We also learn that the last time the band played Edinburgh it was at the considerably smaller Sneaky Pete\u2019s \u2013 \u201cthere\u2019s so many of you,\u201d the singer exclaims, before the band hit us squarely between the ears with what is a decidedly rock, not country, set. While those early shows were scratchy and tentative, the Nottingham four-piece have developed into a tight, punchy unit, with Cohen-Towell\u2019s power vocal and confident stage presence at the forefront.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re on the last leg of the promo for \u2018Goldenhammer\u2019 now and while naturally we get the bulk of that album \u2013 opening with \u2018Karen\u2019 and \u2018Jet Show\u2019 \u2013 the set is interspersed with oldies, the bass-heavy thudding intro of \u2018Gears\u2019 still a welcome set regular.<\/p>\n
The non-album tracks are mainly from the breakthrough \u2018Heady Metal\u2019 compilation \u2013 sadly, no \u2018Birds\u2019 but \u2018Eat My Words\u2019 with its loud-quiet dynamic an as-ever impressive addition.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re also treated to a couple of new tracks, one \u201cbarely out of the house,\u201d says Felix Mackenzie-Barrow. It\u2019s got a towering riff and an unexpected 4\u00d74 breakdown, and of course a BIG chorus. It\u2019s Divorce after all.<\/p>\n
Cohen-Towell chats engagingly with the enthusiastic crowd \u2013 how a local (Nottingham) publication has held a vote where \u2018Goldenhammer\u2019 lost by 85% when put up against Sam Fender\u2019s album, and there\u2019s some musings on gig merch \u2013 their tour support are selling hand-crafted ceramics, but all Divorce can offer is scarves (half and half?) \u2013 still handy for wrapping your pottery in though, the band point out. <\/p>\n
There\u2019s an oft-quoted piece of received wisdom that the majority of songwriters will fail to better the first dozen or so songs they pen, and Divorce have set the bar pretty high for themselves. And \u2018Sex And The Millennium Bridge\u2019 and \u2018Scratch Your Metal\u2019 \u2013 both predating the debut album proper \u2013 have set the bar pretty high. However, \u2018Antarctica\u2019, with a softer poppier feel but not lacking in the complexities that make this band\u2019s material some of the best currently on offer, suggest that this musical well is for from dry. And even a track like \u2018Lord\u2019, which rather goes unnoticed among the album\u2019s high quality tracks, is given added heft life for a worthy closer.<\/p>\n
If there\u2019s one thing we\u2019ve learned tonight, it\u2019s that Edinburgh audiences may be ready to make the step up and out of Glasgow\u2019s shadow as a worthwhile touring stop. The reception for their encore is bolstered with the arrival onstage of Jan from Curiousity Shop, on accordion for an early present \u2013 well, this second new track apparently has \u201cChristmas\u201d in the title. And to close, a song \u201cabout murder\u201d, \u2018Checking Out\u2019, a hoedown in the best possible sense.<\/p>\n
Ok, yes, it is country, but not as we know it. Dolly and Kenny never sounded like this.<\/p>\n
\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"You probably know Divorce by now. Try, however, to describe them and that\u2019s another matter. Their own socials…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":603597,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8816],"tags":[748,1102,4884,712,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-603596","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-edinburgh","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-edinburgh","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-scotland","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115639420890865333","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/603596","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=603596"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/603596\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/603597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=603596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=603596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=603596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a> Writing about alternative music for what seems like thirty years (turns out that’s because it is).
Also chief newshound at Jockrock<\/a> <\/a>Latest posts by Stuart McHugh (see all<\/a>) <\/p>\n