The Underground Stage
“Rat Public open up tonight with the first songs they’ve ever played on stage as a band, and by the end have me staring goggle-eyed in amazement and glee. This is damn near fully-formed, a grab bag of songs that channel The Replacements and Royal Headache, and then blow them all up in an explosion […]
“They’re yet to put out their debut EP, but Paint’s newest track “Field Trip” is as accomplished as any single one of your favourite bands. This is a glittering, soaring, shoulder-shaking, boot-stomping, flat-out monster of a song. I’m breathless 🥵”
“The Buoys return to the fray with a hair-shaker for the ages, a track so full of vim it’s spilling over the sides and pooling on the floor. One of the best tracks they’ve written – and hoo yeah, that’s saying something 💃”
“Sweetie have always come off just as much art project as band, and their latest is as multi-layered as ever. It’s not just the instant hit of the sound, but the constant discovery of new details, of medium and message 🎨”
“Hugs have released a series of near-perfect tracks over recent months, culminating in a near-perfect EP. It’s inventive, it’s wide-ranging, and it’s intricate, enough to set the heart racing as well as the head banging 💓”
“Ellis Ares have a particularly jagged edge, a rough cut and slice that adds to the weight of the sound. The fury in the delivery just makes it more lethal 🔪”
“Surf Trash’s fuzzy and thumping rush blows through the place like a hurricane of hair and noise and fun. It’s a furnace blast that signals what it’s like to be young in this world, as well as a predictable reaction to it – it’s shouty, it’s furious, but it’s dancing like the world’s about to […]
“I’ve been waiting a while to find out if Brixton Alley’s blistering energy on record translates to the stage and now my eyeballs hurt, my eyebrows are singed, and my neck may be irreparably sprained. Even more than the gift-wrapped promise of the records, this set tears important bits off of your body without you […]
“There’s a seriousness to GRXCE despite the fun they’re clearly having, deep black water underneath frothy guitar pop on top. It’s not an easy trick to pull off – and few do it well – but the brain and the lungs and the heart and the feet all get equal opportunities to get going, a […]