The darker, more expansive side of rock arrives in the form of a short (and free!) EP called The First EP from Manchester‘s own Boddickers, a trio making quite a racket, mixing a bouquet of grunge peppered with straight up hard rock.

For a moment it feels like it will be a thoughtful, groovy ride but the distortion pedal beckons to be stepped on while the rhythm section chant “one of us, one of us”. It does eventually explode (fuse was a little long, though) in the form of ‘Solace’. It hits slowly and furiously and you get a few moments to catch your breath before the screaming and riffing becomes the calling card of the band. ‘There’s no love, no hope and no heart’ is a brilliant track: quality title, a misleading intro full of soothing atmospheres and a raw, no holds barred explosion. The cycle repeats, like the 5 stages of mourning. Fear, anger, denial, acceptance and drinking (that’s one of the steps, right?) are all here.

‘The frustrating circle of life’. Another quality title, a more direct hit of crunching, aggressive notes. Certain as solid as granite as Boddickers will get, the bass is what really sells and justifies the attitude in the track. Skip a drink after a bad day and just headbang to this one. Or pretend you’re playing bass while bending your legs and you slither around (I wish I could do that).  ‘Think on’ is more punkier and less hard rock. Well, actually no, it goes again for that expansive sound (not going to compare to Oceansize, I promise I won’t) while still juxtaposing with punkier bits. Good mix and, hey, let’s call it Helmet via Manchester (at least for this song).

Some idiot in some comment box said that guitar music is dead. It’s probably banished from radio right now, but scratch the surface and knock a few doors (or bandcamps and soundclouds) and you can get some proper rock. Boddickers is one of those cases for guitar music being alive and kicking (although a little inebriated). If you need a rock fix, here’s a good 4 song one.

Words: Sam

Boddickers Website. Facebook. Twitter. Bandcamp.