Brighton’s The New Tusk, mirror the bleak environment with their endearingly withdrawn stage presence, awkwardly addressing the crowd with monosyllabic tales of beer drinking. Their sound proves to have a greater impact, yet retains the nonchalant vibe that underpins the band’s persona.

Tonight’s headliners and brother duo Cassels are a minimalist force, driven by their overt sociopolitical lyrics. Any ambiguity is sacrificed in place of furiously delivered musical speeches delivered by the unassuming Jim Beck. Brother Loz provides the blistering backbone with his relentless drumming, the pace only slowing for the occasional charged spoken word segment.

They are remarkably comfortable on stage, even as any latecomers are forced to use the stairs as their vantage point. Their impromptu dialogue is as sharp as their sound; Jim jokingly berating his little brother for an equipment malfunction, only to be the deserving victim of instant karma. Yet nothing detracts from the brilliance of their songs and their unique sound.

There’s little emerging from the British underground that comes close to mirroring Cassels’ style. The anger of ‘Coolbox’ and ‘Hating Is Easy’ is palpable, the atmosphere switching with ease as the performance moves from between-song patter to delivery of their poignant lyrics. Their songs are deeply personal yet surprisingly universal, and with more than enough ability to match the passion, should propel Cassels forward come their debut album release.

BEN TIPPLE

The tour kicks off in Manchester on the 12th December, running through until Nottingham on the 19th, including a stop at London’s SSE Wembley Arena on the 16th.

KoRn, who play the closing set on each date, will be celebrating the release of ‘The Serenity of Suffering’, due on the 21st October through Roadrunner Records.

DECEMBER
12 MANCHESTER Arena
14 GLASGOW SSE Hydro Arena
15 BIRMINGHAM Barclaycard Arena
16 LONDON The SSE Arena, Wembley
18 CARDIFF Motorpoint Arena
19 NOTTINGHAM Motorpoint Arena

In a live setting The Cardboard Swords are an emotive powerhouse, dripping in sweat as the inner turmoil twists into understated ferocity. The delicate nature of their sound is amplified, but never overpowered. Elegantly refined, The Cardboard Swords’ passion quickly drives their sound upward.

Photo by: Beth Parks

The track is available to purchase now, with £1 being donated to CALM.

‘Cool’ is available to pre-order via Bandcamp, to be released on the 2nd December through Beth Shalom Records, Circle House Records, Stay In Bed Records, Backpack Records and Old Press Records.

On ‘Calls’, Michigan four-piece Backpacks tackle this separation. “I need someone here to remind me who I am,” they present as a lyrical interpretation of their isolation. “And it won’t be you.” The hurt is palpable, driven by the track’s emotionally heavy tones, unashamedly laying their raw feelings bare.

“We’ve had people in our lives that we were incredibly attached to emotionally, leave and fade away without much contact afterwards,” Backpacks say of the track. “Some just across the state, some across the country; some we’ve spoken to and some we haven’t. It was always hard, frustrating and confusing. ‘Calls’ is our expression of the feelings we had while going through the disconnect.”

‘Calls’ is currently a stand-alone release, but will eventually be included in a larger vinyl project from Save Your Generation Records. The track is available to download via Bandcamp. For more on Backpacks, head to Facebook.

OCTOBER
28 TAYLOR, MI Matkin House*
29 HARFORD CITY, IN The Barn*
30 CHICAGO, IL The Subterranean (Downstairs)*

NOVEMBER
26 PORT HURON, MI SchwonkSoundStead

*w/ Dingus

The band’s follow up to 2013’s ‘Old Souls’ will be available from the 27th January 2017. Check out the track below, followed by the full tracklisting and February 2017 tour dates.

TRACKLISTING:
01 Ashes, Ashes
02 Trigger
03 L.O.V.E
04 Happiness
05 Fever
06 Like a Ghost
07 Pretty Low
08 England
09 Seattle
10 St. Paul’s
11 Sing
12 Pensacola, 2013

FEBRUARY 2017
17 MANCHESTER 02 Ritz
18 GLASGOW 02 ABC
20 BRISTOL 02 Academy
21 BIRMINGHAM 02 Academy
23 NORWICH UEA
24 LONDON 02 Forum Kentish Town

‘Headache’ marks the band’s third full-length release, including 2010 debut ‘Nothing Hurts’.

Having spent the summer on the road, appearing at Reading and Leeds Festival, Bestival and playing a number of UK headline dates, SWMRS unveiled new track ‘Palm Tree’ last night via BBC Radio 1. Both the video for ‘Palm Tree’ and the lyric video for other new track, ‘Lose It’, are available to view below.

The five-piece last toured in March on a short headline run, unfortunately cut short by vocalist Josh Rogers’ ill health.

The new track is accompanied simply by the numbers ‘1850’, perhaps a hint of things to come. For now, check out’.NEVAREHT’ below.

Their new four track self-titled EP provides evidence of both extreme, introducing the band’s brooding and dark tones on ‘Reject’, and their bright yet unsettling atmospherics on the likes of ‘Melt’. It’s filled with a reserved ferocity, accepting shoegaze influences yet with considerably more bite.