Drive Like You Stole It

*Drive Like You Stole It *first signalled their moniker’s determined intent to me on a boat of all places, plying a hard line in non-compromising rock almost a year ago. Then they were a young band full of potential and desire. Now, with a début album fast approaching and several tours under their belts, it sounds like they are coming of age. Using clever structures, gliding high then ebbing forever at the edges - this is where post-hardcore labels are used so frequently. They wear their inspirations on their sleeves (or t-shirts) and carefully blend the righteous dynamics of Cave In with the insidious harmonies so purveyed by those magical Foo Fighters, except it’s sung by a girl! A GIRL! Despite regularly invoking visions of a snarling, soaring PJH occasionally interspersed with vital, restrained Courtney ‘moments’, vocalist *Mel Young *here breaks away from the well-blazed trail other lady rock stars have slipped into, exuding an undeniable feminine glow whilst not relying on an overt sexuality as the band’s main trick. *DLYSI *have already been growing from strength to strength and one can only imagine where it will end.

Spawned from the same scene as Oceansize, *Amplifier *have taken a bit more time over their rise to perfection. While Oceansize inked their contract with years of touring already executed, Amplifier were a younger band – still developing and nurturing a less alienating stoner grunge sound that had the capacity to be a sensation amongst crowds if they practised sufficiently. And practise they did. While still having their Pearl Jam episodes there is a considerable upsurge in beef in their performance. What used to be beautifully soaring psychedelic disarray now imitates a precise, begrudging beast of a set; music bordering on the metal but still safe enough for mass consumption. As with InMe, their labelmates, *Amplifier *have honed their talents into a splendorous, heaving mass of sludge rock that will sell records that will get venues packed out and that will make them stars.