From the mournful palm-muted intro and the teasingly drawn out drum break to the extended instrumental rockout, the latest single from Wild Cat Strike takes its sweet time to unravel. As their dictionary definition press blurb states, the band’s name represents “the manic shift between harmonious beauty and cacophony”. For once this is a press blurb that makes sense, as can be heard when the song erupts into a furious crescendo.
This is ‘Neighbourhood’, a melancholic eight-minute epic about life in a small town – an appropriate theme for a city like Brighton which seems to be the getaway of choice for many musicians. “It’s a song about growing up in a one horse town that never changes,” explains singer Danny Byrom. “People either leave and evolve or stay stationary and decline.”
SOURCE is hosting the premiere of the single’s video, produced by Small Pond Recordings. It was filmed at Marwoods coffee shop in an upstairs room which singer songwriter Nick Williams (who also works in the café) has recently converted into a live music space. “The reason we chose Marwoods is we love the space,” says Danny. “It’s really interesting and different to the usual places people film videos. We’re massively grateful that Nick and the rest of the guys let us make all that noise up there.”
The video is being released ahead of Wild Cat Strike’s appearance at Bleach this Friday. The band are playing alongside local operatic rockers Written in Waters supporting New Zealand’s post rock heroes Jakob who are touring their first release in eight years. Get yourself a ticket here, grab your earplugs and head on down.
Bleach, Friday 24th April 2015
Facebook event
Photo by Alex Newton @ Tall Guy Pictures
