Label (G/S/A)
Talk Show were just beginning to announce themselves as a name to watch with their (now sold-out) debut single for YALA! Records, “Fast and Loud.” An intense, raucous outlay of post-punk energy, “Fast and Loud” raced its way through a jagged, dark account of an imagined metropolis, capturing the attention of BBC Radio 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq and BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders, as well as a host of tastemaker publications. Follow-up single “Ankle Deep (In A Warm Glass of Water)” then upped the stakes with a one-two punch that married their raw, punk-inspired delivery with melodic, romantic introspection.
Fast-forward to Jan 2020 and Talk Show have solidified themselves as a stirring live spectacle, touring throughout the UK and Europe in support of artists including Fontaines D.C., Squid, Fat White Family, Crows, The Murder Capital, Black Country New Road and Pip Blom. Now, they are ready to present the fruits of a year spent digesting the world around them. Their debut EP “These People” arrives on August 28th via DevilDuck Records.
On an EP that lead singer and guitarist Harrison Swann says was “mostly written whilst on public transport” it deftly interprets a world in which throwaway culture is peppered with occasions of deeper meaning and importance. Swann even took lines from adverts and signs as inspiration while travelling around the city. Talk Show by their very nature deal in moments – from the fleeting, the everyday and the unremarkable, to the deep, significant and life-affirming – and so it follows that “These People” was designed to capture a moment in time. Studio sessions were kept pacey, lively and energetic, as a way to reflect the live experience.
Talk Show are: Tom Holmes (Guitar), Chloe MacGregor (Drums), George Sullivan (Bass), Harrison Swann (Guitar and vocals).
“The band’s debut EP comes good on all the menacing hints shown in breakout single ‘Fast and Loud’ – it’s full of haunting vocals and razorsharp guitar parts, allowing their gothic influences shine through.” – NME
“[Banshee] is a more complete sound – it feels like they’ve honed their song craft; and given this is merely their third release, it’s commendable.” – The Line of Best fit
“These People suggests a richer palette of influences, with darkwave and 80s goth-pop, channelling the likes of Sisters of Mercy and The Birthday Party.” – DIY
“Yes, it has a brooding cool to it, but it’s also bloody massive.” – Dork
“[Banshee] matches swathes of leering guitar – it recalls Bauhaus at times – with that caustic, half-spoken vocal.” – Clash
“Every time Talk Show return to our lives things feel whole again.” – So Young
“Layers of guitars climb atop one another, shredding and shrieking as they reach their climax.” – Gig Wise
“This band are great, great, great.” – Shaun Keaveny, BBC Radio 6
“I genuinely believe that Talk Show are one of the most exciting bands about now, they are Fresh and just what we need right now.” – Jack Saunders, BBC Radio 1
“They Sound fantastic” – John Kennedy, Radio X