The Sheffield Scenester

The Monicans are a 3 piece rock band who originate from the other side of the world in Perth, Australia, who are now belting out their stuff for us in Sheffield. Following on from last Autumn’s ‘Water’ EP comes the heavy, exciting release of ‘Epic Entrée’. Recently recorded at G2 Studios (popular with lots of local bands at the moment - from what I’m told it’s a great place to record), we are treated to five previously unreleased tracks. A track by track breakdown of the EP follows:

Fool

Opening tune ‘Fool’ bangs straight in with a heavy drum beat and some cool tambourine sounds, before being met with an interesting James Bond-esque bass line. Something that stands out in particular about this band is the amount of sound they manage to create with just one guitarist. The vocal part is relatively simple, following the guitar part through the verse, before the tune kicks out again at full pelt into the break. Seemingly recorded a couple of times and layered together, the vocal on this track is strangely addictive, and along with a slight distortion on the vox this provides an interesting sound. The drumming on this track is of a really high quality, beat perfect, providing a solid backdrop. Not the best song on the EP in my opinion, but a strong opener.

Horizon

Starting with a melodic guitar and gradually building again with quality work on the drums holding the track together, this song has an immediate summertime feel to it. The main guitar part runs through the core of the song, building and gradually tailing away - as you are listening you cannot help but to follow it to see where it takes you. It picks you up and drops you off either side of some very well constructed, nicely sung verses and takes you on a musical journey. Personally for me, ‘Horizon’ shows a lot more of the versatility of the band when compared to opening track ‘Fool’.

Fear Goes

The middle song on the EP starts with an enchanting guitar part and vocal - the guitar is very reminiscent of some of the softer songs from the Manic Street Preachers album ‘Everything Must Go’, for instance ‘Elvis Impersonator: Blackpool Pier’ & ‘Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky’. The vocal part is again sung beautifully, the combination of the male and female voices makes it stand out and rise above the rest of the music. The Monicans have the great ability of being able to build and then bring the music right back down again, which in this song is highlighted with great effect by Heather Lonie on bass. She seems to have complete control of where the song is heading and everything falls into place very well indeed. Probably my favourite song on the EP.

Lonely No More

The lead vocal on this track is provided by Heather who has a really nice voice indeed. The music reminds me of some early Fratellis songs, such as ‘Everybody Knows You Cried Last Night’& ‘Whistle For The Choir’. Conceptually, the music is pretty basic, but on this song that doesn’t matter, as Heather & Paul combine very well on vocals ‘I can’t be lonely no more/You can’t be lonely no more’ - the call and answer style of vocal drawing obvious comparisons with Noah and the Whale, particularly the song ‘5 Years Time’ which similarly features a female vocalist. A nod also has to be given to the guitar solo which runs throughout the middle part of the song, another example of the high standards which The Monicans provide on this disc. One final point about this song is the fact that I like all of the extra little giggles and squeals left on there during the recording. Often bands get too hung up about any extra or background sounds during this process, but I think it shows that the band are really enjoying what they are doing and I find this to be a breath of fresh air.

So Unsure

A return to their heavier roots ‘So Unsure’ is a very strong finish to an overall high quality EP. The vocal part stands alone either side of heavy musical breaks - I can imagine a live show where ‘So Unsure’ is used as a set closing tune. Once again, a lot of credit needs to be given to the building of sound - for a band with only one guitar they somehow manage to make it sound as though hey are using at least two or three. In Lee Harvey they have one of the most solid drummers on the Sheffield scene at the moment, which is again evident throughout this closing track. I’m not sure how long these three have been together as a band but they all seem able to trust and rely on each other, something which is very important.

The Monicans released ‘Epic Entrée’ at a huge release show at The Harley on Saturday 18th June. Unfortunately I couldn’t be there that night, but I can’t wait to catch them over the Tramlines weekend, where they are playing an action packed Saturday night down at The Leadmill. The Epic Entrée EP is now available for purchase on iTunes for £3.49.

Words by James Whitworth