Just a quick note to say Congratulations to The Riptide Movement for reaching Number 2 in the physical singles chart with their latest release, Hot Tramp(Click to read Drop-D.ie Review).
It’s a serious track that’s still rockin’ the TT stereo’s every chance we get. Buy a copy now and do your part to keep The ‘f**king’ Script off!
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s Friday! Anyone love the fact that this day just never gets’s old? Tickets There always associates Friday with hard rock because it just seems like the perfect day to enjoy the sounds of hard, electric riffs, dirty swaggering vocals and intensity. Like the anticipation for the night to come or something, hard rock just defines the possibilities awaiting you, if you choose to dive in head first.
To celebrate the greatest day of the week, Tickets There has decided to finally review a band we found (with the help of the Soni Festival line-up announcement) a few days ago, The Swanee River. Formed in 2004, the guys are based in Derry and ever since hitting the scene they seem to have picked up a considerable amount of positive press form publications such as Hotpress & Classic Rock (easily the greatest music magazine on the market – except for the fact they’ve gone all ultra-sleek and a tad over photo-shopped and bland) and once again Tickets There is shocked we haven’t heard of them before, really need to start reading about newer bands rather than just focusing on Def Leppard. Anyways, we’re here now and after a hesitant start, it didn’t take long for first song, Take Me Away to, well – take us away (see what we did there?)
As usual, we haven’t seen the band live or heard their record.
After the full frontal rock attack Million$Reload carried out on our ear drums, the opening of Take Me Away didn’t exactly smack us in the face. We’ll happily admit that we were in a total hard rock buzz but fortunately we stuck through and carried on listening, Only forty three seconds later we were hit with one of the best hard rock choruses out there. The verse is stripped back, filled with bass melodies and guitars thrown into the background but once that chorus jumps in, its full speed ahead as the band pile drive ‘s through your speakers. Half way through, the structure changes and the song becomes a much bigger monster than you could have imagined. Rather the repeat the chorus ten times which would have been acceptable, the band break off into swooping gusts of classic rock riffs, guitars solo’s and vocal harmonies. This one goes on the play list.
Made In The Shade is more of a typical classic rock album track. It’s upbeat and much more relaxed, mellowed out in comparison to Take Me Away. Although the extreme and ‘change’ elements aren’t there, the song remains really enjoyable and easy to listen to. There’s a lovely chill-axed vide to the band’s sound that would keep any rock fan happy.
Third song, Cold opens with a nice crisp blues riff. Overall it’s pretty similar to Made In The Shade except the style is more bluesy, jammy. Not bad at all but hasn’t managed to keep our attention on anywhere near the same level as Take Me Away. Fear not though, we have several more to go.
Travelin’ Man Superband is a heartfelt sing along, blues rock ballad. As ballads go it’s fine but very formulaic. To pull these tracks off properly, Hard rock bands have to add something extra and special to make them stand out. Swanee River have some nice backing vocals, the music flows well and, like all good ballads, you could see some good looking girl sitting at a piano in a dark, fashionable bar on stage with nothing but a piano, pull it off well. The chorus grows on you throughout the track and they don’t drag the harmonies out to the point of exhaustion.
Oh, we missed one, forth song Baby Better Lady sees the lads getting g back to what they do best, balls to the mother f**kin’wall rock! Now, we may have been less enthusiastic about some of the bands material but that’s really only because we want lots of Baby Better Ladies rather than seventies arena rock. Baby Better Lady is a heart racing, foot stomping heavy anthem. The guitars jump straight back to the front where they belong, the chorus is fist raising catchy fun and once again the band thrown in some nice changes half way though. The solo is one of the best we’ve heard in a good while and the singers vocals just jump from extreme to another. One second they’re cool, Paul Rodgers style and next minute Axl Rose is sticking a mike stand up your ass. Brilliant track!
Don’t Follow Me is second last and it’s an acoustic blues country number. This is actually a song we spent most of Wednesday listening to due to a mixture of trying to remember what it reminded us of and because it’s just a nice, cool song. Stevie Horner’s vocals are just incredible, not just here but on all the tracks. The different styles, notes and speeds he’s able to reform at are a credit and the band’s music perfectly suits his voice. Real easy going song to chill out to.
Richter Scale brings us to the end of our play list and to finish things off, the band perform a melody of Gilbert O’Sullivan hits with pan pipes….do they fu*k. Richter Scale is a toe tappin’, shot drinking slice of Louisiana bourbon, heavy pounding rock n roll. It’s actually a sweet mix of styles like those heard on Baby Better Lady and Made in the Shade. Heavy, fast rock n roll with all the jam, funk and ‘coolness’ of the seventies sound the band play so well.
Listening to these guys will make you happy. If you’re already happy, they’ll make you pumped, make you walk straight out of work, go find a bar, flip off the bar man, stick on a CD, up the volume and rock out for the day. Now ya can’t ask for any more than that on a Friday can ya?
Check out their MySpace now by Clicking Here!
What is it with brand new, never heard of before bands filling their MySpace players with samples? It gets a tad annoying when ever you find a band that sound pretty decent and the song cuts off just before it gets going. Obviously in their heads they think ‘people will hear this, have to hear more and we’ll be millionaires’. Unfortunately, this may not always have the desired approach. We can’t count (they know – Ed) how many bands we’ve found with samples instead of full songs that we’ve just dismissed from the review series despite their songs showing real quality. We always think to ourselves that we’ll check them out properly when we have the chance but unfortunately, we don’t most of the time.
In the essence of real reviewing and reporting, we’ve decided to fire ahead with one such band that do show real potential to be a major force on the scene, The Cold 100. Three songs, first two are samples but the third is full and well, enchanting.
As usual we’ve never seen the band live or heard their record (and I think we forgot to write that on the Million$Reload article so this covers them aswell)
Formed in 2007 by Simon Delaney and rhythm guitarist Mark Walsh, The Cold 100 play flat out blues rock, simple as. They fuse classic sixties / seventies rock with classic American blues. First song Red Headed Woman sums it all up. Choopy riffs littered with unique lead offshoots. A pronounced funked up bass and some smooth, classic rock styled blues drumming. Si’s vocals suit the style perfectly and they really come to fruition during the chorus and then…..then, the preview ends. Well, it may be just over a minute but it’s more than enough to keep you listening.
Just Want Your Love is similar in many ways to Red Headed Woman. The vocals are less stand out but the bass just blasts off into its own world of belting funk. The psychedelic styled guitar intro is something you’ll want to hear more and more off and hopefully the complete version of the song unveils a little more of their guitarist talent.
Finally we come to the only complete song on the play list. Start Again is a ballad. The opening is similar to several other songs you’ll have heard in your life but to hell with it, they do it well. It’s in this song the singers vocals stand out the most. What ever way they’ve done the mix it’s dropped the singer’s voice in the background a lot but then again, this was true for a lot of blues rock bands and it just works. The chorus is catchy, there’s still blues melodies scattered about the whole song. Overall it’s a pretty relaxed wee rock number that just works exceptionally well.
End result we’re very pleased we didn’t let the samples throw us off The Cold 100. Their stripped back, easy going blues style is extremely pleasing on the ears and any band with this much talent that isn’t trying to write Killers rip offs is fine in our books.
Well worth checking out so visit their MySpace by Clicking Here!
Hangover is starting to disappear, feeling is returning to skull and Tickets There feels we’re ready to review yet another of Irelands emerging acts. For the next twenty or so reviews, we’re going to focus on unsigned bands competing in this years JD Set. Click Here to read more about that. Anways, ff Jack Daniels and music are involved, we’re betting there’ll be a handful of hard rock acts turning out for the prize. Judging by the opening riff from the first band we’ve checked out, we’re not going to be disappointed.
Haling from…all over Ireland by the looks of things, Stone Throwing Youths seems to be the brain child of two men, Mr. Brian Casey (Vocals, Guitars, Piano – names awful familiar) and Andrew O’Sullivan (drums).
As usual, Tickets There hasn’t seen them live or heard their album / EP
Wow. Opening song Relive Reborn is flat out deadly. It’s got a savage riff. It’s got savage vocals. It’s a hard, bruising monster of a track that smacks you’re head around a little. If any early nineties grunge act had released this, it’d be a classic. Brian’s vocals sound a tad weak at the start but as the song moves on it’s very obvious that his voice is absolutely fantastic. It’s heavy, harsh, powerful and in need of a serious producers attention to release it’s full potential. Tickets There loves this song! Tickets There really loves this song.
Since Long Ago starts a little slower leaving Tickets There to drop it’s excitement and come to terms with the fact that yet again we’d found another band who tease with one belter and then force you to sit through their emotions. That is until about a minute in when the guitars kick off, the chorus turns out to be ballad rock without the cheese and it only gets better. The guitars appear more and more as the song grows darker. A major riff appears, the vocals get gritty and the day is saved. Another one Tickets There loves.
The future’s bright, the futures Too Much Information. Riff, Riff, Riff!! Oh, give this man a Les Paul and make this song explode like it wants to. Deadly, power drive of an opening riff. Dark verse, Marilyn Manson meets Motley Crue style chorus! Retracted speed, bruising power and the daunting off beat drums let the mighty chorus smash through the dizzying void. Vocals are incredible, Jesus, imagine seeing this sh*t live!! Incredible stuff. Aw, must be played many more times at full volume. Where the hell have these guys been!
Yes, Piankiller style drum opening, Stone Roses style guitar and then what? The Pogues covering The Smashing Pumpkins before turning back into the Stone Roses covering Snow Patrol or something? It’s like three deadly bands covering the catchiest band on the planets latest single at the one time in different styles. It’s got the upbeatness of a person suddenly realizing they’re at Woodstock watching Jimi Hendrix. Downside Down, deadly!
That’s it!! Hell, if Tickets There ever get’s any money we’re paying for these guys album, their tour, their merchandise, their houses, cars, commercial sports teams, groupies, reunion press statements, pr and management companies, boats private islands, acting career startup cash, travel and accommodation during guest tv spots, drugs, smokes, booze and court cases. Twelve thumbs up, Nine out of Ten (Their album will get Ten, saving it ya see). Everything a respectable rock fan could want from a group…except a couple of solos.
Go check them out now or stop reading Tickets There!! CLICK HERE to visit their MySpace!
Seriously!
God, after trawling through a whole heap of this years HWCH Festival players, I’ve finally found one that doesn’t sound like The Killers, Radiohead or just pure nonsense (Chongo Pop!). Cheap Freaks are another act I’ve never heard off and they play rock n roll! Not nice pretty rock either, no. They play downright dirty, gritty, raw rock n roll and everybody loves dirty rock. You don’t need jewellery to enjoy it, you don’t have to act like a prick or wear a stupid looking hat. You just have to get drunk, have a laugh and rock out!!
As usual I’ve never seen them live or heard their album / EP.
I like the name, Cheap Freaks! It’s pretty good and suits the music. Any fans of The Things or Humanzi out there? You’ll like this. First song, Nowhere To Go is like an early Rolling Stones number. Very, very dirty recording but that’s a trait that sees to be on all their songs. It’s short, to the point and pretty damn good. Not over complicated with member trying to hard. Good heavy, LOUD guitars and good punk rock styled vocals. TT likes. Naked in the Rain is similar in style and influence. More choppy and punky than the first track. Tom Waits or Lou Reed could have come out with something like this forty years ago, but tough shit for them, they didn’t. Great track, would love to see it live. Very heavy guitars and much grittier vocals. Nice!
Richman Blues pops’ on next and it’s very dangerously close to Bob Dylan’s Rainy Day Woman. It’s full on sixties blues rock and it’s damn good. Harmonica, guitars and drunken, slurred vocals. TT loves rock!! We get so excited the last thing we want to do is write about it. We want to fucking party to it!! Hell with good bands, we’re much more prolific when we hate the group. Cruel World is next and it’s a bit preachy, whinny for Tickets There tastes. Good overall music but the vocals are just tooo….ya know. Because we’re doing our very best to focus on the positives of all Irish acts, we’re gonna skip this number and move quickly along.
1984 brings us sadly to our second last track. This one is more like The Misfits. So dirty even a bleach scrubbing couldn’t clean it. Poppy, heavy, loud as fuck and good. Thankfully. The ballads have left the building!!. Last but no least, Caesar the Deceiver (good title ;)) is another ramshackle, sixties belter with starts, stops and enough guitar leads to make you weep. If I wasn’t so tired, we’d make this review go on for another thousand words but C’est la vie. This band are fucking brilliant, need we say more?
Another one Tickets There highly, highly recommends.
'Ticket's There' - Irish and International Music Blog 