Powered by the magnificence that is the Friday Rock Show, hosted by the all-seeing, all knowing Guy Bellamy, a friend to many, a hero to most, he can be found at Great Music Stories Radio, where you will discover a wealth of talent, simmering under the surface, ready to take a tumble in the bear pit.
DeadBlondeStars central figure is my friend Mr Fuzzy- aka Matt Simons who is the bassist, we’ve been Twittering for some time now- who along with his cohorts emerge from deepest, darkest Sheffield to plight their troth, well musically y’understand- and I’d say it is a proposition too good to turn down. Modern Rock is a genre that is much maligned, many fans are steadfast in the old school of rock, which has indeed played its part in the evolution of music, bands like our friends here are absolutely ready to carry the torch forward and pave the way so the future of Rock is restored and secured.
We see ‘Land Ahead’ and are encouraged to venture forward, chomping on the bit, we begin with ‘11Teeth’ and instantly I get Gavin Rossdale nibbling on my earlobes, swoon…faint….
The nostalgia is real; listening to this it is understandable to get a little teary, as we remember those we have lost over the years. The line up is completed by Gary Walker -lead vocals/guitar, Tom Gratton – guitar, Oliver Thompson- guitar/vocals and Jamie Machon on drums. This is their second album, developed over lockdown, like many of their peers, using our ravaged landscape, through all the uncertainty to undergo a ‘Metamorphosis’ as we survive to live another day, in a changed world.
There is a fragility, underneath the grunge inspired exterior, the internal atomics of our humanity is brought to the fore, to be judged, to be questioned and applicable restitution is meted out.
We wander the wilds of ‘Alaska’ broken, hollow and full of holes, the barren lands mirror our abandoned and withered souls. Witness a sheer fret attack, a veritable tonic in these trying times, accomplished musicianship, you’d be mad not to give this a chance. In ‘Bow To The Bend’ there is that distinctive 90’s gritty, gutsy tone, again showing the art as it was and how it has adapted. The work here is likened to a brooding entity, a being that senses where it is needed, and gradually makes its way home. The closer is ‘A Friend Like You’ something we all need, a haven, a harbour, shelter from the raging lunacy we are experiencing, there is the grass is greener aspect of ‘Open Water’ inviting, ready to whisk us all away. I’d say we run away with these guys, who’s with me?
Azra Pathan
DeadBlondeStars – Metamorphosis out now