Ryan's Gig Guide - January 2019

NAKED SUNDAY Unbreakable The brand new Unbreakable EP from Staffordshire rock band Naked Sunday is the follow up to their very com- petent debut album 'Signs of Insanity' and reveals a more focused and nostalgic approach to their brand of rock n' roll song writing. Opener 'BornTo Rock' is a fun what-it-says-on-the-tin nod to classic rock with a slight flare of Airboune and Monster Magnet, 'Other Side Of Town' is a prestigious Guns N' Roses style rock ballad, 'Unbreakable' begins with a powerful mettlesome U2- like stadium rock intro and 'Rain At My Door' comes across like a good Mötley Crüe love song.This EP dips its toe into the familiar sounds of many classic rock bands but still ends up a Naked Sunday record. Catchy Sing-a-long choruses and a huge stamp of rock good- ness. Some of their best material yet. www.facebook.com/nak3dsunday ELECTRIC CAKE SALAD Terremoto Midlands alternative electronica trio ECS return with their strongest album yet. 'SixYears Six Months And Six Days' is a top animated Salad classic and one of the first times I've heard a band attempt something in the spirit of Peter Gabriel without sounding like a poor copy - totally cool. 'Noi Vivi' is one of my favourites on here; excellent grove guitar riffs and lyrically it's a fitting re- flection of modern day technology and social media. 'Gaslight' and 'From My Cold Dead Hands' seem very reminiscent of Ozzy Osbourne in places and full of in- dustrial stomp goodness. 'Brain corrosion' has a kind of The Hives vibe but no matter now much I loved it I just felt that the song needed to be way shorter. Album closer 'Ghosts' is a more club synth friendly tune with a possible little homage made to Depeche Mode. Over- all this is an impressive release and some of the bands best tunes.Worth your time. www.facebook.com/electriccakesalad ED STRONG It IsWhat It Is Stunning debut three track EP from Birmingham four piece Ed Strong. Imagine theYeahYeahYeahs, Supergrass and The Arctic Monkeys all merged together and you get something close to the original song writing ma- chinery leaking out from this band. Opening track 'Liv- ing Small' is a non stop rock pop adventure that keeps on giving; then things slow down with the soulful indie opus 'A Rose Is A Rose', leaving 'Another Flat Beer' to end the EP with its optimistic sounding layers of blues funk rock.The musicianship from start to finish is simply impeccable but the obvious star of the show has to be frontwoman Emily Abbiss who stamps her authority with her intriguing storytelling and incredible voice; this has to be one of the most talented female singers in the area and backed by such a tight band of players makes this the band on the circuit to watch out for in 2019. www.facebook.com/edstrongmusic rgg Jan 2019 13 www.ryansgigguide.com