When times get tough and dark, one can always rely on the arts to keep a mirror to the troubled society and the world we live in. Unstable markets? Conservative politicians in government? Right-wing agenda affecting the most vulnerable? We have had this before. Regan and Thatcher completely tanked the UK and US in the 80’s, yet they gave us some of the best rock music. Tories have been in power for the last 13 years and it’s not a surprise that our independent artists are writing politically and socially conscious music. Punk, post punk, goth, dark EDM, dark/cold wave genres are making triumphant come back. Lyrics are angry, people demand change, better pay and access to basic human rights such as education, medical care, food and accommodation. The more our extremist government wants to limit our freedoms, the more people object and speak against their corruption and sleaze. Sooner or later, they will go to the bin of history as their predecessors but for now we have to keep fighting. And on Indieterria we will always give a voice to those who rebel. Refuse and resist – that’s our motto. The debut single from Liverpudlian trio Bleach Brain is exactly what we like – loud, uncompromising and socially conscious.
Bleach Brain photographed by Denys Chapli
Official bio: Formed in 2022 in Liverpool by three LIPA graduates of class 2020, the band consists of Ukrainian born Natasha “Tash” Chernyshova (vocals, guitar), Hattie Burns (bass) and Tom Rush (drums). Tash and Tom were on the same course on drums, with Hattie doing soundtech. Bleach Brain spent a year building an audience and writing songs to pick the best one for the recording. Having performed in Manchester, Liverpool, and Birkenhead, they now have people travelling from city to city to see their gigs, along with the consistent support that the band has from their Liverpool audience.
Thematically, Bleach Brain serves as a reflection of all that is dark and stupid in the world: politics, money, drugs, self-doubt and self-harm. Tash is Ukrainian, so outside of the band she’s very focused on donating money, talking about the Russian invasion, and staying in touch with her friends and family. Hattie is actively engaged in verbal wars against the governmental structure, capitalism, and landlord fights. Bleach Brain has first-hand involvement in the current, ongoing world problems. Their debut single released on March 17th 2023, “The Collector” is an amazing sneak of what Bleach Brain are like on stage: gritty, energetic, loud, and angry.
“The Collector” was recorded last year at AlloSound studios in Wigan with producer Jono Tringham. The song is a classic, pure and unfiltered, old skool punk rock. When I was listening to it, it reminded me of the early British punk scene with a flair of the second wave of punk that came in the late 80’s/early 90’s from Orange County in California. The Collector stands at 2 minute and 37 seconds, also a very classic length for a punk rock song. What can be said of the single? It’s a rollercoaster ride, without brakes and without mercy. It’s a solid wall of sound, so hard that it could knock your teeth out. I wouldn’t want to be in the mosh pit when the band is playing this tune live – I love pits but this will probably be one of the legendary death pits where bodies just fly from one edge of the scene to the other.
Artwork by xlickcakex
The beginning of the song is crazy fast – if it was a car, the driver would accumulate enough points for speeding to lose the driving license. It just goes on like a wrecking ball, from zero to 100 in 1 second. Once the machine is in full swing, there is absolutely nothing that can stop it. Tom Rush is doing an amazing job on drums, easily juggling sudden tempo changes: from ultra-fast to mid-tempo in the second chorus and then slowing down to almost a heavy crawl at 1 minute and 30 seconds. Hattie Burns adds an interesting flavour to the punk aesthetic – the bass is distorted and very heavy, much heavier than the genre would normally require. I wonder what influenced this as this is either a personal preference of the bassist or the band’s conscious choice. It looks almost like they wanted to go into 90’s hard core territory, you know the NYC sound a la Biohazard or Life of Agony. The sudden tempo change and the slow, heavy “walk” led by a bass guitar is a textbook example of hardcore – a cross over from trash, punk and metal. If you listen to “Underground” by Life Of Agony, off their debut album “River Runs Red”, you will immediately know what I’m writing about. It’s very distinctive and I absolutely love when new bands go for classic tricks and entwine them into modern music.
I need to write a special praise for the lead singer, Tash who has a very distinctive voice. Strong and deep, it’s instantly recognized. For such a short song, she displays a huge range, from high pitched shrieks to a deep growl in the chorus – truly magnificent job!
I have a piece of good advice to the readers of this review – keep an eye on this band. If they can come up with such an amazing tune as their debut single then we can expect really cool things from them in the future.
They are often touring around the Liverpool and Manchester area, so get your ass to their nearest show and have a good time. I’m putting them on my lists of bands to watch this year and I’m rarely wrong.
Follow Bleach Brain online:
https://www.facebook.com/bleach2brain
https://www.instagram.com/bleachbrain_
https://www.youtube.com/@bleachbrain_
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/bleach-brain/1671227334
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6ICA70SmHWm2vDGy7znjE2
https://bleachbrain.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/bleach-brain
https://www.tiktok.com/@bleachbrain_
Bleach Brain is currently on tour:
7th of April – Kazimier Stockroom, Liverpool with PEUK, Tepid Days and Sourflake. Show is +18, doors at 6:30 pm, entry £7
Tickets: www.fatsoma.com/e/ayzn9py9/peuk-kazimier-stockroom
4th of May – Quarry, Liverpool with Bruise Control, Piss Kitti and Coughing Vicars, Show is +18, doors at 19:00, entry £10
Tickets: www.fatsoma.com/e/6yzrquhg/bruise-control-piss-kitti-coughin-vicars-bleach-brain
5th of May – The Peer Hat, Manchester
Tickets and Information will be available soon
Rita Dabrowicz
Indieterria 