Review of IDestroy EP – Vanity Loves Me
It’s not often editor Rich throws out a random review request – and then it turns out I’ve seen the lead singer of the band in question singing with a different band (one of my absolute favourites) the previous week. But that’s what happened when I got the chance to listen to the superbly promising debut EP by Bristol all-girl trio IDestroy.
iDestroy Review
Give her credit, Bec Jevons does have a very distinctive voice. The lead singer has a real vocal strut, a Costello curled-lip, and a don’t fuck with me attitude. Combine that with the dextrous bass of Becky Baldwin and the thunderous drumming of Jenn Haneef and they make a real racket – in a good way. Opening track “Vanity Loves Me” has a great “Wa-oh-oh” hook – it appears to be a rejection of the fashion industry, although the video shows the band to be both funny and stylish.
Eponymous track “IDestroy” has punky lead guitar and a similarly attitude towards consumerism. There’s some excellent lyrics in there – “I am angry and I like to be, and when I’m angry, you should stay away from me….” Similarly, “State of the Art” wordplays originally with “State of my heart” – that’s clever writing.
Third track “Talking Shit” sums up life at the weekends for the Youth, and that’s no bad thing. It’s lively, positive, an upbeat celebration of Friday and Saturday night culture. It’s the one that reminds me most of Bec’s other band, the Blue Aeroplanes, in it’s happy depiction of the Bristol nighttime scene.
’cause that’s who I saw Bec performing with two weeks ago as I write this review. She’s been playing with the Blue Aeroplanes for four years and two weeks ago she played with them at their prestigious 6 Music Festival gig, taking centre stage for a solo song at one point. The Planes blew the roof off the Lantern at the Colston Hall (it’s ages since my ears have rung after a gig – I loved it!) and the talented Ms Jevons was a big part of their kinetic thrash.
In short – the EP’s great, you should get it (from their website, www.idestroyband.co.uk). You should also look out for them on their extensive live tour coming up – I’ve only seen Bec play live, but the video shows that Becky and Jenn can match her for energy. The book about the Bristol punk scene says that “Bristol Boys make more noise” but IDestroy demonstrate that it ain’t just the boys any more.
Review by Steve Noble
