CD: “Live At Stickstock” by Three Fingers

Poole-based Blues/Punkers 3 Fingers have decided to unleash a live album upon us, inspiringly titled “Live at Stickstock 2016”. Which is some feat as they aren’t even mentioned on the official festival poster! Perhaps they were a late entry on the Sunday as they weren’t there the 2 days I was present. Anyway, I digress. So, the album. It opens with a track called “Be Your Friend” with its noodly intro and clicky chords in the background. The “Poppy” vocal explodes into life with a trademark “festy” sound, while the song ending is explosive. “Kill You” has a softer, clearer intro before the subtle vocals take over. Lots of “oooh’s” in there and it’s slightly tongue-in-cheek before the angry chorus takes hold. I’m slightly reminded of The Libertines in the ramshackle vocal delivery, while the psychedelic bridge keeps you guessing as to where the song is going next. It ends with a thumping bass which is great.

“The Cutback” has a chunky guitar opening before those slightly Blues/Punk vocals kick in. That vocal becomes strained as the energy grows. The song lends itself to the current social climate and harks back to “UK82” Punk themes, but at no point is it copyist. ‘Give Me a Reason’ begins with a Green Day-esque guitar part before those scratchy vocals kick in. There’s more straining of the lungs and a very slight tinge of Ska, and I’m reminded of (Joe) Strummer in the vocal.

“Stand Together” has another noodly intro with some intricate picking, allied to some military-esque hitting from Ryan (drums). The Blues/Punk vocals then take centre stage in what is clearly a song about comradeship I imagine, and it’s as Punk as you like. “I Never Said I Loved You” starts slower with a bluesy intro before those Blues/Punk vocals take over. I get the impression this is a true story, sung as if it had been recounted. The vocal delivery is gravelly in the chorus, matched to twisted chord structures and some more noodling. There’s some hard, symbol hitting and a rather muddled bridge; yet the song retains a nice ending.

“The Last Time” has lots of Punk influences (too many to mention here)! This time the vocals are much more coherent and less snarly. The “woah, woah, woah’s” around the chorus echo The Clash, yet the vocals are more “Pub Rock”. It’ll never win lyric of the year but it’s a decent enough song. “Ugliest Girl in the World” is introduced with a humorous aside. A frenetic beat set to humorous, storytelling lyrics. If “Peter & The Test Tube Babies” had written this we’d have all been lauding it for years. As it happens it’s a fairly new band from Poole. The song humorously defends itself with an opposite chorus before returning to the ugly theme. A real gem on this collection.

“Liquor and Whores” – indeed! A self-explanatory story behind this most honest of songs. It begins all slow and Folky before exploding into life. “Your Love” has a slow, delicate guitar intro. It’s more melodic, almost spoken word-there’s heartfelt honesty in this storytelling little number. Dan (guitar/vox) forgets his lyrics mid-song and apologises, which just adds to the general feel of the occasion. The bridge is just like a jam session, before returning to the chorus. “Pissed Again” has a Chili’s-esque intro but the similarities end there. Again it’s the slow/fast format displaying maximum Blues/Punk. The shortest song on here and possibly the best, with its abrupt ending in the true spirit of Punk.

“While You Were Sleeping”, the last track on here is down and dirty. There’s a Bluesy, Garagey drawl to the lead vocal that once again slips into the manic and scratchy delivery; before the noodling returns one last time.

It’s always brave to release a live album as your debut. However, this collection tells you plenty about Three Fingers. I hope when they decide to make a studio album, that same energy and intensity is transferred to record (insert format of choice)! But as a starting point this would make me want to go check them out, as you the buying public should.

Track Listing
Be Your Friend
Kill You
The Cutback
Give Me a Reason
Stand Together
I Never Said I Loved You
The Last Time
Ugliest Girl in the World
Liquor and Whores
Your Love
Pissed Again
While You Were Sleeping

Band members
Dan Kennedy – Guitar/Vocals
Sam Taylor – Bass/Vocals
Ryan Ashcroft – Drums

Links
https://soundcloud.com/threefingersband
https://www.facebook.com/ThreeFingersOfficial

Contact: threefingersband@hotmail.com

Review by Ross A. Ferrone