Labels: Farm Girl
Review by: Kunal Nandi
Listening to Southampton’s Hunting Lodge is like being yelled at by an alcoholic in an indie disco, which is something I’m sure we can all relate to. Somewhere between The Fall and falling over, this is wilfully deranged noise-mongery of utterly thrilling proportions. Driving rhythms courtesy of the drummer mean you can still bogle even when what the rest of them are doing is completely tuneless. Instead of becoming tiresome, the lack of any tangible melodic niceties is thoroughly adrenalising, especially over the too-short course of a 45 rpm 7″.
On the flip, Liverpool’s Mugstar, who have done a Peel (R.I.P.) Session in the past, initially present a much less wilfully abrasive proposition, before finally showing their true colours by letting rip with an ungodly howl backed up by buzzing, scuzzing guitars. More riff-based than the Lodge, their brand of hectic indie-punk is endearing and immense fun. We’re back at that club, being hectored in the coat queue. I bloody loves it.