The Fragz - Picture In A Frame/Too Much To Ask

 

1. Who are The Fragz? 

The Fragz are a melodic punk band from the tiny towns of Keith and Buckie in the north of Scotland. They have a ukulele player and have been known to include diverse instrumentation in their songs. The Fragz have shared the stage with bands like The Cloverhearts, The Buzzcocks and The Stranglers. Picture In A Frame/Too Much To Ask (November, 2024) is a double-A side single from their debut album The Fragz (May, 2024).

2. What kind of songs are Picture In A Frame/Too Much To Ask?  

Picture In A Frame/Too Much To Ask are a diamond in the rough to be sure. They combine earnest personal lyrics with the gravitas of wider worldly woes. Together they produce startling changes in direction and originality that imbue the songs with the attraction of something at once familiar and also innovative. Picture In A Frame/Too Much To Ask are mosh pit fillers and fist-in-the-air fucking bangers. 

3. Which bands do The Fragz sound like? 

Goodbye Blue Monday, Hateful, Fall Out Boy, and Against Me!  

4. Which bands have inspired The Fragz? 

They aren't saying or no one asked. The singer is rocking a Frenzal Rhomb T-Shirt so there's that. There's a lot of American pop-punk/emo in their sound like Green Day, Blink-182 or Fall Out Boy but a bit of classic punk like Stiff Little Fingers too.

5. What have people said about The Fragz?

"A raw and melodic sound" - Havoc Underground.

"Big poppy hooks and unique transitions" - Havoc Underground.

"A clever display of songwriting" - Havoc Underground.

"Can't you see?

You're the disease,

You aren't the cure."

Lipton's Orphan - Dressin' Scottish, Drinkin' Irish, Talkin' Rubbish

 

1. Who are Lipton's Orphan? 

Lipton's Orphan is Frankie McLaughlin the ex-singer and guitar player from Australian Celtic punk band The Rumjacks (2008 - present). He got kicked out of the band in 2020 for getting handsy and is out on his tod. He's put out a handful of tunes since 2022 and Dressin' Scottish, Drinkin' Irish, Talkin' Rubbish (Jan, 2024) is the most successful so far. 

2. What kind of tune is Dressin' Scottish, Drinkin' Irish, Talkin' Rubbish? 

A swaggering Celtic rock ripsnorter with a lot of pipes and and guitar riffs. More rock than punk and without the cringe that accompanies listening to a lot of second-hand Irish heritage Celtic punk; perhaps because Frankie is Glasgow born and bred from Irish stock before he got transported to the colonies. This has the righteous stink of yesterdays drinking, todays hangover and the pride of winning a barroom brawl lathered all over it. 

3. Who do Lipton's Orphan sound like? 

Black Tartans, Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, and Smokey Bastard. 

4. Which bands have influenced Lipton's Orphan?

The Pogues, UK Subs, GBH, and Gogol Bordello.

5. What have the great unwashed said about Dressin' Scottish, Drinkin' Irish, Talkin' Rubbish? 

"Talent with his words and a natural knack for telling a story" - YouTube Comments.

"No classic instrument better suits rock'n'roll than the Scottish pipes" - YouTube Comments.

"Celtic punk is still going strong!" - YouTube Comments.

"Carved in the image of a man I never knew,

In the name o' the Faither reart baith guid and true"

The Fratellis - I Guess I Suppose

1.    Who?

The Fratellis are an indie rock band from Glascow, Scotland. You can hear their song Chelsea Dagger used and abused in football grounds all over the world. I Guess I Suppose is an album track from their fifth album In Your Own Sweet Time (March'18).


2. What?

I Guess I Suppose is a simple and unassuming glam shuffle with hints of the old standard Spirit In The Sky (Norman Greenbaum).


3. Who do The Fratellis sound like?

The Kooks, T.Rex, and Primal Scream.


4. What have the magazines said?

“The Fratellis have taken their staple energetic and profound beginnings and stepped it up another level” – Liverpool Sound and Vision.

“Southern swamp rock” – Salute.

“Inevitable fan favourite” – The Friendly Critic.

5. Which bands have influenced The Fratellis?

The Clash, The Kinks, Supergrass, T.Rex, Slade, and The Faces.



6. Why should I listen to it?

Just when you thought The Fratellis were yesterdays men they went in search of the magic that propelled their debut album Costello Music (2006) to the top of the British charts and established Chelsea Dagger as an anthem. They went back to producer Tony Hoffer who produced their debut and the results are a career apogee.

7. Any other good tunes on the album?

Most definitely. The singles The Next Time We Wed and Stand Up Tragedy have a Prince influenced funk vibe married to slinky indie rock.


8. Any more words? 

Tony Hoffer has produced albums for The Kooks, The Arkells, Belle & Sebastian, Fitz and the Tantrums, and Foster The People.

“I’ll be there with bells on”

Catholic Action are an NME indie rock buzz band from Glasgow, Scotland. Formed in 2014 they have one album to their name In Memory Of (2017) that is reminiscent of early 2000's indie rock bands like The Fratellis, The Kooks, and The Vaccines. New Year is a glam stomp with The Fratellis written all over it but Doing Well is more of a jangly indie rock earworm. Clash magazine called it 'too sugar-coated to resist'. 

Dante - Sermons

1. Who?

Dante are a Scottish indie folk rock band. Sermons (April’18) is a single from their second album I Wear Your Weight With Mine (March’18).

2. What?

Earnest and emotive jangly guitar rock. A Celtic tinge, a snappy riff in a lovely wee chorus, and concise. No fat on the bone here.

3. Who do Dante sound like?

The National, Gang of Youths, and Frightened Rabbit.

4. What have the press said about Sermons?

“Soaring strings and an engaging lyrical storytelling” – Fortitude.

“A philosophical lyric with yet another irresistible chorus” – Soundlab.

“Memorable hooks and big, big chorus” – Fame.

5. Which bands have influenced Dante?

They have mentioned some love for Frightened Rabbit offshoot Owl John.


6. Why should I listen?

Because you like emotive jangle indie rock with flecks of Celtic folk.


7. Do Dante have any other good songs?

Rose. 

8. And?  

I Wear Your Weight With Mine was produced and mixed by Frightened Rabbit’s guitarist Andy Monaghan.

‘So am I bringing you down?

With all my pissing around,

Treating songs like they were sermons on the mound”

Members from Frightened Rabbit, The Editors, and Minor Victories banded together to make the side project Mastersystem. The Enlightenment is the second single from their debut album Dance Music (April'18). The Enlightenment fuses Scott Hutchison's Americana/ folk influences (Wilco, Belle & Sebastian, Ryan Adams) with a gritty sound fthat comes from his love for bands like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden.

“And I know you, you made a difference”

Goodbye Blue Monday - Take Your Pills

1. Who are Goodbye Blue Monday?

A Scottish punk rock band. Pop punk if you must. From Glasgow and playing together since 2013. Take Your Pills (Jan'18) is from their E.P. The Sickness, The Shame (Feb'18).


2. What kind of tasty treat is Take Your Pills?

Angry punk with a shout along chorus, meaty riffs, a breakdown and all the frills. No lacking of twists and turns. Intelligent rock.


3. Who do Goodbye Blue Monday sound like?

The Menzingers, The Flatliners, and Red Radio City.


4. What is the word from the press?

“The worst I can say is I wish there was more” – Dying Scene.

“It’s got everything I want in punk rock” – Colin’s Punk Rock World.

“Barnstormer of a chorus laid over some intricate verses” – Punk Online.

5. Which bands do Goodbye Blue Monday like?

They are influenced by Dillinger Four, The Menzingers, Against Me!, The Flatliners, and Alkaline Trio.


6. Why should I listen to Take Your Pills?

Because you love your punk with something interesting to say and a clever way of saying it. Because you pogo in basements. Because you create the bandwagon.


7. Have Goodbye Blue Monday got any more bangers?

Title track The Sickness, The Shame.

8. Any last words?

Get in on this band early doors.

The Woahnows are an indie punk (noisy pop) band from Plymouth, England. They have been playing together since 2012. They have been compared to Husker Du, and The X-Certs, but I'm feeling more Australian punk like Royal Headache. Life In Reverse is from their debut album Understanding and Everything Else (2015). Wait for it because it starts out grungy and works up to a shout-along.

The Jesus and Mary Chain - Amputation

1. Who are The Jesus and Mary Chain? 

The Jesus and Mary Chain are one of the finest bands to ever walk God's green earth. An iconic alternative rock/indie noise-pop band from East Kilbride, Scotland. The Jesus and Mary Chain are a fucking line in the sand; if you don't like 'em you can fuck right off. The brothers Reid started making music in 1983 and are still going strong. Amputation (Dec’16) is the first single from their seventh album Damage and Joy (March’17). 

2. What kind of tune is Amputation? 

Amputation is typical of the Mary Chain's later period when they were all swagger, menace and razor sharp riffs. Balanced against the reverb, caste-iron riffing and swirling noise are the usual coos and harmonies while they sing about “Fucked-up girls” loving “drugged up guys.” Not a love song then. But the legends are in great form.

3. What bands sound like The Jesus and Mary Chain? 

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, My Bloody Valentine and Dinosaur Jr. 

4. What have the righteous press said about Amputation? 

“The music still feels raw” – Paste.  

“It’s got the Mary Chain stamped all over it… cloaked in reverb” – Fact.

“Like something off an indie soundtrack from 1996” – Consequence Of Sound.

5. Which bands inspired the almighty Jesus and Mary Chain? 

Some of their influences are The Velvet Underground, The Sex Pistols, The Beatles, The Shangri La’s and The Stooges. 

6. Why should I give Amputation a listen? 

Because it's the fucking Jesus and Mary Chain and they've lost nothing over the years. Because they are the alternative of rock'n'roll. 

7. What are The Jesus and Mary Chain's best songs? 

Sidewalking. The song you play as she gets in the car, you put on your shades and floor a V8 down the highway with a half drunk bottle of whiskey between your legs. The song is rock'n'roll. Here Comes Alice and April Skies are just a few more of the brightest gems in JAMC's crown. 

8. Any more words? 

Damage and Joy is produced by Killing Joke bassist Martin Glover (The Verve, Marilyn Manson, James).

The brothers Reid are joined by the Lush bassist, Phil King< and Fountains Of Wayne drummer, Brian Young, on the new album and on tour.

 “It’s just like a grape in a bottle,

It’s wine today but piss tomorrow”

The Shins are an iconic indie pop band from Albuquerque, New Mexico. They started playing together in 1996, have recorded five albums together, and have been both commercially and critically successful. TheShins are similar to Belle & Sebastian, The Decemberists and Neutral Milk Hotel.  They are influenced by The Beta Band, The Jesus & Mary Chain, and country and western. Mildenhall (Feb’17) is the third single from their fifth album Heartworms (March’17). Paste called Mildenhall “a slice of warm and fistful folk-pop.” It also has strong elements of Americana, lashes of honesty, and a lyric to make all JAMC fans sit up.

“A kid in class passed me a tape,

A band called The Jesus and the Mary Chain”

Twin Atlantic - The Chaser

1.    So Twin Atlantic huh? 

Yeah. Scotland's finest. Scrapping their way out of Glascow and banging lids since 2007 they have four fine albums to their name. The Chaser (Aug'16) is the second single off their latest GLA (Sept'16). Yep GLA is the code for Glascow's airport so it's meant to signify a return to their roots. 

2. What have the boys got to say for themselves?

The Chaser has a massive Marc Bolan style riff, bombastic drums, hand claps and gang vocals. They bang on about what hard chargers they are and how they want to neck anything under the sun. It's a tit ripping ode to hedonism.  

3. Who do Twin Atlantic sound like? 

The Chaser sounds like T. Rex. Muse, Foals and Biffy Clyro in the main. 

4. What have the hard working press said about The Chaser?

“Foot on the monitor boogie” – The Scotsman.

“Heavily distorted guitar riffs and a chant-and-clap hook” – Highlight Magazine.

“A fuzzed out punk rock ode” – There Goes The Fear.

5. Which bands have sorted out Twin Atlantic?

The main influences are Jimmy Eat World, Nirvana, Queen, The Pixies and Pink Floyd. 


6. Why should I give The Chaser a whip past the brain holes?

Do you like tunes like Queen's We Will Rock You, Joan Jett's I Love Rock'N'Roll or T. Rex's Get It On? Of course you do. You'd have to be dead inside not to. Get your snout in the trough post haste.


7. What other blinders have Twin Atlantic got up their sleeve?

First off the train is Heart And Soul. The first single off GLA, No Sleep, is a stomper. Brothers and Sisters builds into a tear jerking epic and Make A Beast Of Myself brings up the rear. 


8. Any more words Chief? 

GLA is produced by Garret "Jackknife" Lee who has been at the controls for bands like Weezer, Bloc Party and The Silversun Pickups. It was recorded in L.A. 

“I tried hard to believe,

Satisfaction is guilt and love is all that is greed”

Ludes were an indie rock ska band from London, England. Active from about 2002 until 2006 they then broke up and three of the members founded Rum Shebeen. Ludes were influenced by bands like The Rolling Stones and The Clash. Ludes gave birth to one superb album The Dark Art Of Happiness (2006) and on that album was this bright ska neck breaker Dead Man's Music.

“I pawed at the record that I wanted to play,

Got on my knees and I started to pray”