Swim Deep ‘Mothers’ album review

 Back in 2012 the hazy youth of Birmingham originated four piece Swim Deep not so much exploded as dreamily skateboarded onto the music scene with their dreamy, summery indie pop debut ‘Where the heaven are we?’.

It was the perfect summer sound for all those denim clad adolescents with crazy colour dye clinging to the strands of their hair and the inner contents of NME doing a pirouette around their vinyl player. 

It’s standard to expect bands to play it safe with second albums-particuarly those as young as Swim Deep. 

But the course of three years has acquired the band more than just a new member in the form of keyboardist James Balmont. ‘Mothers‘ hits you like brushing your fingertips across the surface of a flame; it’s unexpected, dynamic and leaves a lingering impact long after it’s over. 

The album takes a physchadelic, trippy and refreshingly brave twist on their previous style. In many ways the staggering force of the risk the boys have taken is what makes this album such an intriguing listen; if it wasn’t for frontman Austin Williams’ trademark falsetto/purring vocals you’d scarcely make the connection that this is the same band from the first album. Personally I love it, there’s nothing stale or caricature esque of any other artist about it. ‘Mothers’ is the kind of exotic and explorative album that surely categorises as art; it’s simultaneously chaotic, creative and cathartic. 

Highlights are the aptly named reverence of opening track ‘One great song and I can change the world‘, the frenzied and banal beauty of crazed eight minute track ‘Fueiho Boogie‘ and the blissful reverence of ‘Heavenly Moment’.

It may be sporadically bizzare and kaildoscopic at certain points-and then again it might also be one of the most innovative and near genius albums I’ve heard in years. Either way it’s making me thankful that I’ll be attenting their gig at the roundhouse this month, as an opportunity to hear these tracks live sounds more than good to me. 

You can purchase ‘Mothers’ and find out more about Swim Deep Here 

Review of The Magic gang at the Boston music rooms Friday 10th July 2015

Since first stumbling across this Brighton based four piece on sound cloud whilst looking for something new to listen to, I was instantly sucked in by their hazy, laid back sound and poignant lyrics. 

After seeing them play a short set at The Social in Oxford circus back in May, I knew that they had a strong sound live but the small venue and somewhat timid crowd at that gig admittedly created some restrictions in terms of audience atmosphere. 

However, the second they stepped on stage at the Boston music room it couldn’t be clearer that this would be a gig that would allow their stage presence to really shine. Kicking the set off with self conscious, sing along track ‘You don’t want me’ it was as if they’d flicked a switch that sent a fizz of life and energy reverberating through the crowd. 

The set consisted of eight tracks, two of which can’t be found online which didn’t seem to deter a large portion of the audience from moving around and eagerly attempting to sing along. It’s always refreshing to go to a gig and look around to see that everybody is getting into it, what’s even better is that it was clear that The Magic Gang up on stage seemed to be having just as good a time of it; Nobody really wants to go and see a band that look like they would rather be anywhere than on the stage in front of you.

Stand out tracks from the set-which you should also check out if you haven’t listened to these guys before- were the dreamy, anthem-esque charm of smartly written track ‘She Won’t Ghost’, the meloncholic magic of plaintive track ‘Alright’ and the stomping beat and catchy chorus of ‘No Fun’. 

There’s not much of their music you can find online, but the few tracks that you can listen to Here on their sound cloud make for some very decent listening. Having drawn comparisons to the likes of Weezer and Blur, their nostalgia tinted, yet innovative sound hits you in just the right place. I would 100% recommend checking these guys out and keeping an eye on them, because any music they release in the future is looking to be of a very high standard.

The Magic Gang will be supporting Swim Deep on their UK autumn tour, see dates below.

  

Review of Jamie T at Hackney Empire; An acoustic evening of albums, EP’s and rarities

Truthfully, I wasn’t sure exactly what to anticipate from an acoustic Jamie T gig-my first ever seated concert in fact. After all, this is the musician who is largely known for being a lad, typically drawing in a fairly raucous crowd with his loud mouthed tracks. The atmosphere was altogether more laid back in the Hackney Empire this particular Friday night, with a stripped back stage setting that centred around a smartly attired Jamie T seated on a stool, with just his guitars and his band to accompany him through the set. The last time I saw Jamie T, back in November, I was in the stalls, in the middle of a crowd that were hungry for a chance to throw themselves and their drinks about with predictably reckless abandon. Was I going to be disappointed by such a starkly different setting for this hackney empire gig?

Any doubts I had were diminished instantly, with a set list composed of a mixture of the crowd favourites, the never before played, the new and the obscure to say the least. Overall, it was a rare treat to witness this kind of plugged in set from him. The normally introverted star provided a constant between song patter, providing the absorbed crowd with the context behind a majority of the tracks, from fond favourite Back in the game from his first album being about his brothers home town of Brighton, to preserving with the idea for new track Senorita after spending a drunken evening in the pub discussing the Spanish civil war and being struck with inspiration to pen a track about the topic, his lack of knowledge on the subject failing to stand in his way. Throw in tracks such as ethereal anthem “The Prophet” from new album Carry on the grudge, and the heart string tugging, nostalgic Magnolia Melancholia from his recently released EP of the same name and you’ve got pretty much the perfect blend of old and new, dated and ancient, popular and obscure.

After his four year break, it certainly felt satisfying to see Jamie T looking so comfortable and at ease on stage, compared to the vague tinge of nerves I sensed the last time I saw him live which was his first tour since taking his break. There’s hints that he has grown up since his return, both in the nature of the new material and also the sheer ease and self assurance that he possesses when addressing the audience, keeping them entertained and hanging onto his every word from the moment he sits down until the moment he leaves the stage. This gig was proof that not only has he regained his confidence with a lion esque roar, but that the comeback-that could have been perceived as risky, with a new album and new sound, after such a long break- has well and truly paid off.