It’s always a risky move, pulling your inspiration from a scene focused thousands of miles away on the West Coast, but somehow Sheffield-born foursome Best Friends use that familiar surf-punk sound combined with that all-too British sentiment “take me from the pouring rain, ‘cause I’ve got sunshine on my brain” and seem genuine. As they put it in their new single, Surf Bitches, “Rock-a-way Beach is just a state of mind” and the sanguine backing vocals ooze of that easy-going disposition. The track is no more ground-breaking than anything being put out by the rest of their garage counterparts, including Art Is Hard Records label-mates SPLASHH, but it is maybe this that gives it a comfortable familiarity that is perfect for feel-good beach music and the sort of longing-for-summer tune whose release is perfectly timed for the end of summer, September 17th.
So far, Best Friends have appeared with the likes of fellow faux-American band Summer Camp, as well as Django Django and Weird Dreams, and now kick off their Surf Bitches tour across the UK, starting on September 8th. Impressively, they boast two hometown shows, despite only having been around for a little over a year. With the recent successes of their EP Throwing Up and split-tape with Grazes, Mankind (both of which have sold out), these small gigs are bound to be ram-out. This is the chilled-out youth and no one’s getting tired of them yet.
Surf Bitches Tour:
Saturday 8th September – The Harley, Sheffield
Tuesday 11th September – The Castle Hotel, Manchester
Thursday 13th September – Bedfords Crypt, Norwich
Friday 14th September – The Old Blue Last, London
Saturday 15th September – Pie & Vinyl Stage @ Southsea Fest, Portsmouth
Sunday 16th September – The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham
Monday 17th September – Buffalo, Cardiff
Friday 21st September – King Alfred, Southampton
Saturday 22nd September – The Windmill, Brixton, London
Sunday 23rd September – Cellar Bar, Bournemouth
Thursday 27th September – Bungalows and Bears, Sheffield
Friday 28th September – The Lizard Lounge, Leeds
Discover Best Friends: Tumblr // Facebook // Bandcamp
By Joey Mayberry
Dance Yrself Clean
