We Are Z - Goldigaz

1.    Who are these rock’n’roll storm troopers?

We Are Z are an indie pop rock band with theatrical overtones. Flouncing out of London, England, but with four French members, they have been bringing joy to our lives since 2014 and have a handful of singles to their name. Goldigaz (Sept'16) is a stand-alone single at the minute but their is a debut album in the works.

2. What's this Goldigaz about then?

A bit of social commentary y'know? About the endless search for scratch. The tune has a carnival, vaudeville, sound, and bounces harder that a Thai teens tits at a Bangkok Coyote bar. 

3. Who do We Are Z sound like?

Felix Hagan and The Family. Brings. Devo.

4. What have the capitalist lapdogs in the press said about Goldigaz?

“Undeniably unique” – Gig Wise. 

“Ecstatic dizzy joy with darkened eerie and mysterious undertones” – Indie Buddie. 

“Oozing with instrumental flair” – Press Party.

5. Which bands have put the flash into We Are Z?

Some of the bands that have inspired We Are Z are Devo, The Talking Heads, Vampire Weekend, Metronomy and James Brown.

6. Why should I give Goldigaz a geez?

One of these tunes is not like the others. It's Goldigaz.

7. Do We Are Z have any more of these lush treasures?

Sure as shit they do. Airbrush has a word about vanity and beauty obsession while bringing a thin rock wedge to play. Knucklehead has a 80's Duran Duran-esque bombast to it. Fucking gems. No word of a lie.

8. Any more words kind sir?

The bass and keyboard player, Archie, is a seasoned session musician who has put in the hard yards for Beyonce and Pharell Williams among others.

“Listen up monsters to the tale I tell,

Every lost souls on the road to hell”

Dreamers are an alternative rock band from Brooklyn, New York, by way of Seattle. Belting out the tunes since 2014 they have one long player under their belts. Dreamers are similar to Young The Giant, New Politics or Imagine Dragons. They are influenced by The Smiths, Arctic Monkeys, Weezer and Iggy Pop. Wolves (You Got Me) (2014) was their debut single and, as is so often the case, the cream of the crop. Wolves (You Got Me) is a catchy tune without too much polish that Pop Matters said“is able to rise above the masses.”

“You got me brainwashed, you got me so lost,

You got me fucked up like you”

STRFKR - Never Ever

1.    Who are these grips? 

STRFKR or Starfucker are an indie synth/pop/rock band from Portland, Oregon. Formed in 2007 they have recorded five albums. Never Ever (Feb'16) is the first single to slide off their fifth album Being None, Going Nowhere (Nov'16).  

2. What kind of tune have they rustled up? 

Never Ever is a smooth slip of toe-tapping synth-pop that slinks along without piercing your consciousness. Head-nodding, bum-bouncing, bubblegum.

3. Who do STRFKR sound like?

MGMT. Indie Shuffle  compared Never Ever to Of Montreal, Discovery and Van She.

4. What is the good word from the press? 

“An infectious sing-along melody” – Hypetrak. 

“Bursting with their signature danceablity” – Transversomedia.

“Warm, gooey, synth-heavy indie-pop” – W Week.

5. Who put the bounce into STRFKR? 

Some of the band's influences are hip-hop (Gucci Mane, BigBoi), punk (Fugazi, Nirvana) and pop (Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper) and synth-pop (Giorgio Moroder and New Order).

6. Why should I give Never Ever a spin on the jukebox?

Never Ever has a cerebral, body-moving, groove.

7. Do STRFKR have any more good songs?

Boy Toy is the one you want. Chaotic, spacey and concise synth-pop.

8. Anything else muppet?

No sir.

“Soft velvet and candle light,

Little fears that you keep inside”

Vance Joy is Australian indie folk pop musician James Keogh. His debut album Dream Your Life Away (2014) was an immediate success topping the charts in Australian and making it into the top ten in many other countries. Vance Joy sounds like Mumford & Sons, Ed Sheeran and Boy & Bear. Some of his influences are Paul Kelly, The Pogues and The Whitlams. The second single off Dream Your Life Away was the hugely successful single Riptide (2013). The tune made it to number one on the U.S alternative charts, top 10 in the U.K and became the longest charting single in Australian history. Riptide has sold a million copies worldwide and has 140 million YouTube plays. It's an intimate, acoustic song and catchy as chlamydia. 

“I was scared of dentists and the dark,

 I was scared of pretty girls and starting conversations”

Animal House - Domino

1.    Who are these heroes? 

Gaze on the majesty of Animal House a garage pop rock band from Brisbane, Australia. The men have a handful of singles to pin to their battle honors and Domino (Oct'16) is the second single from Animal House's first E.P. Sorry (Nov'16). 

2. What kind of magic are they weaving? 

Domino has lashes of old school sixties garage jammed to new century indie rock. The tunes a fucking banger and it hits the ground at speed. Straight-up-the-middle drums power along and their are all the harmonies and guitar every good boy could want. The chorus is as catchy as fuck. Perfection. 

3. Who do Animal House sound like? 

Drunk Mums, Twin Peaks, The Lulu Raes. 

4. What declarations of love have the press made in praise of Domino?

“Lyrical story-telling, racing riffs and infectious choruses” – A Badge Of Friendship.

“An infectious high energy blast of garage rock” – Gig Slutz.

“Lightning in a bottle” – Logic Fuzzy.

5. Which band have given Animal House a kick in the right direction?

The main Animal House influences are The Strokes, The Kings Of Leon and The Arctic Monkeys. 


6. Why should I listen to Domino?

Because you want to to dance and smile and have fun.


7. Do Animal House have any more spankers?

Figure It Out is the leader of the pack, Sour sounds like the Strokes if they actually had character and English Girls is another fun banger.


8. Any more words?

Animal House are currently based in Brighton, England, and recently supported BRONCHO.

“My friends are all dicking around outside,

Impressed by the press and the rest”

The Arctic Monkeys are a extremely successful English post-punk indie rock band from Sheffield, England. Formed in 2002 they have five albums in their catalogue. Their debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006) was the fastest selling debut album in U.K. history and all five albums went to number one in the U.K. and top ten worldwide. In the States they only managed top 20 but their last album A.M. (2013) was the most successful making it to number 6. The first two singles from The Arctic Monkey's first album went to number one but the third Fake Tales From San Francisco (2006) never charted. It's the Arctic Monkey's best song, a song Clash Music describe as an “untamed, organic and ferocious beauty.”

“You’re not from New York, you’re from Rotherham,

So get off the bandwagon, and put down the handbook”

Fuck Yeah! - C'mon

1.    Who are they? 

Fuck Yeah! are an indie glam rock band from Munich, Germany. C'mon (June'16) is a stand-alone single.

2. What have they got on offer?

C'mon is a lazy little Sunday afternoon groover with a fat riff that pokes it's head up sporadically. A little indie, a little glam, all good.

3. Who do Fuck Yeah! sound like?

T. Rex, Blur, The Fall.

4. What have the press said about C'mon? 

“Somewhere between post-punk and glam” – Life On Stage.

“The repetitive shout C’mon is already pure. The guitars do the rest” – Ultra Top.

“Goes quite well in the ear” – Hirnverbrandt. 

5. Which bands give Fuck Yeah! a boner?

Fuck Yeah!'s main influences are The Velvet Underground, Afghan Whigs, The Pixies, The Replacements and The Ramones. 


6. Why should I give C'mon a whip past the ears?

For the chubby riff.


7. Do Fuck Yeah! have any more good 'uns?

Give Rock'N'Roll Was Here To Stay a spin.


8. Any more words?

Not a dilly.

“I can’t wait,

Another minute”

Kaleo are a blues rock band from Mosfellsbaer, Iceland. Rocking hard since 2012 they have two long players on their roll of honor. Kaleo have been compared to Cage The Elephant, White Stripes, KONGOS, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and The Black Keys. Way Down We Go from the album A/B (2016) made it top ten in the U.S and Canadian alternative rock charts. But the best song is No Good (2015) off the same album. A swampy, bluesy, romper that The Music Enthusiast said is “pure, unadulterated, rock’n’roll.”

“Can’t fight the temptation,

When you get the vibration”

The Bay Rays - New House

1.    Who are these champions of rock’n’roll?

These diamonds in the rough are The Bay Rays an indie rock'n'roll band from Tunbridge Wells, England. They have a couple of singles to their name. They rock harder than Dwayne Johnson's dick. New House (June'16) is their second stand-alone single.

2. What kind of delectable treat have they served?

New House is a rock and rolling, guitar-led, barn-burning, party-maker with a riotious piano assist that nods back to the fifties. An arse shaker belted out with feeling.

3. Who do The Bay Rays sound like?

The Fratellis, The Vaccines and PAWS. 

4. What have the mucky pups in the press said about New House?

“The Bay Rays don’t fuck about” – DIY.

“Insanely catchy punky rock and roll belter” – Louder Than War. 

“Genuinely thrilling, infectious, visceral” – Clash Music.

5. Which bands had an impact in forging The Bay Rays' "tight as a nun's nasty" sound?

Their main influences are The Clash, Talking Heads, Jack White, Skepta and Bruce Springsteen. 


6. Why should I give New House a lash?

New House is the gold standard of English rock'n'roll. It would make a dead man dance. End of story.


7. Do The Bay Rays have any more spanking tunes?

The only other single is the rockabilly romp Four Walls. 


8. Anything else? 

No.

“Life is an aquarium,

We’re all swimming just trying not to sink man”

Baby Strange are a rebel rock band with catchy punk pop choruses. From Glascow, Scotland and smashing out the tunes since 2012 they have one long player, Put Out (2015), on their roll of honor. Baby Strange are influenced by bands like Franz Ferdinand, The Clash, Sham 69 and Blasted Canyons while sounding at times like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Vaccines. Pleasure City (2015) was a stand-alone single and is a tune Wild called “anthemic” and “three minutes of fast-paced fuzzed-up punk rock.”

“Get strange in the dark,

We can rip, rip, rip it apart”

The Spitfires - On My Mind

1.    Who are these likely lads then? 

Behold the majesty of The Spitfires, an indie rock band flying out of Watford, England. These brave few have been playing together since 2012 and On My Mind (April'16) is the second single from The Spitfires' second album A Thousand Times (August'16). 

2. What calibre of tune is So Long?

Of the first order. Elements of English indie rock that stretch back from the Arctic Monkeys to the golden years of English punk to the British invasion all combine to make a racy little number out of melancholic material. Comes with keys and and a little side of brass. Grows on you.

3. Who do these indie rock champions sound like? 

The Clash, The Jam and The Smiths. 

4. What have the press said about Always On My Mind? 

“A powerful modern rock anthem” – Never Enough Notes.

“A quality slice of guitar driven sounds” – Merc London.

“The tracks exceptional standard is maintained throughout it’s entirety” – Gig Slutz.

5. Which bands have provided ammunition for The Spitfires?

Some of The Spitfires' influences are The Kinks, The Jam, The Smiths, The Clash, The Who, Billy Bragg, 2 Tone, soul and reggae.

6. Why should I give On My Mind a whirl? 

On My Mind is a crystal clear product of the finest English indie rock influences.

7. Do The Spitfires have any more spankers?

Aye aye Popeye. Wrap your ears around So Long a tune that found it's way to the top of the U.K. vinyl singles charts.

8. Anything else?

The bird. 

“I’m not trying to be brave”

The Cat Empire are an Australian ska, jazz, funk, rock fusion band with Latin influences. From Melbourne, Australia, and formed in 1999 they have seven records to pin on their battle honors. So Many Nights (2007) was the second single from their third album of the same name which debuted at number 2 on the Australian album charts. So Many Nights is a funky, nu-soul, ska number that Music Review praised for “the addictive catchiness of the chorus and the danceable rhythm that is hard to resist.”

“It’s inappropriate that I should present like a

Retired matador with unpaid rent”