The Blinders are a three-piece alternative rock group originally from Doncaster but now based in Manchester who have been making a lot of noise in the up and coming music scene. Their debut album “Columbia” is out on Friday the 21st of September and incorporates an in-your-face sound similar to Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes with influences from Nick Cave and The Fall. It is definitely not one to miss.
The album opens with “Gotta Get Through” which sets the tone of the album with their politically charged punk and dark rock sound and is followed by “L’Etat C’est Moi” which translates to ‘I am the state’, another political statement and a song which has been made Huw Stephens song of the week on Radio 1. The album follows through with this theme, getting to “Free the Slave” which isn’t so much a song as a message to the people.
“Et Tu” gives a nod to the Romans using Julius Caesar’s last words ‘Et Tu Brute’ said before he is betrayed by his friend in the Shakespearean play. The next song “Brutus” also ties in with this Roman theme as an epic seven-minute-long track. The band cleverly compare the Romans with current situations and highlight how maybe we should be questioning further who and what we trust.
The album then comes to a close with “Brave New World” a catchy and up-beat but in no way subtle dig at America and ends with “Orbit (Salmon of Alaska)” which begins as an acoustic number using slow, simple and poetic lyrics but builds up to create an awesome finish to a great album.
The Blinders have done well to use their music to put their point across and challenge people’s ideas of the world and the current political scene. Having headlined the BBC Introducing stage at Reading and Leeds festival this year they are definitely a band to keep an eye on. If you want to go and see them perform, they are doing an in-store performance at Nottingham’s Rough Trade on Wednesday 26th September and are later headlining The Bodega in Nottingham on the 24th October.
Photo credit: Nasty Man Creations
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