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Evil Hearted Me + Smokers Die Younger  Deep End

The Deep End’s often neglected by this city’s gig goers, who seem to ignore the fact the tram stops outside, and consider Hillsborough to be the middle of nowhere. Tonight, however, a healthy amount of Sheffield’s great and good had braved the ten minute journey to see two shining lights of the local indie scene.    Smokers Die Younger are a very new band, but are already being talked about. This is proper indie stuff, influenced, one suspects, by the entire playlist of Offbeat. A bit rough round the edges, but an interesting band with some good tunes. The fact they’re advertised on fag packets can’t hurt either.    Evil Hearted Me were, tonight, great. I’ve never been able to pin it down exactly, but despite them being a very talented bunch, there’s always been something lacking for me when I’ve seen them before. But tonight their brand of multi-instrumented, spiky, indie pop with jazz chords shone. Maybe it’s the addition of the new keyboardist and trumpet player (on loan from Champion Kickboxer), or the size of the venue, or maybe they’ve just been busy practicing harder. Great stuff, though, whatever it was. Thu, 25th September 2003... Review by Pete

Waiting For a Sign  This Floating World

Sometimes you get a demo that, on reflection, is pretty good and you give it a decent review. Other times you get one where, if you heard the same songs on the radio, you’d run straight away to the nearest record shop and buy multiple copies.    Justin Lewis has assembled another small orchestra, and these are some of the lushest, most heartfelt songs I’ve heard in a long time. Trumpets, cello, double bass, piano and some great songwriting combine to form some truly lovely moments, with hints of darkness poking through the light.    It’s a bit like Mercury Rev without the psychedelic drugs and high-pitched vocals, or sometimes a less arch Divine Comedy, with a touch ‘Day In The Life’ era Beatles thrown in. But in reality in just sounds like This Floating World, and that should be enough.    Very, very good stuff. Sun, 21st September 2003... Review by Pete

Replastered EP  SLBC

One of many unusual dance acts on Sheffield’s own Un! Recordings, this demo from SLBC contains some nicely skewed beats and sinister/funky basslines. The mix of synths, electronic drums, real guitar and laid back vocals makes the idea of seeing SLBC live an interesting concept. They sound like a dance act with band dynamics, which is never a bad thing.    A criticism would be some of the lyrics sound a bit too in-jokey, and it’s a bit noodling at times, but generally it’s good stuff all round. Their album should see the light of day on Un! before the end of the year, and there’s live shows round the corner. Sun, 21st September 2003... Review by Pete

Himomar  Kimeera

Five tracks of spiky noise from the Kimeera lads. They’re a band that are obviously influenced by some of the more mad and shouty moments of US alt-rock, such as Sebadoh, Pearl Jam, and some of Mr Cobain’s more mental moments.    They’re not mere copycat chancers though, singer Richard brings real heartfelt screams and growls to proceedings which makes you feel each song’s nebulous lyrics has some bitter memories causing the frontman real emotional anguish.    If I had to find fault then it’s that there’s not a great deal of variety to these tracks, and they’re not exactly songs you can imagine on CD:UK, but that’s not always what you want, is it? Kimeera are a great band, and this is a great demo. Go seek. Contact: [link] Sun, 21st September 2003... Review by Pete

Talkin' Troubles  The Sound

Live demos are always a gamble, as they show up every imperfection, ever bum note, ever flaw in the vocals. Some very big bands have come unstuck with live recordings over the years, and it’s probably not a recommended path for anyone but the most professional of bands.    Unfortunately this demo from the Sound has a few imperfect moments, with some plodding beats and some slightly off-key backing vocals. The music is what you’d expect from a parka-clad, indie rock five piece (heavy on the Oasis, Roses, etc).    I’ve heard them do much better before than this, and they’ve definitely got the swagger to pull it off, so maybe a bit of studio time they could produce something a slightly more substantial. As it is, this isn’t that impressive. Sun, 21st September 2003... Review by Pete

Miss September  Future Ex Wife

Info: Captains of Industry They’re probably sick to the back teeth with people starting reviews like this by now, but Future Ex Wife are Pete Spiby from Groop Dogdrill’s new band.    But this is a band that needs no such lazy referencing, and should be considered on their own merit. This, their first mini-album, is a vitriolic slice of sleazy blues rock, reminiscent at times of the Pixies, Nirvana, Fugazi and Queens of the Stone Age, without sounding anything much like any of them. Spiby screams and sings his semi-improvised lyrics, backed by some mean hooks and truly dirty-sounding bass.    It’s a wonderfully seedy noise, made by blokes who don’t care what subgenre or niche their filed under, and are just making the music they want to make. They’re already getting interest off Radio One, and they’ve got it in them to be huge.  Contact: [link] Sun, 21st September 2003... Review by Pete

F*ck Off And Die  Acacia Avenue

Ee, what it with these punk bands and their sweary titles, eh? Potty mouths.    The title track is a nicely acerbic, slightly Clashy number, with some real rock energy. Not sure about the slow jam-style coda at the end. What about the three minute punk rule, eh?    The following track, ‘Livestock Rock’, is in the same snotty punk vein. Track three is slightly more metally, and track four, ‘Radio Friendly’, is much poppier than the others and the kids would love it, making it, yes, very radio friendly.    It’s derivative stuff of course, but it’s derivative of good stuff and done very well. Contact: [email] Sun, 21st September 2003... Review by Pete

Students F*ck Off Home  Maniac

Maniac are a very traditional punk band, and you imagine they’ve been doing this since about 1977. All the members have the adopted surname ‘Fuck’, which is nice.    Being a recent-ish graduate I should find the first track here incredibly offensive, I suppose, but it’s very funny stuff. It’s The Clash meets Jilted John meets your sweary ranting uncle.    Of the other tracks on the old-skool home-taped C90 we were sent, ‘Suicide Bomber’ and ‘American Wanker’ are actually rather pithy political songs, and the title of ‘Fucked Up In My Head’ sums up the song in a nutshell.    All in all, a blistering, shambolic mess. In the best possible way, of course. Contact: [email] Sun, 21st September 2003... Review by Pete

2 EPs  The Justified

Six tracks here from the band once known as Perfectly Justified? It’s a mix of plugged in rockier numbers and more acoustic tracks. The acoustic ones work a treat, and the second track in particularly is a rather fantastic weepy lighter-waver.    The others tracks work to varying degrees (track five is nice and Hendrixy), but all show some great songwriting potential from a young band.  Sun, 21st September 2003... Review by PJM

Billy Jack/Sexualised  Relaxed Muscle

Info: Rough Trade   Relaxed Muscle have a significantly higher profile than at the time of their last release, thanks to the tabloids realising the skeleton-attired singer “Darren Spooner” playing London WMC gigs was actually a certain Mr Cocker.    This double a-side is more obviously Jarvis than the Heavy EP, and there’s some fine lyrics on there. It continues its forerunner’s foray into sleaze and seedy sex, the highlight being Sexualised’s list of things in “Darren’s” life that are, well, sexualised… including shopping malls, gym instructors and student teachers.    It’s all accompanied by Buckle’s squelchy synths and Hawley’s fuzzed-up guitar. It’s largely the sound of a bunch of mates pissing around, but luckily for us they’re a very talented bunch. Relaxed Muscle… coming to a WMC near you soon! Sun, 3rd August 2003... Review by PJM