May’s showcase is bit of a bipolar experience. Much of it is unashamedly loud but I promise it’ll let you down gently. The Flash Gordon’s kicks things off with a relatively mild but intoxicating kraut-infused rhythm. But like the calm before a storm, ‘Escape To New York’ sporadically explodes with composure held together by Thom Mills’ impressive drumming.
It’s difficult to pick our favourite grungy garage band in Brighton but if it’s not The Flash Gordons then it’d be The Wytches. While TFG are quite refined and sometimes playful too, The Wytches exude raw tenacity like few other bands while the tinges of psychedelia summons a nightmarish experience.
Orchards closes the spell of fury with their progressive sound and vibrant aesthetics that leaves an ethereal quality.”
Tigercub will be another familiar name for many locals. Their latest track ‘Blue Blood’ received the help of Dinosaur Pile-Up’s Matt Bigland where their ferocity has been moulded into an infectious chaos. But His & Hers notch it up a gear with their searing brand of post-punk. They released an EP earlier this year called The Worst People I Know and it’s as rancorous as the title might suggest. Closing track ‘Passionately Mundane’ slices through the air with swift movements but the serrated edge would leave a nasty scar.
Royal Blood takes us away from the long hair with some bluesy rock. ‘Little Monster’ is more of the same blistering sound – drums solos that’ll crack the earth beneath your feet and riffs that summons moshpits through those crevices. It’s dangerously potent. Orchards closes the spell of fury with their progressive sound and vibrant aesthetics that leaves an ethereal quality. ‘Faded’ can switch from unruly grunge to dreamy alt-pop at will.
The hazy textures in ‘My Best Friend’ would be perfect for anyone’s summer playlist and the C86-inspired guitars is sure to get you dreaming away.”
Do your ears need some soothing now? Bayy’s blissful tones can do just that. The hazy textures in ‘My Best Friend’ would be perfect for anyone’s summer playlist and the C86-inspired guitars is sure to get you dreaming away. Oh but you want something purer? Five-piece folk-rock band Beautiful Boy are here to help. ‘Home’ will be on their debut double A-side and sounds like a more rustic To Kill A King. There’s a sense of yearning in this track that will endear many.
Now let’s really tone it down with Eastbourne-band Jeanneret. ‘Friend Of No One’ is their debut single that will form part of their Tales Of Troubled Youth EP. Its vulnerable sound is emphasised by the minimalist instrumentation and Jason Payne’s evocative vocals. But we close with an electronic track from Phantom Shilla that oozes atmospherics deep into your skin. ‘Cherished’ is perhaps his dreamiest track yet with textures that serenely float through the spaces between the beats. Best served in the still air of the night.
Want your track in next month’s SQ Showcase? Submit your track to our critic Matthew Yau with the subject: Showcase to matt@sqmagazine.co.uk
The post LISTEN: The SQ Showcase – May ’14 Mix appeared first on SQ Magazine.
