 | | Full Charge |
No-one’s got their finger more firmly on the endless pulse than High Voltage. A year ago, they presented a cross-section of the latest wonders and wannabes in the shape of Power Overload, which featured, amongst others, Liam Frost, The Longcut, The Deadbeats, Omerta and Polytechnic. Not a bad list to be going on with. So who’re going to be the big hitters from their collection this year? Full Charge takes in some of the names you should already know and some of the ones you need to. The KBC and The Whip, who both featured on last year’s outing, show once again why they’re so interesting, with the former’s Pride Before The Fall opening proceedings in impressive style. Elsewhere, there’s a taut Answering Machine, a lush Snowfight In The City Centre, a driven Bureau and a spiky Jakpot, all of whom are looking likely to make waves far beyond the M60 in the near future. As for the lesser-knowns, Lucky Star’s meandering shape-thrower Eyes To The Left, redcarsgofaster’s throwabout Micro, the pared-down electronica of The Search Map’s Pans National Complex, and Big Cash Prizes’ big rock indie funster Pisser are the ones to watch. There are blips on the good radar amongst the 19 offerings, not least Modernaire’s banal attempt at uber-cool, Faites Tes Jeux, and Lonelady’s maudlin closer, The Forest, but they can be glossed over by the quality of the rest. As with Power Overload, Full Charge is a true slice of where Manchester is guitar-wise right now. It’s an essential part of your record collection, if only so that you know where to go next time you’re knee-deep in new bands on Oldham Street. |
