Bloodbath EP, dazy chain Review

We have reached the year 2015 and maybe every good band name has been taken. In the olden days you had brilliant names such as The Rolling Stones,  The Sex Pistols and Oasis. Today we have awful names such as Catfish and the Bottlemen, Two Door Cinema Club and 5 Seconds Of Summer. Some of the cooler contingencies of the band world are committing crimes against grammar to have the extra edge such as Alvvays and ho99o9. Surrey band 'dazy chain' are no different.

Their debut EP, Bloodbath is not quite as homicidal as it sounds but it certainly doesn't live up to the connotations that a daisy chain has. The first tune I Don't Care pulls on indie sad-kids heartstrings, with lead singer Sagaar Kaushik pondering and contradicting himself I'm not scared, I'm just afraid over morose backing. The song screams teenage apathy and one too many re-runs of Skins series 1 as it progresses into a sweary binge. The title track follows suit, a Weller influenced intro evolves into a interesting synth line. Bloodbath asks you to bob your head to the good production and poetic lyricism.

The last two songs on the EP really flourish what the young band are capable of. Gunfire is reminiscent of Jesus and The Mary Chain, heavier than the two previous songs it will get people moving about. The lyrics appear obtuse and nonsensical, especially in the chorus I feel the blood rushing to my face- yet that doesn't necessarily take any of the joy out of the last woozy minute that leads directly into Nucleic Acid Trip. One of the first songs that the band wrote, NAT is a bit more synth pop than the guitar heavy EP. This adds a childish charm to finish the EP, especially with the druggie chorus asking whether you're feeling it too. As a whole, the band has a raffish confidence that could evolve into a real contender

Manatee, Interview

Manatee are a four piece hailing from Farnborough Sixth Form who have just been signed to Basingstoke label Le Tribe. Catching up with frontman Joe Alexander, I found out about the start of the band, their sound and how there is nothing Manatee hate more than changing the world.

Who are Manatee?

“It all started first year of college, it was like two weeks in. I was sat in music tech and had known Sophie (Wickham) before college but not really, we had never met but I had her on facebook for a while. I vaguely knew that she was in a band before, and I knew she played bass. It was literally a minute conversation with her, we had decided albeit a pipe dream at the time to start being in a band.

So me and Sophie had started it off and then a few weeks went by and we were looking for a drummer. We found out that Zach (Boakes), who we had known before hand, did lessons for kids and that sort of thing so he was on board. I don’t know how long we had been Manatee before Calum (Ellison) came on, it must have been about a year? Calum joined properly in about January time this year. He was in a band before, like a folk band and he just didn’t tell them- I don’t think he is still in it (I hope not!)”

There’s two things that strike me about the band, one of them is certainly the name. How did Manatee come to being?

“When it was just me Zach and Sophie for a while, through that year we went through a number of different names. We never sort of came up with anything- we’d brainstorm every time we would get together and have a practice but nothing ever came of it. We had some stupid names that almost happened ‘The Cacti Club’ and “Dolphins Do Maths’ were all non starters.

We were all, not angry, but had got to that stage of high tension at a practice and Zach just shouted “Right what’s your favourite animal?”.  I replied with “oh a

Manatee”, it wasn’t like a revelation moment where we realised it was the best ever band name. We kind of just went with it “it will do”. With the release of the single on Monday, I don’t have much say in the matter anymore.”

And also what do you feel you would class your own sound was? Do you feel that your style has changed now?

“I always thought of our sound as quite happy and joyous, it’s nice to listen to. That’s what I have always wanted from Manatee. I’m not trying to change the world or do anything revolutionary. It’s just pop songs and that was the main focus for me. And there are bands out there that do the whole sad thing really well, you get the sentiment really well. Listening back to us, we are a happy band. The songs I prefer on the record that are the happiest, not always lyrical content but the major chords and the glockenspiel lines.

The sort of initial imaginations of the songs I had in my head have completely changed. There are songs that are coming out on the record that I never thought would sound like that. Some things I am happy about, others I would have like to develop even more. The whole recording process completely changed us as a band, especially for me- I could work out what worked and didn’t in terms of our sound. Which will hopefully go to progression in the next recording.

I never wanted to be just another guitar band”

So your debut single is coming out tomorrow?

“It is a weird process for all of us, it is the first time any of us have put something out there for people to actually buy and download and listen. It’s weird to see myself on Itunes. Logisitcs is about, for lack of a better phrase, just getting out there and moving around. In a daily sense we have lines like you’ve got a train to catch and things like that But in a wider and more figurative sense, you’re not going to get what you want from your existence if you do not go out and seize it.

We are hoping to release the EP early Summer, of course see how the single does and go from there. Dictating how much buzz there is going for the record and the EP. It’s called Hours and Hours and Hours, which is reminiscent of the opening lines of the EP. Basically the title stems from the amount of hard work and literal time we have put into crafting what Manatee sound like.

We have been a while as a band, people asking us how long we’ve been together and this is only our first release. People are always surprised. A year and a half, that just reflects the process and how we have tried to make these songs sound like I’ve always wanted.”

Logistics will be released on the 11th May

There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

(Taken from an existing project, Let Your Headphones Bleed is changing soon xx)

The Smiths disbanded in 1987, still yet to release their final studio album Strangeways Here We Come. Now 28 years later, countless teens across Britain still feel that Morrissey and co. are de rigueur. So how did The Smiths get this staying power? Is it due to their music, the razor sharp wit of Stephen Morrissey or is it the miserable reality that liking the Manchester sad boys is the key to being the trendiest hipster in your shitty estate?

Stereotypes are an ugly thing, they mould public opinion and extrapolate tiny insignificancies until we cannot separate fact from reality. The British teenager has it’s fair share of demonised stereotypes that it must live upto, now possibly influenced by social media sites such as Tumblr and Instagram where it is even easier to paint a hyperbolised image of oneself. Arguably one version of a typical Brit teen is the ‘walking out of a Supreme lookbook’. The type of fella who wears dresses masquerading as t-shirts and a snapback that cost a week’s wages. Despite their good intentions, they probably come across as tossers and think that Niggas In Paris is a masterpiece.

The next stereotype is what people call ‘bloody hipsters’. Just like the Supreme kids, image is everything. Whether it is the best bargain at the charity shop or disliking everyone that went to your senior school. The poster boy for this swathe of youth? Steven Patrick Morrissey. Somehow, The Smiths now stand for everything that it means to be indie or hipster. To be really cool on Instagram and Tumblr, it is necessary for you to adore Moz and Marr more than NME ever have. Increased by the disgusting amount of merchandise available, the popularity of The Smiths could just be due to teenage loners trying to appear more teenage and loner than their contempories.

Despite this cynicism, the lasting power of the band may be down to the superb body of work produced. In their hey day, Moz and Marr were the most prolific writing pair of their time- up their with the greats of McCartney//Lennon, Mick//Keith, Barlow//Orange. The soaring guitars and encapsulating melodies conjured by Marr laced with the sombre and morose lyrics by Morrissey have created some of the most beautiful indie songs ever. The scornful vigour of Bigmouth Strikes Again, the infinite misery of Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now and the sexual swagger of How Soon Is Now have been immortalised in popular culture. Arguably, The Queen Is Dead is the best album ever. It’s political wit and cohesive attitude has never been so relevant. If you wonder why people still love The Smiths, pop on There Is A Light That Never Goes Out on a boozy evening and see all kinds of blokes singing their heart outs to their significant others. The Smiths are as hardwired into our psyche as belting out Wonderwall in a town centre at 11:30.

Although The Smiths died in 1987, the one creature who survived like a cockroach in a nuclear blast is good ol’ Moz. It is difficult to describe Morrissey, he is a man who only ever needed a surname- he is that iconic. The asexual, ostentatious, West Ham supporter has more soundbites dedicated to him than both Gallaghers. In my opinion, Moz has managed to convert a generation to vegetarianism and made the cat forever cool. Not only has Morrissey been consistently morose and dry, he has also managed to write a back catalog of solo material that is impeccable. Love or loathe the musician, it is clear that the love of The Smiths is synonymous with a fascination of Steven Patrick Morrissey.