Bigfoot - Stone Soldiers




Hailing from near my neck of the woods, the North West of England (Wigan to be precise), Bigfoot are a young upcoming band who have already made their mark on the local live scene and are intent on cementing their reputation as one to watch in 2016 with their second EP, Stone Soldiers.  A melting pot of genres make pigeonholing them difficult which is never a bad thing.  For such a young band to span so many genres and still retain their own sound is a pretty tough task but they pull it off.

“Stone Soldiers”, the title track to the EP, sets the scene.  Southern, bourbon drenched riffs.  Having seen this track performed live, the guitars seem to be a little low in the mix considering there are two lead guitarists but I’m probably being a bit picky!  The track is still very much a “we’re here and you’ll listen to us” singalong anthem.  You know those Western films where a cowboy throws open the shutters on some saloon and you know it’s probably going to kick off?  Well this the sonic version of that.  The guttural stoner outro is delicious and more than makes up for the lighter touch at the beginning of the track.

Singalong powerhouse rock track “In The Gutter” has a couple of great Slash-esque “stood in the middle of a desert/on top of a mountain” type solos breaking up this rather anthemic track, dedicated to not really caring where you end up.

“Run” is probably my favourite track on the EP.  A contemporary twist on the good old AOR sound, the harmonies are simply stunning.  I’m a total sucker for a good harmony and Run has them in abundance, hurrah!  An anti-love song, it’s basically empowering yourself by ignoring everything your heart says.  Because we all know the heart is a bastard.

"Just Like Me" is yet more harmonic goodness punctuated by some of Bigfoot’s more brutal riffs.  Probably the heaviest track on the EP.  The mid-section is a masterpiece, reminiscent of Muse, a real surprise as it’s nothing like they’ve done so far.  No track on this EP is the same which is a great treat for the listener, you just don’t know what’s coming next.

Bigfoot’s answer to Shaggy’s “It Wasn’t Me”, “Blame It On The Dog” brings the curtain down on a crackingly diverse EP.  Whilst there is no doubt the lyrical content is verging on puerile, the track itself is probably the most mature musically.  With flashes of delicious wah and a bassline which makes you want to get down and dirty, this is a little love letter to funk that George Clinton would approve of.  Did I mention the fuckable wah? 

Overall, Stone Soldiers is like a big roast dinner of all the bits of rock I love.  Stoner AOR blues funk.  See?  Can’t pigeonhole.  And why would you want to?

-The Rock Fairy

Bigfoot are:

Antony Ellis                        Vocals
Mick McCullagh                  Lead Guitar
Sam Millar                           Lead Guitar
Matt Avery                          Bass
Tom Aspinall                      Drums

Track Listing:
1.       Stone Soldiers
2.       In The Gutter
3.       Run
4.       Just Like Me
5.       Blame It On The Dog

Sadly not available on vinyl but you can buy the EP here… www.bigfootuk.bigcartel.com/

Links:

Check out “Run” from the EP here:

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