Reviews

“‘The Criminal Sessions’ is Exhibit A in the trial of Criminal Records, the UK ’s most exciting, visionary and eclectic new record label. From the comedy skiffle of Shuffle, to the elegant noir-pop of The Kut, every track on this compilation is superb. Sonja van Linden Tol is a funksome female Jamiroquai, and Lowstars’ ‘Out of Control’ sounds like Radiohead at their most tense and powerful. God is in the TV Review: ‘The Criminal Sessions’ 4/5 by Benjamin Short

 ‘Argonaut put forward a good case for being brilliant….. Sounds like Siouxsie And The Banshees, while their commitment to youth, ideas and passion should be lauded and rewarded’ James Jam, NME

Joyzine Review: ‘The Criminal Sessions’. Review by Ian Viggars
Other bands who deserve to be filed under “you heard it here first” include electro-punkers Crayon, the jazzy Morviscous, and The Mystery Artist. On this evidence, Criminal Records are found guilty of possession of class-A tunes, with intent to supply”
Joyzine Review: ‘The Criminal Sessions’. Review by Ian Viggars

“Criminal Records, according to their website, is the UK’s fastest growing independent record label. They’ve certainly got enough bands to back this claim up as nineteen of them appear on their new compilation the Criminal Sessions, and happily more than half of these tracks are worthy of your attention.

As you’d expect from any UK based independent, rock and punk music is well catered for, by the likes of Kaibosh, Crow, Spider Redundant, and Kallinger Co (with the delightfully named track Punkslutz.com), while Lowstar offer a helping of promising, good quality indie rock fodder that has feedback, jangly guitars, and passionate vocals in all the right places.

What makes this compilation truly interesting though is it’s smattering of random out-there bands. Shuffle’s ‘My Friend’s Girlfriend’ is an insane mash up of samples, scratchy guitars and lo-fi synths played over a jaunty polka (yes, polka) rhythm, and tells the tale of someone, well, pulling his friend’s girl, if that wasn’t obvious from the title. Lines like “she came over for a bite, my my my what a thrilling night” and “she told me it was over and I tried not to smile” are delivered with a faintly absurd air of student humour, but the track manages to maintain it’s sprightly shambolic charm.

Morviscous also present an example of experimentation gone good- their ‘The Weaver Speaks’ is a brain melting fusion of space-rock, funk, scary voice samples and general jazz skronk that brings to mind an instrumental version of the Mystery Jets.

Dead Eye continue this trend of musical hotwiring with their six minute sludge blues freak-out called ‘Die’, which sounds thrillingly like the Coral waking up with a really bad hang over.”

…”The highlight for me is by far a band called The Dirty Pins. Brilliantly, their track is called ‘I Feel So Milton Keynes’, and is a raggedly charming if slightly lairy gutter punk gem that calls to mind lost seventies new-wavers the Only Ones. The lyrics are a genius mix of melancholy (“in eighteen months I’ve smiled only once”) and hilarious sarcasm- that Milton Keynes is used as a metaphor for feeling shit is quite funny, although I can’t really comment as I’ve never been there. To top it all, their album is called ‘Deaf To The Middle Class’- what more could you want?

On this proof Criminal records have got some interesting acts under their wing (and they’re still looking for more, check out their site), and it’d probably only take one breakthrough band to get them the level of attention and acclaim they deserve. Let’s hope it’s the Dirty Pins.”

TrakMARX Review: The Criminal Sessions by Evan Halshaw

“this vibrant compilation showcases the cream of the Capital’s underground purveyors of quality popular music”

“My favourite track on the LP:
The Dirty Pins – “I Feel So Milton Keynes” – Almost the riff from “Another Girl Another Planet” – hastily redecorated with a coat of matt-finish wide-boy vocal paint. The ghost of The Libertines thrash around in the background. Superb. Somebody please let me know what feeling so Milton Keynes actually means – I’m dying to know.”

“A mish of genres, a mash of styles, a ton of commitment & just a wiff of DIY. What more can you ask of an independent concern in 2005? Answers on a demo tape to the following address: www.criminalrecords.cc”

Kiabosh: “Their Led Zeppelin meets The Doors hybrid often ending up nearer QOTSA epic freak outs… KKKK” (Kerrang!)

Shuffle: “Music’s next big things..Shuffle..Watch this space” Music Week

The Mystery Artist: “In The Shadows” – Engaging weirdness from the outer reaches of sanity.

Spider Redundant (Jasmin Qureshi): “Finally young Londoners Spider Redundant will keep up the high energy levels, as well as increasing the noise levels, of tonight’s show with their fusion of visceral grunge vocals and metal grooves. They have recently released a self-titled EP on Criminal Records which will be show cased on the night, which in turn shows heir influences of Nirvana/Tool.”

Norton: “Ladybug” – Effervescent, educated song-craft with one eye on Damien Rice’s throne.

Kent Thompson: “Love’s Eye” – A medium-fi Lenny Kravitz for the ASBO generation.

Lowstar: “Out Of Control” – Convincing Emo-tinged populism complete with raging gtr solo of distinction.

Kaibosh: “Los Ojos” – Soulful old skool classic rock.

The Kut: “Don’t Want You” – Ska-informed blues with just a soupcon of soul.

Shuffle: “My Friend’s Girlfriend” – Shambling, sampldelic celebration of betrayal.

Crow: “Carry Me” – Emotionally pertinent balladry with one eye on balls-out rockism & the other on the charts.

Crayon: – “They” – Art-core flecked miserablism.

Spider Redundant: – “A Place In Your Mind” – Grooved up punk-metal with the emphasis on tuneage.

Morvicious: – “The Weaver Speaks” – Jazz-core? Lounge-metal? Chamber-rock? You decide.

Kaibosh: “The raucous Kaibosh go down equally well on the Lounge Stage – a twisted hulk of de-tuned riffs and fiery dynamics.” (Virtual Festivals.co.uk)

Kallinger Co: Single of the week – Punkslutz EP [Organart] – Spitting old school pissy hissy punk rock energy, vitriolic lines, hey there honey, ironic anger and bite those thousand yard stare and sad looser and holy grails bought in auction sales – bang bang…. A little more of a future than flip-flop career in bugger retail in your best Kurt T-shirt…. Martyr for the kids punk rock with a killing joke bite and Johnny Rotten sarcasm and New Model Army drive. God save the NRA, fear and hate, the perfect state. Hey there honey don’t you think it’s kind of funny how your anger has become such a farce. Merchandise that brand now, household name, big cheese, Ford Cortinas,house hold names……

Rocking with the punkslutz, buy those T-shirts. Hey there honey don’t you think it’s kind of funny how your anger has become such a farce. who thought up Busted? Ain’t it funny how they sell teenage arse – avoid all those senses, save for your pension – and that riff sounds like Castles but that’s being extra obscure and no one remembers Atom Seed now – A pissed off hissed off punching spitting scathing Killing Joke with Pistols energy from the land of hope and glory (or maybe South London), with overdriven drum machines and Carter USM bite – I like this band, the single’s been out for an age but that’s what comes of being on a label with a name like that…. www.kallingerco.com”

Kaibosh: “It’s apparent that these guys are going to be able to stand their own on a stage much larger than that of 93 Feet East. Certainly with tracks like Curse This Day and it’s epic Foo Fighters style chorus you can easily imagine Kaibosh at next year’s Reading. Live they take a much darker and heavier sound – tracks like I Took That From You lie more closely with the dark musings of Soundgarden and QOTSA .” (Londonist.co.uk)

Sonja Van Linden Tol: – “Soul Lullaby” – Subtly funked-up pop soul.

Giantkind: – “Confusion” – Elbow-esque tune-craft with additional sonic interference.

Daniel: – “Yellow Bus Of Hope” – Introspective croonage drenched in acoustic ambience.

Kaibosh: “Performing at their loudest and finest.. heavy, well crafted, angst driven. You will love what you hear!” (Pleasure Unit – Reuben Review) 
The Kut, Guitar Magazine
…singing sultress Maha has a sly Danielle Dax type of voice that suits the eastern minor keys of The Vision a treat, and if she wasn’t bouncing caterwauling cacophony off the wall from her guitar, we daresay there’d be some vampy hand movements, too…you’ve got yourself one bewitching number…
 The Kut, Rawkstar
…soulful sound with some excellent bass riffs and always silky smooth vocals 9/10
The Kut, Pucknation (USA)
…Meshes the best of garage, dub, rock and the erstwhile sensibilities of pop to create an original and ear-grabbing sound
The Kut, Unpeeled
…Slinky, bluesy and frankly stylish 4/5 
The Kut, Live Nation, Jemma Downey (Account Director
“Ladies, well done.. I thought you were absolutely brilliant, what can I say, my notes here say are that you’ve got really structures in your songs.. I think your image is great, the BVs are great… you absolutely smashed it, so well done!”

The Kut, Starsailor, James Walsh

“I thought that was absolutely brilliant! So many great bands in there, a bit of Black Rebel Motor Cycle Club, Queens of the Stone Age, the B52s, the last song reminded me of the Ramones, the legends. Just no complaints from me, I loved the effortlessness of the performance, to say, yeah, we’re cool. Well done!”

The Kut, Absolute Radio, James Curran (Head of Music)
“I can only concur with James on that that’s absolutely fantastic, it was really really really brilliant… You’re gelling so well, the last two songs were great, really fantastic. And I have to say to your drummer, well done, fantastic performance. I see too many bands with drummers who just sit there and drummers should be the driving force of the rhythm of the band and you certainly are, and your standing up and saying I’m here and I thought it was a great performance. Great image, great performance, and I think we’ve seen something special tonight”

The Criminal Sessions Compilation Review, Benjamin Short 
“The elegant noir-pop of The Kut”

The Kut, Work’s Shit (Demo Review) – By Tim Null 
“The Kut’s song, Work’s Shit, may have the best Rock N Roll lyrics, since The Kingsmen song, Louie Louie.”

The Kut – Live Review 
“The Kut… band from the future indeed! Girl power? That’s so passé. Check this…”

The Kut – Live Review 
“The Kut (who had a Linda Perry/Slash combo of a frontwoman, which was f**king impressive)”

The Kut (Demo Review), Puckett 
“The Kut meshes the best of garage, dub, rock and the erstwhile sensibilities of pop to create an original and ear-grabbing sound.

Check this band out. Criminal Records has always had a keen eye for signings, but this band may be the next big thing.

Hell, make sure to check them out now, if only to tell your 14 year old sister two years from now, ‘You remember them when…’ ”

The Kut (Demo Review), Lucky 
“……”The Vision” draws the journalist deep in and causes a change. Sing-Sing like in swirl, this dark and moody piece opens with some electric synth keyboard trickery as the song rushes over you like a hot shot. Ultra cool guitar work is the backbone to some diabolic deep lyrics. Dark wave deluxe. Stark bare bones heighten the rush.

“Brother” sports an in the pocket snare shake throughout, soulful grove bass lines, and a guitar line that is straight out of the Kenny Withrow how to school. Dark demure vocals formulate from the throat of Maha, whom also handles guitar proficencies. The last bars of this offering feature some fabulos frantic distortion plus fuzz riffs. Makes you warm and well, fuzzy.

“Don’t Want You” slinks into your saucy world, spooky start, then trips it up. Up hip tempo with that damn catchy guitar run. Relationship gone bad, attitude gone good… Instruments raw and on their own, blend to create light. Chill to the new boheimia.”

The Kut, Brother (Demo Review), Chris Farrance 
“What makes this sit above the rest is the vocal, which is dark but at the same follows a melody to lull your mind”

The Kut (Demo Review), Shane 
“..Ah.. wasn’t expecting this slinky, blusy and fankly stylish opening from an all girl outfit, but that’s how ‘The Vision’ strolls in before opening up with all manner of guitar blasting goodness.. and it’s the light dabs of synth, the easy assurance of the vox, the slippery precision of the rhythm section that makes this stand out against the usual histrioninc shrieking of so many, too many, of their contemporaries. It’s no fluke either, ‘Brother’ is just as, if not more cool….”

The Kut (Demo Review) by John Siwicki 
“The Kut will really take you by surprise. They are on Criminal Records which, is the best record label name ever and hail from South East London. The Kut bring a lot to the table, they have elements of indie, straight up rock and even a touch of dub. The first track “Brother” will crab you with its soulful bass line and enticing vocals. “Don’t Want You” has a bit of pop flair to it. It is an up-tempo song with a lot of pomp and attitude. The Kut are a very interesting prospect, these demos show a lot of promise in the band and really can’t wait to hear more. 8/10 “

The Exits, Subba-cultcha.com
…An indie disco masterpiece…Driving indie-dance rock with an Oasis sized-snarl and some finely tuned anthemic bluster…The Exits have created an indie-disco masterpiece
The Exits, Get Ready to Rock
…One of the best additions to Indie for a very long time
The Exits, Music Riot
…It wouldn’t surprise me if ‘Neon City’ becomes a bit of an anthem
The Exits, Vanity Project
One of my singles of the year
The Exits, Sam Proffitt, Music Zine
It’s not often that a band creates such an amazing sound experience that you immediately have to put the entire record on repeat
The Exits, Music Zine 
I now know how Howard Carter must have felt when he discovered Tutankhamen’s tomb 
The Exits, Live Review @ The Wedgewood Rooms 
I don’t think there is a weak song in the set, each tune has a bright character of its own and there are plenty of big pop hooks in there to latch on to and swing around your brain until the cows come home and the new tune aired at the end sends the place wild, a sure fire club classic if ever I heard one and it deserves to be pressed up on 12″ vinyl and pumped out at full volume. A well deserved headline gig and a great night, let’s hope they go from strength to strength this year and in the mean time I will try to find something to slag off about them so their heads don’t get too big.

The Exits, EP Review
This demo is excellent quality with four stunning tracks that show the band off perfectly; opener Neon City is an anthem waiting to happen with the big squelchy synth opening a real killer hit, yeah there’s a healthy dose of 80s in there but they have scavenged the best bits and woven them into modern sounding indie rock that will have dance floors heaving like a massive orgy given the chance. What is striking whilst listening to The Exits is that every song is top notch, all have killer pop hooks that grab you instantly while still remaining threatening and edgy. If The Killers, Bloc Party etc are your thing then this is essential as it wipes the floor with them.

The Exits, Live Review @ HI:FI South Festival
The Exits sure did the trick with spacey guitar and a ska beat from the bassist. I’m told the guitarist is lucky to be here, having got his dates wrong he flew in from the States at the last minute arriving in England at 7.30 that morning. Jet lag wasn’t apparent in his noodling and he also delivered some great keyboards too. The lead singer looks familiar and has a lot of front about him and they are much tighter than The Bees were today.

The Exits, The Guide Feature
Championed by top South Coast music promoter Ian Binnington as the local band to watch this year, The Exits play their first headline gig at the Wedgewood Rooms.
The four-piece from Portsmouth play a blend of indie dance rock and take their influences from the likes of Primal Scream, Death In Vegas, Killers and Kasabian.
Band members are Ray Charlton (lead vocals, synth, guitar), Mike Keating (guitar, synth), George Austin (bass) and Tom Poulton (drums).
Ray says: ‘We play rock’n’roll with a dance edge. It’s upbeat, feelgood music. It’s about having a good time.’
Formed in November, 2004, The Exits have been gigging at small but well–known local venues including the Frog On The Front, the Joiners and, of course, the Wedgewood Rooms. But this is the first time they’ve headlined and Ray says they are all ‘really chuffed’ about it.
The Exits have been the support act at numerous gigs, but this month they headline The Joiners in Southampton, as well as the Wedgewood Rooms on Saturday, where they will be supported by Gillkicker and Lex Luther.
The Exits, Live Review
The Exits are fast becoming another of those ‘must see’ Portmouth based bands as word starts to spread about this fine group. Tonight, as openers, they deliver a short but wonderful set of their fine sounds, incorporating elements of the past with big synth lines but fusing it with modern guitars and taught beats to make something very modern and unique.
The Exits, Live Review
The Exits were great last time I caught them and they are even better tonight, a heady mix of heavy indie, beats and 80s synth that wouldn’t sound out of place supporting the likes of Bloc party. Add that Portsmouth attitude and you have quite a potent mixture. The Dynamics have just grown and grown in recent months, surely it can’t be long before they get noticed. They have the image and the huge melodic sound that could easily appeal to a big audience. They make me think of a more direct My Vitriol with 60s influences, massive guitar lines that are floating so high they are entering space. It’s only a matter of time me thinks.
“‘The Criminal Sessions’ is Exhibit A in the trial of Criminal Records, the UK ’s most exciting, visionary and eclectic new record label. From the comedy skiffle of Shuffle, to the elegant noir-pop of The Kut, every track on this compilation is superb. Sonja van Linden Tol is a funksome female Jamiroquai, and Lowstars’ ‘Out of Control’ sounds like Radiohead at their most tense and powerful.

God is in the TV Review: ‘The Criminal Sessions’ 4/5 by Benjamin Short

‘Argonaut put forward a good case for being brilliant….. Sounds like Siouxsie And The Banshees, while their commitment to youth, ideas and passion should be lauded and rewarded’ James Jam, NME

Joyzine Review: ‘The Criminal Sessions’. Review by Ian Viggars
Other bands who deserve to be filed under “you heard it here first” include electro-punkers Crayon, the jazzy Morviscous, and The Mystery Artist. On this evidence, Criminal Records are found guilty of possession of class-A tunes, with intent to supply”
Joyzine Review: ‘The Criminal Sessions’. Review by Ian Viggars

“Criminal Records, according to their website, is the UK’s fastest growing independent record label. They’ve certainly got enough bands to back this claim up as nineteen of them appear on their new compilation the Criminal Sessions, and happily more than half of these tracks are worthy of your attention.

As you’d expect from any UK based independent, rock and punk music is well catered for, by the likes of Kaibosh, Crow, Spider Redundant, and Kallinger Co (with the delightfully named track Punkslutz.com), while Lowstar offer a helping of promising, good quality indie rock fodder that has feedback, jangly guitars, and passionate vocals in all the right places.

What makes this compilation truly interesting though is it’s smattering of random out-there bands. Shuffle’s ‘My Friend’s Girlfriend’ is an insane mash up of samples, scratchy guitars and lo-fi synths played over a jaunty polka (yes, polka) rhythm, and tells the tale of someone, well, pulling his friend’s girl, if that wasn’t obvious from the title. Lines like “she came over for a bite, my my my what a thrilling night” and “she told me it was over and I tried not to smile” are delivered with a faintly absurd air of student humour, but the track manages to maintain it’s sprightly shambolic charm.

Morviscous also present an example of experimentation gone good- their ‘The Weaver Speaks’ is a brain melting fusion of space-rock, funk, scary voice samples and general jazz skronk that brings to mind an instrumental version of the Mystery Jets.

Dead Eye continue this trend of musical hotwiring with their six minute sludge blues freak-out called ‘Die’, which sounds thrillingly like the Coral waking up with a really bad hang over.”

…”The highlight for me is by far a band called The Dirty Pins. Brilliantly, their track is called ‘I Feel So Milton Keynes’, and is a raggedly charming if slightly lairy gutter punk gem that calls to mind lost seventies new-wavers the Only Ones. The lyrics are a genius mix of melancholy (“in eighteen months I’ve smiled only once”) and hilarious sarcasm- that Milton Keynes is used as a metaphor for feeling shit is quite funny, although I can’t really comment as I’ve never been there. To top it all, their album is called ‘Deaf To The Middle Class’- what more could you want?

On this proof Criminal records have got some interesting acts under their wing (and they’re still looking for more, check out their site), and it’d probably only take one breakthrough band to get them the level of attention and acclaim they deserve. Let’s hope it’s the Dirty Pins.”

TrakMARX Review: The Criminal Sessions by Evan Halshaw

“this vibrant compilation showcases the cream of the Capital’s underground purveyors of quality popular music”

“My favourite track on the LP:
The Dirty Pins – “I Feel So Milton Keynes” – Almost the riff from “Another Girl Another Planet” – hastily redecorated with a coat of matt-finish wide-boy vocal paint. The ghost of The Libertines thrash around in the background. Superb. Somebody please let me know what feeling so Milton Keynes actually means – I’m dying to know.”

“A mish of genres, a mash of styles, a ton of commitment & just a wiff of DIY. What more can you ask of an independent concern in 2005? Answers on a demo tape to the following address: www.criminalrecords.cc”

Kiabosh: “Their Led Zeppelin meets The Doors hybrid often ending up nearer QOTSA epic freak outs… KKKK” (Kerrang!)

Shuffle: “Music’s next big things..Shuffle..Watch this space” Music Week

The Mystery Artist: “In The Shadows” – Engaging weirdness from the outer reaches of sanity.

Spider Redundant (Jasmin Qureshi): “Finally young Londoners Spider Redundant will keep up the high energy levels, as well as increasing the noise levels, of tonight’s show with their fusion of visceral grunge vocals and metal grooves. They have recently released a self-titled EP on Criminal Records which will be show cased on the night, which in turn shows heir influences of Nirvana/Tool.”

Norton: “Ladybug” – Effervescent, educated song-craft with one eye on Damien Rice’s throne.

Kent Thompson: “Love’s Eye” – A medium-fi Lenny Kravitz for the ASBO generation.

Lowstar: “Out Of Control” – Convincing Emo-tinged populism complete with raging gtr solo of distinction.

Kaibosh: “Los Ojos” – Soulful old skool classic rock.

The Kut: “Don’t Want You” – Ska-informed blues with just a soupcon of soul.

Shuffle: “My Friend’s Girlfriend” – Shambling, sampldelic celebration of betrayal.

Crow: “Carry Me” – Emotionally pertinent balladry with one eye on balls-out rockism & the other on the charts.

Crayon: – “They” – Art-core flecked miserablism.

Spider Redundant: – “A Place In Your Mind” – Grooved up punk-metal with the emphasis on tuneage.

Morvicious: – “The Weaver Speaks” – Jazz-core? Lounge-metal? Chamber-rock? You decide.

Kaibosh: “The raucous Kaibosh go down equally well on the Lounge Stage – a twisted hulk of de-tuned riffs and fiery dynamics.” (Virtual Festivals.co.uk)

Kallinger Co: Single of the week – Punkslutz EP [Organart] – Spitting old school pissy hissy punk rock energy, vitriolic lines, hey there honey, ironic anger and bite those thousand yard stare and sad looser and holy grails bought in auction sales – bang bang…. A little more of a future than flip-flop career in bugger retail in your best Kurt T-shirt…. Martyr for the kids punk rock with a killing joke bite and Johnny Rotten sarcasm and New Model Army drive. God save the NRA, fear and hate, the perfect state. Hey there honey don’t you think it’s kind of funny how your anger has become such a farce. Merchandise that brand now, household name, big cheese, Ford Cortinas,house hold names……

Rocking with the punkslutz, buy those T-shirts. Hey there honey don’t you think it’s kind of funny how your anger has become such a farce. who thought up Busted? Ain’t it funny how they sell teenage arse – avoid all those senses, save for your pension – and that riff sounds like Castles but that’s being extra obscure and no one remembers Atom Seed now – A pissed off hissed off punching spitting scathing Killing Joke with Pistols energy from the land of hope and glory (or maybe South London), with overdriven drum machines and Carter USM bite – I like this band, the single’s been out for an age but that’s what comes of being on a label with a name like that…. www.kallingerco.com”

Kaibosh: “It’s apparent that these guys are going to be able to stand their own on a stage much larger than that of 93 Feet East. Certainly with tracks like Curse This Day and it’s epic Foo Fighters style chorus you can easily imagine Kaibosh at next year’s Reading. Live they take a much darker and heavier sound – tracks like I Took That From You lie more closely with the dark musings of Soundgarden and QOTSA .” (Londonist.co.uk)

Sonja Van Linden Tol: – “Soul Lullaby” – Subtly funked-up pop soul.

Giantkind: – “Confusion” – Elbow-esque tune-craft with additional sonic interference.

Daniel: – “Yellow Bus Of Hope” – Introspective croonage drenched in acoustic ambience.

Kaibosh: “Performing at their loudest and finest.. heavy, well crafted, angst driven. You will love what you hear!” (Pleasure Unit – Reuben Review)

 

The Kut, Guitar Magazine
…singing sultress Maha has a sly Danielle Dax type of voice that suits the eastern minor keys of The Vision a treat, and if she wasn’t bouncing caterwauling cacophony off the wall from her guitar, we daresay there’d be some vampy hand movements, too…you’ve got yourself one bewitching number…

 

The Kut, Rawkstar
…soulful sound with some excellent bass riffs and always silky smooth vocals 9/10

 

The Kut, Pucknation (USA)
…Meshes the best of garage, dub, rock and the erstwhile sensibilities of pop to create an original and ear-grabbing sound

 

The Kut, Unpeeled
…Slinky, bluesy and frankly stylish 4/5
The Kut, Live Nation, Jemma Downey (Account Director
“Ladies, well done.. I thought you were absolutely brilliant, what can I say, my notes here say are that you’ve got really structures in your songs.. I think your image is great, the BVs are great… you absolutely smashed it, so well done!”

The Kut, Starsailor, James Walsh
“I thought that was absolutely brilliant! So many great bands in there, a bit of Black Rebel Motor Cycle Club, Queens of the Stone Age, the B52s, the last song reminded me of the Ramones, the legends. Just no complaints from me, I loved the effortlessness of the performance, to say, yeah, we’re cool. Well done!”

The Kut, Absolute Radio, James Curran (Head of Music)
“I can only concur with James on that that’s absolutely fantastic, it was really really really brilliant… You’re gelling so well, the last two songs were great, really fantastic. And I have to say to your drummer, well done, fantastic performance. I see too many bands with drummers who just sit there and drummers should be the driving force of the rhythm of the band and you certainly are, and your standing up and saying I’m here and I thought it was a great performance. Great image, great performance, and I think we’ve seen something special tonight”

The Criminal Sessions Compilation Review, Benjamin Short
“The elegant noir-pop of The Kut”

The Kut, Work’s Shit (Demo Review) – By Tim Null
“The Kut’s song, Work’s Shit, may have the best Rock N Roll lyrics, since The Kingsmen song, Louie Louie.”

The Kut – Live Review
“The Kut… band from the future indeed! Girl power? That’s so passé. Check this…”

The Kut – Live Review
“The Kut (who had a Linda Perry/Slash combo of a frontwoman, which was f**king impressive)”

The Kut (Demo Review), Puckett
“The Kut meshes the best of garage, dub, rock and the erstwhile sensibilities of pop to create an original and ear-grabbing sound.

Check this band out. Criminal Records has always had a keen eye for signings, but this band may be the next big thing.

Hell, make sure to check them out now, if only to tell your 14 year old sister two years from now, ‘You remember them when…’ ”

The Kut (Demo Review), Lucky
“……”The Vision” draws the journalist deep in and causes a change. Sing-Sing like in swirl, this dark and moody piece opens with some electric synth keyboard trickery as the song rushes over you like a hot shot. Ultra cool guitar work is the backbone to some diabolic deep lyrics. Dark wave deluxe. Stark bare bones heighten the rush.

“Brother” sports an in the pocket snare shake throughout, soulful grove bass lines, and a guitar line that is straight out of the Kenny Withrow how to school. Dark demure vocals formulate from the throat of Maha, whom also handles guitar proficencies. The last bars of this offering feature some fabulos frantic distortion plus fuzz riffs. Makes you warm and well, fuzzy.

“Don’t Want You” slinks into your saucy world, spooky start, then trips it up. Up hip tempo with that damn catchy guitar run. Relationship gone bad, attitude gone good… Instruments raw and on their own, blend to create light. Chill to the new boheimia.”

The Kut, Brother (Demo Review), Chris Farrance
“What makes this sit above the rest is the vocal, which is dark but at the same follows a melody to lull your mind”

The Kut (Demo Review), Shane
“..Ah.. wasn’t expecting this slinky, blusy and fankly stylish opening from an all girl outfit, but that’s how ‘The Vision’ strolls in before opening up with all manner of guitar blasting goodness.. and it’s the light dabs of synth, the easy assurance of the vox, the slippery precision of the rhythm section that makes this stand out against the usual histrioninc shrieking of so many, too many, of their contemporaries. It’s no fluke either, ‘Brother’ is just as, if not more cool….”

The Kut (Demo Review) by John Siwicki
“The Kut will really take you by surprise. They are on Criminal Records which, is the best record label name ever and hail from South East London. The Kut bring a lot to the table, they have elements of indie, straight up rock and even a touch of dub. The first track “Brother” will crab you with its soulful bass line and enticing vocals. “Don’t Want You” has a bit of pop flair to it. It is an up-tempo song with a lot of pomp and attitude. The Kut are a very interesting prospect, these demos show a lot of promise in the band and really can’t wait to hear more. 8/10 ”

The Exits, Subba-cultcha.com
…An indie disco masterpiece…Driving indie-dance rock with an Oasis sized-snarl and some finely tuned anthemic bluster…The Exits have created an indie-disco masterpiece

 

The Exits, Get Ready to Rock
…One of the best additions to Indie for a very long time

 

The Exits, Music Riot
…It wouldn’t surprise me if ‘Neon City’ becomes a bit of an anthem

 

The Exits, Vanity Project
One of my singles of the year

 

The Exits, Sam Proffitt, Music Zine
It’s not often that a band creates such an amazing sound experience that you immediately have to put the entire record on repeat

 

The Exits, Music Zine
I now know how Howard Carter must have felt when he discovered Tutankhamen’s tomb

 

The Exits, Live Review @ The Wedgewood Rooms
I don’t think there is a weak song in the set, each tune has a bright character of its own and there are plenty of big pop hooks in there to latch on to and swing around your brain until the cows come home and the new tune aired at the end sends the place wild, a sure fire club classic if ever I heard one and it deserves to be pressed up on 12″ vinyl and pumped out at full volume. A well deserved headline gig and a great night, let’s hope they go from strength to strength this year and in the mean time I will try to find something to slag off about them so their heads don’t get too big.

The Exits, EP Review
This demo is excellent quality with four stunning tracks that show the band off perfectly; opener Neon City is an anthem waiting to happen with the big squelchy synth opening a real killer hit, yeah there’s a healthy dose of 80s in there but they have scavenged the best bits and woven them into modern sounding indie rock that will have dance floors heaving like a massive orgy given the chance. What is striking whilst listening to The Exits is that every song is top notch, all have killer pop hooks that grab you instantly while still remaining threatening and edgy. If The Killers, Bloc Party etc are your thing then this is essential as it wipes the floor with them.

The Exits, Live Review @ HI:FI South Festival
The Exits sure did the trick with spacey guitar and a ska beat from the bassist. I’m told the guitarist is lucky to be here, having got his dates wrong he flew in from the States at the last minute arriving in England at 7.30 that morning. Jet lag wasn’t apparent in his noodling and he also delivered some great keyboards too. The lead singer looks familiar and has a lot of front about him and they are much tighter than The Bees were today.

The Exits, The Guide Feature
Championed by top South Coast music promoter Ian Binnington as the local band to watch this year, The Exits play their first headline gig at the Wedgewood Rooms.
The four-piece from Portsmouth play a blend of indie dance rock and take their influences from the likes of Primal Scream, Death In Vegas, Killers and Kasabian.

Ray says: ‘We play rock’n’roll with a dance edge. It’s upbeat, feelgood music. It’s about having a good time.’

Formed in November, 2004, The Exits have been gigging at small but well–known local venues including the Frog On The Front, the Joiners and, of course, the Wedgewood Rooms. But this is the first time they’ve headlined and Ray says they are all ‘really chuffed’ about it.

 

The Exits have been the support act at numerous gigs, but this month they headline The Joiners in Southampton, as well as the Wedgewood Rooms on Saturday, where they will be supported by Gillkicker and Lex Luther.