Friday 25 August 2023

Water Machine on tour!


 

Water Machine are a compulsive itch of a band, so liberating, keen-eyed and catchy! In celebration of their first 7” EP entitled ‘Raw Liquid Power’ (out now on Upset The Rhythm) the Glasgow group are hitting the road in September! We’re lucky to have them playing in London at New River Studios on Tuesday 5th September, they’re also going to be live in session with Marc Riley on Thursday 31st August for BBC 6 music. So many opportunities for refreshment!

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‘Raw Liquid Power’ opens with a menacing, modulating synth melody. Gage’s guitar enters with a mighty bend before breaking into the chugging rhythm of ‘Water Machine Pt. 2’. This timely reminder to refill your water bottle - “don’t be late, hydrate!” less a wellness mantra than a threat - builds to a spacey outro with flashes of the art-punk weirdness of Suburban Lawns. ‘Stilettos’ marches on indignantly with a spiky riff punctuated by Ilgauskaitė’s cowbells. Staccato talk-singing tells a playful tale of stray cats following you home, but belies a darker subtext as the breakdown gives way to paranoid duelling guitars evoking The Fire Engines.
 
The anti-anthem ‘At the Drive In’ skewers joyless DIY crowds, reminiscent of much-missed Glasgow punks Breakfast Muff. Water Machine’s irrepressible sincerity can’t help but shine through in the final moments though, as jibes about “late night trade potential” give way to plaintive vocal harmonies. Morice tears public transport a new one on closer ‘Bussy’, a First Bus diss track bemoaning precarious employment amidst crumbling infrastructure. “That’s why I’m not on time!” they roar over de Hoog’s frantic, pounding bass, bringing the record to a skidding, screeching halt.
 




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