There Goes the Fear, a UK/US Music Web site | Live UK gigs, news, and events

Video of the Moment #2929: The Beautiful Monument

I am definitely in the minority when it comes to how I perceive and prefer to denote women fronting bands and bands of all women. While I understand the argument for having to say “female-fronted” or “girl band” as pejorative, I also see a positive flipside. Because bands of all men or outnumber those of all women or those with a female lead singer, to me, pointing out who’s out front or who’s in the band is actually giving more positive emphasis. When I wrote about The Beautiful Monument on my best bets list talking up BIGSOUND 2017, Australia’s answer to SXSW, I didn’t call then “an arse-kicking, all-girl group” to be insulting or snarky. The Melbourne band’s hard-rocking ways speak for themselves, as evidenced by the promo video for their latest single ‘Deceiver’. Shot in black and white and with a hell lot of hair flying, their metal slash punk tinged with just a bit of pop is just what we need to get us through the winter doldrums. Check out the video below. ‘Deceiver’ is out now on Greyscale Records.

Live Gig Video: Demob Happy share international tour video set to single ‘Less is More’

It was bound to happen sooner or later. Brighton via Newcastle band Demob Happy have admitted that their latest video is the realisation of “…the Holy Grail of band videos that is the ‘International Tour Video’ – It’s simply a must-have for any band.” Ha! It’s for their new single ‘Less is More’, out now. The promo chronicles their touring life in 2018 across Europe with Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes, a sold-out UK headline tour, 27 dates through America supporting Nothing But Thieves, their own headline American shows and recent UK gigs with Jack White. Full of live performance clips in color and black and white, plus some trippy overlays to boot, the video for ‘Less is More’ captures the excitement generated from Demob Happy’s live shows and the band’s own passion when performing for their fans. Watch the video for ‘Less is More’ below; the single is out now on SO Recordings. Past coverage of Demob Happy here on TGTF can be found through here.

(SXSW 2019 flavoured!) Video of the Moment #2928: PAWS

Today’s Video of the Moment that stars a Scottish band who have appeared at SXSW in the past and will be making a triumphant return visit before a major release. The hard-working yet fun-loving PAWS‘ fourth studio album ‘Your Church on My Bonfire’ will be released in late April. As a taster of their highly-anticipated long player, they have unveiled the promo video for newest single ‘Not Enough’. Does it answer the age-old question, “when is love enough”? You’ll have to watch and listen below and draw your own conclusions. Hang tight for the release of ‘Your Church on My Bonfire’, debuting on the 26th of April on Ernest Jenning Records. More on PAWS here on TGTF can be found through here.

(SXSW 2019 flavoured!) Live Gig Video: Cassia share sunny performance video for ‘Small Spaces’, from debut album ‘Replica’

It seems all too perfect that following my posting of Vampire Weekend‘s latest promo video last week, now it’s Cassia‘s turn on TGTF. The sunniest export to come out of Macclesfield are finally going to be able to capitalise on the growing hype surrounding them. Next month, they will appear at SXSW 2019, and there is no doubt they’ll be representing the North in fine fashion. Shortly after appearing in Austin, they will also be releasing their debut album, ‘Replica’, on Distiller Records on the 5th of April.

In case somehow you have been living under a rock – and somehow missed both my report on seeing them at The Great Escape 2018 and Lily’s of their single ‘Get Up Tight – the promo video for ‘Small Spaces’, taken from their upcoming debut, is a great introduction. Favouring a bouncy, sun-dappled sound reminiscent of early Vampire Weekend, it’s easy to see how Cassia and their buoyant music will be right at home in Austin in a few short weeks. Watch the video for single ‘Small Spaces’ below. The band’s one official SXSW 2019 performance announced so far is at the Scruff of the Neck / Distiller Records showcase at Malverde on Wednesday evening, the 13th of March; stay tuned for future coverage on Cassia here on TGTF.

(SXSW 2019 flavoured!) Bands to Watch #415: Rascalton

Ahead of Live at Leeds 2018, I previewed Rascalton, a Glaswegian band whose name I described last spring as sounding “like the name of an anarchic village, where disorder is the rule of the day.” Playing a very packed out, very sweaty Green Door Store at The Great Escape 2018, they wowed me with their punky musical style, sans the pretention and egocentric swagger that can turn me off about British guitar bands. While many groups these days with a scrappy sound have been described as being borne from a garage (personally, I find ‘garage rock’ a silly genre), this is a case where you can actually believe that these four friends honed their sound from such humble beginnings.

In 2018 and after their appearance at The Great Escape, the Scottish four-piece released their debut EP ‘CSC’, short for ‘Control Social Club’, apparently named after a DIY punk night in Glasgow. It’s four short songs all with radio-friendly length: only one goes over 2 and a half minutes. Opening track ‘Told You So’ reminds me of the now-defunct Leeds band China Rats; as an opening salvo, you can’t get much better than this. The onslaught continues with the rapid fire power of ‘Police’, ‘Lonely Faces’ and ‘Lost Generation’.

More than a half year after my tipping of them and the band’s release of ‘CSC’, the NME Blog has decided to anoint Rascalton as one of their “Essential new artists of 2019”. They’re described as “If The Clash were raised on Buckfast…”, as well as compared favourably to Buzzcocks and former SXSW success story Shame. I don’t do what NME did and give myself 100 chances to be smug and say I got it right. If I were a betting woman and given the incredible hype Shame, and other UK punk bands have built off the back of their debut appearances in Austin, I’d put all my money on Rascalton. So far, two official appearances of Rascalton at SXSW 2019 have been announced: at the just revealed yesterday return of the Buckaroo Ball at the Hotel Vegas Annex Wednesday night, the 13th of March, at 10:30 PM, followed by the End of the Trail evening showcase at Valhalla Friday night, the 15th of March, at 10 PM.

Video of the Moment #2927: Vampire Weekend

The preppy, boat shoe-wearing Vampire Weekend returned last month with a new song, ‘Harmony Hall’. If I were to guess what the promo video to go with the single means, I think it’s a nod to frontman Ezra Koenig’s new-found domesticity since the birth of his son Isaiah last summer. He’s breaking eggs and looking like he’s making breakfast, a children’s favourite, pancakes, and in fun shapes, too! There’s a bright green python in this video, too, who’s not looking so scary but instead, oddly making yawning motions. Snakes are long and represent fertility and the renewal of life in many spiritual traditions. The fruit the snake slithers and ‘walks’ on represent the circle of life. If anything, it’s worth watching this video just to watch a snake yawn! ‘Father of the Bride’, the band’s fourth studio album and their first album since 2013’s ‘Modern Vampires of the City’, is expected in April on Columbia Records. It’s been a spell since I’ve written about them, but you can read our past coverage on Vampire Weekend through here.