The Hicks
We were recently contacted by Dave Kaaria about Wigan based The Hicks who have recently released their album Start A War. The band offer a unique blend of Rock and Reggae and reflect the man they’re named after in their honesty and integrity. Stating that the band aspires to write sincere music that defies easy categorisation and filling all of their tracks with sheer energy, these guys seem to be on the route to somewhere special. As such, I figured it was only right to check out what was on offer from these guys. (Please note – the order of the review doesn’t necessarily represent the order of the album, it’s merely the order in which the tracks were opened here!).
Opening with Trippin Hippy you’re immediately thrown into a mix of heavy riffs, rolling drums and gravelly powerful vocals. The track itself is catchy and full of hooks which will grab your attention to pull you in and not let you go. What’s really striking initially is how this is a new sound to me, it’s near on impossible to pigeon hole this band into a category or give them a simple label, the music is more advanced than simplistic rock, not heavy enough to be classed as metal, too funky to be punk, it’s just a unique blend of a group of guys who can all play their instruments and create a sound which will hook you in. Great Escape follows on from this theory, the music opening full of rolling drums and wah laden guitars. Kicking into the track it’s almost laid back showing the reggae influences of the band, this time keeping the guitars relatively clean but still exuding all of the power which you would expect from these guys. The bass is kept high in the mix here which really makes this is a track which you just want to play!
Smithy Blues seems to also follow this recipe, opening with a funky guitar line before kicking into an equally funky riff over some powerful drums, this time things are heavy once again but still, the sense of melody remains and keep s this as something which you’ll engage with. The vocals are more frantically paced this time around, almost being spat out over the music but still making sure you can hear every single word which they’ve got to say. I guess you could say that the vocals sound akin to Black Stone Cherry in some ways, whilst the backing music has qualities of Southern Rock as well as downright solid rock, the mix created is something which is not only unique, but alluring as you want to hear more! Start A War once again harks back to the reggae edges of the band, adding in an acoustic guitar line which powers the track onwards over a simple yet effective drum beat. The bass heavy rhythms are once again hammered home through the gravelly vocals, once again making this is a track which is damned difficult to put in a pigeon hole! Comparison wise, there’s elements of the likes of Sublime here musically, but the vocal styling stops that soon enough, and once again you’re left wondering how to class this – my suggestion – file it under awesome.
D.U.B is up next, a track full of bassy subsections and effect laden guitars to create a sound which once again has elements of reggae flowing through it, but again has that unique vocal edge over things. Funky throughout, this is a track which is going to get you out of your seat and make you move, it’s got all of the right elements of reggae whilst still making sure there’s more to it than a simple tag through the other elements which are thrown at you, honestly, this is tricky stuff right here! Detrimental Instrumental on the flip side is another track which harks back to the bands rockier influences, hammering guitar lines laden with funky hooks and a pounding drum beat all get thrown at you and you can’t help but want to move along with the band. This is the sort of track I can well imagine being played almost as an interlude on a live show, it’s free of vocals but they’re not needed as the incredible lead line does all the work on that front, what you’re left with is a track which you’ll marvel at and want to hear more of. Compared to the more reggae tracks this one is also a bit of a shock, the heaviness contrasts the laid back approach and almost shocks you into listening even harder!
Green Dragon continues the theme of funk laden heaviness, opening with a funky riff akin to a mix of Southern Rock and Classic Rock, once again creating a sound which is unique but easy to listen to! The vocals once again really lift this track to a new level, creating something which you can’t help but shift to, this isn’t moshing music but instead music to dance to! The chorus on this track is catchy and WILL get crowds chanting along with them – this is one which I have to see on the live scene! Inevitable Advice is a track of much the same form, heavy pounding drums backing up a funky guitar line whilst the vocals and bass bolster everything up further. What I really liked on this track is how the band seem to have incorporated their reggae roots into a rock track, this matches the softer tracks in beat and set up but holds much more of a punch to make sure you’re there and taking note! Curious Case of… is another track like this, there’s a really funky edge to things which elevates it from the simple tags which all too often can be applied to bands. This track is far more frantic than some of the others and the monotonous riff which it is initially based around caused me to phase out at times, but as a whole this is another track which is going to get live crowds tearing venues apart.
The final track I heard was Face First and Broken, a track which to me exemplifies the bands style of music all in one song. The guitar line is funky and the drums add in that reggae feeling whilst the vocals spit out their words for you to hear. The mix on this track makes this a cracker to finish the selection, and is the track which I would personally pick as my favourite from the band. Funky, energetic and hard hitting once again, the whole album has been more than just a selection of tracks, it’s been an experience!
I still don’t really know where to put The Hicks, their music isn’t a type which you can fit under a genre! There’s a lot of elements here which all work together to create what can only be described as a bit of a Frankenstein of different genres, all in one mixing bowl. At times I found myself questioning what was going on, but everytime I always found myself ignoring myself and just enjoying what I was hearing – personally I think this is music to put on, sit back and listen to, don’t try to make sense of it! Personally though, I think that this is also music for the live front, the CD doesn’t seem to do the sound 100% justice – another one to add to my list of bands to see!
To find out more about The Hicks, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Opening with Trippin Hippy you’re immediately thrown into a mix of heavy riffs, rolling drums and gravelly powerful vocals. The track itself is catchy and full of hooks which will grab your attention to pull you in and not let you go. What’s really striking initially is how this is a new sound to me, it’s near on impossible to pigeon hole this band into a category or give them a simple label, the music is more advanced than simplistic rock, not heavy enough to be classed as metal, too funky to be punk, it’s just a unique blend of a group of guys who can all play their instruments and create a sound which will hook you in. Great Escape follows on from this theory, the music opening full of rolling drums and wah laden guitars. Kicking into the track it’s almost laid back showing the reggae influences of the band, this time keeping the guitars relatively clean but still exuding all of the power which you would expect from these guys. The bass is kept high in the mix here which really makes this is a track which you just want to play!
Smithy Blues seems to also follow this recipe, opening with a funky guitar line before kicking into an equally funky riff over some powerful drums, this time things are heavy once again but still, the sense of melody remains and keep s this as something which you’ll engage with. The vocals are more frantically paced this time around, almost being spat out over the music but still making sure you can hear every single word which they’ve got to say. I guess you could say that the vocals sound akin to Black Stone Cherry in some ways, whilst the backing music has qualities of Southern Rock as well as downright solid rock, the mix created is something which is not only unique, but alluring as you want to hear more! Start A War once again harks back to the reggae edges of the band, adding in an acoustic guitar line which powers the track onwards over a simple yet effective drum beat. The bass heavy rhythms are once again hammered home through the gravelly vocals, once again making this is a track which is damned difficult to put in a pigeon hole! Comparison wise, there’s elements of the likes of Sublime here musically, but the vocal styling stops that soon enough, and once again you’re left wondering how to class this – my suggestion – file it under awesome.
D.U.B is up next, a track full of bassy subsections and effect laden guitars to create a sound which once again has elements of reggae flowing through it, but again has that unique vocal edge over things. Funky throughout, this is a track which is going to get you out of your seat and make you move, it’s got all of the right elements of reggae whilst still making sure there’s more to it than a simple tag through the other elements which are thrown at you, honestly, this is tricky stuff right here! Detrimental Instrumental on the flip side is another track which harks back to the bands rockier influences, hammering guitar lines laden with funky hooks and a pounding drum beat all get thrown at you and you can’t help but want to move along with the band. This is the sort of track I can well imagine being played almost as an interlude on a live show, it’s free of vocals but they’re not needed as the incredible lead line does all the work on that front, what you’re left with is a track which you’ll marvel at and want to hear more of. Compared to the more reggae tracks this one is also a bit of a shock, the heaviness contrasts the laid back approach and almost shocks you into listening even harder!
Green Dragon continues the theme of funk laden heaviness, opening with a funky riff akin to a mix of Southern Rock and Classic Rock, once again creating a sound which is unique but easy to listen to! The vocals once again really lift this track to a new level, creating something which you can’t help but shift to, this isn’t moshing music but instead music to dance to! The chorus on this track is catchy and WILL get crowds chanting along with them – this is one which I have to see on the live scene! Inevitable Advice is a track of much the same form, heavy pounding drums backing up a funky guitar line whilst the vocals and bass bolster everything up further. What I really liked on this track is how the band seem to have incorporated their reggae roots into a rock track, this matches the softer tracks in beat and set up but holds much more of a punch to make sure you’re there and taking note! Curious Case of… is another track like this, there’s a really funky edge to things which elevates it from the simple tags which all too often can be applied to bands. This track is far more frantic than some of the others and the monotonous riff which it is initially based around caused me to phase out at times, but as a whole this is another track which is going to get live crowds tearing venues apart.
The final track I heard was Face First and Broken, a track which to me exemplifies the bands style of music all in one song. The guitar line is funky and the drums add in that reggae feeling whilst the vocals spit out their words for you to hear. The mix on this track makes this a cracker to finish the selection, and is the track which I would personally pick as my favourite from the band. Funky, energetic and hard hitting once again, the whole album has been more than just a selection of tracks, it’s been an experience!
I still don’t really know where to put The Hicks, their music isn’t a type which you can fit under a genre! There’s a lot of elements here which all work together to create what can only be described as a bit of a Frankenstein of different genres, all in one mixing bowl. At times I found myself questioning what was going on, but everytime I always found myself ignoring myself and just enjoying what I was hearing – personally I think this is music to put on, sit back and listen to, don’t try to make sense of it! Personally though, I think that this is also music for the live front, the CD doesn’t seem to do the sound 100% justice – another one to add to my list of bands to see!
To find out more about The Hicks, check out their Facebook page HERE.