The debut album from Funeral Shakes is a raucous and anthemic race through the sort of heart-stopping, sweaty punk rock that launched a thousand garage bands (followed by a thousand noise complaints). And this lot have serious pedigree – members of Gallows (drummer Lee Barratt) and Nervus (guitarist/vocalist Em Foster) join founders and former Smoking Hearts Calvin Roffey (bass/vocals) and Simon Barker (guitar) for a new project straight out of Watford.
Funeral Shakes’ self-titled record is markedly lighter than the throaty roar of Gallows or The Smoking Hearts, but make no mistake it kicks just as hard – just aiming more for the heart than the broken-nose assault of the groups that preceded it. The band clearly has that elusive knack of building a killer hook and not letting it smother a prime slice of punk rock – ‘The Motions’ is a full-blooded mix of earworm melodies and rousing gang-sung vocals, and ‘Gold Teeth’ offers more of the same – drawing favourable parallels with the likes of Lower Than Atlantis (at least before they became English kids in America).
But it’s when they are at their most frantic, pushing the needle within millimetres of the red, that the record reaches its highest points. The storming thrash of album highlight ‘Circles’ is begging to be heard live and loud, as is thunderous lead single and opening track ‘Over You’, while current single ‘Lightning’ prowls its way to a crashing chorus. Indeed, the beautiful thing about this record is that while not every song is an instant classic – ‘Lovebirds’ falls a little flat in places – you can rely on a gigantic chorus on all but one of its 12 tracks, the exception being the surf-tastic instrumental ‘Gin Palace’. It’s an ambitious inclusion, but alongside the gentle ‘You’re So Bad’ it shows the band’s vision extends beyond their other musical projects.
That said, if there is one thing to take away from this mission statement of a debut record, it is that Funeral Shakes are a force of nature which you would be a fool to underestimate. Barker gets to the heart of the matter when he explains what his band is all about. “When would you ever want to hear a song about people who’ve lived happily ever after? Never! You want to listen to the negative stuff, all wrapped up in a happy tune.” Exactly, Simon.
Words - Joe Ponting
Released Feb 16th 2018 via Silent Cult Records
Live dates;
Feb
14th London, Old Blue Last - W/LIRR
15th Watford, LP Cafe - Instore/Album Release Show
23rd Huddersfield Parish - W/ Mr. Shiraz
24th Stafford, Red Rum - W/Sonic Boom Six
25th Northwich, Salty Dog
14th London, Old Blue Last - W/LIRR
15th Watford, LP Cafe - Instore/Album Release Show
23rd Huddersfield Parish - W/ Mr. Shiraz
24th Stafford, Red Rum - W/Sonic Boom Six
25th Northwich, Salty Dog