SUNDARA KARMA Live Review - O2 Institute Birmingham

This piece was written for and first posted on Little Indie Blogs HERE

Written by Rosie Mulhern

Current Reading scene leaders - Sundara Karma took on Birmingham on Tuesday night, where at the O2 Institute they engaged a whole army of support for their mid-tour stop in the city

Liverpool's The Night Cafe took on the seemingly daunting task of being the first support band on for the sold-out show, but their presence conveyed anything but fear. They kicked off their set with 'Time', a chirpy number with jangly guitar riffs a-plenty, bringing the likes of Foals to mind.

This set them off to a good start and they already had the audience fully engaged with rather a lot of movement going on down the front. What was most impressive was the band's harmonies, with voices from both 18-year-old lead singer Sean Martin and drummer Carl Dillon complimenting each other nicely and adding diversity to each of their tracks.

They then comfortably rolled into 'Addicted', their jangly guitar track of last autumn, which funnily enough contained the kind of addicting riffs and harmonies (once again) that make you want to keep pressing the repeat button. It was a really tight perfomance as the band ended confidently on their newest track 'Mixed Signals' which gained a fair amount of excited sounding screams and a reassuring indicator that The Night Café will most certainly be welcome back here.

Next striding onto the stage were Essex newbies FREAK. They've been on the rise recently picking up recognition from the likes of Radio 1 after Little Indie and Radio X's John Kennedy discovered them earlier in the year. I was soon to see why Connar Ridd and his bandmates have been picking up plaudits all round after witnessing their live show here: if you wonder what it would sound like if Ratboy and Slaves had a baby, then I'd suggest listening to these guys.

These guys were stopping for no one when they surged straight into 'Floating High' - a track with the kind of heaviness and drive that's able to cause an immediate reaction within a crowd. With reams of dirty sounding guitar solos and straight to the point lyrics, FREAK brutally powered on through the set, playing as if their lives depended on it. It's rare to see a support act gain just as much excitement and rowdiness from a crowd as the main act but FREAK showed that they'd settle for nothing less. Moshpits were heaving with teens determined to tear the place down as they relentlessly powered on as the excitement then evolved into several circle pits and crowd surfers.

Photo credit: Laura-Ann

Last up and the much awaited stars of the show were Sundara Karma. Considering the short amount of time this band have been together for, it's clear to see the work they've put in through their sheer confidence and tight live shows. Their turnouts at their gigs never fail to impress as despite they don't even have an album out yet, they've still managed to sell out most dates on this tour and have conquered playing the main stage at Reading and Leeds this year. However, the music that they do have out will never fail to get you moving, each track reeking of euphoria and fuelling the thought - "This would sound great live."

Due to the crowd having been well warmed up thanks to the two excellent supports, it didn't take long for the impatient crowd to work itself up into a frenzy even when the quartet had only graced the stage with their presence for a mere matter of seconds. Launching straight into popular hit 'Indigo Puff', a song which the band haven't played live for a while (as they claim they get 'bored' of songs sometimes with the number of times they have to perform them on stage), so you can imagine the audience reaction when the familiar thump of drums and dreamy guitar riff made itself present in the opening seconds.

Photo credit: Laura-Ann 

They played a satisfying balance of older and new songs which will be on their debut album, introduced by their humble frontman Oscar Lulu as "I hope you don't mind too much, but we're gonna play some new stuff too." Oh, I didn't mind at all. This included the likes of 'Olympia', 'Deep Relief' and freshly released 'She Said', sounding a lot more mature and stronger than their past material.

Midway through the chaos, the guys unexpectedly whipped out a cover of Luther Vandross's 'Never Too Much' which got everybody moving as the band added their own groove to it which went down exceedingly well (not so much with the younger crowd that had come accompanied with their parents, but it was an interesting and admirable challenge and worked well with Lulu's distinct voice nonetheless.)

Sundara Karma are without a doubt one of the top bands leading the current indie scene across the nation and I'm expecting even bigger things from these guys in the future.

INHEAVEN - NEW VIDEO "Drift" Review and Interview

INHEAVEN dropped their latest music video for new single 'Drift' earlier this week and I instantly picked up a 90's TV show feel to it, accompanied by breezy bursts of sun kissed nostalgia and good vibes throughout. 

If the song itself didn't scream summer loud enough, their video compliments the whole feel-good vibe well, expressing it perfectly through a visual of dancing around a field surrounded by colourful smoke bombs and daisies, with a 'cherry on top' like finish added through a vintage touch achieved by a hazy pink wash. And lets not forget the subtle mention of the support of 'Girls Against' (a campaign raising awareness to stop sexual harassment at gigs) with an admirable appearance of their badges. 

This jangly number soon became one of my top tracks to accompany this summer; well, from what's left of it as festival season and whatever hope of warm weather we had draws to a hasty close. Speaking of, these guys played a much buzzed about Reading and Leeds set last weekend and it appears they couldn't have been more well received. These guys are sure to be getting even bigger as we speak with their fanbase ever-growing with each contagious tune they whip up.
I asked Chloe Little from the band (bassist) a few questions about their video, read below:

Firstly, I know that you have a big input on your music videos with the ideas behind them & production, was it still like that with Drift? If so how much?

- Yes, I direct and edit every video we’ve ever done. For Drift I shot that on super 8mm as well which was a new challenge for us. We think it’s very important to create your own visual content - only you can really express how you want your song to be visualised on screen.

Where does the inspiration/ideas come from for your videos? Do you try to reflect the song within them?

-Absolutely. Your video should just be an extension of the song and our videos should hopefully look like the song makes you feel. A full sensory experience is what we try and create.

I really like how yours and James' harmonies go together in this song, also how your voice is more prominent as it's different to some of your other tracks. Is switching role of lead vocals something you want to experiment more with?

- I think it’s cool when bands blur the boundaries of what their ‘roles’ are. Our voices work really well together so it’s fun to switch up the balance sometimes.

I'm a big fan of the vintage look you go for in your videos, is this reflective of your musical tastes and styles?

- I think it is subconsciously. We have lots of influences that come from different eras - although we want our visuals to feel ‘classic’, rather than trying to imitate a certain period in time.

Check it out for yourself by clicking HERE

Written by Rosie Mulhern

Clay at The Sunflower Lounge - Review and Interview

Leeds fourpiece - Clay, hit the stage at Birmingham's Sunflower Lounge last week as part of their first very own headline tour. They've been ones to watch for some time now with this band bringing their own sound to the current music scene with their unique spin on synth pop.

It was a pretty impressive turn out as the rather intimate sized room was packed out to the doors and energy levels were at an all time high even before Clay had taken to the stage; partly due to the impressive kick start to the evening that support act Sugarthief brought as they successfully hyped up the crowd.

It's always nice and refreshing to see a band that wants to lead their own scene and aims to create their own individual sound these days, and Clay are self admittedly trying (and succeeding) to do this.

The fourpiece begun with retro sounding 'Stay Calm', a wise choice to launch the evening off to a lively start from both the band and their fiery audience. Their clever use of synth and catchy lyrics add to Clay's developing style within their own sound. Their mysterious stage presence and confidence from attitude-fueled frontman Joe helped add to the exciting vibe about this band. During their performance of 'Why?' Joe successfully managed to get everyone in the crowd on the floor in preparation for the drop within the catchy track, only adding to the unmissable atmosphere beaming within the tiny venue. Every one of their tracks whipped up an enthusiastic reaction from each person in the room and the band never failed to maintain the excitement. Their first headline tour has given them the perfect opportunity to get themselves out there and show off their songs by giving us a mere taste of what's to come for their debut album.

Before the show, I managed to catch up with the band to have a little chat about where they're at now and where they want to go in the future, have a read below.

So, welcome to Birmingham, have you ever played here before?

Yeah, a couple of times now actually. We played here (The Sunflower Lounge) a few months ago with High Tyde and last year we played The Rainbow supporting Jaws which was our first time here; that was class, they're a sick band and it was a really good venue to play.

This is your first ever headline tour isn't it? How's it been going so far?

It's been absolutely amazing. It's weird cos we've done headline shows around the country before but this is our first actual tour and the crowds have just been insane every night. We've been building up to this point and been quite skeptical of how it was all gonna turn out but it's been incredible. You're constantly trying to win over crowds as fans when you support other bands so it's nice to finally come back on our own tour and see the same people that were there supporting you at other bands shows.

For people that don't know about Clay, how would you describe your sound?

I find it almost impossible to define because I think our tastes are constantly evolving and that runs parallel to our sound. I'd like to think that our band sounds like the music in our heads like the music we listen to all blends into one and outputs through our own material. We wanna make music that we feel isn't out there at the moment. We always try to strike the balance where we're conscious of the songwriting process in the sense that we want to write accessible pop music  but not to the point where it's overthought and contrived, so people are still able to connect with it.

So, we're mid way through festival season now, have you managed to play any this year?

Yeah, Isle of Wight, Tramlines, Live at Leeds but it's all been accumulating to this point right now with being on our headline tour; that's been our focal point of the summer really. We've just been focusing on ourselves rather than all the festivals. next year we're hoping to do the circuit but for now the tour has been the most important thing

Are there any festivals that you've got your eye on for next year?

Glastonbury. I think it's always gonna be that one, it's where everyone in a band wants to work up to I think. I also really wanna see what Bestival, Y Not, Secret Garden Party and Barn On The Farm are like to play; the smaller ones look quite cool. We did Reading and Leeds last year and that was fucking amazing so I think just more in that lane and carrying on and moving upwards from here. I just love the festival atmosphere, especially when we get to play them.

Do you prefer playing to festival crowds or to a smaller and more intimate audience?

It's weird because people are always there to see your band like festival crowds are all very accepting and welcoming but there's just something about smaller venues that you can just capture that vibe immediately because you're left with no choice but to just embrace that initial vibe you get. I don't think we can answer that fully at the moment cos we're still quite a new band and we've not done the festival circuit fully so we've still got a lot to do in that sense. But right now it's the small shows.

Are there any new bands that you've discovered recently maybe due to seeing them play at festivals?

We caught The Amazons at Isle of Wight Festival and they were really good, fucking love their new tune - Nightdriving. There's not much new music that excites us really, which is why we think our existence is necessary because we fill the gap that we feel isn't being filled by other bands.

Of course you're from Leeds, so are there any local bands that you've taken inspiration from? Even Leeds festival itself?

Although we're from Leeds, we play places like Manchester, Birmingham and London etc just as much as Leeds so we don't really categorize ourselves as a 'Leeds band' whereas a lot of bands from Leeds will play there like every few weeks. I certainly wouldn't consider ourselves as part of a 'Leeds scene' so I don't really know many Leeds bands. We just want to lead our own scene and have people buzz off us; we wanna grow in the country and then  spread, we don't wanna latch onto a scene cos that's not what we're about. We write our music to create a buzz amongst loads of people and just grow like that. Although of course there are some great bands going around in Leeds doing their own thing which is really cool.

So where did your main influences come from? What inspired you growing up that you listened to for example?

Well me (Jack) and Joe are brothers so obviously we've lived together all of our lives and we were always brought up listening to 80's music and just quite a lot of pop music so we're into older stuff. But we don't really sit down and try to nail a song to get it to sound like a certain genre. I think our biggest inspiration is just what we're listeingng to at the time, be it a new playlist on Radio 1 or we might have been listening to Jackson 5 or something like that for example. It just comes out from our own music that we listen to. We're really influenced by beats and some of us listen to Stormzy and other artstists like that and that comes out in the production side of things; I think that's where we get a nice span of genres in our music, it's never really anything in particular as such.

How did you all form as a band?

Of course Jack and Joe are brothers and I (Rob) have grown up with them and known them forever but I had no idea that they had any intention of starting a band. I remember being in Propaganda at O2 Academy in Leeds and Joe stumbled over to me like 'were starting a band, we're called Clay and it's gonna be sick, you're in man' so that was that. We met Danny at a house party a couple of months later and then we officially started in October 2014 and just went from there.

What's the music process like within the band? Is there someone who mainly comes up with the lyrics and the rest of you build it around that or is it more pulling things together as a group?

We don't really tend to write like other bands where they get in the studio and just jam until they find something that works. It usually starts with Jack who comes up with a whole song musically and he'll bring it to me (Joe) and I'll cover vocals but sometimes it starts the opposite way like I might be jamming on keys and write a whole demo. It could even just start from a word one of us has said like with our track called 'The Beach' the word 'beach' just inspired us so Joe wrote a whole hook around that. Sometimes we get lyrics from conversations we have or ones that we overhear. We often write song titles before the songs have even been written  and then try and build off on that and take inspiration.

What kind of things do you have planned as a band for the rest of the summer?

We're just finishing this tour and we're straight back into the studio, we have a couple of exciting things that we haven't announced yet and we're touring again in a few months time. We've also just announced a big partnership with Tomorrow Magazine so we've done a little feature with them too.

Written by Rosie Mulhern

Sugarthief live review - Birmingham O2 Academy 3

Meet Sugarthief - a new fourpiece from Penkridge, Staffordshire. The group begun with brothers Jack and Jordi James first teaming together as an acoustic duo for two years before deciding that they wanted to form a band, adding school friends Luke Owen Reece Downton, the bassist and drummer, into the picture.

The quartet made a much welcomed return to the O2 Academy in Birmingham last weekend after their previous visit consisted of a sold out headline show. Although this was just a support slot this time, the crowd were still keen in showing their support towards the band with their very own mosh pits and even the odd crowd surfer. It seems this band is only growing as with each gig more and more crowd members are singing the boys' songs back to them and are eager to hear more from them.

Having only been a band for less than a year and having just two officially released singles, their progress couldn't be more impressive as within such a short space of time they've already headlined several hometown venues such as The Rainbow, The Oobleck, The Sunflower Lounge and The O2 Academy 3. Not to mention their feature in the April batch of Flying Vinyl amongst other new emerging bands within the indie scene such as Black Honey and Inheaven.

Their set sprang into action with a cover of Money by well known B-Town scene inspirations Peace which went down well to say the least with primarily young, indie crowd members. They then launched straight into an original - New Ends, which was their first studio recorded and officially released single. It's no wonder that this was the song that caught the attention of several music blogs and support from local radio station - BBC Introducing West Midlands, especially with how tight it sounded when performed live. Whilst its punchy opening drum solo adds to the tracks unique assets, distinctive vocals from frontman Jordi add charisma to the track along with a striking burst of a guitar solo before firing into a somewhat explosive chorus.

Their original material appeared to blow their covers out of the water and whip up an even bigger reaction out of the crowd than familiar covers including Money by Peace, Song 2 by Blur and I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor by Arctic Monkeys. With three new songs fitting in quite nicely with their upbeat setlist including 'Other Song', an assertive, energy fuelled track with an early Arctic Monkeys feel to it. Not forgetting their other newly recorded tune 'The Joy Affair'; a five and a half minute laid back number with the kind of catchy and repetitive chorus that you simply can't help getting stuck in your head, consisting of a football like chant of "oh oh oh's" and a powerful climatic buildup from guitarist Jack before an impressive drop. Both tracks fit in quite nicely with Sugarthief's newly created unique and recognisable sound of their own.

Keep your eyes peeled for these guys as new material is due to drop soon and I'd recommend catching them at one of their next upcoming gigs (which you can find out about on their social media pages) to see what all the fuss is about.

Find Sugarthief on..
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/sugarthiefuk
Spotify: https://www.spotify.com/uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sugarthiefuk/

Written by Rosie Mulhern

An Interview with INHEAVEN

South London quartet INHEAVEN have certainly been ones to watch so far this year with recognition and praises from most people they have come across, including The Strokes' Julian Casablancas, with their powerful and urgent sounding hits. I managed to catch the fourpiece as they played their last show on tour with Sundara Karma at The Rainbow in Birmingham. This was my third time seeing the band and I can honestly say that these guys are only getting better. They couldn't have been more well recieved by the audience which can be rare to see with a support act however these guys definitely knew what they were doing.

I had a chat with the band before their sellout support slot in the packed Rainbow Courtyard to ask a few questions. Read below on what the band had to say...

So, it's not been that long since you were here in Birmingham at this exact venue a couple of weeks ago supporting Yak. How was touring with Yak? Did you learn anything in particular from them?

James & Chloe: It was amazing. They're such a good band, it was really inspiring watching them play and I think we got better as a band watching them every night. The amount of energy they have is insane, we wanna try and bring some of that to our gigs now.

You've jumped literally straight from the tour with Yak to this one with Sundara Karma a day after finishing which must have been manic. It seems very non-stop for you guys at the minute and a load of people are calling you 'ones to watch', how does that sit with you?

Chloe: It's honestly so exciting. These last few months have been so great and we're having the time of our lives. I'm quite sad that this has finished now but we have Wychwood Festival tomorrow (today) but then we're home for a week so I'm sad about that.
James: Oh, we love it. It's what we've always wanted to do. We love being on tour as well and we have lots of festivals lined up for the summer so that should be fun.

So a lot of your songs have a real sense of drive and urgency about them and I feel like that comes across even more when you play them live. What is it that gives you that drive when writing music?

James: I was inspired by the Motown work ethic of writing as many songs as possible and songs fuel you to do stuff like this and be on tour; so the more songs you write the more fun you get to have and the more you get to play shows and go on tour. So we just kept writing and writing and now we have so many songs and hopefully that'll fuel us for a good however long. We'd like to have enough songs for us to do this for our whole lives cos I mean we never stop working really.

I've heard about you guys wanting to do everything very much independently and you like doing your own thing such as Chloe; I know you're behind a lot of your music videos. Would you say that things are still pretty much under your control with your ideas and what you produce?

Chloe: Yeah definitely! I think even more so now, actually. We're still doing all of our own videos and creating our fanzines and artwork. No-one's ever really tried to take over so I think we're pretty lucky.
James: I heard somewhere that a horse in committee is a camel. Have you ever heard that? So like, you give a committee a horse and you say 'right we really need a horse' they'll give you a camel cos there's so many of them all having an input. So if you really want something that you've got in your own head then the only person who's gonna know what that is is you. The more people you get involved, it's just gonna turn into something completely different.
Chloe: With videos especially, bands often have an idea and someone then does it for them and they end up hating it.
James: We've known so many bands that hate their videos and we never wanna be like that cos we love the stuff we're making at the minute. And cos Chloe's a very talented videographer so of course that helps.

I like your artwork as well it's quite unique. What was the idea behind that?

James: I designed that but I did nick the flower from Chloe's video and used a scanner to put that on. I was reading about Diiv and they created their album artwork using just a scanner so I thought I'd have a go at it cos I thought it was cool. I just randomly knocked it up but every time I look at it now I think it's so cool and I can't believe that was just something I didn't really think much about before doing and now it's just stuck with us and is on most of our singles.

And of course, you were in last month's Flying Vinyl too, how did that come about for you guys?

James: They wanted to put out a single of ours ages ago but for whatever reason it didn't happen. But for this single - (Baby's Alright) our label didn't wanna do vinyls for it and we really wanted to so the Flying Vinyl guys were just like 'hey you can come and do it with us'. It's free as well cos they pay for everything which is really cool. I think actually it's probably been one of the best promotional things we've done.
Joe: Still to this day people are saying how much they love it and the fact that it's exclusive as well makes it even more special.
Chloe: I love seeing the photos people put up on Twitter and Instagram of them playing our vinyl. I just think it's an amazing concept over at Flying Vinyl and it's gonna be really big. They always put such good bands in there too which is why it's successful cos they're not just putting any old shit in there.
James: I love how they really try to promote all of the bands they feature in their vinyls, too. They're just really nice and I think they've helped us out quite a bit.

Do you support their ethics in the importance of keeping the physical side of music alive?

James: I do, yeah. I think people are quite hungry for it as well cos we started this band wanting to champion the physical format and fanzines but then it was like oh god half of the country is already doing that too. I feel like everyone's had the same idea at the same time and it's quite exciting cos kids are buying shit again and enjoying it.
Chloe: I do think that most people are listening to music on the internet but they buy vinyls as a memento. I mean sometimes I think some people just buy them to put on Instagram cos we have a lot of kids who buy our vinyls and they don't even own record players.
James: I don't even have any music on my phone anymore cos I stream everything.

That brings me onto another question, what's your opinion on music streaming services such as Spotify? I know there's quite a big divide on this one because a lot of artists hate it whereas others think it's quite helpful.

Chloe: I think it's really good but I hated it for a long time because I didn't really understand it.
James: I think as long as you make it easier for people then it's better, cos it's easier to just listen to it on Spotify without downloading it illegally cos they're not gonna get it elsewhere. To be honest bands don't really make anything out of MP3 sales they make money out of gigs and people go to your gigs cos they like you on Spotify. So yeah I guess it's better for bands but it's probably shit for record labels.

Quickfire..

Go-to pick me up songs?

Jake: Anything by Talking Heads
Chloe and James: Train in Vain by The Clash.

Three songs that have been on repeat in the van on tour?

Joe: We're all actually really antisocial and we all play our own things in our headphones but I was listening to a lot of Etta James today.
James: Easier Said by Sunflower Bean.
Chloe: I was listening to Closing Time by Tom Waits today. That's a good one for night time actually.

Two good things and one bad thing about touring?

James: Playing gigs is obviously great, seeing different places and the bad thing is probably the food cos it's constantly unhealthy cos we're at service stations all the time.

And finally, if you could invite any three people round for dinner who would they be?

James: Elivs, Joe Strummer and Prince
Jake: William Burroughs, Andy Warhol and David Bowie

By Rosie Mulhern

Yak Live Review at The Rainbow in Birmingham

My photo

 YAK are the band that have been amongst the batch of most exciting 2016 newcomers with rather a lot of hype surrounding them. The trio are known for their brutal live tendencies and their raw, angry and most definitely noisy, sound, and that - and more - they brought to Digbeth's The Rainbow tonight to kick off their latest tour. Having not seen this band before, I wasn't sure what to expect but the one thing I did know was to brace myself for what was about to unfold.

Earlier in the evening Birmingham's own The Hungry Ghosts opened the show. I was quickly able to see why YAK had a liking for these guys as both bands were driven by aggression. With this quartet, however, that took the form of a more dramatic element especially when frontman Joe Joseph headed into the crowd to square up to members of the audience. They successfully managed to fire up the audience and each song had its own punch to it (not to mention some intriguingly named songs like 'Father Snake Moan' and  'Death Rattle Blues') with unique vocals and layers of fast and gritty guitar riffs. They brought good old fashioned rock and roll to the table, with a more modern take with aspects of synthy tones appearing in bursts.

Next up was emerging indie band INHEAVEN. Following on from their recent success with Flying Vinyl and previous support slots with the likes of The Magic Gang, Blossoms (and an upcoming tour with Sundara Karma in a few weeks) the south-London four-piece were now about to woo the fans of YAK over to their side. It wad hard to fault either the band's energy - with all songs conveying grungy yet optimistic vibes - or the impressive harmonies of frontman James Taylor and bassist Chloe Little, with the latter's female vocals adding to the uniqueness of the band, giving them a slight psych edge. They sounded extremely tight and certainly left us all raring to go, as they ran through a set including crowd favourite 'Regeneration' and latest single 'Baby's Alright'. They were more than alright it seemed for the crowd tonight, managing to leave an indelible impression with their straight to the point lyrics and euphoric melodies.

My photo

After much anticipation, the London trio known for their barbaric live shows took to the stage. I was surprised to see a diverse mix of ages within the audience as I was expecting a primarily young crowd; however, it was a mix of keen teen moshers circulating as close to the front as possible, and a row of a slightly older age group edging towards the back with pints in hand watching intently in awe - and a slight look of fear within their eyes.

YAK's highly awaited set began with a build up created from frontman Oli Burslem's synth playing consisting of intense whirring sounds, forcefully leading us into their electrifying opening song 'Harbour The Feeling'. As beer coated the walls and an aroma of sweat and sheer confidence from both the band and audience filled the air, YAK drove on ploughing through their set as each face melting tune oozed onto the next.

The relentless performance from the trio showed no signs of stopping and picked up even more with anger fuelled older songs such as 'Smile'; as driving, gravelly guitar was paired with Oli's grunting and rugged screams, whilst crowd favourite 'Hungry Heart' was a clear instruction for crowd-surfers to do their job. The band added originality to their set with the reinforcement of aspects of some songs thrown into others with the punchy opening screech of a riff to single 'Alas Salvation' made itself present throughout the night, building and holding the tension.

As Oli smacked his guitar off the floor as if creating a new instrument and sound, the sludging sound of Andy Jones slapping the bass as if there was no tomorrow and the crunch of  Elliot Rawson's drumming like he was on fire, created copious amounts of energy. That there was little verbal engagement between vocalist and crowd only added to the never-ending momentum as a well needed stage dive seemed like the only time he could stop for a breather; and even then he was still attempting to relentlessly play his guitar as he surged through the crowd.

It was exciting to hear live performances of the band's material from their debut album 'Alas Salvation' (released a couple of days after this show); containing a real emotionally diverse set of tunes - including the slightly more uplifting on the surface 'Do Wah' - and something different and more unique, with this band setting their own limits with their raw and honest talent, carving their own way within the music industry.

A triumphant ending to the show came with album track 'Use Somebody'. The only fault of the night was when it ended as I was left with not only a minor sensation of tinnitus, but a real buzz and a need to see them again as it certainly was an experience I am glad not to have missed.

Written by Rosie Mulhern

This post was first featured on Little Indie Blogs. Click here to go to the original post. 

The Magic Gang live at The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham

My photo of frontman Jack Kaye 

This post first featured on Little Indie Blogs. To view the original click here

I think it goes without saying that The Magic Gang are one of the most talked about unsigned bands around right now. However, if their live shows are anything to go by, I'm placing my bets that in no time at all they're sure to be one of the most talked about signed bands.

VITAMIN are another much talked about band, who have emerged over the last 18 months as a fine support - as they prove once again tonight. In fact, the six-song set is so well-received by their Brum fans that they could easily have been the headliner. With an enthused crowd behind them they moved through both more familiar songs like 'This Isn't Love', ‘To Believe’ -their latest EP title track - to their new single 'Waterfall'. Their show is sharp, lustrous and in Jared Lavelle they have a charismatic frontman.

This was my fourth time seeing Brighton's The Magic Gang, and on each occasion they have seemed tighter and more experienced than the previous time. Tonight is no exception. They opt to throw in some of their new material with the highly addictive 'It Isn't Easy', 'All This Way', 'Only Waiting' and 'Blue For You'; each tune possessing The Magic Gang trademark sound and containing the quality to cause their oh-so-familiar contagious and uncontrollable singalongs. It is rare to see a band's untried and unfamiliar songs being as well-received as theirs, with fans giving just as much energy (if not, more) than with their older tracks and shouting along as best as they could.

My photo of the band in full swing

The vibe created by listening to their music at home is one that couldn't differ more to their live performance as it is anything but laid-back. Despite this, the same amount of positivity can be felt as hearty singalongs echoed throughout the tiny venue as it was as if it was struggling to hold up with every single line being thrown back at the band as if the crowd had written their songs. It's clear that these guys are having the time of their lives and are enjoying every second with whole band beaming with constant laughs and smiles plastered across their humble faces; which I must say was contagious.

As they close with classic crowd favourite 'No Fun', they give one last frantic burst with frontman Jack Kaye patrolling the stage motioning for the crowd to sing even louder. With the crowd willingly going along with his urging, chaos inevitably broke out with fans being pushed on stage causing mic stands to fall over and leads to be pulled out of guitars. As frantic as it was, neither the band or their fans showed any signs of slowing down. Magic? You got it!

An Interview with Willie J Healey

Meet Willie J Healey, a new 21 year old solo artist putting his own spin on hazy surf-rock. He's recently been signed and has two EP's out so far, one of which he supposedly recorded in his garage at home.

Photo credit to Itunes

I went down to The Sunflower Lounge last night to watch Willie support Beach Baby in Birmingham and having seen him play live once before, I knew that I was in for a good show. His highly enjoyable and tight performance consisted of all round chilled vibes including the upbeat and high energy 'Dude Like Him', producing a feel-good atmosphere alongside his clear enthusiasm and cheeriness throughout. His easy-going tone continued with the much welcomed and more laid back 'Subterraneans', channelling Mac Demarco and The Beach Boys vibes throughout the room. I would definitely say he's one to watch and I'm expecting big things from him  in the near future.

I caught up with the man himself when he came offstage after his performance to ask him a few questions, have a read below on what he had to say.

First of all well done, I really enjoyed your set. The crowd seemed to like it too, how does it feel having people reacting like that to your shows?

Thank you! It was really fun. But it's nice; it's kinda weird to see people singing a long because I don't really have that much of a fanbase at the moment so it's kind of rare but when people do, it does make me smile.

I noticed that you mentioned on stage that this was your second time in Birmingham, how do you like it here?

Yeah it seems pretty cool. It's nice being able to go to all of these places but I never get to spend much time anywhere though, so all these cities seem the same in a way cos you're just in and out. So I have been to Birmingham but I haven't been to Birmingham, I've only been to The Sunflower Lounge - twice. I like this place though, It's so loud in there, you guys need ear plugs too I think.

I first found out about you after seeing you support The Magic Gang at 100 Club in London. How was that show for you?

It was really cool! It was our first show with them as I didn't really know much about them before but it was really nice. But 100 Club is pretty legendary, isn't it? All of the big dogs have played there so it felt nice to be there. The crowd was really cool too. It's nice to play to younger audiences 'cos they seem to move and dance around a lot more.

How has 2016 been so far for you musically?

Pretty cool so far. I've just been recording a lot and gigging; not too many gigs yet though, but I think we're gonna have a few more tours coming up soon. I signed a deal just before Christmas and that was wicked so I guess it's business time now, well kinda.

Have you come across any obstacles yet?

I'm kinda lucky cos I used to work for my dad and I think the biggest obstacle for people starting out is making money. But no not really, I guess the whole getting signed thing usually results in a lot of outside opinions so that can be an obstacle; like when someone says "Go and write a three minute song instead of a four minute one" but no-ones really said anything to me like that. I guess the only obstacle would be not gigging but that's not really an obstacle, is it? That can be achieved.

I think it's quite rare to see many solo artists these days as a pose to groups of people in bands, do you have any words of wisdom for other aspiring solo artists out there?

I guess to try and write a load of songs; you can't make all of your songs excellent but I just try and  make as many as I can whenever I can and try and record it all. Also try and be in as many projects as you can and I think just enjoy it too, really; cos if you're just aiming for Wembley then you're not gonna enjoy anything so just enjoy it as it comes.

So if you could start a band project alongside your solo stuff, who would you choose to be in it with you?

Well I really like the band I play live with now so this is hard but if it was a super-group then I'd have Willie Nelson upfront with me so there'd be two Willies. On bass I'd have my bassist that I have now - Alex Train cos I'm quite lucky with him, he has the sweetest bass too have you seen it? It's like a tear drop; I think that's been the highlight of the set for most people.

I quite like the music video for Subterraneans, did you set out aiming to approach the meaning of the song with it or was it just a bit random? (click here to watch)

It was all a bit rushed to be honest with you, not to make it sound shitty or anything. I just had to come up with something quite quickly and my industry folks told me that I needed to make one so I just went straight into it. I did it twice actually cos the first one was really really really boring, even more boring than the one I have now. But I thought that I'd at least need to try and have fun with it so I brought the cake into it. It seems like so long ago now though like I'm not really that into it myself anymore but I'm glad you like it, there's some funny moments in there.

My photo of Willie J Healey and his band 

Have you found a common theme so far when writing music?

Not really no, I guess I watch a lot of films so they influence me. I live in a town that's lovely and all but it's a bit dead. So really I just use films and my imagination and just try not to get too cheesy; that's my regular thought like - is this sounding too cheesy? but hopefully they don't.

I read an article about you where you'd written a massive apology letter to your neighbor about the chaos you caused involving his fish, wife's clothes and your limosine. What was that all about? (you can read what I'm talking about here)

Ah yeah, that was all made up. Cos you know how with most bands it's like "This is Willie J Healey from Oxford, he's 21 years old and he's been playing guitar since he was fourteen" So I just tried to do something a little different and more interesting. I just think who really cares about that stuff? When I first find out about a new artist I don't immediately think "I wanna go and read their bio" so yeah I just tried to be different and a bit more light-hearted. I know it's not extremely different but it was fun anyway.

Of course there's been the sad news about Prince, did that effect you in any way? Was he an influence to you?

In all honesty, not really. It's of course a shame though when someone as influential as himself dies and I totally get how good he was so I got it when everyone in the van was sad. But I haven't really had my Prince phase yet. Cos you know how there's a few obvious bands like The Smiths, Prince and a bunch of others who I'm sure at some point I will be into but at the moment I'm not. It was a real shame though like we played a gig on the same day and it felt a bit wrong.

So who would you say was your biggest musical influence?

Probably Neil Young. He's a bit of a 70's rocker but I really like the the way he deals with everything and his mindset. My friends and family are obviously influences too. And films as I said; I love old films and sci-fi ones a bit. Mostly just American films.

And Finally, you said earlier that you'd be doing more shows so is there any chance of you coming back here soon?

We haven't got anything booked yet but it's on the circuit so we'll definitely be back cos I'd like to but I'm just not sure when yet. Hopefully soon.


You can listen to Willie J Healey on Spotify here
Or check his music out on iTunes here

Written by Rosie Mulhern

An Interview with VITAMIN

This post was first released on Little Indie Blogs. Click here to view the original.

Leeds-born and bred indie-pop band VITAMIN have been causing quite a stir recently due to their rising success. Previously on tour with Sundara Karma and Rat Boy, the band are currently on the road with The Magic Gang across the UK, where they'll surely be catching the ears and interest of many more to add to their growing fanbase. No doubt part of their set will contain effervescent new single 'Waterfall'. Released last Friday (April 15), the track was recorded in Leeds and produced by Rich Turvey.

With the VITAMIN sound almost literally bursting with enthusiasm and euphoric guitar pop, it really is a slice of synth heaven - firing constant summery vibes all around; not to mention frontman Jared Laville's unique vocals adding an edge to it all.

I caught up with Jared recently to hit him up with a few questions. Have a read below about what he had to say. 

So, to kick off, Jared, how are all you guys since I saw you last at the Birmingham instore?
Very well, thank you! Had a lot of fun in Birmingham.


Has it been a busy time for you, with touring and recording - and no doubt doing endless interviews like this one!I never stop! We've been working on everything at the moment: artwork, videos, writing, recording - and, of course, interviews. And we start touring again! Theo and Cam have been starting up 'Brother and Sisters' (their club night), although we say it's more of a party - and everyone's invited.

You mentioned artwork there, and I do like the unusual theme of vegetables and sweets in your covers. Where did that come from? For example, with your debut EP 'Giving It Up', the cover features a broccoli covered with hundreds and thousands. That is a bit...well...bizarre, no?! Is there a subtext to it?
I randomly stumbled across Wendy's [Amsterdam-based illustrator, Wendy Van Santen] work on a blog and it immediately caught my eye; it's hard for it not to. I instantly connected with it and to me it felt so relevant to our music in the way of having something so overtly sugary sweet on top, and then something a little more sobering underneath. For those EPs it was the perfect visual for the music. 

For those not having seen VITAMIN before, how would you describe your live show? 
Our gigs are parties. We make our biggest impact live, it's where our songs completely come to life and similarly for myself. I love the stage, I love being on stage and I love connecting with people so directly by singing right there in front of them. I want people to come away feeling they've seen a real performance, I want people to be wowed. 

I am sure they will certainly be wowed! Is performing live a big part of why you do what you do, or do you prefer making music, the writing and recording part of it?
I love it all. For me, they all work in perfect harmony together. If you've been locked up in a studio for months, then all you want to do is be out on the road, and vice versa. I don't think at this point in my life I could do just one, I need that stimulation from the variety; they each have their moments and one complements the other. 

Is there a message you try to get across with your music, or is it more about the sound? Honesty is all I aim for in our music. As long as I and the rest of the boys believe in it, that's all that matters.

You have said that the band originally started just as a means of offsetting boredom. The music scene in and around Leeds has been quite healthy for some time, what or who were the inspirations that got VITAMIN hyped up to do something of their own?We started VITAMIN for the same reason every young girl or boy starts a band: because they love music, they love writing music, playing music - whatever gets you hot. It has simply been my dream to be a musician, be in a band, since I can remember. I've been in a band since I was 10! Then when you start developing and meeting people you realise that the sky is the limit, and that in itself motivates and inspires me. I'm not afraid to admit that I want us to be a big band. 

You haven't been doing too badly so far on working towards that! What is influencing you right now? Are there any certain styles or artists that you look at and think you'd like to try a variation of?
My biggest influences come from my childhood and growing up, and the records my mum would play around the house. A lot of soul records such as The Isley Brothers, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Tracy Chapman... I'm also a huge Björk fan: the level of honesty in her music is so inspiring. I would hate for us to be a 'variation' of something, that seems pointless to me, we will always strive for something new. 

Where do you usually get your song writing inspiration from? Is there a usual process that you follow when writing?
We mix up our process all the time, we write separately, together. In the box, live in the room. Outdoors, indoors. It is so important for us to keep our writing process and surroundings fresh, otherwise how are you supposed create something fresh and vital, if you don't feel that way? 

If, to quote yourselves, 'this isn’t love...then what is that timeless thing called ‘love’?
I'll tell you when I know!

We'll get back to you on that one then! In the meantime, let's go for a few quick ones. Who would you:
a)ask to come and perform a live show with you?
Ladysmith Black Mambazo, no question.

b) like to collaborate with?
Would love to collab with Daft Punk. 

c) have round for a dinner party (dead or alive)?
I bet David Attenborough has impeccable table manners...

d) listen to if you could only listen to one band for the rest of your life?Reckon I'd have to say Michael Jackson on that one.

I gather that you have successfully put on your own club night at the Brudenell in Leeds. Will this be an on-going thing? 
Yeah, as I said earlier, Theo and Cam are taking 'Brothers and Sisters' into the DJ realm starting this month. It was always our vision for 'Brothers and Sisters' to become something more than just a club night, so this is the next stage for it.

VITAMIN have been compared to the likes of Bombay Bicycle Club and The 1975. How do these comparisons rest with you?It's natural for people to compare and I understand why people do it. But I personally would never compare us to either of those bands - I wouldn't compare to us anyone for that matter. I just don't think about that kind of thing, all I think about is, 'Do I like this? Do I believe in this?' And if yes, then it's a win. 

Written by Rosie Mulhern

DIIV Live Review - Birmingham O2 Institute

If there's any new band that's successfully creating a modern take on 90's shoegaze, it's these guys from New York. Following on from the band's debut album - 'Oshin', DIIV gave evidence that they have more to offer with their just as gripping and intense 17 track compilation 'Is The Is Are'; proving that there's more to them than just another reverb infused mix of indie-pop psych.

If there's one thing they're known for - it's their highly distinctive and fluttery chimes of indie-pop guitar riffs that melt into more melancholy tones. However, each track still compresses the ability to have its own individuality, making you feel everything from euphoria to strong senses of angst all of course whilst still feeling as if you're on a rather blissful trip.

The four-piece spilled onto the stage encased in baggy trousers and caps with a contagious look of excitement plastered over their faces. The nerves soon became evident with the constant announcement of the band's name after each song and a reminder of where they're from.

The breathy vocals of front-man Zachary Cole Smith added the underlying sense of distress through the more personal feel of his lyrics complied with the contrasting upbeat rhythms of euphoric 'Dopamine'; which, gives the listener a surge of exactly that - having almost the same effect due to containing the craving to come back for more. This falls far on the other side of the spectrum in comparison with their previous hazy sounding, emotion-charged first album - 'Oshin', however both albums would still not be mistaken for any others as although appearing to have been set in completely different frames of mind, they both sound like DIIV's very own creation and sound.

The band's overwhelming sense of unpredictability was reflected as they made it clear that they didn't quite have a set-list; meaning most small-talk in between songs consisted of Zachary asking the crowd what songs they wanted to hear played next, only adding to the connection between the band and the audience.

Surges of euphoria vibrated throughout the room with the dominant pounding of intense bass riffs from bassist Devin Reuben Perez stabilising the feeling, making himself present amongst the mysterious haze of blue lighting. The intense thump of earthy bass was unmissable within well known older track - 'Doused' - which managed to conjure up just as much energy as the more hopeful and dreamy sounding 'Valentine', where brooding rushes of vitality were flying out thick and fast.

One of the most surprising aspects to the evening was the band's ability to create such unmissable stage presence and a stir amongst the audience, as by first hearing of their songs you wouldn't expect much of a reaction live; however, if you are as doubtful as I was then get yourself down to the front at one of their shows and you'll see what I mean as the crowds energy seemed to create a whole different mood with moshpits-aplenty.

Written by Rosie Mulhern

Breeze + TRASH + Plaza Live Review - O2 Institute Birmingham

This piece originally featured on Little Indie Blogs. Click here to go to the original post.

Breeze, TRASH and Plaza - three young, new bands hitting the indie music scene that you'll soon get used to hearing about. The trio have just completed a UK tour together, finishing in Leeds on Monday. For their Birmingham show tonight, it's a home gig for the headliner, and a bit of a distance for the others.

Kicking the night off was Plaza, a four-piece in their late teens from Hartlepool. A chilled, feel-good indie band with sounds resembling Brum's own Jaws, with a similar tendency and ability to create an energetic, reverb-heavy, upbeat track and the next minute induce your ears with an aura of dreamy blissfulness. 'Fickle' appeared a crowd favourite with a dramatic build-up at the start bursting with shots of summery vibes working up into a hazy pop tune. Latest track 'Totem' with its appealing intro also seems to have won fans prior to tonight.

Confidently making the most of their time on stage, Plaza piled on as much energy as possible in thd short space of their set, with vocalist Bradley Lennard's cap continuously falling off through his vigorous hair swishing and dancing.

The band surprisingly announced that it was their first time in Birmingham midway through their set, which could've gone unnoticed due to these guys successfully managing to make the place feel like their own. The set came to a close with their deceiving track - 'Antumbra' as the beginning would suggest a laid-back tone, however a build-up made itself present bursting into a forceful and unexpected drop with tight drum solos erupting into a break of euphoric infused noise.

Next to take the stage by storm were TRASH, a young emerging quartet from Chesterfield, and one of Little Indie's bands to watch in 2016. Beginning on the mellow note of '81', they soon built up more momentum by changing the pace with '4 Miles'; the fun-fuelled guitar rhythms present within this track and the catchy repetition of "come on", spurred on an already appreciative audience.

Many of their songs possessed the ability to appear optimistic, while hiding a deeper undercurrent to them with the lyrics, such as 'Sad Boys (All I Wanna Do)': the subject matter appearing to be the feelings that come after a break-up, but a fast-paced loop giving it a move-on-your-feet vibe. Likewise, new single  the four-minute 'Workout' which meshes catchy indie pop, fierce guitar and driving bass with a lyric that tells of angsty times and the seeking of a cure through an alcohol daze. 'Hot Coffee' - their most listened to track on Soundcloud with an impressive 14k-plus streams - ended their set quite nicely as even the mention of the title of the track from the band caused a reaction from the crowd.

Bringing the night to an impressive close was Birmingham's own four-piece, Breeze - doing their hometown proud, it has to be said. They chose tonight to open up with a song they had not only never performed live before, but was so new it has only just been completed and was still without a title. A brave move, but one that proved itself with its dreamy, yet infectious nature - something that this band seem to have no lack of.

Their contagious, dream-pop tunes such as 'Luna Love Me Good' delivered nothing but positive vibes to the high spirited and impatient crowd; entailing the kind of empowering chorus that will be bouncing off the walls in your head for days on end. The effortless vocals of frontman Paul Baker added a sense of uniqueness to their sound, especially prominent in their glittery surf-pop track 'Bleach'. The band played on relentlessly through the night, so much so that Baker's guitar strap broke halfway through a song.

Breeze topped off the night their cover of Dardude's 'Sandstorm', which may sound unusual but they totally made it work as they put their own spin on the song making it sound like it could have easily come from their own cannon. The crowd's response seemed to fuel the band's energy and stage presence even more with bassist Jorge encouraging fans to come up on stage and Baker throwing his mic with the stand into the crowd mid-song.

Overall, the whole night left you with twinges of euphoria as if summer had come a few months early. Make sure to catch all these three bands live soon.

               

Written by Rosie Mulhern