In the second part of his guide to Maidstone’s music scene, Liam Whear continues to bring you the bands that excite him most.
The only recorded song to their name, ‘Doom’ shows what Bandicoot are about well. Driving guitars with hints of a psychedelic edge that always goes down well live.
Evolving from previous form Tempests, Skinny Feels youthful indie rock bounces and jumps about, revelling in its amateurish, no-nonsense approach. ‘Peachy’ shows they know exactly what they’re about.
Salvation Jayne play the kind of alternative blues rock that should be heard from pubs old as time itself, but their confidence is both blistering and invigorating. All three tracks on their self-titled EP are bloody and bruised.
Recently parting ways with Jodys Flat, Tom Mitchenall has used the songwriting chops he displayed there to carve his own niche. Acoustic songs such as ‘Standard E-Tuning’ show an everyman, chill vibe that’s easy to enjoy. Bit of Noel in this lad.
Meanwhile, Courtney Rose Meyer’s songwriting is much more haunting. ‘Drug’ shows her ability to twist her voice and pronunciation to create just the right tone and vibe, emphasised with her delicate, immersive playing.
Es muss sein’s focus is on vibe as well, but on the possibilities with arrangement. ‘Sail’ and ‘infinity’ are layered splendidly, and show promise and a wealth of possibility.
Having previously collaborated with Ess muss sein, HIGH know the advantages of texture as well. With just a set-up of guitar and drums, they invoke hazy, lulling atmospheres on songs such as ‘Forever Young’, before settling into distorted grooves reminiscent of Queens Of The Stone Age on ‘BrainFreeze’ and ‘Illegalise Legal Highs’. HIGH show what can be done with so little.
Another group of youngsters, H E R C I T Y work to create a chilled atmosphere based more on electronics, ‘Breathe’ taking a cue from The xx and creating a sound using ambience and downtempo-influenced instrumentation.
Always utterly fucking heavy, Upcdownc have been shifting glaciers for nearly fifteen years. Their post-rock takes in everything from metal, drone, hardcore, but is always earth-shattering and staggeringly beautiful. Their last album, Black Sea, shows the breadth of their talent the best, going from hauntingly delicate passages to galaxy-destroying crunchiness in a breath.
Having split up last year and reforming only a few months ago, it seems fitting to end with Inevitable Daydream, a band who are guiding the direction of the scene with every strike of their blue thunder. Every incarnation of their live performance is another chapter of beautiful violence, with roaring feedback, powerful drums, hazy skies and resistance to those bringing you down. ‘Summer Song’ is a thundering pop tune, and ‘Clouds’ is beautiful and sublime, floating above the heavens before the apocalyptic closing, dancing to the end of the world.