Tuesday 14 July 2015

LISTEN: Fred Abbott - 'Serious Poke'

With the new Friday release day for new music, Fred Abbott releases his solo record, aptly entitled Serious Poke, next Friday, 24th July. Previously guitarist and keys player of Noah & The Whale, Fred says of the new album tracks, "if you attended a Noah & The Whale soundcheck at any time in the last five years then you probably heard me, Urby, Mike and Tom jamming some of these songs." With the band on hiatus last year Fred took the opportunity to record the tracks with some Noah bandmates and other musicians, and following the Noah split "the time seems right to put this stuff out there", says Fred.

The record was co-produced by Fred and Martin Hollis (The Rolling Stones, Take That), with recording sessions over the past year taking place at British Grove Studios in West London. It is being released through independent outfit Lojinx, and an album launch is taking place at London's The Borderline on 31st July (see my post about that show here for more info.)

Source: www.lojinx.com
After a few listens, I'm feeling pretty lucky to have found the album in my inbox to review. It is a superb ten track rock record, with distinctive vocals, catchy choruses and plenty of brilliant guitar solos. Overall a refreshing record, the pace varies throughout, with the tracks mostly touching on themes of love. The striking lyrics of Don't Look Like Him are particularly memorable, highlighting the serious issue of domestic violence and offering empowerment to victims. For me, a highlight is Awake, with the wonderful guitar solos that span the record intertwined with beautiful string action from Noah-bandmate Tom Hobden bringing a certain elegance to the track.

For a preview of the record, you can view blog posts featuring the first track released from the record, Funny How Good It Feels, here, and the video for the second track, Adrenaline Shot, here

Most importantly - you can pre-order the record through Lojinx here.

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