With Josh Porter on vocals and guitar, Elliot Stephenson on lead guitar, Ollie Siggee on drums, Tom Scott on bass and Taylor Gadsby on keys and guitar, The Publics’ five-piece lineup has led to some of the most fiery anthems on the stages on Nottingham. The Mansfield band have built a reputation for powerhouse indie rock, and made waves with the string of singles leading up to their debut EP I Know the World Stopped, but Why Did You?.
After the introduction of ‘Emergency Broadcast Service’ sets the tone for a project where most will need to seek shelter, ‘Red Flag Verified’ comes screaming into view. Shrieking tones and empowered riffs clatter against fast-paced bass lines and tension-building drums, the vocals telling the story of the girl desperate to escape the 9 to 5.
Following the huge opener, The Publics move on to ‘Gaslighter’, harnessing a more upbeat indie sound. The small-town stories continue as our narrator watches a new father struggling to adjust, leaving an anthemic vocal to cry out over the bright and distorted guitar tones. ‘D.B. Cooper’ is up next, the final track before the band’s lyrics turn inward, attempting to unravel a great unsolved mystery. High-octane rhythms chase down the fugitive, charging through the night, each instrument charges to keep up leading us to an incredibly climactic last chorus.
The title track steadies the ship once again, the band hitting heavy by talking about their personal experiences, adding an element of melancholy as they reflect on themselves instead of others. It’s a gem of an indie track, with an infectious chorus and a genuine outlook. ‘Murphy’s Law’ then rounds out a momentous debut project with a golden rise of guitar tones and heartfelt vocals. The band lets loose into the final moments before falling away.
They explain, “Most of our songs are written as character studies based on either people we’ve met or from stories that our friends have shared about people they know. ‘Relatability’ is a huge factor in people connecting with a song and we don’t feel as though we’ve lived very ‘relatable’ lives. By telling others’ stories our songs’ cover a range of topics, It also means that when we do write personal songs, such as I Know the World Stopped, but Why Did You? and Murphy’s Law, they tend to have that extra kick to them!”
