The Mirror Trap bring their addictive melodies to London

Gary Moore - Vocals

The Garage, London

29/05/2016

Most bands can only dream of the opportunities that have landed at the feet of Dundee’s The Mirror Trap since they formed just two years ago. After meeting at Music College the five-piece quickly got to work on their debut album Stay Young and it wasn’t long before they were spotted by a music legend and whisked off to the other side of the world. As you do.

That legend was no other than Placebo’s Brian Molko who, after catching them in their home town, offered The Mirror Trap a support slot on their Trans-Siberian train tour to Russia.

Ben Doherty - Bass

The Garage, London

29/05/2016

It’s the stuff that dreams are made of but, when you see how talented The Mirror Trap are it stops being surprising that for them it was real life. That’s what we learnt when we caught the band at Islington’s Garage in May at the end of their latest UK tour.

A mix of modern indie-rock and its 90s counterpart, The Mirror Trap have an exciting rock ‘n’ roll sound but dressed up to the nines, inciting disco dancing both in the crowd and on the stage.

Vocals from Gary Moore gave an intensely catchy vibe to the performance, delivering the ultimate in brain-worm lyrics with American Dreams and Toys, both from that debut album. When not charming with his vocal prowess he’s doing it with his whippy stage banter.

Paul Markie - Guitar

The Garage, London

29/05/2016

But new track Piranhas took pride and place in the set list, from the new album Simulations. Recorded at the infamous Karma Studios in Thailand, this track stays true to the powerful style that The Mirror Trap have carved for themselves but with an even more forceful vibe to it. It’s performed with all of the steaminess that it deserves and that melody stays with you for long after the set is finished.

To see The Mirror Trap on a small stage like this one feels like a blessing. It doesn’t take too much imagination to envisage them on a much bigger platform with much more production. When that inevitably happens, count us in.

New Found Glory get warmed up for Reading and Leeds

Jordan Pundik - Vocals
O2 Academy Islington
24/08/2015

With Reading and Leeds just days away it was only right that New Found Glory treated the UK to some warm-up shows. We caught all the action at the O2 Academy Islington on Monday as they stretched those festival muscles ahead of their Lock Up stage headline slot on Friday.  

The Pop-Punk legends erupted onto the stage with Selfless, from their 2014 album Resurrection, which set the relentless pace for the work out that they were going to pull the crowd through.

But these guys didn’t get their legendary status for nothing. They kept that fast and sweaty pace through the epic 23-song set which encompassed just a few of the highlights of their extensive career.

And that’s just one of my favourite things about New Found Glory. They can rock out a song from an album released just last year like Selfless, The Worst Person and Vicious Love (their rereleased single) but they can also offer 00’s classics like Sincerely Me, Dressed to Kill and of course My Friends Over You and absolutely nail that too.

Ian Grushka - Bass Guitar 
O2 Academy Islington
24/08/2015

It’s the benefit of having a tight band who have been making music for nearly 20 years and, in 8 studio albums, have never wavered in recording just exactly who they are just because they’re the best at it.

Drummer Cyrus Bolooki mentioned the length of New Fond Glory's exceptional career when he faced the Louder Now Grab Bag. You can read that here! 

And when they’re bored of playing the songs that they’ve written themselves over the past two decades, they can belt out a pretty impressive cover as well. Tonight they played The Goo Goo Doll’s Iris and it was spectacular. (The night after, also in Islington, they played Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer. I imagine that was also incredible seen as the recorded version has always been a favourite.)

Jordan Pundik - Vocals
O2 Academy Islington
24/08/2015

This was the first time I had seen New Found Glory for a really long time and it was great to see that the exit of their guitarist Steve Klein in 2013 has had no detrimental effect on their live performance. It’s extraordinary to see how they have adapted so well to being a quartet. Those classics are still as good as ever.

It didn’t take long before Jordan Pundik (vocals) was up against the barrier singing directly into the faces of the crowd, running the length of the pit high-fiving the fans in the front row. It’s always nice to see the great bands spending quality time in the crowd.

Chad Gilbert - Guitar 
O2 Academy Islington
24/08/2015

“This doesn’t feel like an actual gig,” adds Chad Gilbert (guitar) from the stage, “This feels like a private party with people we all have mutual respect for.” He was 100% right.   

The energy tonight was absolutely ferocious, with New Found Glory on top form and looking primed for Reading and Leeds this weekend. So if you’re heading over there then make sure you check them out on the Lock-Up stage (Friday at Reading and Saturday at Leeds.)

And if you’re going to Reading…SEE YOU THERE!

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Altered Sky - Shorts, Travelodge and David Cameron

We went and had a blast with Altered Sky in London’s The Garage last week and, you guessed it, forced the Louder Now Grab Bag on them! You can read what we thought about the show here, and you can stalk Altered Sky on their Facebook, Twitter and Website!

P.S Altered Sky Might be the nicest people in the world.

You’re feeling ill and can only have one home comfort. What do you choose?

Ross: Erm. Vivaldi Spring.

Rich: You’ve never listened to Vivaldi Spring.

Ross: Probably not intentionally, no.

Ryan: Shorts.

Ross: Aye! Shorts!

Ana: In all colours as well.

Ross: Yes so I can pick and choose.

Is there one thing you would like to become better at?

Ana: Probably answering questions. I find it so difficult to keep my mind on the question I just end up rambling but I would probably say reading.

Ross: That’s because you don’t read, ever!

Ana: I don’t! It’s hard, I have such a short attention span.

Piercings or Tattoos?

Ryan: Now I don’t have any piercings but I do have tattoos so I will say tattoos. The pain is simple depending on the area (Ana giggles here but we couldn’t tell you what on earth she could possible have found funny) , down to my wrists it wasn’t sore it was just annoying because of the vibration. I’ve basically planned out everything. I’ve got both arms planned and my chest. I’m thinking about my neck but it depends on my chest but…no definitely tattoos.

What do you prefer recording or playing live?  

Ana: Ooooh think of how many albums you could spit out! Or would you rather play in front of your mum?

Amy: Just my mum? I would probably have to say playing live. I love the response you get from the crowd playing live and just the sound you get as well is completely different. So as much as I love recording.

What is your favourite memory of being in this band?

Rich: Probably touring. Maybe not one single thing but being out on the road and playing gigs every night is brilliant and I couldn’t ask for anything more. The way things are going they’re getting bigger and bigger and better and better so I’m very much hoping that the best is still to come. That’s sort of a boring story. I could have told you about the time that Ryan set a bin on fire and that would been a better story but…

Who is the last person on earth you would want to be stuck in a lift with?

Ryan: The LAST person?

Ana: Can it be in the band? Haha!

Ryan: David Cameron to be honest.

Rich: Oooooh po-lit-i-cal!

Ryan: He would just have that posh accent and…just everything about him… and I would be like oh shut the…

Describe yourself in one sentence:

Ross: I really really love David Cameron. No but the singer upstairs really really looks like Boris Johnson, it’s scary so I had to leave.

How would you like your band to be remembered?

Ana: Well we’re not going anywhere! But if we were headed for guillotine I would thank our manager who is French and probably put us there. I would like us to be remembered for being real people still there isn’t a space between us and the fans or anyone else who comes to see us play we’re still human and we want to have fun all the time! We just want to chill out, e don’t want to have to run away after gigs or anything. That’s not a choice of ours and we do want to just chill out and be human.

Which decade would you most like to have been born in and why?

Ana: We talked about this yesterday!

Amy: I would have liked to have been around in the 60s because I love the music from the 60s and the clothes…and the furniture. I just wish I was around in the 60s.

Where’s the worst place you have ever woken up?

Rich: A Travelodge with Ryan’s tongue next to my ear. I turned around, it was right there.

Ryan: Are you sure?!

Rich: You were fast asleep!

Altered Sky Paints London Multi-Coloured

Vocalist Ana takes a moment before the set

Last week London’s The Garage played host to an astronomical line up of talent headlined by Scotland’s Altered Sky who burst onto the stage in a rainbow of colour and charmed their way into our hearts.

After facing the Louder Now Grab Bag (which you can read here) Altered Sky introduced themselves to the crowd with I Know You Know from the 2011 EP In This World. It’s one of their grittier songs but has stood the test of time and sets just one end of the tone that this band can convey

Tracks Decay, Where I Belong and Traitor In Me blend forceful drum work from Amy Blair with impeccable vocals from lyricist and energetic entertainer Ana Nowosielska. Add in the backdrop of feisty guitar riffs from Richard and Ryan and some intense bass work from Ross Archibald and you have a post-punk band with appealing hints of pop brilliance running through it.

Richard - Guitar

A highlight of the night for us was Apple Tree the video for which you can see here. It’s another oldie and they are much more developed offerings from Altered Sky but there’s a charm to Apple Tree which is really infectious and we really hope that they carry this song through even when they’re playing the huge venues they deserve to be playing.

We were lucky enough to grab a copy of the 2014 EP Stop and Live (which you could get your hands on here if you’re lucky enough) and the production value is really impressive and for the most part, it conveys the sheer energy that they exert on stage.

However, if you get a chance to see these guys live then you must do it. Those clean vocals that exert passion and ferocity when it’s necessary are so much more explosive when they’re on stage and the flash of vigorous energy the band produce as unit is something you can’t record.

Ryan - Guitar

Luckily Altered Sky have recently teamed up with Pulp Clothing which is fantastic news because now they’re heading back out on an acoustic tour up and down the country. Check out the dates here and make sure you get yourself to a show and meet these guys.   

Closing track on Stop and Live and penultimate track of the night, Live For It, is an inspiring record which starts out on a rare quiet character but escalates into an explosive example of those impeccable vocals filled with passion and attitude when they need to be.

The night ended with new song Bury It All which the guys released a beautiful video for a few weeks back. It will be on the band’s first full length album which is expected to be released later this year and if it’s anything to go by then hold on to your beanies because you’re all about to get blown away.  

Altered Sky Facebook. 

Altered Sky Twitter. 

Altered Sky Website.