Related Stories
Music Review
By Ana Grabova
Published 01 May 2012
(May-June 2012 Edition) 
Stuart Braybrooke gives us the lowdown on two bands picked from Colchester’s thriving music scene
Fick as Fieves
Fick as Fieves
Bio: Fick as Fieves are an eclectic five some who have taken a new direction; a more harmonised approach using African drums in the rhythm section combined with the day-to-day living of Britain's ‘indie-vidual’ youth. Scratches of reggae, hints of Brit Pop and cool vibes of Afro-beat howl at your ear drums till you say ‘gimme more.’
Track: Distant Shores
Review: Let the guitar creep up on you and pull you in from your soul. Feel the sand between
"I get a sense that the singer is moving on from the memories of a holiday romance."
your toes and the contentment of the warm sunshine. A hint of reggae and dub meeting with rock might sound like an odd combination but it works perfectly. Swing to the verse, feel the tension build in the bridge and then enter a broken beat chorus that gets you going. As the song builds and the lyrics develop I get a sense that the singer is moving on from the memories of a holiday romance. It’s a well produced track with excellent clarity which makes it so listenable. Good depth and great use of effects. Listening in headphones makes it feel as though they are there playing it to me. You can get that feeling too as they have made it free to download from SoundCloud, you lucky people.
Find out more about Fick as Fieves here.
Vixation
Vixation
Bio: Formed in 2010 Vixation are a four-piece original band, who have gone on to be chosen by CAMRA to play Colchester Arts Centre for The Summer Beer Festival. Since then they have been eager to perform and have played many gigs in Colchester and Chelmsford, as well as London, Newcastle and Brighton. They were also honoured to play on the Castle Stage at Colchester Carnival 2011.
This year they have released their self-produced debut E.P Swamp Thing. Tracks are available on the website. Most recently Vixation have been nominated for Best Band at the Panic Awards alongside seven other local groups. Previous winners have included New Town Kings (last year), and previously Matt Cardle, so certainly a diverse but super-talented crop of artists.
Track: Mariachi Man
Review: Although they might consider themselves a country rock band, Vixation definitely has a Mexican flavour, hence the name. The intro sounds more like a stand off in the Wild West, but that breaks away into an energetic and slightly Blondie-sounding hook. The hook carries the energy and drives through the whole track. I found it hard to understand the lyrics as the recording sounds like it might have been made in a rehearsal studio or live at a gig. But it sounds like the song might be about a person on the run in Mexico. The track breaks out a few times and culminates in a chorused rock guitar solo to announce the closing chapter of the song. The song is taken from their EP Swamp Thing which is an eclectic mix of ballads and rock.
| Tweet |
Add your comment on this story
You need to login to be able to comment.
Comments (0 comments so far)