Some Bands You Might Like In 2010

When you are given lemons, make lemonade. When the weather gives you a tiny bit of snow and the ongoing abomination that is the train route ‘operated’ (I use the term ironically) by the incompetent, venal fucktardary that is First Capital Connect and you can’t get to gigs, then sit back and ponder those UK bands that deserve a bit of love.

The Stilletoes. Magnificently angry femme-fronted punks from Wales. Their album ‘ADHDreams’ was one of my favourites of 2009. Sung mostly in Welsh, it fair sizzles with rage and frustration at the injustice of the world and being in a femme-fronted punk band from Wales. Singer Efa’s voice is so raspy that she sounds like she gargles with sand and broken glass and would spit either of these materials in your eye if you looked at her funny.



Ghostcat: Another band that I have not yet seen, but ooooh! - I wanna! At present they are mostly making appearances late at club nights, where they unleash tracks as groovetastic as “This Is A Bust”, which was my single of last year. This stomper, with its insanely catchy of chorus exhorting us to “Get your muthafuckin’ hands up!” is so catchy that it makes the Ting Tings sound like Stockhausen. One sniff of the mainstream and these babies are going to be all over everywhere.

Ghostcat / This Is a Bust from KUSKUS on Vimeo.

The Tigerpicks: This Manchester band has been honing itself for about eighteen months now and could go huge. The double vocal attack of Emma Longbarrow and Frankie Ross is a throwback to the days when singers could really sing – I saw them a couple of years ago and was minded of Cilla Black when she was a sexy, scrawny, semi-feral whippet from the cloakroom of the Cavern Club. Only there were two of them. Mighty electro tunes from Martyn Anderson makes for floor-shaking goodness.



Tom Allalone & The 78’s: These retro rockers from Gravesend are a well-kept secret that should be shared with the world at large. Jaw-droppingly frenetic in the live setting, they released a terrific album of Sixties sounding garage rock, most of which deal with alcohol and riotous behaviour in the Essex area. It was called ‘Major Sins Part One’. It would be a major sin to miss them.


Tom Allalone & The 78s - Crashland

Tom Allalone & The 78s MySpace Music Videos

And finally, a bit of a cheat, because they are not from the UK, but hail from California, come Normandie. I came across them on Myspace last year and I’ve barely stopped listening to them since. This California based mob sound exactly like Curve did on their first e.p.- i.e. an enormous Gothic wall of drums and guitars and metal that runs over you like a juggernaut. Listen to ‘Thrill of Victory’ and tremble, puny humans. If they ever come over to this side of the pond they will freakin’ OWN us. Well, me, at any rate.

Normandie - "Thrill of Victory" from jnerebel on Vimeo.

A handful of goodies to tide you over. Normal service resumes shortly.