Ryan's Gig Guide - September 2019

THE VERDICT BY NICK J. TOWNSEND Greetings puny humans. No one, especially the bands, actually reads this section; so let me add that I reviewed everything on this page in exchange for narcotics whilst wearing a steel drum on my head and bashing it repeatedly with an aluminium dildo. It’s how I like to relax when listening to music created by other musicians. No reaction huh? You do know that reviews aren’t even classed as literature? Okay I’m bored now; go away EP OF THE MONTH TONI SANSARA : Tornado Four impressive tracks fromWest Midlands singer songwriter Toni Sansara;Tornado, as an EP, is exactly that; rapidly rotating and violently spinning the incredible voice and skills of Sansara and recommended for fans of good strong pop music. Now I’m not a huge fan of mainstream chart music at all but there are those that heavily deserve to be in those million dollar waters and Toni has a natural singing and writing ability that is up there with the very best. ‘Pray’ and ‘You Don’t Know Me’ (which sorry makes me think of that catchphrase from the Rick and Morty show) are the stand out songs in my opinion but it’s all about personal taste.This isn’t just some girl with a guitar; this is a highly intelligent versatile writer and performer with so much to give and huge career ahead of her if she believes in herself and works incredibly hard.You can download her music on Amazon, Spotify etc along with her more recent release ‘Real Friends’. Go get her.  www. tonisansara.com None of the CDs this month are normal. I get it of course, this is a duo specialising in experimental spoken word coated in punk and electronic noise; so imagine a dystopian future where the cast of TheYoung Ones bolted away from comedy and instead created an album that’s like a Darren Aronofsky movie with actors anxiously clutching megaphones and definitely not caring about the dance floor. Opener ‘Mad As Hell ‘19’ featuring The Perci Vermin Experiment, one of many guests on this release,lyrically really captures the hopelessness of the current social and political climate.‘I found God’ is the closest to a toe tapper.The album is genius but it’s so niche that I can’t figure where it’s welcome; that’s not an insult, I’m genuinely unsure where you’d hear this unless it was attached to a brick and thrown at you. It’s atmospheric background music with clever social commentary throughout, heavily prioritising art and substance over commercial value. Radio One ain’t playing this. I think a lot of people think the same narrative as this entire album and if anything it’s more therapeutic than watching the news. I love what this album does and all I can say is experience this for yourself to understand it. It’s unique and should be enjoyed.  www. sonicentrails.bandcamp.com ALBUM OF THE MONTH THE MANNEQUIN FACTORY : Self-titled www.ryansgigguide.com 8 rgg Sep 2019