Posts Tagged ‘Post-Punk’

The Funeral March of the Marionettes – It All Falls Apart

Posted: 11 March 2025 in Albums, Reviews
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14th March 2025

Christopher Nosnibor

While the early- to mid-80s is considered by many to be the ‘golden age of goth’, 87-88 were pretty good years, too, and saw some of the first wave of bands breaking through commercially… It was at this time, with the release of Floodland and Children that The Sisters of Mercy and The Mission, respectively, broke big in the charts, and being 12/13 at the time, this was when my eyes – and ears – were opened to a whole new world of music. And so it was, too, that things really started to happen across the pond, too, and it was in 1987 that saw the formation of The Funeral March of the Marionettes, often referred to as The Funeral March.

There may well be a whole thing about how goths are obsessed with death, as even the band’s name suggests, but this release arrives in a genuinely sad context, namely the passing of founder and front man Joe Whiteaker from pancreatic cancer in his mid-fifties. With every year that passes, it becomes apparent that the people who are dying are closer to our own age, are our peers, or close to. But the fact Joe did complete the recording of It All Falls Apart is something to celebrate. Many of us ponder our legacy: what is it that we leave behind?

The Funeral March are drawing the curtain on a thirty-seven year career with what may be their finest work to date.

They started out, like so many gothy / post-punk inspired acts, drawing inspiration from seminal English acts like Bowie, The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, and Joy Division. The band’s name, meanwhile, was a nod to Charles Gounod’s ‘Funeral March of a Marionette’, best known as the theme music for TV’s Alfred Hitchcock Presents. And truth be told, this is all pretty standard: marionettes seem to be part of textbook goth catalogue: There was The Marionettes, for a start who started life as The Screaming Marionettes in ’86, and when you chuck all the words into a goth band name generator, let’s not forget Screaming Banshee Aircrew… So much goth seems to thrive on derivation.

It All Falls Apart brings with it a certain familiarity by necessity, really. But this release sees them push the boundaries rather more, forging their own identity more strongly than ever before. It’s a sign of artistic growth: many artists – regardless of medium, be it music, writing, visual arts – begin by learning from their precursors, leaning on their influences, and finding one’s own voice takes time and confidence. It’s also an album of two halves – essentially an EP and a remix EP, but again, in context, it feels appropriate.

So if ‘Starts at Night’ brings hints of The Mission’s ‘Sacrilege’ or ‘Amphetamine Logic’ by The Sisters, perhaps even Skeletal Family’s ‘Promised Land’, all of which are killer by virtue of the complex picked lead guitar parts, it’s equally worth noting just how hard it blasts out of the gates. Pow! It’s the drums that really make this one. More Danse Society circa Seduction than anything else than comes to mind, it packs all the power up front, and that impact really lands strongly.

All of the ‘standard’ goth tropes are present and correct, from the loping, dynamic drums, the chiming, chorus-rich guitars, and thumping down-on-the-floor bass, but their execution is exemplary. This is the sound of a band who are intensely honed and striding confidently through all aspects of songwriting and production. It’s the thinking bass that really makes ‘Shadow Games’, but with its chiming guitars and vocal inflections, it ventures into the territory of classic contemporary post-punk, in the way that the likes of Interpol have built on the foundations of Joy Division without being a carbon copy, and the energetic chorus calls to mind White Lies at their best. It’s not that The Funeral March have abandoned their roots here, but that they’ve cut loose and taken flight.

‘Save Us’ is more driving, more hard-hitting, more overtly post -punk than goth, bit it’s also dark, snarly, proper rock ‘n’ roll, the sound of leather jeans and legs akimbo, and a contrast with the more overtly atmospheric but no less punchy ‘Bobblehead’. As for the title track… well. It feels like the finale, and, with the benefit of hindsight, the farewell. Stretching out to six minutes, it’s the perfect blend of guitars, shimmering in waves of treble an reverb, atop the phattest drums and underpinned by a thick bass. It’s goth perfection and would have been at home on the recent album by Pink Turns Blue. It All Falls Apart is appropriately titled, as it turns out.

The quality is consistent throughout, and the remixes are actually nice additions here, making All Falls Apart a superb addition to the band’s catalogue, we can only speculate on what they might have done next, but All Falls Apart feels like the perfect way to finish a career.

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Listen: ‘Safe Routes (single version)’ by Knitting Circle

Posted: 8 March 2025 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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‘Safe Routes’ encourages an end to all arms sales everywhere, and an end to all wars! No borders! 100% of proceeds from Bandcamp sales (after fees) will be donated to Campaign Against Arms Trade.

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Feather Trade / Suspicious Liquid / Different State / Averno – The Fulford Arms, York, 6th March 2025

Posted: 7 March 2025 in Live
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Christopher Nosnibor

This is another of the outstanding ‘four bands for the price of a pint at the O2’ nights that’s become a consistent feature at The Fulford Arms in recent months, and the fact that previous outings have demonstrated that Feather Trade are worth easily double that on their own makes this an absolute must.

Tonight’s outing for post-punk 80s jangle indie five-piece Averno is rough round the edges, with a slightly scronky bass sound, and they sound – and sure, I’m showing my age here – like bands sounded in the 80s and 90s before everything got ultra-polished. Something happened along the way, where nearly every pub band came to display the slickness of arena bands. Historically, even big bands might hit bum notes, sound a bit flat or ropey, and we embraced it because it was liv and it wasn’t expected to sound like the studio version. Averno do sound a shade ramshackle, but the sound improved and their confidence visibly grew as the set progressed, and the appeal here is that they sound… real. They don’t hit any bum notes, and they look and sound stronger this time around.

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Averno

Grunge power trio Different State bring keen melodies and dark undercurrents – there are hints of 8 Storey Window and Bivouac alongside the obvious Nirvana nods, and the riffs are proper chunky. I reckon the drummer thought he got away with dropped stick twizzle in the second song… but he certainly recovered it well. In terms of performance, sound quality, in fact, absolutely everything, although they may not give us anything we haven’t heard before (I had to check to see if I’d seen them before, and I haven’t, and was simply experiencing that deva-vu that reverberates with certain types of bands), they did turn in an outstanding performance that made it feel like we were in a substantially larger venue.

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Different State

And then came Suspicious Liquid, who proved to be the revelation of the night. THIS is a band. And what a band. Unprepared, I wasn’t the only one to stand, jaw ajar, marvelling at the all-round magnificence of this act. Ostensibly, they’re a hard rock act, but they’re so much more, and they do it all so well. The soaring vocals are simply breathtaking – at times verging on the operatic, but also gutsy, and they sit well with the instrumentation, which is dark, with gothic hints, hitting full-on witchy metal and at times bringing big, beefy, Sabbath-esque riffs. At times, I’m reined of The Pretty Reckless, but Suspicious Liquid are way better, and way more dynamic. The vocalist is a strong focal point visually, but it’s her phenomenal vocals which really captivate. Unusually, in context, the front row is predominantly female, and this speaks significantly about not only the band but the fact the venue feels like a safe space – and it’s a space to watch high drama delivered with real weight and a rare assurance. It’s an immensely powerful set, and it’s not a huge stretch to imagine Suspicious Liquid touring nationally or being signed to a label like New Heavy Sounds.

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Suspicious Liquid

Just as some say that everything is better with bacon, it’s a musical fact that everything sounds better with reverb – and when it’s loud. Feather Trade have great songs and great style, but fully appreciate the additional benefits of reverb. They’ve sounded great every time I’ve seen them: they’re simply a quality band, who have survived every single spanner thrown into their works to emerge triumphant. Perhaps were it not for the spanners, they’d be headlining the O2 instead of The Fulford Arms – by rights they should be, because they’re that good, and tonight, the sound and the feel is more like a Brudenell gig than The Fulford Arms. Put simply, Feather Trade sound immense. Dense, layered guitar defines the sound, propelled by sturdy drumming and a tight, throbbing bass. There are no weak elements.

‘Dead Boy’ is a raging celebration of cancer survival which absolutely melts in tsunami of noise, a full on squall akin to The Jesus and Mary Chain, and with motorik drum-pad beats, and a huge squalling mesh of treble-loaded, reverb-drenched, and everything at a hundred decibels is reminiscent of A Place to Bury Strangers.

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Feather Trade

‘Trump hate song’ (as they pitch it) ‘Lord Have Mercy’ is absolutely blistering, while in contrast, penultimate song ‘Hold’ is altogether poppier and ventures into anthemic territory. It’s no criticism when I say it reminds me of Simple Minds but way heavier. It is a brain-meltingly strong performance, yielding a colossal wall of sound, ear-shredding, treble-laden reverb on reverb. Volume is not substitute for skill, of course, but it can optimise the intensity of a strong performance – and this was a strong performance, the kind of experience that leaves you in a headspin, utterly blown away. These guys deserve to be as huge as they sound.

Pink Turns Blue – Black Swan

Posted: 3 March 2025 in Albums, Reviews
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28th February 2025

Christopher Nosnibor

It seems quite remarkable that Pink Turns Blue are still going a full forty years on from their formation in Berlin in 1985. Starting out as a duo consisting of Thomas Elbern (vocals and guitars), Mic Jogwer (vocals, bass and keyboards) and a drum machine, they’re considered a part of Germany’s first wave of gothic rock.

The history of goth is certainly a divergent one: the hotbed of dark post-punk that was Leeds in the early 80s spawned a host of bands approximately simultaneous with the emergence of The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Germany latched on to them and The Sisters of Mercy early on – so in relative terms 1985 feels like being late to the party. But at the same time, this was a peak year for goth across the continent.

As a personal aside, despite being deep into my goth once I discovered The Sisters and The Mission in 87/88 (late? I was 12/13 and simply too young to be into anything other than Duran Duran and Madness in 84-85) my introduction to Pink Turns Blue was 1994’s Sonic Dust, which was floating around at the second-hand record shop I worked at on weekends. It very much sounded like the indie stuff of the time, but perhaps with a dark edge, but gave no hint of the band’s history.

Since then, they’ve returned to their roots somewhat, and Tainted (2021) was a dark, brooding masterpiece which largely went under the radar, largely like the band’s output as a whole. But while latter-day acts like Editors and Interpol draw the media and commercial attention, Pink Turns Blue just keep on. And Black Swan is a classic addition to their catalogue.

The chiming, picked guitar of ‘Follow Me’, brings an instant pang of melancholy. The rippling synths and crisp drums make everything tight and the sadness begins to permeate. It’s a wistful, reflective sensation: this is where Pink Turns Blue excel. Their songs are drenched with an aching weight.

Jogwer’s clipped vocal delivery sits perfectly with the rolling bass and insistent rhythms, which underpin guitars which wash and chug in neatly-orchestrated duels. And so it is that Pink Turns Blue make music that’s dynamic, exciting, and sad, at the same time.

Single cut ‘Can’t Do Without You’ is simultaneously perfect pop and melancholy indie, and ‘Dancing Wirth Ghosts’, another single, brings the jangle of The Sisters’ First and Last and Always in a style that’s reminiscent of ‘Walk Away’ and ‘No Time to Cry’. Because it’s still possible to be pop and intense and claustrophobic. ‘Fighting for the Right Side’ steps things up and punches hard.

‘Why Can’t We Just Move On’ reminds me more of Slow Readers Club, dark-inflected indie / alternative, with a vibe that balances mellowness and melancholy with a certain tension, and this is really where Pink Turns Blue excel. The title track – by far the album’s longest song, clocking in at nearly six minutes – really taps into emotional undercurrents with its downtempo, reflective styling. There’s no one thing that one can identify as the thing – it’s all about the mood, the delivery. It goes beneath the surface, resonates on a level that’s beyond the articulation of cause and effect: it’s simply achingly sad, but at the same time, utterly beautiful.

Pink Turns Blue have a quite unique take on mid-80s post-punk / goth, and unlike many of the bands which emerged from the class of ‘85-’87, they don’t conform to the clichés to the tropes, the template which became predictable and tedious so quickly, and yet has endured, with every other band doing doomy baritone, aping Craig Adams’ bass pinned to a thumping drum machine. And this is integral to their enduring appeal. They don’t carbon copy The Sisters of Mercy, they’re not another Rose of Avalanche. Yes, they do incorporate certain elements, as ‘Please Don’t Ask Me Why’, with its thumping bass groove and chorus-heavy guitars evidences, but at the same time, they do something different and sound uniquely Pink Turns Blue, and it’s not only the German inflection. Again, it’s not easy to pinpoint the difference: the simple fact is that it’s tangible. Black Swan is a great album: it’s consistent, it’s got mood and feeling, and has something that’s just beyond reach, and that is magic.

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WMTID – Finding The Ai G-Spot

Posted: 2 March 2025 in Albums, Reviews
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1st March 2025

Christopher Nosniboir

Richard Rouska is something of a cult legend in his own lifetime: back in the 80s he was pivotal in the Leeds zine scene, documenting the emerging post-punk movement Leeds remains so renowned for, in real-time, subsequently writing a number of books. Along the way, he’s made some music of his own, recently making Well Martin This is Different his primary focus, with some prolific results. Finding The Ai G-Spot is WMTID’s fifth since their inception in the mid-late eighties, and serves up a set of remixes, with proceeds from any donations going to the Throat Cancer Fund.

And yes, it certainly is different, and that’s clear from the get-go. WMTID’s music is essentially electronica, but draws on a host of elements which have their origins in different decades and different scenes. I will admit that I misread the title as Finding The Ali G-Spot initially. Ai-iit! But while this album draws on a huge array of influences, you won’t find any naff cultural appropriations.

‘The Prince is Dead (Again)’ is a twisted hybrid of lo-fi post-punk, 80s electronic industrial (think Wax Trax! stuff in the late 80s / early 90s), space rock, and Krautrock, a motorik groove stricken through with some wild orchestral strikes and multi-layered vocals – and this is to an extent the template: ‘03:33 Time’s Up’ is exactly the same duration as the original version (‘333’) which appeared on I Know What You Are But Who Am I? in the Autumn of 2024, tweaked to optimise the hypnotic rhythm and detached-sounding vocals. The result is somewhere between DAF and early Human League. ‘Deep Down Low II’ – again reworking a track from I Know What You Are goes full-on techno / cybergoth stomper, with industrial-strength beats pounding away relentlessly. It works so well because it doesn’t take from the original, instead simply rendering it… more. More. MORE! And I want MORE!

There are hints of both KMFDM and very early New Order about ‘It’s (Another) Lovely Day’, but then, it’s as much a work of buoyant lo-fo indie and bedroom pop, while ‘Little Bombshells’ comes on a bit Prodigy, but again, a bit technoindustrial, and a bit kinda oddball, bleepy, bloopy, twitchy, stuttery, the vocals quavering in a wash of reverb as crashes of distortion detonate unexpectedly. Elsewhere, ‘Waiting For The End…’ goes dark and low and robotic, and ‘Three O’Clock Killer’ is hyperactive and warped, and brings menacing lyrics atop a baggy 90s beat.

It really is all going on here, and the end result feels like a wonderfully eclectic celebration of music, articulated through some quite simple compositions, all of which have solid grooves providing the backbone of each.

My general opinion of remix albums is widely documented and not entirely enthusiastic, but Finding The Ai G-Spot is a rare exception, mostly because it doesn’t feel like a remix album an doesn’t offer three or four unnecessary and unrecognisable versions of each song, boring the arse off all but the most obsessive fan. In fact, if you’re not up to speed on WMTID’s output – and there’s a fair chance you may not be, to be fair – Finding The Ai G-Spot offers a neat entry point and summarises the last couple of albums nicely, too.

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Watch: ‘Can’t Do Without You’ by Pink Turns Blue

Posted: 1 March 2025 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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Friday 28 February brought the new  Black Swan album from German post-punk / darkwave legacy band PINK TURNS BLUE , which is released on limited edition vinyl, CD and digitally via Orden Records. They simultaneously unveiled the video for the focus track ‘Can’t Do Without You’, a song about the increasing polarization of society, the counterproductive nature of dismissing opposing viewpoints, and a plea for unity and understanding in a world marked by division.

Watch the video here below… album review to follow…

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Watch: ‘Just a Girl’ by The Bolshoi Brothers

Posted: 26 February 2025 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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It seems like all of the bands of yesteryear are resurfacing in some form or another right now.

Indie rock duo The Bolshoi Brothers present their new single ‘Just a Girl’, previewing their debut eponymous album, set for release on March 21. The accompanying video is an appealing black and white visual vignette, filmed by Matus Foris and Vegas Storm and featuring Nova Clark as ‘The Girl’.

Now based in the USA, The Bolshoi Brothers is made up of Trevor Tanner and Paul Clark, both original members of legendary Beggars Banquet-signed 80s new wave band The Bolshoi. The two hadn’t recorded or played together since the band’s fateful breakup 35 years ago. Due to working on this album during Covid lockdowns, they recorded the tracks remotely from their respective home studios – Trevor in Florida and Paul in Seattle.

“Working with Trevor again after a significant hiatus was akin to find a little gate behind the bushes at the end of the garden that leads into a whole new world. Within days of passing rough musical ideas back and forth, we were making great music again, created at a time when the world was in lockdown, with a pandemic and all that comes with it, creating fear and confusion,” says Paul Clark.

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Watch: ‘Walk Into The Sea’ by Well Martin This Is Different

Posted: 24 February 2025 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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Yes, this is indeed different… no commentary – just check it out… recommended:

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The Bordellos (with Dee Claw) / Neon Kittens – Half Man Half Kitten

Posted: 21 February 2025 in Albums, Reviews
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Cruel Nature Records – 21st February 2025

Christopher Nosnibor

This split release has a lengthy backstory, which is given in full on the label’s Bandcamp page – but the short version is that when York’s Neon Kittens (how had I not heard (of) them, given that they appear to be from round my way and absolutely my bag? I feel ashamed, and fear I cannot even remotely claim to have the finger on the pulse of my local scene right now – but still, better late than never, right?) approached The Bordellos about a collaboration, the latter, having taken an eternity to only half-finish their current album-in-progress, some ten years after the release of will.i.am, you’re really nothing, offered everything they had for a split release. And lo, this is it.

I suppose the eight songs Neon Kittens have contributed here provide a solid starting point to their rapidly-expanding catalogue, and being paired with The Bordellos works a treat. Both espouse the same lo-fi DIY ethic, with a certain leaning toward indie with a trashy punk aesthetic.

That the cassette edition sold out on advance orders hints at the anticipation for the release: for, as The Bordellos describe themselves as being ‘ignored by millions, loathed by some, loved by a select few’, when you’ve got a small but devoted following, they get pretty excited for new material.

‘Set Your Heart to the Sun’ is perfectly representative of their scratchy, harmony-filled indie – kinda jangly, a tad ramshackle, but direct, immediate. Dee Claw’s airy vocal contributions really lift the sound and raise the melodic aspects of the songs. Not all of the songs have full drum-kit percussion, often favouring tambourine or bongos or seemingly whatever comes to hand, and more than any other acts, I’m reminded of Silver Jews or really, really early Pavement – those EPs that sounded like they were recorded on a condenser mic from the next room with more tape hiss than music, but still undeniably great tunes. And yes, they really do have great tunes – overall, they’re pretty laid-back in their approach to, well, everything: remember when ‘slacker; was a thing? Yeah. In place of polish, they have reverb, and these songs tickle the ears with joy.

Neon Kittens bring a rather denser sound and a greater sense of urgency with the buzzy, scuzzy ‘Better Stronger Faster’. A hyperactive drum machine stutters and flickers away beneath a sonic haze of fuzzy guitar: there are hints of Metal Urbain crossed with The Fall and Flying Lizards in the mix, while ‘All Done by Numbers’ brings Shellac and Trumans Water together in a head-on collision – and one suspects any similarity to Shellac’s ‘New Number Order’ is entirely intentional from a band who recently featured on a Jesus Lizard tribute. ‘Cold Leather’ presents a spoken word narrative over a lurching, lumbering morass of discord, held together by the whip crack of the snare of a vintage-sounding drum machine.

The majority of their songs are around the two-minute mark, and crash in, slap you round the chops, and are done before you really know what’s hit you. ‘Deaf Metal’ is a work of beautiful chaos, constructed around a thick, rumbling bass and rolling drums., while the rather longer ‘White Flag’ is almost a stab at a grunge-pop song, while the discordant clang of ‘Sailing in a Paper Boat’ is absolutely The Fall circa Hex Enduction Hour: lo-fi post-punk racket doesn’t get much better than this.

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Watch: ‘Delusional’ by Leatherette

Posted: 21 February 2025 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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As they near the end of their UK and European tour, Leatherette are back with their latest single ‘Delusional’, the follow-up to the cathartic breakup anthem ‘Itchy’.

‘Delusional’ is a powerful song that explores the complex emotions of yearning for connection while feeling disconnected from the world around you. A song for those caught between the urge to dance and the desire to leave without saying goodbye. The track encapsulates the struggle of wanting to fit in with someone you love while feeling like an outsider in their world.

Musically, ‘Delusional’ weaves together elements from different eras and genres, fusing the gritty sound of ’90s alternative rock with modern influences drawn from hip-hop and electronic music. The result is a dynamic and engaging sonic experience that reflects the longing for connection and acceptance.

After testing the songs live during their second album Small Talk tour last year, they decided to record them spontaneously at home, in messy rooms and using cheap instruments (including unlikely ones such as mandolin and bouzouki).

“Being eternally dissatisfied, but also tireless explorers, we decided to return to our origins, seeking the expressive freedom that can be found in DIY”. The result was then entrusted for mixing to the usual collaborator Chris Fullard (Idles, Boris), and for mastering to Maurizio Baggio (The Soft Moon, Boy Harsher).

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