#Indiepop – CHUNES

By 25782697 on Concert review tagged #DeclanMckenna, #indiemusic, #Indiepop, #Music, #UKMusicwith 1 Comment

Declan Mckenna Concert Review: The face of indie funk goes out with a bang in Bournemouth

Endearing voice cracks, charming stage presence and even paracetamol! Mckenna’s last UK tour show was one to remember at Bournemouth’s 02 Academy. The 25-year-old glam-rock star and his guitar playfully commanded the entire room with his elegant vocals and groovy style.

The intimate venue was full to the brim with adoring fans, providing an incredible atmosphere. There were more mullets in that one room than at a private school rugby match.

The evening started with energetic support act Wunderhorse, an English indie and psychedelic rock band who were a formidable force looking to excite. Despite the lead singer, Jacob Slater, slightly losing his voice, I thought the band’s heavy guitars, raw vocals and moody demeaner was certainly impressive.

After nearly two hours of waiting, Declan took to the stage with his sparkling acoustic guitar and quirky two-piece suit and silk shirt combo. Mckenna switched up the setlist for the final UK show of the What Happened to the Beach? tour, bringing Why Do You Feel So Down and new single Mullholland’s Dinner and Wine, to the front leg which of course kicked the show off excellently.

Then as expected, Mckenna followed with a plethora of new album tracks which were a lot more experimental than his first two projects. Although some of the slower numbers fell a little flat, generally the tracks were exceptionally executed and thrilling for fans to hear live for the first time.

The sound-system in the 02 academy was surprisingly very high quality, allowing McKenna’s raw vocals, note changes and elegant melodies to shine. Both Beautiful Faces and The Key to Life on Earth from his previous album, Zero’s, sounded almost magical and full of Bowie overtones highlighting the indie-rock star’s versality.

Then came the recognisable guitar rift of fan favourite Brazil that had the entire room jumping. Pure Euphoria filled the crowd as groups surrounding me grabbed a hold of each other to scream the lyrics together.

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And of course, it’s not a concert without an encore, and fans were treated Paracetamol (a tour debut) sending fans into a spiral of joy. Although, it was swapped for Listen to Your Friends a great hit I wish I could have experienced live.

The final song, British Bombs was met with perhaps the best reaction of the night with fans bringing everything to the fast-paced, rowdy, and animated track. Whilst some may call it unnecessary, the mosh pit felt oddly fitting, summarising the energy of the whole gig.

With this being Mckenna’s 17^th consecutive show, this tour can only be described as a well-oiled machine, in terms of his superb band, incredible live melodies and commanding stage presence.

I hope you enjoyed this review, please leave a comment and God bless the weatherman!

By 25782697 on Recommendations tagged #indiemusic, #Indiepop, #Indierock, #Music, #Top5, #UKMusic, #Underrated- Leave a comment

Five Indie Artists You Need to Listen to This Summer!

The last decade has shown a decline in the popularity of the British indie scene in comparison to the love that Britpop music received in the 90s and early naughtiest. But that does not mean their is a lack of talent in modern day indie-rock music – it’s just harder to spot. I handpicked these five artists as I believe they are all underrated and deserve more appreciation and exposure. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Cucamaras

The fourtet that formed in 2019 has since tried their best to grow Nottingham’s indie scene one gig at a time. This year they released their first EP, ‘Buck Rogers Time’, consisting of five singles, with the strongest in my opinion being ‘Cotton Wool’ and opener, ‘Porcelain’. Lead vocalist, Bowley, told NME that the band’s sound developed as a result of the pandemic, “We couldn’t actually do ‘band stuff’, so we just talked about and shared music instead”.

The band are now making waves further than hometown, Nottingham, and in fact across the continent, as they’re being invited to play at smaller festivals across Europe. Additionally, the band has been named in NME’s Top 100 Essential Artists for 2023, highlighting the respect and belief the band already has from mainstream music media.

Cucamaras on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2Zy8a1P2tEwHdQK56s0v8T?si=3vabIZD7SgC_nVoVpssVSg

Danny Mellin

The Oxfordshire-based singer songwriter has released a total of ten singles so far, with themes including the importance of good mates, girl trouble and everyday life struggles. Danny told ‘The Bucket Playlist’ blog that he plans to keep releasing singles because he believes it’s a better way to distribute music. In lockdown, Danny developed his sound from mostly acoustic guitar songs to indie rock, with the help of newly formed band. Danny became influenced by heavyweights of the modern indie rock scene, Sam Fender and Arctic Monkeys – inspiring him to make a “bigger sound”.

Using TikTok to promote his singles and reply to fans, with his great vocals and hard hitting lyrics, Danny is slowly but surely building his own fanbase. The recent single, ‘Ordinary Day’ is already a personal favourite, with its high tempo, classic indie rock guitar rifts as well as perfectly unrefined vocals. This year Danny and his band completed a headline UK tour – I think this is just the start!

Danny Mellin on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0kmWqI1anuHvgq589NVsAr?si=C1dGRlaXTT-OspcYYSzl_w

Ora Violet

Ora Violet are a band trying to break barriers within the indie rock scene. The band that formed in 2019, consists of five members, each with a different nationality, allowing them to create a culturally diverse sound drawn from their different backgrounds. Everything from their music to their song cover art is ambiguous, unique and artistic.

This year, the band released their first full project with EP, ‘Have You Met Me’ consisting of five guitar heavy tracks. Ora Violet said on Instagram: “We are so proud of this, so much work went into it, this is us now”. The standout tracks for me are ‘Feel the Same’ and ‘Last dance’ with the second being about frontman, Tommy’s struggle with addiction and coming to terms with his sexuality.

Despite being so new, the group have already had some success, as they were chosen to support Duran Duran at Hyde Park in London last year as well as having upcoming headline shows in the UK.

Ora Violet on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/649PbKfSwqkPEsos9mHuUJ?si=69SJB_20R_axTKMM6fp-Ww

BERRIES

This London-based garage rock trio are an exciting group and you should give them a listen! The all female line-up and intricate yet rocky beats gives them a new and individual sound. In terms of their songs influences, they told ‘Gigrader’ that: “it can totally vary sometimes we write songs about different moods or a feeling rather than an actual topic”.

BERRIES return with their first release since their debut album last year, with new track. “Control”. The new track is certainly one of my favourite of their songs, with it’s grungy guitar and layered melodic vocals it stands out as a great single all round. The band is currently going from strength to strength as they have just successfully completed a headline UK tour and announced a string of smaller UK festivals that they will be playing at this summer.

BERRIES on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3S3lyrc9kKx4EPWCduLKi5?si=eAQBLXf0Ssqhrg6kNnZRxg

CVC

CVC also known as Church Village Collective are a Welsh psych-rock band that are working hard to showcase their music not just across South Wales but worldwide. The band have gained popularity with their debut album ‘Get Real’ as they received a very decent review from NME (one of the Uk’s leading music magazines) as well as having over 63,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. The album sounds well put together and all the songs fit together excellently whilst having a variety of subgenres. For me, the standout tracks were the beautifully melodic and effortless ‘Sophie’ along with the catchy and authentic ‘Docking The Pay’.

The band have just finished a North American tour, including massive festivals and the fun doesn’t stop there as they will be completing a UK headline tour with many venues already sold out in the next few weeks.

CVC on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4UVp2DRjYXq2ZWQwA5QLuD?si=ZouTa1KxRo6JIF8QeAXaUw

By 25782697 on Recommendations tagged #Bilk, #indie, #indiemusic, #Indiepop, #TheAftercare, #TheK's, #TheRoystonclub, #TheSkinnerBrothers, #Top5, #Underratedwith 2 Comments

5 Underrated British Indie bands you need to add to your playlist!

My Top 5 picks of promising indie bands that deserve more love and recognition! The indie scene is one of the most difficult to break through as it is so saturated already by great talents- especially in Britain – making it highly competitive. Therefore, I wanted to choose some bands that have only just started and others that are somewhat established although they all come under the same category of underrated.

The K’s

The K’s are an unsigned 4 piece from Earlestown, (west Manchester), they’re definitely a band to keep your eye on as personally I think they’re soon to blow! Incredibly their discography consists of just 8 singles, despite this they already have 68 thousand monthly listeners on Spotify.

In 2021 The K’s supported the DMAs on their UK tour as well as performing many festivals this summer such as: Lollapalooza in Stockholm and isle of White festival. Although their biggest gig yet will be taking to the main stage of Reading and Leeds, this same stage will be hosting indie heavyweights’ Arctic monkeys and Fontaines DC in the same weekend.

I think the release of their debut album will really show if they have what it takes to be an established name in the indie scene. My favourite songs include Sarajevo, picture, hometown, and TV. Many of the tracks are punk inspired with fast drums and heavy guitars but with great softer vocals; the K’s said themselves they are influenced by iconic Manchester bands Oasis and Stone Roses.

The K’s on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6DlKk9ibc9dCgvyNPGNXdH?si=mzQ7JjYhSEuG7JONeEt1qQ

Bilk

The next pick deserving WAY more recognition is Essex-based trio Bilk! Their unique sound is inspired by a variety of genres, such as pop-punk, rock, rap, grime and of course classic indie. Personally, I see most similarities with singer-songwriter Jamie T along with alternative rap artists such as Slowthai or Easy Life.

Bilk said they originally found it difficult to grow in hometown of Chelmsford as there is “no music scene whatsoever”. Despite this they have continued to achieve getting booked for huge UK festivals such as YNOT and Reading and Leeds this summer as well as receiving over 107k Spotify monthly listeners. Their tour this year included a gig at the iconic London venue of the 100 club that has hosted some of the biggest punk/rock bands, like The Sex Pistols and The Clash. Bilk have released several great singles such as: Spiked, Bad News and Day Dreamer. The refreshing trio’s lyrics perfectly describe British youth culture, being reckless teens and the reality of working-class Britain.

Bilk on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ryYQaYPltS7u7tjByRM3K?si=69bGADg1R16NAgaf2hdeUw

The Royston Club

The Royston club are an exciting band from Wrexham (north Wales), and as said so themselves are “just four lads making music”. The band’s success is rising as they recently played Isle of White and Neighbourhood Weekender festival and supported The Snuts in a sold-out Manchester gig. On top of that, the Welsh 4 piece just completed an 18 show UK tour that was very well received, highlighting their nationwide fanbase.

I think the best singles include Mrs Narcissistic, Coasting, Marina, the backburner. I would compare their sound to the likes of classic vocal indie bands such as The Kooks and 2 Door Cinema Club with their similarly strong emotive vocals, catchy well-written chorus’s with the addition of their distinct Welsh accents.

The Royston Club on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5N5jf98OOEf3uAIJpi1deD?si=w98VVLu1TxGDkGDH5Oz4pQ

The Skinner Brothers

The Skinner Brothers are from London, made up of 4 members, their music is a blend of genres such as jazz, rock, and alternative rap. Their top songs include: Nothing but an Actor, Stupid Much? and Away Days. I think what sets them apart is having slower melodies paired with strong cockney vocals and their overwhelming passion that can be heard through songs such as away days that was inspired by British football culture and the emotions that comes with it.

They formed in 2018 and without a label The Skinner Brothers gained instant recognition by supporting the iconic Libertines followed by Kasabian (two of the biggest indie bands in the Uk). The London based quartet will continue to thrive as they have an upcoming tour across the country and will appear at several festivals before the summer ends.

The Skinner Brothers on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4PY51S3HuOMhnZA0Sx8FRN?si=Nz8enyhlT0-qu5M1w_af2Q

The Aftercare

I was shocked to see that this London-based trio had just 3000 monthly Spotify listeners and I think they deserve to be on your playlist! Aftercare currently only has 5 songs, the standout tracks for me are Spaceman, Samviktor and Sunday Comes around. With all 3 boys playing guitars they create softer sounding melodies that resemble more alternative bands such as Weezer and The Strokes.

The band gained some popularity through TikTok when they covered Declan Mckenna’s hit ‘Brazil’ while they sat in the bathtub playing guitars and it received over 2.6 million views! Aftercare are only at the beginning of their journey as they started at the beginning of this year, currently they’re playing intimate shows around London and their new release ‘Adult Fiction’ is coming out soon. I have no doubt that they will grow as they release more consistently great music- the sky is the limit for this band!

The Aftercare on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0s0TqMn1hly1r3mcFDRN4m?si=n5-wZJ8rRw-bLtZ5wKzW_g

PUBLISHED AUGUST 17th

By 25782697 on Album Reviews tagged #albumreview, #Indiepop, #Music, #RexOrangeCounty, #WHOCARES?with 3 Comments

Rex Orange County’s ‘WHO CARES?’ – Unexpectedly Uplifting!

Alex O’Connor, known famously as Rex Orange County has just released his much-anticipated 4th album, ‘WHO CARES?‘, but it is not the sorrowful breakup album most fans were expecting. Instead, Rex focuses on healing and self-reflection through enjoyable melodies.

Listen to ‘WHO CARES?‘ here: https://open.spotify.com/album/2yI4m5Yu2tl8v0It5P9WVz?si=Fkq2xIXtTTSRxSfAjVZuzQ

It feels like Rex has perfected his own sound, dominating the genre of bedroom indie pop. Similar artists include: Easy Life, Wallows and Mac DeMarco.

The short but sweet album of only 35 minutes is the perfect alternative summer album. It presents difficult themes such as stress, lack of motivation, depression and not fitting in, that noticeably contrasts his amiable soothing style. This contrast is what allows listeners a form of escapism as all songs have a nostalgic comforting feel, paired with the relatability of the heartfelt lyrics.

However, despite personally loving most the tracks, I can understand why fans are confused or in some cases disappointed. In comparison to his last album ‘Pony’, the new album lacks the same depth and variety of tracks.

As although Rex is famous for his catchy jazzy pop hits, his real fans know he makes some of the best sad songs in modern music and after his breakup fans expected at least a few tear-jerking ballads they could relate to. However, it seems like the singer songwriter is in a happier state of mind now, so it seems wrong to wish for sad songs for my own gain.

The albums simplicity and Alex’s charmingly awkward persona makes it a very enjoyable listen, and I am confident that it will only get better with every listen. However, there is definitely some stand out songs.

Firstly, one of the singles ‘AMAZING’ as it is annoyingly catchy! I have found myself adding it to my Spotify queue and singing it randomly in the kitchen way too many times to be ignored.
Next, ‘OPEN A WINDOW’ featuring Tyler the Creator as it has a nostalgic almost 80’s vibe paired with modern lyrics. The fact Tyler is the only collaboration song feels oddly wholesome as he was the artist that helped Rex rise to fame in 2017 when Tyler featured him on the now platinum album ‘Flower Boy’ – so it feels like a full circle moment in their friendship.
‘SHOOT ME DOWN’ is already a personal favourite of mine as it weirdly feels like a Bond theme song but in the best way possible.

(Posted:13th of March)