MUSIC REVIEWS

auditCONTROL

auditCONTROL's debut album ‘Lines’ was made in Huddersfield and championed in Ibiza. Rumbling bass, thick baritone, tumbling drums and chiming guitars introduce themselves separately and precisely to fill a sparse atmosphere and build slow-burning, detached anthems. Theirs is the sound of grey 80’s towns, of hope and hopelessness, of failed escape, all played out with a heavy heart and a grounded ambition.

Little Victories

Bright upstarts Little Victories debut single ‘Staring At The Ground’ bounces a tale of boy-loses-girl to infectious indie pop to get the most static of toes tapping. Nagging and swaggering, politely crunching guitars, vaguely ska beats and rotating bass hook lead accurately to a strong chorus of pleasingly uncool backing vocals that make this a delight to listen to and join in with.

Burning Condors

Foreboding drums, menacing guitar and eerie harmonica introduce a bitter and beaten late-night bar-room story of a man losing everything to his ‘Honey Trap’. Raw and unapologetic, the blues roars and the heart bleeds on a debut single seeping with drama and stenching of whisky. Impressive old-time Americana from London.

Antibang

With an accompanying video promising blood, feathers and bacon and delivering disturbing Lynch-ian pig-headed images, it would be difficult to concentrate on Antibang’s music if debut single ‘All Our Toys’ was anything less than dementedly catchy. Frightening and fun, this is a chaotic riot of chants that they may or may not be in control of about dry-wet-dream-trampolines and joining the circus. A most enjoyable nightmare.

Mark Parker

22 years since writing his first song, a “painfully shy” Mark Parker decided it was about time he let other people hear them. Less than one year and more than one thousand fans later and he is overcoming stage fright to play tracks like gently moving lullaby ‘I Wish I Could Break Your Heart’ live. His is the story of music helping to overcome personal difficulties to follow dreams and improve life.

Super Luxury

Noise rock seems to be done damn well in Leeds and here come Super Luxury to add to the impressive list. Debut EP ‘Mystery Thriller Teen Drama’ combines classic riffage with modern time-signatures played with an energy and control to thrilling effect. Agitated, yelping, spiked and furious fun.

Hidden White Noise

Good old-fashioned rock’n’soul from Leeds via southern USA from Hidden White Noise on EP ‘Wake Up The City’. Boogying from ‘Do Ya Do Ya’s joyous holler and woogying to good-time sermon ‘Hallelujah’ with much melodic meat in between. Out of time and timeless.

Cold Summer

Wakefield rocks unfathomably frequently and does so again here, hard. On their 2^nd EP ‘Wake’, Cold Summer do the quiet-loud thing expertly and passionately, chopping riffs and changing time, screaming verses and bellowing choruses. This is serious stuff unafraid of ambition, which could either be the undoing or the making of them.

Cheerleaders

Newcomers Cheerleaders blast onto the scene and are gone in less than 2 minutes. ‘Puzzles’ explodes in rattling fast drums and melodically shouted slogans. Either turned-up indie or toned-down punk, this is a promising no-nonsense beginning that fits well with the Leeds scene. Welcome.