Playlist: if the Pixies came from Peterlee

Marginal Gains – Now

If the Pixies came from Peterlee, they might sound a bit like this. Part of the East Durham cultural revival (and yes, that really is a thing) Marginal Gains started life drinking cans of beer in a recording studio because it was cheaper than going to the pub. That musical atmosphere apparently rubbed off, persuading them to form a band. Fast forward a few years, and the bizarre juxtaposition between a poised rocking trio and a shirtless shouty frontman is grabbing attention across the northeast – and is surely destined to turn heads further afield.

Now, part of the band’s first EP released in early September by the excellent indie label Industrial Coast, neatly underlines the dichotomy. It kicks off with the vibes of a bit of 90s fuzzed-up indie rock, complete with glacial female vocals (which, admittedly, are more audible via Bandcamp than in this live clip). For about 90 seconds, this could fit into a Throwing Muses album before vocalist Dan embarks on a shouty, yelping exposition that revels in its regional accent. No mid-Atlantic faking going on around here, thank you.

In common with much music from the northeast, Marginal Gains is not overly enamoured of 21st-century life. Lyrically, Now takes swipes at limited opportunity (Deliveroo or dole?) and the anti-woke sentiments swamping social media (‘You can’t say anything these days? Well, you seem to’). Check the prices for tickets at Newcastle’s Common Room on Nov. 16, and watch out for new recordings when the band heads back to the studio late this year.

Marginal Gains plays Newcastle’s Common Room on Nov. 16, supported by Tight Collar. Get your tickets here.

Jodie Nicholson – You Wanted This (Rubber Oh edit)

The original version of this track featured in an earlier playlist, but ahead of Jodie’s upcoming Sad Songs tour, it’s been reinvented by Rubber Oh. And, in its new format, it turns into a weird, transfixing electro sound world. Snatches of torch-song vocals emerge from a sonic stew, martial drums fragment into glitchy synths. This is what remixes should be all about: taking an original track and putting a whole new stamp on it. This probably wouldn’t be a bad time to talk up Rubber Oh’s recent album, also featured on an earlier playlist.

That said, it’s also worth noting that the upcoming tour – kicking off with a matinee gig at Stockton’s Georgian Theatre on Nov. 17 – will sound rather different. Sharing the stage with a stable of mellow, reflective singer-songwriters, this is likely to be a far more gentle affair with Jodie presenting her music in a stripped-down format. The tour unites artists from all across the country, offering them a hometown show plus a chance to attract new audiences further afield, making it well worth a look if it comes near you.

Jodie plays the Sad Songs tour in Stockton, Belfast, Glasgow, Brighton and London between Nov. 17 and Nov. 29. Click the links for tickets to your local show.

Benefits – Land of the Tyrants

Yeah, OK, guilty as charged. I’ve seen and heard a lot of Benefits lately, and it’s getting somewhat addictive. In particular, the subtle switch to a two-piece, Kingsley and Rob whipping up an electronic storm on stage as a background to those trademark lyrics of rage has elevated a good band into a great one. Land of the Tyrants was the first release in the new format and, in authentic Benefits fashion, it’s a belter.

Musically, the vibe veers into clubland. In a different world, the slick EDM backing track might be part of the dance smash of the summer. It’s got the kind of propulsive drive that evokes taxis after midnight, lurching from the bright lights to the underworld in search of the latest high.

But this is no banal blast of loved-up slogans, nor a dose of posturing hip-hop. Instead, Kingsley’s lyrics articulate the voiceless and draw the battlelines between them, with their Etonian cackle, and us, “Flat-capped, whippeted, regionally voice-overed, filling up the comment box, last of the summer whining.” That gift for pithy characterisation is what makes Benefits so memorable, that anger against the current state of the nation (and not just this disunited kingdom) is what makes their music so important. Catch them live at the Waves festival in Sunderland, headlining a Pop Recs, and keep a sharp ear out for the upcoming album, due early next year.

Benefits play Waves, Sunderland’s multi-venue festival, on Nov. 16. Tickets available here.

Thanks for reading another playlist. If you liked it, give a like and subscribe. If you really liked it, consider buying me a coffee. But, most of all, please consider supporting the artists by buying their music or attending their gigs.

Previous playlists: Folksy flavours / Politics / Stockton Calling / Russia / Aelius / #6 / Border Crossings / #8 / Safe hands throwing stones / More Than a Stone’s Throw / Fusion / Pigs, parties and Portuguese / From Bronte to Black Metal / Punk Princesses / Mackem magic and a mystical remix / Narc.Fest / Fringe Benefits / Peterlee Psalms / Winds of Change / Punk nostalgia, twisted psychedelia / Remembrance of Times Past / Ghosts, labyrinths and brutalism