who writes a song from the POV of escaping pigs, or a dog sent into space? But better still, who can bend such narrative into a point you identify with? It’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull, in song.

It’s a classic formula attributed to authors rather than songwriters, and Gecko reigns as either, acting with pseudo-confidence, encouraging audience participation to save him hiring a gospel choir, planning out a clichรฉ encore by hiding behind the piano, even submitting profit margin differences between buying his CD here and streaming his music.

I think I put too much emphasis on hip hop in my album review, as his rap-fashion tendency contradicts his indie-pop overall, making it his unique style, part nerdy, part too cool for skool, but through stripped back live performance it is clear his devotion is with the latter, indie-pop acoustic goodness. A fashion with ageless attraction. But whatever pigeonhole you opt for, it’s undeniably entertaining.

If I’ve an only criticism the show was too short, the comeback is both Gavin and Gecko can suck you into their stories so time passes unnoticed, coupled with my late arrival of which I’ve only myself to blame!

Another wonderful evening at Trowbridge Town Hall, building a reputation for introducing a variety of interesting and upcoming acts, affordably; you need to be putting future dates in your diary.

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Snakebite Tune From The Dirty Smooth

Snotty nose, change of weather, otherwise Iโ€™d have dragged my sorry ass down to Underground, formerly Level III in Swindon for last weekendโ€™s Children inโ€ฆ

Three Crowns and Some People, Like Us

Red level weather warning, they said, only make essential journeys they said, but fail to define the terms of what is essential. Is helping an elderly relative essential, getting to work, or a doctor’s appointment? What about People Like Us playing the Three Crowns, Devizes?!

To those hunting original live music, perhaps not, for this local trio covers is their game, fully aware what will rouse a standard pub crowd, and they do precisely this with such uniqueness and deliver it with such passion, for everyone else it is, totally essential!

To catch Nicky, back on two legs after an injury which I might add, failed to prevent her performing, and behind that faithful scarlet keyboard, Dean at the strings, switching lead to bass guitars, and now skinheaded Pip, (shaved his head fundraising for our Carmela, but seems to like it,) who, even not best postured for delivering vocals, slouched over a cajon, still somehow manages to professionaly grace the moment, is, in the words of the great Yogi Bear, smarter than the average pub covers group.

Putting a finger on why opens a Pandora’s Box, aforementioned drive, skill and professionalism evident in many a covers band. Still, People Like Us submits all these qualities as if a sponge cake, then they add icing. Observing the demographic of the crowd at the Three Crowns holds a clue, every landlord desires a cross section of punter and the repertoire of this trio truly caters for them all.

Short notes I make to jog my gradually degrading memory mystify me this morning, as one simply read, “new song” adding my daughter’s name; she knows it! Silly to have thought it useful at the time, but relevant to my point. Expect a few contemporary among their plethora of pop hits, but an also era-spanning setlist to leave you guessing.

Yep, walked in to an Oasis cover, Adele’s Rolling in the Deep, Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars, and The Stereophonics’ Dakota particularly adroitly enacted modern indie tearjerkers followed, with eighties electronica power pop such as Together in Electric Dreams, or even The Police’s Every Little Thing She Does is Magic, blended with this balanced collection. Yet with similar dedication Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters got the breathtaking PLus makeover.

Yet I believe, for People Like Us, no decade within the crowd’s indivdual most cherished era is as off the cards as genres are. They will take you back to the seventies with ELO, Fleetwood Mac, even a possible Abba(?!) covers, and with similar assertion slip in nineties britpop and indie anthems too. Tonight saw plenty of this, wonderful was Take Your Mama, by the Scissor Sisters, but particularly captivating was their rendition of the Cranberries’ Zombie, with perhaps a little too “lite” on riotous version of the Kaiser Chiefs’ classic, but Nicky wowed with authority upon covering Alanis Morissette’s You Oughta Know.

Bottom line is, it makes zero odds what the tune they’re covering is pigeonholed as, they add their stamp, and with banter between songs often verging on near tiffs, they represent reality, comfortable being what’s written on their tin; people, just like us.

Zero multiplied by anything is zero, and that should be a landlord’s percentage of doubt in considering booking this trio, if they wish their punters to return home satisfied they had a fantastic night, for that’s precisely how I’m certain the crowd at the Three Crowns last night feel this morning, perhaps with a shadowing hangover!

Talk in Code; Young Loves Dreamers

Set to release their new single โ€˜Young Loves Dreamโ€™ on Friday 11th February across all digital platforms, Talk in Code are rinsing their inimitable and uniformed sound with anthemic pop goodness; itโ€™s to be expectedโ€ฆโ€ฆ

Coincidently, three years and one day ago Devizine reviewed this Swindon indie-pop four-pieceโ€™s album, Resolve, with the retrospective angle of eighties power-pop rock, yet subtle nods to indie shifts through the heady nineties. Though as the band progress through four further singles weโ€™ve seen the latter dwindle and this take on a classic eighties sound coming through more and more.

Though Talk in Code is no tribute, this is progressive, refreshingly contemporary and exclusively perfected, a hi-fidelity ambience where instruments simply meld as flawlessly as those eightiesโ€™ gods of pop. An era of one-hit-wonders, accepted, but those who succeeded beyond this point did so by creating a defining sound, so no youth would confuse their Spandau Ballet with their Human League, and this is precisely where Talk in Code now stand; nowadays we compare their singles with their previous singles rather than cite influences, because their uniqueness is peerless. ย 

The reason why, I consider, the band strive with matchless momentum on the local circuit, having headlined three of Wiltshireโ€™s largest music events last year, the big named bookings of pop-fused Mfor at Lydiard Park, the memorable rock for cancer Concert At The Kings and Swindonโ€™s homegrown talent showcase, the Shuffle. Also, it is why Talk in Code have shared billings with Scouting For Girls, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Craig David, SAS Band, 10cc and Lindisfarne, why devotees are dubbed โ€œtalkersโ€ and theyโ€™ve accumulated 180,000 Spotify streams, or added to over 700 Spotify playlists.

So, this new single, โ€˜Young Loves Dreamโ€™ is of no exception, it gloriously follows the formula, which is, as suggested, key to their brilliance. It booms straight in, breaks when it needs to and reaches an undefinable bridge, flowing nicely with steady BPMs, and a bright, uplifting vibe. As suggested by the title, itโ€™s romantically themed, exploring the hopefulness of youth; an ode to the potentials of initial infatuation, prior to the twists and turns life throws at you. In that, the mood of the enriching instrumentation reflects the vocals sublimely, and will have you pondering that butterfly moment of early romance, you know the kind of emotion which will make you hug the pillow in their absence, as their scent lingers, or, oh, was that just me?!

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, all the previous singles weโ€™ve fondly reviewed can be found on this here Spotify link, and with this progressive new track, will make up part of โ€˜The Big Screen,โ€™ Talk in Codeโ€™s second album, due on Friday 15th April, playing the launch at Swindonโ€™s Level 3, Swindon, on Saturday April 16th 2022.

Just prior, Iโ€™m hopeful we can set up an interview with Chris and the band, one crucial question will be whatโ€™s in a name, as Talk in Codeโ€™s style is never cryptic, you need not untangle painstaking poetic wordplay, it is good, honest pop kept simple, and they do it so well itโ€™s mainstream in the making. Loveโ€™s Young Dream takes this pattern and truly celebrates it, projecting positive evolution for this radical band.

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Devizes Library Hopes To Start Lego Club

Everything is awesome upon hearing that Devizes Library is hoping to start a regular Lego Club, and they are asking folk to donate unwanted Legoโ€ฆ

Paul Lappin & The Keylines Live at Pink Moon Studios

If you need a breather from the perpetual cycle of cliche Christmas song mush, do yourself a favour; Paul Lappin & The Keylines released a live EP last week, itโ€™s as โ€œname your priceโ€ on Bandcamp, and Iโ€™ll wager my Christmas stocking and all of its contents, youโ€™ll eternally thank me for the advice.….

On the 12th November 2021 Paul Lappin & The Keylines invited a few close friends and family to Pink Music Studios in France for a chilled evening of wine, food and live music. This EP is a recording of five of the songs performed during that session. For a tenacious link to our ambiguous local rule, note while now residing in France, Paul is originally from Swindon.

Back in October 2020 we fondly reviewed his studio album The Boy Who Wants to Fly, celebrating its vibrant Britpop rock, immersed in some astute and genius song writing prose. And in turn, we were allowed to use the outstanding single Broken Record for our Juliaโ€™s House charity compilation. For which, you might suggest, Iโ€™m duty bound to sing the praises of everyone who contributed, to which Iโ€™d reply, yeah, only partly but unnecessary, just shut up and listen to this; Live at Pink Moon Studios is utterly gorgeous.

If Broken Record packs a punch, and The Boy Who Wants to Fly meanders between forthright rock and tenderer acoustics, this little piece of wonderful revels in the latter. So much so, it smooths out of the restrictions of a label like Britpop, though subtle shards of it remain, and is comparable to acoustic folk rock from way beyond the subgenre, say, as steady and emotive as Nick Drake.

In the past Iโ€™ve made comparison to our own song-writing local legend Jamie R Hawkins, in their shared ability to twist a narrative so deeply into sentiment, tears will well; this EP comes closer to my point than Iโ€™ve ever heard from Paul. Itโ€™s so wonderfully placed subjects, wistfully glides your mind away, on the journey with Paul, like all good acoustic should.

The first two tunes, After the Rain, and Lying Awake in the Dark both come unplugged versions from The Boy Who Wants to Fly, Slow and Steady featured on his 2018 album, Move On, and Iโ€™m uncertain of the last two, Seeds of Doubt and Set in Stone, perhaps theyโ€™re new, or exclusive to this EP. Iโ€™m far from all out intending to research their origin, as itโ€™s just to easy to be set adrift on the songs, relishing in the moment.

Morish simplicity, man and guitar composition youโ€™ll crave it never ends, and I can honestly say, I donโ€™t think Iโ€™ve hit the replay button with such haste before! Paul is at his dreamiest, fluffiest and virtually subterranean in his deliverance of these masterpieces.

Subjects not so unusual but handled with the proficiency to wow, of lost or found love, picking up with a bongo drumbeat and wailing electric backing guitar at track three, Slow and Steady, with a chorus dripping of anthemic Britpop, of Oasis or Verve in their prime, yet maintaining that spellbinding acoustic goodness.

And for the last two tunes of mysterious origins, are perhaps my favourites, Seeds of Doubt, is a self-analysis theme, mind-bogglingly passionate, and the parable soulful finale, Set in Stone, as is with a live album, thereโ€™s a wholesome rawness about it, echoing honesty and scrupulousness throughout, you feel like youโ€™re a guest into a secret meeting, you feel a part of it, and that, is simply, beautiful.

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Shakespeare Live – Autumn Tour

An early and rarely-performed play, ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’ has feisty heroines, lovelorn & bickering young men, dictatorial parents, foolish suitors, cross-dressing, lettersโ€ฆ

Retro Relics Games Cafe Opening In Lavington

With a wide selection of family-friendly and retro board games, RPGs such as Magic the Gathering, Warhammer and Pokรฉmon,ย and serving tea, coffee, cakesโ€ฆ

Running with a Timid Deer

An absolutely spellbinding new electronica jazz-blues single out this week, of which Iโ€™d expect nothing less from what I believe to be one of Wiltshireโ€™s most underrated bands, Salisburyโ€™s Timid Deer, and produced by the brilliant Jason Allen.

With a grand piano opening, their evocative part-indie-part-trip hop ambience is accomplished to a new standard here, with Naomi Henstridgeโ€™s both soothing yet haunting vocals embracing howling strings and, wow, this rolling piano. Itโ€™s reflective of nineties nu-cool, the brilliance of Morcheeba or Portishead, yet without so much inspired of acid jazz or trip hop to make it clichรฉ, rather itโ€™s owning this refreshing edge to appeal to the more guitar-laced indie fans, too.

Run, their first single since Februaryโ€™s Crossed Wires, and they never cease to amaze me. This is cooler than the climate outside, just beautiful. โ€œHere’s something we’ve been working on for what feels like an age,โ€ Timid Deer say, finishing by saying theyโ€™re aiming for a new EP early in New Year, and for some Salisbury gigs, but I say no, please gig organisers, letโ€™s get these guys aiming much further afield too; we need to see you in Devizes (Deborah Bufton Barnett, Ian Hopkins and Phil Moakes, Iโ€™m talking to you, make my Christmas wish come true!) Trowbridge, (Mr Moore) too!

And yes, Find Timid Deer with 45 other amazing artists on our 4 Julia’s House Compilation by clicking here!

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Survival of the Friendliest with Beans on Toast

Another year, another birthday for Jay McAllister, aptly codenamed Beans on Toast. Staying true to his birthday tradition, heโ€™s opened a new tin, and this one has little sausages of optimism in it.…..

Aptly named, because I like Beans on Toast, as much as I like beans on toast, and I really like beans on toast, for the tastiness in its simplicity. There’s a poignant message here, without overthinking. Nothing on Survival of the Friendliest, his new album released this Wednesday via Bot Music, is indulged with riddles and cryptic clues, the motives are clear and precise.

Just as the title of last year’s album, Knee Deep in Nostalgia, summed up the running theme of parenthood and reminiscing on your own youth, so does this abridge. Survival of the Friendliest is Three Little Birds, or Don’t Worry, Be Happy throughout; in the face of depressing times, the simple but effective prose is not to let problems get you down. The result is indie-folk goodness, with sunny side of the street vibes. Beans on Toast presents a charming premise, and executes it perfectly, leaving you uplifted and smiling no matter what the weather might throw at you.

Beans on Toast

The boundless negativity of social media, political grandstanding, scandal and undesirable news are mentioned, but tossed aside in favour of eternal hope and optimism, peace and possibilities. Itโ€™s filled with environmental references, trees, stones on a beach, endangered species, yet advocates the notion the planet is naturally rejuvenating, and manโ€™s effect can be reversed by the will of human kindness.

Taking its title from Humankind by modern thinker, Rutger Bregman, the bookโ€™s positive philosophies play a pivotal influence in shaping the course of the record. If this Always Look on the Bright Side of Life thought might be this long-established protest singer changing his tune, it suits. The Commons the only exception to the rule, even this track has cheery and carefree undercurrents, through the banjo riff. Written earlier in the year, with old friends Blaine Harrison and Jack Flanagan of the Mystery Jets, Survival of the Friendliest is the wonderful and entertaining ride Iโ€™d expect from Beans.

Delightfully carefree, the opening song, A Beautiful Place sums the premise as well as the album title, Stones is simply stunning, and the conservation theme runs until Tree of the Year. Not Everyone Thinks Weโ€™re Doomed projects the aforementioned faithful sanguinity, so, so cleverly itโ€™ll give you goosebumps.

Even the albumโ€™s love song advocates the allure of marriage, as he charmingly chaunts โ€œLet’s Get Married Again.โ€ Garnished in sentiment perhaps, but thereโ€™s reality driven into his words, โ€œItโ€™s something weโ€™re now going to doโ€ Jay grinned. This is honest song writing, delivered with cheeriness, buoyancy and effervescence, but more importantly it rubs off, leaving you in high spirits; musical Prozac!

Get the album HERE

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Swindon Rocks for Children In Need

Saturday 4th November Underground, 73 Commercial Road, Swindon, SN1 5NX Swindon’s biggest indie pop Talk In Code are working alongside Underground, based on Commercial Road in Swindon, ourโ€ฆ

Song of The Week: Meg

Quick one from me today, you’ll be happy to hear! Song of the week comes from Meg, dreamily expressing her romantic thoughts, hidden from theโ€ฆ

Devizine Podcast Sept 23

Pinky promise or idol threat? I’ll let you decide, but the aim is to produce a monthly podcast after prototypes at the end of lastโ€ฆ

Song of the Week: Canute’s Plastic Army

Swindon Celtic folk at it’s finest, Anish Harrison and Neil Mercer smash it again, this one is sublime, it’s called Wild, no spoilers, just listen,โ€ฆ

Sheer Music to Host Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls UK Tour at Bath Forum

Featured Image by Clair McAllister

Little doubt Frank Turner is the top of his game, the prolific indie-rockerโ€™s ninth studio album, โ€œFTHCโ€ is highly anticipated….

The previously released lead single, โ€œThe Gatheringโ€ only gives a small insight into the new direction of the record. Though Frank is not only able to feature guest appearances from Muse, Nine Inch Nails, Biffy Clyro and more, the supporting tour allows him to cherry-pick venues and promoters.

Frank will be doing a unique tour playing all thirty-nine English historic counties, plus nine districts of Scotland, eight counties in Wales, six in N. Ireland and a further eight counties in Ireland. The ambition is to reach all of his fans with his new record and play where most artists will not go.

Sheer Music is the obvious choice for the west country, and promoter, Kieran J Moore is delighted to have been asked. Frank has chosen The Forum in Bath for his Somerset date, which will be Friday 18th February 2022.

The beautiful art-deco Forum gave Frank one of his last shows from his previous album tour, just prior to lockdown. The venue remains a firm favourite with artists and fans alike. It will be Sheerโ€™s first show at the historic venue, Mr Moore says, โ€œitโ€™s an opportunity weโ€™re truly honoured and excited about being given!โ€

Image: Clair McAllister

Given the nature of the show and the current climate, (itโ€™s as if no one was allowed out for a year or more!) tickets will be snatched quickly, so a heads up for Turner fans, that tickets will be available in the following structure;

Album Pre Order for Pre-Sale: Tuesday, 21 September @ 5PM BST

Album Order Pre-Sale: Wednesday, 22 September @ 12PM BST โ€“ Friday, 24 September @ 12PM BST

Promoter Pre-Sale: Thursday, 23 September @ 12PM BST

General On Sale: Friday, 24 September @ 12PM BST

WIN 2 TICKETS HERE

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Ed Byrne: Tragedy Plus Time

SYNDICATED INTERVIEW By Jason Barlow Images: Roslyn Gaunt Is there no end to the manโ€™s talents? A staple of revered panel show Mock the Week,โ€ฆ

Song of the Week: Meg

Chippenhamโ€™s folk singer-songwriter Meg gets our early song of the week this week, and The Cycle is only her debut single…. Iโ€™ve spoken twice toโ€ฆ

Atari Pilot are Waiting for the Summer

Kempston joystick! There’s a new single from Swindonโ€™s sonic indie-rock blasters Atari Pilot, and it seems theyโ€™re waiting for the summer to fall. Hint, guys,โ€ฆ

Donโ€™t Give Up Now, Ruby Darbyshire

As discoveries of young local talent never seem to wane here at Devizine, hereโ€™s one with a difference, weโ€™ve not featured yet; you may haveโ€ฆ

Scott Laveneโ€™s Milk City Sweethearts

Weโ€™ve had a spate of comical albums coming in for review, what with Death of Guitar Pop, Mr B the Gentleman Rhymer and now this, which is by far the darkest, consequently most poignant. Songwriter and raconteur Scott Lavene returns this Friday (17th September) with Milk City Sweethearts, an album of new material…..

Thereโ€™s intelligent and thought-provoking arch-beat poetry chatted here, an amphetamine-induced self-evaluation of an ordinary Essex boy, delivered passionately with a witty edge you cannot ignore. Something of an oddity at times, random prose seemingly slotted erratically fall into place with a running theme of this hopeless romantic, as the album progresses.

Behind a variation of backbeats, often being post-punk, as is Scottโ€™s roots, yet fluctuating through new romantic electronica and eighties mod revival, are honest and blunt chronicles of love, loss, coming of age, in effect making for a memorable kind of album, border-crossing Ian Dury with Sleaford Mods; a Mike Skinner of The Streets in the Bowie or Jam era, or a psychedelic Gecko.

Humbly wry, the observations of his imprudent past come back to haunt him, as he retells heartfelt autobiography. The Ballad of Lynsey being the particularly touching example, telling of a potential everlasting love, but lasting only year due to differences, with the revealing chorus, โ€œI choose amphetamines over you.โ€  

If Iโ€™ve made this sound despondent and somewhat depressing, while yeah there is that, Scottโ€™s witty charisma teeters atop at even the gloomiest synopsises with clever wordplay and metaphors. And besides, not every track is quite so melancholic. In fact, it begins very much with the aforementioned mod revival style. Upbeat opening tune, Nigel, is especially comical, expressing the strangeness of individualโ€™s choice of โ€œkicks.โ€ Likewise, The First-Time reels off an amusing list of first experiences with the annotation, โ€œone day thereโ€™ll be a last.โ€ Itโ€™s all very Essex lad Talking Heads, Phil Daniels chatting on Blurโ€™s Parklife, etc.

Art-pop carries over when the mod revival moves over for a new wave electronica feel as the album progresses, by the third tune, The Earth Donโ€™t Spin, itโ€™s very much more Stephan Tintin Duffy than Weller. For all the credentials and comparisons mentioned, thereโ€™s no clichรฉ, everything here is uniquely composed and written originally, and Milk City Sweethearts isa listener, not the sort of long-player you can pause and pick up again, youโ€™ll be impelled to digest it one sitting.

A master storyteller astutely aware of when and how to evoke the correct emotions, and find unusual thoughts to everyday scenarios. The farewell to deceased finale, Say Hello to Zeus, is as Bowie, simply inimitable and inducing. Whereas halfway through gives us the laugh-out-loud Walk Away is Essex humour at its very best.

Closest youโ€™ll get to see him to here is Bathโ€™s Komedia on the 12th December, for now this masterful album, out via Nothing Fancy Records, is interesting, to say the least, an essential item for enthusiasts of the quirky and unusual, making the world seem that much smaller, and amusing, for lonely hearts.

I’m quite happy, thank you, but loved it nonetheless, cos it ain’t always been that way. And that’s it, right there, I figure it’s not only my association Scott is from my motherland, but there’s something I think anyone with a heart will identify with here, and that’s something really rather special.

WIN 2 tickets HERE

Trending……

Some Work Experience At The Southgate!

Not as the title might suggest…. Since I peaked too soon over the bank holiday, coupled with working it, yeah, I sadly missed Monday’s entertainmentโ€ฆ

Song of the Week: Becky Lawrence

Song of the week, on a Saturday, yeah I know, but this oneโ€™s just been released yesterday, and Iโ€™m a little behind, and opening myselfโ€ฆ

20’s Plenty Says Devizes Town Councillors

Let’s face facts, they’re not referring to their average age here, are they?! Todayโ€™s topic is belting through town like a headless chicken escaping Colonelโ€ฆ

Devizes to Falafel Out Loud!

Here’s a Devizes foodie top secret I’m about to spill the chickpeas about; Anya of that delicious kitchen in the Shambles, Soupchick is launching aโ€ฆ

As Sweet as HoneyFest!

Imagine, it’s only just eight pm on the opening day of Honey-Fest at the legendary Barge on HoneyStreet, and the haystack-filled marquee is already positivelyโ€ฆ

Meg at The Neeld in Chippenhamย 

Yeah I know, those Nothing Rhymes With Orange lads were pepping up the Crown in Devizes for a Fantasy Radio live lounge last night, andโ€ฆ

Longcoats Get Dancing

Opps, near-on delayed a month due to the amount of work involved with promoting our Juliaโ€™s House album, other stuff going on, and generally slacking off in my garden with my belly hanging over my khaki shorts, Iโ€™ve a backlist of music to tell you about, hopefully, before you visualise me slacking off in the garden with my belly hanging over my khaki shorts.

To begin, Bathโ€™s indie-pop favs, Longcoats have an official new bassist, Will Vickery. The band claim he was โ€œa stray man we found on the street and august-rush style he could just hear the music and play it.โ€ Proof in the pudding, Iโ€™ll double-bet ya youโ€™ll going to love their new belter, โ€œGet Dancing,โ€ which is, incidentally just what we all need right now.

Will Vickery

Probably why itโ€™s blossoming attention and airtime from the likes of BBC Bristol, Target, Soho Radio, Sheppey FM, New Yorkโ€™s New Visions Radio Network, and even Australiaโ€™s Valley FM, and seeing them bookings at Moles, Brightonโ€™s Pipeline, and supporting The Rift at Swindonโ€™s Rolleston.

Just as Pretty in Pink did, which incidentally Longcoats kindly donated to our aforementioned and plugged charity fundraising compilation, (which Iโ€™m not going to shut up about until you buy it) Get Dancing is symbolic of the bandโ€™s ability to compose such a beguiling and catchy riff it feels like itโ€™s always been in your life after just one listen.

Itโ€™s lively, carefree, resides bopping over hopeless romantically conversing, as it says on the tin, encouraging to dance in both sound and theme. And with that, I should take heed, stop writing how great it is and just add the Spotify link so you can hear it for yourself and I can revert back to the building mountain of new music Iโ€™ve yet to explore. But rest assured, this one is a keeper, and perhaps true to the word; I should get dancing if Iโ€™m ever going to work off this belly hanging over my khaki shorts!

OUT NOW! Various Artists 4 Julia’s House

As a nipper Iโ€™d spend days, entire school holidays, making mixtapes as if I worked for Now, Thatโ€™s What I Call Music! In the era before hi-fi, Iโ€™d sit holding a microphone to the radioโ€™s speaker, adventurously attempting to anticipate when Tony Blackburn was going to talk over the tune, and just when In the Air Tonight peaked with Philโ€™s crashing drums, my dad would shout up the stairs that my tea was ready; eternally caught on tape, at least until my Walkman screwed up the cassette.

Crude to look back, even when I advanced to tape-to-tape, I discovered if I pressed the pause button very slowly on the recording cassette deck, it would slide into the next song, and with a second of grinding squeal Howard Jones glided into Yazoo!! Always the DJ, just never with the tech! Rest assured; this doesnโ€™t happen on this, our Various Artists compilation album, 4 Juliaโ€™s House. And oh, have I got some news about that?!

Huh? Yes, I have, and here it isโ€ฆ. ย 

We did it! Thanks once again to all our fabulous contributing artists, our third instalment of detailed sleeve notes will follow shortly, but for now, I couldnโ€™t wait another day, therefore, Iโ€™ve released it half a day early, this afternoon!

Buy it here!

Now all that needs to happen is to get promoting it, and you can help by sharing news of this on your social media pages, thank you. Bloggers and media please get in touch, and help me raise some funds for Juliaโ€™s House.

Iโ€™ve embedded a player, in which you should be able to get a full try before you buy, I believe you get three listens before itโ€™ll default and tell you to buy it. I hope you enjoy, it has been a mission and half, but one Iโ€™d gladly do again.

Please note: there are many artists giving it, โ€œoh no, I was going to send you a track!โ€ Fear not, there is still time, as Iโ€™ll causally start collecting tunes for a volume 2, and when the time is ready and we have enough songs, we will do it. It might be for another charity, Iโ€™d personally like to do another raising funds for The Devizes & District Opportunity Centre, but thatโ€™s unconfirmed as of yet.

You know, sometimes I think I could raise more money with less effort by trekking down through the Market Place in a bath of cold baked beans, but I wanted to bring you a treasured item comprising of so many great artists weโ€™ve featured, or will be featuring in the near future on Devizine. Never before has all these artists been on one huge album like this, and look, even if you donโ€™t care for a particular tune, thereโ€™s 46 of them, check my maths as I pride myself on being exceptionally rubbish at it, but I make that 22p a track, and all for such a worthy cause!

Track listing details part 1
Track listing details part2
Click for info on Julia’s House

โ€œWe are so grateful to Devizine and all of the local artists who are taking part in the charity album to raise funds for Juliaโ€™s House. We donโ€™t receive any government funding for the care we give to families in Wiltshire, so the support we receive from our local community is so important.โ€

Claudia Hickin, Community Fundraiser at Juliaโ€™s House

Devizine Proudly Presents Various Artists 4 Juliaโ€™s House; Hereโ€™s the Track Listing!

Sleeve Notes for our Album 4 Juliaโ€™s House

Here it is, the moment youโ€™ve all been waiting for, I hope! The track listing and details of all our wonderful songs presented on our forthcoming album, Various Artists 4 Juliaโ€™s House. Read on in aweโ€ฆ.

Pre-order album on Bandcamp here!

Released: 29th June 2021

1. Pete Lamb & Cliff Hall – Julie

2. King Dukes – Dying Man

3. Erin Bardwell โ€“ (Like the Reflection on) The Liffey view

4. Timid Deer โ€“ The Shallows

5. Duck n Cuvver – Henge of Stone

6. Strange Folk โ€“ Glitter

7. Strange Tales โ€“ Entropy

8. Paul Lappin โ€“ Broken Record

9. Billy Green 3 – I Should be Moved

10. Jon Veale – Flick the Switch

11. Wilding โ€“ Falling Dream

12. Barrelhouse โ€“ Mainline Voodoo

13. Richard Davis & The Dissidents โ€“ Higher Station

14. Tom Harris โ€“ Ebb & Flow

15. Will Lawton โ€“ Evanescence

16. Jamie Williams & The Roots Collective โ€“ Dreams Can Come True

17. Kirsty Clinch – Stay With Us

18. Richard Wileman โ€“ Pilot

19. Nigel G. Lowndes โ€“ Who?

20. Kier Cronin โ€“ Crying

21. Sam Bishop โ€“ Wild Heart (Live Acoustic)

22. Mr Love & Justice โ€“ The Other Side of Here

23. Barmy Park โ€“ Oakfield Road

24. The Truzzy Boys – Summer Time

25. Daydream Runaways โ€“ Light the Spark

26. Talk in Code โ€“ Talk Like That

27. Longcoats โ€“ Pretty in Pink

28. Atari Pilot – When We Were Children

29. Andy J Williams โ€“ Post Nup

30. The Dirty Smooth โ€“ Seed to the Spark

31. SexJazz – Metallic Blue

32. Ruzz Guitar Blues Revue โ€“ Hammer Down

33. The Boot Hill All Stars โ€“ Monkey in the Hold

34. Mr Tea & The Minions โ€“ Mutiny

35. Cosmic Shuffling – Night in Palermo

36. Boom Boom Bang Bang โ€“ Blondie & Ska

37. The Birth of Bonoyster – The Way I Like to Be

38. The Oyster – No Love No Law

39. The Two Man Travelling Medicine Show โ€“ Ghosts

40. Julie Meikle and Mel Reeves โ€“ This Time

41. Cutsmith – Osorio

42. The Tremor Tones โ€“ Donโ€™t Darken my Door

43. Big Ship Alliance โ€“ All in this Thing Together

44. Neonian – Bubblejet

45. First Born Losers โ€“ Ground Loop

Iโ€™ll tell you what though, kids. This has been a lot more work than I originally anticipated! Yeah, I figured, just collect some tunes, let the artists do all the hard work and take the credit! But no, mate, wasnโ€™t like that at all. The most important part for me, is ensuring the artists are properly thanked, so, just like those Now, Thatโ€™s What I Call Music albums, I wanted to write up a full track listing with sleeve notes and links. Please support the artists you like on the album by checking them out, following and liking on social media and buying their music.

But to list all 45 tunes in one article will blow the attention span of the most avid reader, and if, like me, you’ve the attention span of a goldfish, find below the first twenty, and then the next 25 will follow as soon as my writerโ€™s cramp ceases! Just putting them onto the bag was tedious enough, but worth the effort.

To all the artists below, message me if links are incorrect or broken, or if there’s any changes to the details you’d like me to edit, thanks, you blooming superstars.

1- Pete Lamb & Cliff Hall โ€“ Julie

Not so much that Julie is similar to Julia, there could be no song more apt to start the album. Something of a local musical legend is Pete Lamb, owner of The Music Workshop, producing and recording local, national and international artists. His career in music stretches back to the sixties, creating such groups as The Colette Cassin Quintet and Pete Lambโ€™s Heartbeats. Yet it is also his aid to local music which makes him a prominent figure, Kieran J Moore tells how Pete lent him equipment for the first Sheer Music gigs.

Pete Lamb

A wonderful rock n roll ballad with a poignant backstory, Julie was written in remembrance of Peteโ€™s daughter who passed away in 2004 to Non-Hodgkinโ€™s Lymphoma. It was featured on an album for the charity Hope for Tomorrow. The song also features Cliff Hall, keyboardist with the Shadows for many years, playing piano and strings.

Cliff Hall

2 – The King Dukes – Dying Man

Formed in Bristol in April 2019, a merger of a variety of local bands, including Crippled Black Phoenix, Screaminโ€™ Miss Jackson and the John E. Vistic Experience, The King Dukes combine said talent and experience to create a unique, authentic sound, dipped in a heritage reuniting contemporary slices of British RnB with a dollop of Memphis soul.

Dying Man is a prime example, taken from the album Numb Tongues which we fondly reviewed back in the October of 2019. The brilliance of which hasnโ€™t waned for me yet, and isnโ€™t likely to.

The King Dukes

3- Erin Bardwell โ€“ (Like the Reflection on) The Liffey

One cannot chat about reggae in Swindon without Erinโ€™s name popping up. Keyboardist in the former ska-revival band, The Skanxters during the nineties, Erin now operates under various guises; the rock steady outfit Erin Bardwell Collective chiefly, experimental dub project Subject A with Dean Sartain, and The Man on the Bridge with ex-Hotknives Dave Clifton, to name but a few.

(Like the Reflection on) The Liffey is an eloquently emotive tune, staunch to the ethos of reggae, yet profoundly unique to appeal further. It is taken from the album Interval, one of two solo ventures for Erin during lockdown.

Erin Bardwell

4 – Timid Deer โ€“ The Shallows

My new favourite thing, after noting Timid Deer supported the Lost Trades debut gig at Trowbridgeโ€™s Pump. Though self-labelled indie, I was surprised how electronica they are, with a nod to the ninetyโ€™s downtempo scene of bands like Morcheeba and Portishead, hold the trip hop element. This Salisbury five-piece consisting of vocalist Naomi Henstridge, keyboardist Tim Milne, Tom Laws on double bass, guitarist Matt Jackson and drummers Chris and Jason Allen have created such an uplifting euphoric sound, hairs stand tall on the back of your neck.   

Taken from the 2019 album Melodies for the Nocturnal Pt. 1, Iโ€™m so pleased to present this.

Naomi Henstridge

5- Duck n Cuvver – Henge of Stone

Yes, enthralled to have the song frontman Robert Hardie of Duck n Cuvver refers to as โ€œhis baby.โ€ This is Salisbury Celtic roots rock band so aching to film part of their video for Henge of Stone inside Stonehenge, theyโ€™ve campaigned for the funds to do it, ending with Rab breaking into the monument to promote the campaign!

With references to the importance of solstice and the pilgrimage to Stonehenge, what other song could be so locally linked?

Duck & Curver

6 – Strange Folk โ€“ Glitter

A dark west country folk band in the realm of a beatnik time of yore, with a serious slice of gothic too, Strange Folk came to my attention playing the Vinyl Realm stage at the Devizes Street Festival. Hailing from Hertfordshire, band members also now reside in Somerset, Strange Folk is comprised of four songwriters; vocalist Annalise Spurr, guitarist David Setterfield, Ian Prangnell on bass and backing vocals, and drummer Steve Birkett. Glitter features cello by Helen Robertson, and is a name-your-price gift to fans during lockdown, a wonderful teaser which if you like, and I canโ€™t see why you wouldnโ€™t, you should try the 2014 mini-album Hollow, part one.

Strange Folk

7 – Strange Tales โ€“ Entropy

With singer Sally Dobson on the Wiltshire acoustic circuit and the synth/drum programming of Paul Sloots, who resides in West Sussex, catching this duo, Strange Tales live would be a rare opportunity not to be missed. Though their brilliance in melodic, bass and synth-driven goth-punk is captured in the 2018 album Unknown to Science, in which our track Entropy is taken.

Their songs relate baroque cautionary tales drawn from the murkier corners of the human psyche, while retaining a pop sensibility and stripped-down, punk-rock approach. Fans of the darker side of eighties electronica, of Joy Division and Depeche Mode will love this. You can buy this album at Vinyl Realm in Devizes.

Strange Tales; Paul Sloots & Sally Dobson

8- Paul Lappin โ€“ Broken Record

Imagine George Harrison present on the Britpop scene, and youโ€™re somewhere lost in Lappinโ€™s world. Paul hails from Swindon originally, but resides mostly in the Occitanie region of the south of France, where he wrote and recorded the mind-blowingly brilliant album The Boy Who Wants to Fly, released in October 2020. Our chosen track, Broken Record was a single just prior, in August, and features Lee Alder โ€“ bass guitar, electric guitar, Robert Brian โ€“ drums, Jon Buckett โ€“ Hammond organ, electric guitar, Paul Lappin โ€“ vocals, synths, Lee Moulding โ€“ percussion, Harki Popli โ€“ table.

Music & lyrics by Paul Lappin ยฉ2020. Recorded at Earthworm Recording Studio, Swindon. Produced & Mixed by Jon Buckett. Mastered by Pete Maher.

Paul Lappin

9- Billy Green 3 – I Should be Moved

Now Devizes-based, Bill Green was a genuine Geordie Britpop article, co-creating the local band Still during those heady nineties. Today his band on the circuit, Billy Green 3 consists also of Harvey Schorah and Neil Hopkins, whoโ€™s talents can be witnessed in the awesome album this track comes from, also titled Still. Mastered and produced by Martin Spencer and Matt Clements at Potterneโ€™s Badger Set studio in 2020, itโ€™s wonderfully captures the remnants of the eighties scooter scene in reflected in Britpop.

I’m sure you can buy the album at Vinyl Realm, Devizes; I would if I were you.

Billy Green 3

10- Jon Veale – Flick the Switch

Marlborough guitar tutor, singer-songwriter and bassist of local covers band Humdinger, Jon Vealeโ€™s single, Flick the Switch, also illuminated Potterneโ€™s Badger Set studio in August of 2020, and it immediately hits you square in the chops, despite the drums were recorded prior to lockdown, by legend Woody from Bastille, and Jon waited tolerantly for the first lockdown to end before getting Paul Stagg into Martin Spencerโ€™s studio to record the vocals. Glad to have featured it then, even more pleased Jon contributed it to this album.

Jon Veale

11- Wilding โ€“ Falling Dream

What can be said which hasnโ€™t about Aveburyโ€™s exceptionally talented singer-songwriter George Wilding? A true legend in the making. Now residing in Bristol, George has the backing of some superb musicians to create the force to be reckoned with, Wilding. Perry Sangha assists with writing, as well electric guitar, loads more electric guitars, acoustic guitar, organ and weird synth things. Bassist James Barlow also handles backing vocals and cous cous. Daniel Roe is on drums.

The debut EP, Soul Sucker knocked me for six back in November 2018, as did this here latest single recorded at the elusive Dangerous Dave’s Den, mixed and mastered by Dan Roe, during October last year.

Wilding

12 – Barrelhouse โ€“ Mainline Voodoo

One good thing about preparing this album is to hear bands Iโ€™ve seen the names of, kicking around, and added to our event guide many times over, but Iโ€™ve never had the opportunity to see at a gig. Marlborough-based Barrelhouse is one, and after hearing Mainline Voodoo, Iโ€™m intending to make a beeline to a gig. Favourites over at their local festival, MantonFest, headlined Marlboroughโ€™s 2019 Christmas Lights Switch-On, and right up my street!

Formed in early 2014, Barrelhouse offer vintage blues and rock classics, heavily influenced by the golden age of Chicago Blues and the early pioneers of the British blues scene, staying true to the essence that made these tunes great and adding their own style of hard-edge groove. Overjoyed to feature Mainline Voodoo, title track from their 2020 album, which broke into the UKโ€™s national Blues Top 40.

Barrelhouse

13 – Richard Davis & The Dissidents โ€“ Higher Station (R. Davies)

Absolutely bowled over, I am, to have Swindonโ€™s road-driving rock band with a hint of punk, Richard Davis & The Dissidents send is this exclusive outtake from the Human Traffic album, out now on Bucketfull of Brains. We reviewed it back in December. Recorded at Mooncalf Studios. Produced by Richard Davies, Nick Beere and Tim Emery. If the outtake is this amazing, imagine the album!

Richard Davis & The Dissidents

14 – Tom Harris โ€“ Ebb & Flow

Lockdown mayโ€™ve delayed new material from Devizes-based progressive-metal five-piece Kinasis, but frontman Tom Harris has sent us something solo, and entirely different. Ebb & Flow is an exclusive track made for this album, a delicate and beautiful strings journey; enjoy.

Tom Harris

15 – Will Lawton & The Alchemists โ€“ Evanescence

Wiltshire singer-songwriter, pianist and music therapist Will Lawton, here with his group The Alchemists. A weave of many progressive influences from jazz to folk, Will recently surprised me by telling me drum n bass is among them too. The latest album ‘Salt of the Earth, Vol. 1 (Lockdown)’, is a collection of original poems embedded in meditative piano and ambient soundscapes. But weโ€™ve taken this spellbinding tune from the previous release, Abbey House Session.

Will Lawton

16- Jamie Williams & The Roots Collective โ€“ Dreams Can Come True

Hailing from Essex but prevalent on our local live music circuit, with some amazing performances at Devizesโ€™ Southgate, Jamie Williams & The Roots Collective offer us this uplifting country-rock/roots anthem, which, after one listen, will see you singing the chorus, guaranteed. It is the finale to their superb 2020 album, Do What you Love.

Jamie Williams & The Roots Collective rocking the Southgate last year

17 – Kirsty Clinch – Stay With Us

If weโ€™ve been massively impressed with Wiltshireโ€™s country sensation, Kirsty Clinchโ€™s new country-pop singles Fit the Shoe, Around and Around, and most recently, Waters Running Low and anticipating her forthcoming album, itโ€™s when we get the golden opportunity to catch her live which is really heart-warming. This older track, recorded at Pete Lambโ€™s Music Workshop, exemplifies everything amazing about her acoustic live performances, her voice just melts my soul every listen.

Kirsty Clinch

18- Richard Wileman โ€“ Pilot

Incredibly prolific, Swindonโ€™s composer Richard Wileman is known for his pre-symphonic rock band Karda Estra. Idols of the Flesh is his latest offering from a discography of sixteen albums, which we reviewed. Along a similar, blissful ethos Richard Wileman served up Arcana in September this year, where this track is taken from. While maintaining a certain ambiance, his own named productions are more conventional than Karda Estra, more attributed to the standard model of popular music, yet with experimental divine folk and prog-rock, think Mike Oldfield, and youโ€™re part-way there.

19 – Nigel G. Lowndes โ€“ Who?

Bristolโ€™s Nigel G Lowndes is a one-man variety show. Vaudeville at times, tongue-in-cheek loungeroom art-punk meets country folk; think if Talking Heads met Johnny Cash. Who? is the unreleased 11th track from his album Hello Mystery, we reviewed in March, and weโ€™re glad to present it here.

Nigel G Lowndes

20 – Kier Cronin โ€“ Crying

Unsolicited this one was sent, and I love it for its rockabilly reel although a Google search defines this Swindon based singer songwriter as indie/alternative. Obsessed with the music and the joy of writing, Kier told me, โ€œI once had a dream Bruce Springsteen told me to give it upโ€ฆ So, this one’s for you Bruce!โ€ Crying was released as a single in March, also check out his EP of last year called One.

Nothing Good, Longcoats; I disagree!

Have no worries, Ollie, youโ€™re a spring chicken, mate! Out this Friday, another dynamite single from Bathโ€™s indie-pop trio, Longcoats, and this time it considers age. Subjective, isnโ€™t it? I mean my boss calls me โ€œyoung Darren,โ€ but my daughter constantly reminds me Iโ€™m as ancient as ye gods. I have to wonder what Bruce Springsteen thinks of his nostalgia-related single Glory Days, written at the tender age of thirty-five comparably to his age now, seventy-two. Worse for the Who, they hoped to die before they got old, Daltrey still rocking at seventy-seven.

Similarly, this track, available across streaming sites from Friday 28th May, Nothing Good, reminisces of the golden teenage years, under the pretence โ€œthereโ€™s nothing good about getting old.โ€ What about a free bus pass, eh?! Itโ€™s as long-a-road as your coats, lads, enjoy it while it lasts, it doesnโ€™t get any better than this. Think of a time when youโ€™ve got more hair in your ears than on your head.

But if you should wish to look me up in my nursing home decades from now, and then let me know how you feel about the connotation of this track, it would be interesting to hear!

I thought I should clear that up, as the song title is ironic against the melody; everything is good about that, better than good, itโ€™s pretty much fantastic. Filled with nostalgia though is the mainstay of this beguiling sound. The shift towards the classic eighties pop-rock sound complimented the previous single, Pretty in Pink, and continues here with this one.

Yet retaining that fresh, current vibe, Iโ€™m relishing in this trend, produced by the Longcoats, and other local bands such as Talk in Code, Daydream Runaways and Atari Pilot, Iโ€™m virtually contemplating getting my Now albums out to compare, volumes one to ten. As if youโ€™d have heard this in that day of Rubixโ€™s Cubes and Sinclair C5s, it would be astounding. Today, itโ€™s just as great, as if time bypassed the comparatively melancholy indie vibe of the nineties.

Itโ€™s how to capture that uplifting, danceable sense within the gloomy theme that weโ€™re not getting any younger, which somehow Longcoats just nail here. A highly enjoyable, layered track with a killer riff. Check it out on Friday. Me? Iโ€™m off to get some of those slippers with zips on the sideโ€ฆ.

Trending…..

Song of the Week: Paul Lappin

Another wonderful nugget of lonely contemplation from the chillaxed Britpop kahuna, Paul Lappin, formerly of Swindon now residing in the South of France. Unfortunately Youโ€ฆ

All Aboard for Imberbus on Saturday !

Since sending out our last Imberbus email earlier this week, we have had several new subscribers to our mailing list, partly due to some advanceโ€ฆ

Dylan Smith: Cruel to be Kind

Yeah, the title of Dylanโ€™s debut album, Cruel to be Kind could be an insight into how we conduct our reviews, but being as Iโ€ฆ

Wharf Writers’ Group Release First Podcast

Folks at the Wharf Writers’ Group, based in Devizesโ€™ Wharf Theatre, release a new series of podcasts, Where’s The Cat? the first one published todayโ€ฆ.โ€ฆ

The Lost Promises of Sam Bishop

Five years on from Devizes six-form boy band 98 Reasons, we find vocalist and keyboardist Sam Bishop studying music in Winchester, while former Larkin partner Finely Trusler continues working with cousin Harvey as The Truzzy Boys and has become fresh new frontman for local mod heroes, The Roughcut Rebels.

Last week we were able get a valuable insight into Samโ€™s portfolio and progress, as he releases a five-track EP of new material across streaming platforms; Lost Promises. Seems education pays off; this is a dynamite of powerful pop, and showcases Samโ€™s vocal range with much more intricate and often daring arrangements.

But perhaps, what is more, thereโ€™s matured themes on show. Opening tune, Below the Surface is evidence enough, an emotionally-driven social issues context of two characters, firstly a young single mum thrown out of the family home and a motherless son turning to drug abuse. The haunting piano gathers a peek to courage against the face of misfortune, and it stings.

Relevance is key in a convincing performance of this style, personal reflection on your own words pulls the heartstrings. โ€œIโ€™m so proud of each and every song on it,โ€ Sam says. โ€œThey all relate to a significant point of my life, when I was feeling a certain way. itโ€™s the rawest and most explorative Iโ€™ve been as a songwriter.โ€

Image: Nick Padmore

Fallen Sky weโ€™ve reviewed as a single last year, a dark, moody ambience, backed with a deep bassline, sonic piano and ticking drumbeats; as if William Orbit took boyband to dubstep. It characterises dejected teenage anguish and echoes the passion in early romantic interactions. While itโ€™s a bromide subject at the best of times, Sam rests on it well, as was a time when we wanted Phil Collins to have a broken heart, so his reflection on it would be so powerfully crushing and relevant to our own life.

The back riff of Decide trickles, reminding me of the deep South American riffs of the Graceland shadowed Paul Simon sequel The Rhythm of the Saints, but its pace and catchiness makes it perhaps the most beguiling. As the title suggests thereโ€™s a romantic dilemma, again clichรฉ subject, but you know Samโ€™s vocal penitence has it covered to perfection.

Weโ€™re lucky enough to have an acoustic version of the fourth track for our forthcoming charity album; I know, yep, Iโ€™m working on it, okay! Largely guitar-based, Wild Heart gives prominence in particular to my observation about trialling in Samโ€™s vocal arrangements, thereโ€™s some complicated measures to handle, and he does. Trust is a continuing notion, which makes a running theme, I guess where the title developed from.

The trick is the balance, and Samโ€™s a magician, but not without friends he thanks for assistance, โ€œthis EP wouldnโ€™t have been possible without the hard work of some of the best musicians Iโ€™ve had the pleasure to work with,โ€ Sam continues, โ€œToby, Ellie, Martin, Robbie, Woody and Stephanie.โ€

As it suggests, The End is the perfect finale, a ballad of missing someone, praying fondness will prevail and itโ€™s not the end. In this track, and in all, thereโ€™s a poignant concept, the mainstay of all good pop. Hey, teacher, Sam deserves top marks for this, itโ€™s highly listenable and hauntingly deeper than anything previous, yet retaining freshness of memorable pop. Progress is sweet, and to prove it hereโ€™s Sam in his early days with a drumstick up his nostril. Something heโ€™ll annoy for me adding, but honestly bud, you canโ€™t unsee it now!