The Qwarks are a three-piece band from Brighton, and consists of Phil Johnstone on vocals, who effortlessly switches from a “narrative” style of singing to full on melodic harmonies, a sound that is reminiscent of the 60’s and 70’s, Simon Young on the bass, the funky basslines and tones being the underlying driving force behind the track, and Nick Flowers, whose energy on the drums is hard to miss.

The Tuba EP: Herbielife is the band’s latest EP and was released on 23/06/2023.

This EP is a collaboration with Herbie Flowers (hence the title) who is one of the most famous bassists of the 20^th century but is also a tuba player. He has played upright bass or bass for Blue Mink, T-Rex and Sky and has appeared on records by Elton John, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Paul McCartney, David Essex and many more, and I must say, the collaboration works really well!

One thing I can safely say about The Qwarks is that this is a band who are not afraid to experiment with their music. Fusing stoner rock, with psychedelia and alternative rock, this is also a band that have perfected a sound just for them. With funky guitars and basslines and energetic drumming that gives the EP a swagger, there is also a progressiveness about the music that is unlike anything I have heard recently (except, of course, other Qwarks tracks that I have reviewed!)

The inclusion of the tuba gives a different perspective to the rock genres and there is a diversity to this EP that shows, not only the perception of the guys involved, but also an appreciation of music in general.

Once again, the vocals are quirky with a mixture of melodic singing, punky shouting and almost the spoken word and the accompanying backups are of much the same style.

Overall, this is a funky, weird, wacky EP but one that must have been a lot of fun making.  Check out The Qwarks and their music, it should make you smile 😊

Track Listing:

1) Deckchairs

2) Biscuit Man

3) Sun

This review is the property of The Metal Asylum