Ryde, a seaside town located on the Isle of Wight is home to former BBC sports presenter turned controversial conspiracy theorist David Icke – it also happens to be where the young trio by the name of Grade 2 originate from. Formed in 2013 at the tender age of 14, the band is comprised of childhood friends Sid Ryan (vocals/bass), Jacob Hull (drums), and Jack Chatfield (guitar/vocals) who united over their love of classic Punk Rock, Ska and O!
One of the more leftfield collaborations of 2022 so far, see’s French electro maestro Perturbator (aka James Kent) purveyor of heavily eighties-influenced dark-wave join forces with Johannes Persson, vocalist/guitarist and principle songwriter for Swedish post-metal innovators Cult Of Luna. The collaboration first bared fruit early in 2020 as Holland’s Roadburn Festival, the legendary celebration of heavy and experimental music offered Perturbator and Johannes the opportunity to collaborate with a specially commissioned live performance.
Self-titled albums can be something of a double-edged sword (just ask Suicide Silence…) particularly when you’re jumping in twenty-five years into a career and following a significant line-up change, Zoltán Téglás having departed in 2020 after over a quarter of a century behind the mic stand. Understandably, there is always caution and concern about such an integral part of a band’s sound changing, let alone that happening this deep into their innings. Here, though, Californian punks Ignite benefit from never having been the most prolific of outfits – Ignite (Century Media) being only their sixth album overall despite the band debuting in 1994 – and the fact that their last outing, A War Against You, was not their strongest. More melodic than his predecessor, though not to the detriment of any gusto, Eli Santana (actor, guitarist for Holy Grail, Incite, ex-Huntress) is the voice of their return to competitive action some six years on, and fits in seamlessly.