Bones Shake are a scuzzy, fuzz enthused garage rock trio formed in Manchester in 2011. They play everything to the extreme; violent bottle-neck blues riffs, drums kicked, pounded and exploited and squeals of reverb drenched vocals which when combined, will help save your soul. With a relentless energy, they’ve never taken their foot off the gas. Those efforts have been rewarded by Sister9 Recordings who release second LP Bleed on 22 July.
Through tirelessly playing across the UK and Europe, they have attracted a cult following that sees them fill out venues wherever they go; including a sold-out performance at the infamous Raut Oak festival. With a string of previous releases under their belt, they have gone from strength to strength and their last EP Privilege was released via Belgian label Never Trust Hippies. First LP Sermons was released in May 2019.
If Nick Cave and Alan Vega has a musical baby, it would be Bleed. Talking about the LP, Bones say that “Bleed is a regurgitation of sins, regrets and remorse. Bleed came about over lockdown; we broke everything apart and tried to put everything back together again afterwards. We tried adding a bass, a second guitar: none of it worked but trying those things it inadvertently changed the sound, it became bigger, more urgent, more primal. It was us against the world again”
Opener ‘Hey Hey’ is a stomper which grabs an instant hold and doesn’t let go. Its intense and penetrating, grabbing your soul and daring you to ask for release; is there a purer embodiment of rock n roll? Title track ‘Bleed’ has one of the catchiest guitar riff openings you may ever find and ‘Psychotic & Sweet’ with its tongue in cheek lyrics and infectious hook is sure to linger in your head for days. ‘Give Me Something’ is the slowest track, it gives you a precious moment to catch your breath and take a beat, to revel in its splendour.
‘Unwell’ was the first single and to go with the track the band gathered a group of merry misfits and put together a video which is both a poignant sign of the times and a harsh take on reality. The track’s ferocious energy doesn’t let up and the intensity is only sated in the guitar interludes. They have come a long way from their inception and nowhere is this more prevalent than in ‘Come Home’, a Suicide-esq, post punk masterpiece which stands apart. Bones explain “Fundamentally this album sounds better because we were less lazy, I mean physically… We carted our own amps and drums to the studio, we utilised our own organic sound rather than relying on studio gear. We were also a lot more disciplined, In the end Bleed captures us live like no other recording has, every guitar note, every skin hit and every scream resonates more in the ears than any other Bones Shake Record ever has before”.
‘Cold Heart’ sees a return to the most familiar Bones sound and belongs firmly in the Mississippi dive bars. Closing off with ‘Car Crash’, a final kick in the teeth, a cacophony of noise that sees out the album and leaves you wanting more – so much so you just start it from the beginning and experience Bleed all over again. You know it makes sense.
FFO: The Stooges, The Cramps, The Birthday Party
Through tirelessly playing across the UK and Europe, they have attracted a cult following that sees them fill out venues wherever they go; including a sold-out performance at the infamous Raut Oak festival. With a string of previous releases under their belt, they have gone from strength to strength and their last EP Privilege was released via Belgian label Never Trust Hippies. First LP Sermons was released in May 2019.
If Nick Cave and Alan Vega has a musical baby, it would be Bleed. Talking about the LP, Bones say that “Bleed is a regurgitation of sins, regrets and remorse. Bleed came about over lockdown; we broke everything apart and tried to put everything back together again afterwards. We tried adding a bass, a second guitar: none of it worked but trying those things it inadvertently changed the sound, it became bigger, more urgent, more primal. It was us against the world again”
Opener ‘Hey Hey’ is a stomper which grabs an instant hold and doesn’t let go. Its intense and penetrating, grabbing your soul and daring you to ask for release; is there a purer embodiment of rock n roll? Title track ‘Bleed’ has one of the catchiest guitar riff openings you may ever find and ‘Psychotic & Sweet’ with its tongue in cheek lyrics and infectious hook is sure to linger in your head for days. ‘Give Me Something’ is the slowest track, it gives you a precious moment to catch your breath and take a beat, to revel in its splendour.
‘Unwell’ was the first single and to go with the track the band gathered a group of merry misfits and put together a video which is both a poignant sign of the times and a harsh take on reality. The track’s ferocious energy doesn’t let up and the intensity is only sated in the guitar interludes. They have come a long way from their inception and nowhere is this more prevalent than in ‘Come Home’, a Suicide-esq, post punk masterpiece which stands apart. Bones explain “Fundamentally this album sounds better because we were less lazy, I mean physically… We carted our own amps and drums to the studio, we utilised our own organic sound rather than relying on studio gear. We were also a lot more disciplined, In the end Bleed captures us live like no other recording has, every guitar note, every skin hit and every scream resonates more in the ears than any other Bones Shake Record ever has before”.
‘Cold Heart’ sees a return to the most familiar Bones sound and belongs firmly in the Mississippi dive bars. Closing off with ‘Car Crash’, a final kick in the teeth, a cacophony of noise that sees out the album and leaves you wanting more – so much so you just start it from the beginning and experience Bleed all over again. You know it makes sense.
FFO: The Stooges, The Cramps, The Birthday Party
TRACK LISTING
SIDE A:
Hey Hey
Bleed
Psychotic & Sweet
Give Me Something
SIDE B:
Unwell
Come Home
Cold Heart
Car Crash