Loose Articles: Chaos – EP review

Loose Articles: Chaos EP

(Alcopop! Records)

DL and Streaming

Available from 16th September

Manchester feminist post-punk band Loose Articles release their EP Chaos through Alcopop! Records

Maybe it’s just the echo-chamber of my Twitter and Facebook but it feels like Loose Articles have been omnipresent over the last few months. It seems they’re constantly touring the length and breadth of the country playing gigs and festivals. For those unfamiliar the band released their debut EP Orchid Lounge in 2019, following up with a string of standalone singles during the pandemic including Up The Disco and Buses before catching the attention of independent label Alcopop! Records.

I first saw the band earlier this year at a packed out Retro Bar in Manchester and was blown away by the intensity of the performance which felt like it was on the verge of falling apart at any moment with bassist Natalie’s trademark ragged-edged, sardonic drawl leading the way. The band is the sum of it’s parts though with Erin (guitar), Tree (vocals/guitar) and Louise (drums) completing the line up. They were and still are one of the best bands I’ve seen in some time.

Their music speaks to all those determined to get through the age of austerity with tongue in cheek, pint in hand, and two feet firmly on the dance-floor. Plying repetition (repetition, repetition…) in your face, punk-fuelled attitude, both feminine & threatening, Loose Articles are here to make a point.

The quartet describe their second EP as, “A satirical examination of the hazards of modern life—keyboard warriors, the death of the independent pub, sexist footy fans, and the hopelessness that the woman in the street often feels in the face of impending doom. Whilst politicians fly their private jets to climate change conferences only to sit around scratching their collective heads as to why it’s so warm in February, all that’s left to do is head to the nearest beer garden and watch the world burn.”

The opening title track Chaos sets out their stall perfectly, inspired by a particularly warm winter spent in said beer gardens. Natalie explains, “We were all feeling a bit guilty for enjoying ourselves in the knowledge that the weird weather was definitely due to man made climate change and not some kindly weather god giving us northerners a well deserved break from the cold & rain.”

Second track Eggshells is a new track. A 5 minute piece which is almost hypnotic with its pounding bass and off-kilter guitar lines. It’s not as instant as the other tracks on the EP, in part due to ‘newness’ of it but a grower. It’s possibly the closest recording they’ve made to date which captures their live experience.

This is followed by Dirty Dicks Food and Ale Emporium. It’s a love letter to Natalie’s favourite teenage haunt in Halifax which sadly became the latest victim of gentrification. She says “Dirty Dicks Food and Ale Emporium’ is a tune where I reminisce about my teenage years. I spent my weekends at The Royal Oak pub in Halifax, dancing the night away at gigs filled with local bands with a can of beer firmly in one hand and my fake ID in the other. One night the floor caved in during a gig, resulting in the police coming and busting all the underaged drinkers. The Royal Oak as I knew it was no more and changed hands to Dirty Dicks Food and Ale Emporium, trying to be classy with fancy ales and not boozed-filled teenagers. 12 years later I still think about my first true love, the wonderful pub which was The Royal Oak.”

Closing the EP is perhaps the bands best known track to date, Kick Like A Girl. Originally released in 2021 but re-released ahead of the Women’s Euros 2022 it’s a squarely aimed shot at misogynistic attitudes towards women’s sport which one would hope may now be changing in light of the Lionesses success. “It tackles the narrow mindset of some men towards women and football, as well as a sprinkle of footballing references ranging from Duncan Ferguson to Beckham’s Mohican. With our music, we like to raise awareness on issues like misogynistic slurs and attitudes towards women in sports. With this said we still make the tunes fun and comical to grab the attention of people first, before they then realise the tune is making more of a statement on a deeper subject.”

After recently playing at Manchester Psych Fest the band will be playing at Morgan’s Bar, Old Trafford. Manchester on Saturday 1st October Tickets available here

Loose Articles can be found on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.


All words by Iain Key. See his Author Profile here author’s archive or on Twitter as @iainkey Listen to Iain’s Indie Brunch on Louder Than War Radio – Saturday 11am-1pm here and on the free Apps: https://s2.radio.co/sab795a38d/listen.

Source: louderthanwar.com