Forever ago at one of our great underground venues, The Social on Little Portland Street. I was stood with eager anticipation, thoughts of seeing and hearing a host of new artists at a night hosted by Creation 23’s very own Alan McGee. Musically relatively quiet for the previous few years, The Guv’nor had professed just a few months prior that “guitar based bands were coming back in a big fucking way”, and he put his money where his mouth is too with his Creation 23 label and a promise to deliver the best new bands in 7″ glory. No one doubted the promise and the label has continued to sign ridiculously great artists that have released some stand out tracks AND how right he was about guitar based bands, 2020 is further proof that the re-revolution is in full, glorious swing.
Anyway, going back to that night and one of my many nights at this great venue ………
So as I stood in the underground off a touristy shopping street, sipping probably my fourth Camden Pale Ale, eagerly awaiting Creation’s latest signing from Wales, Young Garbo, the undercard was kicked off by a band from the West Midlands that I knew fuck all about, a young band called The Novus ……. What happened next was something that doesn’t happen very often, in fact it’s probably only ever happened once and for completely non-music related reasons. From the moment the band started to play I was rendered speechless, losing the ability to feel my mouth hit the floor, completely taken by surprise with my eyes fixated on what was in front of me, I was unable to do anything else than bask at was was happening on the cigarette packaged stage that spilled all over the five or so tables.
Without doubt The Novus stole the show that night, they played the room like it was theirs, it was like they were playing in the comfort of their own rehearsal space that how relaxed they were but the set was anything but relaxed, it had an energy I hadn’t seen since forever, a unique energy and a unique sound, they were playing at a small underground venue, a great small underground venue but in my head I was front and centre at a much bigger arena, there were tens of thousands of people there but they were playing to us and us only – It truly fucking blew my mind and there is something about that night that has stuck with me ever since.
As the months roll by and we all miss our gigs, this is the kind of feeling I yearn for, this is the feeling I miss, this is the feeling I want to feel again and this is the power that only music or maybe just one single human can give you.
As I close my eyes and listen to The Novus’ new track “Man On The Bridge”, I am immediately back front and centre. The track has so much fucking energy that it makes the duracell bunny want to get two and forty winks. Connor Hill’s voice and stage presence is perfectly punk in a rock n’ roll sandwich, his vocal on “Man On The Bridge” is every bit the uniqueness of a band that are here to stay. Guitars clash against drums that would keep the late, great John Bonham sober for a day, and when I say clash, I mean clash in a beautiful way like a painter’s colourful mistake that becomes the backbone of a great artist. It’s a track that sounds incredible live.
The Novus have it all to give, the tunes, the performance and the hard graft. With “Man On The Bridge” they have a track that was written between gigs inspired by a life-loving, underpant-wearing fella on a bridge in Camden which just makes The Novus ridiculously cool in my eyes and you will no doubt agree when you hear the track.
If you were lucky enough to receive a flying vinyl package in May, you will already be the proud owner of the band’s first ever vinyl, (you lucky gits!) a format that a band like The Novus deserve to be all over.
Video: The “Man” (this time with trousers)
“Man On The Bridge” was produced and mixed at Magic Garden Studios in Wolverhampton by Gavin Monaghan as he continues to show his skills after previous work with The Blinders, Editors and The Sherlocks to name drop just a couple.
If “Man On The Bridge” doesn’t get you in the mood for our gigs to return then I suggest you go back to watching reality tv and stop reading this site 😉
Peace and Love as per x
Ramble On 