Bowling For Soup - Farewell Tour - Sheffield - 17/10/2013 - Live Review

Bowling For Soup

Farewell UK - Sheffield O2 Arena 

We were lucky enough to secure press passes to Bowling For Soup's Sheffield leg of their farewell UK tour. We also managed to squeeze in an interview with Bassist Erik Chandler which will be available via our Youtube account very soon.

Chandler made it absolutely clear that this was not the end of Bowling For Soup and that they would be returning to the UK to play festivals. 

Patent Pending - Patent Pending may be very little known to most of you but the way these guys opened for Bowling For Soup showed just how huge they are going to be. They came on with all guns blazing and immediately commanded the stage. Their presence was that of a well seasoned band and the fans were more than happy to see them leaping around the stage. 

They really held their own up there and it seemed as though Bowling For Soup had moulded them in their own image. They were goofy, funny and deadly serious throughout their set bringing out props such as a Shake Weight (see below picture) and some Armbands as they continued their tour competition "Crowd Swimming" in which vocalist Joe and Bassist Corey participated in. For those wanting to know, Crowd Swimming is where the band separates the crowd, much like the start of a wall of death, they then race to the midway point on foot before the crowd picks them up and carries them back on their fronts as they make swimming movements. Bassist Corey is currently 8-1 up against Joe and with the amount of shows left on tour, by default is the outright winner.

Patent Pending had a variety of props and games lined up for the evening.
Photo by Sarah Cowlin

Patent Pending demonstrated pure class in their set and if there was ever a band capable of filling the void left behind from Bowling For Soup it is most definitely these guys, they were on par with the punk rock giants every step of the way. 

Not even a broken guitar could stop the young lads.
Photo by Sarah Cowlin

Bowling For Soup - Bowling For Soup are without a doubt one of the most influential and popular bands of the last decade. With a back catalogue of hits at their disposal and a new album currently out there they have enough ammunition to pull of a spectacular show, and that is exactly what they did. The second they stepped out on stage the sold out arena erupted. 

Erik Chandler of Bowling For Soup.
Photo by Sarah Cowlin

They showed exactly why they are regarded one of the biggest bands of the past decade with a flawless performance playing songs from their new album Lunch. Drunk. Love and some old fan favourites as well as the obvious hits. There were also a lot of young children present due to the bands success in the hit children's cartoon Phineas and Ferb, but this did not prevent the show from being a typical Bowling For Soup show. Sex jokes, swear words and all around fooling about were still very much a large part of their show.

Speaking before the show Erik Chandler told us that the band wanted to go out whilst they were still on top and that they didn't want to drag out what they already had like many bands do these days. 

Bowling For Soup have been one of the most prominent pop-punk bands of the last fifteen years.
Photo by Sarah Cowlin

I think he and the other members will be extremely happy with the way Sheffield received them and if it is anything to go by for the rest of the tour then they most definitely will be going out with a bang. 

The stage set up was amazing with their own bar placed on stage, stage boxes at the front of stage and huge steam vents for added drama. There were many crowd surfers including a couple of very young lads who were no older than ten who went absolutely crazy once they had made it to safety showing that Bowling For Soup isn't just for the older generation of fans and that their music still survives ten years on.

Bowling For Soup played with intense energy throughout their set.
Photo by Sarah Cowlin. 

The band are about to hit their twenty year anniversary but they play with the energy and enthusiasm of a band just starting out, you could tell they had fun and who knows maybe a few years down the line we may have a sneaky show or two in the UK when they start to really miss us.

- Adam, Editor.
- Photo's by Sarah Cowlin. 

One Way Street - Hold On To Tomorrow - Single Review

One Way Street

Hold On To Tomorrow 

York based pop-punk trio One Way Street have definitely sprung to life since the addition of Zac Roughton on vocals. 

The band have a very strong sound and without a doubt in my mind they will be breaking through the local scene if they can keep up this tremendous form. 

Hold On To Tomorrow is a very easy listening to song which demonstrates the cleverness of the band and just how capable and comfortable they are with being in a band. It is hard to come out fighting with a new line-up and new jobs placed on members but they have managed it and have done a stellar job. The new One Way Street sounds incredible.

There are strong Blink 182 and Good Charlotte vibes coming from the music and vocals and with hard work who knows how far these three could go!

- Adam, Editor. 

Joshua Prior - Autopilot EP Teaser Review

Joshua Prior 

Autopilot Ep Teaser 

Our favourite American is releasing an EP soon and sent us over some of the tracks to check out, here is what we make of them!

Tracks:

Wolves
Wolves Acoustic 
Taps 

Joshua has had a very good year so far and his career is on the verge of something huge, we are delighted to be able to listen to some of his work before the release and can honestly say that is most definitely some of the best pieces of work we have listened to. A near enough one man production job, minus vocal recordings, shows just how bad Joshua wants to be out there in the music scene and show just what he is capable of. 

Americans have always had a strong hold of the pop-punk industry and Joshua really shows that it hasn't loosened at all, an excellent prospect for the future and we can not wait to hear more from him.

You can listen to an acoustic version of Wolves here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS7PqmyM1gs

- Adam , Editor 

Fed To The Ocean - Keep On - Album Review

Fed To The Ocean

Keep On

Track listing:

1 - 1984

2 - InDependent (Ft. Max Campbell)

3 - Un-noticed

4 - Human Condition 

5 - Never Fade

6 - Part II

7 - 500 Roads 

8 - Keep On (Ft. Kadeem France)

Manchester hardcore outfit Fed To The Ocean have really delivered their debut album 'Keep On'. The eight track album demonstrates yet more extraordinary talent that is lurking in the British hardcore scene. 

1984: A short and sweet introduction to the album, nothing really to say for or against it. It gives a sense of what is to come and does it's intended job of making the listener want to hear some more of the album.

InDependent: A track that doesn't really stand out to me, it's just there. It does, of course, pave way for the next track and keep your attention, but that being said it just doesn't leap out and grab you. 

Un-noticed: This is more like it. A mixture of throat vocals and shouts really give the band a solid depth to work with on their music and the addition of clean/vocal chants is a very nice touch. I feel that if they had incorporated something similar into InDependent then it may have been a better track, but that being said it may have also taken that something special away from Un-noticed had that been the case, excellent track non the less. 

Human Condition: The pace is picked up which aids the vocals a lot more than a slower tempo songs which the past two slightly were. A very energetic track which would most definitely be the type of track to wake the audience up at a live show and it transfers well on to recording.

Never Fade: More shout orientated than previous songs (as opposed to actual throat vocals) which works really well, it gives the band more options in their song writing process and sets them apart from the average hardcore/death metal/ what ever other genre these kinds of bands are listed under these days. More clean vocals thrown into the background which are a brilliant addition, an addition that I believe should be looked at more closely and incorporated into many more future tracks, not to make the band sound more commercial but to set them apart from the millions of other bands doing the exact same thing.

Part II: Very similar to Never Fade, very good track with the cleans, throats and shouts all coming together to push the band in a direction other hardcore bands just can't go in. 

500 Roads: A track that really demonstrates the technical ability of the band and again shows their competence to be more than they currently are and it makes a great closing for the final track.

Keep On: When you name a track after the album or vice versa you always assume that the title track is going to be the strongest on said album, but in this case I don't think that is correct. Don't get me wrong, it is a great single and, again, shows the band off to the world, but I can't help but feel that the band have stronger singles on the album to work off in the future.

The album shows that Fed To The Ocean have two, maybe three ways to go about business in the future. Number one is that they continue down the path they are on and relay on their ability to shine through the mass amount of shit bands competing in the same market. Step two is they incorporate shouts and screams more prominently into their work to give them something different that others don't have. And step three is, of course, include the clean vocals a bit more, sure it won't make them the hardcore band they currently are but in the long run it will appeal to more people as well as keeping the current fans happy and it will pull them away from a market that is very hard to break out of. 

All in all an excellent album with many points to look at for the band, a great listen, a great promise for the future of the British music scene, well done lads.

- Adam, Editor 

Dead Retinas - Gang of Wolves - EP Review

Dead Retinas

Gang of Wolves

Mancunian punk metal quartet Dead Retinas are back with a bang with their brilliant, eagerly anticipated EP titled "Gang of Wolves". 

A release almost as colourful as the beautiful cover art that accompanies it (see above image). Dead Retinas have really thrown the wolf amongst the pigeons with this 6 track masterpiece. 

Gang of Wolves gives the band the chance to really show their teeth (how many wolf related comments can we include in this piece?) A band that haven't necessarily had the chance to show the world their true capabilities as of yet but still put their heart into every release and it really shines through in the EP. 

Track Listing: 

1 - Snow

2 - Crowns on Hounds 

3 - Just Because You Drink Jack Daniels Doesn't Mean You're Rock 'n' Roll 

4 - LSD (Listen Smile Disagree) 

5 - Pure Gold 

6 - Gang of Wolves 

There is a strong vocal display throughout the EP and it is accompanied by flawless instrumental input, with no faults found in the EP I think it is safe to say that the band have mastered their own sound and know exactly what they are and are not capable of. 

Gang of Wolves may very well be the release that propels the band into stardom or at least help them gain some more exposure across the scene. If their live performance can mimic their recording capabilities then the band have every shot of breaking through the scene and we really hope they do it!

We highly rate Dead Retinas and we can not wait to hear more of their howling. 

- Adam, Editor 

Dead Retinas on Facebook

Spirits Over Speeding Cars - Demo - EP Review

Spirits Over Speeding Cars

Demo

Doncaster acoustic duo "Spirits Over Speeding Cars" sent us their demo which will pave way for their album which is due out later in the year. 

Track listing: 

Another Lonely Road

Don't Know Whatcha Got 

Hangover 

Lay Down Your Weapons 

Unforgettable Past 

The guys are really on to something with their work here. A very easy listening to demo that paves way for greater things if they can build on from it. 

There is work to be done to help solidify themselves amongst the other brilliant artists in the area that are doing similar things (Jonny Gill, Nathan Luke). The vocals sound great standing alone but I feel that if they harmonise to help bulk out the songs then they will develop a more sturdier sound with great depth.

As stated above the demo is very easy to listen to and almost replicates the work of previous acoustic artists that have started out in the area and have gone on to achieve great things. If they pick up their vocal work and have a good brainstorming session on creating some more material I don't see why SOSC can't replicate the same success as others.

A promising, talented bunch of lads with a bright future ahead of them.

Facebook 

- Adam, Editor. 

The In Vitro Babies - Get Me Out/Elizabeth - Single Review + B-Side

The In Vitro Babies 

Get Me Out 

We have heard from The In Vitro Babies before, and we were not impressed by them one bit, to be brutally honest they were sloppy, they were out of time in their recordings and they were, all in all, a disgrace. But all that aside they seem to have upped their game a little bit.

Get Me Out shows some promise for the young band as they try and carry a dirty punk sound similar to that of The Sex Pistols, but the whole punk sound was accompanied by the punk movement, the style and the rebellion, without all of that these youngsters just sound like a band that can not play or produce music, which is a shame.

The band have improved, but with the punk movement of the 70's long forgotten I can't see the band gaining much more exposure than they already have, this may very well be the peak of their excellence. 

Elizabeth is a much brighter sounding track, and should be the direction the band take, less punk, more indie rock, work on vocal depth, get some decent recordings down and they may just be hope for them yet.

Punk is long dead, The In Vitro Babies aren't far behind. 

-Adam, Editor 

Honeycomb Love - Run For Your Money - Single Review

Honeycomb Love 

Run For Your Money

Leeds based rock trio Honeycomb Love are reigniting the old school punk sound with a new, edgier twist. Run For Your Money shows just what the lads are capable of. It is hard to compare the band to any other, however it is easy to pin-point certain influences, they carry a lot of likeliness to punk rap rock legends Beastie Boys, or at least in this track they certainly do.

I think it would be worth while checking out more music from the band to gauge just how diverse and intelligent they are in their writing process, but with Run For Your Money to use as a reference we don't see how they could go wrong.

Fantastic band, great sound with a retro hip-hop, punk rock feel to it with a newer hardcore feel, well played.

You can see the video for Run For Your Money here: Honeycomb Love - Run For Your Money 

And you can catch up with the band here: Facebook 

- Adam, Editor. 

Matt Merry - Call My Own - Single Review

Matt Merry

Call My Own

Matt Merry is back with a personal track about Weymouth, a place he calls a second home.

Riff have worked with Matt on many musical ventures, notably Hey! I'm A Moviestar, his acoustic work and his new band Deadlines and we are always pleased to hear more from him.

Call My Own is a great little track that demonstrates his vocal improvement over the years (if you listen to older tracks and compare them it is easy to see his vocal development is excellent). 

Matt's development shows his love for the music scene and his determination to keep coming back with better music is highly admirable.

The track is a great tribute and a promising glimpse into the future, perhaps more acoustic work on the way from this young, talented man? We certainly hope so! 

Overall, very easy to listen to, I am sure the people of Weymouth will be happy to hear it. 

- Adam, Editor.