Singles Reviews
Polkadodge
'Borderline'
Review by Tony Beesley 21/4/13
Amongst the on-going trend for guitar bands – a scene championed by the NME, legions of floppy-fringed students and the more insightful of music critics, yet dismissed by some as the clichéd sound of a post-punk shoegazing past – are a clutch of acts to be taken seriously and noted and applauded for their immediacy and worthwhile talents: afterall, let’s not forget what happens to music once the guitar is hung up so lets rejoice in the talents of the glorious few!!! The Spitfires, Palma Violets, Spiders, (first album) Vaccines, Whitemoor and… Polkadodge (fill in your own roster of favourites at your convenience).
Sheffield’s 4-piece Polkadodge and their ‘big music, even bigger ideas’ and love of ‘big choruses’ – a shared vision that echoes and updates the musical map of Big Country, early U2, Hurrah! and mid period Manics- whilst stamping their own identity upon the 3 minute indie pop song - certainly have promise and a talent for creating melodic tunes just to the left end of indie rock. Described as ‘the grittier end of indie/rock’ and already building up a faithful local (and beyond) following, ’Borderline’ is a welcome and enjoyable taster of what the band may yet achieve in times to come. 'Refreshing, vital and tuneful'. Featuring a Byrds via Johnny Marr (traditional indie blueprint) jangly guitar style and a (guilty pleasure) Bono vocal of (thankfully more subdued) anthemic persuasion… I can’t help but hold bright hopes for the future of Polkadodge. As their confidence expands and their will to push the boundaries of so-called indie rock along further (less familiar) un-trodden paths places them even further up the pile of guitar bands- all eager to grace that stadium peering over the horizon, I envisage potentialy great things. Personally I prefer my bands to be experienced at less grandiose live settings… but as we all know, all good things must (eventually) be enjoyed by far more than their humble beginnings. Polkadodge are on their way... catch them live and embrace this single now!
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Palma Violets
‘Best of Friends’ / ‘Last of the Summer Wine’
7 inch single
One of the best singles of last year, especially when enjoyed on (purple) vinyl as opposed to the standard fare of mp3 download! ‘Best of Friends’ is robust, anthemic and epic in delivery … a huge wall of sound. Citing The Clash, Richard Hell and N.Y 70’s punk musos, Television as influences – a trio of impeccable, if not unexpected, musical loves, this guitar-saturated beat, almost Spectorish in scope, is an uplifting blast of contemporary rock ‘n’ roll. Celebratory, confident and unrefined by current trends, Palma Violets should not fail and may well be destined for great things ahead!!
(Although only released at the tail-end of last year, the vinyl edition is already accelorating in value - £17.99 on amazon)
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Mark Jackson's Criminal Waste of Talent
'What's the Situation'
Review by Tony Beesley, 25/11/12
Duo, Mark Jackson(vocals) and Steve Dollar Dalton (Guitar, backing Vocals)... am not sure who plays drums?... throw old-school style D.I.Y punk poetics with an obligitary northern grit and 'tell it as it is' council estate humour: sounding not unlike an updated yet less-frantic, John Cooper Clarke on 'Real Men Have a Shed'.Some repetitive catchy guitar lines accompany this second track which has a nifty sense of reeling you in with it's tongue in upper-lip everyday social observances. Like it's predecessor, 'Dumped by Text', (a more punky offering) and third track 'There's Always a Queue at Greggs, which clocks in at 8.32 mins, the appeal is almost immediate and refreshingly (and deliberatly) honest and closely observant to the songwriter's surroundings. Mourning the loss of 'real' places, pubs and the local music chain store (set amongst other ear-catching lyrical nuances)... and concluding that there's always a queue at Greggs, this 4-track E.P ('Dumped by Text' also re-appears as a longer version as the parting track), and the natural talents on show here, offer much future promise and appeal! I am impressed and quite interested....................................
The Buccaneers
‘Don’t Breakdown’/’Shake it or Leave it’
Review by Tony Beesley, 25/11/12
The Buccaneers' (from York) debut single is qualityBrit/invasion (circa 1964) influenced modern-day r&b for lovers of rockin’ beat music the world over. ‘Don’t Break Down’ with its shades of Yardbirds and mid 60’s Stones with a luscious organ flavouring is complimented by its flip side of ‘Shake it or Leave it’; performed much in a similar style but with a notably far more-driving edge and up-tempo beat. Refreshing and a cut-above plenty that set their sights upon UK beat’s hallowed musical past, this 200 copies only 7” vinyl treat (with free download option) deserves a place in all discerning music fans’ collections. For those who enjoy a positive sprinkling of tasty retro delights across their rockin’ deserts of today’s musical offerings…go ahead and take a sample or two from The Buccaneers!.................................................................................................
The Spitfires: ‘Spark to Start’/ ‘Sirens’
Review by Tony Beesley 10/11/12
Get ready for the Spitfires; blasting the airwaves with their frenetic rock n’ roll debut single. It’s not 1965, 1977 nor 79 and the past may be an inspiration for this Watford-based 18-year old band of the new breed, but it’s the present and the future that they are gonna make their forced landing. Classic three-piece Jam style homage may be the initial impression given, but there’s much more going on here than that. ‘Spark to Start’s sense of urgent immediacy – Merlin engine bass busting through an explosion of ‘next wave’ guitar-soaked attack – belies a lyrical message of hope, whilst casting mills bombs at the sedate, complacent and over-the hill musical has-beens. “The Industry spies on suburban cries – they need a spark to start some trend,” spits disdain at the ‘circus’ talent shows and manufactured bands,’…. the sound of The Spitfires thankfully obliterates those media –created pathetic ideals and notions creating a new and welcome alternative for those that yearn for their music real, fast, vibrant and extolling the unabridged dangers of youth!
Fronted by 18-year old ‘Face’ Billy Sullivan, the visual essence of contemporary Mod; who I envisage will defy all genre expectations given time and confidence (of which on this outing there is plenty) this Spitfires first outing – with an equally potent B-side ‘Sirens’- demands your attention now!!
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Whitemoor ‘Highlights’
Review by Tony Beesley 10/11/12
Infectious, anthemic and confident, Whitemoor cast our way another slice of what they do best, this time with yet more expertise and instant melody appeal. You wouldn’t turn down this sunny day soundtrack ‘feel-good’ rock number during the summer months, so whilst enduring the dark and dismal days of winter nourish your jaded and frozen musical mind with ‘Highlights.’ Many more good things will come from these lads and this may only be a small taste of that forthcoming box of melodic treats!
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Spiders:‘Ambitions of a Huckster’s Daughter’
Well crafted Indie-marketed pop here from Rotherham’s finest 3 piece young gunslingers! Long being a fave live band of mine (this song not exactly being fresh to my ears), I always have time for the musical map of these lads. Taking a healthy dose of Weller’s mid-period Jam folk/pop attributes, ‘Three Imaginary Boys era pre-Goth Cure and other quality guitar pop of the last few decades, Spiders spin their own web around a gift for infectious tunes that crawl around your mental soundtrack long after listening to. Forget Arachnophobia.... openly embrace Spiders before they become your praying Mantis!!!!.............................................................................................
