Indie rock in three very different forms. A Winchester band going fully acoustic, a 1992 cult classic finally arriving on streaming, and a teen trio from LA who recorded their new single during spring break between Whisky A Go Go shows. A perfect combo for a beautiful April afternoon.
Terminal Fear – Vacant (acoustic)
Terminal Fear’s Vacant (acoustic) is stripped to the bones, raw and real, just four musicians in a room with acoustic instruments and something worth saying.
Vacant (acoustic) is a stripped-back, emotionally raw reimagining of a track from Terminal Fear’s debut album, recorded at their creative base Sofastyle Studios in Winchester. Performed exactly as they would play it at an intimate venue, no amps, no effects, just acoustic instruments, it is a powerful story of redemption, a protagonist reaching their lowest point before finding help and discovering their own inner strength as the song moves through its second half.
The acoustic setting strips away everything but the song itself, and the song holds up beautifully under that kind of scrutiny. Terminal Fear is Skip, Stu, Rumm and Twiggy, a Winchester outfit shaped by influences ranging from Red Hot Chili Peppers to Rage Against the Machine, fused with hip-hop and rock sensibilities. Regardless of style or production, our ability to work together and create meaningful, relatable music remains unwavering, they say. Vacant proves it on first listen, it’s great.
Tabitha Zu – On Reality
Tabitha Zu’s On Reality is a cult 1992 UK indie single finally making it onto streaming services, still as vital and alive as it was thirty years ago.
On Reality was originally released on 26 October 1992 on a 12 inch only, and it has been one of those records that devotees of the early 90s UK alternative scene talk about in hushed tones. Now it is finally on digital platforms, and it sounds completely fresh. Fronted by Melanie Garside, now known as Maple Bee, Tabitha Zu captured their full force on this recording, driving, energetic, magnetic, exactly the kind of raw UK indie that defined the era at its most vital.
The band’s credentials were impeccable. In 1992 they shared a bill with Nirvana, Public Enemy and Nick Cave at Reading Festival, and they played with Suede in Camden. They toured the Radio 1 sponsored Strollercoaster tour alongside Leatherface and The Darling Buds. Melanie Garside went on to successful solo work as Maple Bee and has had various subsequent band projects. This long-unavailable recording deserves to find a whole new audience, and it will, because it’s bloody fantastic.
LED – Your Perfect
LED’s Your Perfect is teen indie-rock energy from an LA trio who recorded this single during spring break, and it absolutely shows in every best way.
Your Perfect is the newest track from LED, Los Angeles indie rock trio Layne Olivia, Lockett Pentz and Edie Yvonne, recorded in the studio during spring break between shows, including one at the Whisky A Go Go. At 15 to 17 years old they are already playing iconic venues and making music that sounds confident and fully realised, not like a work in progress, which is unusual for a band at this stage and a very good early sign.
The energy is infectious and the hook lands every time, which makes for a very easy recommend if you have been looking for a band to follow early before they inevitably blow up. LED are building something genuinely exciting, three teenagers from LA with clearly developed musical instincts, a growing live profile, and the kind of collaborative chemistry that usually takes bands years to find. Your Perfect is a strong document of where they are right now, i love it.