I last saw Pulled Apart By Horses in a dimly lit, cavernous venue in Kingston. The crowd probably held no more than 40 people; a small turnout for a group who’ve recently been dubbed the best live act in Britain by none other than The Observer, but a turnout intimate enough to afford everyone a front-row seat to one of the most explosive performing bands in the country. This point was illustrated approximately half way through the opening track as singer/guitarist Tom Hudson strode purposefully from the stage, guitar held above his head, and straight through the centre of the crowd, which parted like the red sea and remained that way until long after the front man had returned to the stage. A couple of songs later, as if a one-upmanship was almost to be expected, guitarist James Brown is at the back of the venue playing on top of the bar before continuing his touring riff at the feet of the crowd and then finally returning to the stage. This is what constitutes a relatively tame show for one of Britain’s most exciting up-and-coming bands.

As a live act, as with on record, Pulled Apart deliver an explosive, energetic, visceral brand of rock. The kind of music you could be forgiven for forgetting that contemporary British bands are capable of playing. The foursome combine riffs as intricate as they are heavy with screamed vocals and a seemingly boundless energy to form an abrasive, and utterly entertaining auditory assault. As soon as the fist note sounds it’s clear you’re in store for a barrage of something big, and the band’s debut album puts its foot to the floor and runs with this theme, valiantly refusing to pause for air, and in turn refusing the listener the same right. All said and done, it’s a massive sound, and a magnificent example of organised chaos, but certainly not to be recommended to the weak of heart.

Recently, Pulled Apart have been collecting a plethora of accolades from the British music press in anticipation of their debut self-titled album, due for a UK release on June 21st. With the attention they’re gathering it may only be a matter of time before the northern noise aficionados are a household name. My advice would be to jump on board now so you can be the annoying kid who heard of them before anyone else.

Here’s one to get you started. Behold, the first single from the album Pulled Apart By Horses, Back To The ___ Yeah.

For more information on Pulled Apart By Horses, check out the Pulled Apart By Horses MySpace Page.

All photos, music, and videos copyright of their respective owners. Used only for promotional purposes and to gain notoriety for the artists featured.

.fun is a band that Matthew covered a while back (fun. Take Aim and Ignite Review), and here they are again, with some live performances.

fun. – fun. `All The Pretty Girls` on muzu.tv

fun. – fun. `The Gambler` on muzu.tv

fun. – At Least I’m Not Sad as I Used to be on muzu.tv

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All photos, music, and videos copyright of their respective owners. Used only for promotional purposes and to gain notoriety for the artists featured.

Something tells me Johnny Flynn is about to make it big, and he probably couldn’t have timed things better as the recent resurgence of folk music (namecheck Mumford and Sons, Bon Iver, Laura Marling, Noah And The Whale etc, here) has somehow created an audience eager to lap up music that just years ago would have been reserved for the bedrooms of old-before-their-time, cardigan wearing book collectors.

Apologies if that came over wrong, it was supposed to sound like a good thing.

A mix of traditional, multi-instrumental folk, contemporary social commentary and time-honoured story telling, Flynn’s music is something of a pastiche, and the man himself something of a contradiction; his voice and talent seemingly determined to belie his age. On record he sounds like a world-weary old man with the kind of gypsy-folk aesthetic you’d expect to find hidden away in the darkened corners of a used instrument store, or reaching out to you from a rickety old caravan nestled in a clearing in the woods. This would all seem acceptable and entirely of the norm if Flynn wasn’t still in his mid-twenties. The effect of this seems at first to be a sensory anomaly, watching a young man thrive playing an old man’s songs, almost as if he is channelling the wisdom and maturity of generations past. It’s like hearing Seasick Steve and discovering he’s an 18 year old law student.

However, it’s safe to say that Flynn is not your normal twenty something. A poet, actor and songwriter who cites Shakespeare amongst his influences, he is exactly the kind of person who’s so talented that you’re torn between punching him in the face and letting him steal your girlfriend. And let’s face it, she’d probably go. He’s a genuine story teller, a man capable of mixing traditional folk music with current social commentary, evocative imagery and incisive wit. Don’t believe me? Watch this live version of ‘Tickle Me Pink’.

The South African born bard is on the verge of releasing his second album, Been Listening, on June 7th (UK release), a follow up to his first beguiling and heartfelt effort, A Larum, which was almost universally lauded by critics.

For more info visit the Johnny Flynn website.

All photos, music, and videos copyright of their respective owners. Used only for promotional purposes and to gain notoriety for the artists featured.

And now for something totally different than the onslaught of heavy music that has been featured over the past week or so.

Comparable to Ryan Adams or even an alternate version of The Hives without the punk-ish influences, Penny Racer (a/k/a Tyler Gomo) has released a Deluxe Edition of the album Say Hello To Strangers.

Penny Racer’s MySpace “Sounds Like” section has this to say: Foo Fighters first two albums + Guided By Voices + Frodus LIVE + a killer singalong = Penny Racer.

An eclectic mix to say the least.

The title track actually reminded me a little of ‘To Be Young (Is To Be Sad)’ by Ryan Adams (the song featured in Old School). It’s not reminiscent in the sense of the lyrics, just something about the general sound of that track made me instantly think of the song by Adams. In fact, the more I listen to the album, the more the songs sound like lyrics that Ryan would write.

‘Please and Thank You’, a B-Side on Saying Hello to Strangers, gets that aforementioned The Hives sound going at full-steam – it sounds like a straight-up garage rock song.

For an artist who is relatively unknown, this Deluxe Edition is pretty serious. It includes three B-Sides, three Instrumental Outtakes, and two live tracks; bringing the album to 16 tracks total.

Now would be a good time to mention something else as well:

Similar to The Body Rampant (The Body Rampant Review), Penny Racer is – at least sometimes – a one man band. Tyler didn’t make it clear exactly when he was the only member, but since he recorded everything on the album himself (which I always find to be super cool when an artist does that; it always impresses me when someone is that musically proficient), I am assuming that he just uses other members during his live performances.

Either that or he is like that dude from X-Men: The Last Stand who robbed seven banks at the same time.

If you like Penny Racer’s sound, I would definitely suggest checking out a previously featured band, St. James Hotel (St. James Hotel – You Are Here Review).

Plus, how can you not like any artist that has a song named ‘John Candy’?

Here is the title track to Say Hello To Strangers:

For more information on Penny Racer, visit the Penny Racer MySpace Page and to download Say Hello To Strangers for FREE, visit www.pennyracer.bandcamp.com.

All photos, music, and videos copyright of their respective owners. Used only for promotional purposes and to gain notoriety for the artists featured.

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