Ryan's Gig Guide - February 2018

r gg Feb 2018 - p.14 WWW. R YA N S G I G G U I D E . C OM Verdict: You don't need to have an over the top hipster beard or an orange head to be a great song- writer; neither of those things musically make a dif- ference but try telling that to people who only buy albums from petrol stations.West Midlands musician Alex Ohm is a real talent and offers yet another well crafted song 'Retreat' with his orchestral acoustic style heavily imprinted throughout. It's a brilliant tune with wonderful production; Alex has a remarkable way of drawing you into his world lyrically and with his smooth melodic voice it's icing on the composing cake. Like many of his tunes it's screaming to be used on film and television soundtracks and I hope this year that Alex sees his material published to a wider audience.Very commercial indeed and nothing here to suggest a lack of ideas; no doubt there's a lot more to come from this artist and we wish him all the best. Grab an opportunity to go through his back cata- logue. Single: Retreat www facebook com/AlexOhmmusic Reviewed by NICK J TOWNSEND Verdict: Recommended for fans of American Hi-Fi, Sugarcult,You Me At Six and New Found Glory but expect something much more edgier from Wolverhampton power pop punk act Swaktang. Opener 'Brief Encounter' straight away slams in with some fast paced high energy guitars and drums; a great chorus and sells the band immediately. 'Good For Nothing' is a lot more laid back; the beginning sounds like a mega mix of Foo Fighters 'Big Me' and PlayStation hit Worms 3D 'Shake Your Coconuts' but I loved it. 'M.I.A'. heads back to the formula of raw up- tempo riffness leaving 'Your Leave' as the closer and I reckon that this is the main highlight of the EP. By the time you've reached the end you've endured ten minutes of fun without any of the cheesiness you normally receive with pop punk; most of the recommendations I made at the start of this review I can't actually put up with myself but I could gleefully stomach a long Swaktang album I'm sure. EP: Happiness Wants Me Back www facebook com/Swaktang SWAKTANG single month of the ALEX OHM ep month of the