For fans of: Bloc Party, The Madness, Stone Roses.
Over the past three years or so The New Infection have ridden a lot of waves: indie, punk, rock and the odd spat of pop here and there. This is what keeps them fresh-sounding, and interesting for fans and newcomers alike. At points I hear the qualities of ’90s and ’00s Brit-rock, and others the energetic tones of early Bloc Party. Whatever you take away from hearing them, it’s evident this is one of London’s finest emerging acts who deserve more of the spotlight.
Christmas is a time for celebration, eating and generally chilling out, so we at House of Savages try and get all the partying and rock ‘n’ rolling out the way in advance of the office parties, lack of money in the bank accounts and general “can’t be arsed”-ness that plagues us all as the 25th approaches. With December’s gig however, we’ve got a fantastic way to see off the year, with four emerging alt-rock acts, including The New Infection, gracing our stage. Their music is happy and upbeat; it merges a whole host of styles and effortlessly puts them together in their 20-25 minute set of smiles and fun. Music — particularly live music — is about enjoyment for those on and off stage, and these guys have it nailed.
‘Ragged Serenade’ reminds me of the likes of Tom Vek through to The Stone Roses all in one track, but then adds a wonderful funk-inspired bassline at points, through to a cataclysm gorgeous grunge riffs. I’m looking forward to hearing ‘Run’ live: it’s the perfect pop-rock anthem and I can envisage some shaking butts from the crowd for sure… that’s what it’s all about, right? ‘Broken Doll’ has elements that take me back to the S.C.I.E.N.C.E. days of Incubus which is a wonderful place to be. What I’m trying to see in all of this, is that modern alt-rock fans will find songs that not only teach them, but that they’ll love.
‘Borken Doll’.
‘Love Me’.