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Big Rhino is a funk band name and not a metal band? From left to right: Andrew Gibson, Paul Gibson, Bendelow and Pugh Shall we have a bit of fun today?

Let’s do so by having a look at an upbeat band based in Nottingham but with members from around Burton so it does count for this section and not another What Else Is Out There, so nyer! Either way, be careful not to get trampled by Big Rhino!

Richard Bendelow (lead vocals/guitar), Andrew Gibson (lead guitar), Paul Gibson (drums) and Miles Pugh (bass) make up this four piece party rock band who despite having set up camp in Nottingham, most of the members are Brewtown through and though and perform in Burton quite a bit! But with a name like Big Rhino, you’d assume that they can bring a lot of noise and stomping to wherever they perform and have a right silly time along with it.

Let’s explore and see what we can get out of this piece on these guys! If we can’t, we at least have this brief summary image! The history of the band stems from a number of places, both geographical and musical, with each band member having their own story to tell before they got to be a part of the giant rhinoceros. Bendelow, the Gibson brothers and Pugh all eminate from and around Burton, Yoxall, Barton and Coton-in-the-Elms more specifically. They also studied at John Taylor High School where members from Get Cubs and Max Raptor studied which has been covered in about the latter. Paul Gibson and Pugh were once business partners at their own local promotion which in essence was meant to add some much needed colour to a quite harsh and angry scene.

This idea however does clash with Gibson’s band around that time called Invey who described themselves as a “hate fuelled, hard rock band.” Can’t fault diversity I guess! Nor the brightness of those lights! Invey themselves have had a lot of success themselves as a Midlands band, touring all over the country from the mid to late 00s supporting the likes of Children of Bodom and Nightwish.

But of course this is still about Big Rhino so we should probably get back to them. Richard Bendelow and his brother Rob were a part of a revival of the successful 80’s Derbyshire band Saracen. After they decided to call it a day around 2012, Richard met up with good mates The Gibsons and Pugh and thought about forming their own band. They each thought about bringing together a big four way rock band dynamic whilst still maintaining the fun spirit of Pink Board Records to form a party rock band (LMFAO and Andrew WK would be loving this!) and this is how Big Rhino came to be. Not before some assisted planking though.

They started writing and recording in the Autumn of 2012 in Base Rehearsals in Nottingham which is why they would be known as a Nottingham-based band although most of them were Burton-based to begin with. Their first gig came in Nottingham as well with the Creative Christmas Party in December that saw them being well-received by the audience even though they were on first which is always a good sign. As 2013 came, so did their first EP that they had been working on towards the end of 2012.

Turn Around Baby was released on January 11th and featured songs such as Perfect Guy and Tom Bombadil. Bombadil’s mushrooms must have been passed around at some point! After the EP release, they released their first music video for their song It’s Just The Way We Are in February which has over 2000 views as of this date. This along with their free EP release had garnered a decent amount of buzz amongst their friends and Midlands music fans that they expanded their reach from just Nottingham.

Speaking of, they also were working with and gigging with other local musicians at this time such as recording with Dan Shipley of Burton metal band For The Kill and performing at The Shed in Leicester on the same bill as. Throughout Spring, they would do a few gigs in Burton such as the Star and Garter in March and the grand re-opening of the Wetmore Whistle in April along with the aforementioned Exile84 and. Grand re-opening?

Let’s tear the place down! Wait A very positive review came for the band after they performed at the Dot to Dot Festival in May at the Rescue Rooms in Nottingham where they were described as “ a highlight, playing a fun and uplifting set that ranged from surfer rock to indie pop that at times wouldn’t be out on place on the soundtrack to a Tarantino film.” Django Unchained 2, you have some party scene BGM! In the Summer they played everywhere from Ashby’s Bunka with with The Decade Runners and a protoypical, Waterfest in Nottingham and Summerfest in Derby. Definitely full momentum for this Rhino! A weekend mini tour came for them in September with Murphmania at Barton on the 6th, Amazement Festival at Nottingham Racecourse on the 7th and t he Barefoot Walk In The Park at Woolaton Park, Nottingham on the 8th. A particularly glowing review came for them after their Amazement gig: “ It’s impossible not to smile and have a cheeky dance to their surfer gypsy pop rock.

The most striking thing about the band is how much they clearly love to perform, always a must for any band worth their salt.” Gypsy pop rockers, haven’t got that honour? No amount of praise would prepare them for October’s Big Money gig at The Star Foundation in Burton though! A huge charity even with a Jools Holland type of set-up of multiple stages with two acts a stage also featuring the likes of Black Wolf Catch, Exile84 and. Oh and a back-up singer from Jon Coulton’s Re: Eat Your Brains! All in good flesh-eating fun! One last huge gig for 2013 was post-Xmas at the Wetmore Whistle with their 2nd EP launch simply titled The 2nd EP. Straightforward I guess.

Supported by For The Kill and Sleaford-based math rockers Bear Makes Ninja, they were met with rousing, happy na-na-nas through to the New Year. Now to this current year of 2014, they also received good feedback for their music video for first track from their sophomore effort People which featured footage (stock or made by the band themselves) from around the world!

Dell Optiplex Gx240 Network Driver Windows Xp more. With their EP being made available to stream on Soundcloud in February, the followed that up the next month with a big card on a bizarrely placed gig. Phoenix Salvation‘s last gig and free EP launch saw BR as well as Star From Ivy and Black Wolf Catch feature in The Goodridge which is a Burton-based Wetherspoons chain. Who said pubs have to have unique identities?

In between recording their next batch of material, BR supported New-Zealand alt-rock band Kobosh (best have been worth the millions of miles!) a Nottingham’s Chameleon Arts cafe in April, as well as finding out they’d once again be a part of the Waterfront Festival (which takes place July 12th) after a successful BroadgatesFest near Nottingham Uni in June. But after all that charging through the scene, how does Big Rhino hold it’s horn (stop snickering!) in said scene? Deep down, everybody wants to have a little, silly fun once in a while and if that had silly fun had an iPod, Big Rhino would somehow always come on shuffle!

With the aforementioned label of ‘gypsy pop rock’, Big Rhino take surf rock, funk and reggae to make a joyous sound that always seems to win over even the most cynical of audience members. Bendelow’s enthusiasm combined with the Gibson bros’ and Pugh’s wily musicianship will get people on their feet, spilling their beers in the process of partying hard!

The first of two recommended songs is Just the Way We Are, the final track from their debut EP. The spinning opener Turn Around Baby and Tolkien toe-tapper Tom Bombadil were good bracers for this track which brings an end to a short, but worthwhile party bringing a sense of togetherness and acceptance to the proceedings. With a rhythm and bass line that will remind you of BBC Test match cricket (no seriously, look up the theme by Booker T and the MGs and ), the light-hearted nature of the song is a great solo introduction to their sound and will prepare you for the live merriment! Dreaming ain’t the only way to fly Reaching ain’t the only way to climb I’m climbing higher and higher and higher I’m for hire yet I play my songs for freedom Definitely not one to be taken seriously, but would they want it that way? It’s the good time that counts and you will have this listening to this one! The second song to recommend is People from The 2nd EP which does allow them to be a bit more diverse with their sound with tracks ranging from blues rock ( Under The Sun) and a bit more an indie flavour ( Over) and while a sing-along stomper does sound like it fits in with their previous party anthems, it still stands above them as a bit more socially conscious while still being humourous and carefree. The tone can change lyrically be it from serious ( Let’s sing songs about things, songs about the people that we love and the predicaments they find themselves in) to downright silly and lewd ( Let’s go down to Tesco!

We’ll buy a bottle of rum, have some fun on the desk that I took your virginity on!), but musically it stays at an easy yet brisk pace until it goes into a Capella way-ohs from the audience before we call it a day! The video featuring all kinds of footage helps the universal feel to this song showing that we are all just people who have our own lives and what’s up with a bit of a break in that monotony to just relax, have a drink, have a sing-song and then go home? If you feel that way, give it a listen, or not depending on if you value my opinion in any way, shape or form! To finish up, Big Rhino are there for you if you need a shindig, rave or hootenanny (maybe even a box social!) and some fun, catchy music. While Nottingham may be their stated home for now, Brewtown is way they originated soyou’re welcome Notts! This has been Brewtown Music, serving another fresh batch of local tunes.

BIG RHINO’s stuff Facebook: Bandcamp: Soundcloud: Youtube. Marilyn never posed like this from left to right: Fitton, Woods, Dolman and Holmes (Alexander unpictured, sorry!) As we continue on through our jaunt through the acts of Brewtown, we today look at a band that had another identity through the noughties, but have reformed in a more modest sense. Boop-boop-be-do, it’s The Red Monroes! Philip Fitton (Lead vocals, Guitar), Sean Alexander (Lead Guitar, B Vox), Rob Dolman (Drums, B Vox), Damien Woods (Keys, Synth, B Vox) and David Holmes (Bass, B Vox) make up this five piece that go back longer than the small time they’ve been around as the Ruby Marilyns! Although starting the RMs just last year, Fitton has led with another band called The Risks who made a big impact themselves in the scene since they formed nearly a decade ago.

Let’s take a look at that history up till now shall we? Just watch out for Fitton along the way. He get’s very hungry!

Just to clarify, this is still an article on The Red Monroes, so I’ll keep The Risks’ stuff as brief as I can, but to start, Fitton formed The Risks back in 2005 with Alexander, Holmes and a drummer by the name of Kev until eventually getting replaced by Dolman. Kev everybody! Originally, they were a covers band under the pretense of securing gigs but after a couple of bookings, they started writing their own material and as Dolman came in, they were performed a hybrid set of covers and originals. Their style of music was hard indie and punk from the main musicians and with an Elvis Costello-esque vocal performance tinged with some Bryan Ferry-like vibrato from Fitton.

Vibrating so hard he may as well have DualShock printed on his body! 2:07 onwards in particular! Highlights for The Risks included a TV appearance on Sky Sports ( level fame here!), support slots for Little Man Tate, The Futureheads and The Rascals and a gig at the 2007 Glastonbudget. Also, they performed at Liverpool’s world famous venue The Cavern Club which Fitton and Dolman were hugely proud of being big Beatles fans. Over a successful couple of years and some well-received gigs in Nottingham and Manchester’s O2 Academy, things fizzled out for The Risks and so they decided to call it quits in 2009. However, in 2012, Fitton, Dolman and Holmes thought it would be nice to start performing again, but a new identity was needed.

And this is where the story of The Red Monroes begins! Finally, I’ve been waiting ages for you to get going with that! Though they would begin writing and rehearsals around about November 2012 and through the Winter/Spring of 2013, they wouldn’t get their first official gig until June where they started out in big style, at the Victoria Inn in Derby, a regular place for The Risks to perform. Woods was added to the line-up on synth to further develop the sound of TRM as well as some new show slots, including a return to the Wetmore Whistle ( Risks popular venue again) and performing at mini festival Hilton Party in the Park in July.

Ashby’s BUNKA venue was also on the cards for July, a venue where hip hop legend Grandmaster Flash played with Jacob ‘Jaws’ Wilshaw of Raptorial! Why am I showing this pic? Because it’s awesome and I can! But on topic of the article, the Autumn saw more promotion of their debut EP and two more gigs at The Vic with the first being a headlining gig on top of solo local talent in October and the second supporting and in November. Before finishing their EP, they added one last lead guitar layer provided by Alexander who made the band a quintet in December. After a private demo amongst friends and family was given a thumbs up, they looked to release the EP in Spring 2014.

Sure enough, they did release their debut self titled EP on April 4th for release on iTunes, Google Play and physical release for gigs. To further promote the EP, they decided to reach further afield than Burton. SayCanadayeah that’ll do! Yep, sure I’m not stereotyping here eh? They were actually promoted twice on Canadian radio stations!

One of them being 103.7FM CFBU Brock University Student Radio in Ontario (rolls right off the tongue eh?) in April and CISM 89.3 French Canadian radio in May! With further gigs in the pipeline including one supporting at the Whistle in mid-May, TRM will know doubt be looking to gain back that old attention-grabbing fire back from their days as The Risks. I’d say they’re on their way. Still, regardless of this journey, what about the material? Well I’m glad you asked that.

The evolution of the sound from Risks to Reds has been an interesting one and in some ways for the better so. Come on then! Bored first person drummer is bored! Their music from their Risks days did seem more raw in the sense it was more rooted in punk than anything else. Songs like Change Your Ways from their rough demos did sound like a heavier Elvis Costello number!

But with the Monroes, there’s power there, but it seems more heartfelt and romantic as well as the production being more slick and polished. Not to it’s detriment, it’s just an observation. Songs like Don’t Waste Your Shadow and Take My Hand seem much more romantic, optimistic and catchy pop rock numbers than the punk sounds of previous times butthey are romantic, optimistic and catchy so there’s a big upside to the style change. The first of two recommended tracks is Information was put up as a free download on their Soundcloud as a preview for their EP and it was a pretty good call. It displays the upbeat Indie melodies that came with their style change including harmonic guitar riffs and the synth/piano featured on the whole EP that adds to the happy nature. The lyrics are also a consistency with their new sound, with romantic themes such as a new woman coming into your life that was miserable before and the ‘Information’ being the facts needed to be heard by the singer to get him out of the slump he’s in.

You can listen to it above. The second of these tracks, Light of the Corner, is even more happy and joyous than the previous song! It’s quite the feat, but it will leave you with a bigger smile on your face! The jangly guitars, the melodic piano, brisk drum beat and vivacious vibrato vocals (say that 5 times fast!) make it an essential gateway into the sound of TRM. You say the words that make it all seem right Can’t understand why I blame it on myself. Where the light is a corner we found!

Fitton sings about that special place in private where you can just make out with your partner and not have to care about anyone around you looking. No smooth jazz needed, just happy Indie sing-alongs! If you care to check it out for yourself, by all means do so!

In conclusion, The Red Monroes/Fitton and co have definitely shifted in tone from what they were nearly ten years ago, but I’d say it’s a refreshing change. A much more upbeat approach to counter the anger in certain musical facets is always refreshing, at least to me. Either way, this has been Brewtown Music serving you a hearty brew of Midlands tunes! The Reds’ stuff Facebook: Soundcloud: Youtube: Twitter: The Risks’ Unsigned page: The Risks’ Myspace: Posted in Tagged,,,,,,,,,,,,.

Colourful characters from left to right: Wyatt, Hutchings, Jordan, Houlbrooke and Waddell Hey, we’re back with Brewtown once again and to start off this next order of local music, we’re going to look at a hard rock/metal act with a slightly psychedelic/naughty name. If you know what I mean, it’s Wet Lettuce and the Magik Bean! Kyle Jordan (Vocals), Gaz Waddell (Drums), Lewis Hutchings (Bass), Dan Houlbrooke (First guitar) and Sam Wyatt (Second guitar) are the five ingredients for this strange-sounding recipe that provides a lot of suggestion and hard rockand more suggestion! These lads, like other young acts such as and have only been around for less than two years but have been working their way into local favour and into our heads with their bizarre and did I mention suggestion?! Now get on with the article!!

Four young men (no vocalist yet and bassist then was Robin Nichols) were part of a music course at Burton college who decided to test out some of their instrumental tracks that they had written together and formed the band on May 22nd 2012. Instrumental because they didn’t have a vocalist yet.

Their first gig was, oddly enough, something to do with college with a music evening at the Brewhouse Performing Arts Centre called Pick ‘N’ Mix organised by the college that also featured and. However, they didn’t make their official live debut until October where they opened the Deafbox Promotions launch night at the Star and Garter pub on a card which also featured and. Dammit Millsy, I thought I erased that image from my brain! In the midst of this debut, they were busy uploading demo tracks to Soundcloud and searching for a permanent singer.

The latter wouldn’t come just yet, but it did come later in the next year. The first two gigs of 2013 for the Wets were both in the same month, April to be exact with the 13th giving them a support slot once again alongside Lucida Scroll and put on by DeafBox and on the 20th at Branston’s Gate Inn with CURV and Double Helix put on by Septic Sounds.

Unfortunately, the latter gig was cancelled due to Nichols breaking his wrist. Their first festival date came in July the day after another gig at the Star and Garter.

This was at the Grass Roots Festival at Appleby Magna in Leicestershire which would also feature acts as diverse as Them Deviants, Theia and. The ideal landscape for hard funk and vagina innuendos. The next couple on months would be a very brief public hiatus for the Bean to prepare for the announcement of their next few gigs and the arrival of their fifth member, which would be that ever so mysterious lead singer I was on about earlier. To hype up the singer’s debut, they announced they had laid down some vocal lines for their EP on Facebook. At the end of October, they supported Theia this time for an acoustic set at the Dog Inn and with it, introduced Jordan to the mix as permanent vocalist!

As November rolled round, they got themselves a support slot with Star From Ivy of all bands at the Wetmore Whistle which was also the first time they performed at the famous Burton venue. In mid November, they would hype up a big gig in Crewe supporting Birmingham-based Indie act Dumb at The Box, so much so selling physical tickets for the event! They would also play at The Shed in Leicester which would become a favourite venue for them outside of Burton. Though it’s not from The Shed, here’s a performance clip of theirs of a track called Dissonance. Appropriate given the video quality! Come 2014 (we’re already in the current year?

Jayzus!!), they were ready to unveil their material in recorded form for the launch of their debut EP Bad Llama. It took place at The Shed, appropriate given the great reception they had the last time they performed their, with support from Swad band Genziani’s Jukebox.

With performances at the Musician in Leicester and further performances at the Whistle alongside The Arcadians, they gained a bit more online attention when reviewer Theguywithastick posted a about their EP and the band in general. They have recently done another gig at The Shed alongside French rock act Eyes of Verona hosted by and encouraged fans to vote for them to be a part of Slam Dunk Festival hosted by Kerrang. Best of luck to them for then, but for now, that’s about it. The history of Wet Lettuce and the Magik Bean everyone! Here’s an anthropomorphic bikini-clad llama for your troubles! Despite the short history, there’s still the music to listen out for. So, how does THAT fare?

Originally, I didn’t think much of these guys, what with them having formed through a college music project and all, but with time I’ve come to appreciate their performances seeing what they can do with more than just one music genre. Wet Lettuce are an act with an eclectic inspiration ranging from the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane’s Addiction and Biffy Clyro and show that they aren’t willing to be seen as just one style, though still classed as alternative. The music itself can show no-nonsense aggression ( Bad Llama title track), psychedelic clashes of harmonies ( Dissonance, oddly enough!) or laid back funk ( Translation) which vocalist Jordan adapts to pretty well, either by a smooth croon or a -like scream! A prime example of this and recommended number is Take Wing. Starting off with brisk drum beats and dirty guitar riffs that are reminiscent of the beginning of The Strokes‘ track, the track leaps from your headphones and looks to give you a sense of what the band has to offer in terms of musical merit. It shows that they have a knack for a hook if they push for it, since they had to make do without a vocalist originally and be an instrumental act to start off with the main riff mentioned earlier giving the song an almost menacing and sneaky texture. Lyrically, the song seems to suggest a free and easy lifestyle, whether that involve going out and looking for a wild night out or just doing whatever the guy wants to, with the title alluding to flying away from it all.

Maybe I will, maybe I won’t I guess I can tell, I’m under your spell Cos it’s a situation I’m not willing to sell Whether it be about sex (the band name, come on!) or having a hedonistic time with your mates, it gives off the ‘don’t give a damn’ vibe that we’ve come to expect with rock n roll music, which they pull off quite well. It is just a taste of their discography, seeing how they have only been around since 2012 and a lot of that time was moving on from just being a college project to being a legitimate band. But it’s a sweet taste for now!

Below is the studio EP version if you found the live version above a bit rough, so I suggest checking it out for yourself as I always suggest seeing how I could always be talking a load of bull! To finish, Wet Lettuce and the Magik Bean could prove to be dark horses in the Burton music scene. Though starting off from the classroom, their new material has proved they can perform alongside the bigger acts and carve out their own unique identity. Watch out for them, Leicester certainly has anyway! But from Burton, this is Brewtown Music serving you another fine brew of Midlands tunes! The Bean’s stuff Facebook: Soundcloud: Reverbnation: Youtube: Twitter: Posted in Tagged,,,,,,,,,,,,. Wot you lookin’ at from left to right: Winnington, Stevenson, Ray and Reisner So here we are with another multiple of 10 milestone article!

To mark this momentous occasion that I’m making it out to be, let’s look and listen to one of the most nationally known and popular acts to come out of Burton-on-Trent in recent memory. British cousin of Ego, it’s Max Raptor! Wil ‘Ray’ Raybould (vocals), Ben Winnington (guitar), Matt Stevenson (bass) and Pete Reisner (drums) form this hard rock quartet who have been one of the bigger national success stories to come out of Brewtown. Their alt-punk style mixed with their widespread reputation has landed them massive support slots alongside the likes of Billy Talent and The Stranglers believe it or not! The right look for that announcement possible!

Happy but keeping up the punk image at the same time! Not to spoil too much right away of course, since there’s a lot to cover here! Let’s start off with the origin of the band, which stems back to 2006 from a humble academy in Barton-under-Needwood called John Taylor High School.

Ray and Stevenson were friends at JT along with another gentleman called Tom Garrett (brother of ). Stevenson phoned up Ray one day whilst being at uni and asked him if he’d like to have a jam. They all agreed to it along with Garrett and an old friend of Stevenson called JB Wilcox was brought in to play guitar along with Ray on vocals, Garrett on bass and the current bass Stevenson on drums. John Taylor, along with three of the original members of MR and Reisner, has a decent alumni of future Brewtown staples such as, Sam Garrett and Christian Taylor of just to name a few. ROCK AND ROLL THROUGH AND THROUGH!!

Although they formed in 2006, they sent music to each other over the Internet to prepare until March 2007 when they had their first official gig at the Victoria Inn in Derby. Ah, what a history that place has! Little did those people watching know that they witnessed the first time one of the biggest Brewtown bands performed live. Their first ever gig was apparently at a Christian Farmer’s BBQ which isn’t quite as spectacular!

Spreading the word over social media such as Myspace (yep, THIS was 2007!), they performed not just locally, but all around the country including a gig at the Joiners Arms in Southampton where the likes of Oasis, Muse and Enter Shikari have played amongst many other now mainstream acts. Through these humble yet promising set of gigs in their first year, they started off 2008 with MR sending a rough EP over to Kerrang! Radio which, surprise surprise, was given a slot on their unsigned show for six weeks! This would not be the last time that MR had anything to do with Kerrang though!

Birmingham Festibull 2008 backed by Kerrang! Apologies for the audio, people still recorded with potatoes back then! As well as Festibull, they performed at Cockermouth (admit it, you snickered!), a much smaller YNot and Heartfest in Barton, their old stomping ground. Other highlights alongside the festivals in 2008 included supporting Johnny Panic at The Old Bell and being set to record a new EP with Sam Bell who has worked with the likes of Snow Patrol, Bloc Party, Editors and REM! With this amount of backing behind them, MR could only go from strength to strength.

From playing Club NME and HMV showcases with the likes of Mystery Jets, Hot Club de Paris, Black Sabbath‘s Tony Iommi and Biffy Clyro, how could they not?! But it was in June 2009 that the Raptors had their biggest break and fangasm from how it all went down! Their ‘GREAT AND THE GOOD’ tour saw them supporting not just Calvin Harris and The Zutons, but also their idols and main inspiration.

Canadian punk rockers Billy Talent! If we place this festival ONE MORE TIME(foreshadowing FTW) As said earlier and shown through the video above, they were also on the card of the 2010 Download Festival performing on the Red Bull Bedroom Jam stage on the 13th June where Enemo J also played that same day. Do you believe in Deja vu? They announced a second headline UK tour for September to promote their second single release of the year Ghosts which started at The Well in Leeds on 11th September and finished at The Wig & Pen in Truro on 9th October. After a slot at the London Freeze Festival towards the end of October, MR made a big step towards the release of their first album being guided and produced by former SixTh guitarist Dan Weller. With co-producer Skeletor!

To harken in 2011 and to prepare for the release of their first album, they put out an EP featuring songs like Sparks, The Great and the Good, Ghosts and Conversations with Death along with an announcement that the album would be called Portraits. They would also have a support slot with American hardcore band Attack Attack! In Wales in March to further promote Portraits and later in the month, they put it up for pre-order on Amazon.

Portraits was released for all the public to buy on April 11th which was met with great reception from both fans and critics. The critics in particular drew comparisons to The Clash and King of Blues and Kerrang magazine gave them an impressive 4K rating (out of 5 of course). Meanwhile, everyone thinks Dave McPherson is racist!

To further promote Portraits, they went on an another tour of the UK from May 3rd-21st which started at the Camden Barfly in London and ended at the Moho (now the Northern Quarter) in Manchester. The band added another famous act to their CV by supporting The Darkness for three gigs in June to start off a massive Summer campaign which included Leopallooza in Cornwall, Boardmasters Festival in Newquay, Hevy Festival in Folkestone and another return to YNot. Just after these tour dates, they released their first music video on Youtube (was just footage from Nosferatu so it doesn’t count) for their first post-album release single The King is Dead that racked up over 1500 views in the first three days. It also has it’s own ‘making of’ video that was released a month after and was played on TV on channels like MTV, Kerrang and Scuzz! Post-punk hard rockers in tons of make-upseems legit! Quite a rounded off the year for the Raptors as James Halstead of The Metal Hammer Podcast’s Gill and Beez show spearheaded a Facebook campaign to get Max Raptor to perform in the bedroom of a fan called Barney Hall who had written into Kerrang! Magazine to state that his new favourite album was MR’s Portraits.

Sure enough, after some involvement from Kerrang! And Rock Sound, the campaign got so many likes and had spread so wide over the Internet (spawning the meme ‘We Are All Barney Hall’) that MR did a live stream of their performance in Hall’s bedroom on 18th December, an early Christmas present if there ever was one! () With 2012 came a major line-up change with Wilcox and Garrett departing (Wilcox had a child and Garrett pursued other music) to former Blakfish and SOS member Reisner on drums and Chris Gilbert on guitar! Even more widespread appeal came and some of it didn’t come from a single gig/festival!

In February, to coincide with the release of their second post-album single release Carolina, they went onyou guessed itanother UK tour! EAT, SLEEP, TOUR, REPEAT! Towards the end of the tour (the Portland Arms gig date on the 19th to be exact), they released their second official music video for directed by well-known music portrait photographer Tom Barnes who also directed the video for The King is Dead. The video soon received TV airplay on Scuzz much like their previous effort. In between working on a second album in Bristol this time, they were nominated for Best Punk for the American Independent Music Awards! That was nice of them! They didn’t win the judge’s award, but they did win the Vox Populi (voice of the people) award which was the award based on the fan’s choice.

The people have spoken! Not only that, but they got more national attention when video game developers Codemasters decided to not only feature The King is Dead in the soundtrack of their game DiRT Showdown, but also had the song play over the official international trailer for the game! It’s not Forza, but it’ll have to do! And yet they still missed the scent of home! After festivals in Brighton on the same card as Maximo Park, they returned to Burton-on-Trent to be a part of Burtfest, playing to a moshin’ main stage crowd on June 16th!

Bet you never thought you’d hear that festival’s name again did you? After performing twice at the 2000 Trees Festival in July and ANOTHER YNot, they had massive news to deliver. Said news was that they would be playing at the appropriately massive Reading and Leeds Festival in August! Not only were they playing at the festival, they also played on the (them again!) in a set that brought a whole festival’s load of new fans with them and were the subject of a ‘cock-rockumentary’ filmed and edited by Stalbridge-based photographer.

Happy Raptor! Towards the end of August, they released their third single which was also the last single from Portraits they released in order to give that last hurrah to the first album before moving onto new material which they would play at gigs for the rest of the year. Onwards to 2013 as MR were right at work developing the sound for their second album and announcing the year’s tour dates on social media which would include Hit the Deck in Bristol, Takedown in Southampton, TRUCK in Oxford (the Uni’s brilliant minds at work!) and a SIXTH SUCCESSIVE YNOT! They are to YNot what Arcade Fire are toevery festival! In between these festivals, they released their first single Breakers from their then upcoming second album which was played on Zane Lowe’s Radio 1 show in June as well as having a music video.

Your visual aneurysm for the day! Also in between the festival performances, they would gain two support slots with well-known punk acts (Of course!) with one being a 14 date tour with DINOSAUR PILE-UP and the other being with Alkaline Trio at the Islington O2 Academy.

September saw the second single release England Breathes on the 2nd and a free digital download of Grace and Favours on the 29th before the album itself Mother’s Ruin was brought out on the 30th to some damn good reception from fans and critics again! This was just in time for another line-up change in October which saw Gilbert replaced by Winnington which was described by the Burton Mail as a! Hopefully it wasn’t this frightening! With a memorable performance at the UK Vans Warped Tour in London and having Radio 1 airplay once again in November ( Must Work Harder was played), they announced two co-headliner tours with one in December with Attention Thieves and We Are Fiction and the other in January 2014 with Fort Hope. Speaking of, with 2014 having rolled right around and with the festival announcements of Camden Rocks and goddamn Sonisphere being on MR’s minds along with new material, only time will tell how much more will come their way! After all that, the gigs all over the country with many well-established acts and a whole nation of fans accrued, I bet you’re wondering how Brewtown Music thinks the music itself holds up?

Property of Orion Studios and Warner Bros. Standard copyright procedure, sorry! Alright, alright! I think that these four lads (seven if you count all members past and present) have made for some damn exciting press for the Brewtown scene and rightly so! With a band name inspired by the and a dinosaur, you think they’d make a big impression wouldn’t you? With crashing chords and thunderous vocals, Max Raptor have a hard rock/punk sound that is all their own and doesn’t come across at all whiny or petulant unlike some other bands who try to pull this style off.

Each song has the potential to stick with you and have you screaming and chanting along with them, though there are some softer songs thrown in to calm you down ( Heavy Hearts). The lyrics of their song paint vivid pictures whether they be of domestic violence and broken families ( Carolina) to painting a pretty cynical view of life in Britain (a good chunk of their discography)! If I were to choose two of these to check out, I’d go with The King is Dead and England Breathes. The first of these selected tracks The King is Dead is a great primer for those who want to get into MR’s sound as it gives you a raw, visceral and blaring sound that is sure to give you the impetus to want to punch the guy moshing next to you in the face! (Seriously though, don’t do that.

Use the nearest wall instead) Ray gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect vocally with guttural conviction to what he’s singing and can lead you in unison to chant along the chorus of a song which gives you a taste of that Max Raptor brand cynicism and anger. The backing harmonies for the bridge only egg you on to join in further! It paints, or should I say hammers on the canvas, a picture of a successful man’s life falling apart with the video above helping that image along (yay bondage!).

Towards the end of the song, anger management is attempted with cool calm winter seas being the calming image in place which does no good in this scenario as we get right back to the anger. Definitely one for those down on their luck and wanting an empathetic release! When the horse jumps it’s jump and it falls at the fence You’re the first man to know. What a joke that it is, there’s a time and a place For this hole in the floor THE KING IS DEAD! THE KING IS DEAD! Second out of the two, England Breathes sounds like a pretty patriotic number, but if you know the irony that permeates through punk music, you’ll know it’s got quite a sarcastic and biting side to it.

The heavy guitar work, rumbling bass, pounding drums and passionate vocals are all there but it’s the lyrics that make it stand out. The chorus in particular sums up a sincerely straight-forward attitude that is displayed by many English people who just want to get on with things and live their lives. It’s personal pride, not patriotic pride.

That’s not saying it as a local music fanboy, that’s the overall music fan in me wanting to scream “ England breathes as it does, in and out and get over it!” because it gives me something to feel at least happy or content with the country I live in that it takes a Midlands band to produce a response like this! Still though, check it out for yourself. Don’t just take my word for it! In closing, it’s been a long and epic journey for Max Raptor who have served as one of the biggest examples of Brewtown’s scene hitting the big time and leaving a massive dent in it! I can’t do their work justice, even with this massive post dedicated to them, so do yourself a favour and experience their stuff! It’s the 20 Brewtown brew, come on!! Either way, this has been Brewtown Music, serving you a big helping of Midlands tunes!

Max Raptor’s stuff Official Website: Facebook: Naim Label page: Youtube: Reverbnation: Myspace: Wiki: Posted in Tagged,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,. Going the Distancing from left to right: Kendrick, Sarah Lawrence, Keri Lawrence, Brindley, Jones On the 19th Brewtown post and 2nd edition of Throwback Thursday, we’ll look at a band who broke up early last year, but whose four years together as a band showcased an array of talent, including the ‘Voice of Burton’! Be prepared to go Th e Distancing. Jonathon Brindley (vocals), Tom Kendrick (lead guitar), Keri Lawrence (bass), Sarah Lawrence (drums), Jay Jones (guitar) and Tim Kenyon (former guitar until 2012) made up this alt rock group who gained the love and respect of many in Burton on Trent and around with their hard-sounding, but enjoyable tunes backed up by a big lead vocal. Describing their music as (pardonnez mois francais) “huge shit-hot alternative rock tunes”, The Distancing became a go-to band for any venue in Burton that needed a loud, high-energy show.

And that’s just from Kendrick’s mohawk! Keri and Sarah, being brother and sister, has obviously met long before the band began! Their first musical project Garter, named after the Star and Garter pub which has hosted many gigs in Burton for years, only fuelled their own love of the local music scene and being a part of it so the time had come to expand bringing in a few more members.

Enter Jonny Brindley, the ‘Voice of Burton’ and frontman of other Brewtown bands such as Six Weeks Falling and These Things Exist which also featured ‘s Mark Hamon on bass. Having known Brindley for years and with SWF being a long-term break at this point, Keri brought him in to see how it would all work out.

To complete the band (at least for then), Keri looked to travelling guitarist/drummer Tim Kenyon who has been part of many orchestras through drumming and a few bands through drumming and guitar work. For this occasion, Kenyon became the main guitar player in the band and thus, The Distancing had come into being. And THIS happens right away for them! Lucky shmucks!

Summer of 2010 was a good starting point for them as they had their first ever gig at The Appleby as part of Geekfest in July. The poster above shows they were received so well that they were put on the card to support Midlands metal veterans Enemo J in August! They would also support EJ’s album launch at The Old Bell in Derby come December.

In between all these first few months of gigs, they would be recording for their first album at Arch Recordings Studios having written and worked on their material since 2009. Although some of the material was based on songs that wouldn’t gel with SWF’s style like Sorry and Love Song. They did gel very well with the style of The Distancing though and eventually made into onto the self-titled album. The album they set out to do was to make sure that their songs were all diverse rock songs that didn’t have two songs that sounded the same, displaying this through their gigs which mainly took place in Burton and Derby at pubs like the The Royal Oak and The Wetmore Whistle. To demonstrate, here’s them performing a cover! Still though, it’s an interesting take, particularly in the vocals.

To start 2011, the band set their sights high by auditioning for that year’s Glastonbudget festival at the Wetmore Whistle set up by local music initiative WIRED. Despite a well-received set, they didn’t make the cut, but did so at least some local talent got through! Regardless of not getting into Glastonbudget, they soldiered on and kept gigging and recording for their album with gigs including their first headliner at the Whistle hosted by Arch Presents, another support slot for Enemo J at the Old Bell in June and a Battle of the Bands competition hosted by The Star Foundation in July which also featured, and the eventual winners Buried From Below. Arch Creations would be good to The Distancing as it would with most of the local talent as they would feature at many other Arch gigs including the Royal Oak launch night that took place in November which also featured Great Scott and Star From Ivy. But not our broccoli overlord!

From this picture’s date, he comes later! And by later, I mean 2012! In Feburary, The Distancing amongst many other local artists and bands were given the opportunity for their music to be choices for the public to create their own ‘Arch Presents mix tape’ which would allow them to pick four songs from a that featured The Distancing‘s songs The World Turns and Revenge. A line-up change came in March though, with Kendrick deputising on guitar with Kenyon before eventually replacing him full-time as Kenyon pursued other musical interests in a more classical persuasion again.

In June, the band were featured on the 100+ band card of Burtfest 2012 (yes THAT festival again!) performing a set on the Arch Creations stage on the same day that would headline that stage that night! Maybe Paddy could have used his Hollywood status to bring Lonely Island in to cameo on this!

How could they not? (Damn Youtube blocking the title to kill that joke!) Another line-up addition came in August with Jones (formerly of Lady and the Tramp and Fantastik 4) deputising on guitar with Kendrick this time. Hold on, didn’t the band have an album in the works for about two years? Well I’m glad you asked that question me, because after nearly three years of writing songs and recording, they finally released their eleven track self-titled album in October. Sadly though, due to work and other musical commitments, the band decided to call it a day on February 2013 playing their final headlining gig at the Star and Garter with Lucida Scroll, Frank Hunter and Quinn Lam supporting. Only time will tell if their post-album material will be released one day on an EP as originally intended.

But for now, savour the memories. Regardless, how does the material fare? Their first album definitely shows off their capacity to rock and makes for a diverse listen and their latest material makes for an interesting ‘what could be’ situation as well. While there are many voices in the Brewtown scene, ‘The Voice of Burton’ is a title that Brindley has earned with his vocals ranging from smooth balladeer to wailing rocker, all done effortlessly with impressive projection and charisma. The rest of the band of course provide a great backdrop for Brindley to sing to with each of them showing influence from many different styles including Manic Street Preachers to Pearl Jam particularly with the often Eddie Vedder approach of their frontman. Two songs I will give a quick look at as a recommendation for you will be Leaving Singapore and The World Turns, both of which are the sixth and eleventh (also final) track of their self-titled album.

LEAVING SINGAPORE Right off the bat, Leaving Singapore has a great four chord opener leading into a rousing and passionate sing-along track that each of the band members brings their gusto to in droves. I personally have a soft spot for sing-along, raise your beer glasses belters being into singing myself so the way this song is put together is right up my alley! The song was originally intended for Brindley’s old group who formed way back in 2004 and with that band being described as ‘energetic’, in transitioned very well into The Distancing‘s style with the brisk drums and roaring guitars. The point of view of the song seems to be told from a man who goes from buzzing from a night of intoxicated frivolity in another country with a beautiful woman to feeling sad that he has left and wishes to be with her again. Typical heartbreak holidays eh?

In Singapore, I was higher than I’ve been before And the scene was so right, city shining lights and The most beautiful thing I’d ever seen And I confessed to you, nothing compares to you How can you sleep without me, how can you dream without me? How can you sleep when I’m not there?

If that’s a bit too depressing to be your sing-along, then The World Turns will be a bit more of a joyous, if destructive option for you! By destructive I don’t mean that it’ll make you want to break things, it’s just the type of world-beating vibe it gives off! While this song does start off a bit down in the dumps, with the person in the song feeling lonely and broken on a weekend just trying to find something to do or cling to, but as the verse swells into the chorus, the guy takes a slightly more triumphant approach and says “What the hell, I’ll try to enjoy myself!” as everything else feels like it’s crashing down on him.

We’re singing love songs while the world blows to bits We’re taking nothing and I can’t get over it Lights come down as the world turns round, I’m unbelievable. This is a song that really calls for the Voice of Brewtown which he really does sounding as world-beating as the lyrics show him to be feeling. Give it a listen and see what you personally make of it.

In closing, The Distancing were a great act to have around in the Midlands music scene, mixing many styles of rock to create a powerhouse performance for every gig and a good body of work to show for it. Here’s to a possible return, or at least a reminder of the joy they brought to those who heard them. This has been Brewtown Music serving you a fine vintage Midland tune brew.

The Distancing’s stuff Official Website: Facebook: Soundcloud: Reverbnation: Posted in Tagged,,,,,,,,,,. Emerald Luck from left to right: Sutton, Faint, Mark Knight, Kay Knight Folk has already been represented on this site’s What Else Is Out There? Section with, but today, it’s time to give props to a bit of Brewtown folk with a lot of members both past and present! As luck would have it, it’s Green Fortune. Mark Knight (mandola, lead vocals), Kay Knight (percussion, backing vocals), Rhys Jones (Harmonica), Carl Sutton (Guitar), Andy Faint (percussion), Stiv Hogg (bass) and Rhys Knight (occasional percussion or bass) make up this Midlands folk collective who have been described as a band that John Peel would have loved!

Though they have not been featured on Radio 1 by John Peel (they formed after he died but still), they still have gained a modest Midlands following and have added some much needed folk variety to the Brewtown scenebesides the Wurzels! Oh they’re not from round ‘ere, but they left their markon my poor eyes! The leader Mark Knight, like Scott Milligan of, always had been into music since childhood and had grown up listening to Johnny Cash, The Rolling Stones and David Bowie who were modern day legends back then. How times change and the nostalgia whores weep!

His first experiences with bands grew mostly out of his love for punk music in the 70s and 80s such as with beyond obscure bands like Filth and Mad Dogs (who I WON’T be doing pieces on, research would take forever!) and also joined The Gift with fellow veteran Midlands musician Bruno Gallone in 1985. After a few outings in the 90s with bands like Rezist and Digweed, Mark bought a slightly contrasting instrument to his punk years in 2005; his trusty mandola which he plays in GF to this day. Though it’s not THAT uncommon for the mandola and punk to go together.

It wasn’t until 2007 that the idea of Green Fortune came to the heads of both Knight and childhood friend Jude Hackett during a drunk curry night out because hey, they weren’t getting older and they had nothing to lose but their dignity, which let’s be honest, is entirely overrated. Isn’t that right Kanye? The yellowish-blueish gamblers were officially formed in the summer of 2008 with the original line-up of Mr and Mrs Knight, Hackett (bass), Sarah Devine (vocals) and Scud Stevens (percussion).

Hackett and Mr Knight started writing music before adding these new members to the line-up which would be changing quite a bit over the next five years. Not to Iron Butterfly levels but they’ve had a fair few members. Plus their songs aren’t 17 minutes long either so this is the mootest of moot points!

After beginning to rehearse both at home and in Moira along with the first couple of live shows (one with a bar patron expecting Metallica and getting Fleetwood Mac from them, supposedly!), GF showed that folk had a place amongst it’s heavier rock contemporaries in the Midlands music scene. In 2009, they requested the help of Burton College to set up some sessions for their first set of tunes such as The Rose, Running in Circles and Permanence in Change to be recorded and stored on Myspace (ah those were the days) and Reverbnation for all to see.

Although they were an originals band first and foremost, which is good since I mainly cover those here (COVER ORIGINAL bands? Aren’t I confusing?), they did do a folkified cover of the Buzzcocks most famous hit Ever Fallen In Love which later had a video directed by Derby-based film-maker Adam Stevenson.

Despite Hackett leaving in 2009, the line-up soon became larger the next year when stand-up bass player Louise Hughes replaced Hackett, violinist Joy Gravestock and harmonica player Rhys Jones joined the fray also with Jones playing on the same bill as GF one night. Faint also replaced Stevens later on in the year. Music-wise in 2010, GF released their first single which was My Daemon Lover/Gypsy’s Curse, the former of which also had a music video directed by Adam Stevenson. A big highlight for them was to play at the Midlands’ largest creative arts festival Bearded Theory supporting The Wonder Stuff and Doctor and the Medics. With 2011 came new members such as guitarist Carl Sutton and percussionist Andy Faint with the departure of Devine and Stevens and news delivered to them in April that the video for My Daemon Lover would be played on the BBC Big Screens in both Leicester and Derby!

High vis’ an all! In May, they had their first radio interview with Ashby-based community station Hermitage FM and they took part in the Ashby Arts Festival to coincide with the interview. To round off the year, the band released their second dual single Ever Fallen in Love/ On Icarus Wings on iTunes like they had done with their previous single and would do with their third dual single in 2012 Empty Skies/ Where Do I Begin?

Also in 2012, they joined the likes of Scott Milligan and to start the Arch Creations Revolution to help build more interest in the Brewtown scene in the run-up to Burtfest. When you think revolution, you think googly-eyed broccoli.

Guevara be damned! Though they were not on the card for Burtfest, they were on the card for the first Gladefest taking place at Rosliston Forestry Centre at the end of August alongside the and The Offbeat. It was also the last gig for Hughes who was replaced by Mark’s son Rhys Knight who you may know from and debuted with the band at the Moira Folk Furnace Festival. In November, they had a big support spot for a gig headlined by Derby folk musician and BBC Horizon award winner Lucy Ward at the Snibston Discovery Museum. She has a with a decent amount of information so that’s nice. Not Icarus’ Wings but it’s close! As 2013 rolled round, the position of bassist was batted around from person to person including Rhys Knight, Leicester-based bassist Mark Kinton, formerly of Three Legged Dog, Burton music promoter and former Star and Garter pub owner Paul ‘Lavy’ Latham and former Deadtime Philarmonic bassist Stiv Hogg.

Rhys Knight also would deputise on percussion when Faint was unavailable such as at 2013’s Moira Furnace Festival and Gladefest II which had support from and The March, a band they would later support at the Wetmore Whistle in September. But in October was when they had a true triumph! How so? After a number of months of leaping into the Top 10 of the Midlands Folk charts on Reverbnation, they finally achieved No1 status, even beating out Lucy Ward!

So who supports who now then, hmmm? It’s like being top of the Conference North division, but still, it’s a victory! And coming into 2014, they continue to gig and record their music in and around the Midlands with Jones on temporary leave and Rhys Knight as temporary bassist.

Temporary tempura tempest! (Let’s just go to the music part of the article now please!) So music-wise, how do the Overseal gypsy band fare? Well this is the other side of the folk spectrum compared to The Offbeat. Whereas that band is innocent and bouncy, Green Fortune is more raunchy and gritty with the punk influences and mature subject matter. Each band member provides and past members have provided a layer of great importance. Chimica Un Approccio Molecolare Pdf Viewer. Not even the bells provided by Kay Knight feel insignificant alongside the bass of Hughes or the mandola of Mark Knight.

Their music is both enjoyable and enchanting to listen to. Their songs can range from being about gothic romance (My Daemon Lover) to a rousing sing-along (The Seventh Magpie) all done in the style of a traditional folk band with a punk edge to them along with very interesting arrangements of old punk classics such as the before mentioned Ever Fallen In Love and the Stranglers’ hit Golden Brown. THE GYPSY’S CURSE Two tracks that I will recommend here are The Gypsy’s Curse and Empty Skies. To start, The Gypsy’s Curse shows off the band’s energy and flair whilst telling the story of a man who fell in love with someone he shouldn’t have fallen in love with (I’m honestly not talking about their Buzzcocks cover, shut up!) The vocals go back and forth between Devine and Mark Knight with both providing their own vocal strengths with Knight’s being more rough and worried and Devine’s being more calm and conniving. Music-wise, it’s quite upbeat whilst keeping the sinister minor key, keeping with the theme of the song which the lyrics reinforce whenever the chorus comes along: Since I met that gypsy woman There’s a black dog crossing my path, a raven at my shoulder Touched that wild rover and brought down the gypsy’s curse The second song Empty Skies however, is much calmer and beautiful sounding with the violin, harmonica and mandola featuring prominently throughout. Knight’s vocals are softer this time around and have a more emotional weight here and are the main vocals in the song.

It’s a song that tries to seek out the clarity much needed in life’s journey that could only be seen through an un-clouded ’empty sky’. Not to be confused with the Elton John album or 2011 film though! It’s a great demonstration of their soft-spoken side that goes well alongside their more upbeat and energetic songs that provide a good variety to their catalogue. As always, check for yourself if you don’t believe me! Summarising, Green Fortune provide some good folk variety like provide good hip hop variety to a predominantly electric rock scene. Their lyrics tell an interesting tale and their music provides an entertaining backdrop.

Highly recommended for lovers of the Pogues and The Levellers. As always, this has been Brewtown Music serving you another fine brew of Midlands tunes. Green Fortune’s stuff Official Website (currently down but could be back up again): Facebook: Reverbnation: Youtube: Twitter: Posted in Tagged,,,,,,,,. Arcadians on Fire from left to right: Petch, Cavanagh, Alton, Lenaghan Continuing from last week’s subject of a young act who’ve only been around for about a year or so, these lads have only been gigging for barely a year but are looking like a promising addition to Brewtown. Put a coin in the slot and start up The Arcadians! Jamie Cavanagh (lead vocals, lead guitar), Ed Petch (rhythm guitar), Jack Lenaghan (bass) and Dan Alton (drums) look to be a promising new foursome in the same vein of who formed around the same time MNP started officially gigging. Though they have yet to put on facepaint like Mr Knight here so they’re not EXACTLY alike!

With Petch and Alton having been playing music since they were kids and Lenaghan and Cavanagh finding the bass and guitar along the way, half the band and the other half come from two different musical journeys but eventually found themselves performing together as The Arcadians as of March 2013. Cavanagh, coming down from Doncaster was looking to perform original music but didn’t have much luck with most wanting to go the cover band route. Thinking “just grab the first person with an instrument”, Cavanagh met Alton playing a trombone (band member doubles as a brass playerNO MORE MNP COMPARISONS MR BREWTOWN!) and they clicked very well when talking about music. Petch and Alton already knew each other and decided that the band they had been talking about forming for a while needed a singer/songwriter, guitarist and bassist. After bringing Lenaghan in for an audition, they decided that’s the one for the band and formed in late Spring of 2013 after waiting on Lenaghan to confirm his place in the band. But the wait was worth it for this Photoshop job!

Their first gig took place at the Wetmore Whistle in July 2013 supporting Phoenix Salvation and The Decade Runners which not only gave them a decent starting audience but also allowed themselves to be on the bill with two of Burton’s prime music acts. After racking up some more gigs and mini festival spots in Leicester and Milton Keynes, they scored their first headline gig back at the Whistle at the end of August being supported by Joy & Ali and Mario’s Nicotine Parlour. Come October, after a stint of Derby and Leicester gigs in September, the band released their first single or maybe double in this case Catch Your Breath/Dirty Savannah on the 11th under Trap 6 Records, the same label that released Get Cubs’ album To The Mountains and Canada EP. To finish off the month, they supported Phoenix Salvation’s EP launch on the 25th and the next day were on the bill for the Derbyshire ExFest festival for Derbyshire Music Explorer Scouts where they were very well-received by the young audience. Finger mask=well-received! Music Scouts code of honour Section 8 Par 3 In December, Cavanagh returned to his hometown of Doncaster to perform with The Arcadians at the Toast bar (with a nice glass of milk, I mean White Russian!) and The Empire in Swadlincote along with Genziani’s Jukebox to promote Trap 6 Records.

Going into 2014, they’re set to perform at the Less Than Three festival taking place at The Victoria Inn in April, which will feature not only MNP, but also Nottingham-based House of Thieves and Sheffield indie sensations The Sherlocks. As a relatively new band, this writer apologizes for the smaller amount of information on this band than for other bands, but give them time and they will fulfil their Arcadian heritage and one day usher their goat god Pan to perform a busting pipe solo alongside them!

If you could also bring Bill Hicks with you, that would also be appreciated Randy Pan! But nevertheless, how does their music fare? As I have just put above, their name derives not from video game arcades (yes I put an VG arcade-related pun in the opening paragraph. Sue me!), but from the Greek land of Arcadia where the legend of the rustic, cheeky music god Pan originates. Their music does give off a certain air of that.

The music of the Arcadians can cite influences vocally from Joe Strummer and Billy Bragg to bring in a punk-ish vibe ( Beer Goggles On) to the affair and musically shows shades of The Smiths to provide the alternative-ey vibe (). Yes, I just said alternative-ey! It is quite impressive to see this band be as well-received as they have around the Midlands and, of course, their songs are to thank for that. One song in particular of theirs I recommend would be Catch Your Breath. The song immediately takes off strong with punk rock chords and Cavanagh brings in his flair for writing a song with a story by showing us how he shows a girl a good time and how he makes her ‘catch her breath’ through him being such a gentleman. It’s not the most conventional way to go in the punk rock direction but it’s at least a good contrast from how damning and angry the genre can be which makes for a good contrast.

Even though their back catalogue of this band isn’t large yet, what they’ve provided so far is pretty promising and is an interesting preview for whatever EPs will come. Check them out and see.

Supported by 8 fans who also own “Young Man Follow” I have loved Aviators music for forever listening to his old music reminds me of High school and when I first heard his music. I love his new music and listening to his old music really shows how much he has grown as an artist and how he is able to work with new popular genre's as if he had already been a master of them all along. I've personally wanted to buy all his albums for a while when I saw this one was only $5 now I couldn't not Buy It! Keep up the amazing work! Bradley Uravich •.