The Great Escape Festival announce today another hundred acts for the event to be held at various venues across Brighton between 16th and 18th May this year.

The festival is primarily aimed at showcasing new and emerging talent, the discovery of new and exciting acts being the best thing about the weekend, and there are many unfamiliar names on the list. Some established acts announced include Brighton locals The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster and Billy Bragg, who joins Bastille as one of the big Dome shows taking place over the weekend.

The full list of acts announced today is as follows:

A TRIBE CALLED RED / AA WALLACE / ANDY SHAUF / ARCANE ROOTS / ATLAS GENIUS / BABE / THE BALCONIES / BEACH FOSSILS / BIG WAVE RIDERS / BILLY BRAGG*/ BLUE HAWAII / BROOKE CANDY / CAIRO PYTHIAN / CAIRO KNIFE FIGHT / CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN / [CHAMPAGNE] / CONCRETE KNIVES / DANIEL DRUMZ / DEEP SEA ARCADE / DIANE / DIIV / THE EIGHTIES MATCHBOX B-LINE DISASTER / ELISAPIE / EYE EMMA JEDI / FARAO / FIMBER BRAVO / FINDLAY / GIRLS IN HAWAII / GOLDEN FABLE / HACKTIVIST / HIGHASAKITE / HOUNDMOUTH / THE HOUNDS BELOW / HUSKY RESCUE / IGGY AZALEA / INDIANA / IS TROPICAL / JACKIE ONASSIS / JAGWAR MA / JENNY HVAL / JOE BANFI / KAMP! / KIMBERLY ANNE / KINS / KODALINE / LITTLE GREEN CARS / LONDON GRAMMAR / LORD HURON / LOSTALONE / LOWELL / MARIKA HACKMAN / MAUSI / MAZES / MEL PARSONS / THE MIDNIGHT BEAST** / MIKAL CRONIN / MO KENNEY / MONOPHONA / MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY / MURDER BY DEATH / MURMANSK / NO CEREMONY /// / AN ON / ONLY REAL / OWLLE / PARLOUR / PARQUET COURTS / PHANTOM / PINKUNOIZU / PLASTER / RAH RAH / REBEKKA KARIJORD / RUBIK / RUEN BROTHERS / SAINT MICHEL / SARAH MACDOUGALL / SAY YES DOG / SHARKS / STEVIE NEALE / STORY BOOKS / SUSANNE SUNDFØR / SYRON / TALL SHIPS / TEMPLES / DANCING YEARS / THE ELWINS / THE GRISWOLDS / THE OTHER TRIBE / THE STRYPES / THREE TRAPPED TIGERS / THUMPERS / TODDLA T SOUND / TRIPWIRES / TROUMACA / UNNO / WARM MYTH / WHITE FENCE / WOODS / YAN WAGNER / YOUR FAVOURITE ENEMIES

This is in addition to the list of artists previously announced:

THE 1975 / ALLAH-LAS / ALUNAGEORGE / AWAKEN I AM / BΔSTILLE / BEAR’S DEN / THE BLACK HEART REBELLION / BLACKEYE / BLAUDZUN / BRODKA / CAITLIN PARK / CHARLIE STRAIGHT / CHILDHOOD / CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS / CHVRCHES / CLOUD BOAT / COUSINS / CUB SCOUTS / DAN CROLL / DARK STAR / DAVID RAM JAM RODIGAN MBE / DEL BARBER / DINGUS KHAN / DINOSAUR PILE-UP / DRENGE / DUNE / EAGULLS / ECHO AND THE EMPRESS / EDDI FRONT / ED HARCOURT / ELIZA AND THE BEAR / FIST CITY / FOAM LAKE / GALLOPS / HOW TO DRESS WELL / HUMANS / HUNGRY KIDS OF HUNGARY / INDIANS / JACCO GARDNER / KING KRULE / LAB COAST / LAWRENCE ARABIA / LEWIS WATSON / LUKE SITAL-SINGH / MAC DEMARCO / MADE IN JAPAN / MARMOZETS / MERCHANDISE / MØ / THE NATURALS / THE NEIGHBOURHOOD / NEIGHBOURHOOD YOUTH / NICK MULVEY / NIGHT ENGINE / PHOSPHORESCENT / PORTASOUND / RAINY MILO / ROYAL CANOE / RYAN KEEN / SAN ZHI / SKATERS / SKIP&DIE / SNAKADAKTAL / SOAK / SPECTRES / STONEFIELD / SUPERFOOD / SWEET BABOO / SWIM DEEP / TELEMAN / TO KILL A KING / TOM ODELL / TOMORROW’S WORLD / TOWNS / TRES B / THE TROUBLE WITH TEMPLETON / THE UPSKIRTS / UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA / VELCRO HOOKS / VELOCIRAPTOR / WALL / WOLF ALICE / YOUNG RIVAL

Festival tickets are available for as little as £45 if you get in quick and take advantage of the early-bird offer. Dome shows are available on their own but can be added to your weekend pass for a £7 “top-up” fee. More details and links to ticket sales can be found at http://mamacolive.com/thegreatescape/

By Dorian Rogers

When The Miserable Rich take the stage at Brighton’s Dome Studio Theatre it is a bittersweet event for the home crowd who have ventured out into the cold to see the band play. You know that a great show is in the offing, but there is also the knowledge that this is the band’s last show, if not for ever, for a long time.

Since I first heard the band in session playing ‘Boat Song’ on Marc Riley’s 6 Music show I have managed to see them seven times in total. This may not seem a lot to the kind of people that obsessively follow their favourite acts, but I have always loved variety and seldom see anyone play that often. It also occurs to me that I have seen them play in a wider variety of venues than any other act.

Here, for posterity, is the full list:

1. In the heart of South Downs at The Beachdown festival
2. Upstairs at the Union Chapel as part of a Willkommen Collective takeover
3. In Resident Records
4. Downstairs at The Hare and Hounds
5. On an derelict bowling green in Queen’s Park
6. In The Green Door Store
7. And finally, in The Dome Studio Theatre

The significant point about all the shows being that they all had a different feel, but were all a brilliantly performed showcase of great tunes, the final night being no different.

The set-list picked pretty evenly between the band’s three albums, the quality mark being so high that it is hard to pick out highlights from the set. ‘Ringing The Changes’ was memorable as James de Malplaquet forgot the words, not once but twice, and the rendition of ‘Boat Song’ played (as has become tradition) from within the audience was a fitting finale. Also notable was a version of Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’ that sits in nicely with the band’s other excellent cover choices through their time together.

The band were joined on stage for about half the set by their original guitarist Jim Briffet, boosted to a seven piece from their original five member line-up. One of the great skills of the band is their ability to move between big sounds and delicate moments, sometimes several times within a song.

The band are officially on hiatus, the members pursuing alternative musical endeavors for the time being. The good news here is that there are several great new acts that could rise from the ashes of the band in the next few years. I hope that they do reunite at some point in the future, the prospect of a forth album and more shows is certainly something I would welcome. If, however, this really is the last we’ll see of them then at least I have been lucky enough to enjoy them more than most.

By Dorian Rogers

Our second live music showcase of 2012 at Brighton’s Quadrophenia-esque Green Door Store, which is tucked into the arches underneath the city’s giant Victorian railway station, featured three of our favourite UK acts Rotifer, Tigercats and Danny Kendall. The night was held as part of the Oxjam festival, with all profits from the night being donated to help causes in Africa through Oxfam.

Danny Kendall

First on the stage was Danny Kendall, the pseudonym of part-time Chris T-T and Jim Bob drummer Ben Murray, an act named after the troubled mid-80s Grange Hill character. For this gig his line-up was completed by Jen Macro and Lucy Parnell, two thirds of the band Something Beginning With L . The three piece took to their stools  for a quietly beautiful set of acoustic melancholia played on guitar and harmonium. ‘We’ve Never Been To Singapore’ was a high-point in an accomplished set of songs that showcased some lovely three part vocal harmonies and delicate melodies.

Tigercats

Tigercats, from east London, are spending much of 2012 touring venues across Spain, the UK and France promoting this year’s debut album Isle of Dogs. What makes them such an interesting act live and on the album is the mix of styles. There’s plenty of upbeat, indie guitar pop in their set, on tracks such as Banned at the Troxy and Full Moon Reggae Party, but it’s never relentless as their repertoire includes more thoughtful moments, perhaps best shown tonight through the tragic ballad Jonny and the sardonic call to arms from lead vocalist Duncan Barrett on Coffin For The Isle of Dogs. Highpoints  of tonight’s set included their dream like tour of London and one hit wonders on Vapours,  guitarist Stefan Schafer’s intricate guitar playing and the relentless energy of bassist Giles Barrett, who like Duncan was mysteriously barefoot for the performance.

Rotifer

Rotifer, the band fronted by Austrian born now Canterbury based songwriter, journalist, broadcaster and festival organiser Robert Rotifer, proved a worthy headliner, as they showcased a number of new songs from their forthcoming 2013 album as well as highlights from last year’s excellent mod-era influenced album The Hosting Couple and The Children of the Hill (2009).

What became apparent from their first few bars of opener Aberdeen Marine Lab, from The Hosting Couple, was what an accomplished live trio Robert Rotifer has created. With Death in Vegas’s Ian Button on drums and Television Personalities’ Mike Stone on bass they are seasoned pros who know all the tricks to a successful live set. Robert’s engaging banter about futuristic kitchens and newspaper practices won over those that were unfamiliar with his previous albums. While the raft of new songs: Now On There Is Only Love, By The Time November Comes, Ms Pendantovic Resigns, I Just Couldn’t Eat As Much As I’d Like To Throw Up and set closer Black Bag, proved an enticing glimpse of their forthcoming album for fans such as Tigercats, who later described Rotifer’s set as “furious” on their Facebook page.

Rotifer

Final mention goes to Robert Rotifer’s sumptuous guitar sound, played on a Japanese reissue of a custom 1962 Fender Telecaster through a Vox amp. The special ingredient we are told is the use of a EMR valve-driven spring reverb unit made by Button. “Every guitarist should have one,” says Robert proudly. We implore you to check out these three bands, who are not only a fine advert for the vibrancy of the UK music scene but also gave up their time for free for a good cause.

Words – Dorian Rogers and Joe Lepper. Pictures – Nic Newman.

More of Nic’s pictures from the night can be found on our Flickr page.

Forthcoming gigs by the bands.

Rotifer: Nov 3, London, Half Moon in Herne Hill, with Willard Grant Conspiracy; Nov 17, London, Rambling Rose/Haringay Arms, as part of The End festival

Tigercats: Nov 17, Paris, L’international; Nov 27, London, The Lexington with Let’s Wrestle; Dec 8, Nottingham, Chameleon Arts Café, with Fever Dream and Young Romance

We make no secret of or love for Field Music here at Neon Filler, they topped our album of the year poll in 2010 and have received numerous live reviews on the site since we set it up in 2009. I have no reservations in saying that they are the best band operating out of the UK today and thoroughly deserve their nomination for the Mercury Prize this year. As such it was a great feeling to see them play such a confident set at the Haunt in Brighton last Thursday.

The set started with the first three tracks from Plumb, a near perfect sing suite and a brilliant prog-pop opening to the evening. Several songs from Plumb featured in the set, including a brilliant encore of ‘(I Keep ‘Thinking About) A New Thing’, but the evening was notable for how widely they picked from across their career to date.

Measure featured strongly, and the tightly wound new-wave funk of ‘Let’s Write A Book’ was just one of the songs played during the evening that deserve to have been bigger hits when released as singles. Another “lost 45″ candidate was ‘Rockist’, from the School Of Language side project, a staple in the Field Music set since the end of their short hiatus.

As someone who came to the band via 2006′s Tones Of Town it was ‘In Context’ and ‘A Gap Has Appeared’ has stood out as the two high points in a set that no weak moments. It seems strange to think that these songs are 6 years old, the fresh faced brothers now veterans of the music scene.

It was also of note just how much the band has matured and grown as a live act over the past few years, and how strong their sound has become. This was no fey indie show, the guitars crunched and the drums pounded to produce a big sound that carried the songs with a punch.

The band state that this tour, with only a sold out Newcastle date remaining, will be their last shows for a while. We can only hope that this means more recording and the Brewis brothers will be back instrument hopping with a set of new songs sometime soon.

By Dorian Rogers

This week saw the DVD release of the documentary film Last Shop Standing which charts the “Rise, fall and rebirth of the independent record shop”. Record shops have been a big part of my life since my early teens and I have seen the demise of many in my native Brighton over the years. Tilbury Gig, where I purchased my first album (The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads), Vinyl Solution, Essential Music, Virgin, Zavvi, Fopp, Our Price, MVC and others have all gone by the wayside.

I decided to take a picture of each and every record shop in Brighton and Hove, although I may have missed some (please let me know if I did so I can complete the story). I was pleased that there were as many as 14 remaining in a relatively small city, although one of the best, Rounder Records, closed shortly after I took these pictures.

Fine Records

HMV

Cult Hero (formerly Ape)

Rounder Records

Borderline

Resident

Across The Tracks

Wax Factor

Monkey Music Emporium

Endless Records (formerly Edge World)

The Punker Bunker

One Stop Records

Rare Kind Records

The Record Album

By Dorian Rogers

Oxjam is a month long music festival, and our event is just one of hundreds taking place nationwide during October with all profits going to support Oxfam.

One of the Oxjam initiatives are the multi-venue ‘Takeovers’ happening in towns and cities around the country. Oxjam Brighton Takeover is sure to be one of the best as they seek to showcase the best music from the local area on October 21st.

On Wednesday August 15th they will be launching the event with a gig at Brighton’s Blind Tiger. This will be an opportunity to find out more as well as hearing some great music – you can find out more details on the Facebook event page.

Live music comes from King Mews, Wide Eyed Order, Early Ghost and Tides, with entry a bargain suggested donation of £3.

Proceedings kick off at 8pm and it is sure to be an excellent night of music in aid of a great cause.

by Dorian Rogers

Oxjam is Oxfam’s month-long music festival. It runs all through October with hundreds of events around the UK, all organised by volunteers who know and love their local music scene, all raising money to save lives around the world.

Refreshed after a sober Friday I made my way down to the Blind Tiger for an early afternoon set from Canadian garage popsters Hooded Fang. After another extended line check (they seemed to get longer as the weekend continued) they were introduced to us by the president of their record label, looking a lot like Dick van Dyke in his Diagnosis Murder years. When they finally got playing it was worth the wait, their very enjoyable debut album sounded perfect for a sunny afternoon in the crowded venue. The drum and vocal sound was spot on and reminded me a lot of White Denim, but with more of a classic 60s pop sound. The more punky tunes worked less well, but it was excellent start to the day.

Hooded Fang

From here on in I decided that my plan was to try and catch as much different music as possible, even if that meant seeing only partial sets by each act playing. To this end I headed to the Komedia to see French electro act Cheveu play what was described as “Parisian pop” in the programme. Parisian it may have been, pop it certainly was not. It was a harsh and challenging sound where dissonant keyboards and distorted guitar were joined by looped screaming vocals. It was pretty good stuff, but for the second time in the weekend it seemed wrong listening to noise in a dark basement whilst the sun shone outside.

Cheveu

The main remainder of the afternoon was spent exploring the various bands playing outside, most of whom I couldn’t name. At times this was a disappointment, a trip to the Brighton wheel saw the final applause of a well received set, and at others it meant some new discoveries. Best of all was Me and the Bees at the festival Hub stage (much better used this year than last) a really charming female fronted act from Catalonia. They are a little amateurish but have enough good tunes and personality to carry it off, the perfect sound for a sunny afternoon by the sea. A less country tinged Whispertown 2000 springs to mind and it was the highlight of my afternoon outdoors.

Me and the Bees

After a trip downstairs at Audio to watch Novella, an enjoyable if unexceptional piece of melodic guitar pop, the time to make a decision hits me. I had been dead set on a trip to the church to see Perfume Genius but a late changed of heart takes me to the queue outside The Komedia where everyone seems to be heading to catch the much hyped Alabama Shakes. I am pretty close to the front of the queue but it has been one in, one out for hours already and the wait is a long one. I’m at the point of heading elsewhere when a few people leave and I get access to the venue, but a lot of others will queue for a long time and not make it in until the band is almost over.

First on stage when I do get in is Howler, and they make a pretty fun noise to the packed expectant crowd. They sound like a band destined for the main stage at the Reading Festival, but they are enjoyable enough and pretty aware that they aren’t the main attraction. When Alabama Shakes take to the stage they are on to a pretty guaranteed winner, they would have to have been pretty bad to fail to get a reception from the partisan crowd. the good news for them, and us, is that they are actually pretty good. Are they the best new band in the world (as the NME stated this week)? No, they probably aren’t, but they are very very good at what they do. And what they do is nothing new, a rootsy mix of The Band and classic 60s soul, but they do it better than most. In Brittany Howard they have an excellent front-woman who can really sing, and plays the guitar with a lot of fierce energy as well. The one thing that does seem a little odd is why the NME have picked up on them, they are all round a Mojo kind of band.

Beth Jeans Houghton & The Hooves of Destiny

I decide to end the evening with a trip to The Pavilion Theatre and manage to jump the queue and get in to see the end of (deep breath) Beth Jeans Houghton & The Hooves of Destiny‘s set. It is good stuff, real energy and another excellent singer, and the packed house laps it up. I don’t see the whole set but I don’t think the crowd made a bad choice opting to come here rather than stand outside waiting to see a glimpse of more hyped act up the road.

I’m pretty wiped out by this time but I stay long enough to see some of the EMA set before I head home. The songs seem quite full on to fall into the category of “sparse confessionals” as described in the programme (which seems to have only a loose understanding of most of the bands) but it sounded great and the band looked good on stage.

Heading home I reflect on the three days of music, and it is is notable that I haven’t seen one bad act play. I may have been lucky, but I suspect that the overall standard is just very high. The event is brilliantly organised and an absolute steal at under £50 for the chance to pick from over 300 artists at over 30 venues. Even if you don’t have a ticket there are the outdoor shows and the Alternative Escape shows (most of which are free). I’ll be back next year and I have no doubt it will be another big success, and a key fixture in the musical calendar.

By Dorian Rogers

Day two of the Great Escape was a more relaxed affair than the first, a later start, an earlier finish and no alcohol. It is a pretty tiring weekend and it seemed the right thing to do to take it a bit easy on the second day. That didn’t mean I wasn’t going to see a load of great music, in fact there was plenty of good stuff to enjoy.

Furguson

First venue of the day was The Albert to check out some of the Catalan acts that are being showcased at the festival. The first one I saw on stage was Furguson, youthful and energetic noise pop with endearingly shouty vocals. The drumming was brilliant and the twin synths gave the guitar noise some real depth and texture, a lot of fun. Next up was Suicide of Western Culture, two hooded men behind a table of samplers and laptops and effects pedals and wires. A pretty uncompromising sound, very heavy and hard edged with a real darkness behind their techno tinged sound. On the screen behind them were projections of dark and disturbing images, corpses, military marches and other troubling subject matter. As good as they were it was not what on wanted on one of the first sunny days in weeks, it seemed wrong being inside in the dark listening to music much better suited for a late night set.

Chris T-T

The rest of the afternoon was spent outdoors sampling the various bands playing at different locations around the city. Part of the fun of the Great Escape is music springing up unexpectedly and seeing music you hadn’t planned to as you make your way between other venues or just hang out in the sun. One pleasure of the day was catching a few songs by the ever reliable Brighton resident Chris T-T on the Hub stage. His mixture of political songs and AA Milne words set to music is a pretty unique experience and always recommended.

Weird Dreams

The evening held the prospect of an excellent triple bill in the Blind Tiger, a venue that was packed out for the evening and queues stretched outside around the corner. First up for us were Weird Dreams, melodic psych-pop that sits somewhere between Teenage Fanclub and a British version of The Apples In Stereo. They were good too, a nice sound played well and some great melodies on show. The bass playing was great, driving the songs along, and the bass player was the most lively stage presence. They did seem to struggle to keep the packed house engaged though, a big risk when some more eagerly anticipated bands are following you on the bill.

The next act on was ∆ (alt-J), one of the bands with a real buzz about them at the festival. Their sound seemed (like a numbers of new acts) to be influenced by the Beta Band, which isn’t a bad starting point. They were very popular with the audience and although they seemed a little tentative (more interaction with the audience is needed by most bands I have seen) it was a confident performance. The percussion was very interesting, as was the way they used vocals in the songs. Very enjoyable and definitely one to watch.

Django Django

My final band of the day is one of Neon Filler’s favourites, Django Django. Despite creating a restless atmosphere in the venue by being so late on stage they won the audience around almost immediately. It was their second set of the weekend and if the first was as good as this one then they could well be the act of the festival (Saturday’s performances excepting). The Beta Band comparisons raise their head again, but with some Devo thrown in and a bit of the Phantom Band as well. That isn’t to say that they are derivative, they have a very strong identity and the pulsing rhythms and low harmony vocals were effective and captivating. It was the best audience response I have seen so far, and at times it resembled a rave at the front of the crowd. They might well be one of the rarest things in music, a good gimmick free crossover act.

Another excellent day of music, and an early(ish) night to prepare for a very full Saturday programme.

By Dorian Rogers

The first day of the Great Escape starts with looking at your list of “want to sees” and comparing it to the timetable. I’ve already done this but still not decided who to cut from my schedule. Saturday is, unsurprisingly, the most difficult day with Alabama Shakes, Perfume Genius and Willis Earl Beal (three acts that I don’t know but have heard good things about) all clashing. The good thing this year is that I’m not dead set on any of the acts playing, that means a more relaxed festival as I just try out as many bands and venues as I can fit in over the three days.

The Skints

The day doesn’t start well as I make my way to the Albert expecting a quiet start to the afternoon. It is as packed as I have ever seen a venue and I spend most of Porcelain Raft‘s set queuing on the stairs, catching the last couple of songs through the door. They seem OK but not the best way to get introduced to their sound. College are up next and their uplifting beats are hindered by being crushed at the back of the venue, time to move on and catch them another time.

Things improve outdoors with one of the free shows outside the Moshi Moshi Japanese restaurant. Despite the bad weather an enthusiastic crowd catches a very enjoyable set by an act (whose name I do not know) who sound a bit like Fools Gold. One of the nice things about the festival is stumbling upon acts and it is an enjoyable interlude.

Back indoors it is time for some Rocksteady from London band The Skints. This is the kind of music it is impossible not to enjoy and they play it well. The songs are good and the rhythms are tight, with some nice vocals shared across most of the group. The guitarist has a nice bit of patter but should probably learn that there is a fine line between rude-boy attitude and Danny Dyer geezerism. A nice set none-the-less.

Milagres

Later in the Corn Exchange we are treated to the Gallic charm of Francois and the Atlas Mountains. They play an upbeat and breezy pop with cool keyboard sounds and a likable croon. The Corn Exchange however is far from my favourite venue, and I don’t feel like hanging around there for any more bands tonight.

The Blind Tiger is a different story and serves up my favourite band of the day, New York residents Milagres. I’d not heard of them before but I enjoyed their set so much I purchased their album straight away. Imagine Grizzly Bear with a harder edge and you’ll not be far wrong, it is a great set and one that may be tough to top over the weekend.

Gaz Coombes

Next up is one time Supergrass and eternally youthful veteran of the scene, Gaz Coombes. He has a big partisan crowd (although one of the features of this festival is that all the bands get a good enthusiastic crowd) and he plays a tight tuneful set. I liked Supergrass and his new songs don’t move far from the template of his old band. However, I came to this festival to discover new acts, and seeing Gaz Coombes feels wrong somehow. I watch half of his set before moving on, he is a good performer for sure but I am not entirely blown away.

The Green Door Store

The evening ends with more queuing, this time at the Green Door Store. It seems like an age to get in to see Bastille, and there is a real buzz around the venue. Unfortunately the wait isn’t really worth it, they seem good enough but really offer up nothing new or exciting. The crowd seem to really enjoy them though, so it may just be me jaded from a long day. Time to retire.

By Dorian Rogers

Soccer96 is a duo built around the keyboards and drums of Danalogue and Betamax respectively and their pseudonyms give a good indication of the kind of sounds to expect. This is music recorded and designed to play live and not be heard from an iPod in a coffee shop, no bedroom electronica here – no sequencers or laptops were used at all on the album. The drums are heavy and the analogue synths pleasingly squelchy and bassy, with 8-bit style squeaks and beeps adding retro texture.

Opener ‘California” comes across like a rougher version of Air, complete with hypnotic repetition and vocoder style vocals. A pleasingly erratic gameboy solo (it probably isn’t a Gameboy, but yoiu get the idea) and a nicely jazzy end section make for a very satisfying start. Song two, ‘SuperWarrior’ is even more interesting as it reveals a bit more about what kind of band this is. The synths are at the forefront, and you can’t ignore the prog elements, but psych/drone rock is the predominant feel here, The Besnard Lakes come to mind here. Nice use of OTT choral vocals on the track too, combined with some first rate drumming this is a track to play loud.

‘Level 8 – Clouds’ (one of several video game references, including a song called ‘Yoga Flame’ and the bands name itself) sees us in floatier and bleepier territory, building nicely and then dropping back again over the tracks 6 minute run time. Track 4, ‘A Call To Arms’, is the album’s mid-point and the best track on a record or consistently strong tunes. The urgent keyboards, spritely drumming and punky vocals create a sound which is something like a collaboration between Devo and Underworld and every bit as good as that suggests. It also contains some good lyrics, “I’ve been a long time working in jobs that suck the soul right out of my body” is a pretty good mantra for disaffected youth.

‘Adaptatrap’ is built around percussion, layered vocal snatches and an excellent Dr.Who theme bass line, but does feel a little throwaway next to the album’s other songs. No matter, the dubby ‘EarthAttack’ and epic ‘Yoga Flame’ are both great and bring the album to a close all too soon.

That is perhaps the biggest criticism of the record, at only seven tracks long it does feel a little short. A couple more songs of a comparable quality would have been nice, but better an album of pretty consistent quality than a few fillers thrown in to boost the play time.

This is an album built around some excellent synth playing and well constructed melodies, but it is the more organic elements that lift this up a notch. The nicely varied use of vocals, hand-claps and especially the drumming which is first rate throughout and will no doubt sound great live. This is a very satisfying debut album and a very positive sign of things to come.

8/10

By Dorian Rogers

The album can be purchased in physical and digital forms from http://www.demonsarereal.com.