Review: Massive Wagons keep rock music fun with new album House of Noise

: by Joe Sharratt; in Reviews; on 22 July 2020

Lancaster rockers Massive Wagons have been writing killer rock songs and enjoying doing it for over a decade now, nurturing a reputation for high energy shows mixed with a healthy dose of high jinks along the way.

They moved up a gear a couple of years ago when they signed with Nottingham-based Earache Records and released their fourth and, to that point, arguably their best studio album Full Nelson. After a couple of years of hard work touring and recording, they’re now back with its follow up, House Of Noise, and what a record it is.

The whole thing feels like Massive Wagons pushing themselves further than they ever have before. Lead single In It Together comes roaring out of the blocks complete with its joyous “tra la la” refrain, and hot on its heels comes Bangin In Your Stereo (complete with a superb Lego-themed video) which feels like The Darkness colliding head-on with AC/DC.

Hero, meanwhile, is a fist-pumping six-minute epic shout-along, and Pressure is straight up high octane punk at its finest that shouts out: “Since the label got involved / They’re losing direction / Give me back my band / And I’ll be out of your hands / Since the label got involved / I’d like my money back”.

In what has to be one of the greatest launch events ever, Massive Wagons announced their latest single The Curry Song (“When I say Rogan, you say ‘Mosh’!” at the weekend with a Facebook live cook-along, and it may just be the best song about spicey food ever. Sad Sad Song serves up some bittersweet lyrics to a hell of a punk-pop tune, before eight-minute behemoth Matter Of Time closes proceedings with an absolute triumph of vocal skill from lead singer Baz Mills, leaving you with nothing else to do but wipe the smile off your face, hit repeat and jump back into the House Of Noise.

Buy House Of Noise through Massive Wagons’ official website

House Of Noise track list:

1. In It Together

2. Bangin In Your Stereo

3. House Of Noise

4. Freak City

5. Hero

6. Professional Creep

7. Pressure

8. The Curry Song

9. Glorious

10. Sad Sad Song