Pop

North Shields’ Club Paradise’s New EP “Life On TV” Combines Indie, Pop and Emo to Amazing Results – EP Review

10th Oct 2024 — Leave a comment

Combining influences that include The 1975 and The Killers, Club Paradise have found a unique formula for indie pop perfection.

The four piece group, hailing from North Shields, have been slowly working their way up throughout the year, releasing singles such as Chasing The Summer and Years, both of which we have previously covered.

Those teasers definitely whetted the appetite ahead of the release, which combines everything that works on those tracks into a grander piece.

Beginning with Let Me Lose, the group immediately establishes the tone of the EP with a set of keys which feel like they could have walked straight out of a 1975 song-think I Couldn’t Be More In Love with an indie band core.

This is further elevated by a huge bridge that gets you ready for the huge gear shift the group takes you on as they increase the tempo. The vocals are a strong mixture of North East authenticity combined with a definite influence from The 1975’s Matty Healy.

The track concludes with a glitchy guitar solo that is excellently performed and provides a sign of the guitar heaven to come.

Single Chasing The Summer is next up. We covered this in depth back in July – you can read the full review here. The song still sounds like the upbeat summer banger it was when it was released and sounds great within the context of the EP.

Third track, What If These Days, continues the indie themes, winding them around an 80s pop core. The song shimmers with chorus-imbued guitars, conjuring thoughts of the neon guitar pop of the 1980s. Imagine a pop version of The Blue Nile, complete with jangly guitars and a lot of heart.

The gorgeous guitar solos take more influence from 80s rock, bringing a very classic rock feel to the sheen of the rest of the song, which works well. The overall combination of rock and pop influences works well to produce another great song.

Runaways switches things up slightly, throwing pop-punk and emo influences into the mix. This is evident at the beginning of the track, which reminded me of groups such as Blink 182. Gone is the sheen of previous tracks, replaced by chunky guitars that reach their peak in the chorus.

The track also features a great guitar solo, which illustrates the amazing lead guitar talent on show throughout the EP. This gives way to Years another song which we have previously covered. You can read my full review here.

Finisher Interstate is the perfect pick as a closer to the EP with its grandiose production and larger-than-life nature. Once again, the group taps into their heavier sides to produce a dramatic conclusion to the album.

Overall, this EP shows Club Paradise delivering on the promise of their lead up singles. If you’re a fan of groups like The 1975, you’ll love this EP.

grapevine Delivers on Catchy 80’s Inspired Single “Bad Idea”- Single Review

26th Sep 2024 — Leave a comment

The new track from grapevine features glossy 80s production combined with great pop songwriting to create a catchy piece of alternative pop.

Produced by local talent Jamie Donnelly, the song is drenched in the sonic palettes of the 1980s, as well as much of the pop landscape from recent years, particularly echoing the sound of artists like The Weeknd.

That is immediately evident from the intro, which begins with a driving drum machine beat that persists throughout the track.

A diverse sound has been crafted with an attention to detail, with a number of different synths being deployed to enrich the overall production, ensuring a varied sound.

At the heart of all of this is an incredibly strong and well put together pop song that takes a classic subject matter and explores it in new and interesting ways.

The chorus, which repeats the title of the track, pairs incredibly with the melody to provide an earworm, which will burrow into your mind for weeks to come.

If you enjoy artists like The Weeknd or your pop music with a catchy yet inventive edge, make sure to check out this latest single

The 1975 featuring Harry Styles (Lewis Capaldi) and Tim Healy – At Their Very Best – GIG REVIEW

26th Jan 2023 — 2 Comments

The big story from the Newcastle leg of The 1975’s UK tour was the appearance of Lewis Capaldi, but that was just the beginning of the fun in their most ambitious stage show yet.

The 1975 are the ultimate marmite band, to some a pretentious pop band, to others a groundbreaking pop machine.

The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, but one thing that no one can doubt is the ambition of frontman Matty Healy and co. Gone is the big visual lights show, which formed the basis of their ‘A Brief Inquiry /Notes on a Conditional Form’ Tour instead replaced by a house set, forming the core of the first half of the performance.

This section of the show draws from songs from their recently released fifth album, ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’ with the band committing themselves to an ambitious theatrical show.

The band inhabit a fully furnished house for the entire show, unveiled to the audience by each member of the group switching lights on, revealing sections of the stage.

The whole thing is all very reminiscent of a sitcom or drama with title cards and loose storyline, which is brought to life by Healy who starts proceedings with ‘The 1975 (BFIAFL)’. Flying through the first seven songs of the album, the group delivered an enthralling welcome to the world, with singles ‘Happiness’ and ‘I’m In Love With You’ gaining the best reaction from the Geordie crowd.

A first surprise was delivered early on during a performance of ‘All I Need To Hear’. Introduced by Matty Healy, the stage was plunged into darkness, revealing when the lights came up, that Tim Healy had replaced his son. The former ‘Benidorm’ star then proceeded to belt out the track to the delight of the fans.

Matty then returned on the roof of the house to perform a stripped back version of 2018’s ‘I Like America and America Likes Me’ which remains a highlight of the set.

Matty Healy Ascends

The first half was concluded with fan favourites ‘About You’ and album finisher ‘When We Are Together’.

When the track had finished, the performance art began with Healy assuming the role of a single man going through a breakdown.

Healy strips down to his bare chest to eat a piece of meat, as well as pretending to masturbate on a leather chair. This all occurs whilst images of world leaders and media personalities appear on the set’s TV. Healy then completes this section by crawling through the TV, ending quite a baffling bit of theatre, which is either pretentious or interesting depending on your perspective.

This led to an interval where the show’s biggest moment occurred. A ring of the doorbell signalled the arrival of the special guest, leading to mania in the crowd when the monitors flashed the name of Harry Styles. However, instead of the One Direction star, out stumbled Lewis Capaldi, which prompted more screams from the crowd.

Capaldi, to his credit, did what he does best for the next ten minutes. He delivered laughs, in addition to a rendition of The 1975’s ‘Antichrist’, and a rousing version of Taylor Swift’s ‘Love Story’, whilst he mocked Healy’s previous acting attempts on the big screen, completing an enjoyable interlude.

The band then began their ‘At Their Best’ section of the show, smashing through hit after hit after remerging to a sax rendition of ‘Local Hero’ complete with Newcastle shirts for the saxophonist and a Newcy Brown for Healy.

It’s at these moments, you realise that The 1975 are still amongst the finest in the pop world, delivering both excellent tunes and phenomenal show, which can rival any of their contemporaries.

Finishing on 2018’s ‘Give Yourself A Try,’ the group excelled themselves on this tour, producing one of the most ambitious shows I’ve ever seen. This makes the show well worth a watch if you get the chance.