SINGLE: Four Sides and a Pointed Top – Ed Geater featuring VITAL 27.09.19

Words by Ed King / Pics courtesy of Bona Fide Mangement

I’ll be honest, when I read ‘a hip-hop infused pop jam’ on the promo copy for Ed Geater’s latest single… my heart sank. It’s the first track of his new EP, IN, coming out on 1st November, and something about this six word description just didn’t sit right.

But why? Geater has embraced hip hop across his portfolio, whilst VITAL (the MC who appears with Geater on ‘Four Sides and a Pointed Top’) is an artist that will always grab my attention. And despite Geater’s six string melodies that have tugged at my heart so beautifully before, the man is an awesome beatboxer – as well as a seasoned champion of Birmingham’s roots and rhyme scene. If anything, I should be excited about the words ‘hip hop infused’ and complicit about it being a ‘pop jam’ (I have learned through heartbreak, long car journeys, endless decorating, and significant amounts of whiskey on my own that even I can find some pleasure in some ‘pop’). No, I can live with all of that. So, again, why the rock in my stomach…?

The truth is, right now, I’m a little scared of change. I’m tired, and in the hushed words of half of the Game of Thrones cast… winter is coming. My cultural and emtional shutters have come down and I want obvious familiarity, I want comfort. I want red wine in musical form. I don’t want to think, feel or challenge myself in any way. I want Ed Geater to do what Ed Geater has done for me before so I can lazily roll over and demand my brain cell absent belly rub. And OK, perhaps I had some issues at the term ‘pop jam’.

‘Four Sides and a Pointed Top’ starts with a short, echoed, guitar riff – quietly clinging to the background. Then an orchestrated cacophony slides into the spotlight, with Geater’s trademark acoustic splendour and broken beat backbone making the fire brighter and the hearth all the warmer for it. To continue the metaphor. But the real power and beauty comes at 16secs in, when Geater’s vocals strut confidently across the track – with a timbre comparatively unrecognised but sounding gloriously mature. I honestly had to double check it was him. It is. And it’s good, from growling deep to falsetto… it’s so, so good.

The music, melody and production then lead the charge. We are treated to a second verse, a second chorus. And just past the two minute mark VITAL steps in with a brief but quietly ferocious verse, delivered with the confidence of man in full control of his lyrics and voice. Tempered, beautifully tempered; it sits as the perfect jewel in this collaborative crown and a direct reminder of the vulnerability that even the strongest of us can suffer. It is also the beginning of the end, as all aspects are embraced for the final run and we are softly reminded that Geater has, in fact, been beatboxing throughout.

‘Four Sides and a Pointed Top’ is one of Ed Geater’s most accomplished tracks; it’s near perfect. The only real downside is that I’d like it to be longer, not as the uber-radio friendly 3min 21secs song that is has been gifted to us as. I’d also like to hear more from VITAL (their voices blend wonderfully) and the subject matter could be a little more prominent for a narrative junkie such as myself.

Plus, my future self is now wondering how it will sit alongside the other two tracks when Geater‘s IN EP is released at the beginning of November. But that’s the strategist in me. Right now, I’m just happy. I’m lying on the sofa with the following YouTube link on repeat. I’m warm; I’m content. And there’s not a trace of stone in my chest.

‘Four Sides and a Pointed Top – Ed Geater, featuring VITAL

Ed Geater releases his latest single, ‘Four Sides and a Pointed Top’, on 27th September – out via Bronx Records. Ed Geater will be releasing his new EP, IN, on Friday 1st November. For more on Ed Geater, visit www.edgeater.co.uk

For more on VITAL, visit www.IAmVITAL.co.uk

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NOT NORMAL NOT OK is a campaign to encourage safety and respect within live music venues, and to combat the culture of sexual assault and aggression – from dance floor to dressing room.

To learn more about the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here. To sign up and join the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here.

If you have been affected by any of the issues surrounding sexual violence – or if you want to report an act of sexual aggression, abuse or assault – click here for information via the ‘Help & Support’ page on the NOT NORMAL NOT OK website.

SINGLE: ‘Hate Myself’ – Hannah Brown 20.09.19

Words by Ed King

On Friday 20th September, Hannah Brown releases her latest single – the somewhat troublingly titled, ‘Hate Myself’. Released via Brown’s own social media you can grab yourself a stop, look and listen courtesy of Soundcloud – click here or link below/ablum artwork to you left.

Launching off with a pop punk riff that makes me think of skateboards and summer, Brown’s latest single sounds more like a trailer for an American coming of age melodrama than a piece of emotional seppuku.

It’s fun, it’s vibrant; it has that slight staccato chord progression that makes me look back at my teenage years and sigh into my shoulder. But don’t be fooled, this single is entrails on the floor with a wry ‘yes, it’s your fault’ look as the last breath becomes a rattle… a fuck you, plainly put. And one that should make all those erstwhile school ‘friends’ wait nervously for the name drop.

But this isn’t a song about revenge, it’s about strength. ‘Hate Myself’, it’s quite clear; Brown is shining the light bright in her own face and casting shadows of the past that she wants kept rightfully behind her, where shadows belong. Lasting three and a half minutes, and bouncing through trauma and trouble, the song holds no punches. Especially when to the gut. It even proudly declares in its press release: ‘Hannah begins to let go of the power others previously had over the way she viewed herself, breaking the cycle that had bound her for years.’ So yeah, just in case it wasn’t clear before… fuck you.

‘Hate Myself’ continues Brown’s tradition of visceral lyrics and public therapy. But with no doom, gloom, or long sleeves in summertime to save an awkward downwards glance – this is empowerment. ‘Hate Myself’ doesn’t wallow in self-pity, it takes the bile, gives it a name, then throws it in the right direction. It’s a clarion call for the right of the righteous, as the chorus begins and ends: “I already hate myself, I don’t need anyone else… I don’t want to hate myself anymore.”

Brown is one of the more accomplished and hard working artists in the Midlands, having built her initial six string reputation into a ferocious full band sound; her material is valid and exciting. And fresh. Recent singles ‘So Should You’ and ‘Further Away’ have continued the melodic rock vibe from her awesome 2016 EP, Better for This – with melody and strong vocals leading throughout her work. And Brown’s live performances relay something so special it just can’t be recorded.

‘Hate Myself’ has been described as the single that has taken Brown ‘from folk singer songwriter to indie rocker’, and it’s certainly as radio friendly as such self-analysis is ever going to be. But hooking her work onto a genre shift doesn’t catch it for me.

What we’re witnessing, what we’re privy too, are the cracks in a chrysalis. And with this much honesty already seeping through we’re watching something of beauty start screaming to fly.

‘Hate Myself’ – Hannah Brown.

Hannah Brown releases ‘Hate Myself’ on Friday 20th September, available to stream for free via her Soundcloud page – click here. For more on Hannah Brown, including gig info and other releases, visit www.hannah-brown.co.uk 

Hannah Brown will be playing at the NOT NORMAL NOT OK live gig fundraiser on 25th October at Centrala, alongside Flight Brigade and Lycio. Click here for more direct gig info and links to online ticket sales, via the Facebook event page

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NOT NORMAL NOT OK is a campaign to encourage safety and respect within live music venues, and to combat the culture of sexual assault and aggression – from dance floor to dressing room.

To learn more about the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here. To sign up and join the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here.

If you have been affected by any of the issues surrounding sexual violence – or if you want to report an act of sexual aggression, abuse or assault – click here for information via the ‘Help & Support’ page on the NOT NORMAL NOT OK website.

SINGLE: ‘Lost’ – Fat Cat 20.09.19

Words by Nikki Ruijter / Photography by Matt Crockford

The crooner vocals have been traded in for the romanticisation of Birmingham, putting down the thesaurus of pet names and instead creating a narrative that embodies the sounds of the city in Fat Cat‘s latest single ‘Lost’.

The four-piece have moved from over-sexualised pop vibes to tight alternative rock. The song is a swirling ballad, ear-worming its way into your head, reminiscent of a late Kings of Leon belter; the chord progression through the lead guitar and a punchy chorus that repeats itself neatly cements the track as one to be remembered.

‘Lost’ stands apart from Fat Cat‘s previous releases in this way, it captures a story and the essence of a city they are a part of. ‘Lost’ is the tall, dark, mysterious man standing at the end of the bar, whereas ‘Corner Room, Change in Mind’ and ‘Josie Moon’ is the guy telling you to smile more.

The composition, narrative and overall sound of Fat Cat’s latest single marks an exciting maturing of the band. ‘Lost’ is a slick new offering from Fat Cat, showing they’ve found themselves as a group – stepping up for their growing following, proving they’ve got much more to give.

‘Lost’ – Fat Cat

‘Lost’ is released on Friday 20th September. For more on Fat Cat, visit www.facebook.com/thatfatcatband 

Fat Cat will be performing at The Victoria on the same Friday, alongside Bermuda, The Serpents, Afterglow and China Moon – as promoted by The Future Sound Project. For more gig information, click here to visit the Facebook event page.

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NOT NORMAL NOT OK is a campaign to encourage safety and respect within live music venues, and to combat the culture of sexual assault and aggression – from dance floor to dressing room.

To learn more about the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here. To sign up and join the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here.

If you have been affected by any of the issues surrounding sexual violence – or if you want to report an act of sexual aggression, abuse or assault – click here for information via the ‘Help & Support’ page on the NOT NORMAL NOT OK website.

SINGLE: Miranda – Sam Hollis

Words by Charlie Culverhouse

Sam Hollis released his debut album, If Ever, Could You Imagine?, earlier this year and isn’t wasting anytime releasing even more music. His new single, ‘Miranda’ – featuring Harry Price, Lewis Pick and Nep, produced by Hollis and Ego Boy – doesn’t disappoint.

‘Miranda’ follows the same new wave/low-fi jazz genre that Hollis so effortlessly pulls off, the chorus effect that dominates the guitar works perfectly to create this atmospheric indie sound. The vocals are so incredibly smooth and soft; Nep and Hollis’ voices work beautifully against one another – a great collaborative sound that fits this song perfectly.

The drum pattern defines the change between verse and chorus, starting with minimalistic electronic percussion then transitioning into a more jazz inspired acoustic beat that complements the style of the guitar.

On his debut album, Hollis bought together people from across the globe to collaborate and create music – Nep featured on the track ‘All That I Want’. It’s good to see that Hollis clearly has a passion for involvement in music; Nep is a young American girl who has only released one original song as of yet, but has featured on three other albums and singles as well as ‘Miranda’. Hollis using his platform to share this girl’s voice represents one of music’s most important achievements – inclusion.

‘Miranda’ is incredibly relaxing whilst also being an interesting listen, something I think is relatively hard to achieve. The lyrics sang in this soft outspoken manner read very intelligently, the song writing telling a story that makes you think and feel – but not too much.

It’s easy to see and hear that Sam Hollis has a crazy amount of passion for music, which he backs up with great talent both in writing and performing.

Sam Hollis releases his latest single, ‘Miranda’, on Friday 2nd August – available through the usual online platforms. For more on Sam Hollis, visit www.soundcloud.com/samhollis-2

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NOT NORMAL NOT OK is a campaign to encourage safety and respect within live music venues, and to combat the culture of sexual assault and aggression – from dance floor to dressing room.

To learn more about the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here. To sign up and join the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here.

If you have been affected by any of the issues surrounding sexual violence – or if you want to report an act of sexual aggression, abuse or assault – click here for information via the ‘Help & Support’ page on the NOT NORMAL NOT OK website.

INTERVIEW: The Cosmics

Interview by Abi Whistance/To the Local – Pic by Jessica H Ingram Photography

In June 2019, The Cosmics released their self-titled debut EP – a six track eponymous monster of noise rock, twisted indie, a splodge of Mazzy Star and some of the fastest guitar feet in the Midlands. We salute you and your ten toes Mr Boyle (the one standing up).

Celebrating with an out of town gig at Hackney’s The Old Blue Last on the BIG DAY itself, The Cosmics had previously introduced their new material with a launch party for the EP’s lead single, ‘Trust is Blind’, at The Sunflower Lounge back in November 2018.

A step away from the DIY garage rock that they started with, through singles such as their 2016 debut ‘Johnny’, the gig was a chance for their home town crowd to get a live look at The Cosmics’ new material – to read Ed King’s Birmingham Review of ‘Trust is Blind’, click here.

But never ones to rest of their laurels for too long, The Cosmics laid out a diary chock full of dates across the UK and Europe to promote their EP – bouncing around from Birmingham, Manchester, Brighton, London, Belgium and Paris until July this year.

And as their latest single, ‘Eyes’, grabs the attention of Radio 1, The Cosmics are coming back to Blighty to support Table Scraps at the Hare & Hounds on Friday, 26 July – with local prog/psych rockers, Nosuch, also performing.

Abi Whistance and To the Local (with Birmingham Review holding the camera case) caught up with The Cosmics the last time they were at the Hare & Hounds, supporting Feels, in June – grabbing a few words with the Birmingham three piece before the headed out on stage. Watch the full interview below.

Interview with The Cosmics @ Hare & Hounds 30.06.19 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRYdhr2KRzo

The Cosmics’ debut, self-titled EP is out now – available to stream through Spotify, with limited edition vinyl available through The Cosmics’ social media. For more on The Cosmics, visit www.facebook.com/thecosmicsband