Louder Now Meets The Milk!

Somewhere in between shooting a sterling video, appearing on Soccer AM, releasing exceptional singles and perfecting their upcoming album, The Milk somehow managed to fit in some UK tours. Luckily, Louder Now managed to grab a spot at their Leicester show at Lock 42 to catch a few words from the stars of 2012.

If you haven’t heard of The Milk yet then you have been missing out. As the future of working class hero pop-music they are relentless in their determination.  They have been touring the country unremittingly as well as making appearances at Ibiza and Mallorca Rocks with Ed Sheeran to name just two of their many achievements.

Having met whilst they were at school (apart from brothers Mitch, drums/vox/keys, and Luke Ayling, bass guitar) the four Essex lads all have strong connections that go way back.

“We’re all from the same town in Essex, Wickford” says bassist Luke, “Nothing much goes on and there are only two senior schools and we all went to the same one.”

As humdrum as the boys might find their hometown, that doesn’t make them love it any less. Lead Guitarist and Vocalist, Dan Le Gresley says that it’s “just like every county. There are parts which are nice and there are parts which aren’t. But it’s home.”

The Milk are also happy to admit that their Essex roots have influenced their music with Mitch stating that “in the end, it should be about time and place. Our songs sound like four lads growing up in Essex. Our album is called ‘Tales from the Thames Delta’ so it’s all very regional.

“If you pretend to be something you aren’t then you will get found out one day. I think it was the Arctic Monkeys that famously said “you’re not from New York City you’re from Rotherham.”

Luke also said: “You’ve got to write about what you know and you have to write about where you come from, and that is pretty much what we do.”

Credit where credits due, but it’s the rest of the country that have made up The Milks recent astounding tours. The boys acknowledge York, Sheffield and Leeds as great cities to gig in but they generally think that “a lot of the big towns are wicked.”

But what about the city Louder Now had the pleasure to meet The Milk in? “We’ve actually played Leicester a few times, in The Shed, when we were a punk thing a few years back” remembered Mitch, “ We had a thing going on with the Punk scene that we were trying to get involved in at the time and there were a few people who would come to support us in Leicester back then!”   

Hold up and rewind for a second. A punk thing? It’s hard to imagine that a band who have honed their skills in a soul/rock ‘n’ roll strand were previously a punk outfit. How did that happen? “Ah, it’s very easy. We didn’t like Punk” explains Mitch.

“We suddenly realised that we weren’t listening to Punk records” says Dan.

“We were in a Punk band because it was just easy to play, we didn’t have to have much skill to do it” says Luke.

So after kicking the Punk scene and dedicating themselves to the music they really loved (which, by the way, includes Belinda Carlisle, Bobby Brown and Michael Bolton) The Milk were formed and the world couldn’t be more grateful. With an impressive past, an electrifying present and a spine-tingling future The Milk can expect some great things to come their way.

Mitch said: “we’re constantly getting surprised by these big moments that happen to us so you just sort of move on to the next one. We headlined the Scala in London and thought, how could we top that? Then we played Ibiza and Mallorca Rocks in front of 3,000 people. How could we beat that? Then our manager calls and says well we’ve booked you to headline the Shepherds Bush Empire at the end of November.”

“As a band I think you’re never happy” says Dan “As soon as you’ve done one thing you want another and it’s a constant struggle.”

Luke goes on to say that “in some ways, it can be annoying because you don’t spend very much time basking in something that you have achieved because as soon as you’ve done it you’re just thinking okay, what’s next?

“I think we could aim for three Brit awards, a couple of Grammys, to headline the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury and an Arena Tour.”

After seeing exactly what The Milk has to offer live it’s likely that these achievements will be just the start for a band that are redefining the genres that they love and doing it in sheer style. Keep your eye on them because the future of music undoubtedly belongs to them. http://www.thisisthemilk.com//
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLQqOpILDcI&ob=av2e   

Our Verdict: River City Ransom 'River City Ransom'

River City Ransom, hailing from York, have been creating their very own genre since early 2011. At the beginning of 2012 they unleashed their creation on their world in the form of their self-titled EP. Boy is it magnificent.

Opening track ‘This Day and Age’ eradicated all doubt surrounding what River City Ransom are aiming for. There is no better way to start this EP then with Adam Oliver’s fierce and unruly barking screams that shape this EP into the brilliant work that it is. But he is not doing it single handed.

The high energy of second track ‘Attack Attack!’ is owed in no small part to the high drumming skill of George Hird who adds the urgency to this track that makes it exceptional.

Throughout ‘River City Ransom’ Oliver’s screams are accompanied by the honed vocals of Zak Ford. Ford brings yet another aspect to this bands identity which secures this band from never becoming just another hardcore band in a sea of hardcore bands.

Third track ‘Strength from the Sun’ sees Elliot Sawyer leading the band with his outstanding command of the bass which adds yet another dimension to River City Ransom and makes it hard to imagine that there are any boundaries for this band. They are truly capable of some amazing musical feats.  

Almost everything about this band screams new generation. Everything, that is apart from the intricate guitar lines, from Niall O'Reilly that are somewhat nostalgic, mirroring an older age of rock that has needed reviving for far too long. This is best exhibited in ‘Strength from the Sun’ and an incomparable solo in fourth track ‘Fear and Loathe.’

Every facet of ‘Fear and Loathe’ is highly addictive and should probably come with a warning attached. The bass is highlighted, the guitars are evocative, the drums are perfectly dominating and both screaming and vocals are on top form.

Closing song ‘Lost Cause’ is the best way to close a work of this calibre. The vocals from Zak Ford are handled so carefully that they almost sound like they are being uttered in a different, more elegant, language.

The song, and the EP, is closed on a gleaming scream sequence from  Adam Oliver accompanied only by another helping of relentless and exciting drums from George Hird.

Exceptional work, masterfully crafted. Keep your eyes on River City Ransom because they are going to be re-defining and leading music for many years to come.   

Our Verdict: Sincerity 'Monuments'

Formed in 2011, it’s hard to pin point what melodic-metal quintet Sincerity should be most proud of in their short time as a band.

It could be Touring with Demoraliser. But then again it could be supporting  the likes of Hundredth, Liferuiner and Heights. When you think about it though it’s probably their flawless video. Actually, our money is on their EP ‘Monuments’.

Released on April 23^rd 2012, it really is impressive work for a band that was only formed about a year beforehand.

‘Monuments’ has metal written all over it and doesn’t fail to deliver the brutal tracks that anybody would expect from this band.

But there is another level to Sincerity which is melodically intriguing which makes them vastly more interesting than other, more generic, bands in this genre.

Opening track ‘Valour’ is an insanely brutal track that successfully introduces what Sincerity are. It’s heavy as hell and the screaming delivered by Jamie is perfectly dirty. Said vocals are given even more substance in this track with impeccable gang-vocals, which is always a nice treat.

‘Destiny’ follows and is a bit more reliant on the wicked guitar technique of JJ and Nathan. It’s easy to identify here that this band have a god-like command over their instruments. If ‘Valour’ didn’t convince you that you might be in for a rough ride at a Sincerity show, this one will do it.  

The melodic nature of this band is really showcased in third track ‘The Unbreakable’ with a really rather beautiful opening but a typically relentless beast of a track attached. It’s refreshing to hear a metal band that doesn’t have the attitude where it doesn’t matter what they’re producing, as long as it’s loud.

With the EP’s name sake ‘Monuments’ it becomes very clear that Sincerity have a great idea what they want to become and how they want to do it. Their sense of identity is flawless and will hopefully withstand anything that comes Sincerity’s way.

‘Monuments’ also sees the band surrendering their reliance on screaming and pulling out some marginally softer vocals. It’s a brave risk for a metal band but Sincerity manage it, highlighting their melodic technical side and retaining their metal roots as always.

To close on an aggressive note track ‘Ascendant’ is delicious steel. The song leads into a beat down that would be terrifying live but surprisingly turns into something quite beautiful. That is, after all, the epitome of Sincerity.

The closing line for this track, and the EP, is delivered almost a capella and is a touching way to close this masterful piece of work.   

'MONUMENTS' OUT NOW! http://sincerityuk.bigcartel.com/

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/monuments-ep/id520110558