Massa Confusa - Two Man Machine album review

(This is an older review written for NE Volume in 2016)


Already well known in the Newcastle scene for their creative blend of DIY punk and electronic styles, Massa Confusa are a two piece post punk project consisting of members Ally Morton and Matt O’Brien. “Two Man Machine” is their second full-length offering so far.

Opening the album is the dark and somewhat aggressive “Dark World” which features some very moody and heavy guitars. The chorus also holds some of the only shouting style vocals on the album, however they’re used to great effect as Morton exclaims his distaste for the world he tried to make his way in. Next up is probably one of the best cuts on the record in my opinion, “Rock Paper Scissors” is a track that begins with an almost 90s industrial feel to its instrumentation. After the intro we’re given a lead guitar and aggressive vocal combination that gives the track an extra punchy feel.

Two Man Machine is a perfect album for showing off the style and skill of Massa Confusa, ultimately making them a treat to the local scene. Their ability to combine an already outstanding post punk style with what almost sounds like a 90s industrial electro backdrop is best represented on this album with tracks such as “27” “Conjuncture” and the aforementioned “Rock Paper Scissors”. Added to an already impressive mix of styles are the social and political undertones that appear on the album, with tracks like “Conjuncture” and “Beauty” being very clear with their social messages.

Overall, “Two Man Machine” is a solid record. Gorgeous, dark and stylistically beautiful, it’s an album that really puts light on the ability of Massa Confusa.

Gig Review: Holding Out at Jumpin’ Jacks, Newcastle – 08/09/2017

(This is an older review published on http://nevolume.co.uk back in 2017)

Newcastle-based punk quartet, Holding Out, are no strangers to Jumpin’ Jacks, nor are they strangers to the local scene, and tonight’s performance was truly a standout for the band.

Whilst they may have seemed hindered by the small size of the Jumpin’ Jacks venue in comparison to their previous headlining performance at the O2 Academy, Holding Out’s style proved to draw a mixed crowd of young punk enthusiasts and denim-clad thrashers alike, all of whom were equally welcomed to sing along and mosh to each track on the setlist.

Performance wise, the band fired on all cylinders, specifically with frontman Ellis Paul’s savage vocal delivery upon which he gave set opener ‘Swing For the Fences’ a twist of melodies and screams more prominently heard live than in their studio recordings.

Only showing signs of tiredness mid-setlist during the band’s cover of Green Day’s ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’, Paul was warmly assisted with audience participation.

Equally exciting were the band’s live performances of tracks from their recent self-titled EP, with ‘Machines’, ‘Headaches’ and ‘Thrillhouse’ receiving energising reactions from the audience, who were provided with a mix of singalong melodies and moshpit inducing rhythms. The band’s very own guitar hero, Jason Toward, was also very much on point – coming almost as a Dimebag Darrell reincarnate with his frequent soloing and guitar licks.

Finishing off their set with a cover of Slaves’s ‘Where’s Your Car Debbie’, which saw Paul jumping into the crowd himself and getting involved in the moshpits he had so clearly missed earlier in the gig, it was clear that Holding Out had yet again provided the Jumpin’ Jacks audience with one of their best performances yet. They’re growing as a band in terms of their musical ability and their charisma and both aspects shone through tonight. If you’re a fan of punk rock then don’t miss them at their next gig North East gig.