Newcomers on the music scene excite me, they quite often release an EP that blows us all away and with in no time they are regulars on the club and festival scene and before you know it they release albums that are hailed as classics. This has happened to a countless amount of Australian acts over the years and by the look of the way thing are happening for The Mess Hall, potential is being shown not only on the live front but with the release of this brilliant debut EP "Feeling Sideways".

The Mess Hall play raw bluesy rock n' punk that can move in any direction as the EP grooves along. Imagine yourself in a dingy club full of messy looking cowboys in flannel shirts drunk out of their minds on whiskey and looking for a soundtrack to their destruction, on walks the house band who are trying to shed a rockier sound upon these musically deprived rascals, that band would be The Mess Hall and believe me within seconds the crowd would be dancing their arses off.

That's how these guys keep their sound fresh; it is loud and rocky while holding a groove that amongst its dirty ranks has the ability to keep your bobbing your head.

‘Lock and Load' has been infecting Triple J listeners of late and is definitely a standout with its extremely catchy hooks, ‘Railyard Rumble' has a real southern tinge to it along with a huge rolling chorus, ‘Shake, Shake' moves and jumps smoothly with an explosive breakdown, ‘Get Away' is modern blues for a modern rocker and ‘Do it again' next to ‘Feel Like A Dog' both serve as fast, attention grabbing finales for this fine debut EP.

As I mentioned these guys have real potential to become a staple amongst Aussie acts, this EP proves that with the fact that these guys are playing out on a rock scene where they can remain fresh and not sound much like anybody else out there, and being ‘Rock Fever' year and all they couldn't have chosen a better time to unleash themselves into our stereos and live venues.

"Feeling Sideways" is definitely one of my favorite Aussie releases this year.

review courtesy of anemic magazine and peter stevens