The assist – Words For Music – New Music Reviews

The Sonic Gun Weekender is Upon Us!

Next Friday (August 17th) will be the start of the Sonic Gun Birmingham Weekender which will take place at The Castle & Falcon!

This will be a celebrtaion of some of Birminghams best up and coming bands at the moment, including The Cosmics, Violet, Ivory Wave, The Assist, RISCAS, The Clause and Sugarthief! With it taking place at The Castle and Falcon, it’s the perfect venue for this event as it’s one of Biriminghams best destinations for new music!

All of this has been brought together by Birminghams best music promoters – Sonic Gun. They’ve done a fantastic job of putting all of these talented people together, which will be one of the best representations of the Midlands music scene there’s been for a long time!

As well as music there will be a cocktail bar along with food stalls, they’ve really thought of everything.

Tickets are running low for the weekend, so if you want to make sure you’re there make sure you get them NOW – Buy Tickets Here.

CHECK OUT THE ARTISTS BELOW!

Friday

SWIM DEEP DJ SET

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Saturday

Special Guest DJ

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Sunday
Harry Jordan

Take Note of the Birmingham Music Scene

Tim Senna documents how alive the Birmingham Music Scene is

The Birmingham music scene have watched a fair few acts blossom these past few years with the likes of PEACE, Superfood, Swim Deep and Jaws all gaining recognition. However Tim Senna went out to prove that Birmingham has so much more to give.

The Sugarthief show which took place at The Sunflower Lounge on 8th March, was a hallmark for the scene as a sold out crowd came to watch some of the best acts the Midlands has to offer.

The video really grasps the feel-good culture surrounding the entire Birmingham Music Scene at the moment. There’s no bitterness between any of the bands, as they all support each other. In the video you see the likes of Ivory Wave, VIOLET and The Assist all supporting the show in one way or another. It’s apparent that each of the bands know that working together they really can make something special here in Birmingham.

There’s a lot of creativity going on in the Second City and it needs to be taken note of, because it won’t be long until these bands really start making a big push. Combined with what the likes of Jacky P and Tim Senna are doing, it’s really putting a magnifying glass on this brightly-lit talent.

Would just like to thank Tim for letting me share the video on the site, he’s doing a lot for the scene and is well worth checking out, and as he would say, Welcome to the Madlands!

Tim Senna – @TimSenna

Madlands – @UKMadlands

Tim Senna YouTube

Words by Alex Wise – @AJWise

NEW MUSIC NOW! The Assist – ‘Wonderful’

Since their EP Trouble, The Assist have been moving pretty fast by performing nearly everywhere except the moon, churning out new tracks and consistently building their fan base by simply putting the work in. In the midst of all of this the band released their brand new track ‘Wonderful‘ and it’s probably their best work yet.

The Assist have always had a knack of developing simple yet catchy hook lines, however on this track it seems as though their sound has matured ever so slightly and it’s working in their favour. Mikey Stanton has always prided himself on creating these long verses that dual up as rapping and singing at the same time, which always makes for an interesting listen as you try to to keep up and hang off his every word. This song is no different as Mikey delves into this type lyricism and delivery once again before topping it off with the emphatic outburst of the word “Wonderful”.

The band provide a clean playground for Mikey to wonder and draw whatever he likes. The simplicity of the musicality shouldn’t be underestimated because there’s still a lot going on, with guitarist Ryan working hard and providing lead and rhythm simultaneously. The subtle jangly guitar work are a perfect bed for the vocals, and when it’s backed by a funky drum and bass it’s easy to see why the song is so catchy.

Hopefully this is the early workings for their debut album, and if it is, they’ve definitely found their sound.

Words by Alex Wise @AJWise

The Assist – ‘Trouble’ EP Review

After years building their fan base and touring all over the place, The Assist have finally released their debut EP Trouble, and after the teaser tracks of ‘Nyabinghi’ and ‘Things Get Good’ the EP looks more promising. So does it live up to the hype?

The EP kicks off with upbeat pop song entitled ‘Love’; with its storytelling lyrics they paint a picture throughout the song. The quick funky stabs of the guitar gives the song a hint of a psychedelic edge and the band manage to pull this off well at does not sound like a weak attempt. The clever use of the synth gives the song some good texture, making it a lot less one dimensional as it serves perfectly well as the opener to the EP.

‘Fashion’, ‘Nyabinghi’ and ‘Things Get Good’ provide the bulk of the EP, and they all punch well above average, as they all have their own melody and style as the band refuse to rely on the same old structures and status-quo of most songs. ‘Fashion’ offers this dreamy guitar and softer vocals before it turns into a massive rave as the pace picks up, whereas ‘Nyabinghi’ offers a more ska sound with the quick upstrokes of the guitar, yet it still has the dark undertone when it drops into the chorus. ‘Things Get Good’ completely steps away from the previous songs with its dance beat drums, and simple yet catchy guitar riff which Ryan Stanton manages to do on several occasions.

‘Time’ wraps the whole EP up and it does so in exquisite fashion, as the band has their fingers is several pies as they embrace the word alternative. With a bouncy pop synth lying beneath some intriguing vocals provided by Mikey Stanton, it quickly turns into a much heavier song as the guitar crashes in and the song receives a completely different feel. This is possibly the best song on the EP, as well as being the catchiest, it also has the most versatility as they change the pace, sound and feel throughout and they champion it every time.

This EP is a simply just a bundle of fun which you cannot really get bored of because the songs are just so interesting and catchy. The Assist had a clear goal with this, and that was to be different and enjoyable and they achieved it easily. The guys have found their own style and sound in such a short space of time, so hopefully they will continue with this and push to make more of this music.

8/10

Words By Alex Wise @al4563

New Music Now! The Assist – ‘Things Get Good’

With their debut EP ‘Trouble‘ making waves on the iTunes music charts, Midlands based band The Assist have released ‘Things Get Good‘ on Soundcloud to entice you to purchase the EP – and it works.

Through being together for such a length of time The Assist have very much created their own sound, with a treble heavy guitar, deep bass-lines and vocals that cannot be mimicked. ‘Things Get Good‘ manages to change pace and melody without you even noticing as seems to be such a natural thing to happen. For most bands this would be a difficult task to take on, yet The Assist seem to do it so frequently without sacrificing the quality of the track.

The song has an upbeat feel as lead singer Mikey Stanton sings “Do what you want/No matter who disagrees”, with the drums playing a key role throughout. However when the song changes pace Mikey manages to make the transition feel smooth, as he stops and slows down allowing the listener adjust to it. The attraction to this song is how it’s structured, because it’s not a tired formula it’s interesting to listen to, making you want to listen again and again.

The song very much mirrors the EP, as that also is a triumph as it will be reviewed soon on the website. The band can be happy with the reaction it’s receiving as their not getting any bad feedback, and I cannot foresee any.

Words by Alex Wise @al4563

New music Now! The Assist – “Nyabinghi”

The Assist have been rapidly growing a very loyal fan base these last couple of years due to their relentless touring schedule and, the desire to put on a unique show every time they step on stage. On top of this their music is pretty good, which goes for their new track released yesterday”Nyabinghi”.

“Nyabinghi” still has their classic laid back style drizzled all over it yet, it seems to be a tad bit heavier than their previous releases. All of their songs have catchy little guitar hooks (regardless to the fact it’s only the one guitar which is impressive) this track is no different as the guitar keeps the listener interested. As always the real life related lyrics provided by Mikey Stanton are on point and provides a story for the listener to get invested in.

This track is just another step in the right direction for the band, and if they continue to make these steps they’re going to end up somewhere special.

Words by Alex Wise @al4563