Demob Happy

Reminds us of: Nirvana , The Kinks, The Beatles, Queens of the Stone Age, Kings of Leon (Early), T Rex, White Denim, White Stripes

It seems only fitting that on the month that marks the 25th anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s sad passing that I profile a couple of bands that remind me of Nirvana. The first of these is Demob Happy, three Geordies who’ve relocated to Brighton, who I’ve previously described to my friends as a cross between Nirvana and the Kinks. The second band profile will follow next week.
​
Aside from writing pieces for this website, I have a busy and demanding job and a busy and demanding (but wonderful of course!) family. My ability to uncover new and exciting music therefore is pretty limited. Traversing through the music magazine sites is hard work, as there’s a lot of artists covered that really don’t do it for me, so I often see what Spotify throws up based on my listening tastes. Spotify’s AI also throws up a lot of rubbish, but It was through this medium that I came across Demob Happy, a definite find.

Demob Happy have been around since 2008 by all accounts, but it took them until 2015 to release their first album ‘Dream Soda’. Their sound manages to perfectly blend grunge and late 1960’s pop psychedelia. Haat de Stank kicks off Dream Soda and is a top tune, rallying against the ‘politicians and the sycophants’ (written before Brexit but even more relevant now!).

Quite a few of the songs begin with quite heavy riffs, before diving into catchy choruses. You have to give Dream Soda a few listens but it’s definitely worth it. The Nirvana influence really comes across with tracks like Summer Cash In and Young and Numb and the Queens of the Stone Age angle is apparent throughout. 

Their second album ‘Holy Doom’ was released last year to a lot of critical acclaim, and rightly so. Be Your Man sounds very late Beatles-esque, Fake Satan very T-Rex, I Wanna Leave Alive just sounds dirty, and ‘Fresh Outta Luck’ like The Kinks. The trademark filthy sounds continues throughout but it feels a bit more accessible than Dream Soda. All in all though it’s a very enjoyable album with some very catchy tunes.

The great thing about Demob Happy is their appeal across generations. Their influences are obvious, but they are good influences. Whether you’re young or old, check out their albums and their playlist on Spotify, as there’s a wealth of good stuff to listen to which will take you off in all directions.  

Their latest single Less is More came out at the start of this year. They toured in the UK in February and March (which I’m ashamed to say I missed), and are currently plying their trade across the USA.
I will be catching them at All Points East on the 25th May and very much look forward to seeing them play live.

Hopefully we’ll see a third album soon!

Jon M