Connor O'Brien

After celebrating their third year as a band, All Bob Minor/Too Easy marks Yonderboy’s debut hailing from a professional studio, and the results speak for themselves. The tale of breaking and wrongdoing within a church comes in the form of first track ‘All Bob Minor’ and brings with it a neat vocal display. The range of which is so clean and delightfully satisfying, not faltering on any of the varied pitches being hit by lead singer Zand Murphy. The repetitive bass and guitar picking drive both tracks forward, bringing in tow some effective tempo changes with interesting rhythm variations which lift the tracks, revealing almost math influences within their indie pop sound. ‘Too Easy’ demonstrates the delicate intricacies of their craft while driving forward a faster paced and more danceable approach from this Leeds based quintet. Although both track lengths may appear drawn out, they give well arranged meanderings room to sprawl and develop the building aspects of the two double a-side singles, creating interesting layers which are expertly formed and aided by the addition of a horn section within ‘All Bob Minor’. This is a confident release which will take Yonderboy past simple comparisons to the likes of The Smiths and The Wedding Present, presenting an established and distinctive sound.

LINK TO PUBLISHED REVIEW: http://www.trisickle.co.uk/2011/05/06/review-yonderboy-all-bob-minortoo-easy/

Like any website, magazine or blog there’s a constant stream of unsigned bands requesting reviews, and it may be the fact that for the most part only 10% of anything that comes through is good, but it’s so satisfying when you get that band which make you sit up and take notice – and Scarborough’s very own trio Everyone An Army have done exactly that.

Opening track ‘A Coastal Dance on the Grave of Romance’ is huge – there’s not one brick missing from what makes up the wall of sound that fills every corner of this EP. Lead by thunderously gloomy bass sounds which fill ‘Versailles’ with hauntingly dark moments.

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As with all that Spring Offensive produce, the lyrical narrative forms the backbone of their tracks, far from content with creating flawlessly crafted harmonies alongside delicate mathy time signatures. These Oxford lads also write some of the most intelligent and engaging lyrics – which come into their own on new single ‘A Stutter And A Start’. The track tells the story of a relationship breakdown through the analogy of a car. It battles with heartbreak, loneliness and the painful realisation of not being able to escape it. This culminates in a desperation that comes with the build of this single, the jagged, repetitive guitar escalates as everything seems to come together with Lucas Whitworth’s vocals at their very best. The harmony builds and the progressive sound grows as the track draws to a close in a somewhat jubilant manner, instrumentation that juxtaposes the narrative as Lucas comes to the realisation that he’s still in love. Spring Offensive certainly do not hide behind their music, delivering a song with true passion and unbridled honesty. Encased with two added tracks within a handmade colouring book – including crayons – ‘A Stutter And A Start’ is truly a must-have.

LINK TO PUBLISHED REVIEW: http://www.trisickle.co.uk/2011/04/19/tripod-spring-offensive-a-stutter-a-start/

Since Pianos Become The Teeth released ‘Old Pride’ last year, the first thought on everyone’s mind was certainly when on earth these guys were going to get themselves over to the UK. So when they announced this tour with Suis La Lune the hype was instant, made even clearer by the show selling out shortly before doors.

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It’s been a long time since Thursday toured over in the UK. Headlining the Taste of Chaos tour to support the release of Common Existence in 2009 was never going to be the same as a legit, more intimate Thursday show. So the announcement of three sporadic headline dates in the UK to celebrate the release of ‘No Devolución’ and the 10th Birthday of ‘Full Collapse’ was what every Thursday fan had been waiting for.

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California based What Hands Are For released their last EP ‘Loud Ass’ back in 2007, however for any fans who can still remember this post-hardcore outfit, their long awaited second EP ‘…Please Believe Me’ is finally upon us – and it’s clear from the off that this band haven’t lost any energy over the past four years.

However, saying that, opener ‘We Love The Knife Night’ is annoyingly quite weak, with its simplistic and quite stale clean/screamed delivery. Yet for what it lacks in vocal style, the instrumentation makes up for this, swaying between fast and slow tempos faultlessly. Their experimentation with structure is a statement that this band is far from comfortable sitting within the confines of the genre. ‘Deer Country’ demonstrates this with a sound that you could almost describe as funky. With just one guitarist, the bass has been given room to really sprawl out with riffs that take this band past a straight forward hardcore delivery. 

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Out of the disbanding of much loved math sensation Colour, drummer James Trood and lead singer Alan Welsh formed Tangled Hair back in 2009. Since the release of their first EP, aptly named ‘First’ they have got themselves a new member in the form of bassist Alex Lloyd and 15 months on released ‘Apples’, a neat display of sheer instrumental and song writing prowess in the form of a 5-track EP.

There’s no messing around with opener ‘I’m Calmer Than You’, the group bellow out “Arghhhhhh” and burst into a volatile track, which simmers and crashes, never gathering a foothold on any given tempo. The time signatures throughout the EP are complex and unstable, heavily led by the drum machine that is James Trood, who powers through with off kilter rhythms that almost stray off into incomprehensible realms.

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Oh No Oh My formed way back in 2004 but ‘People Problems’ is surprisingly only their second full length album and an album that has seen them move forward, mature and really find their sound. This has clouded over the clean pop sensibilities and brought with it an angst and deeper more meaningful tracks that engage lyrically with intriguing narratives with a really musical progression and experimentation with an array of instruments.

‘Walking Into Me’ gives a first glimpse of this instrumentation, overlaying guitars with keyboards and subtle electronic sounds,‘You Were Right’ brings with it the layering of vocals which create some tasty pop harmonies and appear to solidify Greg Barkley’s whimsical vocal delivery. ‘Again Again’ is an example of the bands lyrical darker side in a track about reaching down someone’s throat, a subject matter that while juxtaposed against some silky guitars and Greg’s bright delivery feels rather odd, along with ‘Brains’ which adds a tender edge to a car crash that eludes to rather graphic visuals. 

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I was recently emailed by a man named Andrew Hennie who moved into the Ferrier Estate when it first opened in 1973 and lived there until 1986. A number of months ago I posted on various websites asking for anyone of this nature who wanted to be interviewed for the feature, I was shocked to receive this email a number of months later from someone who I never dreamed I would find. Being able to delve back into the history of the Estate when it was first built with the experiences and life of a resident who lived there from the beginning is absolutely incredible. He has stated that he is keen to help me which is fantastic. We have exchanged emails with bits of information on what I’m doing etc but recently he has taken a while to get back to me, I do however have his phone number and aim to get the interview done over easter. This is a fantastic opportunity to reveal the golden age of the estate through the life of a resident, while also highlighting the beginning of its downfall.

Further updates will be blogged when I hear back from him, I will also be able to give exact details on how the feature will pan out.

When asked to contribute to Pull The Other One zine, from the beginning I knew that I wanted to write a feature on Holly Burn. From my research I knew she was only getting more recognition and causing quite a stir within certain corners of the comedy circuit. For this reason alone I wanted to get an interview with her to talk about her past and what big plans she has for the future. Click read more to see some extracts from the interview I carried out with her:

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