Wheels climaxed their Finsbury set on 15 March with a storming version of 'We Can Never Go Back'. Lost in the Manor braved the flailing limbs and flying mic-stands to get right up close to the action. Watch it here Photo / Film: Chris Musicborn @musicborn
Three years ago Max Bianco (vocals, guitar, harmonica and percussion), Dali (vocals, guitar, slide guitar and percussion), Al Devon (vocals, guitar and percussion), Richie Docherty (vocals, guitar and percussion), Chris Hooks (vocals and lead guitar), Keith Wilkinson (bass and vocals) and Kerry Edwards (cajon) gave life to a collective of musicians called The Jar Family. The name comes from the jar where the band used to collect money at the end of every performance, just to give the final amount to the member of the band who needed it the most.
These independent musicians and songwriters got together mainly to escape the greyness of Hearthpool – their hometown – they all brought something personal and unique that led to forge a sound the band dubbed Industrial Folk a harsh mix of blues, folk, and why not a little bit of country. Two years after their first album The Jar Family Album, the band is about to release their second full length record Jarmalade, be ready to be mesmerized by an impressive ensemble of songs that will drag you on a travel that crosses several music genres, the main element in common is the superb level of their lyrics.
Folk is everywhere and to make a difference artists need something to stand out from the crowd; Robbie Boyd grew up listening at the classic songwriters that rockers keep dearly to their hearts Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and, of course, The Beatles. To this exceptional background, Boyd added his peculiar fusion of pop and folk with hints of blues and jazz now and then, just to make things more interesting. He is supported by his energetic and enthusiastic band made up by Adam Fletcher (keyboard and vocals), Hew Benyon (drums), Simon Fitzpatrick (bass), Mared Evans (violin and vocals), Russel Smith (mandolin and electric guitar), Mike Newman (trumpet, percussions and vocals) and Cat Marshall (saxophone and clarinet).
He started busking and became a major hit on youtube with 500.000 subscribers to his channel; he just released his third EP Painted Sky comprehensive of four tracks. Boyd has the talent to create ships that will gently carry you in his world, it's not only about the music; sound and words melt together and give life to a magical atmosphere. He's appealing not exclusively to a young audience, seniors and middle-aged people have been spotted at his crammed live performances.
Released: 28th October 2013
Canadian sextet Your Favorite Enemies is about to release their first UK single I Just Want You To Know. The band self produced their work through their own label Hopeful Tragedy Records. The band are Alex Foster (vocalist), Jeff Beaulieu (guitar), Sef (guitar), Ben Lemelin (bass), Miss Isabel (vocals and keyboard) and Charles “Moose” Allicy (drums); they have toured all around the world – Japan, Australia, Europe, Canada, Indonesia and China – and they will go on a short tour in Japan before coming to the UK in October.
The song is a complex mix of instruments, effects and poetic lyrics; the voice is not predominant and it has got an opaque and husky quality that gives almost a Gothic effect to it. The piece kicks in straight away with epic riffs; it grows even more in the refrains and towards the end.
Originally from Birmingham, Bombers – Matty Wark (Guitar), David Owen (Drums), Darren Mullen (Bass) and David Duell (Guitar & Vocals) – are shaking their hometown music scenario with their modern post punk that winks back to bands like Clash and Joy Division.
They're about to release digitally their new single Forecast, the first after two-years-hiatus following their first début EP Film Fanatic in 2011. Dead London Records has got their back also for this second work. Forecats is a more mature work that marks a change, the post punk veins is still there just more elaborated and polished. The song is a two-minutes-pill with a steady rhythm that, at the same time, manages to grow; powerful percussions and drums, with an hypnotic guitar and a velvet voice are the elements of this song. Really curious to see what comes next.
Hana B are an Italian London-based band, the members – Fab Vitale (vocals), Valerio Morrone (drums), Francesco Menegat (bass) and Alessandro Ciani (guitars) – met in early 2000 and have recorded three albums since; their latest work Doors is scheduled to be released in September. Their roots spread all over the genres: Radiohead, Neil Young and Leonard Cohen, Bon Iver, Marvin Gaye. And a little bit of Coltrane are the main names in a long list of influences and preferences. Since their first album they have been supported by the Italian independent studio Operà Music.
Their third record sees a prominent electronic vein, a different ethics that led the band to entrust the video of their first single Merry-go-round to their friend Eleonora Mignoli because – as Francesco Menegat explained – they're trying to create a Hana B experience made up by music, words and images. The first single Merry-go-round and its b side Hole in my soul are built on a solid rock base where electronic effects cling on the walls of the songs and pulsed beats, aggressive riffs and a hoarse voice make an exciting preview of what we can expect from the upcoming album.
Checkout their current video Merry-go-round
Originally from Blue Mountains, near Sydney, Cloud Control – made up by Alister Wright, Heidi Lenffer, Ulrich Lenffer and Jeremy Kelshaw – are now residing in the UK. They are currently working on ‘Dream Cave’, their second full length album after ‘Bliss’, which received the Australian Music Prize in 2011.
They are now working with producer and mix engineer Barny Barnicott, whose collaborations include several names of indie rock bands such as Arctic Monkeys, Plan B, Peace and Franz Ferdinand. Their latest single ‘Dojo Rising’ adds to their typical psychedelic touch and harmonies from the West Coast rock/electronics effects. The mix of a pop beat and a feeling of nostalgia will make you feel like one of those days when the sun is out but rain falls down on you and you can't help wondering how a person can feel happy and sad at the same time.
The band will be touring from August in UK and Europe before their Australian tour.
September dates Mon 23 LONDON Xoyo Tue 24 MANCHESTER Deaf Institute Wed 25 GLASGOW King Tuts Thu 26 BIRMINGHAM Hare & Hounds Fri 27 BRISTOL Start The Bus
Checkout their current video Dojo Rising
Singer songwriter Adele Emmas and guitarist Sian Williams met in late 2000 and, over their mutual love for artists such as Leonard Cohen, Kate Bush and The Cocteau Twins a decision was made to found the band Bird. The quartet is completed with drummer Alexis Samta and Mike Bennet at the keyboards.
The band signed with Jack to Phono Records and launched their first EP ‘Shadows’ in 2012. Their second, ‘Ophelia’, was released in February and they're working on their first full length album.
Bird have gained a strong and solid fan-base as well as praise from eminent voices of the music industry. Winning ingredients of their project are Adele's hypnotic voice, dreamlike lyrics and melodies that will capture your heart with their fusion of tribal, folk and classic beat.
Their songs manage to create an atmosphere like a Grimm's tale. You think you're reading an innocent and innocuous bedtime story but a moment later you're shifted in a thick and dark wood. You excitedly feel lost and attracted by the danger hidden in the dark.
"CoCo And The Butterfields will amaze you with their innovative "Fip Fok"
More often than not music genres cross path and when it happens new genres come to life. Yesterday I was at one of these junctions when, for the first time, I assisted at the CoCo And The Butterfields performance, live at The Finsbury Pub.
The band - made up by five elements but joined on stage by a trombone and a trumpets specially for the occasion – manage to converge several sounds and influences. They all brought their personal experiences (which span country, folk, hip hop, r&b) and gave life to a distinctive sound.
The band opened with a cover of Whitney Houston's 'I will always love you' sung by Dulcima's low and seductive voice; she was gradually joined by the rest of the instruments and when the song got to its zenith, it broke into a fast-pace folk ballad that had the unfortunate side effect of suffocating the female and male vocals.
'Astronaut' was a gentle and delicate love song that kicked in the second half, spiced up with a hint of jazz. 'Scarecrow' came next; the song opened with a raspy violin before bursting into a fast country ballad. The band also presented their latest single 'Warriors' a choral song that resounded epic with trombone and trumpets joining the performance, before closing with a cover of Florida's 'Low' revisited in a reggae key.
On the stage, the band was possessed by the rhythm of the music, dancing and thumping against the floor - the excited crowd couldn't help but clap along.
There is a rough quality about the sound of CoCo And The Butterfields; it's not easy to merge so many different styles, but this band seems to know how to make it work. There are few edges to refine and adjust, but it'll be interesting to watch more closely the evolution of this unique project.
"Johnny Parry nails the perfect symphony, a must see band of 2013"
When Johnny Parry Chamber Orchestra got up on the stage of The Finsbury, they were crammed on a relatively small space. It was eight of them possessing keyboards, violins and double bass to name a few. As Johnny Parry said; it was only the stripped version of the Orchestra that usually counts 30 elements.
The band opened with 'Sweet Nothings' from their second album Song without a purpose; Parry's clear and warm voice led off, accompanied by the astounding voice of the soprano. From there they were slowly joined by all the instruments on hand, being introduced one at a time. When they retracted, the song ended up with a light touch on the keyboard.
'God loves me' hit the crowd like a punch, unlike the other songs that started slow and then built up, this one started at full voice. There was a nice contrast between Parry's deep voice, and the soprano warbling in the back.
Throughout the whole performance there was a strict link between the song played and the images being projected on the screen behind the band. When the orchestra played 'Rebuild It Piece By Piece', images taken from comic books worked as captions relevant to the song and, inside the balloons, it was possible to read the lyrics. Parry's mesmerizing voice was the main character of the performance, with the instruments building around him and originating a sense of grandeur.
Johnny Parry Chamber Orchestra closed with another tune from Song without a purpose; 'Love Song'. As the title suggested it was indeed a song about love but not in a traditional way. The grandeur of the music left place to lyrics that were an ode to life and love. Love for the countryside, for home, for personal ghosts, demons, love for God. In the end the song reached its zenith and I couldn't help feeling I was watching live - for the first time - the execution of a symphony.
The Local Natives first record - 'Gorilla Manor' - was such a strong debut, it concerned me how the band would set about making a follow-up. I kept thinking to myself; how on earth can you beat this record! Truth be told, with my first listen to new album 'Hummingbird', I wasn't sure what to think. Although, as the sound waves started to penetrate, it didn't take long before Local Natives started to work their magic on me. Their brave statement with their new sound shone through as expected.
You can catch Local Natives at tons of UK festivals this year along with a host of headline shows. After seeing them as Field Day's secret guests, I cannot recommend buying a ticket as fast as possible or making sure you are in the best position possible if you're at one of the lucky festivals.
June Fri 28 - Glastonbury - Festival
July 15 - Nottingham - Rescue Rooms 16 - Brighton - Concorde 2 20 - Longitude - Festival 21 - Latitude - Festival
August 17 - Beacons - Festival 18 - Green Man - Festival
October 15 - Cambridge - Junction 16 - Norwich - Waterfront 17 - London - Brixton Academy 20 - Newcastle - Sage 2 21 - Glasgow - Arches 22 - Belfast - Limelight 24 - Dublin - Olympia 25 - Sheffield - Leadmill 26 - Manchester - Ritz 27 - Bristol - Academy 29 - Southampton - University
Check out Local Natives outstanding new video 'You & I'
Here is your second chance to listen back to our Lost in the Manor Review Podcast for May. Recorded at The Finsbury and previously aired on Shoreditch radio May 26th. Our June Podcast will be aired on Sunday June 30th
May - Lost in the Manor // Music Review Podcast by Lost In The Manor // Podcast on Mixcloud
Featured tracks - May Podcast
The Slow Revolt - This dark matter
Buzzard Lope - Millstone
Sea Stacks - The high tide
More Like Trees - Once
Interview/Live Session - James & The Peach - Don't leave me now
Modest Ike - Cold blooded killer
Dear Pariah - So close the divide
The Shallows - Thieves
