That feeling when you are close enough to the front of the stage. Close enough to see the speakers bounce and pound with the sound. Close enough to feel the vibrations shake through your every atom, to the point where you idly wonder if your very being might shatter into billions of pieces. Close enough to empty your mind and become part of that delicious pounding wave form. Close enough to let yourself float through the venue on those notes and rhythms.

Nottingham based Marvin’s Revenge are one of those seers and sages that make that happen; sheer mages in weaving such spells.

Need proof? Give Marvin’s Revenge’s new release Hugs From Grandma a listen. Better, catch them perform it live.

Fittingly for a three piece band, Hugs From Grandma is a three track affair.

Grungy scuddy Big Snake takes me back to my own deliciously indecent youth when Physcobilly was king. That insistent rockabilly beat with a dark lurking ever present menace just behind it.

If the B52’s had a son they had locked in chains in a log cabin in the woods for 20 years: emerging in his prime with a menace and an impatient need to devour the world with one howl. This would sound like Big Snake.

As a one time wanna be vocalist, I particularly adore voice and Hugs From Grandma gives me chills. Deep, assured and solid with an unabashed northern accent; this is Kurt Cobain from the Dales.

Where Big Snake is an instant release of energy, Hugs From Grandma is more controlled but equally satisfying. This is solid solid tune, with both something for the noise merchants and also for those who want a pleasing tune.

To close the Hugs From Grandma is the magnificent Eating Flowers, which has a delicious dark grungy fuzz to it.

There is a delicious stoned paranoia threaded through the rock core of Eating Flowes. The line in the song about eating flowers on the coach, and wondering whether anyone knows struck a cord. Haha, I’m not going to admit what I got up to to while away the hours on a National Express coach back to Wales in my day, while all around me the “normals” were seemingly oblivious (or more likely, too reserved and polite). Fun times.

To my mind Eating Flowers is about the absolute futility of fitting in, and that not everyone has to behave in the same way and be happy about it. Indeed there’s a recurrent theme here, as that sentiment fits into Hugs From Grandma also.

So, Hugs From Grandma is a 3 piece that the Nottingham 3 piece can be truly proud fathers to. For anyone who claims that grunge type music all sounds the same, here are 3 tracks on the same release each with a different vibe. That makes this little collection from Marvin’s Revenge very listenable and a total triumph.

Finally, just because I can, if you have a spare minute, listen to this little snippet from the band ignoring that it was late afternoon at Tramlines Fringe this summer. Then go to Marvin’s Revenge socials and beg steal or borrow a gig ticket.

* words from tiggerligger

* images from the band’s socials (apart from the shaky ones I took)