JAN WOOLF applauds the necessarily subversive character of the Palestinian poster in Britain
Hardship Starship by No Hot Ashes
MARTIN GRAHAM welcomes a comprehensive history of the national debt, while regretting that it is neither up to date, nor has a class-based analysis
SYLVIA HIKINS is bowled over by a wonderful show that both entertains and educates
JOHN HAWKINS welcomes the straight-talking condemnation of genocide by a queer Jewish environmental journalist
TOMASZ PIERSCIONEK relishes a detailed history of the battles, manoeuvres and tactics that defeated fascism
MARIA DUARTE recommends an exposure of the state violence used against pro-Palestine protests in the US
CHRIS SEARLE urges you to hear the US saxophonist Joe McPhee on livestream tonight
No Hot Ashes
Hardship Starship
(Modern Sky UK)
NO HOT ASHES hail, like 10cc, from Stockport and although a generation apart they share an approach to music unbeholden to any genre in particular.
Intelligent and inventive arrangements deliver a studio sound that’s far richer and more complex than the band’s live act.
Isaac Taylor and Luigi Di Vuono’s guitars are intricate one minute and blasting their way through the next, while Jack Walsh on bass and Matthew Buckley on drums keep the adrenaline flowing.
There’s existential rather than political angst in their songs. “There’s not much more that I can take, Oh I’m sick of all these bellyaches,” sings Taylor in Bellyaches.
Although distinctive, his vocals lack tonal variety and sound mannered — a repetitive “signature.”
Yet No Hot Ashes — not to be confused with their Belfast namesakes — have a raw, rich promise and that’s a perfect start.
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