Me, Myself and I
The giant of post- hardcore Mr Geoff Rickly – what a catch he is!!- is featured on the latest release from my friends Y!kes. The song ‘Just Me’ sees singer Oli meandering through a deserted Birmingham, stopping to pay tribute to the tragedy that the live music scene has become. A twist in the tale and we find a hostage situation unfold, relating to a certain tape being played. These guys pull no punches, they immerse themselves into whichever theme they choose to tackle and go for it wholeheartedly and passionately. They are an inspiring act, see the frolic in the fields armed with a boom box, can’t beat the entertainment Y!kes offer. Oli’s instantly recognisable insane voice, wrapped in rusted from the rain razor wire and given added oomph with the voice of Thursday. The music swells and dissipates as the song structure requires, moments of edgy, mental barking laced with sugary, summery notes that are refined and discerning which gives us a gnarly yet graceful composition, eerie and exquisite in equal measures.
Our lads stood tall in a bereft Birmingham, a flash of life on an abandoned landscape where they cut their teeth. There’s been a lot of talk recently about how rock is dead, I think people need a Y!kes moment to settle that argument. Onwards and upwards my friends!