Russell HughesFuneral Shakes – Funeral Shakes (Silent Cult Records)
Genre: Punk/Rock
Funeral Shakes are all about serving you some cold hard truths. They love to remind you about the negative parts of life. They’ll look into your cold dark souls and smile. And then they’ll wrap it up in the most addictive tune you’ve ever heard.
Their songs are about the most damaging aspects of human nature. They’re about narcissism and treating people badly and heartbreak and all the messy stuff that people don’t want and have to put up with.
Made up of former members of Gallows (drummer Lee Barratt), NERVUS (vocalist/guitarist Em Foster) and The Smoking Hearts (Calvin Roffey on bass/vocals and Simon Barker on guitar), Funeral Shakes were formed in Watford but will surely have international charm.
With a style from The Hives playbook and a modified punk rock noise, the band are to pull in audiences and fans in double quick time.
Album opener Over You is a quick, ruthless introduction to the rest of the album. ‘Well that’s just great, somebody else hates me’ moans Roffey and as the first words to a debut record go they’re up there as some of the most memorable.
True to form though, the music around it is a flying whirlwind of hope and optimism and foot-tapping joy. Circles is a similarly brutal ode to the worst aspects of civility as Roffey growls ‘I’m feeling like a 10 you’re looking like a two’. With a slight Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes feel to the tune, Funeral Shakes prove that you can make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
You can tell that this isn’t the group’s first rodeo. It takes skill to bring everything together like this, and while there are some big names in Funeral Shakes the fact that it was an organic formation plays out through the album.
RUSHONROCK RATED: 8/10 Alive and kicking