Debut EP from Hull ‘Supergroup’ Rothco. Fool’s Gold is tight, punchy and phenomenally well-produced.
Release Date: 6th June 2025
Label: Man Demolish Records
Format: Digital
A YORKSHIRE SUPERGROUP
Rothco might be considered as a Yorkshire ‘Supergroup.’ The band members – Josh Ingham (vocals), Mike Blowman (guitar), Carlos Macklin (drums), Ciaran Hall (bass) and Charlie Morril (guitar) cut their respective teeth with Hull bands such as Bunkerpop, Black Ravines, Stuka, Big River, Movement and Bedsit. Their dedication to their craft is clear and evident.
The guys came together after a late-night conversation in Hull’s New Adelphi Club in early 2024 and the five members have since fused their disparate tastes to come up with something that they’ve christened Technicolour New Wave. Whatever else that might be, be assured: it’s tight, it’s punchy and it’s phenomenally well-produced.
The tunes that comprise Fool’s Gold came together in the band’s collaborative creative work space, The Cauldron, and recording took place in Young Thugs Studio in York under the guidance of Producer Nick ‘The Muscle’ Russell and Engineer Pete Maher. Between them – band, producer and engineer have done a brilliant job!
HOT! HOT! HOT!
It’s Fool’s Gold, the title track and lead single that gets the EP airborne. The grungy riff that dominates the opening bars makes a statement that SOMETHING is about to happen and, sure enough, jangly guitar, rumbling bass and a confident drumbeat make their presence felt. Josh’s vocals kick off in a dystopian, kind-of-Ian Curtis way, before the passion builds and things start to get REALLY hot.
The heat continues to build. Coming In Hot is a sharp, punchy, couple of minutes of energetic controlled chaos. Josh spits out his lyrics. It’s hot, hot, hot!
TO A PSYCHEDELIC CONCLUSION…
Ponderous and simmering, You’re Not the Only One is, perhaps, the EP’s centrepiece. Josh’s presence rises from a hellish inferno to deliver his eerie, spoken lyrics and to send shivers down the listener’s spine. Guitars resonate as the drama builds before, at the song’s mid-point, the momentum and the sense of foreboding gather pace. The bass thuds and grinds and Josh’s voice rises to a scream. And, still, the band drive on.
To close this short-but-perfectly-formed collection: a trip to Jackson. Drums and bass mesh tightly together to propel things along at a rapid pace. The guitars are minimal but their presence is massive and Josh sounds ever-more unhinged as the song and the EP reach a pure, psychedelic, conclusion.
Listen to Fool’s Gold – the EP’s title track and lead single – below:
Rothco online: Instagram / Bandcamp
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