Stolen Haven – Stolen Haven EP

The Band: Stolen Haven

Hometown: Manchester

Boys In The Band:-

Andy Brides – Vocals.Song Writer.
Jimmy Gardner Guitar, Backing Vocals. CoWriter.
Matt Edge – Bass
Adam Brides – Drums

Sounds Like: Oasis, The Coral, The Seahorses

Stolen Haven EP

It’s always pleasant to hear a good EP, which Stolen Haven have provided here, as they demonstrate a diverse array of songs with an acoustic number, a classic chord thrashing rock song and a heavy blues track to top it all off. The quick pace of the first song ‘Broke’ reminds you of something that Oasis perhaps would’ve done in their earlier years, with a catchy chorus and a riff to match it, the song proves to be a strong start for the EP. Stolen Haven use their influences within their songs and achieve this without ripping their influences off as they manage to keep their identity on each track. ‘Decent Shoes’ perhaps has one of the most memorable chorus’ I’ve ever heard, as it continued to roll of my tongue every time I filled the kettle (A Lot of times), the gentle strumming of the acoustic guitar has the tendency to make you think about a younger Noel Gallagher playing ‘Half the world away’.

Once again the Oasis influences are bursting out at the seams with ‘Memories’ with the hook line ‘Cut you to the waistline’.  After the somewhat mellow introduction, the drums come kicking in and all inhibitions are lost as the song burst into life, hinting toward one of Oasis’ earlier songs ‘Columbia’. One thing that sets this song apart from Oasis is the vocals tower over them, as they’re not as brash as Liam’s, they’re actually soulful and well delivered. The bluesy number ‘Unhappy Restless Soul’ see’s the EP off, with a heavy, spiralling riff you’d expect to hear off Jack White. Stolen Haven show that they’re capable of stepping out their comfort stone, and try something that isn’t really expected after the previous three tracks.

Overall the EP is something that Stolen Haven should be proud about, as they’ve demonstrated that they’re capable of conjuring up a strong batch of songs, and they’re not your generic ten a penny band that struggle to create anything decent. Gladly the boys have more ideas in the pipeline, and it shouldn’t be long until the next load are ready to be released. Make sure you go to their soundcloud to hear the rest of their EP!

Words by Alex Wise – @al4563

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Upcoming Dates:

FRI 14 JUNE

The Queens, Tyldesley Manchester, UK

SAT 15 JUNE

– SUN 16 JUNE

Ravenstonedale Festival 2013 Cumbria, UK

SAT 29 JUNE

Festival Marquee 2013 Leigh, UK

Ferals – Somersault (Single) – Unsigned Bands

Intro

This is a rock/indie trio hailing from the Northern part of England, that being Huddersfield. They begun in mid 2012 when there vocalist/guitarist Matt Dryden had been away rattling away writing songs and planning it all out, as soon as that was done he recruited a drummer in Matt Porter and they started to work on stuff in a bedroom. All that was needed then was a bass player, which they found in Corey Clough-Howard after advertising for one in their merry town  Huddersfield.  Soon after the band recorded in luck lane studios their first track ‘White Gold’, and began to gain airplay from BBC Introducing along with receiving excellent feedback on reviews. So all in all not a bad start for band who are still quite young, but from first glimpses it looks like they’ve got to give.

‘Somersault’

A friend of mine that interviewed stated that Ferals were a band to adore, just after one track. Well after listening to the second track, that statement still stands as I believe it’s trumped their first track undoubtedly.

It’s hard to believe that this could only be the second track that they’ve released purely because of how polished and complete it sounds, nothing seems to be out of place or missing. The clear opening to the song with a slight glisten to it is most pleasing to your ears, and as the beat drops the whole song gains vitality and exuberance, however there’s still a hint of vulnerability that lingers their giving the song some depth to it. Matt Porter’s drums in this are something to be appreciated  because this plays and imperative part on this fresh sound.  The vocals are also capital reason to why this song stands out from so many others that I’ve heard, those clean cut, astonishing dramatic vocals  play over this song in such style you can’t help but acknowledge the talent he is showcasing on the track. There are definite influences from the Foals, especially from the sound they have, but with the those vocals on top it distances itself from this influence, making it stand alone and not like a rip-off.

Hugely anticipating their next release because of what they’ve come out so far have been incredibly well received, and there’s no disbelief that their next track won’t equal what their previous tracks have.

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RoKoKo – New EP

Intro

RoKoKo are a rock/indie three piece hailing from Medway, they started their voyage in May 2012 where they released a debut three track EP. Since then they have played a handful of gigs around their hometown gaining confidence by receiving well deserved feedback which saw people explain  their music as, catchy sing along songs accompanied with an energetic performance.  The band is made up by Kirk Taylor – Vocals/Guitar, Jason Cornish – Bass/Vocals and Karl Wilde – drums, having a wide variety of musical influences ranging from The Beatles up to the more up to date music such as the Arctic Monkeys.

The EP

The bass riff as the start of the first song sets up an incredible EP that will have you tapping your toe and thinking of the good old days of  The Libertines and The Dirty Pretty Things. The first songs riff smells of Carl Barat a mile away, with guitar sounding as crunchy and distorted as it could and the riff being as catchy as a common cold. However the vocals are particularly very unique because although he’s taking influences from Pete Doherty and his careless attitude while singing, his voice has a different sound to it which makes fellow Libertines fans listen more intently.

The second song on the EP ‘My Fellow Swordsman’ doesn’t drop any of the pace or energy which was built up after the first song. Again it’s the same beautiful crunchy sounding guitar which keeps your toe tapping while Kirk keeps you listening with his vocals and possibly one of the most catchiest choruses this year with Kirk singing ‘My Fellow Swordsman had won’, you can’t really help singing it. Although it sounds like one of the most simplest of songs, if there was an award catchiest song of the year, this would be up there.

‘She’s Really Fine’ steps away from the sound they had in the first two songs, sounding a lot more mellow and smooth, this doesn’t mean that it’s a bad song because it’s just as catchy as ‘My Fellow Swordsman’. Kirk shows his versatility with his vocals hitting notes that I could only dream of hitting. This is where The Beatles influence shines through and not just because of the word ‘Fine’, when you close your eyes you could picture this playing in the 1960’s, and it wouldn’t seem out of place.  A perfect way to round of an EP, a nice little sing along. The only critacism of this EP is that it wasn’t long enough, which is definitely a good point because it leaves you wanting that bit more.

A band that I will be keeping tabs on after that EP, the lads said 2013 will be a much bigger, with them aiming to get on to the London circuit and bring out more songs, which is something to look forward to.

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Alfies Dad and The Others – Lost Boys

Intro

This is a special band because they’re old enough to be One Directions Dads, and they’ve been going for years trying to make it big, however as they’ve got older they just want to make music and to steal their quote they want  ‘become a small as we can’, which is a very meaningful statement. They’ve set up they’re own record label, whilst doing as few gigs as they can get away with, which worked for The Beatles (at the end of their tenure). After honing their sound and perfecting it, it’s turned into some very alternative rock music, with a special sound to it. Although you may never get the chance to see these guys live, they make up for it because they will be giving away as much free music as possible, which is the kindest deed any music act can do in my eyes. Hailing from Manchester, a very rich place for music, they don’t disappoint with a sound so good it could tear you ears off.

‘Lost Boys’

They worked incredibly hard in producing this song, to achieve the sound they obtained for the song, and it’s a gift from the band really because the sound is definitely haunting in some parts, putting you in a place where your surrounded by ghosts. The riffage for this song is very catchy mainly because of that jangly feel to it which makes it that bit more endearing to listen to. The song gradually leads into the chorus with a bridge that even some of the most established bands would like to have. There’s a small instrumental part that exists just towards the end of the song, which just emphasis how goosebumps and eerie this song is, because even without the lyrics it manages to keep you on edge and hooked. This song is part of an extremely addictive EP, which should be listened by all people that have enjoyed this song, because there’s consistency throughout the EP, which you don’t seem to get a lot of now.

This band will be worth keeping an eye on, because they won’t be gigging so much means they will have more time to create music, and not just your ten a penny song, they will be songs worth listening too and taking note of.

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BAYY – Doctor – Unsigned Band

Having reviewed these before, they don’t really need an introduction, if you were unfortunate enough to have missed that post, hold your breath because it hasn’t disappeared, here’s the link BAYY – Aquarium.

‘Doctor’

After listening to their previous track, they leave you thirsty for even more, with their mouth-watering sounds that confuse you but at the same time achieving  to make you dancer in a rather unusual way. If you haven’t listened to the track, again don’t fear, here it is

If that one failed to make move in a way that you never knew you could before, than this one will push that boundary that bit further.

‘Doctor’ has this strange yet beautiful sound blessing this track throughout, it’s possibly the most soothing yet eerie sound that you have ever come across. It’s guitar work and melody is something that you would only expect from seasoned veteran that has been doing it for endless years, not from a band that’s just uploaded only their second track on soundcloud, but you hear it, and it goes against every convention you have for a relatively new band.  With lyrics that sound like they’ve been picked from a trippy dream, the song keeps you listening intently to hear what else he sings. The vocals may sound like a cry in woods with no one there to hear, but that makes you pay more attention, and keeps you revisiting the song to hear those lyrics which are distributed by some soft vocals.

One things BAYY proved in their first song was that they were capable of putting together a song that made you step back and appreciate, this only strengthens this argument, excellent work from and excellent band.

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Morning Smoke – What a Shame (Demo) – Dave Beech

Brighton-based two piece Morning Smoke are a band with potential. New single ‘What A Shame’ is a dreamy blend of smartly recorded drum beats and clean-yet-crunchy guitar that create a kind of post-indie that harbours a shoe-gaze aesthetic.
The sound made by Milo Mcnulty and Max Wright is surprisingly full for a two piece and with the inclusion of a bassist could easily become fuller still. Unfortunatel­y by leaving out a bassist, the song relies too heavily the drums to carry the rhythm of the song, and as a result there’s an underlying flatness within ‘What A Shame’ which let’s it down, specifically from 2.18, as it’s from here the song builds to a climax, something which would have been more effective with a bass line to give the song just a little bit more meat.
As it happens however this is still a song which, with a little improvement, could be fantastic. The understated minimalist approach is obviously something both the guys in Morning Smoke hold dear and it’s a sound that works for them, however without a bassline (not strictly a bassist) the song really does just sound too minimalist to appeal to me personally.
The production quality of the vocal track is something which also needs addressing. Under-produced vocals may well add to overall aesthetic of the song. But rarely are the lyrics discernible over the top of the high pitched guitar, which is something that detracts from the overall feel of the song even more so than the lack of a bass line to carry the track forward.
In every review I write I try to see at least some good, even if I don’t like the track. That isn’t the case here. I can’t stress that I do like ‘What A Shame’. It’s is a well written and well structured song that suffers only from a lack of experience and not lack of talent. The song, although stripped and minimal, is a decent song, and the sound works well for the band. It’s a shame that what could be such a solid record is hampered by unprofessional production on something as key as the vocals. There’s a fine line between under-producing and over-producing, and this track falls in to the former really quite vigorously. That, however, doesn’t mean the band aren’t worth checking out. In a year or so they could come back and make me eat my own words. And I really hope they do.

The Hottelles – Movie Reel

Intro

I stumbled across this band a couple of weeks ago, and as soon as I heard the first song ‘Ignore Me’, I knew that this was the band for me. Fortunately I’ve had the luck of getting in touch their people and they were happy for me to get an exclusive on their upcoming new single ‘Movie Reel’, so I’m doing something right.

They’re a three piece coming out of London, and aren’t following any speed limits after their music has currently featured in a promo video for the fashion company Vans, as well as support Fantastic Mr Fox. The band are made up of three brothers, which just makes this band that much better with:-

– Tom Easton (21) – Vocals and guitar

-Ben Easton (18) – Bass and Vocals

– Sam Easton (14) – Drums (I was shocked when I found out his age because he drums like a pro)

With this Cribs set up and two other singles behind them, I was excited to see what they could do next.

‘Movie Reel’

Unfortunately the song hasn’t been released yet so I can’t place it on my blog, but I can tell you how good it is and how you should most definitely buy it.

The single was produced by Cam Blackwood who has worked with the likes of The Horrors, Florence and The Machine and Hurts (so he hasn’t got a bad body of work). The song see’s them take a step into a more mature direction after their first two releases, which are well worth a listen to.

The song has a very Cribsy feel to it, especially with the catchy but at the same time quite complex guitar riffs, however they seem to keep this independence at the same time, it’s not like they’re ripping The Cribs off. The song contains a very British guitar sound, which sometimes you don’t hear so often anymore with up and coming bands so it’s nice to hear.The vocals are flawless throughout and the lyrics are fresh and don’t seem fake or thrown together, they just roll of the tongue, lyrics like ‘someone to kiss in the sun’. It’s an excellent performance from the band on this one, and especially  Tom for his undeniable talent on guitar. For a relatively young bad, this song sound so past their time, it sounds like a song that should be coming out from a band that are experience, but it’s not which is pleasantly surprising and can only spell good things for the future.

The song is released on March 4th so be sure sure to buy it from every outlet you can and give them every penny they deserve. I definitely will

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Blind Drivers – It’s been a long time EP Review

Introduction

This band got in touch with me a while back (I type that so much, becoming a bit of a catchphrase), and asked me if I could review their new EP, ‘It’s been a long time’, and after listening to it I was swung and I had to complete the review. The band hail from Sheffield, and taking in many influences which range from Reverend and The Makers to Oasis and The Stone Roses, so from that pretty good taste in music (except Rev’s new album). In the band you have:-

Paul Fletcher – Lead Guitar and Vocals

Matt Thompson – Vocals

Joe Doherty – Bass

Louise Patterson – Drums

The band has been together since 2011 and making quite a lot of progress with an arsenal of songs behind them and the willingness to get themselves out there by playing any gig they can. They have been considered to be one of Sheffield’s hardest working band, which you can see by the gigs they have played and the songs they’ve written, because none of those song would just come from a couple of sessions recording, okay on to the EP.

‘It’s been a long time’ EP Review

Apart from the pleasant cover of the EP, and it is because it made me make a cup of tea, the songs on there are quite powerful and catchy. The EP was released on the 2nd February, so a recent update for me. Unfortunately I’m not going to put the songs up on the blog because you will have to pay for them, so get on Itunes and get buying, okay the EP.

The EP is very versatile, the first track that features on their ‘Rich Tea and Sympathy’, was funky with the bassline and the rhythm of the guitar complimenting it, it’s quite Ska’esque with upstrokes of the guitar. Also the lyrics for the song are amusing with lines like ‘She needs some Rich Tea and Sympathy’, those can get stuck in your head for a while. Once I listened to that, I didn’t expect what was coming next with this guitar screaming out of the speakers and these very commanding drums building up a very good tempo.

‘Safe from Tigers’ is probably one of my favourite songs on the EP, because of how powerful it is instrumentally, and if that wasn’t enough it’s glittered with these forceful vocals from Matt which I think play an integral part to this particular song. Once I listened to that song I thought ‘Well anythings possible now, I don’t know what to expect”.  ‘Throwing Darts’ is a brilliant follow up from ‘Safe from Tigers’ because after that you’re quite built up and ready for some more fast-tempo songs. The riff at the start immediately gets you hooked, and it keeps you hooked throughout the whole song. It’s a blazingly well put together song, especially the guitar it’s really tight and well played, really good rhythm guitar.

The song doesn’t lose tempo throughout all of it until the very last part, I have nothing but respect for this because of how extremely hard it is to keep a fast tempo going for nearly four minutes is quite impressive.  To end the EP you’ve got this song that just slows it all down and brings it to a nice close with the song ‘Slow. Melodically it’s very attractive with the guitar just holding that rhythm and the vocals just gently covering it.

There’s a certain vulnerability in the vocals and the way the songs sung which sits well with me and makes it that bit more gripping and makes you listen that bit more intently. The lyrics are well written, and it seems to me like that this was written about something quite close to the heart.

Overall

It’s a great EP, one that I will be purchasing as soon as I get a bit money under my belt. I can only see this band doing more good things, as they can only better with time, and I think this EP exposed no weaknesses of theirs at all, because I doubt they have any. Get behind them, and get them out there…

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The Cornerstones – Smack me in the face – Unsigned Bands

Intro

Got in touch with this band quite a while back, and decided that I should review them.The four piece hailing from Uxbridge in the UK, and they consist of Richard Ruth, Dan Bennion, Kyle Radbone, Ryan Pincott. They’re an rock/indie band with influences being The Stone Roses, Oasis, The Kinks, The Who and The Beatles which you can clearly hear in their music.

The Song

The song ‘smack me in the face’ is the fourth one of theirs (to my knowledge), and has quite a lot to live up to after their previous three, which I strongly recommend listening to, very catchy pieces of music with some nice riffs in place, with a distorted guitar in the back ground, this is prominent in ‘This is how it ends’. ‘Smack me in the face’, steps away from their other stuff as it has a piano featuring in it, which works quite well with the guitar. The singer although sounding slightly like Liam Gallagher he has more of singing element to his voice, a lot more harmony in his voice compared to Liam, but there are definite comparisons to it. Moving on from his voice, the song is quite slow paced, and can be quite haunting in places especially in the verses.After listening to it the chorus really stands out in my mind, which is always a good sign because it means it’s engrained in your mind. I think they’ve showed some versatility with this song because as I stated previously they’ve stepped away from something they’d normally do.

Overall

A really beautiful song, i found it better when I was listening to it with earphones in, else you get too much noise pollution an ruins the song. Think we can expect a lot more from this band, especially with the three previous songs, listen to them. They’re also working on an album at the moment, I will keep you updated when that will be out, also if you can go to their next gig, Sat Dec 1st at Trinity in Harrow, West London. Entry £5, If you can, just go, enjoy yourself while I slave away at work.

http://www.reverbnation.com/thecornerstonesuk/songs

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Get behind this band, see them when you can, i know I will be looking out for them.

The Uptights – Unsigned Bands

Intro

When I found this band, I was extremely excited because they’re MODs, and MODs are just the coolest, everything, the music, the style, the haircuts, just everything. I don’t have a lot of information on this band unfortunately, but I do know that they’re based in Southampton, which is bad for me because I can’t go and watch them in Southampton because I’m from crappy Birmingham. They take influences from, The Jam, The Libertines (So they’re already in my good books) and Joy division.

The Music

To my knowledge they’ve got 5 songs, and all of them are exactly how you would expect them to sound, loud , in your face, a commanding voice and blistering guitar riffs. The five songs are entitled ‘Liar’, ‘What comes around’, ‘Today’, ‘La’ and ‘The other side’. After listening to them all, I can honestly say there’s not one that is miles better than the other because they”re all they good. They’re all this good because they’re exactly what I want from this type of music. I’m going to put a few of the songs here, because I’d like you to go on their soundcloud and check them out yourself, and give them some feedback.

This one was released 3 days ago

If you wanna listen to the other two, get on their soundcloud! http://soundcloud.com/the-up-tight

If I really had to pick a favorite out of these three I think I would have to go with their latest ‘Liar’, mainly because of the attitude it has in it and I think the riff that’s in there is that loud and in your face, it has to be my favorite. Also the lyrics are just pure aggression, something that you can shout to the top of your lungs. Also from the first second it just goes, with that first drum beat it just pulls you in , and the rest of the song just makes you want more of the same.

In the second track that I’ve put on here ‘What comes around’, I think you can hear that Joy Division influence through the vocals. What I like about it is that even though they’ve took that Joy Division/Ian Curtis influence they’ve kept that uptempo beat with bass in the background, and that really loud drum beat as well, I think it works really well and I didn’t think it would.

‘Otherside’ is the final track that I’ve put on here, this is one of their oldest ones I think because it was brought out a month ago, but in a sense it’s still relatively new. I’ve pure put this on here because of the shouting part just after the chorus part, I think it’s class and have they have that shout in there, just so much attitude and aggression. When 2.12 comes, I think when this song has it’s brightest side because it’s got this cool little guitar piece slowing down the whole tempo of the song, the 3.06 hits and rock back into the middle of the song again, like your caught in a rut. I also like it because they’ve got the same affect as The Libertines ‘What a waster’ at the start haha.

Overall

Probably one the best bands I’ve listened to since I’ve started doing all the unsigned acts, because of everything in their songs, I could see these playing a gig with a crowd of people going mental, hopefully, it will happen one day. If I could sign em’, I would.

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