Reviews of "Keys in the Bowl / Stage Shoes"

Two Cherryade releases in as many days (the other being heavily hammered already debut full length from the Lovely Eggs) received over here in the bijou confines of the losing today record shed, blimey it must be Christmas and we’ve slept through the summer we thought. But then it was Christmas when we first stumbled upon the rather wilfully abrasive Norwich based trio Fever Fever whose contagious and caustic ’Hallelujah Carol’ proved one of a number of highlighting delights to be found hogging groove space on Cherryade’s annual festive soiree ‘a very cherry Christmas’ Volume 4. Accompanying this their official debut twin set is a press release replete with a photo portraying said trio with petulant scowls as though momentarily interrupted for the shot from lamping chunks out of each other and each adorning a t-shirt individualised by one letter - R S and E - arse (geddit - bloody hard work this explaining stuff). Its an image that perfectly conjures up what Fever Fever are about - volatile and vicious. Both these cuts ‘keys in the bowl’ and ‘stage shoes’ come shrink wrapped in the kind of up and at you gear shifting gusto that’s so acutely agitant in demeanour and delivery that it makes you wince and cower, the former a frenzied and furious f**k you three chord slab of riot grrl baiting that sounds not unlike fellow East Anglian compatriots Violet Violet albeit oozing and curdled with several side servings of bad assed attitude and lashed amid a crudely caustic armoury of quarrelsome combination pogo popping jabs. ‘stage shoes’ is equally shrilled with a teeth bearing gasket blowing antagonistic relentlessness that had us here reaching with haste for our stash of Rubella Ballet, Expelled and Ejected ear ware from yesteryear though quite frankly we are more than a tad smitten by its criminal ability to flash without due care or regard between being caustic and cutesy. Essential of course but then did you really need to ask?

Mark Barton for Losing Today.

During this recession the kindly folk of Cherryade have almost single handedly kept me supplied with sustenance on account of the regular food parcels they include with their singles. But no sweetie-based bribery is necessary for this release – Fever Fever are just plain ace. From the musical hotbed that is Norwich, this girl-boy-girl three-piece just crackle with energy and ideas. It sounds gloriously chaotic but is somehow underpinned by a weird bastard logic. It’s like a sonic mass pub brawl but where one or two of the combatants are black belts in karate. Amidst the row there’s clever vocal harmonies and insane guitars. Yes yes yes.

Shane Blanchard for Tasty.

This is a wonderful attack of fast-paced shouty girl-rock. I love it. The tracks are heavily reliant on the drums that seem to urge the whole thing along, pushing that pace and forcing you to a place where you fear it might all collapse, but at the same time, I trust Fever Fever wholeheartedly! The guitar sounds perfect, heavy, fuzzy, but clear with drop ins and drop outs in all the right places. The vocals are a concise mix of serious wit - with stand-out lines of extreme hookiness that enable to most closed-minded of us to have something to sing along to. 'Keys in the Bowl' is the stand-out track for me, just because I like relentlessness. It's originality in my life of mediocrity. More please!

Gravy Zine.