PREMIERE: SYKES ‘GLIMMER’

Olivia here. Fairgrounds are great aren’t they? The lights, the smells, the people, the vague threat of death by rogue ride…all magical. The last time I went to a fairground was back in November for Blackheath’s famous fireworks, as a kind of last hurrah before me and my other half moved away from South East London. I was desperate to go on a ride, any ride, whilst my partner was less enthused. An hour of relentless begging later, he finally agreed to a spin round the ferris wheel, which, whilst not the death defying experience I craved, would suffice. Little did I know that this was the ferris wheel of doom that span round at approximately 100 mph (no, you’re exaggerating) and that we would be shut in our tiny boxes of despair for at least a million spins round. Well, we screamed the whole time, eyes shut tight, fists clenched on the rusty bars of our flimsy cage. We also laughed until we cried, our hysteria only made worse by the ride’s sudden lurches and the stoic faces of our fellow passengers (children) who clearly didn’t find it half as scary as we did. After about 5 minutes of red faced laughter/terror, we were let off by a nice Eastern European man, and we stumbled into the crowd to enjoy the fireworks. Five pounds well spent. So, it’s not surprise that I am loving the new fairground-themed video from London three-piece SYKES, released today to accompany their single ‘Glimmer‘, taken from the trio’s Glimmer EP which is out now. Featuring a pounding bass drum and sparse synth accents, the track demonstrates the band’s proclivity for intelligent pop songwriting. Rising to a euphoric swell for the chorus, lead singer Julia’s delicate vocal provides a melodic descant to the vocal chants and complex synth rhythms that form the base of the track. Feel good and totally energising, ‘Glimmer‘ is the ultimate summer anthem. Now get me to a funfair.