London-based four piece Burn Down Rome are on the fringes of the burgeoning alternative-hardcore scene with a thumping debut album — Devotion — and a Playlist that gives props to some of the contemporaries whose adventurous approach they take their inspiration from.
The Smiths / Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before
The Smiths are the single biggest influence for Burn Down Rome. Everything from the riffs, to the ethic, to the lyrics, we love. Stop Me gives me shivers every time I listen to it. Below is a cover by Roy and Dale from the ska-punk band the Eclectics.
Joy Division / Love Will Tear Us Apart
As cliché as it may be to pick this song, I can’t help but love it. Scouring MTV2 as a kid, I was mesmerized by the video. It started my love affair with Joy Division and Ian Curtis. This is a cover below by Norwegian act called Susanna and The Magical Orchestra.
Metronomy / Heart Breaker
Nights Out is my favourite record of 2008. This is one of the best bands in the UK right now. I saw them live at Bricklane’s Rough Trade and it made me realise how important this band is. They don’t take themselves seriously, yet write thoughtful and interesting songs, which is a rare thing.
New Order / Blue Monday
This was the best selling 12″ single of all time and lost Factory Records money, on every copy. It makes me love Factory Records all the more and their ethic of music, not money. New Order managing to achieve such success post-Joy Division, despite the death of Ian Curtis and changing genre, amazes me.
American Nightmare / There’s A Black Hole In The Shadow Of The Pru
Possibly my favourite lyric of all time: ‘everyone I ever loved went down in history’. I respect American Nightmare for putting delicacy into hardcore; Wes Eisold’s lyrics are unlike anything else.
Foals / Olympic Airways
This band is worth all the hype. Seeing them live gave me the inspiration to continue writing lyrics and playing shows. They are doing something completely different and they’re doing it with integrity and intelligence. Whether I see them at a venue for 200 or 2,000, I feel the same. And that’s rare for me.
Converge / The Broken Vow
This song is bleak and so unrelenting. It is the best song when you feel helpless and unlovable. Live there is nothing like it. I saw Converge for the first time years ago with Modern Life Is War in London. That show changed the way I looked at hardcore forever.
Kate Nash / Mouthwash
I have been told that If I was a girl, I would be Kate Nash. Although I disagree, I love her songs and think she has her own lyrical style. She is original in a sea of horrific singer-songwriters. I find her very funny and unusual. And that can only be a good thing.
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