The Sheffield Scenester

Having enjoyed an interview at producer Steve Ellis’s Orion Studios we then had a preview of their single ‘Hangman’ which will be available for download on November 1st. They then gave us a hard copy to review along side the interview, so more than anything else, the question was; does it stand up to the good natured bouncing fun of their previous material. Admittedly their EP ‘Hearts Are Pounding’ was a summary of all that was, and to its credit kept the raw energy of their memorable stage antics firmly up front and centre. This track however is most definitely a sampler of all they could be, a lot more epic in its concept but still holding that certain cheeky quirk that keeps fans baying for more!

With ‘Hangman’, Lee, Aiden, James and Adam have decided on that old saying ‘If it ain’t broke then don’t fix it!’ This single is firmly on the side of beat, bounce and dance along, truth be known I would have quite happily dusted the cobwebs off my PS3 rock band drum kit and happily thrashed away throughout. Unfortunately I had to sit and type instead, even though my daughter did look at me strangely when she caught me doing air-drums. Yes the drums in this track are brilliantly addictive especially when played loud enough to drown out all and sundry, but what of the rest of the band? Aiden’s vocals surpass anything I’ve heard him do before, rising and falling with the power and drive of Lee’s outstanding guitar and not forgetting James on bass as he holds the rhythm together. As a package I honestly couldn’t fault it, it does take their music in a more welcome mature direction, the lyrics seem somewhat darker than their usual fun laden compositions with line after line of metaphorical sadism. This doesn’t mean they’ve lost everything they stood for in terms of fun, it just means they’re maturing musically, but you can sense they are still enjoying life as they do it, trust me they have no intention of becoming Coldplay just yet!

It is without any question one of their most danceable tracks for me, anyone familiar with the work of Driftrun, particularly ‘Mellor Road’ will feel right at home here! So if you want to mosh, play air guitar or just happily stand at the back of the floor foot tapping, this is easily the perfect song for you. Obviously a great deal of the credit must go to the producer Steve Ellis who has balanced all the ingredients like a true maestro. So mark November 1st in your diary, hit the download button and enjoy!