FIRE RECORDS 26th June 2026
Fabulously over the top set of rough-edged, crazy-loud indie rock. What I love is the very strong Neil Young feel to the set. Johnny Smillie packs the songs with squally, rough-edged guitar that pleases my heart; lurching in a bar-band style through lovely phrases with plenty of whammy bar. The band goes for the Crazy Horse plod in the main. I mean, who wasn’t influenced by Neil Young back then, with his renaissance in full flow; Teenage Fanclub, Ian McNabb and all. Monica Queen prevents it being a tribute band, fusing a taste from country music with widely-ranged vocals. Imagine Tammy Wynette fronting Crazy Horse! She is able to travel from a cute little country voice to rock queen topping a tower of noise.
It’s a remastered reissue of the band’s 1994 debut, twinned with a live show. And live is a mark of a band’s heart. So the September 13th 2025 show from Airdrie Town Hall shows the core duo undimmed by three decades with the same yearning voice and crunching, lolloping, over-driven guitar drifting into feedback and savouring its power. Keyboards add a classic organ sound or pick out a piano melody and make for an even-richer sound.
There is a core melancholy to the minor chords and I’m sold on the warmth of this band – I’ll be sure to catch the 2026 tour.
Ross McGibbon