Razor-Sharp Summer Vibes Spill Out Of Wakefield

I only heard 'Summer Vibes', the single from Wakefield UK quartet The Spills, on the weekend, but it has me excited to hear how their debut album Occam's Razor (out October 31 through Philophobia Music) will pan out. Having started in a more noise pop vein (which helped them scored support slots with the likes of Sky Larkin, Let's Wrestle and Dananananaykroyd), the terrain that The Spill now look to traverse is one of a hazier quality, a popular trend that is underlined by strong pop sensibilities. There are promises of darker, louder tracks than this one - references apparently include The Antlers, Pavement and Nirvana - if that is the case, and they still bring out the 'Summer Vibes', then Im hooked.

The Spills - Summer Vibes

Missing The Wrestling In The London Nursing Home

Its weird how you can ignore what's in your backyard until you move away. Let's Wrestle were always playing London shows in the three years I was floating about, yet I systematically ignored any press that surrounded them - in fact, I had never listened to a song. Then a month ago a friend handed me their latest LP, Nursing Home - and while it doesn't set the world on fire, it certainly has fun trying, and makes me yearn for just a little bit of time back so that I could fit one of their live shows into the plethora I managed to catch. They straddle the line between silly and sincere, raw and ridiculous, yet the tightrope act is a worthy one for the most part. Its certainly great for a silly, drunken Saturday afternoon...

Nursing Home, is out now via Merge Records.

Let's Wrestle - In The Suburbs
Let's Wrestle - Dear John

Old Volcanoes Warm The Brain

Whether its my dislocation from the London scene since my sudden departure to Brisbane some six months ago, but I hadn’t heard much at all of note of Warm Brains, the solo project of Rory Atwell (Test Icicles, KASMs). Atwell has proven his worth as a producer of late, working his DIY grungey aesthetics on SM faves Male Bonding, Fair Ohs, Cold Pumas and Veronica Falls amongst others. Yet here he is, refusing to sit idle, releasing his debut album Old Volcanoes (August 1 on Marshall Teller Records).

Loud & Quiet Magazine’s claims that he is wasted behind the mixing desk is a debatable one, but he sure has a talent in his own right as a musician. What this album showcases is a knack for slacker noise pop that not only matches its current contemporaries, but hints at the type of longevity that some of the genre’s innovators lacked, especially when considering the fact that Atwell wrote, performed and produced all of the tracks unaided other than some vocal collaborations (and seeing the vocal talent - Roxanne from Veronica Falls, Gemma from Trogons and Florence from Paradise – it’s easy to see why he roped these lasses in).

Its all very exciting, moreso when considering the promise of Warm Brains performances all over the UK this summer. Garnering help from Joe Ryan (Fair Ohs) and Anna Jones (Brothers), Atwell kicked off his plan for global domination on Saturday with their appearance at the Shoreditch 1-2-3-4 Festival, and are playing the following ace shows:

July 21st – The Garage, London (Islington) w/ Not Cool & Novella
July 31st – The Chameleon, Nottingham w/ Let’s Wrestle
August 3rd – album launch @ CAMP, London w/ Fair Ohs, Cold Pumas, Colours (plus both Male Bonding and Tom Vek will be DJing!)


Pre-order Old Volcanoes here.

Warm Brains – Marble Arch