Thursday Tunes returns for 2020 where we get a band playing an upcoming gig in Dublin to lit 5 songs they are currently listening to or have had an effect on their lives or music. This week we have Last Reserves, a punk band from Liverpool who are playing the Dando Sessions on Friday.
First track is from singer Alice: Thank: Think Less
A couple of years back I was talking to a guy at a gig back in Liverpool who said the perfect band would create horrible noisy nonsense but make it catchy, and at the time I couldn’t imagine what that would even sound like. Then last year some friends introduced me to Thank, whose music pretty much epitomises that concept; mingling harsh noise with earworm melodies and sardonic, thought-provoking but also genuinely funny, memorable, sing-a-long lyrics? Perfect. My favourite band right now and they definitely had an influence on our latest single, Pink Bits.
https://thankleeds.bandcamp.com/track/think-less
Second is from guitarist, Jack:
Dag Nasty: All Ages Show
I love Brian Baker’s style of guitar playing, particularly in his solo band Dag Nasty, which is very different from the sound of his other notable bands (Bad Religion and Minor Threat – who I also enjoy listening to). I really like their dark but punchy melodic sound and I have took influence from them when coming up with new ideas for Last Reserves. I have more recently been trying to integrate more lead work amongst riffs and have been putting more thought towards transitions and how different effects can develop our sound but in a way that doesn’t compromise our relatability.
Third is from drummer, Phil:
All Lies by Nomeansno.
I heard the song before I joined last reserves, and they’re a band that I’ve gotten really into and have really influenced the sound that I wanna go for. I love the way they mix prog and jazz elements with hardcore punk, and I love the sound of Rob Wright’s bass which was what made me want to push Matt into buying a distortion pedal.
4th is from bassist, Matt:
Everlone by The Wildhearts.
This song is by one of my favourite bands & increasingly recently The Wildhearts have become a significant influence on the sound I want from Last Reserves. This song encompasses everything I love about them, it’s got fast bits, melodic bits, slow gentle bits & then just bits that make you want to throw yourself around the room. It’s an amazing song that I love to bits. It’s also been a influence on our latest single pink bits too, particularly the slow parts.
The final track is our latest single, Pink Bits. Pink Bits is about growing up being bombarded with the toxic and misogynistic attitude that the only way to be valuable is to be Not Like The Other Girls™. It’s a rejection of that mindset and a reminder that we don’t need to compete for validation; whatever gender we are, we can put that energy into building each other up instead.
