| Sunday, 27 January 2013 | Written by Alec Chillingworth |
|
“I’m so sick of singing about hate, it’s never gonna make a change!” These lyrics make me chuckle. Not because they’re funny. No. They make me chuckle because they’re sung by Frank Carter. And the last time I saw Frank Carter, he was at risk of shredding his vocal chords whilst screaming “Misery fucking loves me! And I love her so!” in front of an incessantly violent crowd. At 11 O’clock in the morning. He also got a circle pit going. At 11 O’clock in the morning, ladies and gentlemen. Surely you can all understand how taken aback I was when I heard him sounding, well... happy.
And he should be happy. Along with ex-Hope Conspiracy and Suicide File guitarist Jim Carroll, Carter has shed the heaving, anarchic skin of his hardcore punk past, instead opting for an entirely different beast altogether. Opening up with the schmaltzy, almost croon-like vocal lines of ‘She’, Carter is making his intentions perfectly clear. This is a massive rock sing-along, exaggerated even further by an unashamedly cheesy guitar solo that sounds like it came straight from the 1980s. It’s a gloriously slick opening gambit; the song proving itself far too mature and self-aware to be lumped in with most of the pop punk rubbish being churned out nowadays.
This self-awareness is carried out in such an expertly brash way throughout the album’s entirety, sing-alongs being incited left, right and centre. The chorus during ‘Beach of Diamonds’ is an absolute belter, with the victorious cry of “Dive in! Dive in!” presenting itself as a potential live favourite for their UK tour next month. The same goes for ‘Riot Song’; it’s a huge, dumbed-down tune that people can sing along to, but it’s not trying to be clever at all. Single ‘Bury My Bones’ also contains a triumphant cry of “Yeaaaaaaah Yeah!” big enough to make Bowling For Soup and Blink 182 assess the validity of their own “Yeaaaaaaah Yeah!” usage.
Of course, it’s not the Frank Carter show. Carroll proves his playing chops throughout the album, accompanying the primal drumbeats with a smorgasbord of styles and effects. An almost indie-rock guitar tone is implemented in tunes such as ‘Handsome Devils Club’; of course, it’s played with ten times the testicles of any indie-rock band. The groove-laden riff during ‘Scared To Death’ is also worth a mention, purely due to the fact that the track ends accompanied by a phaser effect. You’ve gotta love a man who uses a phaser.
Classic rock seems to have somewhat seeped its way into our Jim’s pool of influences, with the riff to ‘Bury My Bones’ sounding suspiciously like the guitar line from ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’ by The Darkness. Still, I can’t really complain; the song’s a corker. Carroll has a wonderful grasp on when to shred and when to shut up, and it truly is a virtue. The violin driven ballad ‘Heavy Kind Of Chain’ benefits endlessly from this, the guitars taking a backseat to allow the violins some time in the limelight. At least, I think they’re violins. Or maybe violas... They’re sad sounding stringed instruments, nonetheless.
Being a band made up of former punk musicians, it really is gratifying to hear the Pure Love record all the way through. Of course, there are inevitable moments where ghosts of music past rear their ugly heads; palm-muted guitar on ‘Handsome Devils Club’ threatens to explode into an aggressive frenzy, before safely returning to the indie-rock tone mentioned previously. Carter’s cockney slur lends itself superbly, giving songs a racy edge that once again prevents this band from being identified as anything other than Pure Love.
‘Anthems’. The album does what it says on the box, really. Eleven tracks of instant, unadulterated anthems. It’s a titanic, obscenely self-indulgent album on both members’ behalf, allowing them to write music that has eluded them until now. These songs are just made for the live environment; every single one packs enough raw power and sincerity to flatten an elephant with a serious eating problem. With ‘Anthems’, Pure Love have given birth to a creature that differs vastly from anything that’s come before. Having already appeared on Gallows’ sophomore slab of brutality that is ‘Grey Britain’, Frank Carter has proven that he’s capable of writing a classic album. He might have just done it again.
‘Anthems' is released 4th February on Mercury Records. Pure Love's headline tour kicks off in February 2013.
Pure Love UK & Ireland Tour Dates are as follows:
Fri February 1st 2013 - Forum, Tunbridge Wells
Sat February 2nd 2013 - Kasbah, Coventy
Sun February 3rd 2013 - Portland Arms, Cambridge
Wed February 6th 2013 - Manchester Deaf Institute, Manchester
Thu February 7th 2013 - King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow
Fri February 8th 2013 - Electric Circus, Edinburgh
Sat February 9th 2013 - York Duchess, York
Sun February 10th 2013 - 53 Degrees, Preston
Tue February 12th 2013 - Bodega Social, Nottingham
Wed February 13th 2013 - Arts Centre, Norwich
Thu February 14th 2013 - XOYO, London
Mon February 18th 2013 - The Haunt, Brighton
Tue February 19th 2013 - Joiners, Southampton
Wed February 20th 2013 - Le Pub, Newport
Thu February 21st 2013 - The Croft, Bristol
Fri February 22nd 2013 - Temple Rooms, Birmingham
Sat February 23rd 2013 - Esquires, Bedford
Click Here to Compare & Buy Pure Love Tickets at Stereoboard.com.
Please enable JavaScript to view comments!
Let Us Know What You Think - Leave A Comment!
Related NewsNo related news to show |
| Pure Love Tour Dates 0 upcoming shows Advertisement BRYAN ADAMS Bryan Adams has announced a huge summer UK tour of outdoor venues for 2021.
Compare & Buy Bryan Adams Tickets Now! | Greta Van Fleet Drop Video For Age Of Machine | | Disclosure Unveil Video For Watch Your Step Featuring Kelis | | Kojey Radical Releases New Single Good | | Hayley Williams Shares Stripped Back Version Of Simmer | | Foo Fighters' Taylor Hawkins And Pearl Jam's Matt Cameron Form New Band Nighttime Boogie Association |
| Coronavirus: Stereoboard's Guide To Cancelled And Postponed Events | | Underworld Confirmed As Third Headliner For All Together Now Festival 2021 | | Greg James, Felix White and Jimmy Anderson Confirm Tailenders UK Tour For October 2021 |
| Heavy Hearts: The Bands That Made Metal A Rare Bright Spot in 2020 | | The Tailspin Continues: Pallbearer Confront Grief on 'Forgotten Days' | | Devon Allman Talks the Allman Betts Band Coming of Age on 'Bless Your Heart' |
| Sigur Rós - Odin's Raven Magic (Album Review) | | Deafheaven - 10 Years Gone (Album Review) | | Alex Maas - Luca (Album Review) |
|
‘Anthems' is released 4th February on Mercury Records. Pure Love's headline tour kicks off in February 2013. Pure Love UK & Ireland Tour Dates are as follows: Fri February 1st 2013 - Forum, Tunbridge Wells Sat February 2nd 2013 - Kasbah, Coventy Sun February 3rd 2013 - Portland Arms, Cambridge.
Here's a sentence you probably didn't see coming: the debut Pure Love album -featuring the rabid, head-bleeding former Gallows frontman Frank Carter - sounds like Shed Seven. No, really. And what’s even weirder - it works surprisingly well.
Pure Love Anthems Zip Code
When Carter walked out on his band and teamed up with Jim Carroll from the equally hardcore Hope Conspiracy, no-one knew quite what was coming next. The project's title hinted that Carter's days of screaming about 'wipin' my cum off ya fackin' face' might be at an end, but even so - few would have anticipated such a dramatic about-face.
Pure Love Lyrics, Songs, Albums And More at SongMeanings! Song lyrics, song meanings, albums, music and more. Pure Love's profile including the latest music, albums, songs, music videos and more updates. Which is where Pure Love come in because make no mistake – this is a great guitar rock band. Like all good things, Pure Love – the name is taken, since you ask, from a song by ’70s jazz-rock fusionists Mahavishnu Orchestra, Sapphire Bullets Of Pure Love – came into being quickly and instinctively. Pure Love performing The Snake Song (Townes Van Zandt's cover) at Daytrotter Sessions.
Anthems is many things: a punchy exploration of positivity and good grace; a rejection of the darkness in its authors' pasts both lyrically and musically that is at times insanely catchy; occasionally it has to be said, a wee bit workmanlike. What it isn't is by any definition punk. Not in the hardcore sense, not in the snotty Seventies sense, nor the poppy new wave sense. Instead Carter and Carroll have delivered a solid rock record routed in big, swaggering stadium guitars with more than a dollop of - of all things - post-Oasis Britpop. Had this come out in 1997 it would have slotted in as a natural, if muscular entry to the crowded pages of Select and Vox.
Pure Love Anthems Zip Hoodie
It's not just the aforementioned Shed Seven, there's shades here of Gold Against The Soul -era Manics (‘Bury My Bones’), early Oasis (‘She (Makes The Devil Run Through Me)’), the post-American Idiot Green Day (‘Handsome Devils Club’) and even U2 (‘March of the Pilgrims’), with nods to the Smiths, Big Country, Springsteen, The Wildhearts and a hundred other bracing, widscreen rock bands. It's an unashamed shot at what Nicky Wire recently called 'mass communication', and one that could well hit its mark.
Now, admit it: this sounds awful, doesn’t it? That’s a description of landfill indie of the worst kind. But you know what? It isn’t awful. It’s really good; occasionally it’s even brilliant. Like the Gaslight Anthem, Pure Love know when to apply to common touch, they know when to widen into a big poppy chorus, or tighten right down. ‘Beach of Diamonds’ is a genuinely brilliant pop song, all big slashy Mick Jones chords with a belter of a chorus, ‘Heavy Kind of Chain’ is straight out of the Morrissey/Marr school of classic indie, ‘Burning Love’ is a beefy, emotive ballad with just enough lighters-in-the-air triumph and a downbeat tone.. It’s a lot like, well... a lot like Shed Seven used to do (Let's get this out the way: the Sheds were a better band than you remember.) Few groups in the last decade have had the bollocks to go for the popularist jugular quite so effectively and so credibly.
For those following his career, it's Carter's voice that will surprise most - gone is the raspy yap often delivered from atop the speaker stack while bleeding on the circle pit, replaced by a fine, roughened croon that brings to mind Richard Ashcroft, Noel Gallagher or most often (yes) Rick Witter himself. But the real difference isn’t Carter's voice; it’s his outlook. It’s likely every review of this record is going to quote the opening line of ‘Bury My Bones’: “I’m so sick of singing about hate, it’s never gonna make a change”, which sets the tone for a record that is far more about love than it is about hate, and far more about acceptance than the righteous, nihilistic fury of Gallows’ Grey Britain.
Pure Love Anthems Zip Album
There are times, as on the dry ‘Scared To Death’ where some of that fury would have come in handy, and Carter is a little too fond of the extended metaphor (”she is the needle, not the vein in your arm” or ”You’ll be the petrol, I’ll be the fire”.) Occasionally Carroll’s arrangements shoot for for stadium anthem and come up with something a bit plodding and Dadrock. Fortunately such moments are remarkably thin on the ground.
Pure Love Anthems Zip Codes
Anthems is a confident, solid and ultimately hugely likable debut; Carter and Carroll have succeeded in producing something that on occasion genuinely lives up to its ambitious title, trading the aggressive outsider punk of their past lives for something more accessible and more positive, it’s a huge risk given their respective fanbases, but one that pays off- not just chasing rainbows, but riding them.
