Don’t let the first ten seconds of the latest single from Christchurch outfit Stonehurst lull you into a false sense of security. Admittedly, I was staring at the speakers trying to work out what was going on and equate the sounds with the band I saw play last year but then everything crunches, and we are off. Here we have a rock outfit who are direct yet commercial, layered and refined yet brutal at the same time. The rhythm section provides the foundation for the guitars to play in close and tight, threading their melodies in and against each other, intertwining, while over the top is Tim Hunt, surely one of our finest singers. His gravel has real breadth and depth, making me think of Nickelback combined with Molly Hatchet, full of passion and life with presence and real balls.
These guys have finesse in spades, yet also go straight for the jugular with a belter which sounds as good on radio as it would in the live environment. I am not sure how many guitar tracks are on this, at least four, and the quick break at 60 seconds is a stroke of genius, lifting the song and providing a break through the wall of sound. Taken from the upcoming third album, Wild Visions, this shows a rock band at the top of their form and I can’t wait to hear more.
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About the author Kev Rowland
From 1990 – 2006 I ran Feedback fanzine in the UK, writing about bands that were rarely covered in the mainstream press, many of whom were in the underground scene. I built close ties with many British Progressive groups in particular, including writing the newsletter for Freewill, getting gigs for Credo and writing the introduction to Galahad’s OCMDII compilation. I reviewed literally thousands of cassettes and then CDs from bands from throughout the world, and was lucky enough to interview many of them. During this period I also contributed to the French progzine Acid Dragon, wrote for the music newspaper Rock ‘n’ Reel and was also involved with the Ghostland website. In 2006 I moved to NZ, and stopped running Feedback (which was then renamed Amplified after I left, at my request) having produced over 80 editions with more than 11,000 pages of print and heaven knows how many reviews
More by Kev Rowland
Gig Review: Crushfest @ The Tuning Fork, Auckland – 07/07/2023
Single Review: Love and War
Single Review: All This Time
Single Review: Sons of Savages
Gig Review: Stray Dogs @ AUX, Auckland – 26/05/2023
Gig Review: Turkey The Bird @ The Ministry of Folk, Auckland – 27/05/2023
Single Review: Beautiful Creature
Gig Review: Emily Rice @ Your Local Coffee Roasters, Pukekohe – 24/05/2023
EP Review: Bridge City Crew
Single Review: Your Heart of Gold
Single Review: The Strangest Dream
Single Review: No Funeral Blues
