Buffalo Bones

Who said Rock is dead? Well, I did actually.

The last few years haven’t necessarily been good ones for the genre to be honest (or at least what the genre had become) and I had lost faith, started to view guitar-based music in general with suspicion and found comfort in the cold embrace of electroclash beats and synth bass. This was until one day I found a three-piece band called Buffalo Bones who claimed, rather boldly to a sizeable crowd, that they play ‘Rock and Roll’. Naturally my cynicism/skepticism/borderline snobbery, whatever you may call it, came racing to the surface but by the end of the opening track of their set I had found my faith in Rock and Roll restored.

It was thoroughly refreshing to see a band, in these days of bleeps and blips, bits and bytes, where it seems you have to have a laptop on stage to be cool, going back to basics with a truly great balls-to-the-wall rock and roll sound.

The EP itself is entitled ‘Hell to Skeleton’ and consists of four tracks each loaded with attitude, charisma and tenacious character. The tracks are ‘Exploder’, ‘Silence is Golden’, ‘Fix It With Money’ and the fans’ favourite ‘Left Before I Arrived’. Each of these four tracks benefit from heavy guitars, bone shaking bass and the very hookiest of hooks. ‘Exploder’ and ‘Left Before I Arrived’ can be previewed on their myspace page but the melodic ‘Silence is Golden’ and attitude-laden ‘Fix it With Money’ can only be heard on the Hell to Skeleton EP.

There will be a launch party on March 18th at Santiago’s, Leeds to promote this release alongside Scams, Bazooka Joe and the Bastards and 70 Million Dinosaurs. The £4 entry includes a copy of the full EP, which makes this show not one to be missed.

Lee Morris - Leeds Scenester

Buffalo Bones are a rock trio who make the noise of an ensemble twice their size marching through the afterlife rattling out Neolithic grunge on the carcass of a Mastodon. They formed at the start of last year after meeting on their first day at Leeds College Of Music (the same institution that has given us Negative Narrative contributors Estocade, Moody Gowns and Post War Glamour Girls). The three were immediately thrown into a group together and quickly bonded into a tight unit, typified by their desire to play live, hard and fast and bonded by an ambition to put some danger and volume back into rock music. Their first demo (Left Before I Arrived) was subsequently selected to appear on a local compilation and the launch party for said CD (A Collection of Calamity) provided their stage debut.

Taking influence from The Dead Weather, Beck and – most obviously – Queens Of The Stone Age, the band aim to make a bone-splintering hip-shaking soundtrack to quaff White Russians to. Chris spews out distorted space-blues from the guitar whilst Rob weaves hypnotic bass grooves and Petter beats the life out of his drums like some sort of audio panel-beater.

Buffalo Bones release their Hell To Skeleton EP this week (you can order it here). They’re having a launch party this Friday at Santiago. It’s £4 in and you get a copy of the EP thrown in. Until this momentous occasion have a peak into their world through the insightful medium of these photographs, download Sickness (it’s their fastest, shortest, most chaotic and aggressive song, and isn’t on the new EP) and maybe we’ll see you at their shindig. - A Negative Narrative

After watching this Leeds trio in August 2010 (cheap plug – review), I was waiting for their EP and finally, today, it’s released. Buffalo Bones’ Hell to Skeleton is a four track EP with heavy fuzzy rock, a gruffy voice and a rhythm section that’s clearly having a lot of fun (all about the catchy ‘Left before I arrived’).

‘Silence is golden’ is such a slow, cool sweet groove that rears a rockier side with that very cool solo that reveals a darker side to the previously funky beginning it sported. It was the song I really liked first when I saw them live and still is a pretty rocking number.

‘Fix it with money’ is way more aggressive, starting quite angry and capped with a tirade/rant by lead singer/guitarist Chris being one of the angriest bits, deftly followed by a solo and a droning ending that really carries it away, into a burning pyre. The strongest one from the bunch and the bass here is particularly lush.

That aforementioned burning pyre is ‘Left before I arrived’, a.k.a. the song with that cool guitar riff (which you can grab in it’s punchier, live version for free here). It’s a great way to cap off Hell to skeleton, with the only song not being up to standard is the opener, ‘Exploder’, a song that isn’t really bad, it’s just not as good as the other three very good ones, so it’s only diminished by the company it’s keeping, not by it’s existence. It’s quite energetic, though.

There seems to be a very hard rocking scene creeping around in Leeds, pushing distortion pedals and playing with some blues and rock scales. Maybe there’s something in the marrow of these three lads that make them go for a very grungey rock and Hell to skeleton could be a taster of better things to come.

—Sam - Sloucher Zine

Since the Kaiser Chiefs struck it big in the 00s there hasn't been much to shout about musically for Leeds, and let's face it - the Kaiser Chiefs weren't the pinnacle of rock. So how about some young bucks called Buffalo Bones? Their EP Hell to Skeleton is a four-track statement of intent.
That intent is mainly focused around the powerful and dirty riffs. Clearly influenced by American rock bands through the ages, these boys draw on that influence to create a very accessible sound. The vocals can fall short, particularly on choruses where an English growl just doesn't cut it. 'Fix It With Money' throws in a 70s groove to mix up the riffs and hooks but the spoken word interlude is in direct contrast from the singing in that a totally different accent appears.
These minor quibbles aside, Buffalo Bones certainly prove they can handle their guitars. With songs like 'Left Before I Arrived' and a slightly more precise vocal approach we Brits could have our very own Foo Fighers/Queens of the Stone Age to spank the yanks at their own game. - Sound Blab

New bands are always going to be viewed through an understanding of those musicians which have gone before them. Aerosmith were the new Rolling Stones, Oasis the Mancunian Beatles, Bryan Adams the less good Bruce Springsteen; I could go on. Given this retrospective way of analysing music, it is particularly interesting when new music recalls odd, or at least unconventional, combinations of well established artists.

Whilst listening to Buffalo Bones, particularly their track ‘Strangest of Feelings’, I was struck by the casual blending of their music, which rightly has been labelled as a Queens of the Stone Age-esque blending of bassy blues and psychedelic riffs. However, upon initial listening, there is a distinct element of Placebo, as the lead singer’s slightly hoarse, emotional but winsome voice recalls the aggression and passion of Brian Molko. In this song there is a clear debt to Radiohead. Stretching out the hallucinogenic riffs whilst the bass guitar and drums maintain the pace and direction of the song, the band often deviate and then return to their driving rhythm. The vocals and lead guitar circle each other and then re-join, providing the emotional décor of the song.

‘Left Before I Arrived’ highlights another aspect of Buffalo Bones’ musical repertoire. Whilst ‘Strangest of Feelings’ alludes to the importance of the bass and percussion, ‘Left Before I Arrived’ indicates the funky blues element of the band, particularly in how lead singer Chris adapts his voice to the music around him. In this instance he switches from strained and emotional to a drawn out, funky drawl that more than suits the music that surrounds it. Buffalo Bones are a band that clearly has a diverse influence, and are intent on reflecting and building upon this foundation, and these songs are evidence of their more than achievable intentions.

Jordan Ryder - No Title Magazine

This loud, crowd-pleasing show took place in a warm, intimate venue and gave three talented groups an audience to appreciate their diverse musical abilities.

First on stage were the Buffalo Bones, a three-piece group that rocked the club throughout their set, with raw energy and enthusiasm. Lead singer Chris shone when he was required to screech and scream but did so in a refreshingly controlled way. During the final song, the charismatic singer made his way into the crowd to interact with fans. - No Title Magazine

‘Strangest of feelings’ is guttural and visceral seems to be the vibe in this month, a misty park that uses sharp notes to put us back to action, as this song depicts this general feeling.

This track starts its introduction to the audience with their bass guitar speaking, to then have guitar speaking with sharp and extended notes, then alternate with vocals stating ‘I don’t want to talk / I can only feel’, with a rather insinuating tone and someone’s breath as backup.

This is a nostalgic and slowly raging track, like the ones that could be the exact match of those cult movies in the scene where the truest thoughts and feelings of protagonists are unveiled. Guitar effects deserve a “sweet!” mark.

Extravagant vocals, guitars in a to-and-fro effect, like taking one step forth and two behind, recapitulating about some event that makes you feel dubious about a specific matter of life, all of this translated into a tune by Buffalo Bones. This is ‘Turn it on Again’, including distorted vocals, high-pitched (but still mint) guitar sounds that complete the reference given by the bass guitar. A raw, yet stylish, experience that fuels our spirit to just head bang. – Tonan. - Sloucher Zine

At MBMB Towers, we like to think we keep our fingers pretty tightly on the pulse of the Leeds music scene, and with our ears to the ground (new metaphor) we’ve stumbled across Buffalo Bones, a loud, brash three piece who will give you the best possible headache.
After a short summer break, Buffalo Bones have a rabid new drummer, some new loud self-produced recordings and are itching to get back on the road. The band also have a new basement HQ from where there will be a series of new songs released, videos uploaded and free downloads made available over the next few months.
There are glam and metal elements, but in the vocal expression there are suggestions of a totally fresh thrash band fitting in next to Eagles of Death Metal and The Dead Weather. The visceral new track ‘Turn It On Again’ was released in early October 2011 on the third installment of A Collection of Calamity, the free CD and download compilation from The Rock and Roll Circus studio art space. And they like White Russians! - Music Broke My Bones

Buffalo Banes are an alternative/garage rock band from Leeds who are inspired by the likes of QOTSA and The Dead Weather.
The three-piece manage to do something very rare on record, and this song is no exception. Whatever the situation, put this track on and you will immediately be transported to some small, sweaty back room, where a raucous three-piece are doing their very best to shake your brains out with their bottom-heavy, distorted brash-rock.
Playing live the band remind you that, no matter how much you think of your music taste as experimental and avant-garde, all-out screamin’ rock’n’roll will always have a special place in your heart.
Singer Chris Mulligan has a curious ability to inhabit any persona he likes once he steps behind the microphone, and in this song, he creates a mixed-up, vulnerable but confident, deeply masculine character – ‘It’s all for show girl, it’s all for show – cause that’s a side of me that you’ll just never ever get to know’ – and you really believe it.
When the middle eight kicks in and the insistent riff that’s been stuttering throughout the track grows into something truly powerful, you can easily imagine this character, and everyone around him for that matter, having some kind of explosive breakdown that you can’t resist joining. - Croon

Being inspired by the likes of QOTSA and The Dead Weather has given Buffalo Bones steady alternative/garage rock grounding. ‘Turn It On Again’ is a raucous powerhouse that will immediately transport you to some small sweaty back room, which is inhabited by a three-piece that are doing their very best to shake your brains out with their bottom-heavy, distorted brash-rock. Singer Chris Mulligan has a curious ability to inhabit any persona he likes once he steps behind the microphone, and in this song he creates a mixed-up, vulnerable but confident and deeply masculine character – ‘It’s all for show girl, it’s all for show – cause that’s a side of me that you’ll just never ever get to know’ – and you really believe it. - Croon