C A T F I S H  A N D  T H E  B O T T L E M E N

Ladies and gentlemen, it's finally time for me to express my utter adoration for the band on everybodies lips at the minute, Catfish and The Bottlemen! With their hit singles, Kathleen and Fallout, recently being buzzed by radio stations and their anticipated album to be out later this year, I'll give you a track by track review of their outstanding 2010 EP- The Beautiful Decay.

I discovered these lads at the back-end of last autumn and since then they've been my favourite band, alongside The 1975, Broken Hands and Arctic Monkeys.
So, without further ado:

BODIES - this track kickstarts the EP with a rocky intro- an almost organised chaos of a clash of instruments. However, just before Van Mccann's vocals there is a definite diminuendo. This allows you to be taken away in the vocals, yet the music is still strong enough for you to get that feeling that only occurs in iconic songs, where you utterly are engrossed by the music (can you tell that I love this EP yet?) 'The things I do just to get you out of those clothes, cause they love my floor' and 'please get me away from him, cause he's starting to do my head right in' are lyrics you can almost hear a huge crowd singing in the back of your mind when you listen to this introduction to a gorgeous EP.

COLLIDE- This could arguably be described to have a more 'classic pop' feel to it. Almost like Scouting for Girls but without token accents and the word 'luvverly'. Much like their other songs, the hooks are brilliant and the chorus is very catchy.


HARLOT - This song opens with 'The Wombats'style backing vocals, with a raspy rock twang. The lyrics are witty and this song is a definite crowd pleaser at gigs. 

TYRANTS- OKAY, everybody sit down and listen up, not only is this my favourite song from this EP, or my favourite song by this band, but it is possibly my favourite song ever. Why? Is it the outstanding hooks? The raspy, gorgeous vocals? Or the beautiful yet relatable lyrics? 'Eyes rolled back, guess we were living fast' 'it was so rare to see you sober, so the street lights will carry us home' 'your divine ribs would help break mine, we hit the ground, yeah let's hit the ground'. I don't know, but what I do know is that this song will go down in history. I also know that this song brings out dance moves in you that were previously exclusive to 13-year-old scene kids. You heard it here first...now all I need to do is get this performed acoustically for me...yes? Yes.

TRIPPIN- this instrumental almost comes hand in hand with Tyrants, and is often played straight into the end. I, however, believe that even on it's own it's a favourite Catfish and The Bottlemen track. Why? Well, there is something very comforting in a classic indie-rock instrumental that perfectly frames the musical talent of each member of the band.

I'll have the pleasure of seeing these lads live at both Tramlines Sheffield and Leeds fest this year, so I'll be sure to give them a live review!

Arctic Monkeys

"Good Evening, Sheffield. We are the Arctic Monkeys- we're from High Green and we're home, baby!"

I had the absolute pleasure of seeing one of my ultimate favourite bands last week- and you know what? I chuffin' loved it. Alex's dancing. Matt's cheeky grin at himself on the big screen. Old Arctic's tunes. Dry ice. AM Hendersons Relish. Adorable apologies. What's not to love?

So how where they live?  I cannot express in words how amazing this gig was without using a few taboos. It was literally the best gig of my life. The local High Green lads (eh? Looks like all the best people come from there, right? *cough cough*...me)had everyone dancing, singing...crying. They pulled out all the old Arctic Monkey's tune with a beautiful setlist. Including, Crying Lightning, Teddy Picker, Cornerstone and even Mardy Bum. With the likes of Arabella, Snap Out of It and No 1 Party Anthem also thrown in. I wouldn't have changed a thing. 
You could really tell how happy the lads were to be back home in the Steel City. With Alex constantly reassuring that, 'we are truly yours Sheffield, but, baby, are you mine?' and wowing us with his frankly...beautiful (?) dance moves. Especially to Don't Sit Down. 
They had literally everybody dancing and smiling, with their beautiful presentation of the songs we all know and love. The vocals, riffs and beats were infaultable. Hats off to you.

Favourite song? It'd be tricky to pick one song, as I adore this band so much. However here is a chart of my general feeling through out each song:

(If you think they're too many tens then I think you underestimate these guys, believe the hype)

To conclude this is the best band I've ever seen and I only wish them the best of wishes for their future.

Track by Track Album Review: The 1975

Album Review: 
The 1975 // The 1975

Well, well, well look who's here again! I just cannot get enough of the Manchester foursome, The 1975!
One thing admirable about The 1975 is the fact that they are so honest with the music that they create. They don't avoid 'touchy subjects' and they create music about real issues/adventures that life involves. Drugs. Love. Sex. So these topics are discussed on the album- which is so refreshing and charming that you can't help but love them! Then at the same time they can pair these lyrics with upbeat tunes of a high quality.
This album ticks ALL the boxes. So, here is my track by track view of the self-titled album!

Rating: *****

'The 1975'
The opening track is here to set the tone for the self-titled album- which it achieves perfectly! This track is short but builds to an epic crescendo which quickly cuts...leaving you excited for what's in store!

'The City'

This song perfectly captures the essence of The 1975. It has a catchy tune,  heavy drums and an infectious beat. The lyrics to this song are flawlessly sung by Matthew Healy who you can't help but sing along with. A round of applause to The 1975, we're already in love. 

'M.O.N.E.Y'

What a song! On only the third track The 1975 throw out some of their best work. 'M.O.N.E.Y' again give us their signature sound and robotic-style harmonies. I get the feeling of some Prince influences from this track- and I'm not complaining! 

'Chocolate'

This track is most likely the most well known song by The 1975- as you can't go a day without hearing it on the radio. The boys caress our ear drums with the amazing tune of this song and catchy guitar hooks. The lyrics tell us of the hinted drug-fueled adventures of the youthful band. It's truly exceptional, honest and a delight to hear. With such lyrics as, 'guns hidden under our petticoats', 'run, run away from the boys in the blue'- which show us how this songs has hints towards the police/law enforcement using their power to control youth. A youth which don't necessarily need controlling.

'Sex'

If you couldn't tell already The 1975 love to tell us a good story, and this song is no exception! You can hear the power in Matthew Healy's voice as he delivers perfect vocals and catchy lyrics. You can tell that this song would be great live- having everybody dancing and singing, 'She's got a boyfriend anyway!'. Awesome.

'Talk!'

'Why you talk so loud?'.This song perfectly showcases Ross McDonald's bass skills. This is a very easy song to get along with and changes from a choppy rhythm to a slow groove. 

'An Encounter'
This track is a very short, almost trippy, interlude. There isn't much to say about it except that it's a good pallet cleanser and refreshes you. 

'Heart Out'
I get a 'Prince-feeling' (if you will) from this track. After being refreshed by the previous track, I really like the song. 

'Settle Down'

Probably my favourite song by The 1975- this is much slower than tracks such as, 'Girls'. When Matty sings, 'For crying out loud, settle down', I cannot help but get chills and want sing with him. 

'Robbers'
'Robbers' is a much calmer song where we get to hear more of Healy's romantic vocals. This song, again, tells us a story which implies violence, drugs and trouble. For me, this is one of the best songs on the album. I adore it.

'Girls'

Wow. Wow. WOW. This song is complete pick me up and a definite favourite. I'm not sure if it's the handy work of Adam Hann or the catchy lyrics but this song is truly something else. It's a contrast with the previous calmer track, but this colourful injection is not one that would go without a miss. Whether or not it's intentional I can hear the sound of Cyndi Lauper in here, 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun', even though the lyrics hold the antheisis of Cyndi's hit.

'12'

Much like the opening track, '12' is short, but most definitly sweet. 

'Menswear'

Such a cool track. It really grabs your interest and I love the line, 'Why don't you talk to Matty about it?'.It makes you feel involved in the song which bursts into life after a synthesized introduction. Again, we get a mention of drugs in here- a running and refreshingly honest theme that The 1975 involve.

'Pressure'

I believe that this track could quite easily be about the pressure of suddenly being a band that has gone from playing together in Matty's bedroom to having a world tour. However, we are promised, 'There's a change in pressure, we're never gonna le to you'.
This is quite a laid-back song but with the same The 1975 beat. This track is very inspiring. This song is great to listen to when you're studying as it's not too 'dance-around-your-room-happy' but isn't 'sit-and-think-about-the-meaning-of-life-laidback'. A quality track.

'Is There Somebody Who Can Watch You'
This is the big finale for an exceptional album. You can really hear the emotion in Healy's voice and tell that the lyrics come from close to the heart. This song is almost a lullaby, a great send off to a great album.

BUY THE ALBUM HERE!

*********************
102
This is a beautiful song, you can hear the raw emotion in Healy's voice as he executes, 'you yapping on about him'. It is relatable to anyone who has ever been in the chokehold of unrequited love. Possibly my faovurite song of all time.