7th September 2018 – Vallance Records
They’ve barely been around five minutes: having formed in 2015 and releasing their debut EP, Fifteen Minutes in April last; they’ve since played a bunch of festivals, built an admirable fanbase and scored critical backing, too. The tour in support of the new EP includes a headline show at London’s 100 Club.
‘Wannabees’ sneers at there ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ pop culturites over a glammy stomper of a riff. I could scoff at the irony given the band’s relative newness, but it’s the megalomaniac confidence that’s part of their appeal. If a new band doesn’t believe their the best band in the world, who else is going to have belief in their capacity for global domination? It certainly worked for Oasis. So yes, Sisteray have all the attitude, but they’ve got the songs, too: they’re bratty, confrontational articulate, channelling all of the best elements of punk from the last forty years and distilling them into punchy, hooky bursts of guitar-driven antagonism that sticks it to the man and the mainstream, while still being accessible.
Is there a contradiction in rebelling and still having a certain (alternative) commercial appeal? Not necessarily: having a message of dissent can only have an effect if it can reach an audience. So much the better if you can deliver the message in two and a half minutes, which is the average running time for the songs here.
‘We ain’t your target market’ they holler on the fiery socio-political rant of ‘Algorithm Prison’ before the title track – which could be seen as something of a signature tune, while at the same time referencing back to the song that gave them their name – powers through with a driving riff and a relentless bassline.
It’s rough ‘n’ ready, immediate, and to the point. And it’s exciting. Sisteray are a band you can believe in.
AA
Aural Aggravation 