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Gloriously shambolic and making a racket that sounds like it was recorded on a cheap tape recorder and played back in an aircraft carrier hanger, Wonderful Allstars are flying the flag for ragged lo-fi glory - and in a time of way too many overproduced indie wannabes, they sound utterly magnificent.
The opening statement of GO begins in a wash of cheap casio and sampled announcements and ends in a fit of angular guitar riffs that border on the verge of collapse, that the middle is so utterly chaotic and brash is only the icing on the cake. The equally messy ERA, is the sound of Franz Ferdinand stripped of any sense of chart topping ambition and replaced by a yearning for schizophrenic song structures and sonic adventure - a song that takes the most basic of drum beats and piles enough guitar abuse and yelping on top to guarantee bleeding eardrums and smiling faces all round. Neu-like rhythmic drum patterns and sci-fi sound effects abound all over TORPEDO LOUNGE, a short sharp burst of energy that plays out like Urusei Yatsura discovering Can on a drunken night out.
STRENGTH OF THE BEAR, finds Wonderful Allstars discovering melody and harmony - a pop song trapped in a sea of sonic sludge, gentle guitar lines and melodic basslines creating moments of light amongst the darker noise and insistent vocals that scream right in your face at the top of their lungs.
Continuing in the skewed pop tradition, ROTATING FOREVER is another shining beacon of bright neon light here - a glorious collision between Urusei Yatsura, My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus And Mary Chain, this presents Wonderful Allstars as a band to hail as new kings of skewed lo-fi pop, warts and all.
Moulding big molten guitar riffs to a Pere Ubu styled slice of new wave, GODSPEED another standout moment features their triple vocal attack and vicious drum beats to tremendous effect - knocking you off your feet, stopping to pick you up and then doing it again just for the hell of it. The spirit of early Beck manifests itself on the crazed aural mash up of CODE 70, a country flecked song buried in enough sonic experimentation and fuzzy noise to put a smile on even the most jaded hardcore noizenik, whilst HEYMAKER gives The Meat Puppets a run for their money in the psychedelic punk rock stakes.
TRY/PURPOSE is a record that reminds you of the power of messy, chaotic, noisy rock - the kind of music that inspires you to go out and form a band, that four people and a bunch of cheap equipment is all you need to change things for the better. Wonderful Allstars bring back a sense of joy and wonder to the indie rock scene, creating songs that excite and inspire - a reminder that music can be experimental and noisy, frightening and inventive, yet inviting, warm and fun.
As the glorious sounds of BACKLINE reaches its shimmering climax and CHALET 10 rings out into the air to close the show exactly where they started - it's time to hail the new kings of skewed lo-fi pop, Wonderful Allstars are here and long may they reign.

Wonderful Allstars are a three piece alternative rock band hailing from the same Norfolk town as The Darkness.
Wonderful Allstars twist the usual guitar, bass, drums, vocal line-up into a new and exciting creation via a triple vocal attack and elements of electronica.
Wonderful Allstars formed in 2003 and self-released their debut EP, Strength Of The Bear in 2004 to a rapturous response.
Wonderful Allstars have played live shows all over the UK from Norwich to Brighton and Colchester to Northampton. Wonderful Allstars are a fixture on the London gig circuit, playing at all the usual haunts (Bull and Gate, Hope and Anchor etc.) and are fresh from
headlining for The Mean Fiddler at The Garage. Wonderful Allstars release their brand new single ROTATING FOREVER on Monday August 29th through Positive Impact Records.
Wonderful Allstars are set to release their debut album TRY/PURPOSE (from which Rotating Forever is taken) through Positive Impact Records on Monday September 19th, with national retail distribution through Pro-Sonic/Plastic Head.
The release will be backed up by a full media campaign handled by I Spy PR and a national tour.

   :: Line Up :: Discography :: Merchandise :: Further Listening :: Web Links ::

ROTATING FOREVER (2005>Positive Impact Records)
Rotating Forever

TRY/PURPOSE (2005>Positive Impact Records)
Go
Era
Torpedo Lounge
Strength Of The Bear
Godspeed
Rotating Forever
Airgate
Code 70
Heymaker
Helix
Operation For Summer
Backline
Chalet 10

Email>

LINKS
Wonderful Allstars>
Positive Impact Records>

Urusei Yatsura>Slain By Urusei Yatsura (1998>Che)
The Jesus And Mary Chain>Psychocandy (1985>Blanco Y Negro)
My Bloody Valentine>Loveless (1991>Creation)

Single review

"Wonderful Allstars may hide their melodies under walls of noise and scream their choruses through voice changing microphones, but make no mistake ROTATING FOREVER is about as big and rousing a pop song as you can get."

Review date: September 2005