As reported on these pages, there’s some great music being made out there, but sometimes you get the feeling that a lot of what is currently on offer is a bit safe, a bit too polished. Sometimes you want bands to shake you up a bit, get in your face. I love beautiful music, I listen to nothing else, but beauty is in the ear of the beholder and for me it exists as much in Dinosaur Jr’s Puke & Cry, or You Trip Me Up by The Jesus and Mary Chain, as in any Nick Drake song. You got to have balance, and I think that balance is a little out of kilter at the moment. That’s why it’s the perfect time for Glasgow’s Miss The Occupier to return to playing live.
Don’t misunderstand me, Roz Davies, Magnus Hughson and Ione Campsie can all play, and how, but they are unashamedly there to have a good time and they will force you to do likewise. You want a frame of reference? I would suggest The Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, or, for the older punks out there, The Rezillos.
There is a theory that three is the magic number when it comes to the best bands. The Jam, Nirvana, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Shellac, Violet Femmes, the aforementioned Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs and Dinosaur Jr, and, of course, the legend that is Motörhead, are just a few who spring to mind. This is one of those debates that is impossible to resolve, but it is a strong argument to suggest that there is less room for unnecessary excess when rock music is pared down to drums, bass, guitar and vocals. This is never more true than when such bands play live, where there is often a feeling that everyone on stage is in this together. If you consider the above names, they are all renowned as live acts, and the same applies to Miss The Occupier.
This is the title track from last year’s E.P. The Heart is Deceitful (Above All Things), which I’m assuming was inspired by the underrated Asia Argento movie of the same name, and if you don’t like this song then I’m not sure you and I can be friends any more:
If you want to hear more you can pop over to misstheoccupier.bandcamp where you can sample all the tracks and get yourself a copy.
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