Laughing in the Face of

Band members:
Steve: Vocals / Guitar
Kris: Guitar / Vocals
Stu: Bass / Vocals
Andy: Drums/Vocals

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Web:
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Bio:
Laughing In The Face Of formed back in summer 2002 in Birmingham when four dudes from two different bands felt the need to start rocking something heavier, faster and more fun than anything else they could think of playing. Within weeks of forming, gigs were booked in their hometown which soon led to many more, and a live EP titled ‘Apologetic’ late 2002.

After a year, original drummer Carl left which almost led to the demise of LITFO as they moved slowly for quite some time afterwards, swapping and changing different drummers. The second EP titled ‘Do Your Worst’ was recorded with temporary drummer Rich Murphy early 2004, followed by first drummer Carl re-joining for a short while until Andy finally took the throne later that year. Another EP titled ‘Angry Man With Frying Pan’ EP was recorded in London a couple of months later. Since then the lineup has remained solid.

Several demos were made, amongst gigging the country frequently, and getting a little airplay on Radio One’s The Lockup show. After initially signing in ’06 with a very small London based label who were just starting out, the next release ‘Technically, It’s Not Our Fault’ was finally released on their own label early 2008, and got some decent reviews as well as opening track ‘Slices’ being played on XFM and ‘Sex Punch’ featuring on Punktastic Recordings Unscene 4 compilation.

The band played tonnes more gigs and mini-tours around Great Britain until finally recording 5 new songs at the end of 2009, which consequently resulted in signing a deal with long-standing independent label Lockjaw Records at the start of 2010.In Feb 21st 2011 they released The Lubrication Of Social Anxiety under Lockjaw Records. It received good reviews:

“The Lubrication of Social Anxiety” marks the debut full length album release from Birmingham, England’s Laughing in the Face Of, and picks up where the 2008′s oversized-EP “Technically It’s Not Our Fault” left off in progressing their brand of metal-influenced post-hardcore (I think maybe we’re calling it ‘tech punk’ nowadays, but who knows). Released in February on Lockjaw Records, “The Lubrication of Social Anxiety” features eleven songs, and hits the ground running with “Open Sesame” and “Never Tire,” which feature dueling, riff-heavy guitars and rapid fire snare drum work.

In a lot of ways, LITFO are a breath of fresh air. Given their obvious metal and hardcore influences, primary vocalist Steve Lowry could have opted to take the easy way out and go with the Cookie Monster-style vocals that are way too prevalent in today’s scene. Instead, he proves almost without exception that you can take good, hard, aggressive music, use an actual singing voice over it and have the music still matter. “The Art of Burning Bridges” features the most “throat,” but is by no means overdone and serves as a good example of the technique used effectively. “Whose Line Was It Anyway” probably best epitomizes the band’s mix of the metal-infused melodic hardcore; dueling layered guitars, machine-gun snare fills, group chant chorus, just enough “throat” (the latter of which sounds very similar to Jasan Radford from the underrated (and possibly reunited) band Onesidezero – a big compliment in my book.

Dying Scene

Tech/Skate punk – whatever the fuck you want to call it – is a dying art. And when bands do it, they often don’t do it very well, which only serves to kill it off a bit quicker. What you usually get is some Belvedere/Wilhelm Scream hero worship. LITFO though, have cultivated their own sound with this album, which just smacks of self-assurance. Take stand out track ‘Whose Line Was It Anyway’. It’s all the best parts of Lagwagon and Strung Out, with the hindsight gained from years of listening to bands like Comeback Kid and Ignite as far as we can hear; the stylings of the former bands, with the nihilistic sense of the later. It isn’t quite there with the kind of ‘fist in the air’, ‘lose you in the moment’ hardcore stylings – and a few more gang choruses would have added to the general feel, but this is about as good as UK tech punk gets.

Punktastic

Discography:
- Apologetic EP (2002)

Tracklist:
1. Hard To Regret
2. Priviledged
3. Proof Notes
4. Apologetic
5. Make It Last (Atari’s cover)





- Do Your Worst EP (2004)
Tracklist:
1. Do Your Worst
2. Burn It Away
3. Waste Of Time
4. Hard To Regret

- Angry Man With Frying Pan Ep (2004)
Tracklist:
1. Something Camo
2. Backward Sandwich
3. 6.5 Minutes per Second

- Technicaly, It's Not Our Fault (2008)

Tracklist:
1. Slices
2. Technically Advance Flea Ridden Squirrel Vs Mutant Gnome
3. Last Stand For Idle Bones
4. Consideration
5. Sexpunch
6. On Strike
7. Death Toll Rising
8. The Gradient




-The Lubrication Of Social Anxiety(Released Feb 21st 2011 on Lockjaw Records)

Tracklist:
01.Open Sesame
02.Never Tire
03.Make What You Want
04.Whose Line Was It Anyway
05.The Art Of Burning Bridges
06.Positively Apathetic
07.I'm Not Your Buddy, Guy!
08.Broken Record
09.Herds Of Gullibulls
10.Green T
11.Until The End

-The Governor (released on July 12, 2013 on 7 ")

Tracklist:
Side A
01. Wronga
02. There's Something Fishy About This Plaice
Side B
01. Cod Stewart
02. Scene To Be Heard