...REVIEWS !!      

x x
german dutch italian spanishs french

  ENGLISH

thepopcorps.co.uk NOV 2025 When a band employs a back-to-basics rock ‘n’ roll sound, for the most part these days, you’ll see kids in thin jeans, mouthing off about ver hippies and acting like they’re the first people to have heard of The Sonics. That’s not always a bad thing, if you enjoy the snottiness of youth. Of all the garagey, lo-fi groups that have emerged over the years, one name stuck out for having a bit more about them. Sure, there’s guitars that fizz like sherbet, clattering drums to whack you ’round the chops and all that basement venue fun stuff – but FRUIT TONES always liked a hook – there was always some pop to sweeten the grit. On their ‘Natural Selection’ album, it was all whizzes and yelping, but on ‘Pink Wafer Factory’, there was some boogie and choogles, which they’ve leaned into a little more on the latest cut, ‘Easy Peelers’. Alternative, underground rock in the UK has been stuck in a pretty dreary Post Punk rut for a while now, with groups too arch to let on that they like anything outside of heavy existential European books and rollies – but what happened to going down the pub and having a fun time? Well, it never went away, but it never really got its own soundtrack outside of the Pub Rock scene of the ’70s. While the older stuff was infused with rhythm & blues, here, we’ve got a group who can lean on US garage rock as well as the chug of Pub Rock, and it all makes for a great party record full of off-hand daftness and ear-wormy good times from the off. Album opener ‘Mystery Stone Fruit’ manages to incorporate sci-fi spook, before breaking out into the kind of rock ‘n’ roll that makes a great big smile break out across your stoopid face! ‘Wild Mouse’, ‘Hands Up (At The Hold Up)’ and ‘Ride The Fire’ are standout if you’re in the market for the kind of Pub Rock that’ll have you putting your thumbs in your waistband and getting peanuts thrown at you in the function room of a Joseph Holts, but there’s obviously other stuff going on too. There’s whiffs of the Shangri Las and Glam Rock too – in ‘Nothing But A Headache’ interpolates the Motown classic with an absolute tub-thumper, and ‘Get Fruct’ wallops you over the back of your head and you’re reeling like you just wobbled out of a show where the Eagles of Death Metal supported Slade. It’s magic stuff for sure – designed to blow the hair off your head. For fans of the garage punk stuff, don’t worry, you’re catered for too. ‘Heavy Bite’ is a pacy affair like an-even-more-DIY, 2025 ‘We’re Pretty Quick’ by The Chob without sounding a lick like it – it’s the way they throw themselves at it, y’know? Album closer ‘Didn’t Even Notice It Was Night’ is a scruffy-haired ballad, and while they’re not sounding like the Buzzcocks at all, the love of pop and bubblegum rock can have you wondering if some of these songs are unearthed gems; cover versions of lost classics, because they’ve landed so complete, just like Pete Shelley used to write. What is so thoroughly pleasing about this whole album is that it takes having fun, seriously. In times of economic uncertainty, in times of war and deprivation, music has a knack of coming along and reminding you that it’s okay to be carefree and foolish. Disco did it, Acid House did it, and Pub Rock did it. Don’t think that the front-footed silliness means that this is a disposable album – good-time rock ‘n’ roll has always been about inclusivity, community, and enough pints to make you forget about the looming horror, rather than reminding you of it. There’s a place for all types of art, obviously – but with this album, you’re reminded it’s not only okay – but fully advised – that you kick your shoes off toward the ceiling and dance around with people you like, to music that makes you feel good. ‘Easy Peelers’ is the tonic for all the miserablism and cynicism that we all too easily fall into. It’s hard sticking your neck out and saying ‘fuck it’ – and FRUIT TONES deserve a slap on the back and someone getting a round in for them. This is a wonderful album – go get it immediately. (xxx)

addtowantlist.com NOV 2025 Manchester trio FRUIT TONES return with album number three, and by calling it Easy Peelers, they make it easy to love—no mess, no fuss, just pure rock’n’roll juice. Across 35 minutes, the band dish out loose-limbed, good-time chaos that somehow feels both tossed-off and razor sharp. This is pub-born, denim-stained rock’n’roll. Think the looser, wilder side of Natural Child or the swaggering early days of The Rolling Stones—songs so instantly classic you’d swear they’re covers. Fruit Tones know their way around a butt-shaking riff, and their boogie comes with a wink, a sneer, and the swagger of a band born for late nights. Every spin of Easy Peelers peels back another layer of classic rock ‘n’ roll devotion, from garage grit to sleazy charm. It’s scruffy, it’s timeless, and it’s cool as hell. What’s not to like? Catch them live on their European tour if you can—the F FRUIT TONES circus is in town. (Niek)

maximumrocknroll.com (USA) #477 Feb 2023 FRUIT TONES have the ’60s-inspired garage revival sound completely nailed down. From the jangle and chime of their lo-fi guitars, to the Jagger-on-benzos vocal delivery, these Manchester (UK) freaks deliver just the right blend of charm and sleaze to make things interesting. There’s a touch of early BLACK LIPS and a hint of REIGNING SOUND lurking beneath the paisley-patterned façade, but FRUIT TONES stick mostly to their roots. This album fits into the Alien Snatch catalog like Lux Interior fit into a pair of sweaty leather pants…exquisitely. (MC)

greennoiserecords.com (US) Dec 2022 While the name of this UK band and title of this album suggests bubblegum, this is garage punk rock n roll, ABC gum that was stuck to the bottom of a counter back in 1974, Chuck Berry and Motown dragged into the garage and through the second half of the 1960s and especially the first half of the 1970s, peeled off and chewed back to life with spit and teeth, a big filthy glob that had been chewed up in the mouths of Lou Reed, the Heartbreakers, Television, the Dolls, the Alice Cooper Group, the Stooges, The Kinks, Mott the Hoople, and especially The Rolling Stones.(mw)

addtowantlist.com NOV 2022 Pink Wafer Factory is the second full length of Manchester (UK) trio Fruit Tones. If the name Fruit Tones evokes bubblegum associations, you are not necessarily wrong. But bubblegum only accounts for a small part of the band’s sound, and primarily in the vocal melodies. Above all, Fruit Tones sound too dirty, too loud, too sleazy and too rock’n’roll to place them in the bubblegum category. A more apt comparision of the sound of Fruit Tones is early Stones, or even better: recent bands that do a garage take on the Stones like Natural Child. In fact, I am fairly certain you will like Pink Wafer Factory if you like Natural Child – particularly the more uptempo work of that band. Pink Wafer Factory is the kind of record that combines ’60s and ’70s rock’n’roll nostalgia with craftmanship and provides contemporary fun. It’s the kind of music that is best experienced live, but I believe the recordings have captured that energy and spontaneity nicely. Buy this one with zero regret guarantee, but if you need more reason to give this band a chance, note that the LP is released by the always delivering Alien Snatch! Records.(Niek)

SPANISH

mitocadiscosdual.blogspot.com NOV 2022 Son de UK y son de lo mejor del garage de las Islas.Como si se trata de Downliners Sect un poco más bizarros pero efectivos e impactantes . De lo ,mejorcito salido del lugar del Brexit en mucho y mucho tiempo

FRENCH

VOIX DE GARAGE Dec 2022 Voici le 2ème album de ce trio de Manchester, leur 1er chez Alien Snatch Rds ! Moi je les découvre avec ce « Pink Wafer Factory » et je suis emballé dès la 2ème écoute, tant cet album est hyper emballant ! Ici j’entends un qui n’ignore pas son héritage musical national, avec un fort goût de R&Beat 60’s, et de biens bons côtés Medway Scene. À cela ils adjoignent une touche d’Exotica, de Psych Garage, de Bubble Gum (enfin là je trouve ça moins évident). J’entends beaucoup de la vibration originelle du Rock’n’Roll, un peu (vraiment un peu) des Ramones pour le côté frais, vif, emballant et mélodique, et surtout en restant loin des clichés. Pour faire bon poids, on rajoute un morceau Indie Surf Pop dans un coin. Et aussi un poil de Pub Rock (au service de sa Majesté oblige). 12 chansons. Des vraies, en 38 mn. C’est frais, sautillant, vraiment bien varié, notamment grâce aux variations de rythmiques d’un titre à l’autre, et également parce que le chanteur chanteur sais bien moduler sa voix, et que le jeu des musicien est assez subtile pour donner à chaque moment la vibration qu’il faut !!! (BT)

monstres-sacres.blogspot.com (FR) Dec 2022 Encore une merveille du label Alien Snatch Records. Ce groupe de Manchester nous livre son deuxième opus. Ils ont assimilé le meilleur des Stones, du Velvet et de ... à vous de trouver ??. Une grande touche de rock garage en plus et le tout mélangé dans un mixeur à haute-tension. Le résultat est de la pure énergie ! (CR)

ITALIAN

RUMORE.COM (IT) JAN 2023 "Giorni felici, giorni passati, giorni dorelli (cit. Marco Pecorari): mi risuona questa frase nel mentre gira l’album del trio garage r’n’r di Manchester, dalla testa ai piedi dentro gli anni 70 dei Rolling Stones. Questi qui sono molto più cazzoni, lo-fi, divertenti. Anche se è roba sentita e risentita, la voce lacerata, la chitarra rozzamente punk e i cori sdolcinati di MSG e Because I Like It sono un farmaco salva vita per i malati del caro vecchio r’n’r. E siccome anche i più balordi hanno un cuore, i tre sono capaci persino di prodursi nella ballata lacrimevole Space Angel dove si fa nitida l’immagine dell’orchestrina di una nave da crociera che chiama a cantare sul palchetto il turista più ubriaco in sala. Chiude Cream & Sugar che è una meravigliosa Brown Sugar da pub di quart’ordine" (Vote 76/100, Manuel Graziani, RUMORE MAGAZINE, January 2023)

GERMAN