Live Review: Jonny Quits EP Launch

A few weeks ago I went to go and review Jonny Quits' EP launch gig with John. Sadly John's camera packed in and no photos were taken, all the ones on this post are from the bands' Facebook pages. I also did a short interview with the guys from Jonny Quits, the sound bite of which is available on Soundcloud now here (follow us on Soundcloud for new music from the bands we cover), the interview will also be typed up and sent to Leeds Music Scene and posted right here on Villainous Folk as well.

As always you can find Villainous Folk on Facebook and  Soundcloud

The night consisted of great music from AVACET, Test Transmission, Bad Names and of course Jonny Quits, as well as the DJ'ing and afterparty from Kaleidoscope:

AVACET:

Tight indie rock that felt genuinely professional. Seemed like the kind of band that could support a bigger band of its genre - akin again to Wild Nothing. Played songs that I hadn't heard which all sounded very good indeed. They also played a new track which soon after surfaced on their Facebook page called 'Play Your Cards' (listen below)

Facebook / Soundcloud / BandCamp

Test Transmission:

Very big sound, and in my opinion superior to the EP, by far saw the most energy on-stage of the night from the guitarists, the number of effects peddles were also dazzling. Played most of the EP as well as an sort of interlude which showed a new-found versatility possibly slightly hidden on the EP. A review of their EP by Villainous Folk can be found here and you can listen to the lead single 'With You' below:

Facebook / Soundcloud / BandCamp - Get their new EP here

Jonny Quits:

Next up were Jonny Quits, at the time I was confused why they weren't on last, not that it mattered, in my opinion the best band of the night. It was tight, expressive, professional and sounding close to an early Pink Floyd and if they keep up the way they're going then they will hopefully start to move towards that in terms of recognition. They definitely seemed like a band you would pay to see.

Facebook / Soundcloud / BandCamp - Buy their new EP here

Listen to the lead track from the EP 'Drive Around Him' here.

Bad Names:

Your classics rock band, of which there aren't enough getting recognition these days. A throwback to how rock music used to be, 4 guys having a good time on-stage  making loud, catchy music with as it seems a very devoted fan base, a perfect end to the night of bands.

Facebook / Soundcloud / Website

Kaleidoscope:

Unfortunately I didn't stay till the afterparty as getting back to skipton was a priority for the night, however enjoyed the choice of music between the bands including; Warpaint, St. Vincent, Jefferson Airplane and many other great tunes.

Kaleidoscope DJ monthly at the HiFi club in Leeds.

Facebook




All in all, it was a brilliant night and for me really highlighted how diverse the genre of 'Rock' can be, with four brilliant rock bands but all with distinctive and brilliant sounds in their own right.

9/10 This review can also be found at Leeds Music Scene - Here

EP Review: Test Transmission - Urgency

Test Transmission are a post-rock/grunge quartet from Leeds and Harrogate. They describe their sound as "Harsh, male vocals twin with melodic female vocals, soaring above a dark ambiance, brought about by effect-driven guitars, heavy undertones and powerful drum beats." and are influenced by bands such as 'Biffy Clyro' and 'Smashing Pumpkins', whist still having a very distinctive sound of their own. They have played venues all over Harrogate and Leeds and seem well on their way to larger venues and more high-profile gigs.

Their début EP ‘Urgency’ was released on 1st Feb, and is available for free download here

Before I start, there's one thing I need to make clear which is also present in other reviews of the EP, the mixing is very poor, the balance between the vocals, guitars and drums in particular makes the overall sound of the album lack a lot of dynamics and balls. In my opinion this should be overlooked when looking at the EP, poor mixing is always an issue for bands on a shoe-string budget and should not really be held against them, and I'll avoid bringing it up again too often. Now that's out of the way, on with the review…

Test Transmission - Urgency EP

The opening track ‘Collateral Damage’ gives the EP a very atmospheric opening, with a brilliant opening riff, being a good statement of intent for what is to come. It is also good to see that each track on the EP is individual, while still retaining a similar sound that keeps them together, something the band should be credited for. The single from the EP ‘With You’ provides a strong song with some nice hooks, good harmonies and intricate guitar parts, working together for a very competent song. ‘Coalesce’ gives a slightly heavier sound to the EP, with ‘chugging’ guitars at the opening, the Biffy Clyro influence prevalent here, however the track could certainly do with being a bit more ‘in your face’ dynamics-wise, something that I’m sure isn’t an issue live. 'Programme' starts with a droaning guitar, reminiscent of one of my favourite songs ‘There There’ by Radiohead. The vocals seem to be a bit out on a limb and isolated from the rest of the music, something that unfortunately does not work that well, unlike for bands such as ‘Joy Division’ where it is one of their most defining features.  ‘Our Promises’ is a more indie-rock ‘The Cure’-type song, a more toned down and tender end to the EP, the song itself is arguably the best on the EP, however the ‘drop’ or ‘break’ about half way through is disappointing, with slightly better mixing, it could sound massive, euphoric and really give the ending of the EP some charisma, rather than the lacklustre thing is it now.

There are a few other overall points I’d like to make; Firstly the vocals for some may be a bit of an acquired taste, while Louise’s vocals may not cause that much of an issue and personally I think suits their ambient sound slightly more, Connors are a lot more distinctive. This is in no way a bad thing, bands like WU LYF (who sadly are no more) had a lead vocalist whose vocals were sometimes painful to listen to and then bands such as Biffy and The Phantom Band which have distinctive regional accents for their vocals. EP’s are also all about potential; they are the tool bands use to get better gigs, radio appearances, festival slots and many more, as well as giving an indication of what the band is capable. The reason I’ve given the band a slightly better review than others is that I think that there is a lot of potential there, and I will be very interested to see where the band decide to go from here, whether ‘bigger rock’ like bands such as Biffy and ‘As I Watch You From Afar’ or more ambient post-rock like bands such as ‘Bon Iver’ or ‘Godspeed You! Black Emperor’, either way I’m sure there is only better come from them.

7/10

Here is the single from this EP, ‘With You’:

The band will be playing dates throughout February including this Friday at The Library In Leeds supporting Jonny Quits (which I will be reviewing – see the event preview here)

Mason

Villainous Folk Grows

Villainous Folk has started branching out, to provide a little respite from spamming Figurehead's Facebook wall, we've created a Facebook page for the blog, where all new posts will go. VF also now has a Soundcloud and Hype Machine account, so you can see what new music we are listening to at the moment.

Facebook

Soundcloud

Hype Machine (Mason's music)

If you want to contact us regarding any reviews of albums, gigs or contributing to the blog, send emails to this address:

villainousfolk@outlook.com

EP Review: Ghost Capsules - Inside

Electro quartet Ghost Capsules can trace their beginnings back to a Bomb The Bass gig in Vienna. Here it was that Tim Simenon, touring the ‘Back To Light’ album, met his support band that featured drummer Roman Lugmayr and keyboard player Georg Lichtenauer. The three hit it off, so much so that Tim relocated from Amsterdam to the Austrian capital. Here the missing piece for the Ghost Capsules jigsaw was found in singer Laura Gomez, who Tim had booked to play at one of his club nights. Proof positive that there’s no business as sociable as music.

Ghost Capsules make music for the night. Dark chocolate electro if you like, shot through with a dash of espresso, a twist of chilli even. Their beats and loops are cool and calculated, but emotion courses through each of Gomez’s lyrical statements, wreathed as they are in tales of pure fantasy. Singing of blood red shoes with killer heels, her verses are revealed under the sharply focused points of light conjured up by Ghost Capsules’ music.

Ghost Capsules - Inside EP

“When I count to three you will wake up, you won’t remember what happened”. So begins the Ghost Capsules song 'Inside', a vivid ‘reverie noir’, coloured with blood red lipstick and black satin dresses.

The remixes offer great musical flexibility. Ghost Capsules’ instrumental alias, The Third Mind, opt for a creeping sense of inertia, slightly acidic but confidently strutting forward. Makossa & Megablast bring cool, smoky house with touches of dub, developing their mix subtly to drape its tentacles round Laura Gomez and her ice cold vocal. Meanwhile Lupo uses sonic depth, the Viennese producer and DJ holding a long chord to the vocal together with animated synthesizer movement up top.

Complementing Inside are the hypnotic, probing off beats of 'Sleepless', again showing off Gomez and her crystal clear voice. Ken Hayakawa, a Japanese resident of Austria, produces a beautiful piece of nocturnal techno that unfolds under starry skies, structured to show off his classical Salzburg heritage.

Finally the Komaton duo of Sebastian Lehner and Tomá Ivanov, a big part of Austria’s burgeoning electronic music scene, take fragments of Laura’s voice to reach out like long fingers over crisply contrived beats.

Personally I think the sound of the EP is brilliant, full of character and accomplished sounds, however I would like to have seen more original tracks in lieu of the many remixes on the EP, however this is to be expected from a band who has its roots so firmly rooted in the Venetian dance scene. But all in all, the EP is incredibly promising  containing the dark beats akin with songs from Burial but still being catchy and commercial enough to make it in the ever-competitive music industry.

7/10

Links
http://www.ghostcapsules.com/
http://www.osolorecordings.com/store/ghost-capsules/inside-ep/

This is the lead single from the EP and in my opinion the best track on it:



Mason

Musings: Provocative Songs

Its that time of year again, that odd time when the long nights are slowly rolling back but winter still has a firm grip over you, an odd time which leaves many looking for comfort or solace in something. For some they find it in other people, family, friends, loved ones. For others things like art or photography. But for me I find it in my iTunes. The kind of songs that make you feel something beyond a catchy riff or a hum-able tune, songs that stir the emotions and memories, comfortable and uncomfortable ones. These aren't necessarily sad songs, but rather fulfilling ones, an intricate mix of the careful poetry of the lyrics and the music itself, which can stretch from vast soundscapes to one man and his guitar. Any song that can make someone feel something like that deserves a good amount of credit, and as a musician and lyricist, if I can ever make anyone experience anywhere similar emotions from a piece of work that I've helped create then it'll be a job very well done.

Quite often these songs find themselves on the end of albums, a closing statement of the work, and quite often a chance for the artist to bear some of their soul to whoever happens to be listening, something that artists do not get enough credit for in my opinion. Here are a few of my favourite provocative 'album closers':

re:Stacks - Bon Iver
Epilogue - The Antlers
Leave Me Alone - New Order
Cymbal Rush - Thom Yorke
Vessels - Tall Ships

Many of these type of songs also find themselves further back into their albums, and are no less as emotional and capable of raising the hairs on the back of your neck. There are dozens of these songs in my music collection but these are just a few of the ones that have been playing in my room of late:

Surprise Ice - Kings Of Convenience
Lippy Kids - Elbow
Woman When I've Raised Hell - Josh T. Pearson
About Today - The National
Champagne Year - St Vincent
Love Is All - The Tallest Man On Earth

Enjoy.

These next few days should also see a flurry of reviews coming soon, including EPs from Test Transmission and Ghost Capsules, as well as Foals' highly anticipated new album 'Holy Fire'.

Mason

EP Review: Jonny Quits and EP Launch Preview

Jonny Quits are an Alternative-Rock band formed in North London but the twin brothers in the band Jon and Chris Beagley soon migrated up North where their energetic live shows have given them another large fan base, rivalling that of their native London. The band now play live shows in both cities to great reception see here for a clip on NME's website of a show at the 360 Club in Leeds - a venue in which they played to Alan Raw from BBC Introducing, and have headlined venues in London such as The Buffalo Bar in Highbury and Islington.

They cite their influences as ranging from The Kinks to Tame Impala and Jack White, influences which certainly show in their eponymous EP, without seeming unoriginal in any way, giving a new twist to the sounds of the 60s, and incorporating genres from Blues and Psychedelic to Garage Rock and Folk. The band call the EP 'for the 21st century kids who wish they were born 50 years ago' and they certainly achieve that and when nostalgia is as good for bands as it is these days, you will be hearing a lot more of them.

Jonny Quits EP (Released 18th February 2013)

The EP starts with a great opening track 'Drive Around Him' which moves from a pleasantly jittery opening and shifts time to an up-tempo rock song with some great riffs and is catchy in all the right ways. The EP then moves into more psychedelic territory with 'I Don't Know' which has more fuzz than you can shake a stick at and towards the middle of the track takes a trip into some really surreal melodics before coming back down to earth. This psychedelic feel continues for the rest of the EP with the song 'Alice', reminiscent of the classic 'White Rabbit' by Jefferson Airplane and containing some lovely guitar tones. The EP closes with the song 'Oh You' which is very stripped down, laid back and almost eerie at times, drenched in reverb but a perfect end to the EP, rounding it off nicely.

The sound that this EP gives out is very accomplished, very faithful to its influences but still maintains a lot of originality and creative flare. This also is a nice change from the deluge of Indie-Rock bands (not all of which are bad by any means) that seem to be appearing all over Leeds and the rest of the UK. Another note is that the EP comes with a make-yourself origami boat, which is a really surreal, quirky touch that I enjoyed a lot.

8/10

The band can be found at:
Facebook
Bandcamp - Digital download of album

Contact: Jon Beagley - jonnyquits@hotmail.co.uk


Gig Preview: Jonny Quits EP Launch Party, Live at 360 Club Leeds + support and DJ set @ Kaleidoscope

The band are pre-releasing copies of their EP at a launch party on Friday 15th February (see address below) and will be joined by support from; ACACET, Bad Names and Test Transmission. I will be doing a live review of the gig and also will be having an interview with the band beforehand. It sounds like it will be a great night, get your tickets while their hot.

360 club is at:
The Library (upstairs venue)
Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 3AP
Doors 8pm - 11:15pm

Get tickets here -Jumbo Records

AVACET: Very melodic and atmospheric Indie-Rock that I'm looking forward to seeing live. They also remind me of one of my current favourite bands 'Wild Nothing'. This track is definitely worth a download.


Bad Names: Great Alt-Rock which is reminiscent of REM with elements of psychedelic rock, can't wait to hear more.


Test Transmission: Post-rock inspired music with a very effective two vocalist combination with very nice harmonies. They also have an EP out which you can listen to and buy here - which I will also be reviewing.


Mason