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December 15, 2017December 15, 2017

RELEASE: Tough Crowd EP – You Dirty Blue

Words by Ed King

On 15^th December, a shrewd week and a half before ‘the big day’, You Dirty Blue release their sophomore Tough Crowd EP.

Out via the band’s own online know how and social media, Tough Crowd is all yours for the minimal fixed price of £3 – for direct info and online sales, click here.

A condensed follow up to the band’s somewhat monstrous debut, Tough Crowd is a three track skid through the raw grit we’re beginning to expect from the Tamworth twosome. Opening with the short and punchy ‘Nonsensical’, You Dirty Blue lull us into a false sense of something with a sneakily detached riff from Messer James, before… well, throwing short punches, across a two and half minute barrage of blues rock, duel vocals, and an ending that is gloriously unapologetic. I’m a cynic, but if this opening track doesn’t compel you to buy a TV, book a hotel room, and then do what every respecting human with a heart should do you might as well just stop breathing. A solid introduction, one you just know it’s going to destroy a venue near you soon.

Round Two begins with pace setting drums, courtesy of Messer Reynolds, and rolls through the altogether more melodic yet fast paced ‘Sharp Left Story’. Not quite as much fun Samsung suicide from the top floor of a Premier Inn, but just the right flavor for Radio 6. And comparisons be damned, but about two minutes in and I’ve got ‘Made of Stone’, ‘Peace Frog’ and ‘In Bloom’ all arguing over the last line in my head. Make of that what you will.

Another set up from Reynolds and we’re off towards the end, with the EP’s longest proffering – a radio play fuck you that “can’t please everyone” and will die trying not to. Careering into the grunge fast lane, ‘Gallow Dancer’ is a five and a half minute reason why you should go and see You Dirty Blue play live – raw and raucous, yet somehow packed with melody and sly little hooks. Again, I can’t help but think of another grunge band you could count the out members with less than one hand.

So, time for the negative. Hang on. Wait. Wait. It’s coming… nope. Tough Crowd does exactly what you’d want it to do, and precisely what You Dirty Blue are building their well earned momentum for delivering live. Without posturing or pretence, this second EP from a band who quite simply stick to their guns is job done, as far as this reviewer is concerned at least.

I could challenge the rough edges or the live sound, but that would be defeating the DIY object of the point here; if you’re a fan of alt-J production or James Bay laments then Tough Crowd is going to really piss on your chips. Other than cutting six tracks to three, or that the band clearly hate having their promo photo taken, those are about the only legitimate counterpoints I can come up with.

But if you don’t like it, if Tough Crowd isn’t going to be on your secular wish list this December, if your take away spuds are a little warm and salty whilst you cry alone into your pillow, then please email me something wittier to say. Otherwise go and ‘support your local music scene’ for about the price of a pint.

You Dirty Blue release their Tough Crowd EP on Friday 15^th December. For more on You Dirty Blue, plus online purchase points for Tough Crowd, visit www.youdirtyblue.com

*You Dirty Blue will be playing at The Dark Horse at the Killer Wave End of Year Blowout on Wednesday 20^th December. For direct gig info and online ticket sales, click here.

December 13, 2017December 13, 2017

THE GALLERY: Touch My Secret @ Hare and Hounds 06.12.17

Words by Steve Crawford / Pics by Denise Wilson

Kushikatsu Records promised an eclectic evening tonight and so it proves to be, with three very different and distinct acts taking the stage in the smaller room at the Hare and Hounds.

The first act of the evening is Exotic Pets, a lo-fi indie garage punk trio consisting of two guitarists, Dave and Adam, backed by drummer, Becky. Although only forming a year or so ago they have already supported the likes of Ghosts of Dead Airplanes and Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam. It’s always gratifying to see a decent array of effects pedals with the guitar combination of Fender Jaguar / Fender Telecaster: we’re clearly in good, solid, garage indie territory.

Exotic Pets have a bright, single-coil, post-punk, unfussy sound, but with enough licks and flourishes to keep things interesting. The band’s first song, ‘Carrion’, is musically an upbeat cheery number, but this jauntiness belies the lyrically dark subject matter which drummer Becky delights in telling the audience about afterwards. As far can be ascertained, Liverpudlian drummer Becky is de facto leader of Exotic Pets, and her engaging banter with fellow bandmates and the audience gives us an insight into the band’s relationships and dynamics.

In stark contrast to Becky’s affable chattiness, Adam remains stoically silent, acknowledging the next track with just a thumbs up, with Becky declaring this as, “the most Yorkshire thing I’ve ever seen you do”. There are some Yorkshire vs. Lancashire dynamics going on.

Exotic Pets’ standout track is ‘Meteor’, with Adam’s vocals enhanced by delay effect on the microphone, giving it a slight Joe Meek edge. However, the biggest response from the night comes for ‘Hot Boys on Campus’ and at the time of writing this is the only Exotic Pets track available to purchase from Bandcamp for a mere £1, or more should you wish. Exotic Pets are the least polished act of the evening, at the moment at least, but it really doesn’t lessen their performance and it’s obvious that they already have a loyal following. An EP is due out next year and I look forward to more adventures in the lives of the band.

In complete contrast to Exotic Pets are Einstellung, reportedly playing live for the first time in about two years. Despite the Germanic sounding name, Einstellung are a four piece from Birmingham formed around 2004. The band are very open about their influences – given the name, plus the fact that their tracks can hit upwards of 15 minutes and all have German titles, then krautrock is one of the more obvious ones. With its members also citing Black Sabbath, My Bloody Valentine and Spiritualized as some of their favourite bands, Einstellung occupies an altogether darker and heavier sound than krautrock bands like Neu!, creating a sound that has been self-described as ‘powerkraut’.

Tonight they produce huge slabs of powerkraut, as wave after wave pummels the audience. One tune leads into another with no gaps in between. Well, virtually no gaps: there’s a point near the end of the set when the briefest of pauses allows the audience members to show their appreciation.Einstellung are a real force to witness in a venue like the Hare and Hounds.

You may think that lengthy instrumentals could get tedious and are something to be endured, but this is not the case at all. Einstellung (and it’s tempting here to now refer to the band as The Mighty Einstellung) are mesmerising live. Tracks start slowly and fairly quietly, with heavy riffs that repeat and build into something quite hypnotic, gathering pace until they can’t be contained, eventually erupting into frantic, unrestrained crescendos. The final tune sees the guitars being throttled into amps to produce wails of feedback. It’s possibly the reason why earplugs were being handed out on the door.

Chatting afterwards to Steve Hough from the band, he is asked why the two year gap between playing live? “We’re lazy, we’re getting older and we have careers”. All of which is fair enough. But he does admit just how it enjoyable it was to get back on stage again. We can but hope that all members of Einstellung enjoyed themselves equally as much, or at least enough to want play live again and soon.

There’s no setlist, apparently there never is, much to the disappointment of my setlist-stealing friend who had managed to nab Exotic Pets’ one earlier. My friend works his magic again with tonight’s headline act and duly obtains said setlist from the stage (after band has finished playing, of course). It’s a wonderful looking document, but given that it’s written in Japanese not particularly useful for reviewing purposes.

Headliners, Touch My Secret, are the second trio of the evening but an altogether different beast to Exotic Pets and, indeed, Einstellung. Labelled as ‘J-Rock’, Touch My Secret inhabit a more traditional power-rock territory compared to fellow compatriot J-rockers Mutant Monster, who they supported at the Hare and Hounds last year.

Touch My Secret are fronted by Anne on guitar and vocals, Chloe on bass, and Louie on drums. But it’s a lone Louie who emerges from the crowd to take up the sticks behind his kit and proceeds to kick things off with a quite magnificent drum solo, heralding the other two members on stage to complete the line-up.

From the start it’s clear that the trio are tremendously talented musicians. Louie’s drumming is outstanding; all drummer jokes are null and void after this opening solo and he doesn’t let up for the rest of the night. Similarly, Anne and Chloe fly around their respective fretboards note perfect with absolute precision. Anne is an exceptionally adept guitarist, with impressive chops that range from chugging power chords, dexterous solos and Eddie Van Halen-style tapping techniques along the neck. She also has the rock star moves down to a tee: foot-on-monitor poses and white Les Paul-style guitar held triumphantly aloft.

It is impressive how three people can make such an immense and powerful noise, but Touch My Secret can and do, yet making it seem so effortless. A few songs under their belts and Anne, apologising for her poor English, but in pretty much perfect English, addresses the audience, “Maybe you can’t understand Japanese lyrics. But fuck it.” She then proceeds to fire up yet another colossal J-rock monster of a tune. She’s right. It doesn’t matter that the lyrics are largely in Japanese and it doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of watching such a high calibre band. Halfway through their set, Touch My Secret do break into English with a fine cover of Hole’s ‘Celebrity Skin’, one of the few times most of the audience can sing along.

Two songs before the end, one of Louie’s snare drums is killed in action; his drumming is too much for the poor snare to take, as he proudly displays the battered and ripped instrument to the crowd. There’s a quick interlude as the snare is replaced and for the first time tonight Touch My Secret come off the accelerator to play a slower, more melodic number. The final song finishes and its cheers and applause all round from the crowd, which is reportedly the biggest audience the band has had so far on this tour.

Touch My Secret are a winner tonight in Birmingham. The city’s growing taste for all things Japanese, along with the influence of Kushikatsu Records, hopefully means that more bands from the Far East will grace midlands venues in the near future.

Touch My Secret @ Hare and Hounds 06.12.17 / Denise Wilson – Birmingham Review

For more on Touch My Secret, visit www.touchmysecret.com

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Einstellung – supporting Touch My Secret @ Hare and Hounds 06.12.17 / Denise Wilson – Birmingham Review

For more on Einstellung, visit www.einstellung.bandcamp.com

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Exotic Pets – supporting Touch My Secret @ Hare and Hounds 06.12.17 / Denise Wilson – Birmingham Review

For more on Exotic Pets, visit www.ex0ticpets.bandcamp.com

For more on Kushikatsu Records, visit www.facebook.com/kushikatsurecords

For more from the Hare and Hounds, including full event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk

December 12, 2017

BREVIEW: Thomas Bock & Edmund Clark: In Place of Hate @ Ikon Gallery – running until 11.03.18

Words by Lucy Mounfield

Ikon Gallery’s latest programme introduces two individual exhibitions, showcasing the work of two seemingly discordant artists, packaged together tonight in a single opening event.

First up is Birmingham-born Thomas Bock (1793-1855), in the inaugural UK exhibition of his work. This collection forms a sort of retrospective, although it mainly spans the period after 1823 when Bock, an illicit abortionist, was convicted of ‘administering herbal concoctions with the intent to induce miscarriage’ and shipped to Australia for fourteen years. Bock was convicted during the tumultuous period of British settlement, and his reputation as one of the most important artists working during the colonial years is clearly identifiable in the many drawings, paintings and photographs on display. These works are in many ways not just a selection of his artistic output during his time in Australia, but a detailing of the sudden and chaotic change in both his personal and public life as a painter.

This sudden shift is made visible in the first room of the exhibition. One wall contains small landscape drawings of English villages and St. David’s Church (early 1820s), which are either quick sketches en plein air or from memory as he was making the journey from Birmingham to Van Dieman’s Land (now known as Tasmania). These works are small, detailed sketches, which showcase Bock’s skill, whilst the simplistic composition evokes the sense that they are distillations of his love for his England – the rural countryside scenes are idyllic as only memories can produce. Opposite are small portraits of aborigines; Larratung (larratong) (1832-1835) and Untitled, Wurati (woreddy) (1831) stare confidently outwards, meeting the gaze of the viewer, whilst forcefully confronting the earlier images of Bock’s homeland on the opposite wall. Wurati has a dominant posture and a commanding presence that confidently acknowledges the pride with which he holds himself. Taken together with the landscape sketches, these images confront the ideology of their time, of the undignified and primitive aboriginal people, and this curatorial trope heightens their aggressive gaze.

The exhibition separates several of Bock’s images into categories such as nudes, frontal portraits, landscapes, portrait profiles and families. Clear contrasts and comparisons are made between the English settlers and the aboriginal people, with the physical juxtapositions seeming to reinforce the democratic way in which Bock depicted both.

There are several pencil drawings of domestic scenes, including Woman and baby (1840), where a young woman is holding a small baby in their home. Here, the domestic space is the female space. Study of an aboriginal family (1832-35) is similar in and style – the small pencil drawing is an intimate depiction of family life. Whereas the English woman and baby are alone in the domestic space, the aboriginal family shows the father holding a spear in the foreground, whilst the mother and small child sit in the background. This is an outdoor scene and one that clearly identifies the roles taken within the family, with the father as the hunter and the mother the caregiver. Bock has treated this image in much the same way as the English familial scene and in doing so has imparted much of their character into the drawings.

There is a depth of warmth in these portraits of aboriginal people. Mithina (1842) is a watercolour portrait of a young Aborigine girl. It is a full-frontal portrait in an oval shape that replicates the intimacy of miniature paintings. The girl is wearing a red dress; her hands are clasped together and she is smiling outwards meeting the gaze of the viewer. Beneath that smile belies a self-consciousness that hints at the awkwardness she must have felt posing for a white man who is clearly in the position of authority, even if he was lower in rank to many of his colonialist countrymen.

In much the same way Bock treated the aborigine portraits, his portraits of the middle-class English women are skilfully treated – accents of white on lace in Woman with bonnet possibly Mrs. Georgina Butler (1840s) add characterful elements to the piece and accentuate her self-importance. However, his portraits of the aborigines are treated with much more depth and understanding. Where the Woman with bonnet included her accoutrements and trappings of wealth, the portraits of aboriginal people hold their weapons and wear their tribal clothing as a badge of honour. Their gaze does not arrest our sympathy, but asks us to look at them as we would our own countrymen and women – not as savages, ‘noble’ or otherwise, but as individuals.

Whilst Bock’s images of aboriginal people can be deemed dignified and aesthetically interesting, they are emblematic of the seriousness with which he took himself as an artist. The three hand-coloured daguerreotypes in the last room of the exhibition hint at his miniaturist background, but show his commitment to developing new techniques and processes. Together with the handwritten personal colour chart, they are evidence that Bock considered himself an artist rather than a convicted criminal. Van Dieman’s Land has become his home rather than his prison, and similarly he depicts the settlers and aboriginal people as individuals with respected traditions rather than as the warden and prisoner binary that so often characterises the period of the British settlement. With Bock’s personal understanding of this situation, he treats the portrait sitters with equal respect.

In much the same way as Bock depicts people as individuals, Edmund Clark, in his exhibition In Place of Hate, reappraises the prison system and the figure of the inmate. Edmund Clark is Ikon’s official artist-in-residence at HMP Grendon in Buckinghamshire, a role he has taken on since 2014 and will continue until 2018. Established in 1962, HMP Grendon uses a democratic and therapeutic approach to enacting punishment, asking the inmates to accept their prison sentence and to take responsibility for their crime.

Clark uses a sequence of rooms to portray the innovative prison system at Grendon. What struck me whilst walking through the rooms was that the structure and layout mirrors Foucault’s theory of the Victorian Panopticon – a prison design in which the centrally located warden can see everything at all times. Clark himself offers this view about the prison system at HMP Grendon:

This panopticon effect can clearly be seen in the second room, which has a circle of chairs with three video monitors on top of them. These video monitors represent the prisoners in group therapy and once I sat down, I too felt compelled to start talking and listening to the voices of the video as if I were joining in. The videos use actors to recreate stories from Greek tragedies. Mythologizing the prisoner’s experiences like this is an interesting way to convey their trauma and background without revealing private information. On the walls around the circle of chairs are posters entitled, ‘Therapeutic Community Model of Change’ and ‘Personality Pathway’. The posters provide a psychological background to the prison system and offer a pattern of abuse that suggests a prisoner has learnt behavioural methods from other people.

The prisoner mug shot is examined as an undermining and problematic image. Clark uses the image of a flower throughout the exhibition, to stand in for the traditional photograph of the prisoner. For me, the flower is a metaphor for how the inmate at HMP Grendon is treated and arguably how the penal system should consider the convicted criminal; much like a flower, the inmate can grow and flourish to their full potential. The first room contains a large white u-shaped structure that displayed pressed flowers. For me, each flower poignantly represents each prisoner at HMP Grendon.

The next room further explores the problematic issue of the public image of the prisoner. Four rectangular screens hang down from the ceiling and each one is playing a video that shows the inside and the outside parameters of the prison building. We see the interior from the perspective of an inmate and some parts of the videos are blurred, which is reminiscent of CCTV footage on news reports where the offender has been pixelated.

What looks like an empty prison building is populated by these pixelated figures, creating an eerie and dystopian atmosphere, ultimately alluding to the erasure of the prisoner from the consciousness of the both the public and the prison system itself. Similarly, the last room projects blurred mug shots of black and white figures onto fabric interspersed with images of flowers. These projections again hang from the ceiling, allowing the viewer to walk among them as if they are people. Our shadows are caught on the fabric and further blur the images. The criminal here appears as an absence. Who are they really? Clark’s exhibition can elicit such questions from the viewer, challenging us to re-evaluate what a prison should do.

The Thomas Bock and Edmund Clark: In Place of Hate exhibitions at Ikon Gallery can be viewed together or separately; they work well in their own right, but taken together can highlight themes of identity and representation. Running both exhibitions concurrently until March 11^th 2018, Ikon has presented a unique and thought-provoking exhibition program.

For more on the Thomas Bock exhibition, visit www.ikon-gallery.org/event/thomas-bock

For more on Edmund Clark: In Place of Hate, visit www.ikon-gallery.org/event/edmund-clark

For more on Edmund Clark. visit www.edmundclark.com

For more from the Ikon Gallery, including full event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.ikon-gallery.org

December 7, 2017December 7, 2017

THE GALLERY: Jaws @ O2 Institute 01.12.17

Words by Ashleigh Goodwin / Pics by Phil Drury

After shuffling to the O2 Institute wrapped in my coat and pushing my face into my scarf, I want nothing more than to sit down by a fire and not move for a few hours.

However, upon entering the venue it’s hard not to adopt the enthusiasm from those also attending the Jaws homecoming tonight; it’s infectious, and as large groups of people snake round the walls for the cloakroom and the merch desk there is definitely an air of excitement (and a bit of pre-emptive screaming).

Heading upstairs, South Londoners Social Contract (described by Jaws as “a bloody great new band”) are starting up and have already attracted a decent cluster. People are scattered around, looking appreciatively at the stage, and throughout their set the room begins to fill up with groups at the back making space for dancing whilst flinging their arms around each other and jumping in unison.

Social Contract deliver a really interesting set, incorporating pop, grunge and a danc-ier edge when performing their debut single, ‘Citizen’, which was released earlier this year. The atmospheric pink lights that stream from the stage only solidify their calm and cool performance, whilst singer Josh drawls “yeah, what’s good?” Although their catalogue of releases is small online, I’d definitely check this band out if you’re a fan of Foals or Bombay Bicycle Club.

Marsicians are the second support, and the crowd responds instantly – if you had no knowledge of the tonight’s show you’d think they were the headlines. Self-described ‘upbeat indie meets dirty pop’, Marsicians perform a strong set giving a slightly Circa Waves vibe and on certain tracks, such as ‘Arms of Another’, James Newbigging’s vocals bare similarity to Matt Healy of The 1975. The set includes tracks such as the insanely catchy ‘Too Good’ and ‘Throw Ourselves In’, all of which incorporate memorable guitar riffs or choruses as well as a feel good vibe – making them translate extremely well in a live space.

The aura from the band is something really special too, they look so completely in their element and I didn’t expect to get so into it, which left me wishing I’d checked Marsicians out prior to tonight. Between the overall chaotic crowd and the flying pints (that didn’t seem to faze them) Marsicians wind down with their last song of the set, ‘Absense’ – an atmospheric slow burn that ends in a medley of guitars. And as cliché as it sounds, you can feel the emotion radiating from the stage and it leaves the crowd completely hyped.

Throngs of people now move around the venue, calculating how and where to get the best view for Jaws. Following this I find my way to the balcony, which is pretty much deserted as the floor below is full of bodies pressed together. The crowd sing enthusiastically to Nirvana and The Darkness in the changeover but surprisingly, the biggest reaction is when Skepta’s ‘That’s Not Me’ begins, with a large bulk of the crowd instantly pushing, shoving and manically jumping around. This preludes Jaws, as the lights fade and people instantly take to their mates shoulders despite the O2 Institute security gesturing for them to get down. Jaws’ sign at the back of the stage lights up and the crowd absolutely lose it as the Birmingham born band now take to the stage.

The opening, swirling, guitar riff to ‘Surround You’ starts and people sing along to the beat whilst the crowd go crazy – pushing and swaying relentlessly, as lead singer Connor Schofield greets the audience with “what you saying Birmingham, we good?” By the time Jaws perform their third song, ‘Think Too Much, Feel Too Little’, from their debut album Be Slowly, it’s hard to tear my eyes away from the crowd; it’s like watching something on fast forward, the atmosphere is electric and when an adventurous audience member jumps on stage mid-set, the trio don’t falter once as the guy bounces and sings all whilst getting escorted off by security.

Through ‘Work It Out’ and ‘What We Haven’t Got Yet’ – from Jaws’ Simplicity album (released early November), pits are created before the songs even start; people sway on their mates shoulders, beer, jackets and even a shoe at one point fly through the air. Schofield relays “you guys have a lot of energy, thanks!” before inviting the crowd to sing through tracks such as ‘17’ after announcing “my voice is fucked, sing along”.

Schofield proclaims, “I don’t know what to say, this is amazing, thanks…it’s nice to be here”, and the trio finish with ‘Be Slowly’, before the lights to down and Jaws disappear off stage after a completely mesmeric set, which of course is met by the “we want more” chant. Before there is time to process, inflatable beach balls are thrown into the audience from the balcony, welcoming Jaws back to the stage as they launch into ‘Donut’ with Schofield saying “let’s enjoy the rest of the evening together” before completing a four-strong encore. Jaws finish on ‘Gold’; the crowd finish with the momentum that they have somehow sustained throughout the whole set.

Seeing Jaws headline in such a large venue as the O2 Institute really does solidify the idea of supporting local acts; tonight you can feel a sense of pride, seeing this Birmingham born band receive such an amazing reception. Their two albums are strong standalones, but whether it’s due to the energetic crowd or just the gig atmosphere that gives their songs a fuller sound, Jaws should definitely be caught live if you ever have the chance.

As tonight’s opening band Social Contract said in their set, “it’s the last day of the Jaws tour…it’s been a fucking great time, we had a blast”, and you only have to look at the crowd streaming out of the O2 Institute at the end of the night to know they did too.

Jaws @ O2 Institute 01.12.17 / Phil Drury – Birmingham Review

For more from Jaws, visit www.jawsjawsjaws.co.uk

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Marsicians – supporting Jaws @ O2 Institute 01.12.17 / Phil Drury – Birmingham Review

For more from Marsicians, visit www.marsicans.co.uk

For more on Social Contract, visit www.soundcloud.com/socialcontractband

For more from Birmingham Promoters, visit www.birminghampromoters.com

For more on the O2 Institute, including venue details, event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.academymusicgroup.com/o2institutebirmingham

December 6, 2017

BPREVIEW: Touch My Secret @ Hare and Hounds 06.12.17

Words by Steve Crawford / Pics courtesy of Ikon Gallery

On Wednesday 6^th December, Kushikatsu Records in collaboration with Orion Live present Japanese power-pop, power-rock trio Touch My Secret at the Hare and Hounds, as part of their December 2017 UK tour. Last seen at the venue as support act to all girl J-Punk group Mutant Monster in November 2016, Touch My Secret now return as headliners in their own right with support from Einstellung and Exotic Pets.

Doors open at 7:30pm, with tickets priced at £11.00 +bf. For direct gig info, including venue details and online ticket sales, click here.

Kushikatsu Records are a Birmingham based label whose frequent trips to Japan have been spent emerged in the Japanese music scene seeking out bands such as Touch My Secret which they promote in the UK to ever growing and appreciative audiences.

The opening act for the evening are Birmingham’s Exotic Pets – a lo-fi, indie, garage trio and no strangers to the Hare and Hounds (and other local venues) having this year supported the likes of Ghosts of Dead Aeroplanes, Soeur and Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam. Their current single ‘Hot Boys on Campus’ is available as a download from Bandcamp.

Following Exotic Pets will be another Birmingham band, Einstellung – formed as an “outlet for its members to blend their record collections”, and a fusion that inspired the creation of what the band have called ‘Powerkraut’ (a name they originally gave to their studio). Citing influences from Neu!, My Bloody Valentine and Black Sabbath, their first release was a 28 minute single entitled ‘Sleep Easy Mr Parker’ in 2006 and have since released three albums: Wings of Desire, The Rest Are Thunder , All and Nothing. Described live as ‘repetitive, hypnotic with a pulsing beat… that climbs towards a thunderous noise freak out’… it might get loud? “Big earplugs!” we’re told by the band in a recent post. You have been warned.

Our headliners for the evening, Touch My Secret formed less than 3 years ago and played their first gig on the 5th March 2015 at the Shibuya Take Off 7 in Tokyo. Since then, the band have recorded and toured across Japan, China and the UK – but also gained a fan base from as far afield as Russia, Mexico and Brazil. Touch My Secret’s debut album, nil, was released less than a year after the band formed – followed by their sophomore mini album, GET YOUR WORLD, which came out in April of this year, featuring the theme from the smartphone game ‘God Eater Online’.

Fronted by vocalist/guitarist Anne, with Chloe on bass and Louie on drums (who’s surnames are kept curiously clandestine) the musically-tight trio play a driven and dynamic guitar based rock with fast but melodic rock-pop hooks and licks. Touch My Secret should prove to be a potent and formidable act to experience live.

‘Revenge’ – Touch My Secret

For more on Touch My Secret, visit www.touchmysecret.com

For more on Einstellung, visit www.einstellung.bandcamp.com

For more on Exotic Pets, visit www.ex0ticpets.bandcamp.com

For more on Kushikatsu Records, visit www.kushikatsurecords.com

For more from the Hare and Hounds, including full event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk