The Velvet Hands – Party’s Over
The Velvet Hands - Party's Over
Release Date: Out Now
Bolshie. Lads. Gang. Riot. Rock.
Roll. Attitude. Sneer. The debut album from hotly tipped Cornish trio the
Velvet Hands is more about a lifestyle and a state of mind than a sound or a
genre. That said, from first hum of feedback, ‘Party’s Over’ is an album hell
bent on a good time and not worrying about the consequences and if that’s not
rock’n’roll then I don’t know what is. Opener ‘Sick of Living’ goes at about
100 miles an hour and is the kind of song with the sole intention of announcing
that the band have arrived – this is not a rehearsal, this is not a soundcheck, this is the start of the
show. Straight in to ‘Only Blame Myself’ and the Monkees beats mixed with the
slacker cool of the Strokes or Hot Hot Heat makes this instantly infectious and
adorable in equal measure – like a hedgehog.
The drum rumble of ‘Trains’ has a
drawl about it that speaks of the Manchester scene but with an American garage
vibe running through it while ‘Habit’ rattles along with all the control of a
stolen car driven by the Libertines but twice as much fun. Things slow down a
little on ‘Gimme Some Time’ and the vocals go all Iggy meets Shane on our asses
with an attempt at some rough’n’ready crooning atop that lazy acoustic strum.
‘I Don’t Mind’ is, for me, the point that this album steps up to another level
with the kind of chorus that is begging to be sung back by sweaty devotees in
cramped venues up and down the country. The rock’n’roll riffage of ‘Everyone if
Dead’ suggests these lads have been listening to their parents record
collections as they squeeze in reference points from the likes of the Jam, the
Stooges, Squeeze and the Undertones to every second of this two minute
roller coaster ride.
 |
| The Velvet Hands |
The energy and volume levels
don’t let up on ‘Games’ with the guitars and gang vocals tipping that needle in
to the red with each chorus. There’s a nod to the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd or
Ram Jam on ‘Birthday Blues’ as the country tinged guitars hide the tears of the
lonely birthday boy on his big day. Title track ‘Party’s Over’ is a more
studied approach and does have the feel of a tune that’s played when the lights
are put up and you can finally see who you’ve been sharing bodily fluids with
for the past few hours in the dark. At nearly 7 minutes long this penultimate
track is practically prog rock by the Velvet Hands’ standards but it doesn’t
lose any of its urgency or impact for the additional length so maybe there’s no
need to hurry so much. Final track ‘The End’ is a classic
morning-after-the-night-before strum full of furry tongues, missing socks,
stickiness and periods of memory loss but all wrapped in a general feeling of
satisfaction of a town well and truly painted red.
There is a youth and urgency
to the Velvet Hands that is impossible to learn or imitate but, more importantly,
it feels like there are genuine songs behind this band which suggests more
longevity than most early-20s bands achieve. This is an explosion of an album
but don’t expect their fire to burn out just as quickly, these guys feel like
they’re in it for the long haul.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/thevelvethands/
Live Dates:
7th May – O2 Academy, Oxford w/the Bluetones
11th May – Purple Turtle, Reading
12th May – Mothers Ruin, Bristol
17th May – Northern Exposure, Manchester
19th May – The Alternative Escape @ The Black
Lion, Brighton
25th May – Notting Hill Arts Club, London
26th May – The Underground, Plymouth w/The Rezner
+ School Disco
3rd August
- Bring it on Down @ Café Totem, Sheffield w/Teef