So I’m sat there like the proverbial lemon, when low and behold a band with decent songs comes on stage! I’m sat at the local battle of the bands semi-final, being tortured by some of the worst acts you could ever wish to see, but out of the midst came a shining light. That shining light, as Mackie from Milk2Sugars pointed out, was Tomorrow Never Came – a four-piece band from Scunthorpe who were desperately unlucky not to make the final of the competition. But what is most certainly Scunthorpe’s loss is Punktastic’s gain and we chatted, got on, and invited them to play our Birthday Bash. The rest, as they say, is history.
TNC play technical pop-punk with a slight emo twinge, certainly nothing new, but what the band have is a sound that is far beyond their relative youth. Their debut release ‘Face In A Photograph’ is a record that shows plenty of promise, defining their own sound and including a couple of moments of sheer brilliance. Tomorrow Never Came are definitely a band that will make waves across the UK, I can assure you of that.
Hearing this record for the first time was a great experience. As a lover of most things pop-punk I take great joy in ‘discovering’ a new band, especially when they are on my doorstep. But when strains of the likes of The Starting Line and Audio Karate eminate from my speakers I’m both excited and intrigued. Opener ‘Lies In Stone’ is perhaps the best example of how two guitars can work to fantastic effect in a song, both taking different roles to create a really full sound. Of course the chorus is fantastic and as melodic as any great pop-punk song should be, and weighing in at a shade over four minutes it gives the band an opportunity to stamp their authority all over you – something TNC manage with ease throughout. ‘Never To Forget’ starts off like Rufio, with a lead guitar riff exploding out at all angles and some inspired drumming. Rather disappointingly the song evens out, and vocalist Paul Musgrave belts out yet another memorable song. But it’s James Pogson’s guitar work which really stands out.
Anyone who has seen the band before will know all about their lighters-in-the-air anthem ‘It’s All Gone’ which is one part Ataris and another Get Up Kids. It’s one of those songs you immediately know is a bit special – chock full of emotion yet oh-so simple. Still, it will have you singing along by the song’s end I guarantee. A fellow member of Punktastic described this song as ‘typical Drive Thru stuff’, and to be fair it’s a song I’m sure Richard and Stefanie Reines would be proud of. ‘This Song’ is probably the weakest of the five tracks, featuring all the hallmarks of the band’s earlier efforts without really eclipsing them. Not bad by any means, but not to the same high points as ‘Lies In Stone’, even if the chorus does have a hook the size of Holland. EP closer ‘Face In A Photograph’, however, almost pisses on everything else with a writing style that mixes complexity with sheer technical ability to produce a brooding song, full to the brim with emotion. Deeper and more mature sounding, if this is anything like what Tomorrow Never Came have in store for the future then UK domination will surely follow.
This EP is an absolute gem, proving that some of the best songs are way deep down in the underground. Look hard, support your local scene and you will be rewarded. If Tomorrow Never Came keep up the hard work, improve their live show and add a little energy and swagger to their performance, the possibilities are endless. A band that need to tour and spread the word, the songs really do all the talking. Ones to watch.
Paul