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Smash 'n' grab set from rising post-hardcore revivalists.

They're named after a Soviet aircraft designer whose planes made so much noise they deafened their pilots and they take their musical cues from post-hardcore pioneers, most audibly Fugazi and Drive Like Jehu. If it weren't already obvious, The Tupolev Ghost are a loud band.

Their set tonight - their second in a week at the Portland, playing a totally different set-list each time - is initially powered by a bass rumble so loud it threatens to split open the floor and swallow the audience. Thankfully, we're all allowed to stick around, watching as their bassist doubles as a second drummer, glockenspiel player and crooner vocalist and Forcefield rises up like a tide of tightly honed aggression and energy. "Somebody told us that we needed a gimmick," notes frontman James Parrish, rolling his eyes and planting his tongue firmly in his cheek. One can only imagine how Ambulances' serrated riff must have cut through the audience during their night out supporting hotly-tipped indie kids Foals, in-between their two-night stand here.

Gallows found the limelight and a loyal following invoking the spirit of Black Flag and Minor Threat with a modern twist. On tonight's showing, there's no reason TTG can't do the same with what came next.

KKKK
Kerrang!

If the Tupolev Ghost fulfills the promise they currently hold, you could be looking at the leaders of the next wave of hardcore punk.

God Is In The TV Zine

It’s a rare occurrence to receive a demo that’s worth listening to. Usually there’s a chance that I’ll listen to it once, maybe twice if they’re lucky, and it’ll eventually disappear under a pile of CDs sharing the same fate. The criticisms marked are mostly self-inflicted, though: the demo often seems like a pale imitation of an already established band, hindered even more by its vindication for songs to be recorded in public toilets. Which begs the question: why should I bother writing about it?

The Tupolev Ghost have restored my faith in the demo. There’s nothing special about the recording itself, as the band work within the limitations of what a demo can achieve – half-a-dozen tracks, a small-budget recording, all the usual stereotypes. But it doesn’t matter at all. None of it does. The songs stand up for themselves well enough.

The Tupolev Ghost are, collectively, a prodigious talent. Some of the instrumental parts do veer dangerously close to a kind of ‘emo was better back in my day’ shtick, but the four-piece don’t need to rely on the bands of yore to drive their music forward. Although they takes from the profuse palette of punk, post-rock and noise, their sound will most appeal to fans of Fugazi.

The demo starts with hefty intent. Pigeonhole it in whatever way you want, but a simple description will suffice: ‘Helvetica’ rocks. There is a lot of substance in the band’s melodic enjambments and dissonant swirls of guitar throughout the demo. Like Fugazi before them, the songs twist and turn in erratic fashion, and yet somehow manage to leave an imprint in your mind. The scuffling noise interjections and the screams from vocalist James Parrish gives the music a foreboding feel, leaving the listener tentatively pondering what will come next. This in itself holds a lot of promise for the future - which is nice, right?

Demos often restrain and hinder a band’s sound. The Tupolev Ghost break out of these restraints and leave them a mangled wreck. Their tightly wound riffing and projected screams should propel them into the big leagues. Listening to this begs the question: if they’re this good on a demo recording, how great must they be on album? The future looks bright for this Cambridge quartet, and I for one can’t wait to hear results. 8/10.

Drowned In Sound

One of the most exciting new bands to come from the dark depths of Cambridge, The Tupolev Ghost are like nothing you’ve heard before. Not ploughing the same, safe furrows as all those other hyped NME-branded bands, these guys are truly original. They maybe unsigned at the moment, but they won’t be for long.

The Line Of Best Fit

Of all the things to boast, it's odd that Cambridge's The Tupolev Ghost almost proudly proclaim that they've never really sent this demo out to people; though I guess it only adds to their status as one of the British underground's best kept secrets. This is just a taster, recorded in two days, for the EP they're currently finishing off, but even at this early stage, Take Courage is a demo that demands your attention, wholly and completely – and if you're prepared, it's an investment you'll be rewarded for, whether it's in the soft shoe melancholy of 'Little Spirits' or the desperate guitar squeals of 'Helvetica'. That off-kilter mathy flow will almost certainly attract Fugazi comparisons, with a sound that harks back to the fractured later end of late eighties US underground rock - though they slot more accurately into that loose-knit UK sound shaped by the likes of Public Relations Exercise, Moleck, and Meet Me In St. Louis. If September's sessions have been half as fruitful as this, UK independent rock could pretty soon have some new darlings to fawn over - and frankly it'll be well deserved.

4/5
Rock Midgets

Aggressive, spikey, Shellac-meets-Fugazi rock.

NME

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