Leadfinger are one of those bands that perhaps tend to slip under the radar outside of their usual confines along the central to southern coasts of New South Wales.
They were formed in 2006 by Glasgow-born singer/guitarist Stewart ‘Leadfinger’ Cunningham, and have 6 albums to their name to date. The band consists of
Stewart Cunningham: vocals, guitar
Michael Boyle: background vocals, guitar
Dillon Hicks: drums
Adam Screen: bass guitar.
Leadfinger are essentially a rock and roll band who have a distinct, and direct, link to the independent sounds and scene from the late 80’s through into the mid 90’s incorporating the classic guitar-based feels found in the cornucopia of sounds of the originally, largely- independent artists of those times (there are smatterings of The Johnnys, early Hoodoo Gurus, The Saints/Ed Kuepper, Dave Graney and The Screaming Tribesmen that cut across their overall sound).
Having said that their music is a sum of many years of collective influences, I believe that Leadfinger have gone on to show a further side to their versatility with the release of this terrific indie rock ballad, Find The Words.
Taken from 2022’s Silver & Black album, the song has a heavy touch of what we would now call alt-country (maybe even the sway of a gentler, “old-school” cowboy punk of yesteryear) infused into its’ fabric. The clean, echo-laden guitars ring of a desolate and barren place where despair reigns supreme, perhaps being echoed in the canyons of our subject’s mind. Cunningham’s vocal reveals a painful fragility, and matches the subject matter of the song perfectly – the inability to put into words something which may cause pain to one close.
“I’ve got something to tell you, if I can find the words
You know that I know I love you but I fear the worst
I’ve got something to tell you, it’s not good news
I’ll try not to hurt you baby if I can find the words
If I can find the words to tell this to you
It’s not good news and I can’t find the words
To say to you
Talk to me now baby
And I’ll tell you all about
My problems in this world
And how they came about
Talk to me now baby
I’ve got something to tell you, it’s not good news
I don’t want to hurt you baby, but I can’t find the words
I can’t find the words”
You can Stream/buy Find the Words here
The album, Silver & Black, is available here through Golden Robot Records
