The Nectars debut album "Sci-Fi Television" 

To all the musos’ out there, you are definitely in for a treat when you listen to The Nectars’ brand new record and see this multi-talented band in concert. ROUGH ONLINE had the pleasure of meeting the band while they were on their UK Tour, and we were not dissatisfied with their energetic, captivating performance. London’s Camden embraced those popular music elements of New-Wave Punk from the 1970’s, fused with the aggressive sounds of the electric guitar, that the band had delivered during their lively, passionate performance of songs from their debut “Sci-Fi Television.” On stage they are a band of skilful musicians, who are a combination of angst-ridden, intense and uplifting who connect deeply with the audience, while off-stage they are the most down-to-earth, easy going group of friends you will ever meet, who came together through their love of rock acts like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Pixies, a special bond you can easily see when they are interacting with each other whilst performing.

Conceptually inspired by the band’s emotions and fears of a violent world and channelling them into a fictional sci-fi world, “Sci-Fi Television” takes you on a rollercoaster ride, right from its Distillers-esque opening track “Holy” which with its in-your-face, fast, overly distorted, heavy shock to the system, lays down the foundation of what to expect from this musical experience. Lead singer Jess delivers an angst-ridden performance on “Heaven,” one that we haven’t heard from a rock band in quite some time as she sings “you shut your fucking mouth” in the second verse, leading up to a vocally powerful chorus that will have you jumping around in that mosh pit, and disturb you with its’ dark, ghostly Organ melody.

ROUGH ONLINE loves “Cemetery Girl.” As soon as the rhythm guitar kicks in you know it’s leading up to one of the catchiest Punk Rock choruses written in years, reminiscent of Blondie and No Doubt. You can just imagine the drag queens getting down to this one on the catwalk, the same way Jess’s fun-loving, camp, flamboyant side comes out on stage as she dances around, getting lost in the music, the same way Cyndi Lauper did in the 80’s. “We Will Run,” surprises us with its’ softer, brighter tones, heartfelt lyrics and beautiful imagery in its’ official music video, making it one of the best Pop-Rock songs to come out of 2018 so far.

“I Want It” moves  in a sexual direction, with its slow tempo and dirty electric guitar, that takes us to a poll dancing strip club or a Blues Rock number like George Thorogood’s “Bad To The Bone,” from the Terminator 2 soundtrack, while “Don’t Panic” throws us back to Green Day’s 97’ stonker “Hitchin’ A Ride” in the verses, and then cleverly contradicts this vibe by slowing down the tempo, and bringing a laid-back sound similar to Manic Street Preachers’ 96’ hit “A Design For Life.” The Nectars bring back the fun on “Lights Off” with its slight Funk Rock sound, while putting their unique stamp on it, using bright 80’s sounding guitars on Verse 2 which makes you want to get your arse onto a Disco dancefloor and “Tame” brings about the band’s notable alternative rock sound, with drums reminiscent of “No One Knows” by Queens Of The Stonage, distorted guitars that do not shy away from making their appearance known, and Jess’s crossover vocal from soft to The Devil rising from the ground in its’ haunting chorus.

“Tired” ends the album on a high, head-banging note, in the exact same way it began with its’ short but effective introduction, which served its’ purpose to give all listeners a heads up before the adventurous, bumpy ride. You have to love this band for their song-writing skills and fearlessness on their amazing debut, and if you don’t you definitely had wax in your ears while the CD was playing. “Sci-Fi Television” is an outstanding record and will be sure to set The Nectars off nicely into the mainstream rock scene. Be the first to witness them receive all the recognition they deserve.