WOAHNOWS

I’ve only ever been to White Rabbit a couple times, but each time I’ve enjoyed my experience there. So, needless to say, I was looking forward to going again for Jerks, Woahnows and The Patrick James Pearson Band.

With the pool table moved and the band’s setting up, the crowd mingled in one of Plymouth’s most intimate venues before Jerks kicked off the evening with their second ever gig. They set a wicked vibe and the crowd seemed pretty into it, nodding their heads and moving to the music.

Woahnows followed and were incredible. Instantly encouraging the crowd to come closer; they made it a more personal, enjoyable, experience. Getting rid of that invisible barrier between the band and the crowd. It being the final date of the tour the band was in full swing, really going for it and making the most of the last gig. They took time out to interact with the audience, calling each other names and really making everyone feel as if they were in involved. This ain’t just a gig – hell no, it’s a party. Even the snapping of a string couldn’t hold the band back, who continued on just shouted the rest of their final song. Awesome.

After a quick soundcheck, it was time for The PJP band. These guys were wicked. How they managed to create the electric vibe of a festival in a small room I don’t know. The hometown crowd really knew their stuff, singing along to ‘I Am A Racer’ and moving to the music. All of which just added to the party mood that Woahnows had helped to create earlier.

In short, what do you get when you have three good bands, a small venue and a rad atmosphere? A recipe to make Mondays a whole lot more bearable, that’s for sure! - http://www.whatstheruckus.com

A new split single from, Plymouth natives, The Patrick James Pearson Band and Woahnows, ‘I Am A Racer / Go!’ shows off the differing musical directions of, Crazy Arm members, Patrick James Pearson and Tim Rowing-Parker. The PJP Band offers up a slice of, synth-fueled, indie-pop with ‘I Am A Racer’ and Woahnows edging towards the realm of indie-punk on ‘Go!’. Both of which, I think you’ll agree, sound nothing like the band that brings the two frontmen together.

Whilst it’s all too easy to dismiss something like The PJP Band out of hand these days, ‘I Am A Racer’ is catchy and funky in equal measure. This is what the current indie rock scene is missing. It’s not steeped in pretentiousness or trying to be something it’s not, it’s going to get stuck in your head and have you up on your feet and dancing in no time. You won’t even notice that there’s no guitar part.

On the other hand, ‘Go’ is more of a punk rock offering, but there are certainly hints of indie rock and the early days of emo in there too. It’s like Woahnows have put an English twist on the Long Island style of punk rock to make something that sounds fresh and interesting, yet familiar. They’ve managed to be upbeat without being overtly positive, if that makes sense? Even if it doesn’t, all you need to know is that Woahnows are a band you should be paying close attention to.

Two bands with a lot in common, create two tracks with little in common. Regardless, both are awesome and a great advert for the diversity in the UK’s music scene. - http://www.whatstheruckus.com

Woahnows – Foma (self release – tape/download only)

OK so maybe I’m a little late to the party with this one (the EP was released back in September) but after hearing the track ‘Go’ on the split single with the PJP band I thought the Woahnows warranted a little further investigation. ‘Go’ is back as the opening track on this five track tape only release (you get a download code with the tape though, don’t worry techno-heads) but if you want to know what I think of that then you’d best read my review of the aforementioned split single, hadn’t you!? Bleeding straight out of ‘Go’ is the furious and unrelenting ‘Collective Asperation’ (sic) which hits you in the face which jerky guitars, distorted vocals and a gang mentality that jars beautifully with the message behind the lyrics. ‘Packets of People’ is so unhinged that you fully expect the wheels to come off at any minute but, thoughtfully, a few moments of calm have been dropped in by the Plymouth trio. Title track ‘Foma’, however, is my peach in this particular fruit salad though with shades of Idlewild, early Biffy, Dananananaykroyd and any number of hardworking American hardcore pop-punk bands. “If this is the life, I’d rather be dead, living to work, living despair”, now there’s a lyric. We’ve all had that feeling haven’t we? It’s a Monday morning after an amazing weekend doing just what you love and thought just drifts in to your head between the bleating of your alarm clock. Those are also the opening lines to EP closer ‘Poor Greedy Poor’ which holds itself up as an anthem for the day jobbers, the day dreamers and those always one day away from packing it all in. All in all, this is a vital set of songs but, as with so much of the stuff I get sent, I don’t think it does the band justice but only the live experience will truly tell so I’m going to keep my eyes out for live shows. See you there? - ListenWithMonger

We have 20 minutes to write this blog post. Got a train to catch. Got a guy coming in to talk about bands and stuff. All that jazz. There are also no less than 30 emails that need an urgent reply. Gogogogogogogo. We won’t really have time to get into how incredibly pear-shaped last night went in terms of our personal logistics and barely being able to make one let alone all four of our prior engagements last night – suffice to say, we just stayed at the Bull & Gate in the end for our own clubnight, as it should be, where we caught some quality live action from Wolf Party, Blank Maps (we will reply to that email eventually guys, bear with) and the lovely Abigail Wyles. So really, it was a resounding success. We were where we needed and wanted to be. Anyway, here’s the rather-brilliant Woahnows and their incredibly appropriately-titled Track Of The Day called Go. They are a band. They are from Plymouth. They play some pretty kick-ass, jagged, spikey, powerful guitar music that really doesn’t help us in terms of calming the sense of urgency in our brainheads right now, but perhaps that’s exactly what we deserve given that we had a cheeky lie in this morning knowing full well all the shit we need to get done today. References? Sure. We got written down here Johnny Foreigner vs. Winterkids vs. Dartz vs. Biffy Clyro. What a Battle Royale that would be, huh? Enjoy. Ps. we’ve totally just written all that crap in UNDER 10 minutes. JEAH. - Killing Moon

Plymouth Indie Punkers WOAHNOWS, featuring members of Crazy Arm and BearFight, are streaming their new EP through Bandcamp. It’s called ‘Foma’, and is the first release of the newly created Unfun Records.

Check it out using the player embedded in this article, and then pick it up on cassette if you like from http://unfunrecords.bandcamp.com/. - Punktastic

This two-tracker features two bands from Plymouth, one that is more established having received radio airplay and played at Glastonbury, that being The PJP Band, and the other making its first tentative steps into the music scene, the Woahnows. Other than being from Plymouth and sharing this digital-only release, the one other thing that the bands have in common is that they both include a member of the extended six-piece Crazy Arm. The PJP Band has Patrick James Pearson (PJB himself) and the Woahnows has Tim Rowing-Parker.

However, neither of these bands sound anything like Crazy Arm, as both strike out in totally different musical directions: the PJP Band offering up a huge slice of catchy alternative/indie pop rock with "I Am A Racer" and the Woahnows displaying some edgy punk/indie tuneage on "Go!". Despite having dissimilar sounds, these two tracks do actually sit nicely together and it's not too difficult to see why the two bands will shortly embark on a whistle stop tour of Southern England together.

The PJP Band will not fit into anyone's definition of punk but that should not mean it's a band to be dismissed out of hand. With a plethora of bland groups around today, it's refreshing to hear a track that soars and gets the blood flowing through your veins, hitting that sweet spot as it becomes entrenched in your head: and all this without a guitar (six-string) in sight! "I Am A Racer" certainly is a quality song and bodes well for the forthcoming debut album. There is also a great video for this song if you are inclined to search the Internet.

Woahnows come at things from a different perspective with more of an edge and bite to the music and lyrics. Having heard a number of tracks that the band has posted on Bandcamp, I'm not even sure that this is the best song out of the five currently available to listen to but what is in no doubt is that Woahnows are a band to keep your eyes and ears peeled for. Within "Go!" there are hints of other U.K. bands such as Bangers and Apologies, I Have None but these are merely glimpses as the Woahnows create something of their own that is vigorous and fresh sounding, which also manages to be as catchy as hell. There is a radiance to this track that is formed immediately as the opening guitar riff kicks the song into life. Here is a band that will fit easily into the U.K. DIY punk scene and which should be able to stand head and shoulders above many of its contemporaries.

I cannot proclaim either track as being better than the other and despite this being a somewhat brief indication of what these bands are capable of, I'd suggest snapping the single up ahead of any future releases from these bands to gain a taste of what's to follow. - Punknews.org

Woahnows are a three-piece from Plymouth, U.K., which is now following up its debut release earlier this year on the split digital single with fellow Plymouthians the PJP Band with this neat little five-track cassette/download. I'm no stranger to these tracks as they've been on Bandcamp since September, causing much excitement ahead of a proper release and they've taken on quite a position in my listening pleasure in the intervening months.

The main thing that I find appealing with the Woahnows is that the band has the ability to come across as fresh and exciting despite the fact they are not doing anything particularly revolutionary with their music. The songs have their roots firmly based in punk rock and they are boisterous efforts to boot, yet the band is not afraid to slow things down momentarily to add some variety as in "Packets of People," perhaps the most atmospheric of the tracks.

Additionally, for good measure, there are hints of Jawbreaker at times (this struck me more when seeing them play live) and one might consider minor similarities between the vocals of Tim Parker-Rowing and Blake Schwarzenbach, but the overall impression is of a bunch of newcomers on the block, with all the right ingredients to allow them to concoct and deliver five cracking songs. These ingredients are measured to perfection in the mix and the end result is a highly satisfying dish of an indie/punk fusion nature.

Across the release, Parker-Rowing's edgy and intoxicating riffs, Dan James' pounding bass and Adam Wherly's intricate and precise drumming create a musical backdrop that is begging for lyrical content to maintain the quality of the band. Fortunately, this is not a problem and Rowing-Parker delivers lyrics that display clear evidence of thought and consideration being put into the messages contained within them. I do find it pleasing to hear a band that manages to put effort into both the music and the message, as often one without the other leaves me feeling a bit empty. It's great to have catchy songs like "Go" and "Collective Aspiration" (my favorite of the five tracks on offer) but it's even better to have some depth to the actual content too. The lines that leave the most of a mark, though, come from "Poor Greedy People," in which Rowing-Parker sings "If these are the facts / You better be scared / I could read and learn / Or drink and forget," clearly identifying the choice often faced of self-education or chosen ignorance in respect of issues/problems.

I will openly say that I find this retro step back to cassettes somewhat confusing. The medium had a use back in the 1980s when tapes were flying around the globe, allowing listeners to hear bands that were thousands of miles away, but it was far from being the perfect way to listen to music given the ease with which tapes could be "broken." Regardless of my thoughts on the medium of this release (it does come with a download so don't be put off if you don't have the facility to play the tape itself), there is no denying that Woahnows is one of the best new bands of 2012 and one with a bright future ahead. - Punknews.org