Mick Birchall Reviews

Let’s rewind, not too far, but just a little to the end of 2022. In November, I went to see one of the Young Guns reunion shows in Manchester. It was an absolutely belting night, filled with passion and fun. The main support act for the night was the Nottingham-based rock band, Lacey . What a flashback that was! Holy cow, I hadn’t had a chance to listen to them in so long, I think the last time was in 2013. It was a memory unlocked. That night, Lacey played a few newer songs and I really loved the sound. After their set, I went to their merch table and got a CD mix of the newer tracks. So, you better believe that the new album was on my *look out for this one* list in 2023. Well, look what rolled into my inbox, the new album, This Is All We Are . I’ve been listening to it for a bit now and I have to say some of these songs have been stuck in my head since I forest listened to them. From a production standpoint, I’m in two minds about it. It’s very electronic, there are a lot of vocal ...

  OK, I swear I don’t plan these, sometimes things come into my inbox and I feel the need to write about them. Recently, I came across the UK-based garage rock band, Loud George and it hit me like a tonne of bricks. It’s been a while since I’ve dipped my toes into the DIY-filled world of underground garage rock. Of course, there are always bands that self-produce their music, but I’m talking about something entirely different. I’m talking about that raw, unfiltered power of just some friends that crash their instruments and shape the sound into a wall of sonic energy. That’s what I get from this album. The latest self-titled effort from Loud George hits with the weight of a thousand amplifiers. The influence of bands like Dead Boys , The Meat Puppets and Butthole Surfers lives on in bands like this. This album is best described as controlled and chaotic. On first listen you might feel that it’s just erratic for the sake of being loud. However, on repeat listens you find a particu...

So, this was my introduction to the Ashley Sherlock and he left a decent first impression. The blues singer comes locked and loaded with his debut album Just A Name . The album is filled with songs that will leave you feeling beautiful emotions and good vibes. The Manchester singer-songwriter and his band have been on the scene for about four years in its current incarnation. Before this record, he had two EPs to his name. 2019s Ashley Sherlock and 2021s If You’re Listening . So naturally I had to go back and listen to the earlier material to get some groundwork. I heard a naturally gifted songwriter with an ear for a good hook, and clearly, influenced by the classic pantheon of songwriters. He wears his heart on his sleeve and that leaks from his soul to the songs he puts together. I can appreciate that, a songwriter that has a voice. Sure this kind of underground blues-rock sound has been around since the dawn of underground rock bars. However, I think he’s found his own unique vo...

It’s pretty fair to say that, at one point in time, I was a colossal fan of the modern blues-rock legend, Joe Bonamassa . I fell in love with his seventh studio record The Ballad of John Henry and became enthralled with his music. I’ll never forget going to the Sheperd’s Bush Empire in London for my 21st birthday to see him live. That show was recorded for a concert DVD, so I have that day forever immortalised on film. Not a bad memory to have I must say! However, over the years I became distant from Joe’s music. For no real reason, I just seemed to lose touch with my passion for his records and stopped waiting for the releases. It’s just one of those weird things in life. Well, circumstance has returned me to the joy of listening to Mr Bonamassa. I have had a chance to catch up on his recent discography, particularly his 2021 record, Time Clocks . This record is an absolute marvel my jaw was on the floor. Everything just fits together; each riff, each solo, the tight rhythm and the b...