Midland Railway - 'Midland Railway'
Reviewed by Allister Spence • 21 April 2025
Midland Railway hail from one of the UK’s most famous breeding areas of musical talent, Manchester. They’ve just released their debut album the self-titled “Midland Railway.” The five piece band, Nick Lote, Sarah MacFhearadhaigh Blemings, Andy Traverse, Kat Donohue, and Ben Ambridge, create a joyful geek rock where you can hear influences as far ranging as Weezer, Artic Monkeys, Buzzcocks, Squeeze, and, in the pitch and sound of some the vocal harmonies even a bit of Queen.
Of course, nerdy pop music isn’t a new turn for Manchester. There’s a long history of this kind of music from the city, Herman’s Hermits, 10 c.c., Buzzcocks, Jilted John, and Jon Cooper Clark all hail from in or around the city, and Midland Railway have been catching the ear of people with their own take on it.
The album itself provides 10 songs of mostly tongue in cheek humour and slice of life dramas. Clocking in at a very concise 29 minutes there’s no room for any waste here. The tone is set with the incredibly catch “She Loves Ted Bundy,” which has a chorus that will linger with the listener for days after they last heard it.
“Bedroom Analysis” leaves no doubt for the listener about why Weezer are often mentioned when Midland Railway’s sound is being described. Under the upbeat music lies a melancholy tale of heartbreak and break-up. This recalled the kitchen sink dramas of Squeeze like “Up the Junction,” which deploys a similar mix of catchy tune with a sad tale or the lyrical smarts of Paul Heaton and the Beautiful South.
“A Song for Hannah-Beth” follows and it’s going to keep the foot tapping with its honky-tonk vibe and fun time feeling. There are fuzzy guitars a plenty in the mix here too. The juxtaposition of happy song after and sad song keeps the listen from wallowing too much. The Smith’s this isn’t.
I’d mention here the one thing that irked me slightly while listening to the album as it’s particularly noticeable on a “A Song for Hannah-Beth.” There are moments throughout where the mix has the instruments so high up in it that the lyrics are almost impossible to pick up. It’s an annoyance, which doesn’t distract from the album’s enjoyment too much, but I do like to listen to lyrics, and I think Midland Railway’s humour in those I can hear makes me sad for what I may be missing.
That sense of fun and good straight forward pop vibes carries through the next few tracks. By the time “The Mysterious Cities of Gold” ends you have a good idea of who Midland Railway are.
“General Debility” takes the foot off the accelerator briefly. It’s moodier than any of the tracks before it. This bodes well for Midland Railway not being a one trick pony.
That point is driven home by “One Day” with its angry punk energy. The vocals on this track from Nick Lote and harsh and raw. You could imagine he had a sore throat for a few days after recording this track.
“Involuntary Counsellor” follows “One Day” and stays true to the quirky pop and smart lyrics Midland Railway seem to revel in.
As the album come towards it end “Anna in Wonderland” adds in some nice touches of psychedelia that give the track a hazy smoke filled glow. “An Attempt to Write a Song” wraps the proceedings up. It’s another smart piece of geek rock where the target of the song is the writing of the song.
It’s a smart record. Anyone who likes any of the bands mentioned above will find something to love here. The ten tracks sit well together and the album breezes along. It’s short enough to not out stay its welcome and it makes you want to click on the play button to start it all over again. Not every album has me wanting to do that.
There will be some who’ll want to smooth some of the rougher edges off, but it’s that punk rock roughness and joy de vie that makes the whole album pull together as a cohesive whole for me.
A band to watch out for with hopefully a lot more to come from them. If you wanted an abridged introduction to Midland Railway I’d go for a listen to "Bedroom Analysis”, "A Song for Hannah-Beth”, "Cities of Gold”, and “One Day”.
Midland Railway will play:
· King’s Loch, Middlewich, Sunday 27th April 2025
· Salty Dog, Northwich, Friday 2nd May 2025
· Cavern Club, Liverpool, Wednesday 28th May 2025
· Castle & Falcon, Birmingham, Sunday “3rd August 2025
“Midland Railway” the album was released 14th February 2025 and is available on: Spotify Apple Music Amazon Music