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<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe small consolation fans of The Wildhearts can take from their favourite band being such a volatile unit, is I suppose, the amount of fantastic music the resulting side projects have produced every time a member leaves or, as is the case right now, the band goes on an extended hiatus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Honeycrack, The Yo-Yo\u2019s, The Jellys, Jackdaw4, Mutation, Silver Ginger 5, Sorry & The Sinatras, the list of quality just goes on and on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is one band however, that rose from the ashes the first time The Wildhearts crashed and burned that completely passed me by at the time, and that band is Grand Theft Audio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not exactly sure why this was, as formed around the creative nucleus of Wildhearts drummer Ritch Battersby, producer Ralph Jezzard and Realtv and Vive Finito frontman Jay Butler, the band quickly signed to London Records for their debut album \u2018Blame Everyone\u2019 and then found themselves pretty much everywhere, touring the world whilst also featuring on various movie and video game soundtracks. Then, almost as quickly as they burst onto the scene they were gone, as their label dissolved and the band fell apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its two decades on from that implosion with Ritch and Jay now back in the ring with their second album \u2018Pass Me The Conch\u2019 that I first get to hear them, and praise the Gods (of Rock) that I\u2019ve finally discovered them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Effortlessly merging elements of electronica with balls out arena rock Grand Theft Audio sound like a whirlwind of positivity in a world that once again seems to love wallowing in the negative. Inspiring tracks like the gothic \u2018Ruin Your Youth\u2019, the anthemic \u2019Bad Instinct\u2019, and the monstrous \u2018Bury The Day\u2019 take the bottom end thrust of The Wildhearts and give it a 21st<\/sup> Century twist, full to bursting point with melody and catchier than Covid-19 in a world that is now seemingly devoid of any conscience for its continued spread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Elsewhere, there\u2019s the pop-tastic rock\/rap lead single \u2018The Gods of Rock\u2019 that has me thinking of Manson at his finest (that\u2019s Marilyn not Charlie) and album opener \u2018Scrub Up\u2019 could very easily have been a long-lost GUN track written at the height of their 90s MTV fame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s the darker and more reflective electronic tracks like \u2018Trevor\u2019 and \u2018The Load\u2019 that are the flipside of the Grand Theft Audio dynamic, and for me, this is where they stand apart from being just another rock band. It\u2019s exhilarating and genre smashing stuff! <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Pass Me The Conch\u2019 is Grand Theft Audio\u2019s statement of intent, its them taking control of their musical destiny and throughout the record\u2019s ten tracks it sounds like they are loving every second of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Released on the 2nd<\/sup> of September with a twelve date tour starting a week later to help promote the release of the record, Grand Theft Audio will be sharing stages across the UK with CJ Wildheart and Scott Sorry and some might even be so bold as to say that a world without The Wildhearts is actually a musically much richer place to live in. \u2018Pass Me The Conch\u2019 is a leader not a follower- check it out!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Website <\/a>\/ Instagram<\/a> \/ Bandcamp<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n