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Consult the official Steve Towson
discography. Read about Steve's guitars and other gear. Media RECENT REVIEWS AND SNIPPETS SHAH MAT: Rave Magazine, 8 May 2006 Local singer-songwriter Steve Towson has been performing as a solo artist since 2001, following the dissolution of his previous bands Penfold and The Defectives. For several years he was the archetypal angry-young-man-with-a-guitar - imagine a righteously outraged Joe Strummer adopting a Billy Bragg-type stance and you'd be starting to get the picture. Four years on, Steve is still pissed off and still a staunch advocate for social equality, but with the release of his new album Shah Mat, the first with his band The Conscripts, the passion and intensity of his music and message have been hiked up even higher. With it comes a new diversity as well - while the ripping opening track The Straits Of Gibraltar kicks like the Clash on a good day, there's also room for the brooding, atmospheric slow burn of 6am and the rockabilly charge of If This Is What It Means. Certainly it's the kind of punk rock album that could convert non-believers, thanks to the stirring zeal of the performances and the fact that there really is something for everyone here.(Brett Collingwood) Time Off, Issue 1273, May 17-23 The rough-around-the-edges recordings that have previously borne Steve Towson's name are a world away from this album of impressive rock come folk-flavoured punk. This disc is 12 bawdy songs in a Clash/Pogues style, with the tales from as far away as Europe ("Straits Of Gibraltar") to as close as the western suburbs ('Long Drive Through Ipswich'). Fully backed with a band, the rollicking feel is infections, a cavalcade of rocked-up balladry and camaraderie-filled songs such as 'Billy Hughes' Army' and 'The Remains Of Us'. There are moments like 'Tonight We Storm The Bastille', where Towson lets loose in a flurry of sound and fury, these balanced by moments of reserved introspection ('6am'). No longer a man in a shattered state, Shah Mat marks Towson's unique songwriting talent getting the chance to be heard properly for the first time. (Carl Snatch) 3.5/5 BLUNT, Issue 49, April 2006. As a solo artist Steve Towson has bashed out a couple of very raw albums of stark, political punk that rely mainly on the confronting nature of his stripped-back voice shouting over a racket of grating guitar. But for Shah Mat, his third full-length, Towson has positioned a very solid band behind him in The Conscripts and is branching out in terms of genre and accessibility. His lyrics have turned inward from political sloganeering to examine the effect of politics on the individual, while the addition of The Conscripts has allowed his music to explore a more diverse range of styles ala his heroes The Clash. Diverse and yet cohesive, Shah Mat is Towson's best work yet and sure to be his biggest. (JW) 8/10 The Dwarf June 2006. Shah Mat means 'the king is dead.' It's good to know isn't it? Shah Mat, not Shat Mat: it's a subtle but very important detail. I won't even try to label the album with a genre; it'd be an ugly scenario, too many hyphens. Shah Mat is awesome. Just awesome. Some of the songs are absolutely stunning. It swings from a rocking swagger to brutal pangs of desire. I imagined, that this might be the sort of music Nick Cave might make if someone bashed him over the head with a shovel and told him come the hell back down to Earth. What I mean to say is that Shah Mat is poetic and acutely aware without the overbearing pretension (that's where the shovel came in.) There's a wholesomeness and verity to the album that's impressive to behold. The CD finished spinning and I was left feeling pretty satisfied with the whole experience, except of course for the fact that I was struck by the stark realisation that I'm an ignorant fool. Granted, I feel like an idiot fairly regularly but Steve and The Conscripts really burst my happy little apolitical bubble. Thank God for the lyric insert though, without it, I wouldn't have even noticed the politics for the music- Steve's voice is soulful and intense but sometimes it's nearly impenetrable without a hint from the cheat sheet. While you've got the words out, learn them. That way you'll know them for when you're compelled to see him live. Anyway closer A Beautiful Murri Girl has a didgeridoo solo. I didn't expect it, but I probably should have. Opening with The Straits of Gibraltar, it kicks off with a passion and verve that penetrates the whole albums. A personal favourite of mine was If This is What it Means, chronicling some of the details of a woman in an abusive relationship with a jaunt that sounds vaguely reminiscent of an Irish jig. Irony comes best with rhythm. (Steph Maker) |
