STEVIE JONES & THE WILDFIRES
Angels and Sirens
Stevie Jones & the Wildfires are a rock group from Northampton. They released their first album in 2016, Stratigraphic Heart, and this is the follow-up. Composed of thirteen songs, most written by Jones, with a couple of covers by other songwriters [George Borowski, and Ian Babington]. The band consists of Stevie Jones (guitar/vocals), Vassilis Damitriadis (guitar), Jake Patrick (drums), and Bob Dabrowski (bass), with guest Autumn Dawn Leader often appearing on piano and vocals. LA guitarist Janet Robin (String Revolution, Lindsay Buckingham Band) and top Leicester harp player Sean Clutterham also provide guest appearances.
The opening title track starts off slow and steady, before speeding up the pace as the song progresses. It’s a song that makes you want to sing/dance along, with a catchy chorus. Along with the lyrics that seem to be about lost love, this song has great fire and passion behind it. It’s slightly reminiscent of Buzzcocks’ ‘Ever Fallen In Love’, with an old-school English rock vibe. The following song ‘Neon Underground’ uses some unusual instruments in the beginning, giving it a Western feel with its use of harmonica. It has some awesome guitar solos. Near the end of the song the instruments drop out which showcases the vocals rawness before the music returns to finish the song.
‘Whitewash’ is very interesting as it uses clips from news and adverts to begin the song. The lyrics talk about what the TV presents to you – Royal babies, celebrities, etc – instead of broadcasting any of the real things happening in the world. The lyrics “They kept us in the dark for too long now” is an obvious reference to what the media shows us. The song ends with police sirens and chaos. This track it a very down to earth, with a clear message.
‘The Garden Path’ meanwhile has a peaceful and tranquil feel and is out of step with the general tone of the album; however it’s a welcome attribute to the album, giving it variety. Again, this song seems to be about love, and love lost. This song still maintains the rawness of rock, but keeps a calmer vibe through the musical accompaniment and backing vocals.
‘I’ll Never Fall In Love Again’ brings back the rocky fast-paced feel to this album. It brings to mind a rock/swing mash up, the lyric content talks about how the writer will never fall in love again, seemingly after a relationship breakdown. It’s a really emotional song if you listen closely to the lyrics, though this could be overlooked with the upbeat tempo and happy-sounding vocals.
This album contains a reoccurring theme of love lost and heart break. It also incorporates a Western and acoustic feel into the rock, which gives the overall album a good mix and something everyone would enjoy. It is really impressive they have used their platform to talk about something like ‘Whitewash’. The album takes a more peaceful and mellow approach in songs like ‘The Garden Path’ and ‘Polly Anna & Me’. Recommended.
Katie Montford
Angels and Sirens is out Friday March 2nd, order here
