Released in December, the latest single from Metal Machine Music sees the Darlington group flexing their creative edge.
Love Bombing oozes fun, with the group appearing to have a ball creating what is a real groove reminiscent of LCD Soundsystem and David Bowie.
You are immediately greeted by a danceable beat, which sounds like something straight out of New York in the mid-2000s, with funky guitar lines layered all over the top.
The impact of all this is an incredibly danceable bit of indie music that has been beautifully produced.
The inventive rhythm, from an array of different drum machines, brings an interesting twist while perfectly playing into the track’s sparseness.
Love Bombing is a really nice, inventive indie dance track that will definitely bring a boost to your day.
Alistair James’ latest single sees him stretching his musical horizons with a hearty piece of country rock.
Drawing on influences such as Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and David Bowie, James combines beautifully woven lyrics with classic rock riffs on the Queen of Big Livin’.
The riffs, in particular, reminded me of The Rolling Stones, with their bluesy, in-your-face energy that strikes you from the very first notes.
This perfectly suits the lyrics, which James crafts around these riffs, using characters to build a compelling narrative that hooks into the momentum created by the excellent guitar and drum work.
Things switch up nicely when the bridge hits, bringing in a warmer melody that breaks from the punchy style of the verse and chorus.
Overall, the track comes together seamlessly, weaving the influences of The Stones and Ryan Adams to produce a wonderful track.
Friday night saw art-pop outfit Amateur Ornithologist celebrate their anniversary at The Globe with a vibrant live performance.
The night began with support from Sheffield’s May Days In Barcelona, who brought a different vibe to proceedings with a shoegaze-inspired brand of folk that was truly magical to witness.
May Days In Barcelona – Live at The Globe – 18/10/24
An awful lot of effort went into their performance, featuring numerous looper pedals, a violin and a guitar. This 100% paid off, delivering a captivating and engaging performance that silenced the room.
With songs inspired by such things as birds of prey, it’s no surprise that the set felt majestic and beautiful. The set was concluded by a wonderful cover of Smile! No One Cares How You Feel!, which rounded off the musically rich show well.
They were followed by Belle Skies, who shifted the mood from shoegaze-inspired folk to full blown indie rock. I was impressed by the groups stage prescence, which was both captivating and engaging, further enhancing their very unique style of indie rock.
Clad head to toe in medieval regalia, the group took influence from the least obvious places with songs inspired by Saint Rose of Lima, the patron saint of embroidery, and Nosferatu.
This all led to fun and surreal pieces of indie rock, which seemed to draw inspiration from the 2000s with twinkling synths, strings and riotous guitars.
The whole thing came together very well leaving an impression and showcasing their crop of great indie rock songs.
Belle Skies – Live at The Globe –18/10/24
Next up were headliners Amateur Ornithlogist, who decorated the stage in beautiful autumnal leaves and even dotted a few fake crows about for added effect. The group really took full advantage of their headline slot bringing energy and costumes aplenty to bring something different to their show.
However, the focus was fully on the performance, which was executed to perfection with the stage presence matching the quality of the songwriting on show. The whole thing popped with colour and excitement.
Musically, the band falls somewhere in between musical theatre, Talking Heads, and David Bowie, crafting a unique blend of traditional pop and new wave.
The combination of violins, guitars and thumping bass worked incredibly well to create a collage of fun, colourful songs with meaningful lyrics to boot.
Frontman Daniel Clifford’s vocals were excellent, injecting something special into each tune. This was further enhanced by the amazing lyrics, which flickered between personal topics and playful whimsy.
Amateur Ornithologist – Live at The Globe – 18/10/24
Particular highlights included When They Fall, with it’s epic Bowie-esque feel, and Birds Fly Over Me, which has been stuck in my head for days since the gig.
The instrumentation was fantastic throughout the night, with the band sounding tight. I especially want to praise the guitar work, which was truly excellent, without being overly showy with its beautifully clean tones.
The night concluded with a noncore that treated the crowd to a fun cover of Boney M’s Rasputin, a fittingly enjoyable finale with the band’s Talking Heads vibe turned up to ten.
Overall, I had a thoroughly enjoyable Friday night, and I’m excited to see where the group goes next as they depart the live scene to create their next album.
Humbug North East 