The Sheffield Scenester

- Area

Area are a four piece indie band formed in 2005 with over 400 gigs under their belt, an album and an EP added to their portfolio. Appearing on both terrestrial and Sky TV a single is long overdue, hence ‘She’s Not Sorry’.

This single lifted off their EP She’s A Dreamer is at the very least a rollicking good tune with a steady bass and drum rhythm; this is given a punchy hardcore edge by some pulsating grinding guitar riffs. With a style reminding me of We Are Scientists pop spliced with the self important rock of Muse you’d think this was straight forward example of intelligent indie pop but as soon as you listen to the lyrics its pretty obvious a more sinister agenda is at work here. With a song that seems to recount a tale of possessive revenge without actually blurting out the obvious, the events are slowly described by the narrator of the story. As in other songs of this genre such as Radioheads ‘Creep’ or even The Police and ‘Every Breath You Take’, it is up to the listener to decipher the twisted mind of the protagonist in question.

Taken at face value it’s a bloody good song but scratch the surface and you’re drawn into a dark tale of a seriously disturbed relationship, I love it!!

This is the forthcoming EP to be released by Sheffield based Metal/Hip-Hop group Jackson Caged, and with four tracks all blistering with top production levels its easy to see why these guys will go far.

Opening with the track ‘Welcome To The show’, a hardcore introduction to the bands agenda and style, utilizing a fast grinding guitar slamming against a thundering juggernaut of drum and bass, this is overlayed by a mix of gravel voiced snarling 90’s rap and modern metal putting me in mind of Body Count blended with early Guns N Roses. Vocalising about a guy on the edge, I mean seriously on the edge, it comes across as an anthem to self-hatred – not exactly a cheerful start to the EP but definitely a sick-veined one.

Track two – ‘Every Fall’ – takes us into their purer metal routes with a slightly less depressing song about recession, economic decline and the general demise of world government – at least it’s not suicidal!! Backed by a screamingly amazing tune this hooks you from the outset, opening with Big M’s ear-piercing guitar before the onslaught of drums and bass.

In complete contrast the next track ‘Pardon Me Miss’ – this was the track that got me hooked on these guys the minute I heard it – begins with an almost 70’s funk intro, a near teasing guitar riff backed by a gentle bass and light drum, even Fraz’s vocals are restrained! Once you’re lulled into a false sense of security, they snap you out of it with the subtlety of an anti-personnel mine. Assaulted by a wave of sexual abuse, both sick and hypnotically funny you find yourself in a world of macho posturing generally reserved for gangsta rap, even down to a sampled porn soundtrack halfway through, you have to laugh!

Finally is their classic track ‘Jaws’ (hear example track on player above) with its Iron Maiden resonance and its call to arms of vengeful mayhem this is almost an antidote to the opening track; listing as it does numerous acts of violence in the same manner that ‘Pardon Me Miss’ lists countless acts of sexual depravity. You can see the video for this track on their Myspace page or YouTube, set as it is in Attercliffe’s Thai boxing gym – a professional video made by up and coming film company Fatbabyvideos showcasing the energy and enthusiasm they share for their chosen brand of music.

I’ve listened to this for over a week now and still can’t get enough of it, even to the point of lending it to a friend of mine (a metal connoisseur) who actually agreed with me on its musical merits, highlighting track three as a great crowd pleaser when played live. If you do nothing else this year make a point of buying it and make an even greater point of playing it loud.