There’s no bands anymore? Yeah, right. From outer space via Birmingham, enter anti-pop quartet Y!KES, with their new single ‘Long Gone Silver.’
Since their inception in 2019, the band have self-released 2 EPs, and have recently surpassed 100,000 streams on Spotify. Their new single is called ‘Long Gone Silver,’ which follows the release of their EP MASS!VE, released last summer. The band are made up of Oli Long (vocals), Liam Howard (guitar), TJ Weston (drums), and newly appointed Rob McIntosh (bass).
‘Long Gone Silver’ shares the same alternative grunge characteristics as their previous works. It’s catchy and loud, with rough guitars and unique vocals. The lyrics reference the world’s collective frustration, highlighting the tendency we have to inhibit our reality with various coping mechanisms:
“All we do is escape ourselves and call it fun”
Y!KES create what they describe as an “audio-visual experience,” telling stories through chaotic and theatrical videos which have earned them thousands of views on YouTube. Within this cinematic realm exists a tin foil spaceship, a fearsome alien and a giant teddy bear with a disturbing smile of human teeth… because, why not? Their latest effort, which was filmed remotely, encompasses a spectrum of neon lights and walls plastered with newspaper headlines chronicling the events of last year.
Most of last year was a write off in terms of gigs and festivals, with most tours being rescheduled or cancelled altogether. Y!KES supported bands like Vukovi, King Nun and Counterfeit last year, and performed at Hard Rock Hell in 2019. In 2021, they’re set to play Stoke’s Your City Festival in July, and the band have just announced a tour with Trashed in August. The tour will see the band unleash their mayhem on Southampton, Bristol, Birmingham and Gloucester.
