Iconic Screams

From Ellie Rowsell to the Shears twins, here's every scream you need to know about from modern indie rock history.​

Black Honey - Spinning Wheel A fresh and breezy tropical paradise, the first scream in this track is the gun shot thats gets everything going after a lulling western blues intro. Spinning Wheel was the first single ever released from the loveable Brighton band back in 2015. It's a sultry, retro, lively, almost 90s, arrogant rollercoaster - really, what more could you want?

Drenge - People In Love Make Me Feel Yuck

The first track in their 2013 debut self titled album, it's a difficult one to describe but think AM's Favourite Worst Nightmare mixed with Morrissey's melancholy vocals. Brothers Eoin and Rory Loveless definitely aren't here to please, and this is more of a siren call for some dismal teen aggression in a dark room. Maybe this wasn't such an obvious choice with less than 2 minutes to impress and more of a desperate cry than a scream, but as a big lover of referencing in a Pablo Picasso/Banksy 'The bad artists imitate, the great artists steal' kinda-way, the obvious nod to Muddy Waters' I Just Want To Make Love To You, despite all, made it worth the mention.

Fat White Family - Auto Neutron Another first track, this time from Fat Whites first album, Champagne Holocaust. They went straight in, wailing, crying, excreting, this unapologetic noise, with this song to kick off a controversial album. The Guardian once wrote, 'it is clear that until Fat White Family inevitably succumb to a bitter, dysfunctional implosion, they can be very special indeed.' and I think that's the most accurate, inclusive written description anyone could ever give them. They completely defer from the majority of guitar music, there's not even a hint of garage rock in the ruckus they make and although it's nothing completely new, it's bloody refreshing when there are just so many bands doing the exact same thing. Auto Neutron ends with a howling shriek that is drowned out in a way a predator would hope to muffle the cry of a victim. An odd start to an album, but everything Fat White Family do is a bit out of the ordinary.

The Garden - Have A Good Day Sir

This is definitely not the first time The Garden have featured in one of my posts, but with good reason. This band really have filled a void we didn't know existed and as with many more niche sounds every release puts us in a slight fear they've stopped growing, but every time I'm delightfully proved wrong. The U Want The Scoop? EP was absolutely no exception to this and Have A Good Day Sir is slap bang right in the middle of this weird amalgamation of Vada Vada. With the lyrics 'I think I'll learn my lesson, but you'll never know' so obnoxiously repeated and screeched, contrasting to the raspy deep funk section, it ultimately results in the drug-infused tingle of a scream, you can only get you addicted to listening to this again and again because you'll just never be able to get enough.

The Wytches - Digsaw Their most popular song and unfortunately now, the rarest on the setlist. Digsaw has been giving us the creepy chills we've been waining for since 2014 when they were slightly less cool with the dare I say, BTEC name The Witches. Yet another first track from a debut album, this one titled Annabel Dream Reader. The album as a whole has a typical 'break up' theme and with an early Nirvana-tinged sound you could expect this to be nothing exciting but I promise you you're wrong. Digsaw really encapsulates everything The Wytches have to offer, it's dark surf doom with an intriguing intimacy almost like a bad acid trip but with some glimmers of love and support. Kristian Bell has somewhat a troubled character and after listening to this track I definitely want to give him a hug. This lonely boy is all summed up in these moans full of heart-ache and sorrow.

Wolf Alice - Giant Peach And at last but not least, this list wouldn't be completed without everyone's 2015 favourite Giant Peach. Arguably THE most iconic scream within the indie scene but also perhaps, (don't hit me) the most overrated. A lengthy intro leads to this slightly underwhelming scream and having seen it live several times on the 2015 and 2016 festival scene, I can see where some of the fuss is coming from but recorded, the scream seems cut short and if you're not intently listening I wouldn't blame you if you missed it. Don't get me wrong it's a decent enough song, but the famous 'spine tingling' scream just doesn't hit the spot for me. And on a side note, as if the video for this isn't distracting enough as it is, the dad from My Parents Are Aliens is in it - but perhaps the die hard fans of Giant Peach just missed out on that reference by a year or two.

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