ALBUM REVIEW: Heartwork - Things I Wish I'd Said

Heartwork's debut album has been a long time coming. The project was fully funded by fans through Kickstarter just over a year ago and, thanks to a few delays during recording, it's being released next Friday (May 19th). 

Because of the wait an EP called 'The Bootleg Sessions' was released back in August to tide fans over, featuring alternate versions of five of the songs on this album. This review will compare the finished versions of those songs with the versions we're already familiar with, while also investigating the previously unheard tracks.

Opener 'Every Thorn' is brave. It starts off with a You Me At Six vibe, reminiscent of 'Too Young To Feel This Old': if you're a fan of them, you must check this song out. Dan O'Dell is a brilliant lyricist, and as he croons, "Serotonin and alcohol go hand in hand, until you've had one too many" it makes you laugh bitterly because of how true it is. The ending of the song is remarkably intimate: stripped back and untouched, it throws you straight into the recording studio with him.
Compared with the odd mix released on 'The Bootleg Sessions', 'Butterfly' is a completely different song. Whereas before it was skippable, the finished version has an intensity which gets more intriguing with each listen. The riff is spellbinding, while Dan's soft and breathy vocal doesn't appear on any other song on the album. It's so quiet at points that you have to strain to pick out the words, but that's a good thing: it's mesmerizing and impossible to ignore.
Smoothly transitioning into 'The Right Thing' (featuring a guest appearance from Ben Sydes of B-Sydes, whose rougher voice nicely complements Dan's) it wouldn't sound out of place on any mainstream rock release. If you're a fan of Deaf Havana, head straight for this one. The power behind Dan's vocal during the rising chorus rivals that of James Veck-Gilodi, while the folk-style guitar riff is perfect for dancing to and will work wonderfully in a live environment. It's musically complex, combining classic rock and indie elements in a skillful blend and embodying the width of Dan's appeal. There's something in this song for everyone.
'Achilles Friend' sounds much the same until it reaches the chorus, where the full band bursts in and exponentially strengthens it. The layered guitar lines with the "oh, oh, oh" echo in the background of the chorus add an upbeat vibe to a song that sounded purely melancholy in the past. This song lends the album its title - Dan pondering the things he wished he'd said to an old friend after returning to his hometown - but it works nicely with the more hopeful atmosphere. Everyone loses touch with old friends and that's not always a bad thing.
'Water' is difficult to listen to. The raw emotion that Dan pours into the song cuts to the core, and the full band backing makes it utterly powerful, sending shivers down my spine throughout the build-up to that dramatic crescendo. With Dan screaming, "I'm doing fine!" before sarcastically asking, "Can you not tell?"... There's a reason this song makes me cry every time I listen to it.
Following it up with a song that's just as emotional but understated, 'Playing Dead' would fit perfectly on one of the earlier Heartwork EPs. Admitting, "I can't remember the last time I felt I was feeling better than what I feel now," if you've ever struggled, you're going to relate to this song more than you'd think physically possible. It's blunt, open and honest. This album has deeply confessional moments, and this is one of the most raw.
'I Was Building An Empire' shows just how vital the full band is to this release. Before it was rather bland and forgettable, the intricacy of the lyrics wasted on a song that faded into the background, but the absorbing drumbeat and multiple guitars add a necessary depth that elevate it to another level.
'Paper & Bones' and 'Saintlike' are the two longest songs on the album, both coming in at just over five minutes. 'Paper & Bones' is furiously paced, featuring a riff reminiscent of The Killers and a catchy as heck chorus as Dan sings "I can't pretend I hate to say I told you so", which directly contrasts with 'Saintlike', the most stripped back song on the album. It's a beautiful love song, tender and touching.
'Dashboard Confrontational' is a powerful end to the album. I'm not sure how I feel about the full band featuring on this song, because I love the stripped-back sound of the previous version - part of the charm of it was how simplistic it was, and it loses some of that magic after being filled out - but it's much stronger with some layers. It might take me a little while to get used to it, though!

Looking at the album as a whole, I can say this for certain: it's accomplished. The rises and falls take you on an emotional journey that hits close to your heart.
It's been difficult to review this album because of how deeply it affected me. I've played it all the way through a few times now, and I still find myself sobbing at multiple points throughout. Not many artists move me like that anymore: there's something remarkably special about Heartwork.
Dan knows how to put every depressed and painful emotion you've ever felt - every dark thought you've ever had - into words. It's impossible not to connect to 'Things I Wish I'd Said', and I sincerely recommend giving it a spin: you'll find at least one song which will tell the story of your life.

Tracklist:
Every Thorn
Butterfly
The Right Thing (ft. Ben Sydes)
Achilles Friend
Water
Playing Dead
I Was Building An Empire
Paper & Bones
Saintlike
Dashboard Confrontational

GIG PREVIEW: Boston Manor get ready for Slam Dunk in Swindon

Sheer Music have been teasing a big announcement for the folks of Swindon over the last couple of weeks, and the identity of their exciting booking was revealed earlier today: they're bringing Pure Noise Records darlings Boston Manor to our town, three days before the first of their Slam Dunk sets.
The entire line-up is very exciting, so I wanted to take the time to shine a light on each of the acts individually. It's obvious that this show is going to sell out - who wouldn't want to see Boston Manor in a venue of this size?! - but you should definitely get down early to see the other three artists on the bill.

If you haven't heard of opening act Heartwork, you can't be a regular reader of my blog! I've expressed my adoration for him many times in the past couple of years, and I always love seeing him play live.
I haven't seen Dan since he opened for Jonah Matranga back in October, and this set is going to be a special one because it's the launch show for his debut album. 'Things I Wish I'd Said' is being released on the 19th of May, and it'll be perfect for anyone who likes acoustic music stuffed full of feels.
Click here to check out the older material on the 'Five' and 'Coloured Out' EPs: both are worth a listen. He's coming all the way from Swansea, so make the trip worth it and give him a warm welcome!

Next up, it's a hometown show for A Way With Words, who've recently supported Fort Hope and are participating in the Pogues Irish Whiskey 'A Shot At Discovery' show in Oxford tomorrow night (pop down if you're in the area!).
Reviving nu metal with a pop-punk twist, you won't have heard many bands that sound like A Way With Words, but it's impossible not to be impressed by them. They're the kings of catchy riffs, and their singalongs aren't bad either. Check out their second EP, 'Reflections', to see if you agree with me.

The penultimate band on the bill are Casey, who are supporting Boston Manor at their other small shows across the country. Certainly the heaviest band of the evening, Casey will be warming up for this tour by playing dates throughout Europe next month: they're appearing at some of the Impericon Festival dates, and are on the Heaven and Hell tour with Miss May I, Being As An Ocean and Thy Art Is Murder.
Following this tour up with a performance at Download festival, Casey are going to be huge before you know it. Since the release of their debut album, 'Love Is Not Enough', back in September, there's been a palpable buzz surrounding this band, and it's going to keep snowballing throughout 2017.

Headliners Boston Manor have had a big year so far. After supporting Four Year Strong on their European tour they flew across the pond to join fellow Brits Moose Blood, and are currently trekking across North America with them. It's about time they returned to the UK to play some headline shows!
We're very lucky that they're playing Swindon, as the tour only comprises of five shows: as well as playing our little town, they're hitting up venues in Liverpool, Newcastle, Bournemouth and Cardiff.
When they played Slam Dunk last year, their room was filled to capacity and hundreds of fans were turned away disappointed, so it's no surprise that they've been invited back for the second year running. They're sure to attract an even bigger crowd this year, so even if you have tickets to the festival don't rest on your laurels: grab tickets to this show to guarantee that you'll be able to see them. This band shouldn't be missed, especially not in a venue of this size.
Haven't listened to Boston Manor before? Check out 'Burn You Up' - it's the song I listen to over and over, and it never gets old.

If you're like me and you can't wait for this show, you can get tickets here. £8 for four bands is a steal, so don't rely on waiting to get tickets on the door on the night of the show: I don't think there'll be any left!

'The Bootleg Sessions' - Heartwork

I haven't been shy in expressing my feelings for Heartwork's music in the past, so when he announced he was using Kickstarter to fund his debut album, 'Things I Wish I'd Said', I had to pledge. Sadly the album's taking a little while longer than expected, so to tide everyone over until release day Dan put together this EP.
Featuring five covers and five original songs, 'The Bootleg Sessions' is one of the most emotional collections of songs I've ever encountered. I've been listening to it for the past two months - even giving it the title of July's release of the month - and I've been trying to write this review almost as long. When music means a lot to mean I struggle to put words together in sense-making sentences, so this has been a difficult post to finish!

The covers:
I'm going to be completely honest, and show my lack of knowledge of the pop-punk and emo scenes: the only tracks I knew going in to these covers were 'Stupid Kid' by Alkaline Trio and 'Fairytale' by Neil Morris. I must have heard 'Wendy Clear' in the past - I've always been a huge blink-182 fan - but I don't listen to Motion City Soundtrack much, and I've never listened to Reuben (whoops!).
The upbeat nature of 'Stupid Kid' is a huge contrast to the introspective, mellow sound threading through the rest of the EP. It's the standout track: fun, a little silly, but it fits Dan's personality down to the ground.
The same can be said about 'My Favourite Accident' and 'Wendy Clear'. Heartwork's music is emotionally evocative, veering towards the melancholy, but faced with a pop-punk song he comes alive. Enthusiasm and confidence seep out of the songs, and you can tell he's having a whale of a time recording the covers. I can imagine he enjoyed the challenge of adapting the songs for his acoustic guitar, and the change of pace compared to his own music: a shift that's particularly obvious in 'My Favourite Accident', with its piano-laced intro.
When I first heard 'Nobody Loves You' I was convinced it was one of the original Heartwork tracks, because the lyrics fit his perfectly. The covers were suggested by fans, and whoever decided that this one should be included is a genius. It's one of the most logical covers I've ever encountered. After listening to the original song since I found myself disappointed by Jamie Lenman's flat and uninspiring vocal tone, so this is a case of the cover being far superior to the original.
The final cover, Neil Morris's 'Fairytale', is a delight. Out of the five artists covered I think it's safe to assume that Neil is the least known of them but after seeing him perform in Swindon with Heartwork as his support, and getting to witness the sassy friendship they have, I was looking forward to this cover the most. It opens by playing a snippet of Neil's original, cutting to Dan saying "ugh, what was that? I can do better"...Which he then does. I'm sorry, Neil, but I prefer Dan's voice on this one!

The originals:
The five original songs on the EP are alternate versions of ones that will be on the full-length. I'd heard three of the songs before, as Dan has been incorporating them into his live shows over the past year (the two unfamiliar to me being 'Water' and 'I Was Building An Empire') and that meant I was instantly biased towards those.
'Achilles Friend' (previously titled 'The Things I Wish I'd Said', making it the title track of the album) is a great choice for the opener, because despite the resigned nature of the refrain "there's not a damn thing I can do about that", it's the most accessible of the songs. Who out there hasn't fallen out with a friend and regretted it? Whereas so many upcoming acoustic artists only write songs about love and heartbreak, a simple song about missing a friend is much more effective.
The only song of the EP I'm not in love with is 'Butterfly'. It works as a live song, and I'm looking forward to hearing the version of it that ends up on the album, but there's something about this version... I'm just not in love with the production, and it's the only track that I find myself skipping. The lyrics are beautiful, there's just something about the choice of vocal effect that means it makes me feel a little bit claustrophobic.
"We're either making war or making love. Well, if that's true, then I'm truly fucked" is the proclamation Dan makes during 'Water', the longest track of the ten. The light and floating interlude would work perfectly as a song on a soundtrack or a TV advertisement: though the lyrics are beautiful, the musical sections are the draw to this song.
Lyrically, 'I Was Building An Empire' is the most complex. "These flowers will burn like my lungs, as my nerves will turn to dust" adds a touch of magical realism to the song, and while I've always thought that Dan was a brilliant storyteller this takes him to another level. When I first heard it I was convinced that it must have been one of the covers: for a relatively unknown acoustic artist to be releasing songs of this calibre is very rare. If there are more songs like this one on the album, it's going to do very good things for Dan's career.
If 'I Was Building An Empire' is the best of the original songs, my favourite has to be closing track 'Dashboard Confrontational'. The raw power and emotion flooding out of Dan as he slams on his guitar, rage swelling to a crescendo as he roars "if you saw this coming, then you should have driven away", gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. There was a time when it was touch and go as to whether the song would even make it on to the full-length, as Dan showed concern that it relied too heavily on the drums, but I was almost moved to tears hearing him perform the live debut of it, so I'm ecstatic that he changed his mind. I'm also going to take some of the credit for the song making it this far: I threatened to kill someone if he didn't put it on the album, and now here we are!

If you haven't listened to Heartwork yet, now's the time to change that.

Tracklist: 

Achilles Friend

Stupid Kid (Alkaline Trio cover)

Butterfly

My Favourite Accident (Motion City Soundtrack cover)

Water

Nobody Loves You (Reuben cover)

I Was Building An Empire

Wendy Clear (blink-182 cover)

Dashboard Confrontational

Fairytale (Neil Morris cover)

UPDATE 17/09/16: I'm so sorry, but I've only just noticed that the Noisetrade link to download 'The Bootleg Sessions' was expired! Instead, you can listen to Dan's five original tracks by visiting this site.

GIG PREVIEW: Jonah Matranga's Swindon return

In case you haven't heard yet, this morning there was a very exciting Swindon show announced, and I'm here to tell you a little bit more about all of the musicians on the bill. On October 30th you're going to want to get yourselves down to Level III, to see these three very special performances...

Heartwork:

If you haven't encountered my love for Heartwork (aka Dan O'Dell) I don't know what rock you've been living under. He's performed a lot in Swindon over the last year, but hasn't been back since he supported Kristopher Roe from The Ataris last December.
Heartwork recently released an EP titled 'The Bootleg Sessions' (my review of which will be up soon) and his debut album 'Things I Wish I'd Said' is going to be released fairly soon. This show will be a great opportunity for him to showcase his new material and launch the album, and revisit old favourites 'To Water on Mars' and 'I Went To Parts'.
A half an hour slot is not going to be long enough, so you need to make sure you get down early. You don't want to miss a second of what's sure to be a brilliant opening set.
Check out Heartwork on Facebook, or download his EP at the link above.

Helen Chambers:
I hadn't heard of Helen until I saw her name on this line-up, but after checking her out I'm very excited to see her. With her beautiful acoustic songs laced with a refreshing country feel, it's always nice to find a new female singer-songwriter, particularly one with a voice this great. Having toured with Brian Fallon and Chuck Ragan (and performed on stage with the latter multiple times), if you're fans of either of those artists it's definitely worth you giving Helen a chance.
She hasn't been very active over the last year or so - well, at least not on social media - but with the announcement that she's playing the Specialist Subject Records all-dayer this weekend (Saturday 20th) she's certainly got some exciting performances coming up.
Visit Helen at her website, or find her on Twitter and Facebook.

Jonah Matranga:
The main event, Jonah Matranga actually came to Swindon last year and I missed him (I'd already purchased tickets to see Deaf Havana's 2000 Trees warm-up show!) so when I was told this show was happening, I was ecstatic.
If you haven't heard of Jonah, you'll definitely have heard of his band Far. They released four albums back in the 90's including the critically acclaimed 'Water & Solutions', which made a huge impact on the scene. Following a brief reunion between 2008 and 2010, during which they released their fifth - and currently final - album, 'At Night We Live', Jonah has been focusing on his solo material.
Working with a huge mix of artists (from Matt Nathanson to Deftones, Lupe Fiasco to Fort Minor) Jonah has certainly worked hard throughout his career. If you appreciate dedication to the scene, it's only right that you come out to this show to support a veritable legend.

Tickets for the show are available here (at a special advanced price of £8) or you'll be able to buy them on the door for £10. What better way to spend the night before Halloween?

Kristopher Roe - The Vic Swindon, 16/12/15

Opening the show was Si Hall, the lead singer of Raze*Rebuild, a local Swindon band. He performed eight songs in total, including three songs from Raze*Rebuild's recent EP, 'Sting Like A Butterfly'.
In some ways his style reminded me of Neil Morris - who I saw live back in September - but I don't know if it was a real similarity, or just the fact that he was sharing a bill with Heartwork.
I didn't know any of Si's material, but I ended up really enjoying a good few of his songs. Of course, playing a show with Heartwork and The Ataris, his music was a tad on the depressing side, a couple of his songs really did make me laugh. His take on the 'a girl broke my heart so I wrote a song about it' trope was rather tongue in cheek, and the song he performed about the struggle of independent bands (he dedicated the song to "people who're in bands that don't get anywhere", to which his band mate in the crowd shouted "yeah, mostly with you!") was brilliantly written and highly astute. I couldn't find the names of either of the songs, but if you were at the show and happen to know I'd highly appreciate the information!
Si's set did flag a little bit at times, as his songs started sounding fairly similar, but that can often happen when you're a solo opening act. The thing that really mattered was that he performed his heart out, pushing his vocal to the limits and even performing a high jump after the thrashy outro that closed his set. To close his set he shared the fact that when he was in another band, fifteen years ago, leaflets for their shows posted around Swindon claimed that they were "The Ataris on a poor and uninspired day", which got a very big laugh.

My highlight of the evening was definitely Heartwork. When I got my tickets to the show he wasn't on the line-up, but when he was added to the bill last week he definitely became my main reason for attending.
This was my third time seeing him (Heartwork is the stage name of Dan O'Dell) live this year, and it was miles above the other two shows that I witnessed. The main reason for this is the addition of new song 'Dashboard Confrontational' - a tour de force that puts your emotions through the wringer and dumps you on the other side feeling distraught but strangely fulfilled.
Now, for some context: I write notes while I'm watching shows. I jot down things that the artists say, lyrics from songs that I find particularly inspiring, and descriptions of the music, all to assist me in writing my reviews. This should be the part where I look back on my notes and find some unique viewpoint or comment that I can share with you about how brilliant the song was, or how utterly captivating it was. However, because of how damn absorbing the song was, the only coherent thought I managed to get from it was: fuck me.
I think Heartwork is a guy who could really achieve something, if he keeps touring consistently and puts as much heart and soul into his writing as he has been thus far. But during 'Dashboard Confrontational' something clicked for me, and Heartwork became more than just a young guy with an acoustic guitar: it became an entity, an artist, a force to be reckoned with.
The rest of the set was brilliant: performing 'Butterfly', an older song that I hadn't experienced before, 'Achilles Friend' (the renamed 'The Things I Wish I'd Said') and 'I Went To Parts', but I think the set peaked with that jaw-dropping, powerful moment. Before he started the song, Dan shared the fact that he hadn't played the song live before and he didn't know if it would make it onto the album, because it relied too strongly on the drums, but that's completely wrong. No offence, Dan.
Seriously, though, if it doesn't make it onto the album I am going to kill somebody.

Setlist:

-

Midnight Calls

She

Dashboard Confrontational

Butterfly

Achilles Friend

I Went To Parts

I never really listened to The Ataris - not for a specific reason, it's just something that I never got around to doing, so - apart from 'In This Diary' - I didn't know any of the songs that Kristopher Roe played for us. It didn't stop me from enjoying the set, because his vocal is brilliant and the lyrical content of the songs is easy to connect to, but this wasn't a very memorable set for me.
I know, right, I must be crazy. Someone as legendary as Kris Roe comes to Swindon and I'm nonplussed by the entire event. But that's why it's taken me so long to write this review: I was trying to think of better observations to make, the aspects of this set that made it exciting and enjoyable for me, but in all honesty I felt rather bored and kind of just wanted to go home for an early night in bed.
It might have been something to do with the fact that Kris had to retune his guitar before every single song. Seriously, there was that much tuning and fiddling that if he hadn't done it he could have fitted another three songs into his set - no exaggeration. I was enjoying the music, but the time taken between songs left the set feeling stilted and disconnected. If I'd gone to see The Ataris as a band, I don't think I would have seen this, so it felt rather disappointing.
I don't really have anything else to say, I'm afraid. I always try to write in depth reviews, but there wasn't really any depth in this set for me to dive into. There's only so many times you can hear similar chords in a similar order with similar lyrical themes. I did enjoy 'San Dimas High School Football Rules' - as it was about going to Disneyland, it really stood out from the rest of the songs - and 'Your Boyfriend Sucks' (I think I know where Neck Deep got the inspiration for 'A Part of Me'!).
If anything, the interaction with the crowd was actually the selling point for me. Kris made a lot of witty quips while incessantly tuning, striking up debates about the potential plot line of the new Star Wars film ("I'm going to Star Wars tonight, but don't tell my girlfriend [...] I'm meant to be waiting until she gets here!") and discussing attitudes towards war ("If you fight war with war [...] It's the most stupid analogy in the world") and politics in general ("All politicians are fucking idiots, probably. [...] Someone had his moat cleaned for £3000. Moat? That's fucking awesome."). It was also extremely funny when Kris played his encore, warning the crowd that 'The Saddest Song' was his "pretend last song, which means I'll probably play some more after it, probably meaning definitely. I won't walk off, we'll just continue", ending the song by shouting "You've been excellent Swindon!", leaning slightly away from the mic and then leaning forward again, saying "Okay, I'm back!". Moments like this made the show more enjoyable, but overall it was a lukewarm headline set, which was a huge shame. 

Setlist:

In This Diary

The Hero Dies In This One

Unopened Letter To The World

San Dimas High School Football Rules

Better Way

I.O.U. One Galaxy

Summer '79

1-15-96

Your Boyfriend Sucks

Eight Of Nine

Summer Wind Was Always Our Song

Losing Streak

The Saddest Song

-

Skulls (The Misfits cover) 

My Hotel Year
-

I couldn't work out what the last song on the setlist was (sorry!) so if you were in attendance at the show please let me know in the comments down below.

Neil Morris and Heartwork - The Roaring Donkey Swindon, 09/09/15

On Tuesday night, I saw Dan O'Dell (a.k.a. Heartwork) post on Facebook that he was going to be visiting Swindon again, and despite the fact that it was extremely short notice I knew I had to try and be there. I'd never heard of The Roaring Donkey before, but walking in I was impressed by the atmosphere - it feels like a small country pub, despite the fact that geographically it is just behind The Vic in Swindon, which is quite a busy area. It's made even better because, in keeping with its name, The Roaring Donkey has donkey memorabilia everywhere: postcards covering the ceiling, donkeys hanging behind the bar - such a quirky, unique idea. 

Because it's hidden away, it feels like a real gem - I was having a great evening before the music even started! Sadly, the crowd wasn't as large as I'd anticipated (only just managing to breach double figures) but with karaoke at The Vic drawing everyone like a magnet, it wasn't too surprising that the venue wasn't filled to bursting. However, it definitely made it feel more special - we've all heard stories of majorly successful acts who performed to small crowds for years before their big break, and it really does feel like these two artists are on their way to something bigger. 

Heartwork performed first, and I was so excited for his set - when I saw him last time, he was utterly brilliant, and that hasn't changed a bit. He still ridicules himself as much as before (exemplified brilliantly when he stepped up to the microphone and introduced himself, explaining "I go by the name of Heartwork because I'm a 24 year old pretentious twat") and his jokes are still shockingly bad (stood next to the dartboard pictured above, Dan joked "tonight, I'm going under the name of Dartwork!") but the jokes and humorous comments came so naturally that I couldn't help laughing out loud through almost the entirety of his set - even if some of them were a bit cheesy. 

The relationship between Dan and Neil Morris made it even funnier. Dan shared the fact that they'd met at 2000 Trees festival a few years back, and you could really tell how close their friendship was - the jokes between them made the set feel more intimate, as though you were amongst close friends. With the homely atmosphere of the pub, it made for one of the nicest live environments I'd ever experienced - it was lovely to just relax and chill out, listening to some beautiful acoustic music and having a laugh. 

And that's the thing: the music was brilliant. I recognised all of the songs but one, despite the fact that I only listened to them that one time back in April - they just really stick in your mind. My favourite was still 'I Went To Parts', which is a song I strongly relate to, but I also loved his newest song 'The Things I Wish I Said', dedicated to a friend that he lost contact with due to issues with a woman. As Dan shared, "the theme of the evening is I am a terrible person and these are my songs to redeem myself", so a lot of the lyrical content was confessional in nature. It makes it impossible not to care, because it's all so easy to relate to. 

The most interesting aspect of his set had to be the fact that half of it was broadcast on Periscope! Neil decided to film him performing 'The Things I Wish I Said' (hilarious choice, because in the middle of the song Dan paused to shout "uh oh, it's happened! I've forgotten the words!") - certainly the only show I've been to where there are more people watching at home than there are in room. 

Sometimes, bands have a lot of on-stage banter because their music just isn't up to scratch and the need to give the audience their money's worth in some way, but that's not the case with Heartwork - he jokes around on stage despite the fact that his songs are amazing. You can tell that he's not as confident as he should be (shown most obviously in the fact that he always performs with his eyes closed) but he has such a talent for song-writing, you'd expect him to be a lot less humble. 

Dan shared the fact that he's going to be coming back to Swindon next month, and despite the fact that I already have a gig booked for each week of October (eek!) I'm going to have to go along! If you're in the Swindon area, you'd be wise to go as well - I can assure you that you will definitely not have a boring evening. 

Setlist:

Midnight Calls

She

To Water On Mars

The Things I Wish I Said

I Went To Parts

Fear and Clothing

I hadn't heard of Neil Morris until this show was announced, but I'm glad I stuck around to see his set anyway. His voice has a real country tone, which means this was one of the more unusual acts I've seen live: I love country music, but it's not often that I get to see it performed. As well as this, his lyrical content was pure folk, so it was such a nice change for me. 

The joking between Neil and Dan was still hilarious through Neil's set - you could tell they'd both consumed a few two many beers, but because of the great environment it didn't deplete the enjoyment of the evening in the slightest. It did mean that Neil had a few moments where he forgot his own lyrics and needed to restart - most hilariously during 'This Life', when the line "his future's filled with dread" kept tripping Neil up (as he told us, every time he sang it it sounded like "his fuchsia's filled with dread" like "he has a load of flowers filled with dread", and he refused to move on until he pronounced it correctly). But when you've been writing and performing for as long as Neil has (a massive nineteen years, from what he was saying last night!) it's completely understandable - I mean, even Dave fuckin' Grohl is forgets lyrics from the songs he plays less frequently. 

The most beautiful song Neil performed was definitely 'Daisy's Song' - an ode to a dead girlfriend. Dan suggested playing it, so Neil agreed - midway through the set, he did step back from the microphone to ask "what's the fucking chorus, Dan?" to which Dan responded "I don't know, I've only heard it once!". Despite this little interlude, it was still such a poignant tribute, and it's definitely one I'm going to listen to more.

Some of the songs in the set sounded rather similar to me - when you're playing a fifteen song set, that's going to be the only issue - so the ones that really stood out were 'Blood Diamonds'/'Don't Know If I Should Drive', two songs that tell the story of a disastrous dinner with a girlfriend's family, and 'Bristol Doesn't Have a Coastline' which was an utterly hilarious closer. To be able to laugh along at songs, I normally need to be listening to them at home - it takes a very skilled vocalist to be able to have the clarity and diction to communicate the lyrics properly. Neil obviously had this, because I was rapt by the funny stories that he was telling: I couldn't help laughing along, and the imagery that he was conveying was so evocative it was so much like reading a book. 'Bristol Doesn't Have a Coastline' was so wittily written - it's the story of a night out that ends with Neil waking up, expecting to be in Bristol, and finding that he's actually looking out at Clevedon (or, as he put it "best not tell anyone about this stupid thing I've done, so I wrote a song about it!"). 

Neil's songs might have been more humorous than Heartwork's, but their origin stories are both very similar - Heartwork shared the fact that when his relationship ended he had to leave the cat with his ex-girlfriend, and Neil had actually been through the same situation. Neil shared the fact that his coping mechanism was to go out on tour, which was "basically two and a half weeks of a mild fucking breakdown", but going by how good the songs are that focus on these experiences, it was a wise decision. 

I've bought Neil's albums, so I'm going to be listening to them a bit more over the weeks to come - I really do appreciate his unique vocal style. If I can see him again in the future, I certainly will: I'm going to be keeping a close eye out to see if he returns to Swindon!

Setlist:

Malt Reflections

Give Me Tuesday

It's Hard To Open Doors

Don't Walk Away

Fairytales

Blood Diamonds

Don't Know If I Should Drive

Son of Wednesbury

A Little Polish (The Blanks cover)

On My Own

-

This Life

Daisy's Song

Santeria (Sublime cover)

Bristol Doesn't Have a Coastline

Sadly, I can't workout what the eleventh song Neil played was - sorry about that! I can tell you that it mentioned "last night wasn't supposed to be the kind of night I ended on the floor", so if you're a fan of Neil's and recognise the lyric - let me know!

Decade - The Vic Swindon, 27/04/15

A mere six months have passed since the last time Decade played Swindon, so I was ecstatic when they announced that they were coming back, and though last night was an eclectic mix (to say the least) it also ended up being one of the most fun shows I'd been to in a very long while.

The opening act, Heartwork, was definitely my highlight out of the three support bands. Playing acoustic music straight from the heart, Dan O'Dell poured everything he had into his half an hour set, and I was impressed by every moment. I'm a real sucker for emo acoustic music (Front Porch Step, Rob Lynch, This Wild Life) but it's not something we've ever had much experience of here in the UK, so it was brilliant to encounter such a fabulous lyricist performing on my home turf. 'I Went To Parts' is one of the most revealingly honest songs I've heard in a very long time, and I think this is going to be a song that I'm listening to for a long time to come. 

None of the songs were disappointing and every single one brought something different to the show - even though Dan was fighting with sound problems for a good chunk of his stage time. And as well as being a brilliant performer, Dan is a hilarious guy, and some of the comments he was coming out with between songs were the funniest things I'd heard in a very long time ("If you're here with a loved one... It's not gonna last!") making him seem like a blend of Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties with comedic American singer Bo Burnham. If you have a couple of quid, I'd sincerely recommend you download one of the Heartwork EPs - I'm sure you won't be disappointed. 

Second up were All Ears Avow, a local band who've gained a pretty big hometown following since the release of their EP, 'Home'. I'd seen them before, a couple of years ago, but I couldn't really remember what they were like, so I was absolutely blown away by their set. Recently all female-fronted bands seem to make pop-punk or pop-rock music, so it was refreshing to hear an alternative rock band with frontwoman Claire Sutton's vocals making them seem more similar to Halestorm than to We Are The In Crowd - it definitely gives them something different to push them ahead in this game.

Starting off with 'Better Now', a track reminiscent of a heavier version of Don Broco's 'You Wanna Know', they grabbed the crowd's attention immediately and did not let go of it for the entirety of their set. New song 'I Can Help You To Bend' was probably the catchiest song of the evening (not only because it employed my favourite instrument, the percussive egg, but because the hook was just so well written), followed closely by 'Waiting Games' and 'Tongue Tied', showing that their new songs are definitely their best songs. 

This band are definitely one who know who they are and where they want to go; the songs from their upcoming debut album 'Get In The Game' definitely demonstrated that their music is developing in a natural way that's likely to expand their fanbase dramatically following its release. I've already pre-ordered my copy, so I'd suggest you do so as well, because this band are definitely going to be one to watch - even more so if newest single 'Waiting Games' is an idea of things to come from the rest of the album. 

Setlist:

Better Now

Wings On Butterflies

Waiting Games

I Can Help You To Bend

Home

Tongue Tied

The heaviest band of the bill tonight were, by far, Big Nothing, a new band from Liverpool (well... new in this incarnation, they used to be known as Scouts). Seeming like a mixture between Bullet For My Valentine and Nirvana (so much like Nirvana, in fact, that they were verging on a tribute band), it all got a bit too heavy for me, and I didn't really enjoy their set. Musically, they were rather good, but most of their songs just seemed to blend in to each other, meaning that for the entire half an hour it just felt as though I was surrounded by discordant noise. Their banter was also lacking, with some of their jokes falling completely flat on the crowd, which was a shame - I hope they settle down and become more comfortable throughout the rest of the tour with Decade, because they just seemed much too nervous to make a real impact on anyone.

Decade's stage time was a bit later than anticipated, following a couple of microphone lead changes and some sound issues, meaning that they interacted with the crowd a lot more at the beginning of their set than they'd ever had a need to before, and I think it definitely made them more comfortable. Sometimes, especially when playing bigger venues, Decade seem as though they've gone a bit deer in the headlights and are incapable of talking to people, meaning that they music is brilliant but the atmosphere is a bit lacking, but that was not a problem tonight. With guitarist and backing vocalist Connor Fathers taking to the mic, he had the crowd laughing almost instantly, and you could tell that no one was too irritated with the delay taking place, because it just made the show that much more individual. Talking of the crowd, I was impressed with the turn out that this show saw - for a Monday night the venue was absolutely buzzing, and everyone got so involved with the show which was highly commendable.

When the music eventually did get started, it was a brilliantly constructed set featuring all of Decade's best songs, and two new ones. Playing the entirety of the 'Good Luck' album, as well as two older songs and the two new releases, it struck me how flawless their performance was (even with some technical issues making Alex's vocal seem a bit too quiet a points) and I was not disappointed to be seeing them again so soon after Takedown Festival. If you haven't seen Decade live yet, you're definitely missing something great, and I highly recommend you change that now. 

'Daisy May' was definitely my favourite song that they performed - the first of the two new ones - which sounded like a perfect blend between Kids In Glass Houses and Lower Than Atlantis. With so many great UK pop-rock bands calling it a day in the last year (Save Your Breath, Canterbury and Me Vs Hero to name but a few) there's definitely a big gap to be filled, and I'm certain that Decade are going to step up and fill it. 'Brand New Again' also sounded great, and the two new songs stood out from the set in such a way that it displayed how much Decade have grown since their first album release - they're a more mature band now, they know more about what they're doing and they're not afraid to take some risks and shake things up a bit.

The rest of the set was a standard Decade show, and while that is not a negative thing it also didn't surpass either of the new songs. I can't wait for album two to be released, because it's going to kick down some doors and really open up some new possibilities for Decade, and they definitely deserve it. A self-confessed support band who rarely play headline shows, it's time for them to start selling out some rooms of their own, and that day can't come soon enough. 

Setlist: 

Good Luck

Callous

Fool's Gold

Daisy May

Brand New Again

Brainfreeze

I Don't Care

Never Enough

Coffin 

Homebound

Low 

Fake Teeth

Woke

British Weather