Diablofurs – Neon Satellites – review

Birdland

In 1989 a band of four young guys, each with a shock of peroxide blonde hair caught my attention and my imagination with their sneering attitude and rage filled punk rock tunes. The excitement and energy displayed by the bands tunes and their live performances was incandescent. Electrically charged songs like Hollow Heart, Rage & White were bursting with vitality and, while the band imploded after only one album, their light radiated brightly and fiercely for that short period.

Diablofurs – Neon Satellites

Fast forward 31 years and another band have caught my imagination with the vivacious punky pop on their debut album Neon Satellites. Diablofurs sees the return of Birdland lead vocalist Rob Vincent, this time the shocking peroxide hair is gone, and Rob (guitar & vocals) is backed by a new gang in town – Suze (vocals). Kay (Keys & Synth), Becks (Drums) and Danii (Bass & Backing Vocals). While the venomous youthful anger seen in songs like Rage has gone, there is a vigorous vitality and refreshing dynamism to the tracks on this impressive album.

From the wailing sirens warning of the arrival of Chase the Beat, the combination of chiming glam punk guitars, staccato drums, gritty bass and soaring synth lines is an addictively pleasurable combination. This soaring synth takes front and centre stage in the earlier single, Hearts in Motion, the keys and synth and other little idiosyncrasies on the album adding glitz and shine and a different layer to the mix, taking the songs in different directions and allowing the bands tunes to rise above the formulaic mediocrity of many bands looking to fit into labelled boxes.

Simmering electro-glam-punk

The title track, Neon Satellites, is a memorable shimmering electro-glam-punk brute radiating a brilliant luminescence throughout, with a couple of little nods to the Velvet Underground thrown in. For some reason I have images of iconic frontman of Hanoi Rocks, Michael Monroe in my head when I’m listening.

The album is packed full of addictive earworms that will have you stomping your feet as you listen or humming the tunes for the rest of the day long after the needle has lifted at the end of the record. Another early single, the fantastic banging repetitive beats of Pressure Don’t Stop will have you itching to pogo round the living room. World in 2.60 is a foot to the floor thrill ride. The sharp pop sensibilities, with a quirkiness that reminds me of the wonderful band Tiger, Mr Hedberg will have you singing the infectious chorus within seconds. Elsewhere Perfect Ghost is an atmospheric slow burner climaxing in a poptastic ball of bouncing “do-do-do’s” before fading out gently while Rival Grrls is a gloriously irresistible and powerful anthem.

Penultimate track, Everybody’s Dreamin’ is possibly the closest song on the album to Rob’s Birdland days and keeps the optimistic energy of the album going into the final track/s.

Magnificent Crescendo

Obsession/Meteors is an epic two-parter. Kicking off as an incendiary highspeed romp, instruments crashing and combining into a melodious mêlée before all instruments come together rising to a magnificent crescendo introducing Meteors, a song filled with hope and positivity. Ride the Meteors, Fall in Love. Yeah, why not!

This year might go down in history as the worst ever and most barren in terms of gig going, but one thing is for sure, I haven’t been left wanting in terms of quality album releases. Come December I can already tell my top ten albums of the year list is going to be a challenging decision. And what is more, I can dream about the amazing run of gigs that will be announced as these bands can finally get out on the road and promote their albums…

If you haven’t heard Diablofurs go and check out a couple of tracks, then order Neon Satellites. You know you want to.