Spooky scary skele-tunes Eve Matthews Florence and the Machine: Seven Devils
The laidback tone of the vocals on this song are probably the creepiest part, with the eerily calm declaration of “See I’ve come to burn your kingdom down” seeming like a usual part of the day.
Gabrielle Aplin: Skeleton
This jaunty little tune uses the ‘skeleton’ as a metaphor for a detached lover. But really, what could be more terrifying than the skeleton of your ex turning up on your doorstep?
Siouxsie and the Banshees: Spellbound
Everything, from the mesmerising guitar riffs, rhythmic drumming, to the hypnotic cries of Siouxsie Sioux’s vocals will have you utterly entranced by this song.
Tony Allen Sheepy: Frankenstein
Released as a one-off single last Halloween, Luke Jones’ Liverpool three-piece come through on this witty, melodic indie banger. The scary thing is that they’re not a household name south of Chester. Yet…
16 concrete.music@uea.ac.uk
Music
As You Were: musically brilliant, lyrically poor Earlier this month Liam Gallagher released his debut solo album, As You Were, after months of teasing and build up. The first single from the album, ‘Wall of Glass’, was released in May, and peaked at number 21 in the charts on its first week of release. This, however, was not a sign of things to come as, after the album’s official full release, it became the ninth fastest selling album this decade. It’s not surprising; As You Were is full of soulful, thought-provoking ballads, offset by a few rockier pieces thrown in to induce that nostalgia for early noughties Britpop. The opening song ‘Wall of Glass’ is punchy, and introduces a slightly fresher, more invigorating sound than Oasis’ later tunes. ‘For What It’s Worth’ is easily some of Liam Gallagher’s best work, despite feeling somewhat familiar. The fervent notes of the chorus are reminiscent of Oasis’ legendary ‘Wonderwall’, which is easily the band’s most well-known song.
uninspiring. The bohemian ‘Chinatown’ has a beautiful melody, with a powerful, guitar-led rhythm. However, the lyrics are a frustrating angle on the current political climate that the catchy tune is almost definitely wasted on: “What’s it to be free man? What’s a European? Me I just believe in the sun.” The music may have developed, but Liam Gallagher’s lyrical genius has yet to come out. All in all, it’s an enjoyable album reminiscent of Gallagher’s earlier sound, while still bringing something new to the table. Just don’t listen too closely to the lyrics.
-Ciara McIlvenna
Gallagher has stated in an interview with Billboard that he’s “trying to recapture that sound” and For What It’s Worth makes that apparent without being a carbon copy of Oasis’ glory days. However, whilst the songs themselves may be pleasing, the lyrics are typically
Less peace, more panic
Neck Deep’s Nottingham show was cancelled after security’s rough handling of crowd surfers turned into a full-scale fight between members of the band and venue security. Videos have since emerged online clearly showing that, whilst the security were being extremely heavy handed when dealing with fans, the violent response of some of the band members towards the security, and lead singer Ben Barlow’s mic drop outburst, served only to escalate the situation further. At the same time, it cannot be disputed that this was a frustrating moment for the band to experience during their biggest UK headline tour to date, not to mention for
the fans who would have paid for ticket and travel expenses. Although, it is obvious from footage of the band chatting to fans after the show and in the lengthy statement posted after the event that their reaction was motivated by a desire to protect their fans, all of this just goes to show that security must do better in protecting both fans and performers since, as Neck Deep declared in their statement, these shows should be a place where “everyone is safe and free to enjoy music being played”.
-Rosie Burgoyne