"do you wish for more of this..."
The sheer amount of hammered energy embedded into "Church of England" by Bristol (UK) Sapphire Blues is enough to fuel you for hours. It is better than copious amounts of coffee or a handful of Redbulls. As the bass and drums pummel away, the down struck guitar chords, that sound like multiples, (I fondly thought of an octave multiplexer or some piece of sound shifting gear) are incredibly cool and heavy as is Sam Lance Jones' strident vocal aesthetic that still reminds me, around the edges, of Paul Weller. Along with Harry Beaver on bass and Chris Thompson on drums, Jones (guitar, vox) pushes a lot of emotional flavors within his vocal melodies, intertwining tenderness within the rebellious nature. The feeling is blue collar alternative post punk while stirring in enough minor 7th chords (and the like) to create lovely ascensions. A crushing sideways shifting of punk, garage rock, mod and jazz filtered doo wop punk. Whether light or dark, the boys manage to inject a sense romance into the turmoil.
Press notes reveal that "Church of England" is a reference to the local boozer and was recorded at the iconic Rockfield Studios (What's The Story (Morning Glory?). 'It captures the feeling of wanting more but not knowing what. It is a foray into broken relationships merely kept alive by surface level romance - providing temporary solace but also proving a catalyst to discovering deeper personal frustrations.'
Jones expands on the the track: "Church of England was written towards the end of lockdown when the re-opening of the public house was in sight, inspired by those washed-out days we endured, with Nietzsche's ‘God is Dead’ statement - the realization that no great metaphysical force governed human life and created a set meaning - reverberating round our warehouse rehearsal room."
The musical breakdowns are exquisitely punchy and feels like three distinct sonic puzzles that are pounded into place until they all fit together. The fusion here feels progressive and feral at the same time. The sound is immediate and thankfully not over produced in any way.
-Robb Donker Curtius
https://www.facebook.com/sapphirebluesuk/
https://www.instagram.com/sapphirebluesuk/
https://soundcloud.com/user-248050174/church-of-england/s-M9XBpcKUU7f
https://sapphirebluesuk.bandcamp.com/
https://open.spotify.com/track/1FWQmEIvPlWHiXZiEtGZNx
Sapphire Blues portray inner tension like no other. A constant tug of war plays out between nihilistic turmoil and romance in their songcraft, led by the fraught, melodic vocals of frontman Sam Lance Jones.
Anchoring the Bristol trio's affinity for fierce guitars and surging bass is a fragile, porous honesty - rooted in punk, grunge and poetry - which cements their reputation as one of England's rising guitar bands.
Sapphire Blues are Sam Lance Jones (vocals, guitar), Harry Beaver (bass) and Chris Thompson (drums).
not a blues band
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