Early 2008 saw Polar Bear Club release their debut full-length, Sometimes Things Just Disappear, an instant underground hit, gartering much critical acclaim. A year-and-a-half later, the New York quintet are currently gearing up for the release of their next full-length, Chasing Hamburg, but, in the meantime, we have to settle with The Summer of George (yes, that is a Seinfeld reference), a teaser EP, featuring two songs from the new album, Living Saints and Boxes, plus one exclusive track titled Dead Man.
Review: Polar Bear Club – The Summer of George (EP)
July 31, 2009
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Posted by changetherecord
Review: American Steel – Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts
July 31, 2009
The fifth studio album (and the second through Fat Wreck) from Oakland punk outfit American Steel comes in the shape of Dear Friends And Gentle Hearts.
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Live Review: Buckcherry – O2 Academy, Newcastle, July 28th 2009
July 29, 2009
Buckcherry‘s short Sonisphere-fuelled jaunt around the UK rolls into Newcastle tonight. With this being the only upgraded show thus far on the tour, the band, along with Dear Superstar, Heavens Basement and The Crave in tow, are playing to their largest audience tonight. This is, on paper (or rather, ticket) a four-pronged rock beast not to be missed.
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Posted by changetherecord
Live Review: Have Heart – The Underworld, Camden, London, July 23rd 2009
July 26, 2009
With a Have Heart show, you’re pretty much guaranteed an unforgettable and unmatched night of raw intensity, but add the fact of this being their last ever UK show and you just know that a really special night lies ahead.
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Live Review: Kevin Devine – Old Blue Last, London, July 22nd 2009
July 26, 2009
Being part of a 100-person crowd that had been invited to watch Brooklyn’s favourite Irish boy, Kevin Devine, perform was quite exciting, maybe more so because it was free. So, as 8pm rolled around, people of all ages (mostly those within the early 30′s denomination) had filled the room waiting for his appearance on stage.
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Review: August Burns Red – Constellations
July 23, 2009
Pennsylvania’s August Burns Red have really stepped up their game with new offering Constellations, and straight from intro track Thirty And Seven, their music sounds mesmerising and positively brutal.
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Review: Shadows Chasing Ghosts – Searchlights (Single)
July 23, 2009
The newest slice of post-hardcore delight from Essex, 5-piece Shadows Chasing Ghosts, comes in the form of Searchlights; instantly likeable, with Trey Tremain‘s constant swaps from screams to powerful melodic vocals really work, and compliment the sheer ferocity of the crunching guitar work.
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Live Review: Flood of Red – O2 Academy 2, Newcastle, July 21st 2009
July 22, 2009
As like last year’s gig of the same venue, headliner, support act, and people with plugs bigger than their faces, Glaswegians Flood Of Red have once again basically sold out the Academy 2. The place is packed tonight and full of anticipation for what is for many people, a triple headliner, with North East The Casino Brawl, and Essex post-hardcore outfit Shadows Chasing Ghosts generating a turn out just as big as the true headline act tonight.
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Review: Eye Alaska – Genesis Underground
July 20, 2009
Eye Alaska had put up an album teaser on their MySpace which did as a teaser should do – grab the attention of listeners to anticipate the arrival of the OC quintet’s new album Genesis Underground.
A step forward from their debut EP, Yellow & Elephant, shows singer Brandon Wronski fulfilling his mission of wanting to be part of the movement of which he coined the term of this; the first of hopefully many moves into breaking the mould of which seems to barricades the creativity of the underground faction.
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Interview: The Skints
July 19, 2009
We recently had the opportunity to chat to a band bringing a much-needed breath of fresh air to the current UK scene, The Skints, before the final date of their two-week stint on the road with Random Hand, in Newcastle. We got talking about: their upcoming debut album, touring as a young band, their recent signing to Rebel Alliance Recordings, the state of UK punk, and Reggae Reggae Sauce.
Faye: Can you say your name and what you do?
Josh: I’m Josh, I play guitar and do vocals.
Jamie: I’m Jamie, I play drums and I also do vocals.
Faye: How did the band start?
Josh: The Skints initially started in about 2004/2005, I just got mates that I knew played instruments, and we played old school-style ska. Me, John (bass) and Marcia (sax, melodica, organ, vocals) were playing with another drummer for a little while. Then, in May 2007, we got Jamie, who was one of our really good mates, to do drums and we realised he could drum and sing at the same time. Then we started writing songs in a pretty much reggae/rock-style.
Jamie: Yeah, it sort of went from pop-ska and submerged more into the whole reggae/dub/punk sort of sound.
Josh: Yeah, we’ve been doing the rounds and touring for about a year now.
Faye: You’re still quite young, aren’t you?
Josh: Me and Marcia are 19.
Jamie: I’m the eldest one actually, I’m 22 in a couple of days.
Josh: John is 21. I just finished college like two days before we started this tour and Marcia was doing a foundation at uni, but she dropped it to be in a band… [laughs]
Jamie: To her credit, she tried and hung onto that course, but they just got sick of her taking loads of time off.
Josh: So, yeah, we’re kind of doing this over everything. [laughs]
Faye: On your MySpace, you list Reggae Reggae Sauce as an influence, how does that influence you?
Josh: ‘Cause it’s amazing. [laughs] It’s the best thing ever.
Jamie: Yeah, it’s good shit, it’s better than any other sauce I’ve tasted.
Josh: Yeah, it’s the best sauce and you can have it with anything, like pasta and a chicken sandwich. When we did The King Blues tour, Reggae Reggae Sauce was part of their rider every night, so they kept giving us loads.
Jamie: Yeah, Dave Taylor, their manager, gave me a bottle of Reggae Reggae Sauce and, one night, we were staying in this house in Exeter, and me and Marcia were up and couldn’t get any sleep, so I decided to do a bit of experimentation with some digestive biscuits and some Reggae Reggae Sauce and I poured it on top.
Josh: It was fucking gash.
Jamie: I was very high at the time, I’ve got to say. [laughs] But I tried it and it was fucking wicked. I made everyone else try it, but they thought, “Oh my God, what the fuck’s wrong with you, man?”
Josh: Everything, man. I didn’t rate the digestive.
Jamie: Nah, they were fucking awesome.
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