It has been a while since the last Mayhem Singles Round Up so I thought how about one that focused on bands and artists from or based in York? This post contains songs from eighteen different artists and showcases the diversity of styles, the strength of music, and the depth of the music scene in my adopted city of York. All these tunes were delivered into the world by the magical music stork in the last few months. OK fact fans, three of these acts have a link to the school that I currently work at, can you guess which ones? Click here to take a listen to a Spotify playlist of all eighteen tracks, which is more than an hour of fab music! In case you are interested, the order of the songs was simply drawn out of a metaphorical hat 🙂
“G.U.N.N.E.R” – YouVee YouVee get proper heavy on this blockbuster of a tune. Shades of early Kasabian and even Black Sabbath abound!
“Start A New” – Bull – This is a band that moves closer to perfection with each release and “Start A New” has the makings of a Bull classic. The harmonies are good enough to melt even the hardest of hearts with the genius of adding a school choir too.
“Make Up” – Pennine Suite – I reckon this is Pennine Suite’s finest song so far. It has power, awesome vocals, and a chorus that sticks around in your head for quite a while.
“In Ecstasy” – Shed Seven featuring Rowetta – York’s musical titans the Sheds are back and with an absolute banger featuring the unmistakable vocal support of the magnificent Rowetta.
“Break In The Weather” – Benjamin Francis Leftwich – A gorgeous ballad of heartbreak that shows the emergence of buds of hope. Potentially a real tearjerker.
“Rebellion” – Anthea Drive – Is this Anthea Drive’s heaviest tune yet? I think so. Full of mountainous, immaculate riffs and roaring vocals.
“Your Mind’s Closed” – Offbeat – A delicious slice of indie pop that will get everyone moving a indie nights everywhere. I felt like the ghost of Altered Images haunted this tune a couple of times.
“Said And Done” – Fendry and Liv North – British rap is alive and well and Fendry might one day be at the forefront of it. This delightful collaboration with Liv North has parallels with some of Eminem’s work with female vocalists like Rihanna. Ace beats and rap that bleeds feelings and passion.
“Alive” – The Apocalypse Disco – If the apocalypse is truly on its way then this bunch must be on your end-of-the-world soundtrack. This joyous slice of electro does make me want to stay alive though. Dance to it and tell the four horsemen of the apocalypse to fuck right off!
“Marionette” – Vaquelin – a deep, dark tune from one of my favourite rock bands, Vaquelin. As usual, the guitar sound is immense as are the vocals. But the stand out is the drumming which would give Bonham and Moon a run for their money!
“Kelly’s In The Garden” – Heavy Bloom – A wonderfully chilled indie-style pop tune, like Air with added guitars. This will be on my summer playlist for next year.
“Tomorrow” – Fervent Red – This hits you like a hard-edged Beatlesy Brit Pop tune. It has a slight psychedelic vein running through it and a rather nifty chorus.
“Solemn Power” – The Exceptional Mr. Hyde – Is this electro dance or heavy rock? Actually, it is both. If Hawkwind began in the 21st century they might sound like this. This bodes well for their upcoming album!
“Last Train To Selby” – PERCY – Those West Yorkshire Superheroes are definitely back on form. A song that only PERCY could deliver. A great singalong that highlights a ghost on the train lyric. Check out the excellent video below.
“On My Mind (Radio Edit)” – CHAZ – A pounding piano-led house anthem that would move even the comatose. Dance music is alive and well in York as this debut single from CHAZ proves. The vocals are brilliant too.
“Save Your Time” – Rosettas – This captures some of the energy and power that the Rosettas have on stage. A great tune from a great band and every member is on top form.
“How Can You Be” – Everything After Midnight – My favourite Everything After Midnight song from the first listen. It has been aired live in a different form. But now it is an all-round close to perfect tune. The guitars smack you in the face in a good way while Steph’s vocal is close to heavenly.
“Fixed Point” – Heartsink – Those cheeky pop-punk chaps Heartsink have another great tune for our delectation. A little more acoustic than usual, at least initially. But a song that turns the riffage and passion up to 11 towards the fade.
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