Band: WASTE Who: Rowdy Belgian indies
who find beauty in chaos.
With a hat-trick of 3 steaming singles: Dog House, Get Up and Discotheque,
these fast-up-and-coming Belgian turbo got my ears’ full attention.
Beware, these punked-up bloodhounds bite. They chase you with ruthless racket.
They bark like werewolves. They produce rabid stuff. They bloody rock! They’re no
waste of your time whatsoever.
Hells Bells!
Last Wednesday, they hit my hometown of Ghent (Belgium) for a blistering salvo of jagged juggernauts. Think Deftones‘ nu-metal gusto, Rage Against the Machine‘s fiery forcefulness, and the Stooges’ kickass attitude, all rolled into one. Fucktastic, right? You betcha.
Calm before the storm
Vocalist Jef Jenaer is the excorcistic vox in the middle, screaming his 4 lungs out, between balloons. He’s backed by a mean rock machine steamrollin’ like a hotrod speeding out of control. Together, they produce an amount of illegal decibels that made the audience go nuts. The small club turned into a sauna.
Charged electricity
Waste nailed it, there and then. A small club try-out for
bigger things to come. Their future has no limits. Don’t
miss them.
Band: LIME GARDEN Who: British pop-rock act from Brighton, UK.
They released their debut LP One More Thing
in 2024.
Track: 23
New piece from their upcoming 2nd album Maybe Not Tonight, out on April 10th.
TUTV: Yeah! Absolutely yeah! Move your pelvis, move your head, move your feet, move anything that is movable. This resistless dancefloor upper boosts your mood on the spot.
Band: THE DARTS Who: Steamy garage Amazons based in Seattle, Washington,
fronted by charismatic singer-songwriter Nicole Laurenne,
also operating solo as Black Viiolet
Track: MIDNIGHT CREEP
The first single from their forthcoming LP, their 6th, named Halloween Love Songs. It’ll hit our stereos on March 3rd.
TUTV: Midnight Creep is vintage Darts frenzy. Sizzling, blistering, and red-hot-blooded. Laurenne and her sidekick, her organ, lead the hungry troops once again. The piquant buzz and fuzz at play here ignite all of your limbs and make you jump like a kangaroo from left to right and back. From now on, every day is Halloween.
TUTV: Beware, these punked-up bloodhounds bite. They chase you with ruthless racket. They bark like werewolves. They bloody rock! They’re no waste of time whatsoever. Rabid stuff. Arrrggghhh.
“This song is about the endless lists of goals and resolutions we make for ourselves, many of which have arbitrary deadlines attached to them. ‘On Time’ is trying to capture that feeling of being right on the crest of a wave of busyness, the ‘last wave’ where you think surely it will be calm seas after this. But there’s always another and another.”
TUTV: WTF. Riot grrl clamour is back, but dirtier, rawer, and LOUDER.
94 boiling seconds that do your poor head in. Punktastic.
Band: COWBOY HUNTERS Who: Glasgow‘s punk dropouts Megan Pollock and Desmond Johnston.
Track: HAVE A PINT
New single from their upcoming 5-track EP,
titled EPeepee. It’ll hit the streets on March 20th.
TUTV: This is it. Raw and rough punk hysteria at its sharp-cutting best. These two hungry hunters take you on a wham-bam rollercoaster ride, up and down, left and right. Have A Pint sounds like it was recorded in their local pub’s toilet, generating some barbed wire shit, juiced with obstreperous duet vocals that drive you nuts .
TUTV: What the hell is this? Must be the most dancey, vibey, and trippy track
of their sonic canon. A Shift Of Perspective has an irresistible pelvis-energizing
swing spiced with wah-wah guitar sparks and, of course, Kate Arnold‘s
spoken-word panache.
“Lee is a guy that we never want to become, let’s make that clear! This tune goes out to all the blokes who keep it blokey and delve too far into the cretin side of the internet, dudes that base their entire lives around some bonkers right wing conspiracy. When it comes to Lee, what you see isn’t a what you get, and what you get is much darker than you’d expect.”
TUTV: Hit! Hit! Hit! Need an upbeat upper to get you through the day? This Adult DV
one, right here, will do the job, with striking Chemical Bros echoes and other electronic pyrotechnics.
TUTV: Alert your limbs, folks. Some boom-boom Basement Jaxx e-cstasy
is coming your way. Techno blitz in quadrophonia. Chemical beats and
underworld heat. Insane, right? You betcha.
TUTV: These dance-inducing Belgians do what they did before in other bands. They move and groove with a slow-burning intensity, like a snake sneaking up on its prey. Alright, all you nightclubbers out there, get your lazy ass off your couch and shake your booty to the guitar-motorized beats.
TUTV: A brisk, sprightly, and tremendously catchy guitar pop gem
peaking on its splendiferous chorus. A tantalising slice of music.
The repeat button was invented for tintillazing tunes like this.
Ali Lipman (guitarist/vocalist) channels an inner strength as she details
the pressures women face to be emotionally regulated when everything
is overstimulating.
“We’re known for our upbeat power-emo songs, with big leads, big harmonies, and big refrains. This song perfectly encapsulates what we do best. There’s plenty of surprises to come on Place Memory, but ‘Calm & Delivered’ is the perfect definition of a Cape Crush anthem.”
TUTV: A kind of those tunes that puts a blissful smile on your face right away.
Guitar fireworks from the kinetic kick-off, working their way to the heartening
chorus. Sinewy indie fuel to get you going. Sensitive vocals. Punchy girl power.
Band: LIP SERVICE Who: Electro pop outfit
from Belgium.
Track: SLOWLY
Piece from their upcoming album Swalman, out early next month.
TUTV: Electro-pop at its funky and vivifying best. A lazy tune that makes you hum/whistle along on the spot. A dreamy ditty, jaunty and breezy. A perfect sonic companion on your earphones while strolling in slow-mo in the city.
Artist: SIMON LE MA Who: Belgian singer-songwriter
with an eclectic musical taste.
So far, he has 2 albums under his belt.
Track: NEW RELIGION
New single from his upcoming 3rd album,
named Get Sweaty, out next September.
TUTV: Expect brassy Motown vibes. Glamorous, soulful, and uplifting. New Religion energizes all of your limbs. You can sing, whistle or hum
along. Early spring fun, folks.
Band:THE TWILIGHT SAD Who: Scottish romantic indies who have
been earning a loyal fanbase since 2003.
Track: DESIGNED TO LOSE
Taster from their upcoming album, named It’s The Long Goodbye.
They’re 6th overall, and first in seven years, written in the wake
of frontman James Graham losing his mother to dementia.
Out March 27th.
TUTV: Sad story, sticky tune. Great bass riffage, bouncy
drums, expressive vocals, and an overall orchestral resonance.
TUTV: Need some day-night-dreaming stimulus? This near-whispering reverie is what you’re looking for. Soothing and chilling. Lovely duet vocals. Starry-eyed chorus. You
won’t feel lonely when Dreamager touches your soul.
Artist: WINONA OAK Who: The musical moniker of engrossing Swedish songstress Johanna Ewana Ekmark.
Track: HORSES
The 2nd single from her upcoming,
sophomore album (details TBA).
TUTV: Oak‘s velvety voice makes me think of superstars Lana Del Rey and Billie
Eilish‘s heartfelt tenderness. Melancholic reverie Horses is a nostalgic lullaby. She
revisits childhood memories of riding, a time when she felt safe, free, and deeply connected to the natural world.
