Ryan's Gig Guide - October 2018

rgg Oct 2018 13 www.ryansgigguide.com Seven track release from Blackcountry singer song- writer Robert Simmons. Highlights include the warm and dreamy sounding 'Girlfriend', arguably one of the only positive songs about a partner ever recorded; class tune but despite the stamp of love in the song I per- sonally felt it could be sung with slightly more convic- tion. I'd rather be honest, this is my advice and not a damning.There's standout tracks on here such as 'Po- etry For David Jones' which is well written spoken word poetry but feels read out from a card; when Dave Gilmour speaks any sentence you feel every word and Simmons doesn't quite project that gentle texture or power that's needed for a couple of these truly beauti- ful songs. 'Poetry Of The Night' however feels way more personal and comes across as the most solid song on the entire EP purely because the performance is noticeably much stronger and it demonstrates Simmons natural talent as a singer. Musically and lyrically this collection is wonderful work. WILDCARD of the month Deepfields by Robert Simmons Not all CDs get posted to us and we can't review ev- eryone as there's too many sent in so this month we're choosing the 2015 EP by Birmingham freaky disco metal band Dead Happy who certainly deserves a salute. 'Ba- nana God' opens with a humorous satanic intro; we're then thrown into three tracks of insane electronic metal madness combining elements of thrash metal, goth, rave and industrial music. Highlights include the industrial up-tempo guitar frenzy of 'Dismiss This' and 'Banana Bloodbath' with it's off the wall vocals and crazy infectious club metal sound. Recommended for fans of Mr Bungle and Electric Six. Dead Happy is a fun, zany talented act with lots of fresh ideas and this EP is a fine introduction to their band.They perform live just as manic as they do on a record and if you just fancy something different then do consider checking them out today. www.deadhappyband.com LATE DISCOVERY of the month Banana God by Dead Happy