Menace Beach
Menace Beach - Lemon Memory Album Review
By Ben Walton in Music Reviews on 31 January 2017
Leeds five-piece Menace Beach are the subject of a whole lot of hype, with appearance on BBC, The Guardian and NME on the back of their first album Ratworld, which showcased an interesting mix of indie and, strangely for a combo from Yorkshire, surf rock. Their second LP, Lemon Memory (limited edition vinyl comes pressed on lemon scented yellow wax) brings more of the same formula.
Next up is recent single Maybe We'll Drown, which adds spooky keys to the garage rock recipe. The rhythm section creates some interesting atmospheres but the simplistic, repetitive melodies become somewhat grating over the song's length. It is a little dodgy, but definitely not the worst thing on here. That accolade goes to either the plodding, directionless title track, or the stupid, insipid Can't Get a Haircut, which could be one of the most bizarre (yet strangely characterless) songs ever put to tape.
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Menace Beach - Super Transporterreum EP Review
By Andy Peterson in Music Reviews on 02 October 2015
The thing about bubblegum is, it's ace. Does bubblegum take itself too seriously? No. Can you mess it around into all kinds of different shapes, then when you get bored immediately change it again? Of course. Finally, can it be used to underline your stereotypical outward signs of juvenile delinquency? Well, allow us to blow you a great big splatty bubble now.
Prisoners are not taken. The title track - so named after singer Liza's trippy case of flu and described by the collective as "Three bass guitars simultaneously doing a Bryan May riff" - is a foot stomping, Blondie as an x-ray mass of squawking overload, 'Beacher Ryan Needham turning the vocal ambivalence up to 11. If critics were being critical, there is an air of cookie cutting indie schmindie-ness to it, but with Hookworms prophetical MJ again on production duties the other ditties manage to avoid typecasting themselves. On 'Hey Toupe' for instance the addition of some psychedelic keyboard flourishes zap things pleasingly in and out of focus, whilst 'The Line' swaggers and 'Radiate Me''s peaks and fuzz will annoy the crap out of your parents/neighbours/schoolfriends for days.
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Live At Leeds 2015: Great For Music, Great For Life In General
By Holly Williams in Music / Festivals on 17 April 2015
What else does the city of Leeds have to offer this May?
So, Live At Leeds is but two weeks away from bringing some of the country's best music veterans and up and coming stars to one of its greatest cities. But while you're there, you may as well enjoy the rest of what this incredible Yorkshire city has to offer.
Home to two universites, an extraodinary library, a colossal shopping centre and some of the best restaurants in the nation, Leeds is the place to be to kick off festival season even without taking the music into account. While the weekend of May 1st to 4th may boast a line-up including The Cribs, Gaz Coombes, George The Poet, MNEK, Gengahr, The Strypes and more, there's plenty of places to sit and let it all soak in while enjoying a decent meal and a pint.
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Menace Beach - Ratworld Album Review
By Andy Peterson in Music Reviews on 13 January 2015
A close inspection of the departure boards of Leeds airport reveals that flights to America are hard to come by: the only destination served is New York, and even then infrequently compared to some of the more metropolitan hubs. This doesn't help explain why Menace Beach - who are from the West Yorkshire city via Derby - sound like they've been gorging on Riot Grrrl mavens Bikini Kill, or glugging up the lo-fi of fellow Yanks Le Tigre.
Even better, when 'Ratworld''s good, it's groovy-good; the feedback squawls and scribbled guitar crests of 'Lowtalkin'' are genuinely malign, whilst opener 'Come On Give Up' is a slacker anthem in the making, from its low slung chug-riffing to slightly dipsy chorus, dissolute chops and fuzz a go-go. The duo share vocal duties, with Needham's slightly less buzzing pipes taking over on the likes of 'Tastes Like Medicine' and 'Dig It Up', the latter a superbly woozy, weird and wonderful head screw up that underlines the raging pop beast that constantly prowls just under the surface of their best work.
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Menace Beach - Tennis Court Single Review
By Max Cussons in Music Reviews on 08 July 2014
Having been seriously thrilling their respective fans with a series of EPs since they got together in 2012, Leeds rock supergroup Menace Beach are finally on their way with a debut album. With members including Ryan Needham of Komakino, Liza Violet of Department M, Nestor Matthews of Sky Larkin, MJ of Hookworms and Matt Spalding of You Animals, it's no wonder their new co-project has caused such a stir, and with taster single 'Tennis Court' out now, the album may not disappoint.
While 'Tennis Court' is far from ground breaking, it's a solid, enjoyable 2-3 minutes of indie-rock that you'll really like if you're into the classic 90s branch of the genre.
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