John Jackson’s debut EP, Tomorrow, unveils itself as a meditative exploration, using the avenues of indie and Britpop to navigate intimate reflections of an introspective psyche. Recorded in his Brighton home, the self-produced collection of singles invites listeners to aurally gaze into tender expositions of grief, heroism, and isolation, melodically prising beauty from melancholy.
The opening title track, Tomorrow, is a diaphanous curtain-raiser, reminiscent of Blur’s sonic breadth but uniquely steeped in the thematic depth of personal loss. Jackson’s masterful weaving of art through the agony of grief through Thom Yorke-like flourishes transforms the track into an introspective odyssey. It’s a journey through sorrow, beautifully wrapped in tender melodic progressions that resonate with the listener’s own hidden echoes of loss.
Transitioning from the ethereal to the earthbound, Save Heaven shifts the mood with its melancholic yet profound orchestration. Here, Jackson explores the sting of isolation, crafting a cinematically rich soundscape that hits all the right evocative triggers The orchestral elements, coupled with the syncopated pulses of the track, create a magnetising rhythmic pull that draws deeper into the shared experience of solitude.
The EP’s narrative arc reaches a crescendo with Hero; an ode to Inspiral Carpets and the concept of unexpected bravery. It’s a rumination on fearlessness that asserts Jackson’s ability to bear his musical influences while allowing his authenticity to permeate through homage.
As a first entry, Jackson’s debut EP couldn’t be more promising; his ability to speak on unspoken phenomena through his affectingly authentic sonic identity is what every songwriter should strive to achieve through their art and expression.
Tomorrow is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.
Keep up to date with new releases from John Jackson via Instagram.
John Jackson’s single, Hero, from his debut EP, Tomorrow, is a tour de force in alt-rock, weaving together scintillating organ tones akin to Inspiral Carpets with the harmonies reminiscent of Paul Draper. By adding the unmistakable energy of Blur and the percussive swagger of the Stone Roses, Jackson crafted a track that is authentically electric to its core.
Based in Brighton and Hove, yet carrying the spirit of his Hackney origins, Jackson delivered a sound that directly confronts the listener with its poignant lyrical messaging – “If you’re not dancing you might as well march”. The production is sharp, ensuring every word resonates with a clear call to shake off complacency. It’s a rallying cry for the outsiders, the overlooked, and those yearning for a figure to redefine the current narratives. The nostalgic elements are cleverly used as intrinsic thematic devices that highlight our tendency to bury our heads in the sand when facing future uncertainties, only to look back on the past with rose-tinted glasses.
Hero is a powerful start to Jackson’s series of planned releases, promising a blend of personal, political, and social themes delivered through his eclectic musical style. It’s a track that not only stands out for its compelling composition but also for its capacity to engage and inspire, making John Jackson a name to watch in the alt-rock arena.
Diving into the indie pop scene with a nostalgic twist, Giant Killers, are set to release their long-awaited debut album, “Songs for the Small Places.” Originally crafted in the mid-’90s, this collection is finally seeing the light of day, packed with melodic tunes infused with a gritty lyricism and a nod to the iconic sounds of the ’90s. In this exclusive interview with Mike and Jamie, we unravel the journey behind the album’s resurrection, the band’s experiences, and their enduring influence on the music scene.
Your debut album, “Songs for the Small Places,” is a long-awaited gem that was originally intended to be released in the ’90s. Can you share the story behind the resurrection of this album and how it feels to finally bring it to the audience after nearly three decades?
M: For a long time, we considered ourselves to have been ground up by the Music Industry mill – we spent the entirety of our late teens and throughout our twenties in the back of a van, on the road, and in studios – we started our own label, then went on to have not just one but two major record and publishing deals in that period. Ultimately, we got unceremoniously dumped out of the business, essentially for not selling enough units. This was in an era with an unrecognisably different business model to that which exists today – back then, the expectation for any artist on a major label was to sell 100s of 000s of physical product in their first releases.
J: This whipping away of the carpet beneath our dreams triggered a period of reflection and re-evaluation, and inevitably disillusion. We changed our dreams, had lives outside of those narrow ambitions, had kids etc, in one sense we forgot about those older songs, even though we wrote many more new ones…
M: But this time just for the sheer pleasure of it, for the joy of creation. It was after a friend asked us to reunite Giant Killers for a birthday gig in Leeds that we were reminded of the power of those old songs when we played them live again. That was when we thought, hmmm… maybe it’s time to do something about this – to bring us to where we are now…
J: And we’re very excited to see how these songs will be received. But as we say in one of these songs, we’re older and wiser now, so we’re managing our expectations – our history in the business has imbued us with a deep layer of realism.
The ’90s sound is a significant influence on your music, and it’s making a strong comeback in today’s music scene. How do you see your sound fitting into the current musical landscape, and what elements from that era do you think still resonate with listeners today?
M: Undoubtedly, the present-day music scene, and to large extents, current fashion trends are skewed heavily to the 90s, but we wouldn’t say we are attempting to fit in with that. We’re big believers in the power of the song – the words, the melody and its combined emotive pull should rise above the way the song is produced, whatever producer, production techniques and technology were fashionable at the time a song was written or recorded.
J: Sure, the sound may reflect an identifiable era, but we truly believe a good song will always be recognised as that. We think the messages in the album, what the songs are about, and the melodies that deliver the emotive pull are universal and timeless; but we don’t want anyone to take our word for it. All we want, all we’re hopeful for, that these songs will reach the ears of the discerning listener and be given a fair chance to be loved, or otherwise, on their artistic and creative merit alone.
Your history includes opening for Blur and touring with Dr Robert and Nick Heyward. How have these experiences shaped your musical journey, and do you have any standout moments or lessons learned from sharing stages with such iconic artists?
M: Don’t trust them! Blur nicked our original keyboard player after we opened for them at a gig on Cleethorpes Pier as part of their Country House tour. A very talented musician called Diana Gutkind, who went on to tour the world with Damon and co for many years – I guess it was a valid career choice, so we don’t blame her, or Blur!
J: We also toured with Squeeze which was fantastic because we considered Difford & Tilbrook as the best song writing partnership since Lennon & McCartney. We once opened for Motown legend Edwin Starr, bizarrely with a whole host of boy bands; we also shared a stage with Boyzone at a Capital Radio Roadshow at Chessington World of Adventure!
M: This latter experience at the hilariously un-rock n roll backdrop of a theme park gave rise to a rude awakening: Our record label sent a Limo to take us to the show – the one and only time that happened to us. When we arrived at the back of the compound to slowly drive into the backstage area, it was full of screaming teens, who saw the Limo with its blacked-out windows and drew the conclusion that Boyzone were inside. It turned into pure chaos as fans started prostrating themselves on the bonnet and the roof of the motor. We got to appreciate, all be it very briefly and under false pretences, what it was like to be the subject of mass adulation…
J: But then we had to get out of the Limo! When we did, the deafening roar turned instantly to pin-drop silence, and after a couple of seconds, as we stood looking at the gathered multitude and they at us, a lone, adolescent voice enquired… who the f**k is that!? From such experiences it’s tempting to say we’ve learned valuable lessons in the art of live performance, and in the craft of song writing. That is true to some degree, but our biggest lesson has been in the cultivation of the quality of resilience.
The decision to donate a portion of Bandcamp sales to the Campaign Against Living Miserably is commendable. Can you elaborate on why this cause is significant to you, and how do you believe music can contribute to raising awareness and supporting important social issues?
M: In Brighton where I live, there seems to be a lot of young bands willing to stand up for good causes and to write about them in their work. There’s a great club night I’ve been to a couple of times called Agitation; it’s at the locally revered Green Door Store, and I’ve seen amazing young bands such as The Damn Shebang, and the fabulously named Joe Perfect and the Champagne Socialists giving their time and energy to raise money to help striking nurses with their food bills, or helping catering industry workers campaign for a decent wage. In my formative years there were campaigning movements such as Rock Against Racism and Red Wedge, in which mainstream bands were politically engaged, but that fell away for some time. I’d like to think we’re seeing a re-emergence of that kind of thing, perhaps as a response to the difficult times we’re living through.
As far as mental health goes, like CALM, we’re against living miserably – poor mental health is often an unwanted bedfellow with creative people. Look at the very public developments last year with Lewis Capaldi for instance. If people who need help, don’t get the right signposting, advice, or counselling, then that is potentially fatal. You know, 1 in 5 of us will harbour suicidal thoughts over the course of a lifetime – CALM is getting that fact out into the open, to destigmatise the conversation around suicide so that we can all talk about this at a societal level. Everyone should support that ambition.
With a diverse background that includes Glastonbury and Proms in the Park, what unique aspects do each of these musical experiences bring to your artistic expression, and how do they contribute to the rich tapestry of Giant Killers’ musical journey?
J: In one sense, they are a validation, because they are the sorts of experiences that you dream about at the outset of your journey as a musician, but at the same time, we didn’t do either as the headline act, but as jobbing musicians. For Glastonbury, we were both part of a dirty jazz, swing, big band collective called The Kingsize Five – as such we weren’t playing the Pyramid Stage but a collection of smaller stages there – multiple gigs over the course of the festival in both 2008 and 2009. So, while we didn’t get helicoptered into the backstage enclosure, we did stay in artists camping and got to use the open air jacuzzi they have in there (yep, its true), every night.
M: Proms in the Park is a great case study in the life of a jobbing musician and its pertinent to the tribute scene – which gets a lot of stick from so called serious musos, but the scene has undoubtedly kept the wolf from the door for a lot of talented musicians who may otherwise have starved! I opened as the sax player for the heavy gigging Madness tribute band, One Step Behind. We were the warm-up for Lionel Richie when he headlined Proms in the Park in Hyde Park – I think this was 2009. As we were on early around 530pm I wasn’t expecting a full house, but when I walked out there where 55,000 very enthusiastic people in front of that stage.
J: There’s a fabulous little story from when Mike was using the backstage gents, when who should join him at the adjacent urinal than the great man himself…
M: Ha yes, to break the silence, I made an enquiry as to which song Lionel would be starting his set with. When the former Commodore replied with his own question – what would you recommend, I made a lame attempt at wittiness with an observation that Dancing on the Ceiling should perhaps be avoided given it was an open air gig. Lionel left without saying a word, shaking his head as he retreated to his green room.
J: These experiences are a case of so near yet so far in terms of what our musical dreams were at the outset, versus what they actually where in real life. But it’s all an opportunity to grow as a musician, a songwriter and a human being!
Tracks originally written and recorded in 1995 by Brighton’s Giant Killers when they were signed to MCA Records have finally reached the airwaves. The standout indie jangle pop single, Around the Blocks, from their forthcoming LP, is an authentically nostalgic dream. With hints of Coffee and TV within the R.E.M.-esque college radio rock production, which sees the choruses endlessly ascend and the verses pull you in deeper through the affectionately sharp hooks, Around the Blocks is a tonic for the melancholic soul.
With a frenetic closing sonic chapter which echoes the palpitating pacing of the hit Brimful of Asha, Giant Killers clearly know how to make an ever-lasting impression with their sound, which doesn’t go as far as sticky-sweet; there’s far too much indie rock renegade grit within their compassionately confrontational lyricism.
With their ‘songs for the small places’ LP, Giant Killers aren’t only delivering melodic salvation to the ennui-inclined. £2 of every sale of the LP will be donated to Campaign Against Living Miserably, a charity dedicated to saving lives through suicide prevention. Given the gravitas of Around the Blocks, which will see your soul sweep higher than the transcendentally tight melodies, you shouldn’t need any additional incentive to partake in the nostalgically euphonic bliss. But it’s incredible to see an artist not solely skating by on the signals of their virtue. Giant Killers are putting momentum behind real tangible change.
Teaming up with the video director and director of photography, Alex Estrella, the prodigal spawn of alt-indie, JW Paris, visually captured the same superlative swagger of their distorted to-the-nines sound in their latest single and music video, Leave It Alone.
JW Paris was hardly painting at the kids’ table with their former releases. But the exhibition of a freshly honed sound in Leave It Alone, ahead of the release of their upcoming sophomore EP, marks a fierce new frontier for the powerhouse who never lyrically play with their cards close to their chest.
With Glasvegas-esque choruses that raise the roof so high they leave the brickwork on another plateau, Leave It Alone is metaphysically mind-melting in its ability to balance anthemic transcendence with hauntingly grunged up rancour that adds oceanic depth to the melodies.
Lyrically, Leave It Alone peers into the human proclivity to question reality and look for redemption for past mistakes. In JW Paris’ own words:
“Leave It Alone is a deeply personal song that reflects our own inner journey of self-discovery and acceptance. It invites the listeners on an introspective exploration of identity and longing for inner peace. It is a heartfelt track that encapsulates the struggles and triumphs of self-discovery, reminding us to embrace our imperfections and find solace within ourselves.”
Splicing two facets of the iconic 90s epoch has seen the London-based three-piece comprising Gemma Clarke, Daniel Collins, and Aaron Forde establish themselves as a peerless outfit you will want to try out for size and never take off.
Their two seminal 2022 singles, Electric Candle Light and Runaway received extensive airplay from BBC Radio 1, BBC Introducing, Absolute Radio, and Amazing Radio. JW Paris also deservedly worked their way into the main playlist on Radio X, and numerous curated indie playlists.
Leave It Alone will be released via Blaggers Records on the 30th of June after being recorded at Buffalo Studios, produced by JB Pilon and mastered by the 2023 award-winning engineer at Air Studios, Cicely Balston.
Stream it on Spotify or watch the official music video on YouTube.
The shimmer of wavering Pavement-esque guitars meets the indie anthemics of Blur in the standout single, She, from the London indie trio JW Paris’ debut EP, Stuck in a Video, which implanted off-kilter killer hooks into the airwaves on October 28th.
Reminiscences aside, the band that has sent distinction ricocheting through the underground since their 2017 debut always bring a potent shot of their own renegade indie-rock flavour to their tracks. The critically acclaimed act has a habit of drawing you right into the swaggering melodicism through the lyrics that will smother anyone who has ever felt the odds stack against them with resonance.
Never ones to toy with cliches, JW Paris found a gritty way to pay ode life’s protagonists who sell sanctuary to us amid our appetite for destruction with She. With “she tried to run me over, she blows my mind” written into the lyricism, JW Paris cut to the marrow of the human proclivity to gravitate to modern-day sirens. If you haven’t been there, in the words of Bukowski, what truly horrible lives you must lead.
Stream JW Paris’ debut EP, Stuck in a Video, in full on Spotify.
Butter wouldn’t melt on the bitter-sweet melancholy in the latest 90s Britpop-rooted single from the independent Orange County, CA-residing artist, Port Streets.
Dream Girl, Decide is a surreally imaginative lament over a mentally hospitalised loved one. I mean, is there any more definitive sign of the times than that? We’re all losing our marbles in dating pools scattered with them, but cute sentiments still stand over the lush organ lines and blissfully pure vocal harmonies.
The Blur influence finds just the right level of nuance, avoiding assimilation from the strength of the rays on the blissfully constructed indie rock hit that uses Grandaddy-Esque synths and hooky guitar lines to seal this track’s place in your synapses.
Dream Girl, Decide is now available to stream on Spotify.
There are no short answers when it comes to the definition of indie music. While some use indie to describe where artists of all genres are at in the industry, it has also become synonymous with an edgy guitar-based pop sound over the years.
Today, indie is an extension of the music that the indie pioneers created when they started to break away from the big four record labels (EMI, Warner, Universal and Sony). To definitively understand the definition of indie music, we have to get to grips with how it came around and became a descriptor for a particular off-kilter sonic style
A Micro History of Indie
The indie uprising started in the 1970s – although the roots of independent music go back to the soul, blues and Motown independent labels in the 50s. In the 70s, distinctions arose between artists on major record labels and artists independent of them.
The new wave, post-punk and alternative music releases in the late 70s started to fall under the indie category while picking up traction amongst music fans eager to hear music that was far more visceral, real and experimental. This new aural hunger led to Tony Wilson creating a roster at Factory Records, Daniel Miller establishing Mute and Chris Parry following suit with his label, Fiction, in 1978.
The Manchester-based outfit, The Smiths, were a pivotal part of UK Indie history; once they were on the Rough Trade roster in the mid-80s, they created a cultural movement with their politically aware, socially conscious and poetically morose lyrics. The Smiths inspired countless acts keen to emanate the jangle-pop guitars and the hooky despite the melancholy energy. Just a few of the indie acts that are under the influence of the Smiths are Blur, Pulp, The XX, Frightened Rabbit and The Killers.
Indie started to manifest in the industry in plenty of other ways from the 80s onwards, from indie dance to indie folk to indie hip hop, swathes of artists started to adopt the DIY ethos after watching the success of indie pioneers, such as Joy Division and Depeche Mode. Although indie artists are experimental as a default, the genre amassed characteristics over the years, such as bands having a cultural identity, almost existentialist mentality and being heavier than pop but lighter than rock.
The indie acts springing up under Sub Pop in Seattle in the 80s were far noisier and more discordant than UK indie acts. The independent label, Sub Pop, signed Soundgarden,Mudhoney and Sonic Youth and gave way to the grunge era that defined the 90s in America.
Technically, when independent artists, such as REM and Nirvana, signed multi-million-dollar record deals with major labels, they should have lost their indie status. Instead, their indie status remained for the culture that all of the indie bands since the 70s collectively created.
Today, indie music isn’t *quite* as popular as it was when it peaked in the 90s, but there are still thriving independent grassroots music scenes all across the UK and across the globe. In 2021, independent artists can take advantage of countless indie music blogs, indie playlists, indie radio stations and indie magazines to grow their fanbases away from major labels.
With harmonies which find themselves somewhere between the timbre of Blur and the Beach Boys, Martin Paul Cuthew’s progressive soul-saver of a single ‘Stand Tall’ starts to unravel. By the time the hooky chorus hits, Indie Punk Folk influences start to fall into the mix in a way that would leave any fans of Frank Turner enamoured.
The lockdown-born single was orchestrated to instil optimism and determination in the downtrodden. It’s a powerful Pop Rock reminder that growth is something to take hold of with positivity instead of grief and fear. It’s a nuanced way of saying that life is too short to fill it with salty tears.
You can check out Stand Tall for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.
Not even a couple of seconds into this song and I’ve already recalled some pleasant memories of my Indie Pop years when I was addicted to acts like Two Door Cinema Club, Foals, and my holy worshipped Blur.
The 5-piece band from Barcelona, Hola Chica, ingenuously revisit the late 2000’s style in a fresh and danceable fashion with their latest single Asleep.
With a glittery and glossy sound, Asleep is a smooth effort that combines catchy pop melodies with a generous fix of synths while continuing to rely its structural base on guitars in pure Indie Pop style.
If you add the fact that besides wanting to sing along, you’ll be dragged to dance to the disco-ish rhythm, you know they’ve found a stylish combo.
Head over Youtube to listen to Asleep for yourself.
Your debut album, “Songs for the Small Places,” is a long-awaited gem that was originally intended to be released in the ’90s. Can you share the story behind the resurrection of this album and how it feels to finally bring it to the audience after nearly three decades?