Young Rebel Set - Lennons Southampton 17th April

The seven piece band from Stockton-on-Tees stepped up onto a very small stage barely leaving a single member with any room to move.



The immediate thing that was striking about this band besides the seven of them stood up on stage was the voice of their lead singer. He has a strong voice and sung with his northern accent, creating a similar voice to that of Liam Fray.



Their music was definitely lively and offered a folk feel, which naturally led to a lively crowd bobbing up and down to the bouncy bass lines to songs such as ‘Rosie’. The folk influences that the band have shone through in this song and scratchy sounds of the acoustic guitar that were played in sync with the bass and mandolin made it stand out.



As well as creating bouncy lively songs with punchy drumming these young rebels have the ability to create a song with a much more meaningful edge to it. ‘I won’t get up again’ was one of these songs – with catchy lyrics and forceful drum beats, it had the feel of a ballad, slowly building up to the big sing-a-long, which made this song one to stick in your head – no wonder is it set to be released.



The band managed to show us a softer side with ‘If I Was’, which came across as a gentle love song. The guitar during the intro was parallel to something from Bright Eyes. This song immediately came across as a wonderfully wrote love song and could easily something you’d hear on Valentine’s Day swapped between many couples. Lyrics like, “If I was a betting man, I would bet you loved me too, I’d bet everything I had for chance to be with you”, paint an image of a song wrote for a loved one.



Listening to the lyrics in more depth there seems to be more to the song. “I wish I never learnt a chord” and “I wasted so much time” could have led the audience to believe that the song may be about love lost due to music.



A fantastic performance from Young Rebel Set containing something for everyone.



Rating: 4/5

Review by Craig Thomas

This has been published on Southsonic's website.

http://www.southsonic.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=242&Itemid=68

Save 6 Music

Save “6 Music”!

For many years I have been listening to BBC 6 music radio station after discovering it one Sunday morning when I found myself bored with nothing to do. I was immediately hooked on the music that they played and the quirky presenters they had to go with it. After recently this year discovering that the BBC have plans to take the station of air I was saddened and like many others couldn’t see why they wanted to do this.

For myself and I am sure for many other people BBC 6 Music has been a great source for discovering new music from the various selection of music they play on the show. It’s probably the only radio station in the UK that plays the music that they do. Mix the music with the quirky presenters and there is not much else more that you need for a great radio station.

A story reported in the Times said “The BBC has failed British musicians and their fans by deciding to shut the digital radio station 6 Music, record industry chiefs said at the weekend.” The story goes on to say “In a strongly worded letter to Mark Thompson, the Director-General, representatives of the music industry said they were “surprised and alarmed” by last week’s report in The Times that the broadcaster is to close the alternative music station as part of an overhaul of the corporation’s size and scope.” The BBC in my opinion fail to realise the popularity of the show and how it is so important for new small bands to get radio coverage as it is a lot harder for them to get played on radio 1. As nowadays we have no Top of the Pops by having “6 Music” it’s where a lot of bands are showcased to the public for the first time.
Some people have been arguing that the BBC needs to take “6 Music” of the air so that they can save money. I feel that it would much more sensible for the BBC to cut the salaries of their “Stars” like Jonathon Ross. I have also spoke to people and heard people say that Radio 1 is a good hub for introducing new music and to be honest this idea annoys me as I don’t think anyone can compare Radio 1 and “6 Music” for playing and introducing new music. Radio 1 always has been and always will be a much more commercial radio station and they have set playlists as to what they have to play whereas 6 Music plays a much greater variety of music. They allow for much more personality for their presenters who reflect this with the music they play.

I really do hope that Mark Thompson and the BBC come to their senses and realise that 6 Music is far too important to the public and to the music world to be taken off air. They should look at other ways to restructure the BBC without damaging the music sector.


Craig

Joshua Radin - Bristol Thekla - 15th April 2010

Joshua Radin pleases his fans in a very intimate and cosy venue with fantastic support from “The Staves” and “Lissie”.

The Staves were the first to grace the stage on a warm Thursday evening in Bristol – three young girls with very melancholic voices leading to a beautiful start to the night. With a one guitar and three stunning voices they created a sound comparable to Laura Marling. Each and every song was greeted with a very appreciative applause by the audience.

Lissie followed The Staves and certainly the expectant crowd. A very charming American gal singing with all she had and she seemed extremely grateful to be in the UK. The performance was folk, blues and country all in one. It was a very strong performance and most of the audience found themselves foot tapping along with songs such as “In Sleep” and “Little Lovin’”. No wonder they received such a great reception from the Bristol crowd.


Joshua Radin didn’t leave the crowd waiting long and entered the stage with his band and “The Staves” providing the backing vocals.

Joshua started his set with “No Envy No Fear” and had the crowd gazing at him in wonder. During the song Joshua even stepped away from the mic and closer to the crowd, still not losing the impact of his wonderful voice. The self proclaimed “whisper-rock” style from Joshua Radin shone through in this song and throughout the night.

One thing about this performance that stood out was that he constantly kept the crowd involved whether it was just by telling them a story or by asking questions. There was constant inclusion of a story before every song he sang – why he wrote it and where he wrote it etc. The stories gave every song that much more personal meaning especially in the case of “One of those days” which he wrote after seeing his ex-girlfriend everywhere he went.

“Sky” which was performed by Joshua and The Staves lead singer was a very intimate acoustic performance with the pair sharing a mic and singing in perfect harmony as the rest of band exited the stage to leave the spotlight on the pair.

Joshua took time to perform some new songs with which he got the whole audience involved in. He had the crowd shouting out lyrics to the chorus in one and clapping along to the rhythm in another.

All in all a fantastic intimate performance by Joshua Radin.

4 out of 5

Craig Thomas

Errors Review Published on Sonic South

Their MySpace reads "Four guys without any spark of talent", a very ironic title for four very talented musicians.

A smoke filled stage partly cleared to reveal the band circled around their instruments. The front man, so to speak, stood at the front of the group manning two keyboards in his geeky attire and addressds the crowd to thank them for coming down – pretty much the only time the band were heard speaking.

After kicking off with their song 'A Bridge or Cloud', which had an interesting introduction that included the guitarist 'humming' down his microphone, the crowd immediately livened up and the sheer talent of the 'Errors' became apparent. There was no need for lyrics and vocals with these guys as their unique electro sound juxtaposed with exciting edgy guitar riffs blasted into the crowd causing movement throughout.

Foals came to mind when listening to this band with its exceptionally wacky guitar sounds reminiscent of songs like 'Balloons'. The song 'A Rumour in Africa', from the new album was probably the stand out song and it brought most of the crowd to go from their lazy and casual head nodding and foot tapping to get lose and dance about in exaggerated movements. From young to old, front to back, wherever you looked people were moving about.

As a final treat for the crowd they played 'Salut France', a song which definitely holds more of an electro influence from the band. Similar to the work of Holy Fuck with its heavier synth sounds dragging out underneath the bouncy and snappy keyboard. They drew out the ending, ripping out the synth for as long possible and casually left the stage with the crowd wanting more.


Rating: 5/5



Review by Craig Thomas


To see the published on line article click here : http://www.southsonic.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=185&Itemid=68

Broken Bells - Broken Bells

Combine James Mercer from The Shins and Dangermouse what do you get? The answer is Broken Bells.

The album starts with “The High Road” where there is a feeling of The Shins with it’s laid back and chilled rhythm. Obviously with James Mercer singing it will still sound like The Shins but this song sounds like it could have been from anyone of his previous albums. It has a splendid feel to it, something for a lazy summer afternoon. Dangermouse’s influence can be heard with the electronic sounds popping up in the background and the whole thing works beautifully.

The same could be said with “Vaporize” where once again this song sounds as if it could be from one of The Shins albums. Another song that just works again though as the instruments mix together to create another joyful song

The real stand out song from this album is “The Ghost inside” where there is a much more upbeat feel and a Michael Jackson –esc high pitch voice. This song wouldn’t go a miss at a party to bring people together in a swaying dance. There is definitely more input to this song from Dangermouse but when combined with James’ voice it works well and creates a catchy song.

Fans of The Shins should be very happy with this album as they still have James’ voice to listen to and it would seem that he gets a lot of say into each song. However they may need a bit of time to adjust to the “newer” electric sounds. Especially with “Mongreal Heart”, the music from this song sounds like something you would here in an 80’s film soundtrack – a good one at that!

Overall this is another great album from James Mercer with help from Dangermouse it creates a new but well worked sound.

I am a big fan of The Shins and this album does enough to keep me interested especially as James does the vocals. Some songs do have a new edge to them but for me it all works and is an album I have found myself “biggin’ up” to my friends.

Local Natives - Gorilla Manor

People could be excused for thinking Local Natives may be “just another folk band” but they be sadly mistaken in this instance as Local Natives offer something different. Gorilla Manor is the debut album for this five piece band from L.A who have been tipped for great things this year as the apparent Folk movement continues.

After listening to this album it is easy to see why people have been tipping them for success. “Airplanes” the second track on the album shows a darker side to the band. Lyrics such as “I did not know you as well as my father” and “I want you back” seem to suggest this is a sad song sung about the loss of a loved one. A song which I’m sure lots of people including myself can relate to. The contrast to this darker song can be heard in the next track on the album “Sun Hands” which has a much livelier feel to it with its quirky guitar lines and constant rhythm from the drum beat. This same use of instruments can be found in further songs on the album and there appears to be a continual use of this rhythm.

A lot of people have been comparing Local Natives to Fleet Foxes and it’s plain to see why when you hear the vocals. In songs like “Shape Shifter” there is without doubt a Fleet Fox feel. However if you were to ask me I would say that this band offers a lot more than Fleet Foxes. They also have songs which would be able to get a crowd going and with “Warning Signs” that is definitely the case.

Local Natives are another great folk band to come from the US and I’m sure we will be seeing a lot more of these guys. I am a huge fan of this album and have been listening to it non-stop since I purchased it. Each song has its own individual impact on me for different reasons. I wouldn’t be surprised if we were to see them appear at several festivals this summer.

Frightend Rabbit - Nothin Like You (Video)

From Frightened Rabbits new album which I am still waiting for!!!

I like this video :)