The Breadchasers - Time to stop (Offcut Records)

This debut album from Nottingham based The Breadchasers is only the second to be released on Offcut records which is owned and run by Jimmy The Squirrel front-man and artist in his own right Liam O’Kane. As you would expect from hearing JTS or Liam’s work the record has a strong reggae and ska influences.

From the off it’s apparent that this record is going to be good, the intro has a laid back tropical feel to it and moves into the first full track seamlessly. Vocally it’s always nice to hear a local accent coming through rather than a singer trying to sound like they’re from somewhere else. The vocals are multi layered and at times the passion comes through in a rough sound which would be at home on any punk record. 

As the album progresses the style is consistent without becoming boring, there is a definite combination of old and new styles of ska music. Vocally there is a vintage edge to the style which bears comparison with Terry Hall, Squeeze or Suggs without sounding like an imitation. Musically there is an incredible mixture of first, second and third wave ska with a very British feel mixed together with the obvious reggae elements. There are definitely small influences form the skacore of the early noughties with Capdown and Shooting Goon as obvious examples these are combined with a stylish mix of Skatalites and Slackers. The main comparison I personally found immediately on listening to the album was with many of the acts on Asian Man Records in the USA.

There are definite elements of Let’s Go Bowling, The Chinkees and Skanking Pickle in amongst the vast influences on the Breadchasers’ strylee. For me the three above bands are responsible for taking ska into another level where it wasn’t all about brass lines and upstroke and it’s nice to hear this come through in music with brass and upstroke to continue the progression.

There is a lot of depth to the record and it is musically incredibly complex, the brass-lines help to back up the points made both musically and vocally. At times the brass is used to create further rhythms allowing the musical depth to really shine through. At times the combination of brass, deep bass and organs create a tropical dub feel to tracks which adds balance to the whole album.

This is a record, which will be sure to warm your bones on cold winter nights. Considering it’s the first record from The Bread Chasers it’s pretty obvious there will be big things to come from this band in the not so distant future. 

Random Hand, Detached and Liam O’Kane Photo Special

Random Hand, Detached and Liam O’Kane @ The Flapper Birmingham Monday 18th October 2010

It was Birmingham’s turn to host Random Hand and enjoy their first taste of Thirsty & Miserable’s unique style of promotion. Considering it was a cold Monday night in the middle of October the turn out was very impressive and the room was filled with the right kind of people who watched every act intently and showed appreciation with some deafening cheers.

As Liam O’Kane took the stage to begin the night he began to play to an empty room but before the first song was over he had attracted the audience away from the smoking area and the bar. Liam’s solo performance was balanced equally between songs from both Jimmy The Squirrel (the band he sings for) records and his two solo full lengths. The stylish and individual way acoustic music is approached makes for a perfect warm up act and gently prepared the audience for the next two acts. It is impossible to discuss Liam O’Kane without mentioning how good his voice is live, his level of passion and vocal range are outstanding.


After the gentle warm the audience were ready for something louder and Detached certainly took this feeling and ran with it. The intense brand of skacore delivered by these Welsh youngsters is equal in passion and musical skill with the perfect balance between intense guitars and complex brass lines. Although Detached are a young band, with only one EP release to their name so far, the potential the band have is limitless, snappy song writing and the aforementioned musical skill combine to create a fantastic live performance.

After such great performances from the support acts the audience were more than ready for Random Hand to take the stage. As they tore through their hour long set there was no opportunity to notice time pass as the perplexed audience watched every song grow in intensity. Before long the passion and energy coming from the stage transferred into the audience who danced for at least two thirds of the set and encouraged more and more people to get involved.

As you would expect from a band of Random Hand’s quality and reputation their live set was tight and accomplished. Words cannot do justice to the passion and intensity all four put into a live show, it is a sight that has to be seen to be fully understood. The balanced set included tracks from ‘Seething Is Believing’ which is soon to be released, and with tracks from the two previous releases including the ever popular ‘Anger Management’ and ‘Scum Triumphant’. The connection between band and audience created a perfect atmosphere.

My only regret throughout the show was that every act didn’t play for longer as they were all so good. These are another three bands you need in your life; go and watch them play live for the full experience but if not buy a record or get on Myspace/Spotify/Last Fm.