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.

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.