Beat Devils - ‘No Circus Without a Clown’
Released 19th April 2022
Reviewed by Kate, 15th August 2022
The Beat Devils are:
Mikhail “Grem” Bogdanov - double bass, back vocals
Andy Loug - guitar, vocals
Fedor Nikolaev - drums
Coming all the way from Moscow, Russia, the Beat Devils have been tearing it up with their mix of psychobilly, rockabilly, garage rock and punk since 2001. ‘No Circus without a Clown’ is their first release in three years since 2019’s ‘Dig My Beat’ and the trio have aimed high, promising us that they’re back ‘with four new songs, that have never been played live yet. Like four natural elements, depicting human being: our fears and doubts; frustrations and distractions; love and hate; psychotic breakdowns; aspiration to freedom from people, who always want to control our life and our mind, while we are searching for a drop of truth in the sea of lies. And the Clown is a guide between the illusion, the reality and the world of our emotions. In the hard and dark times music saves us.’
Time to dive in...
Red Light: It’s that classic formula of making a heartbreak song sound cute and jingly that makes this a great track. The guitar chimes sweetly and Andy’s vocals have this tone of hurt optimism that makes this song really cinematic.
Out of Town: Everything went a bit darker on this tune which really shows off the Beat Devils’ range! As these songs are only just being added to their setlists I can imagine this one being a shout-along that gets everyone going when it’s played live.
Weretrain Blues: This is my second favourite song on the EP as I’m getting some serious Polecats mixed with Batmobile energy on this one. It’s creepy, stomping fun with a strong beat that will go down really well next time Beat Devils hit a festival.
Goodbye: Another mournfully romantic song with a catchy chorus, ‘Goodbye’ really showcases Grem’s slap-bass and is likely to stick in your head for days. This is an absolute winner of a song and shows that a song doesn’t need to be complex to be awesome.
‘No Circus without a Clown’ is an EP with a lot to offer fans of retro sounds with a dose of seriousness and complexity in the lyrics to each song. The Beat Devils do it all, from angry to sinister to upbeat, and I’ll definitely be checking them out the next time they tour!
YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/38jxWlQ9-tM
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