Remember those apple blossom scented early sunny days of lockdown? It wasn’t only about enjoying the novelty of new time, the garden, the sunshine and the sheer exuberant joy of dodging covid bullets. There was also the novelty of the streamed acoustic live sets from bedrooms, attics, and cellars up and down the land.

One of the live streams I always looked forward to came from Jack Heaton, lead singer from Wigan’s Flechettes. The band was one that had previously missed my attention, and I promised myself I’d keep a closer eye in future.

Fast track to these dark November days of the second series of “lockdown”, where you are more likely to smell dog turd than apple blossom, and a bit of you hopes that catching Corona might at least end the terminal boredom one way or another. Thankfully, the Flechettes (Jack Heaton, Johnny Raper, Nicholas Kitts, Will Watts) are here once again to help brighten the day.

Flechettes new single Chasing Youth was written about 12 months ago, and the lyrics really remind us to enjoy life as time is not there to waste. It’s a tune to really pick up on the positives. One of my true real life achievements is to have been an eternal 21 year old for a few decades now (underneath the fat old man fancy dress outfit I have to wear), and I agree entirely with The Flechettes, there generally isn’t the time to be sad and regretful; it’s all about taking the next adventure. Time is precious.

Musically Chasing Youth is a bright crisp indie tune. I actually get quite a lot of the vibes of Julian Cope in poppy mood and his early band The Teardrop Explodes. I’m always a bit rubbish when I compare music back to the 1980’s, so I can also say that fans of Circa Waves (both happy and sad), The Clause, and Kooks will feel very comfortable here. In short, this is pretty perfect indie pop.

Not only do we have Chasing Youth but there is a class second track also released alongside, Swallow Dance. This perhaps reminds us that while most days can be good and positive ones, that underneath the facade there can be some deeper emotions which need a little time to process.

Swallow Dance really shows a deeper more serious side to Flechettes and it has a stripped back tune with some dreamy overlaid electric guitar added. I’m really liking the imagery of the lyrics where it really emits a sense of someone a bit hurt and moping about a situation and hoping things might change. For me, Swallow Dance just shows how much depth there is to Flechettes; it’s hard to better than when a lyric speaks to you.

Again, the variety and scope of these Flechettes lads shine through with this reflective track. It’s hard to believe that a band this complete have just 4 spotify tunes under their belt.

Chris R

* Images taken from the band’s social media