Almost a year since a career defining performance at Reading/Leeds festival last year, Don Broco have played support slots to Futures, The Used and Four Year Strong, performed at the Slam Dunk, Takedown and Hit The Deck Festivals, and now released their eagerly anticipated debut full length album. The Bedford boys set the bar high with their 'Big Fat Smile EP' but 'Priorities' impressively delivers far beyond the expectation.
Despite already hearing title track 'Priorities' as a previously released single, the opening riff prepares you for the album immediately, and the daring yet refreshingly British vocals are one of the attributes we have already grown to love about Don Broco. 'Hold On' and 'Whole Truth' introduce a funky swing to the unique Broco sound before 'Fancy Dress' picks the pace up with a killer outro sure to involve Bobby Damiani in the centre of the wall of death for years to come.
If you're looking for big choruses then look no further than 'Back In The Day' which is as crowd friendly as it gets, and 'Let's Go Back To School' has radio play written all over it while giving an insight into the band's University life. Final track and latest single 'Actors' [sadly] closes one of the albums of the year with Don Broco at their finest - a cleverly structured song with well placed back up vocals that will keep you jumping throughout.
'Priorities' packs more of a punch than David Haye, and there seems to be no stopping this band. Expect their return to Reading/Leeds to be packed, support slots to shortly become headline tours, and with the album sitting at #25 in the charts, don't write off a commercial mainstream success either.
9/10
Tuesday 21 August 2012
Wednesday 15 August 2012
Live Review: Set Your Goals @ Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes
5/08/12 Set Your Goals/Mixtapes/Eager Teeth
The Craufurd Arms located in Wolverton, Milton Keynes regularly plays intimate host to some of the best punk bands from all over the world. Set Your Goals recently brought their upbeat pop punk to the UK with new friends Mixtapes.
Brighton based Eager Teeth hit the stage after local support and warm the crowd with some great sounding tracks including 'Lights Out'. Exposure as the favourite band of 'Dougie from Mcfly' may not be ideal, but touring with the likes of SYG and playing festivals this summer will be.
Mixtapes highly anticipated and first trip to England didn't disappoint. A mixture of one minute 'Maps' songs, and longer melodies from brand new album 'Even On The Worst Nights' delivered a perfect set from the grateful Americans. Even though they can't believe people go to gigs to watch their band, they should start getting used to it as their fanbase will be rapidly increase after this tour.
A lot of critics claim that Set Your Goals never lived up to the hype they earned from 'Mutiny!' but they surely can't find fault with their energetic live show. The band clearly loved every second of this set, playing songs spanning their whole career from 'Goonies Never Say Die!' to latest single 'The Last American Virgin'. Sure, the 'Mutiny!' tracks see more sing a longs from the crowd, but the hour and a quarter fly by with no filler material in sight. Finishing proceedings with half the fans filling the stage [with one in particular showing her feelings for the band when presented with the microphone to sing a long and just bursting out 'I Love You'], Set Your Goals show that pop punk doesn't come any better or more fun than this.
9/10
The Craufurd Arms located in Wolverton, Milton Keynes regularly plays intimate host to some of the best punk bands from all over the world. Set Your Goals recently brought their upbeat pop punk to the UK with new friends Mixtapes.
Brighton based Eager Teeth hit the stage after local support and warm the crowd with some great sounding tracks including 'Lights Out'. Exposure as the favourite band of 'Dougie from Mcfly' may not be ideal, but touring with the likes of SYG and playing festivals this summer will be.
Mixtapes highly anticipated and first trip to England didn't disappoint. A mixture of one minute 'Maps' songs, and longer melodies from brand new album 'Even On The Worst Nights' delivered a perfect set from the grateful Americans. Even though they can't believe people go to gigs to watch their band, they should start getting used to it as their fanbase will be rapidly increase after this tour.
A lot of critics claim that Set Your Goals never lived up to the hype they earned from 'Mutiny!' but they surely can't find fault with their energetic live show. The band clearly loved every second of this set, playing songs spanning their whole career from 'Goonies Never Say Die!' to latest single 'The Last American Virgin'. Sure, the 'Mutiny!' tracks see more sing a longs from the crowd, but the hour and a quarter fly by with no filler material in sight. Finishing proceedings with half the fans filling the stage [with one in particular showing her feelings for the band when presented with the microphone to sing a long and just bursting out 'I Love You'], Set Your Goals show that pop punk doesn't come any better or more fun than this.
9/10
Sunday 5 August 2012
Reel Big Fish - Candy Coated Fury
Songs about hating people, crappy relationships, and fun covers have been Reel Big Fish's game for the last two decades, and they weren't about to stop now. 'Candy Coated Fury' is the band's seventh full length studio album and the addition of Matt Appleton to the band sees the return of the saxophone for the first time since 'Everything Sucks'.
'Everyone Else Is An Asshole' and 'Punisher' kick off the album exactly as you would expect, showing why the ska punk genre was so popular in the 90s, and how people's tastes have changed and not the music.
'Hiding In My Headphones' features new best friends [the excellent] Sonic Boom Six with a slightly slower hip hop influenced track with a British twang that fits perfectly, and it's great to hear Aaron and co. doing something slightly different.
'Your Girlfriend Sucks' must be the hundredth track Reel Big Fish has written about my girlfriend, and this time it turns out they aren't overly fond of her, but as always the horns and tempo are enough to make you smile throughout.
A few lesser known covers round out a solid album for the veteran rockers. And although it seems like an eternity since 'Sell Out', the band are still producing good albums to keep the fans doing the fish.
7/10
'Everyone Else Is An Asshole' and 'Punisher' kick off the album exactly as you would expect, showing why the ska punk genre was so popular in the 90s, and how people's tastes have changed and not the music.
'Hiding In My Headphones' features new best friends [the excellent] Sonic Boom Six with a slightly slower hip hop influenced track with a British twang that fits perfectly, and it's great to hear Aaron and co. doing something slightly different.
'Your Girlfriend Sucks' must be the hundredth track Reel Big Fish has written about my girlfriend, and this time it turns out they aren't overly fond of her, but as always the horns and tempo are enough to make you smile throughout.
A few lesser known covers round out a solid album for the veteran rockers. And although it seems like an eternity since 'Sell Out', the band are still producing good albums to keep the fans doing the fish.
7/10
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