HIDDEN CHARMS

In the digital age of music, it’s really rare and exciting to find a track which sounds like it was made to be played on vinyl but today’s tip is exactly that.

Hidden Charms are a London four piece who have been together since the end of 2013. It’s clear to see that the band’s influences lie in the classics but it would be too easy to say the likes of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. In truth there’s a lot of the raw energy in here which reminds me of The Animals and The Spencer Davis Group, or even the six string swagger of Booker T & The MGs.

‘Sunny Side’ is a simple, but effective tune which achieves its primary goal, to make you want to dance. When listening to the track you can picture it as a 7 inch spinning on a record player. It’s the perfect kind of song that should be played at Northern Soul nights up and down the country.

The band have also released a new song called ‘It’s Time’ which does have a lot of the fiendish Jagger vocals about it, but again it’s a great example of how old sounds can be made to feel new in 2015. If there’s any band who can bring about a new wave of 1960s rock n’ roll it’s got to be Hidden Charms.

Words by Ian Hastie

Tipped by Simon Pursehouse from Sentric Music and Shell Zenner