Queen Cult have been on my radar for a while as a band who consistently push out beautifully-formed, toothsome, chunky music. It's anthemic but never clichéd - just good, honest rock and usually with a message. I was inspired to write this post by the band's latest release, 'BLACKHOLE', but looking back I just have to mention just a few of their previous tunes, too.
There's their 2022 track 'Woman That I Know', starting thoughtfully with restrained energy, developing a firm pulse and adding bass lines which hint of the power about to be released. That release is one of the best you'll hear: a controlled explosion after a bar of acapella vocals light the fuse.
And there's 'It Matters To Me', which opens with a wonderfully dark synth line, and rises and falls, reaching some dizzy heights of tension at times, before falling away into almost bouncy reprises, nevertheless delivered soaked in fuzz and sometimes close to clipping-out.
And also 'Lollipop', released in January this year (and becoming the lead track of their February '23 four-track EP 'For Now, Not Forever' which I highly recommend you listen through in full). This song is one of those non-stop riots of riffs and drum fills somehow held together by a smoothly flowing and melodic lyric line.
Anyway back to 'BLACKHOLE' (capitalisation is deliberate). This one opens with a nod to the spacey-sounding title, a reverbed, psychy few bars of floating in the void before more familiar sounds arrive: overdriven guitars, settling quickly into a chugging riff which provides just the right base for Maisie Johnson's voice. At this stage those vocals are melodic and thoughtful; later, Maisie adds much more of an edge to her voice, embracing the energy of the song and channelling it to her listeners.
The theme of 'BLACKHOLE' revolves around the post break-up slump: "When you feel like the world is swallowing you up and there is nothing to hold onto because you’ve lost all sense of self".
This is brought out with lines like "Too many times I choose to romanticize, like it would help self-soothe, and not bring tears to my eyes"
It's also very clearly about trying to get out of that slump, and that feel is perfectly encapsulated and allegorised by some really clever song-writing, performed with full commitment. Soon after the line I mentioned above, we move into a slower section which brings the feel of getting bogged down. But just as the energy rises and it feels we might be free, we slump back again as the section is reprised. Then, we do move on - sort of - as the song gets into a chorus section, but one which doesn't quite have full energy.
Wonderfully, we do get there in the end. Finally all guns are blazing as the song plays out leaving a sense of hope, abandoning those negative vibes. It's a victory: the song seems to have solved its own problem.
Queen Cult hail from Macclesfield (which has also produced Cassia and, yes, Joy Division) and were formed in 2018. Their first release was in June 2019, and this got them attention quickly (and unsurprisingly in my opinion). Importantly, they kept on writing, recording and performing bold, top-notch tunes and staying true to their independent roots. Throughout, they've communicated a clear philosophy of pushing back against the system and speaking up for those who may have been its victims.
Earlier this year, the band contributed to the 'Music Against Misogyny' International Women’s Day 2023 charity compilation record, along with Panic Shack, Sinead O’Brien, Peaness, Dream Wife, ARXX and many more. You can get it on Bandcamp.
Queen Cult are on tour at the moment, stopping off in Leeds, Bootle, Manchester, Bingley, Crewe, Glasgow and Stoke over the next few weeks. Check Songkick for tickets and the band's own website where there's also merch and other info.