Track: Jekyll – I Do What I Can
It was back in 2014 and one of the first reviews I ever did for Backseat Mafia was of this incredibly impressive Blackpool band, Jekyll. I was so impressed, I followed up with an interview and continued to follow them as they grew exponentially. At the time, I presciently questioned why this band wasn’t bigger. …
Track: Haters – Feel Better
There’s nothing like a bit of noisy, shouty guitar-driven rock’n’roll, and Queenland’s Haters have released a blaster in their debut ‘Feel Better’. In the world where bands like Idles, Fontaines DC and The Murder Capital are making a massive impact and heralding a return to punk poetry, Haters are boldly entering the fray: powerful riffs, …
Track: Nada Surf – So Much Love
Nada Surf are a bit of an indie institution and are on the brink of releasing their ninth album, ‘Never Not Together’ on 7 February 2020. ‘So Much Love’ is the third single released in anticipation of the album and it encapsulates the Nada Surf sound and philosophy: bright sparkling joyous music that is infused …
Track: Ash – Darkest Hour of the Night plus Album News – Teenage Wildlife: 25 Years Of Ash
In 1996 at the tender age of 19 having just left school in Northern Ireland, Ash released one of the most extraordinary debut albums – ‘1977’ named after the year of two members’ births; the year a number of major punk albums debuted and, of course, the year Star Wars was released. ‘1977’ is filled …
Video: Fontaines DC – Liberty Belle
Fontaines DC released their universally praised debut album ‘Dogrel’ last year – for me one of the best releases of 2019 – and have sold out at increasingly larger venues across the world, culminating at a sold-out headline gig at London’s O2 Brixton Academy in February 2020. It’s no exaggeration there is a buzz about …
Track: Hayley Mary – Like A Woman Should
Hayley Mary has just released a new single and video for her song ‘Like a Woman Should’ in anticipation of her forthcoming EP, ‘The Piss, The Perfume’ due out on 17 January 2020 through I Oh YOU Records. Mary – real name Hayley Frances McGlone – has form: she was in Australian band The Jezabels …
Track: Fingerless – Get My Money Back
Missed in the pre-Christmas excitement, ‘Get My Money Back’, the new single from Brisbane’s inimitable Fingerless is a swaggering joy. Opening with a dream-like Gregorian chant with a spacey blur, the song launches into a spectacular, driving rhythm – there’s an attitude-laden tilt infusing psychedelic glam style with a rock’n’roll bluster. It’s The Triffids mixed …
News: Bushfire Relief Concerts – Australia
Australia has been hit with apocalyptic fires this summer and it is great to see the music industry coming together to provide support for the community. One concert entitled Down to Earth will to raise precious funds for for immediate fire relief via Red Cross and WIRES, as well as funding organisations that focus on …
Feature: 2019 Favourites
The following are lists of my favourite releases of 2019. This is not a definitive list of the best of 2019: I would not be so presumptuous to think I have listened to every single release nor the objective ability to state what is best. This is essentially stuff I have listed to and liked …
Premiere: Elder – wabi sabi
Backseat Mafia couldn’t be more pleased to premiere the extraordinary single ‘wabi sabi’ from Brisbane’s Elder: a song that is so innovative and exciting and quite mesmerising. It heralds the beginning of another stunning year from the stable of 4000 Records. With crystal sharp splashes of guitars, drums and bass, the song is alike a …