False Heads - The next big thing in punk rock?
Combining the funk of Rage Against The Machine and the fuzz of Nirvana, up and coming punk trio False heads have brought back everything great about the 2000s British rock scene.
Sweaty rooms, sticky floors and grungy guitar riffs to match, the group are fast approaching the end of a UK tour before the release of their third album.
After forming in Essex in 2016, having met in school and regrouped after university, they released a series of singles and EPs, altering their sound, resulting in their first album ‘It’s all there but you’re dreaming’ in 2020. The group then followed this up with the more refined and polished ‘Sick Moon’ two years later. They cite artists such as 'Pixies', 'Muse', 'Mobb Deep' and 'Neutral Milk Hotel' as influences on their songs.
Inspiring mosh pits and headbanging, the trio’s frontman and guitarist Luke Griffiths brings an adolescent vigour, reminiscent of a young Iggy Pop, ending the much called for encore with a crowd surf after standing on the shoulders of concert goers, handing out the mic to anyone who wanted it during the band’s rendition of their most popular song ‘Rabbit Hole’ and taking a swig from his can of lager by the side of the stage after every song.
Whilst bassist, Jake Elliot alongside him brought a calm rhythm with basslines that cut through fuzzy power chords.
A vocalist/drummer is a rare phenomenon, but Barney Nash sat at the base of the band bashing out strong beats that guided the tunes with crashes of his ride cymbals whilst his lips stayed glued to the mic almost spitting out his lyrics.
The Guitarist was unsure if their energy was anything special: “I’m not sure if its unique, we just believe in what we're doing and just love playing together. Most bands I've seen live don't have loads of energy so maybe it's unique. I'm not sure"
The band showed versatility with some slower songs, but proved that faster, more energetic songs are key to their sets, especially by showcasing some new songs, destined for their next album, that truly stood out, with an even heavier feel.
The gig ended with three choruses of ‘one more song’ from the audience, with the band’s very final song being ‘Cottonmouth’ from their most recent album, a request from a fan, despite the frontman being assured that “[it] could go terribly wrong”.
On the topic of song writing, Griffiths said: "In the early days I'd write most of it, now it's great, it's totally collaborative. We bring in ideas to the shipping container and jam on it until something good comes out. Then I'll write lyrics over the top."
The rock scene as a whole seems certainly to be on the decline in mainstream media, something that he scathingly reflected on: “Most of rock and indie made by young artists doesn't do anything for me. It's just 80 percent posh nepo gimps making music for rich kids to pretend they like”
This brings the questions of whether this new album could take the East London trio to new heights. Heavier bands especially, often find it takes a numerous albums to find their feet, for example Blink-182 with ‘Buddha’ and ‘Cheshire Cat’ or even Nirvana with ‘Bleach’, before nailing their sound for wider audiences. So perhaps their new album could take them to bigger places, despite a real lack of a punk scene within the mainstream. Griffiths said that then next album would be "next level" as it is “a culmination of us honing our song writing and working with a world class producer in Adrian Bushby”. He even added that he thinks their best song “Cracked” has not been released yet, cementing his confidence in their future.
Written on 17th December 2023