New Education

I heard about this gobby gang of Stoke rockster's when they supported The Rifles on their past tour. Having read a little about their aggy antics and confrontational performances I was intrigued. Picking fights with audience members, being banned from pretty much every Stoke establishment and harvesting the self-proclaimed brilliance of Liam Fray is no easy feat.

NME recently ran a radar feature on this lot and labelled them 'proper good British rock' or something along those lines. Firstly, I don't disagree with the statement. They invoke all the solid features of what is considered to be proper British rock. They've got attitude, they don't give a fuck, they think they're the best thing since the last over-hyped band and their outlook takes both the positives and negatives of inhabiting our little island...

But when we talk 'proper good British rock' it always seems like a euphemism for Oasis. Twisted Wheel, The Courteeners, The Enemy etc have all suffered the prick of this out-dated syringe at one point or another. Now, I like these bands, all be it some more than others, but why must we continually cast these similarities that pay very little relevance to the band in question. Sure Oasis were one of the best English bands ever, but it doesn't mean that every loud-mouth northerner thinks they're Liam or Noel. Ambition to create a BIG sound doesn't need to mean 'The Next Oasis', and it often doesn't. The Courteeners sound nothing like Oasis but because they're Manc's people will identify in such a way, all be it harmlessly. Twisted Wheel, same story. I could go on.

I feel that northern vocals always add something special to a track. If you're Southern and you can't sing it's pure cack. If you're Northern, however, there's a certain flare of hometown pride and heritage that sounds like it's got a better story to tell. New Education's vocals, on the track up for download, 'Today', is rich in this certain je ne sais quoi vocal experience, steeped in break away tendencies and longing.

Let it be known, these guys are not scared of you, they're not scared of me and they're certainly not scared of anything anyone has to say about them. You, on the other hand, should be scared. You might just end up liking them and getting a very personal beating from one of them at a gig near you soon...

Download New Education - Today