“Sometimes you’ve gotta start again”, and when you do, you will need the strength and power of a blinding anthem to give you the motivation. “Pocket Full of Flowers”, by Worcestershire based punk/Rock band, Fights & Fires is one trillion percent the tune you need. With influences such as Thin Lizzy, Status Quo and Rocket From The Crypt, these guys infuse their songs with elements of everything you’d expect, and throw in some unique surprises too.
Don’t be fooled by the delicate title, this track hums and reverberates into life with the opening line being the name of the song, a chorus to start a reminiscent journey, questioning what to do with memories collected over the years, as the punky vocals pack a mean punch over gritty guitars which glide atop persistent sonorous drums. This is a band that prides themselves on having fun, and having seen them live, most notably at the SLAP Mag 100th Issue party at The Marrs Bar just before Lockdown 1 turned our world upside, I can say with certainty that the power you hear in their recordings translates to the stage.
Trembling vocals convey uncertainty about the difficulties of starting again, over a softer mix of instruments. Individually each melody is a gentle one, but when expertly stitched together, they create a catchy groove, which accompanies a meaningful declaration that walking away is harder than staying.
Another round of the chorus flows straight after and the middle of the track turns into a steady beat and deliberate guitar strums to build tension and drama for a determined bridge full of sinister and attention demanding notes that really tie the musical talents of this band together, while the vocalist speaks truths and harsh realities. An undeniable message of positivity oozes out of this track, you only get the good by going through the bad.
At just short of 3 minutes long, you’d be forgiven for thinking this track may of fallen short or would be lacking something, but you’d be wrong. This energetic musical attack simply leaves you wanting more of the goodness it has to offer, and the melody will stay with you long after the song literally screams itself into silence.
Pocket Full of Flowers is released on 11th December, and is destined for your motivational playlists.
By: Kate Ford