The one time I saw Nubiyan Twist live was at the Vox Warehouse in Leeds, at Raise the Roof festival which saw them follow on at some point in the early hours of the night from legendary two tone band The Beat. Following on from such a seasoned and always brilliant live band can be a challenge but they rose to the occasion and, with numerous cans of Red Stripe, hash joints and a bag of shrooms in my system, I danced the night away to the swirling wall of sounds created by the multitude of musicians on stage.

It was one of the high points of that particular period in my gig going life and, a good couple of years later, I jumped at the opportunity to review their new Siren Song EP; would it stand up to the test of my frankly hammered memories? Happily, it does. With a wide array of musicians involved at any one time (at least ten people were on stage the time I caught them), Nubiyan Twist form a formidable wall of sound; a melting pot of afrobeat, funk, ska, jazz, hip hop and more which reflects the number of people involved in the creative process and which is held together by both the incredible, focused musicianship of all involved and by Nubiya Brandon's sultry vocals.

Siren Song lays out its mission statement with the bass driven funk of 'Crocodile', a Fela Kuti influenced horn section and smooth rhythm anchoring Nubiya's drawn vocal meander which sucks the listener in immediately. Just as the rhythm has you nice and laid back, ready to nurse a straight whiskey at the bar, 'Headhunter' kicks in with a bouncier, more driving beat to get you right back on your feet and having a beer and a boogie. This is the EP's obvious lead point, evocative of BBQs and chronic smoke, and guaranteed to get anyone who isn't clinically dead / on a massive whitey at the very least tapping their toes.

'Him Himself' picks up the pace even further; a heady intoxicating swirl of sound destined to become a staple of afrobeat DJs the country over and with only a brief vocal interlude on a mostly instrumental testament to the group's cohesion of sound. The album's namesake, meanwhile, is another obvious single cut - a similarly paced piece of uplifting funk which takes full advantage of Nubiya's lung capacity.

The finale, 'Work House Mode', is a dizzying change of pace from the rest of the record which somehow chimes perfectly with its predecessors. Smooth jazz which you can perfectly hear sampled by A Tribe Called Quest or The Pharcyde at their peak, despite its inception many years past that era. It brings a close to proceedings with nonchalant insouciance and, despite Nubiya's repeated refrain of “I can't give you anything”, Nubiyan Twist has given a hefty amount in the 25 minutes the EP lasts for. This one comes highly recommended.

Siren Song EP is available from Amazon and iTunes.

An autobiographical song documenting occasions where his idiosyncratic musical path has intersected with aspects of the (comparative) mainstream in terms of influence, and prospective collaborations; with references to Kurt Cobain, “strange boy” Beck, and Kylie Minogue (“quite polite “, apparently ).

Childish is ambivalent about this attention, happy to be involved on his terms but unlikely to lose any sleep if nothing comes to fruition and he can maintain his distance (“they don’t know me”). This is told in the customary Childish rasp over a perfunctory approximation of the ‘Gloria’ riff, pepped up with organ and a fine layer of extra fuzz towards the end. However, while hardcore Childish obsessives will no doubt be enthused,beyond the slight novelty aspects of the subject matter there’s little to interest those less committed.

Giving this release a split single feel, B side ‘True’, sung by Julie, ironically has a faint echo of Nirvana’s ‘About A Girl’ in the chorus, and is a tale of boy trouble involving a chap who walks  the “thin line between a dick and a nice guy”. This has a freshness missing from the A side with a nice melodic swing and combines a less blustery approach with a contrasting finely gnarled guitar solo. 

A Song For Kylie Minogue is available from amazon and iTunes.

Following hot on the heels of last year’s debut album Circle, Oxford’s alluring and wicked duo Vienna Ditto have returned with a new EP of material titled Ticks. Comprised of seven enchanted tracks, the band continue to showcase their pop-noir style in whimsical and wistful soundscapes that range from the pop of ‘Ticks’ to the noir of ‘My Way Of Missing You’.

The title track is oddly reminiscent of Gwen Stefani’s ‘What You Waiting For?’ as vocalist Hatty Taylor’s words in a similar fashion. The other half of this creative force is Nigel Firth, reportedly the fuel in the creative tank of the vehicle for which Taylor provides vocal guidance. ‘Frank Account’ is concise track which takes on a new layer of importance following the Panama Papers scandal (damn it Emma Watson), as it weaves its tale of financial deception and social inequality. ‘Motherless Child’ is as sombre as the title would suggest, until an aggressive guitar interrupts the latter stages.

’My Way Of Missing You’ is equally, appropriately downbeat as Taylor’s vocals recall a tale of love lost throughout a flurry of electronic-tinged instrumentation in the band’s usual jazzy psychedelic style. ‘Go Down Moses’ is biblical and angular with an edgy guitar line groove, which provides the perfect precursor to the alluring finale of the EP in the form of ‘Come Back’, a track which glides effortlessly before checking out in an instrumental ruckus.

Further confirming Vienna Ditto’s as a formidable musical outfit, Ticks is an exciting release brimming with creativity and passion. The duo has crafted seven more unique tracks of the highest quality, tinged with their eclectic style, available from repeated consumption. If you like your music a little weird but definitely excellent then perhaps this is the band for you.

Ticks EP is available from Amazon and iTunes.

The seeds sown by The Strokes Is This It have taken root. Otherkin wear their influence proudly. Luke Reilly's Julian Casablancas-style vocals are shouty and affected in the same manner as the New Yorkers’ frontman. Combined with the relentless insistence of the rhythm section and the Albert Hammond Jr-flavoured lead guitar, the Irish quartet emulate their predecessors right down to the smell of dirty leather off the tunes. The New Vice is four tracks of three minute rockers played with everything turned up to 10. The sound of their youthful energy aches to be heard live. The visceral thrill of the driving tunes demands animalistic dancing and general jumping about. Reilly, Guitarist Conor Wynne and bassist David Anthony met in Canada while they were all in Toronto in 2010. They were joined by drummer Rob Summons in 2012 to complete the line up of Otherkin. They have been balancing music and studying for the past few years and the buzz in Ireland around them has been growing steadily. The launch for this EP in Whelan’s last month sold out way in advance and they are confirmed for most of the major festivals around the country.

But they have bigger markets to conquer now and their sights are set on the UK and Europe. The band are fresh out of college and have wasted little time. The New Vice comes only six months after The 201 EP. They have a hectic schedule of festivals and European jaunts ahead. They played Leeds & Reading last year and in January were named as one of the five best bands at the annual Eurosonic showcase in the Netherlands.

‘Howling’ harks back to their previous EPs. It is appropriately named, full of “Aye-aye-aye”s and “Ay-oh, ay-oh”s. Current single 'Yeah I Know' is a wicked tease. The verses ratchet up the tension and then pull the rug when you expect it to explode. 'White Heat' alters the tempo and structure that the rest of the EP has set. It is playful and spacious.

Their youthful exuberance and the toe-tapping nature of the music mask the emptiness of the songs. The lyrics appear to be cut-and-paste and, if there is any meaning to them it is well hidden. No two lines bear any obvious relation to each other.

The New Vice is very like The Hives’ Your New Favourite Band. It will sound good on a night out in your local indie bar after a few drinks but the next morning in the cold light of day, the throwaway sloganeering and soulless chanting will fail to make any lasting impact. Otherkin look the part and have nailed the raucous pop rock sound. They have everything in their favour, they just need to work on their songwriting.

Live dates:

19th May – The Great Escape, Brighton (Artrocker @ The Latest Bar 8.30pm)

20th May – The Great Escape, Brighton (Music From Ireland Showcase @ The Prince Albert 1.30pm)

11th June – This Feeling at Nambucca, London

12th June – Isle of Wight Festival

3-5th July – Rock For People, Czech Republic

15th July – Longitude Festival, Ireland

16th July – Latitude Festival, Suffolk

17th July – Beatherder, Lancashire

29th July – Leefest, Kent

30th July – Leapoolooza, Cornwall

26th-27th August – Reading & Leeds Festivals