Powerful. Dark. Broody. Put your hands together people because this is SlowHandClap with Rustling In The Bushes. The alternative noisemakers have already impressed musos up and down the UK, having been featured on BBC Radio 6 Music and playing to sold-out crowds. It’s easy to see why. From the moment the song started, I knew I was about to hear something special.
Reminiscent of the best parts of The Fall, I like to think Mark E. Smith is looking down at this young Manchester-based band and smiling, or better still, scowling. A relevant anthem for the times, the lyrics speak of the innate fear that infests the human mind. Remember what Yoda said in The Phantom Menace? Fear leads to anger; anger leads to hate; hate leads to suffering. Unfortunately for us, in real life, we don’t have lightsabers to scare off the bigots. But the fear is real, and anxiety can undoubtedly drive people to do unspeakable things in the name of false nationalistic narratives, fed to us by an evil ruling class and a disgraceful mainstream media.
SlowHandClap let out their rage in a more productive way, by crying out against this painful ideological state apparatus. As a massive fan of The Clash and Akala, I’m always impressed when an artist can make music that’s socially conscious and hugely enjoyable at the same time. SlowHandClap have done just that with Rustling In The Bushes.
Today, I’ve added another item to my bucket list. I want to be in the front row of a sweaty basement gig watching these lads play live once the lockdown is over. What a night it’ll be too.
