Lonely The Brave Play a Magical Set in a Beautiful Church

Sometimes, when a tour gets announced I can spend days on end agonising over what venue to get tickets for. I analyse the pros and cons of the acoustics, the location, the date and the capacity. Every detail falls under scrutiny.

This was not one of those times.

Lonely the Brave are one of the most magical sounding bands in the top 40 at the moment, not to mention the most intense performers around.

So when you see them billed to play a church – you go.

All Saints Church in Kingston is a beautiful place filled with architectural marvel and steeped in history (the first King of England – Athelstan – was crowned there in 925 AD.)

It continues to be at the centre of Kingston’s community, regularly using music as part of its day-to-day operations and playing host to some pretty special shows.

Lonely the Brave released their second album, Things Will Matter, earlier this month and have embarked on what appears to be a non-stop tour embellished with festival appearances.

The Cambridge quintet’s hypnotic melodies reverberated through the church and filled the otherwise

calm and tranquil venue.

The crowd were respectfully hushed, presumably breathless, only applauding at the end of every perfectly executed track.

That being said, grown men were heard to squeal in excitement as each song started.

Backroads, from the debut EP The Day’s War continues to carry incredibly well on stage, only getting stronger each time I hear it live.

As performer’s Lonely The Brave are exceptionally intense. Vocalist David Jakes tends to linger towards the back of the stage allowing his powerful voice to do the work for him.

Lonely The Brave are not the types for stage shenanigans. They don’t need to be. The stunning nature of their sound ticks all the boxes on its own.

Besides, how much performance do you need when the back drop is a giant stain-glass window lit up in pink glory?

Tonight Lonely The Brave also showcased their second album, Things Will Matter, in fervid style. As a band they are moving from strength to strength only becoming more entrancing as they do it.

This leg of the UK tour continues and a whole bunch of new UK dates have been announced for October too: 

New October UK tour dates:

03/10/16 - Brighton – The Haunt*

04/10/16 - Southend – Chinnerys*

06/10/16 - London – Camden Electric Ballroom*

07/10/16 - Bristol – Marble Factory*

10/10/16 - Nottingham – Rescue Rooms*

11/10/16 - Glasgow – King Tuts*

14/10/16 - Leicester – 02 Academy*

15/10/16 - Leeds – The Key Club*

18/10/16 - Oxford – 02 Academy*

19/10/16 - Hull – Welly*

21/10/16 - Birmingham – 02 Academy*

22/10/16 - Cardiff – SWN Festival. The Tramshed

*w/special guests Tall Ships

Please note: Tickets for the October tour will be available on Tuesday 31st May at: www.lonelythebrave.com

Yes! I got through the whole of this review without mentioning The Hydro show last May!

Oh wait. DAMNIT! 

Monster Treasure land in UK ahead of debut album release

Briana Granados- Guitars/Vocals

The Lexington, London

23/05/2016

For the first time ever, Monster Treasure have touched down in the UK. Landing earlier this month the Californian trio have already played a string of notable British venues to prepare us all for Friday’s release of their hypnotically bittersweet self-titled debut album.

Monster Treasure have made no qualms about the record’s meaning, stating that it’s inspired by heartbreak, mortality and financial struggle. With that being the case you could expect a pretty melancholy result, and in many ways you wouldn’t be wrong.

But there’s another dimension to Monster Treasure, bordering on ‘sweet’, which also shined bright from the stage of London’s The Lexington on Monday night.

RJ Mar - Drums

The Lexington, London

23/05/2016

Monster Treasure’s layered vocal work, shared between Briana Granados (guitar) and Rachel Orimo (Bass), is engrossing to see live. Their harmonies give an almost psychedelic feel to the live performance, perhaps nowhere better then in Weird, the last track of the new release.

Catching up with the band ahead of their set drummer RJ said: “People that haven’t seen us physically think that we’re just an all-girl band…really there is a male drummer.”

That would be a male drummer that is infinitely present. A huge part of the perfect ying-yang that is Monster Treasure comes from the contrast between those psych vocals and the ferocious and fast paced nature of that rhythm section.

Rachel Orimo- Bass/Vocals

The Lexington, London

23/05/2016

The latest single from the album, Wake Up, is just one example of how that dimension works and also has a perfectly eclectic video to match.     

Using a healthy dose of distortion to nudge it all on its side, Monster Treasure perform live with just the right amount of personal reserve. The crowd could not take their eyes off the stage.

Utterly mesmerising soundtrack feels.    

 You can listen to Monster Treasure's The Salt for free, courtesy of Leisure & District, right HERE. 

Go Primitive Need a New Bassist

Tomm E Williams - Vocals/Guitar
Zephyr Lounge, Leamington Spa
25/03/2016

Have you ever dreamt of joining an epically energetic band who can completely smash a live set? Do you have what it takes to tour with a seriously hard working outfit who have some amazing support slots lined up? Do you play the bass? Well then Go Primitive need to hear from you.

Hailing from Warwickshire, UK, Go Primitive have mastered their twist of emotionally charged melodic rock with attitude in abundance, and boy did they prove it at Leamington’s Zephyr Lounge in March.

Luckily we were there! But unluckily they announced that their bassist Ben Goodwin is to leave Go Primitive just days later.

It’s a mighty shame (and slightly troubling, hope it wasn’t something we said) but it does open the door for somebody new, who could be you!

But before you go polishing that music CV of yours, here are some things we learnt about Go Primitive, just so you know what you’d be getting yourself in to.

1)      Go Primitive write songs about dinosaurs and have been to outer space.

Correct me if I’m wrong but when a band announces on stage that “this next song is about dinosaurs” you know that they’re your new favourite band. ‘Velociraptor’ is a honed example of that tunefully classic hard rock sound that Go Primitive have nailed. It’s also called ‘Velociraptor’, do you really need another reason?

Go Primitive have also just released a video for their new single ‘In A Band’, cunningly titled because it’s about, you guessed it, being in a band. But in a shock twist, the video shows the boys turning their talents to space exploration.

Of the track the band said: “’In A Band’; the anti rock star song, is a contradiction to the cliché and a nod to our dedication and perseverance. The video represents our journey as a band, the struggle, the training to ultimately achieve our goal…you know…be astronauts!”

Well things are more entertaining in space.

Ben Goodwin - Bass
Zephyr Lounge, Leamington Spa
25/03/2016

2)      Go Primitive seriously shred.

Dinosaurs and Astronauts aside, the whole set was saturated in raw energy and did not disappoint. Screeching guitar solos take pride and place on stage supported by a consistently solid drum track which makes it impossible not to head bang (and how many bands can you actually head bang to nowadays?)  

3)      Go Primitive do not allow slacking at shows.

And even if they did you wouldn’t want to. Music this good and performances this fun are contagious and the Leamington Spa crowd filled the dreaded floor/stage gap with bouncing, clapping and dancing on request.

4)      Go Primitive’s warm up makes them sound like llamas.

What? Oh you want some clarification on this point? No problem, check the video below.

5)      Go Primitive get encores.

Well you can’t get a crowd all hyped and sweaty and then leave them hanging. After a sterling performance you could be fooled in to thinking that Go Primitive had nothing left to give, but you would be wrong. Shouts of ‘one more song’ were not ignored and the GP lads clambered back on to the stage for another shot.

It was a spectacular performance at the Zephyr Lounge and clearly Go Primitive’s stints supporting the likes of Mallory Knox, We Are The Ocean, The Subways and Lonely The Brave have been just the experience they needed.

Tomm E Williams - Vocals/Guitar
Zephyr Lounge, Leamington Spa
25/03/2016

Dan Teale - Drums
Zephyr Lounge, Leamington Spa
25/03/2016

Not to mention that the EP ‘100 Ways’, released last summer, is ridiculously good with belter after belter.  The set list practically writes itself.

To pull off a show as high in standard as this one takes dedication and frank perseverance. Go Primitive are serious contenders in the scene and you don’t get this good without a lot of hard work (and clearly quite a lot of fun).

But if you think you’re up to this task then there may be no better band to join right now then Go Primitive so head over to their Facebook and send them a message.

Dan Teale - Drums
Zephyr Lounge, Leamington Spa
25/03/2016

Cardinal Bay showcase new EP 'Answers'

Let's do things just a little bit different this time: 

Want to see that video on our YouTube channel? Of course you do!

Text from article reads: It’s obvious to anybody that has seen them play that Cardinal Bay are a force to be reckoned with. From thunderous new music to playing most of the show in the crowd, the Bridgewater 5-piece are nothing short of determined to deliver a good set.

Besides, it’s not as if they don’t have the experience to do just that. All five members have played in other bands in the local scene but joined forces in 2014 to make the post-hardcore super group that is Cardinal Bay.

Now they’re preparing to unleash their second EP ‘Answers’ on May 13^th 2016, which all but formed the set list for their incredible performance at Leamington Spa’s Zephyr Lounge last week.  

The set opened with new single ‘Answers’ which tackles a solemn and conspicuous social issue with all the energy that it deserves.

“The track ‘Answers’ is about divorce and how it affects any young children of those parents” the band have said “It’s about how a child might perceive the situation, perhaps believing or only hearing one side of a story … and not understanding until they’re older, trying to find ‘the answers’ themselves…”

With a vivacious drum track from Matt Ward, ‘Answers’ translates perfectly in a live setting and the dash of scream adds the edge that the topic needs.

Once the precedent had been set the rest of the night kept up the pace showcasing what could be the most promising EP release of the year.

Vocalist Josh Rogers complained of a scratchy voice but it didn’t hold him back one bit, launching into the crowd and staying there for a majority of the set you would have to be blind to miss his undeniable vigour.

‘Hold Tight’ and ‘Way Back Home’ from last year’s EP (of the same name as the latter) were also thrown into the mix. Both tracks have stood the test of that short time and stack up nicely against the new offerings. Somehow they add even more raw brashness to the live performance and it will be a sad day when either disappears from Cardinal Bay’s set list.

It was an electrifying performance and remarkably distinguished. If this is their output at 18 months then the potential here is staggering, they may well be able to outdo those artists they’re constantly compared to. Watch out Mallory Knox.

But yes, all of that is completely obvious to anybody who has seen Cardinal Bay live. But what might not be obvious is that they do really questionable things before they walk out on stage and would completely sell out given half a chance to tour with Justin Bieber. No seriously, you can hear all about it on our YouTube channel. 

• ·         Catch Cardinal Bay on the main stage at Teddy Rocks Festival at the Blandford Forum, Dorset,  on April 30^th 2016
• 
  
• ·         The explosive second EP ‘Answer’s will be released on May 13^th 2016
• 
  
• ·         Watch the video for new single ‘Answer’s on the bands Facebook

CARDINAL BAY CAN BE STALKED AT:
https://www.facebook.com/CardinalBay/...
http://www.cardinalbay.co.uk/
https://twitter.com/CardinalBayUK
https://www.instagram.com/cardinalbay/

Young Guns launch out of this world album Ones and Zeros

Just in case you went into hibernation for the past few weeks and missed it, Young Guns came back!

All sorts have been going on. There was a show on a London bus, a headline UK tour, and a string of signings so that the several million Young Guns fans could get their hands on a signed copy of the new album, Ones and Zeros.

If all of that just doesn’t seem to be enough then we should mention that they also did an epic set at Kingston’s The Fighting Cocks. I know, I know, why there right? Well a) the place is incredible and a rock music landmark and b) Young Guns happened to play their first ever show there. Isn’t that neat?

Don’t panic, we got them to answer some Grab Bag Q’s (following some ever so slight coercion) and you can read their answers here.

The Buckinghamshire rockers burst onto the stage with what has easily become our favourite Young Guns track to date. I Want Out was first played on Radio One in August last year and is a beautifully articulate record that you can also lose your mind too. If you’re going to see Young Guns live make sure you have your jumping shoes on because when that chorus kicks in you’ll be thankful for it.

It’s also a strong indicator that Ones and Zeros was written with a live show in mind, but not the first. That honour goes to opening track Rising Up which was the next treat for the tiny Kingston venue.  

Throughout the album the chugging guitar lines, relentless drum tracks and countless lyrics that are literally screaming out for crowd participation show that this band are a live band and their short set in Kingston proves this to be right. The recordings are sensational but on stage, this band come alive and when you see it you understand why this band were so deeply missed when they left our shores for a while.

When the band launch into The Weight of the World (the first Young Guns song I ever heard) it was as if the whole crowd remembered that they were all old friends. As lead singer, Gustav Wood, points out this was the first track that they listened back to and realised that they could write songs. It was the song that started it all and it proved to be a timeless rock classic that will go down in history.

But we can’t think about the past for long as the band are now moving quickly into Speaking In Tongues and Daylight, both of which are shining examples of eloquent lyricism mixed with the raw rock core we’ve always seen from Young Guns but now with added dance quality. That’s something we wouldn’t have necessarily expected this time last year but it works. It really works.

Young Guns capped off this mini show with 2012 belter Bones as if to prove that they might have been away but everything we loved about them three years ago is as alive as ever. In fact, it’s got a whole lot stronger. Ones and Zeros is a stellar effort and the live shows are out of this world.

Young Guns are rock heroes already, they just have to do their time now.  

The only problem is with shows in June, at 2 in the afternoon, in a basement, is that they tend to get a bit on the warm side. But not to worry. Young Guns could have played all day long if they wanted. We would have happily evaporated for them.

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