Artist Spotlight // Frank Turner

Members:
Frank Turner

Location:
Winchester, Wessex

Description:
Former punk band front man who's found a home in meaningful acoustic songwriting

Songs To Get You Started:
Get Better (2015), Recovery (2013), A Ballad Of Me and My Friends (2007), Dan's Song (2009), I Still Believe (2011)

Discography:
Studio Albums:

1. Sleep Is For The Week (2007)
2. Love, Ire & Song (2008)
3. The First Three Years (2008)
4. Poetry Of The Deed (2009)
5. England Keep My Bones (2011)
6. The Second Three Years (2011)
7. Last Minutes & Lost Evenings (2012)
8. Tape Deck Heart (2013)
9. The Third Three Years (2014)
10. Postive Songs For Negative People (2015)
11. Ten For Ten (2016)

EP's & Singles:

1. Vital Signs (2006)
2. Campfire Punkrock (2006)
3. The Real Damage (2007)
4. Photosynthesis (2008)
5. Reasons Not to Be an Idiot (2008)
6. Long Live The Queen (2008)
7. The Road (2009)
8. Poetry Of The Deed (2009)
9. Isabel (2010)
10. Try This At Home (2010)
11. I Still Believe (2010)
12. Rock & Roll (2010)
13. Peggy Sang The Blues (2011)
14. If I Ever Stray (2011)
15. Wessex Boy (2011)
16. Recovery (2013)
17. The Way I Tend To Be (2013)
18. Losing Days (2013)
19. Oh Brother (2013)
20. Losing Days - EP (2013)
21. Polaroid Picture - EP (2014)
22. Polaroid Picture (2014)
23. The Next Storm
24. Mittens - EP (2016)

Interesting Facts:

• Frank used to front the critically acclaimed UK punk band Million Dead
• In 2016 Frank will play Reading & Leeds Festival for the 10th year in a row - a new record
• Xtra Mile - the record company Frank is on - intended on 'Positive Songs For Negative People' to reach number 1, unfortunately that same week Dr. Dre surprised the world with his first record for 16 years
• (Proceeding the above incident) The week of the album release Frank played a song in dedication to Dr. Dre at a tiny intimate show in his home town of Winchester
• Frank is known for never not being on tour and is approaching nearly 2000 live shows!

Social Media:

Frank Turner Twitter
Frank Turner Facebook

Find more articles on Frank Turner HERE

Find more artist spotlights HERE

Artist Spotlight // Hacktivist

Members:
Tim Beazley, J Hurley, Ben Marvin, Josh Gurner, Richard Hawking

Location:
Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire

Description:
Nu-metal or grime punk, whichever you prefer, but aggressive and in your face with a message that needs to be heard.

Songs To Get You Started:
N****s in Paris (2013), Elevate (2013), Hacktivist (2012), Taken (feat. Rou Reyenolds) (2016), Hate (2016)

Discography:
Studio Albums:

1. Outside The Box (2016)

EP's & Singles:

1. Hacktivist EP (2012)
2. Elevate (2013)
3. N****s In Paris (2013)
4. False Idols (2014)
5. Decieve and Defy (2014)

Social Media:

Hacktivist Twitter
Hacktivist Facebook

Find more articles on Hacktivist HERE

Find more artist spotlights HERE

Artist Spotlight // Enter Shikari

Enter Shikari @ The Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff - 26.02.16

Members:
Rou Reyenolds, Chris Batten, Rob Rolfe, Rob Clewlow

Location:
St Albans, Hertfordshire

Description:
Hectic electronic infused post hardcore

Songs To Get You Started:
Redshift (2016), Sorry You're Not A Winner (2004), Anaesthetist (2015), Gandhi Mate Gandhi (2012), Mothership (2007)

Discography:
Studio Albums:

1. Take To The Skies (2004)
2. Common Dreads (2009)
3. A Flash Flood Of Colour (2012)
4. The Mindsweep (2015)
5. The Mindsweep: Hospitalised (2015)

EP's & Singles:

1. Nodding Acquaintance (2003)
2. Sorry You're Not A Winner (2003)
3. Anything Can Happen In The Next Half Hour (2004)
4. Mothership (2006)
5. Sorry You're Not A Winner/OK Time for Plan B (2006)
6. The Zone (2007)
7. Anything Can Happen In The Next Half Hour (2007)
8. Johnny Sniper (2007)
9. We Can Breathe In Space, They Just Don't Want Us To Escape (2008)
10. Juggernauts (2009)
11. No Sleep Tonight (2009)
12. Live at Milton Keynes - Bootleg Series Volume 1 (2009)
13. Tribalism (2010)
14. Thumper (2010)
15. Destabilise (2010)
16. Live at Rock City - Bootleg Series Volume 2 (2010)
17. Live from Planet Earth - Bootleg Series Volume 3 (2011)
18. Quelle Surprise (2011)
19. Sssnakepit (2011)
20. Gandhi Mate, Gandhi (2011)
21. Live in London NW5 2012. EP (2012)
22. Live In London. W6. March 2012. - Bootleg Series Volume 4 (2012)
23. Arguing With Thermometers (2012)
24. Warm Smiles Do Not Make You Welcome Here (2012)
25. Live in the Barrowland - Bootleg Series Volume 5 (2013)
26. The Paddington Frisk (2013)
27. Rat Race (2013)
28. Radiate (2013)
29. Rat Race EP (2013)
30. The Last Garrison (2014)
31. Anaesthetist (2015)
32. Slipshod (Urbandawn Remix) (2015)
33. Covers (2015)
34. Live & Acoustic at Alexandra Palace (2016)
35. Redshift (2016)

Social Media:
Enter Shikari Twitter
Enter Shikari Facebook

Find more articles on Enter Shikari HERE

Find more artist spotlights HERE

Artist Spotlight // The Lion and The Wolf

Members:
Thomas George

Location:
Ventnor, Isle Of Wight

Description:
Brilliant, beautiful and depressing melancholy

Songs To Get You Started:
My Fathers Eyes (2015), The Lion and The Wolf (2011), Ink and Skin (2014), Colour (2014), Bar Stools (2015)

Discography:
Studio Albums:

1. Symptoms (2014)

EP's & Singles:

1. The Lion & The Wolf EP (2011)
2. Time On My Hands EP (2014)
3. My Fathers Eyes (2015)

Social Media:
The Lion and The Wolf Twitter
The Lion and The Wolf Facebook

Find more articles on The Lion and The Wolf HERE

Find more artist spotlights HERE

Artist Spotlight // Slaves

Members:
Laurie Vincent, Isaac Holman

Location:
Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent

Description:
Aggressive hard hitting catchy punk

Songs To Get You Started:
The Hunter (2014), White Knuckle Ride (2012), Where's Your Car Debbie (2014), Shutdown (2015), Cheer Up London (2015), Girl Fight (2012)

Discography:
Studio Albums:

1. Are You Satisfied? (2015) - Stereo Brain Rating: 10/10, Stereo Brain Album Of The Year 2015

EP's & Singles:

1. Sugar Coated Bitter Truth (2012)
2. Where's Your Car Debbie (2014)
3. Hey (2014)
4. The Hunter (2014)
5. Are You Satisfied (2015)
6. Cheer Up London (2015)

Social Media:
Slaves Twitter
Slaves Facebook

Find more articles on Slaves HERE

Find more artist spotlights HERE

Artist Spotlight // Rusty Shackle

Rusty Shackle @ The Moon Club, Cardiff - 15/04/16

Members:

Liam Collins, Scott McKeon, James McKeon, Ryan Williams, Baz Barwick, Owen Emmanuel

Location:

Monmouth, Wales

Description:

Self proclaimed "Dirty bluegrass folk 'n' rollers" 

Songs To Get You Started:

3AM (2011), Lucinda Returned (2016), The Bones (2011), When The Morning Comes (2016), DOwn To The Valley (2016)

Discography:

Studio Albums:

1. Wash Away These Nights (2012)
2. The Bones (2013)
3. Dusk (2016) - Stereo Brain Rating: 7.5/10

EP's & SIngles

1. Hounds Of Justice EP (2010)
2. Bandit Down (2011)
3. 3AM (2011)
4. The Bones (2013)
5. Tommy's Letter (Never Forget Your Welsh Heroes) (2014)
6. When The Morning Comes (2016)
7. Down To The Valley (2016)

Social Media:

Rusty Shackle Twitter

Rusty Shackle Facebook

Find more articles on Rusty Shackle HERE

Find more artist spotlights HERE

Rusty Shackle // The Moon Club, Cardiff // 15.04.16

Having released their 3rd studio album 'Dusk' earlier this year, Rusty Shackle embarked on a UK wide tour and the penultimate night was a sold out show in Cardiff. The upstairs bar was packed to the rafters with people struggling to fit into the room, perching on the stairs just to be able to see the tiny stage, a stage made to look even smaller with a six-piece alt-folk band filling it.

Rusty Shackle @ The Moon Club

Opening with the first single from 'Dusk' - 'When The Morning Comes' - the atmosphere was instantly electric. The crowd bounced and sung to every tune creating a carnival of perspiration and happy faces. The band fed off this energy, seemingly enjoying every minute of their show and getting the crowd involved at any possible moment.

Midway through the set the band broke into 'Bonkers' - a cover of Dizzee Rascal's hit song. It's difficult to cover songs of such popularity at the best of times, but with a complete change in genre required from the original, it made it even more impressive that Rusty Shackle executed it perfectly. Certainly worth seeing the band just for this interesting and unique take on the popular song that had the whole room ecstatic.

Trumpeter & Bassist Ryan during 'Bonkers'
Rusty Shackle @ The Moon Club

With the room reduced to a dancing mess, they broke into 'Lucinda Returned' which, despite being relatively new song, appeared to be a huge hit with everyone in the room. By the end the crowd were singing the chorus back to the band with such glee lead singer Liam had to clarify "We're not doing a reprise!". The band then closed with two of their older more popular songs - 'Bones' and '3am' - both of which are clearly well established in the bands set-list and known by all in the room. It was an incredible atmosphere to have at a gig for any band, let alone a lesser known one.

Rusty Shackle @ The Moon Club

The band left the stage and the fans filtered out the room, everyone sweaty but smiling staggering off into the cold april night. After creating such an atmosphere and such a hype, a gig like that can be a catalyst for any band, launching them to bigger and better things and it certainly looks like that's a huge possibility for Rusty Shackle.

-Luke

October Drift // The Louisiana, Bristol // 09.04.16

As fans are already established at the front of the room, October Drift needed no introduction here in this intimate space. A venue already quite acquainted with hosting for bands who just bleed talent and radiate a future for themselves such as Placebo, The Chemical Brothers and Muse. However, this charismatic entity of a musical group is hard to place in any one section of a spectrum as they play to a mere ghost of Interpol, the lead vocals as haunting and welcome as Paul Banks himself. Each individual member gave off an energy that was dying to burst out of the room, which is the only explanation I can give to the lead vocalist seeking refuge in the crowd for a few songs. All humans gave way, soaking in the act from every division of space that there was. This just added to the intimacy and closeness of all involved. I had come to this gig audibly blind since I always enjoy the element of musical surprise, especially bands I’ve already heard so much about from trusted friends, and I was not at all disappointed.

The giddiness of the inevitable ‘I have a crush on all of you’ girls at the front did not spoil the night as the drummer’s more than impressive harmonies resonated through every ear hole. Granted, it had to be pointed out to me that these were coming from him as I’ve always been in awe of being able to keep a rhythm and hold a note at the same time, but this was spot on. There is no doubt that these boys are performers, dabbling with Dutch courage in the form of a bottle, be it lager or wine. That isn’t to say they weren’t naturally bubbling over with confidence and esteem. Egos are there to be stroked, but the sense of being grounded peered through every soul that was present on stage. No efforts were needed in forming a slight pit as the crowd were already fixing one up themselves ending up with half joining the band in their sacred bubble. Bubble or not, they didn’t mind. This crowd was theirs, they owned these fans and in that moment it was realised that October Drift are going to be huge.

Check out some of their videos over at http://www.octoberdrift.co.uk/index.php/videos. Browse the tour dates and most definitely catch them if you can.

-Little Bubbles

You can check out Little Bubbles own blog HERE

Review: Max Raptor // Max Raptor

Quiet, thoughtful, delicate - all words you wouldn't use to describe Max Raptor's new album. This, the bands 3rd full length, is just as raucous and grumpy as the previous two.

'Max Raptor' opens with 'Keep The Peace' and from the start, aggressive drums and punk rock riffs kick in.  Tuneful is another word you wouldn't associate with Max Raptor with lead vocalists Wil Ray fluctuating between a football chant and post-hardcore growls through each song..

From the start to the album closer 'Last Words', this album is nothing but in your face and aggressive. Boisterous in the extreme, listening to the album at times feels as if you're being serenaded by an angry drunk man on a cold wet Midlands night. This certainly gives it its own unique charm but one that echoes some of the UK's best punk. Vocally it reflects that of the fast spitting style of Million Dead while musically it brings forward flashes of Drenge and glimpses of The Blackout.

The highlights of the album have to be the songs released before the album release - 'Old Romantics', 'Big Divide' and 'Damage Appreciation'. 'Damage Appreciation', especially, is the ear-worm of the album with a danceable bassline and a chanting chorus. This is surely Max Raptor's most complete sounding material so far, fitting nicely into the progression of their work by becoming more aggressive but musically more polished than previous outings.

'Max Raptor' is UK punk rock at its finest - loud, unapologetic and in your face.

7.5/10

-Luke

Dim Sŵn // Cardiff // 09.04.16

"Sŵn is pronounced soon and is welsh for sound" read the T-shirts of those working at the well known local multi-venue Cardiff festival. Dim Sŵn is the smaller one-day cousin of the bigger Sŵn Festival that takes place in the Autumn of every year and this year it will do for the 10th time.

DIm Sŵn, while being smaller, still has the same excellent quality of up and coming acts as Sŵn. Ispent my day finding some exciting and interesting but lesser know acts around the festival.

Bryony Sier // Undertone

Being the first act on at the festival Bryony was treated to a packed venue who all listened keenly to her refreshing country/folk style. A style and song-writing that wouldn't go out of place in Nashville, Tennessee.

HVNTER // Undertone

More than slightly different to the first act, HVNTER echoes the stye of music from the likes of Jack Garratt. With a series of original songs and a mash up of Justin Beiber and Drake, their act was very warmly received.

Grace Petrie  10 Feet Tall

Political and acoustic are the two words you need to describe Grace Petrie. With rant like songs about the politics of today and the future she was a refreshing listen not only musically but in her message. Much of the time her style reminded me to that of The Homeless Gospel Choir and Beans On Toast not only in the song content but the way she conducted herself on stage.

Orla Gartland // 10 Feet Tall

Quiet, acoustic and thoughtful, Orla Gartland pulled a large crowd to the cosy upstairs of 10 Feet Tall. With a brilliant voice and lyrically beautiful songs, she's a must listen for fans of Gabrielle Aplin and Lucy Rose.

LUK // Undertone

LUK are something a bit different, they incorporate deep house sounds with a distinctive singing style to create a dark, unpolished but interesting sound.

Benedict Benjamin // 10 Feet Tall

Having recently released his debut album Benedict Benjamin took to the stage at Dim Sŵn to perform his newest material. Melancholy and depressing in the extreme, his lyrics and sound is like a miserable lullaby but a brilliant and beautiful one at that.

Island // Four Bars at Dempsey's

Some more chilled out indie awaited upstairs in Four Bars. Island's chilled out guitar twangs and echoey sound filled the room brining bliss and relaxation to everyone in the room. The band from London have a lovely sound and style and may be one to look for in the future.

Ofelia // Undertone

Ofelia - a sex piece alt-folk band from South Wales - were a great edition to the Young Promoters stage in Undertone. Great fun and with an enjoyable folk style that makes you want to jig in the middle of the dance floor.

CaStLeS // Four Bars at Dempsey's

Welsh psychedelic indie rock band CaStLeS took to the upstairs stage to an almost packed venue. They say their songs are inspired by the wilderness of their studio but there sound is nothing but empty, interesting and full it sounds similar to that of Black Honey.

Upbeat Sneakers // Undertone

Undertone closed the night with 8-piece ska band Upbeat Sneakers, a band seriously not be missed. The group, from Merthyr, Wales, are going on to support the one and only Madness in July alongside hotly tipped Pretty Vicious. You can really see why though, exciting and energetic with catchy songs and many layers of sound in their music, they are an excellent live experience and a handful for any soundman!

The Big Moon // Clwb Ifor Bach

The Big Moon are an all female alternative four piece from London. Tipped for big things they headlined the stage upstairs in Clwb Ifor Bach and they had an almost full room bouncing to every note.

Dim Sŵn has a very special feel about it with nothing but smiles and excitement from punters and workers alike, it is a wonderful festival. For those of you who missed it, make it to the main event this Autumn - Sŵn Festival!

October Drift // Undertone, Cardiff // 07.04.16

There's always something special about experiencing an exciting young band in a tiny sweaty basement. That's exactly what fans of October Drift were treated to on a cold Thursday night in Cardiff.

The Fused @ Undertone

First up where local indie-rockers The Fused; a Cardiff band with a lot of energy and an exciting sound. Within seconds a mosh pit broke out in the venue, the ceiling only centimetres from the bouncing fans heads. The band say they're influenced by the likes of Catfish & The Bottlemen and The Libertines and you can certainly hear that indie style come through there music, however the band had moments of delving into a rockier style which kept the crowd bouncing. The Fused have a very current sound and with the energy they portrayed in their performance could move on to bigger things.

The Broadcasts @ Undertone

The Broadcasts came to the stage a man down with their guitarist at home recovering from an illness. Nonetheless the band still gave an exciting performances. They fed off the energy created by The Fused, reducing the fans into a sweaty mess. The alt rock/acoustic band from south Wales have an album out soon which will be a great listen if their live performance is anything to go by.

October Drift @Undertone

With the crowd buzzing and excitement brewing October Drift took the stage. Due to the bands recent social media storm through issues with Facebook's swear filter while trying to promote a gig in Scunthorpe and an ever increasing hype around the band, the show was nearly packed to capacity. The band bounced of the energy created by the two supports with crowd surfers and mosh pits a common place throughout the set. The band not only musically were fantastic but also interacted with the crowd incredibly; climbing amps, bouncing with the crowd and at one point getting the whole room to crouch down in a circle during the opening part of 'Lost'.

October Drift @ Undertone

These sort of displays from the Somerset band won't go unnoticed and will propel them to bigger and better things in the near future.

-Luke

The Hunna // Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff // 04.04.16

There's something about indie rock bands at the moment. Bands following the template of the likes of Catfish & The Bottlemen and The 1975 means the popular music scene is full of them. The Hunna are another example of such a band and their set in Cardiff marked their last night of a completely sold-out tour.

Support came from HUNTAR, a solo artist who sings over pre-recorded electronic tracks. If you imagine somewhere between Jack Garratt and Justin Bieber that's where HUNTAR sits, in a type of genre which is very popular at the moment. Despite clearly being an incredibly talented artist, each song appeared to blend into the next in a set almost completely full of similar sounding songs; the only exception being a drum & bass number which he closed with. Even with this 'samey' sound, HUNTAR deserves credit for bringing an incredible energy to the stage which transferred very quickly into the crowd and built up an insatiable hype before the main act.

HUNTAR @ Clwb Ifor Bach

The Hunna took to the stage to a packed out room which was buzzing with excitement. For a band only launched in October of last year and only spread through word of mouth and social media, having a series of sold out shows is an incredible achievement. Once they start playing, you can see why. With exciting guitar parts, a good beat and an excellent voice from the lead singer, The Hunna had the young crowd in the palm of their hand and the energy they brought to the stage was reflected by the fans bouncing and singing along. Having released only 3 singles so far – 'She's Casual', 'Bonfire' and 'We Could Be' – it is a great achievement to attract a crowd with so much energy.A mosh pit even broke out during the last song.

The Hunna @ Clwb Ifor Bach

The only fault with The Hunna is how similar each song sounded to the next. However, they know their fanbase and the formula that their music follows is very current. They may not be a band that breaks musical boundaries or has an important message, but they are a band which are good fun, if nothing else. With a debut album on the way this summer – which they announced to the crowd during the show – and another set of dates added to their tour due to high demand, it could be a big year for The Hunna as they look to follow in the footsteps of similar bands that have made it to the top.

-Luke
(edited by Kelcea)

10 Years On: Frightened Rabbit // Sings the Greys

In 2004 two brothers started a band. Scott and Grant Hutchison had no idea at the time the success this band would achieve. The name of the band originated from a pet name given to Scott by his mother due to his shyness and they first performed under Frightened Rabbit for a show at Scott’s former art college. The band now have a large fan base and are going on to release their 5th LP ‘Painting of a Panic Attack’.

This journey had to start somewhere and that somewhere is 'Sings The Greys': first released on May 1st 2006 on independent label 'Hit The Fan Records' the LP was initially limited to 1000 copies. The album itself feels musically stripped down, raw and unpolished but with mature and thoughtful lyrics.

The first song on the LP 'The Greys', which was one of the singles, tackles depression and reflects on how it affects a person and is very much different from just feeling sad - "What's the blues when you've got the greys". You find throughout the LP Scott, who is the primary song writer of the band, covers a range of topics – most of which personal. ‘Snake’ talks about missing or longing for a partner, whereas ‘Yawns’ and ‘Square 9’ talk about the breakdown of a relationship. There are also some songs with wider views, for example ‘Music Now’ covers Scott’s opinion on popular music. The overall feeling you get from 'Sings the Greys' is a dark one; grumpy and miserable. The thudding drums and slowly building layered tracks are atmospheric and occasionally feel like a live recording which adds to raw sound of the LP.

However this is an album that has to be looked at as a whole rather than a sum of individual parts; with three little 1-minute instrumentals breaking up the album into four bite-size chunks; linking from one part to the next using similar melodies to those in the songs. These linking-style songs become a common place in the bands future albums and help build this feeling of the LP being a whole.

‘Sings the Greys’ is important in the back catalogue of the band as it is often seen as the foundations for their later work. In the following album ‘The Midnight Organ Fight’ the band develop this stripped down sound by adding depth and a more polished feel. After this they began to develop a bigger sound in their subsequent 2 albums with the acoustic guitar becoming less prominent. Despite this evolution of musical style, the lyrical style and themes displayed in ‘Sings the Greys’ are carried through each album and can be seen as the escence of Frightened Rabbit.

Their 5th studio album 'Painting of a Panic Attack' is to be released on 8th April 2016 and was produced by The National's Aaron Dessner. The release will be followed by a short series of in-store and venue shows in the UK before and extensive tour of the US.

Review: The Algorithm // Brute Force

There are a lot of bands and artists out there that completely disregard genre boundaries but none quite in the same way as The Algotithm. A brilliant and frantic blend of math rock, metal, trance, electronica with the occasional flurry of chip music and on the odd occasion, a bit of reggae is what awaits any listener of the new record 'Brute Force'.

'Brute Force' is a somewhat apt name for this LP; it reflects the aggressive way this album, from the first beat, is just completely in your face, The frantic drums wouldn't be out of place on a metal record and the frenzied electronic sounds are, on first listen, difficult to keep up with but with each play through the LP becomes more intricate and interesting.

To a lax observer each song on 'Brute Force' would sound identical to the next, however under every song and it's hectic sounds are subtleties, intricate basslines and interesting layering that build a picture of each song. The first single from the album - 'floating point' - for example has a thumping main sound with bass and drums dominating but underneath the cacophony of noise is a subtle guitar riff mixed with intricate high pitched electronica patterns which adds so much depth to the song. The other single from the album 'pointers' may seem quite similar to 'floating point' but despite also being quite drum & bass focused, this song has a lot more subtle electronic elements.

Most tracks from Remi Gallego - the man behind The Algorithm - consist quite heavily, at times, of metal elements, however for fans of The Algorithm's previous work this album will seem much more electronic based and less reliant on those metal elements.

The band are currently on tour promoting the album and start the UK leg of the tour on 16th April.

Overall this LP is an extension of The Algorithm's already excellent discography. It's an interesting and exciting listen from an artist combining math core and electronic to great and intriguing effect.

7.5/10