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Autonomy - Table Scraps: Album review

Garage punk isn't dead. Table Scraps have proved this point with their upcoming album, Autonomy. The record is set to be released on 23rd February via Zen Ten and I recently got the chance to have a listen to it. 

Firstly, a bit of background. Table Scraps are Scott Vincent Abbott (Guitar & Vocals), Poppy Twist (Drums & Vocals) and TJ (Bass & Vocals). According to their Bandcamp page, the Birmingham-based trio produce 'raw, dark, fuzzed out garage rock'.

Table Scraps - Photo Credit Meg Lavender

The group produce all their tracks in-house and have so far released a range of 7” singles and a LP. Autonomy was recorded in a 'very un-soundproofed' breeze block 5x5m room, which is something that certainly transcends throughout the album.

From a first listen to the album, it's clear that Table Scraps are angry. The subject of their anger is more elusive than other punk bands however, who perhaps channel their anger into politically charged lyrics. With Autonomy, the group stick to a simple set of chords combined with interesting synth effects. Lyrics are often relatively simplistic (see 'Sick of Me'), but this doesn't take away from the overall sound.

The album is made up of ten songs. With most clocking in at under the three minute mark, the result is an angsty, addictive whirlwind.

Autonomy album cover

The opening track, 'Sick of Me', was premiered back in November. The lyrics 'Are you sick, sick, sick, sick of me?' get stuck in your head pretty quickly. Of the song, Scott Vincent Abbott said: "Sick of Me is about when friendships stagnate and minor annoyance gives way to mouldering resentment. It’s dedicated to everyone just about keeping a lid on telling that one person how you really feel and cutting them loose.”

This feeling of 'just about keeping a lid on it' reflects how I feel about the album as a whole. I'd have liked to see the group completely lose control in one of the tracks. Maybe they are just calmer than me (which is commendable).

As the album races on, 'I'm a Failure' impresses with its self-deprecating lyrics. Following on, both the vocals and bass in 'Taking Out The Trash' remind me of The Black Keys. There's something about the drawn out, slightly nasal singing style which is both familiar and appealing.

Mid-album, Table Scraps take a supernatural turn. A ghostly guitar riff punctuates 'My Obsession', and then spooky synths galore make 'Frankenstein' a personal favourite.

As the final track, Do It All Over Again, fades out, you find yourself automatically wanting to play the record again. Autonomy is a fun album. It is experimental enough to win over new fans, while also sticking closely to the group's influences. The result is very hard to forget.

Interested in Table Scraps? They'll be touring the UK in February/March time:

23rd February - Foodhall, Sheffield
27th February  - Hope & Ruin, Brighton
28th February - Shacklewell Arms, London

1st March - 60MPC, Bournemouth
2nd March - Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
3rd March - Old England, Bristol

Frustratingly, I already have a gig booked for 28th February (The Front Bottoms, if you're interested), so won't be able to attend the London show. Something tells me this isn't the last we'll be seeing of Table Scraps, however.

Listen to 'Sick of Me' on Soundcloud here.

My year in music

2017 has been a funny year. Here in the UK we dealt with sickening revelations and political turmoil. Our so-called 'special relationship' with the US seems more laughable than ever.

Back to music... I think it's fair to say that it's been a pretty mixed bag. On the one hand, we were presented with beautiful albums from the likes of LCD Soundsystem, Enter Shikari and The National.

On the other hand, many of my favourite bands have been irrecoverably condemned to the 'do not listen to' pile. What will it take to stop those in power from abusing it so?

While I struggled to understand the upsetting news stories, I did get to attend over 20 gigs this year and discover some great new artists.

I'm happy I stumbled across October Drift, Japandroids, and The Smith Street Band. I definitely rank the latter in my top 5 favourite artists, and am planning a trip to Australia to see the group out there. 

My most memorable gig of 2017 has to be Los Campesinos! at London's KOKO in May. The group has such an infectious energy, and it was great to be a part of it.

I also finally got to see The Killers and Future Islands, two bands I've loved for a long time. 

I have high hopes for 2018. I have my fingers crossed for a UK Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile tour, and cannot wait to see The Front Bottoms and The Smith Street Band in London in February.

Wherever you celebrate the new year, I hope you have a good one. Here's to 2018!

In love with witches, inside by stitches: Gogol Bordello, London, 14/12/17

Where to start with Gogol Bordello? The Gypsy punk band have been touring tirelessly since 1999 and have known at least 20 members. 

Ukranian-born Eugene Hütz is the group's tenacious frontman, and other members come from Ethiopia, Russia and America - to name but a few.

Last week's Brixton Academy show was in support of Gogol Bordello's seventh studio album, Seekers and Finders. Before the Gypsy punks took to the stage, Lucky Chops, a brassy funk band from New York were charged with warming up the crowd.

Whether or not you know Gogol Bordello's music, it is impossible not to enjoy yourself during one of their live shows.

Left - Eugene Hütz, Right - Thomas Gobena

As soon as Break Into Your Higher Self started playing, the crowd was energetically jumping around. As the evening continued, this energy was simply amplified as older tracks started to be played.

Particular favourites included Alcohol and Start Wearing Purple, but songs from the new album were just as well received.

Passionate moshing continued throughout the show but, as is always the case at punk gigs, the crowd was respectful of anyone in difficulty.

Each member of Gogol Bordello is captivating to look at. Bassist Thomas Gobena has an exceptional blue beard and Sergey Ryabtsev on the fiddle reminded me of Jeremy Corbyn...

Hütz and his drum

By the end of the night, Hütz ended up crowd surfing on top of a large drum. He even invited a girl from the crowd to climb up with him.

The energy from this band is immense and incessant. It was an amazing send off to the strange year that has been 2017. If you haven't seen Gogol Bordello, make sure you do in 2018.

Everyone I love is going to die: itoldyouiwouldeatyou, Crywank, London, 09/12/17

Following a successful Australian tour, Manchester based anti-folk band Crywank returned back to the UK for a series of intimate shows.

According to their Bandcamp page, they have been told they are the worst named band in the country. This hasn't put off the fans, however, because both London dates sold out.

Both nights took place in London's Surya venue and support came in the form of Night Swimming and itoldyouiwouldeatyou. (I unfortunately missed the first act, sorry!).

London based indie-punk/emo outfit itoldyouiwouldeatyou performed a short but sweet set of eight songs. Lead singer Joey captivated the audience, introducing two new band members and then stepping into the crowd for one song.

itoldyouiwouldeatyou

The latest single, Mourn, was well received, and we even witnessed crowd surfing during the final song, Letters. This was particularly impressive considering the tiny size of the dance floor. 

If you haven't had a chance to listen to itoldyouiwouldeatyou, I highly recommend you to do so! (The video for Mourn is below).

After a short break, Crywank took to the stage. Frontman James Clayton performed a mix of songs from his four LPs.

Memento Mori from the excellently named Tomorrow Is Nearly Yesterday and Everyday Is Stupid LP went down well. Starting with the lyrics 'Everyone I love is going to die', it was never going to be a cheery evening.

Crywank's James Clayton

Despite the sad subject matter, the atmosphere in the venue was anything but miserable. 

Crywank bring people together. Fans who have been religiously listening to the releases since 2009 got the chance to chant the well-crafted lyrics back at the band. Couples slow-danced. There was no crowd surfing, more a state of gentle reverie.

It was a beautiful evening.

Can you read my mind? The Killers, London, 28/11/17

If I was trapped on a desert idea and could only listen to three artists for the rest of my days, they would be The Cure, Los Campesinos!, and The Killers. While differing in style, all three have an extensive back catalogue so boredom would not be an issue.

This theory was proven last night by The Killers' wonderful wonderful performance in London. Touring in support of their latest album, Wonderful Wonderful, Nevada's most successful rock band took over the O2 arena for two nights only.

Support came in the form of Australia's Juanita Stein. After a 45 minute wait, a brightly lit triangle rose up to reveal Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass), Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals), Mark Stoermer (bass, rhythm guitar, backing vocals) and Ronnie Vannucci, Jr. (drums, percussion).

The view from Level 4

What followed was two hours of music that took the audience on a journey of the last 15 years. Starting with the title track from the new album, and then racing back to Sam's Town with the much-loved 'Read My Mind', Flowers' left little room for a breather between each song. 

'Jenny Was a Friend of Mine' was well received, and 'Somebody Told Me' got the whole crowd screaming along. It really did feel like I was listening to my Killers-filled iPod on shuffle for two hours. Live, Flowers' voice comes across excellently.

The staging saw Vannucci drumming on an elevated platform at the back. He was a spectacular tour de force, at one point actually climbing onto the kit itself. Seeing as they formed in 2001, the band are seasoned rock stars by now.

Also on stage was: a rusty water tower with 'London' emblazoned on the front, three female (Venus) symbols for each backing singer, a male (Mars) symbol in front of Flowers, and two huge neon arrows. Add to that multiple confetti canons and projected images of cowboys. Old-school Killers had certainly come to town.

Luckily NME got a better photographer. Image Credit: Rob Loud, NME

Before playing, 'All These Things That I've Done', Flowers' explained the inspiration for it came from Lou Reed. When he was working at a Las Vegas casino, he would try to imitate Reed's iconic vocals, ultimately ending up humming 'Don't you put me on the back burner'.

The Killers' set came to a close with the incredible 'When You Were Young'. For the encore, the band invited New Order's Bernard Sumner on stage to perform 'Bizarre Love Triangle'.

The evening concluded with 'Human' and then, of course, 'Mr Brightside'. Whether you like it or not, no Killers set would be complete without it.

Overall, every song was excellent. There weren't even too many people desperately filming every second on their phones. For two hours, the audience was definitely smiling like they meant it. 

I'm searching far and wide to find a planet to orbit: Enter Shikari, London, 25/11/17

Five albums down, Enter Shikari show no signs of stopping. Since the 2005 release of their post hardcore, punky first album, Take to the Skies, the four piece have constantly evolved.

Their latest album, The Spark, showcases another change for Shikari. While still heavily politically charged, certain singles are much 'poppier' than previous releases. 'Live Outside' has been played regularly on Radio 1, whereas 'Mothership' probably wouldn't have made the cut.

The four piece headed to London's beautiful Alexandra Palace to promote the The Spark, and it was certainly an explosive evening. Support came from Astroid Boys and Lower Than Atlantis.

Proceedings kicked off with 'The Sights' from the new album, followed by 'Solidarity' and 'Anything Can Happen In The Next Half Hour...' from Common Dreads and Take To The Skies, respectively.

Rou everywhere!

After an intense mix of songs from all albums, lead vocalist Rou Reynolds and bassist Rob Rolfe seemingly disappeared. They were found standing on the lighting rig, however, and a beautiful rendition of 'Adieu' ensued.

Moments of respite are brief at a Shikari gig, however, and soon enough Rou announced a 'power round', where they were going to play four songs in eight minutes. BPM sky-rocketed with an intense mix of 'Sorry, You're Not a Winner', 'Sssnakepit', '...Meltdown' and 'Antwerpen'.

If that wasn't enough moshing for anyone, Shikari then went straight into 'Zzzonked' and the crowd went wild. (My glasses fell off!) True to form, the crowd was energetic but kind, stopping to pick up anyone who fell down or felt uncomfortable.

Just as the gig started with a track from The Spark, the final song was 'Live Outside'. In today's awful political climate, we need lyrics that voice both our disappointment and our desire to change. 'I'm going to live outside of all of this now'.