BEST. GIG. EVER. TJ MILLER (STILL REMAINS)

“This past summer I got to see Nine Inch Nails and Peaches in Chicago. Nine Inch Nails are my favourite band and I had seen them a few times on that tour, but that night the light show was just incredible and they performed amazingly. The guitar player Aaron North was jumping into the crowd with his guitar and they were breaking mics and guitars on stage. It was just really intense and they played a lot of my favourite songs.”

STRAWBERRY BLONDES [7] ‘RISE UP’

(DECK CHEESE)

Screaming of punk rock nostalgia, Strawberry Blondes mesh the likes of The Clash and Rancid with pinches of the Manic Street Preachers

circa ‘Generation Terrorists’ (that’s right kids, they weren’t always pudgy and middle-aged with bowl haircuts). Exuding a tremendous energy, the ‘Blondes give us the impression that they’re having a whale of a time and offer fistfuls of resurrected sounds to rock out to. When recorded material leads you to imagine a band’s live sound, it generally means a lack of overproduction or meddling – it’s real and it’s raw, the way it should be. So pummel your fist into the air because that’s where Strawberry Blondes say it belongs. www.myspace.com/strawberryblondes EMILY KEARNS

THE DISAPPOINTMENTS [6] ‘REASONS TO REVOLT’

(FIERCE PANDA)

The Disappointments, luckily, do not live up to their moniker. They are, however, nothing particularly original, nor utterly astounding in the

grand scheme of things, but when you take into account the fact that these punkers are but 17 years old, a little more credit is due – no patronising tones intended. Imagine Snuff, Rancid and a bag of Fat Wreck tricks in a melting-pot of sweat and mohawks and you’re edging closer to The Disappointments’ adrenaline-fuelled sound. Fast as fuck and guaranteed to spin you in your socks, these Stoke boys will be heading the fist-flying anthemic punk rock chants in days to come, make no mistake. Punk rock by numbers isn’t all bad when it’s pulled off a treat now is it? www.myspace.com/thedisappointments EMILY KEARNS

THE FALL OF TROY [9] ‘MANIPULATOR’

(EQUAL VISION)

It’s one of the great rock band clichés. Everything must be bigger and better with every passing record: the louds louder, the quiets quieter, and

hit singles everywhere. For The Fall Of Troy and ‘Manipulator’, though, it’s all true. Pick any song here and you’ll find a revelation. ‘Quarter Past’ and ‘Oh! The Casino!?’ relax brilliantly into previously unexplored grungy pop territory, ‘Problem!?’ rattles like Botch playing Iron Maiden, and ‘The Dark Trail’ simultaneously roars louder and croons smoother than anything on 05’s ‘Doppelgänger’. And for all the new musical extremes there are plenty of catchy and charming tunes too. A band who have only ever shown themselves to be brave, brilliant, and experimental have just wandered into a league of their own. Awesome. www.thefalloftroy.com SIMON T DIPLOCK

THE PINK SPIDERS [8] ‘TEENAGE GRAFFITI’

(SURETONE / GEFFEN)

From the word go, The Pink Spiders come at you with fullon, catchy-as-hell pop and rock ‘n’ roll grooves. The debut album from this Tennessee

trio combines mighty guitar riffs with hip-shaking tendencies, punchy sounds, soaring melodies, fast and clever lyrics, and attitude to boot. These boys are prime candidates to become the new kings of MTV, complete with pink-and-black image. Bands like this don’t come along and fade into the scenery. Having just whipped up a veritable storm onstage at Give It A Name and in support of New Found Glory, it’s likely that TPS will be making serious (nu) waves pretty damn soon. Finger snappin’ good, see you on the dancefloor. www.thepinkspiders.com

EMILY KEARNS

THEE MERRY WIDOWS [6] ‘REVENGE SERVED COLD’

(PEOPLE LIKE YOU)

Revenge may be a dish best served cold, but yer dinner certainly ain’t. Right fellas? But expecting these snarling she-wolves to fetch yer tucker

would be a fruitless (and foodless) exercise. They ain’t no ladies, so don’t go knockin’ when they’sa-rockin’. You might get a double bass wrapped around your noodle. An all-girl psychobilly quintet is a slick angle, but you still gotta deliver the goods on both stage and record right? Hell yeah you do. A Horrorpops reference may be predictable, but there’s some truth in it, ‘cept Eva von Slut’s vocals are, erm…cracklier? Cacklier? Well, they ain’t girlygirly that’s for sure, but with the surf cowboy guitar and throbbing rhythm section this comes close; but no cigarette in a long holder yet. www.merrywidowsmusic.com

PAUL RAGGITY

UNDERGROUND RAILROAD [6] ‘TWISTED TREES’

(ONE LITTLE INDIAN) This Paris trio relocated to London because they were fed up with being told to sing in French when they preferred the dialect of their much

loved US / UK punk counterparts. It’s as good a reason as any, we suppose. But, thankfully, this isn’t radio-friendly, cookie-cutter chart-punk. This is the kind of developed, irritating, scabrous artpunk that Sonic Youth fans drool over in claustrophobic record stores. It’s not bad, especially when they let loose on ‘16 Teenage Mom’, but there’s this nagging suspicion that Underground Railroad are playing up to the scene, too studied to be that believable. It doesn’t really matter. As long as they stick to their guns and keep up appearances, no one will ever know. www.myspace.com/urailroad

DARREN JOHNS