The Setlist & The Script

Before we get going I want to thank Cork band First Class and Coach for two things. Firstly for producing a rather excellent, darkly atmospheric alt-rock album in Neon Hip. Secondly for giving me the opportunity to highlight the work of one of my current favourite record labels – FIFA Records.

First Class and Coach formed in 2017 and are Reuben Maher (guitars, keys, vocals), Geraldine Thomas (vocals), Jonathon Parsons (bass) and Andrew McNeilage (Drums). Neon Hip is the bands second album, following on from The Truth About Honey. In the words of the band Neon Hip ‘reaches into some dark corners’ and examines ‘heartbreak, rage, loss, grief – and yet hope’. Vocalist Geraldine Thomas elaborates ‘Neon is a lyrical journey but mostly a testament to loss and grief’. Those themes are expressed sonically by the bands use of distorted, gnarly guitar hooks, unflinching vocals, robust drums – all presented with aggression and attitude. The occasional glimpses of light and hope offered by the band shine through in their use of some funky dance rhythms and tantalising ambient keyboards.

The album starts with Sure, a song which has an almost ecclesiastical opening featuring choral keyboards, before it quickly veers off into Magazine early-post punk guitar territory. 100 Miles has no church going pretentions and is straight off in your face. My Oh My has a tense, anxious feel created by a pulsating bassline that permeates the song. This anxiety never dissipates and only increases when the bassline is mirrored by the lead guitar. If you like contemporary sonic comparisons then think The Mysterines.

Rock Musician starts off with what sounds like a hundred Harley Davidsons roaring off into the distance, followed by antiseptic, spoken Kraftwerkesque vocals, distorted chainsaw guitar riffs and thunderous crashing cymbals. Side one finishes where we started, back in church, but this time we are not invited to praise, but to mourn with the solemn, funereal No Tomorrow.

Side two begins with Yr Life. It’s simultaneously distorted and abrasive, while having a rather funky Black Grape vibe. This dichotomy makes perfect sense when writer Reuben Maher explains ‘I wrote the lyrics for Yr Life as I saw myself growing older with fewer friends and was both sad and OK with it’. Delete, as the title suggests is a stark, nihilistic track. No One To Ask starts off in a similar vein, the isolation of the song’s theme emphasised by Thomas’s lone vocals being accompanied by a solitary guitar. The album concludes with the title track Neon Hip.

Neon Hip was recorded at Black Box Studios in France and was co-produced with Tony Maimone (Pere Ubu). The album is released through Cork’s own FIFA Records who as well as rounding-up the best musical talent in south-west Ireland, also have the best name. FIFA, I am lead to believe stands for – Forever In Financial Arrears. God only knows how they haven’t yet received a ‘cease and desist’ letter from Sepp Blatter’s old mates over in Switzerland.

An interesting fact about the album’s artwork (which you can see at the top of the review) is that it was created entirely by an online AI engine. Written commands and descriptive words were put in and what you see is the outcome.

Neon Hip is out on April 7th and is released on vinyl, CD and Digital download.

Ian Dunphy.