DESPERATE JOUNALIST
"Powerful, melodic and full of emotion" Artrocker
"Thoroughly ace" The Quietus
"Shimmering postpunk" Time Out
Taking their name in homage to the famed John Peel session in which The Cure berated ex NME journalist Paul Morley for a less than favourable review, Desperate Journalist have spent the past year building a reputation for crafting gorgeous melodies that marry the dreamy haziness of indie rock with the new romanticism of 80's UK goth.
Having won over the likes of BBC 6Music's Steve Lamacq and Fierce Panda founder Simon Williams with their hotly-received debut EP 'Christina', the four piece return this May with the release of their brand new single 'Happening' and a bonus b-side track 'Vengeance'.
While lead track 'Happening' showcases the same glittery guitar notes and pulsating rhythm section that would sound right on Ally Sheedy from The Breakfast Club's headphones, 'Vengeance' highlights lead singer Jo Bevan's voice with a hypnotic bass line that owes as much to early Fleetwood Mac as it does to Siouxsie & The Banshees.
TERMINAL GODS
"A pounding ferocity that makes me want to talk in clipped sentences. Hook-iness nestled in a gnarled shelter of blazing guitars. Almost poignant in its refusal of poignancy. Black leather hiding a tender heart"
- Fingertips Music
"I've been preaching the Gods' doomed gospel for some time: best start heeding the testimony, people" - I Die: You Die
On stage, Terminal Gods form an imposing line. Like desperate outlaws facing down an angry mob. Backed by a rack of drum-machine hardware and armed with an arsenal of frantically overdriven pop songs, the band stand in a smoke shrouded musical no man's land. Finding themselves halfway between the uncompromising, raucous hard rock of the 70s, and the cold, new wave beats of 80s, Terminal Gods are the genuine desperadoes of London's emerging underbelly of dark dive bar rock bands.
Since forming in 2011 the band have sold out an EP and two 7" singles to an ever growing fanbase desperate for more and they're riding high after the release of their ecstatically received 12" EP, Machine Beat Messiah. Absolution claimed it to be "the best release of the year". This is a band passionate about vinyl and the quality of their physical releases with an unrelenting need to write, record and hone their sound that's rivalled only by their impressive gig record.
In their short time together they've toured their machine beat, chorus heavy anthems through mainland Europe three times including Norway, Germany, Italy and Spain and have kept a considerable following in London selling out the upstairs Garage and The Camden Barfly respectively on the back of their new release.
On top of this they run live music and club nights in and around North London under Heavy Leather Promotions (the label they run out of their livingroom) and A New Dusk, which started out as a blog and has since escalated into Londons leading minimal and cold wave club night. They've even featured in a comic book by Illustrating duo Shart Attack, available in comic shops across the country.
"Bludgeoning, drum-machine driven, rock 'n' roll" ' Soundsphere
"Frantic, kick-ass, rocking" - Loud Horizon
Frontman Robert Cowlin's songwriting craftsmanship deals in the dark imagery and storytelling he acquired growing up fascinated in Cult film and literature. With a mixed melting pot of melody, texture and influence, The Gods are classic songwriting personified, with exquisite arrangement and glorious production which harks back to a golden era in British songwriting.
They cite influences from Nick Cave to The Stooges, from The Cult to 'Automatic' era Jesus & Mary Chain, but Terminal Gods are their own runaway freight train of dark, new heavy sounds with pop sensibility and 2014 sees further European tour plans, an LP to follow and much more.
