MyGeneration… Your Generation Will PHIL ISTINE ever run out of great new bands to plug? Hell no!


Kicking us off today is HELICON from East Kilbride. Based around brothers John-Paul and Gary Hughes, the quintet have just released the dronetastic Take This Ride EP which puts them feet firmly in the nu-gaze camp, creating widescreen slow-burning pop for the broken-hearted youth of today. The shadow of local forefathers Jesus & Mary Chain is audible, and it’s a Marmite situation for many I would guess: you either love or hate this brooding, fuzzed-up approach to music. www.myspace.com/helicon1band


From down the road in Glasgow come THE BLACK HAND GANG. With a more commercial sound than most bands that get written about in these pages it’s no surprise they are getting


quite a name for themselves locally. The obvious sonic comparisons are probably Kings Of Leon and Proud Mary, but don’t let such concerns put you off. Their melodic blues- rock still possesses its own outlaw spirit and whilst the chugging riffs won’t win any prizes for originality the songs are still emotionally engaging and that, surely, is all that really matters. Their debut EP was released this month, so go git. www.myspace.com/theblackhandganguk


ELGAZELLE must be a pretty unique phenomenon: Manc casuals playing US garage rock covers (‘Liar Liar’). All power to them, I say: it sure beats saying you’re influenced by The Stone Roses and Oasis. Instead I can hear the


powerpop of The Who, the swagger of The Faces and the smoke trail of north-west legends The Stairs and The La’s. Frontman Paul Wright is a DJ/club promoter with his ’60s head firmly on straight, so if you like your rock ’n’ roll with a mod leaning you’re going to be happy pogoing along to these lads. www.myspace.com/elgazelle


Onto Phil Istine home turf now and may I introduce to you the twisted world of THE HELMHOLTZ RESONATORS. Schizophrenic sounds abound, taking elements of classical music, The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, The Monks and Bo Ningen to produce their well-dressed and bombastic electronic- psychedelic rock. Current single ‘Bombs!’ has plenty of Stylophone, Hammond and fuzz bass and sounds like Primal Scream mixed with Reverend & The Makers. Watch the video for ‘Land Of Dreams’ on their Myspace page to catch a glimpse of their future-retro world. If you wish to investigate further their debut album, Crystal Submarine is now available for download and highly recommended. www.myspace.com/thehelmholtzresonators


Also capital way is blues quartet BARRELHOUSE. You know where you are with these guys, they’ve got blues riffage you could set your watch too. Taking dollops of Jimi, Eric, Jimmy, Peter and Jeff and giving it a heavy kick drum beat, songs such as ‘Regency Roll’ and ‘The Roller’ put them in


modern-day White Stripes/Black Keys territory. ‘Let Me Touch You Baby’ meanwhile has the southern boogie firmly in its heart. Keeping the British blues tradition alive is a laudable effort, and considering how easy it is to get it wrong I’m pleased to report Barrelhouse most definitely pass muster. www.myspace.com/musicbarrelhouse


Midlands conglomerate NIGHTWORKER REVIVAL meanwhile take their Ride, Elevators, Velvets and Verve ingestions to spew out tracks like the blissed-out epic ‘Man Made Saviour’ and the glacial ‘Around Echoes You Orbit’. The reverb levels are humongous here, and it’s not just for effect: it works


beautifully. Hopefully more will be heard from these guys in the coming year: certainly supporting fellow lysergic travellers Wooden Shjips can do no harm. I have the perfect soundbite for their first release when it appears: “Lysergic prescriptions for the turned-on underground”. www.myspace.com/nightworkerrevival


singles have so far seen the light of day: the dark brooding slashes of ‘Hidden Door’ and the offbeat discordant garage- punk thrash that is ‘Francis’. A debut album should hit the shelves later this summer. The Rayographs are just the sort of off-kilter band you can rely on to constantly surprise and delight you. Clasp them tight and don’t let go. www.myspace.com/therayographs


And now for a Sussex resident who has flourished musically in the past year: PAUL MESSIS. Having served an apprenticeship in The Fallen Leaves he has now been taken under the recording wing of The Higher State boys. We reviewed his debut single in these pages last year, and I’m forever spinning ‘The World Is Square’ side


at my garage parties simply because it is just SO DARN GOOD. His new single ‘Lost And Found’ on 13 O’ Clock Records carries on such tradition by being totally authentic sounding (and looking): pure moody, downer garage for teenagers to feel like outsiders along too. Let’s hope we can get this real talent on a stage sometime soon – I’m sure the sounds would be mesmeric! www.myspace.com/thepaulmessissound


Let’s swing westwards now to get a load of Bristol frat-rock supergroup LOS IMBASILS. Here are four guys and one girl attempting to recreate the sound of American rock ’n’ roll, surf and garage in one handy mask-wearing fun package. Mixing originals and covers in gloriously trashy style, I have heard nothing but praise for these well- drilled delinquents. They also run the local


Frathouse/Fratcave nights to spread the primitive word of rock ’n’ roll, Farfisa and The Fuzz. Hell, it’s like a sleaze-filled religion round these parts! www.myspace.com/losimbasils


ELEPHANTS ON ACID stampede around the country regularly on tour, but when they rest they do so in Leeds. The lysergic rock quartet can blast out snappy garage pop as easily as their elongated head music workouts. 1968/69 influences abound: Cream, The Doors, Hendrix, Blue Cheer etc. I heard reports they were a blistering live experience, and having recently witnessed them firsthand I can confirm the reports are true! If they aren’t kicking down your musical door and in the focus of your third eye then you need to sort yourself out, and quick. www.myspace.com/elephantsonacidnow


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Last but not least, I’ve time to bring to your attention to BRITISH LIGHT MUSIC from that green and pleasant land called Salisbury. Main man Simon has been “confusing hometown audiences with incongruous psychedelicate sounds” in various guises for a while


Our final London band for this issue is THE RAYOGRAPHS, an all-female trio peddling the sort of primal voodoo blues punk that would make The Patti Smith Group nod in approval. Two 7”


now. Orchestral, baroque, classical, ambitious and maybe self-indulgent are all useful adjectives to describe the bubblegum pop results. Nirvana, Procol Harum, The Zombies, The Left Banke, Sagittarius, The Idle Race and The Bee Gees are all touchstones to the BLM sound. With one High Llama Pete Aves in tow they play the International Pop Overthrow in May. Check them out if you go. www.myspace.com/britishlightmusic


And that is that. See you next time, hipsters.


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