SARPA SALPA - Circuits (Single Review)

Northampton's finest up and coming band Sarpa Salpa released their third single Circuits on Friday and celebrated with a packed show at The Lab in their hometown that evening.

Following up their previous effort, the brilliant She Never Lies with something as instantly seductive was never going to be easy but the indie pop four piece have managed it with Circuits. Produced by Bedford based producer Ben 'Faz' Farsetvedt, it's a track that bristles with confidence from the offset. Musically it's reminiscent of the likes of Blossoms and Viola Beach, and feels like the perfect record to blast out in your back garden with a beer on one of these balmy summer evenings we've been enjoying of late. The lyrics though are wonderfully introspective. "I'm ashamed/I've got no-one else to blame/But myself again" sings frontman Marcus Marooth and you suddenly realise this is something a little bit deeper than the throwaway pop song you may have initially suspected.

With the next single already recorded and their live set full to the brim with instantly enjoyable belters, it's difficult to see Sarpa Salpa's momentum slowing down any time soon.

Circuits is available now for download on all streaming sites and will be the track of the week on our show tomorrow night. We also caught up with the band at their show at The Lab and the interview will be on the show tomorrow as well so tune in to Diverse FM at 9pm via the website or on 102.8FM in and around Luton to hear from the boys.

LIFE - Grown Up (SINGLE REVIEW)

Arriving on the wave of new generation, punk inspired, UK bands that not only entertain but inform, LIFE have taken their place alongside IDLES and shame, with a reputation for high energy live shows and rebel rousing bangers.  They are a band with something to say, and they want you to hear it.

LIFE are the sound of The Fall tumbling down a flight stairs, only to pull off a perfect somersault and land on their feet.  That acrobatic manoeuvre is ‘Grown Up’, their new single which demands attention.  It’s a release that upholds the “megaphone in your face approach”, as put to work on their album ‘Popular Music’.  Unlike their debut record, LIFE now take a leap into krautrock to make their point.  It’s strong evidence the Hull punks intend to push forwards without losing any of their fire.  LIFE are a band for the moment, and troublemakers worth getting behind.

Ben Barry

GOAT – Let it Burn (Single Review by Matt Crawley)

So……….where do I start. Well let me just say that I believe this to be the best song I’ve heard since Arctic Monkeys released R U Mine? early in 2012. To put this into context, when that track was released I DJed in a converted toilet (Ginglik, Shepherds Bush) at The Rifles aftershow party and that night I played R U Mine? 5 times in total!  I’m DJing at Club 85 in a few weeks and this will certainly be on the playlist, and every single DJ playlist until I hang up the headphones. 

The other guys at Transmission HQ will tell you that I make sweeping statements all of the time, but this time its for real!, This is the best song in the last 6 years. Let me explain why as I obviously listen to the track whilst writing this.

Now I know absolutely noting about the band Goat but after a quick bit of research I find out they are a mask wearing, experimental, psychedelic rock band from Gothenburg in Sweden who’s back story claims they are just one of many incarnations over the last 30 years of a group from a small, voodoo-worshipping northern town named Korpilombolo. Now as interesting as this is, it doesn’t tell you quite how I feel about this track. And boy does it make me feel something. I feel like the coolest mother fucker to ever grace the planet when I hear it. Not many songs in the last 5 years or so make me feel anything (see Better Man and Iron Sky by Paolo Nutini, R U Mine? by AM and Her by The Scruff) but this does! 

The tribal drums from the very first second beat the rhythm of my soul, the almost banshee vocals pierce it and a jazz flute solo that Ron Burgundy would be proud of lets it pour through me, and we are not even a minute into the track yet. Then bam, this fuzzy distorted guitar starts playing a dreamy almost Hendrix-like riff and that’s the exact moment I feel like strutting down the street like a bad mother fucker from Pulp Fiction. And it doesn’t relent for the next 5 minutes. The final two minutes introduce some climactic strings making it a finale to calm myself down again before I obviously hit the rewind button for the 10^thtime.

The back catalogue is just as good with stand out tracks like Run To Your Mama and Talk To God. Goat headline Stage 2 at Citadel Festival in London on July 15^thand if you’re going you would be absolutely mental to miss it. 

Anyway go listen to the track now for the best 6 minutes of your day.

1,2,KUNG FU! – BOY AZOOGA (ALBUM REVIEW)

1,2, KUNG FU! Is the debut album released on Heavenly Recordings by welsh band Boy Azooga, fronted by Davey Newington (Vocals, Guitar) accompanied by Sam Barnes (Bass), Dylan Morgan (Keys) and Dafydd Davies (Drums) to create a truly unique blend of electronic-indie-rave-rock symphony.

Influences on the album include Black Sabbath (Sitting On The First Rock From The Sun), Serge Gainsbourg (Breakfast Epiphany), George Harrison, Run DMC, Nirvana, The Beastie Boys, Outkast, Happy Mondays and Caribou. There are also traces of Kasabian (Loner Boogie) and Gorrilaz (Losers In The Tomb).  If your tastes are as varied as this then this album does not disappoint. Davey is a multi instrumentalist listing drums, triangle, timpani, xylophone, sleighbells (I Wanna Be Your Dog) and maracas most of which can be found on this album.

My favourite tracks on the album are Loner Boogie, Face Behind Her Cigarette and Sitting On The First Rock From The Sun and will certainly be added to the Transmission Spotify playlist which you can listen to here.

You can find a list of Boy Azooga’s tour dates here.

The video for Breakfast Epiphony was realeased on the same day (8/6/18) and can be seen here.

Listen to the album on Spotify here.

Sandon Fields Festival 2018: Ones to Watch

With Sandon Fields Festival just around the corner, we cast our eye over the acts that you need to be checking out this weekend. There are still a limited amount of tickets for the festival available here.



Saturday 9th June

The Relights - Big Sounds Stage 12:20pm
A band born of frustration, The Relights began blasting away the monotony of day-to-day routines, stale hometowns and lifeless music back in early 2015. Since those early days, the band has performed across the country, winning over music lovers with their honest brand of no-nonsense rock ‘n’ roll. The Dunstable based four piece have been favourably compared to the likes of Cast, The Charlatans and Oasis and we can’t think of a better way to kick off the weekend.


The Scruff - Main Stage 5:05pm
The sartorially elegant (their words not mine) Bedford four piece have been making a name for themselves over the last 12 months. Towards the back end of last year their single Her, a towering emotional epic about love and loss, gained national airplay on Radio X, 6 Music and Radio 1 whilst this year a run of live dates for This Feeling to promote latest single White Flag has thrown them into the consciousness of music fans up and down the country. The sheer energy and raucousness of a Scruff live set is not to be missed.

Courts - Main Stage 7pm
Basildon four piece Courts have previously been described by MTV as having “Every quality needed to become the next big phenomenon in music” and have been endorsed by the likes of Nile Rodgers and Sir Elton John. The band combines a variety of influences such as disco, grime and funk to create a sound that is both original and exciting. Their latest single Tonight is one of the most uplifting tunes we’ve heard in years and we can’t recommend these lads enough.



Waste - Main Stage 7:55pm
Waste are a four piece rock band from Stevenage who have previously been described as “rocking in a kind of Arctic Monkeys vein and with some crazy riffs”. The band’s live shows are a loud, dynamic and tight knit experience and this reputation has previously earned them support slots with the likes of Frankie & The Heartstrings and Childhood. Not to be missed.

The Rifles - Main Stage 9:55pm
Having burst on to the scene more than a decade ago, The Rifles have outlasted most of the contemporaries from the time. Now five studio albums into their career, the band have not let lack of radio play and media coverage hold them back and have instead forged a reputation as a great live band with an immensely loyal fan base. The Londoners are currently promoting a singles compilation album, so expect to hear mod tinged indie anthems from throughout their back catalogue such as Local Boy, Heebie Jeebies and the crowd favourite Romeo & Julie.

Sunday 10th June
Sarpa Salpa - Big Sounds Stage 12:30pm
Northampton’s Sarpa Salpa have been making a name for themselves of late with a string of well received local gigs. 2017 saw the youthful four piece release a single She Never Lies that was nothing short of indie pop perfection. With a new release imminent, catch these boys before they’re playing bigger festivals. Perfect tunes for a sun soaked Sunday afternoon.

J.W. Paris - The School of Rock Stage 3:30pm
J.W. Paris are a London based three piece who have supported the likes of The Vultures, The Amazons and Yonaka. Their ballsy new sound builds on their influences ranging from B.R.M.C, The Rolling Stones, Blur and Suede, which in turn gives them a raw anglo-american, alt-rock swagger with the vocal delivery, phrasing and harmonies that wouldn’t sound out of place in the Britpop hey day. The band have had plenty of great live feedback from fanzines and bloggers, and as a result of this are being tipped as ones to watch in 2018.


Dodgy - Main Stage 5:20pm
Dodgy made their name in the Britpop era of the mid 90s with a string of successful upbeat singles including Good Enough and Staying Out For The Summer. They close the festival on Sunday evening so expect a selection of hits and treats from their six studio albums.

Sandon Fields
Poplars Farm
Roe Green
Sandon
Hertfordshire
SG9 0QG

IDLES - Colossus (Single Review)

In 2017 no other debut album lay down a marker quite like ‘Brutalism’.  A punk attitude, rock record which radiates social commentary.  Giving a fresh and honest reflection of the harsh realities of everyday life, and a need to survive.  It’s a war cry in the heat of battle.  With the band having won that battle, it’s time for the war.

‘Colossus’ strides into view, trampling cars, tanks and swatting away helicopters with ease.  Joe Talbot’s masked passion and razor sharp wit are still at the forefront of the intensity, which has grown twofold since their last release.  This is a monster that cannot be destroyed by conventional weapons.  Growing in strength with every note.

Just when you think you have the measure of this beast, the scene freezes and you are suddenly seeing through the mind’s eye of Colossus.  Told to a full-throttle punk standard, we discover it’s more than brawn.  Sharing empathy with Jesus Christ, Evil Knievel and Fred Astaire.  It’s apparent that this is one big hearted, light footed, daredevil.  With some complex character depths.  

When getting things off your chest, is there a better analogy than a golden-era WWF superstar? “I’m like Ted DiBiase, I win no matter what it cost me”.  It’s big talk, as there is no price too high for the Million Dollar Man.  What Idles have cannot be bought.  This band are priceless, and will soon unleash what will be one of the albums of the year.  In hard times we need bands like IDLES.

 

Review by Ben Barry.