Fingercuffs

A collection of comments and excerpts of reviews

Alternative Rock Review, Nick Collings, May '04 - Review of album "BLANK"

Fingercuffs make the Beeb, September '03

Alternative Rock Review, Nick Collings, April '03 - Review of demo "Champion the Underdog"

Route One Promotions Launch Party, July '02, The Louisiana

“metaluk.com score: 8/10

Now, Fingercuffs truly symbolise the best bits of indie/emo rock, mixed with arty experiments reminiscent of Tool and Sonic Youth. And, on their extraordinary demo ‘Built-In’ it’s clear just where they lie in terms of creativity. Brilliance ensues.
Fingercuffs are impressive purely because they have taken great care in forging their own sound, which contains bits from all over the place, yet manages to remain conclusively indefinable. On first track proper ‘Built-In’, the band prove they have a knack for writing difficult tunes that become more open and infectious the more you listen. That sensitive and gradual sound continues into ‘Fragment’, which radiates with a powerful resistance and maturity. Rather than kick into distorts and make as much noise as possible, Fingercuffs actually seem to depend on building song structures with melody, which creates an atmosphere most welcome. Take ‘Into the Ordinary’ for example, which finds the twosome spending two minutes crafting their wholly unique mood. The song only really hits home after the first couple of listens but when you get there, you’ll appreciate Fingercuffs effort to mask their songs in individualism. ‘Mouthing #2’ is the most accessible song on ‘Built-In’ and it’s melodic guitar line mixes well with the understated performances all around. The drum machine that Fingercuffs utilise works quite well, despite the obvious short-comings of not having a full natural snap to it.
For people who appreciate tasteful art-rock, in the vein of a less-manic Tool, there is much to find on ‘Built-In’. Naturally, in their attempts to forge a brooding melodic sound, there is relatively little energy projected by the band. However, if you are prepared to forgo any expectations and simply enjoy Fingercuffs for what they do, you are sure to find a band worth pure gold. ‘Built-In’ is a strong and promising demo.”
Chris C of MetalUK.com online music magazine - Review of mini album "Built-in"

"A solid soundtrack" - Ian MacKaye, Fugazi/Dischord Records

"I like it!" - Travis Morrison, The Dismemberment Plan

"Marvellously scuzzy rock" - Venue Magazine, Bristol

"... good material there ..." - Matt Wilkinson, Rough Trade Publishing/Project Cosmonaut

"Fantastic! You guys are sounding great!" - Geoff Barker, Bath FM

"Cool..." - Alistair Pitt, Star FM

"Excellent!" - Claire Sturgess, XFM

"Keep keeping it real boys!" - Roy Delaney, Decode Magazine

"Nice" - Hillviews Magazine, Bristol

"A joyless affair..." - Holly Hernandez, NME

"Kinda OK" - Fan via email