London’s Bad Sign are a band making huge waves everywhere they go at present and those of us who have followed them from the beginning have been waiting for the release of a full length album for longer than we can remember. But that wait is finally over. ‘Live & Learn’ is everything we could have possibly hoped for, and then some.
From the outset, opening track ‘Liars & Lovers’ wastes no time at all in hitting hard with some furious riffs and that very much continues throughout the record. The exquisite riffs are matched only by the incredibly intelligent song writing that draws on all aspects of their lives, and the whole package is tied together perfectly with the strong but soulful vocals of the band’s frontman Joe Appleford which are especially noticeably in the beautiful tones of ‘Closure’.
Put simply it’s hard to distinguish any single track that stands out from the rest as the calibre of each is so exceptionally high. The guys have quite literally put everything into this record and it has paid off. For a three-piece they’ve created a sound that is unmatched by the biggest of bands out there currently and as far as debuts go this couldn’t be any bigger than it is. Aspiring bands out there should give this a spin and know that this is the benchmark they should be aiming for.
They’ve crafted a unique brand of take no prisoners, give zero fucks, rock and roll that delivers a mammoth sound that could easily fill the biggest of arenas. Bad Sign are here to stay and this is exactly what rock music should be: intelligent, expressive, explosive and from the heart.
CHRISTOPHER LEE