Ralph's Top 10 Blogged Band Chart - 28.5.16

OK bands you know the score .....

the more hits your blog gets by the fans ..... 

the higher you go .....

So Tweet it, Facebook it .....

Generally expose yourself .....


ralphslife.co.uk

                                         

Click here for the Ralph's Life website

Now Mr Snuggles and I have been sitting with our heads down counting the hits on each blog to see which band's got what place.

Tracks from the Top Ten Blogged Bands are played 
every Sunday 5-7pm on Radio KC as part of 
Ralph's Indie Show.

No 1: Graham Marshall

The Graham Marshall story is reflected in his catalogue of songs: survival, adventure, love and tragedy are more than mere subjects of whim to strum his guitar to.

At 20, his band, Screaming Silence, was a hit in his hometown of Glasgow, Scotland. But on the brink of the showcase gig that would “seal the deal” with a label, the lead member “disappeared” after running into some unsavoury entanglements. A couple of years later, Graham entered into a rehabilitation program for clinical depression and put on a cocktail of drugs at the hands of questionable care workers. 

No 2: Duke & The Darlings

Long-time Ralph's Life favourites Duke and the Darlings will release a double A-side, Days of Wonder and The Click, on Saturday 14th May through Sweet Sweet Records.

Days of Wonder is a feel-good anthem about not feeling good; the on-point harmonies and saccharine delivery obscure the discontent towards a growing poverty gap in the UK. The Click closes the curtains, lights a few candles and looks inwards on being a twenty-something, and explores the accompanying paradox of being young and not being young with expressive orchestration and histrionic dynamics.

No 3: T.O.Y.S

Leeds band T.O.Y.S have been percolating since 2010 but 2016 sees them coming to the boil with the release of a new video for their bouncy G-A-C release. It's the first single from their debut album SICKS which is due to come out on Odd Box Records next month.

The self-styled lo-fi pop rockers are on to a winner with this Cure-esque concoction. It's a heady blend of all that was good in 80's dancefloor electro brought bang up to date for the discerning listener and dance floor aficionado. 

No 4: Feral Love

It's just over three years since Ralph checked out Liverpool's sublime Bird and then some time thereafter they took a bit of a hiatus before parting. However, Adele Emmas and Christian Sanford have re-emerged triumphantly like the proverbial phoenix from the ashes as the nascent Feral Love.

Emmas and Sanford spent a year in a damp, windowless basement studio writing, emerging only when they knew they'd arrived at the sound they'd been striving for.

No 5: Ded Rabbit

Comprising four brothers, Ded Rabbit are an Alt rock/Indie band consisting of: Eugene (vocals, rhythm guitar), Fergus (lead guitar), Donal (bass) and Eoin Gaine (drums). 2015 was their most notable year to date - with a number of well received EP releases, they continued to complete a number of high profile performances that should be on any UK band’s bucket list.

No 6: Suzerain

London's Suzerain have just released their second album Identity after a two year gap, but it's been well worth the wait. As lead singer Tom Pether said - "it took a while to break into something we wanted it to be. Identity is something that is difficult to grasp on a day-to-day basis, it can change but isn’t always obvious. For us, this album feels like our identity at the moment.”

No 7: This Party

A chance encounter at a Smiths tribute gig in early 2015 led to the formation of Brighton's This Party, a band that fuse sharp basslines with infectious melodic hooks. 

Charismatic frontman Matt is as well known for his energetic on-stage performances as he is for his strong vocals.

New single Taste is two and half minutes of guitar driven indie rock. A clear statement of intent from a band that have very quickly established themselves as one of the UK's most exciting prospects.

No 8: Day Old Hate

Ralph's just got a sniff about a new single from Leeds based alt-rockers Day Old Hate called Don't Chase Me so he thought he'd share the news and the video with you.

“It’s important to not to get too hung up about the people that didn't or don't believe in you”, states vocalist Ollie Swift and it is this very sentiment that forms the basis of the newly released video for the single Don’t Chase Me. 

No 9: Bloch Eyot

The story of Danish born but UK living Nikolaj Bloch who now performs under the pseudonym of Bloch Eyot is as strange and tangential as it is fascinating and absorbing. It leads us to his current incarnation which he describes as, "A new musical journey."

Born in Denmark, his mother taught him Danish political folk songs on guitar from the age of 6. he then trained in classical piano at college, and when he left school he joined a touring blues band.

No 10: The Phantoms

Formed in Edinburgh in 2012 by four school friends, ThePhantoms released their debut EP This Is How It Should Be in December 2013 and followed this up with a short UK tour.

They are influenced by the likes of Kasabian and Simple Minds and are Colin Simpson on guitar and vocals, Colin Mckillop on lead guitar, Zach Tarimo Goodhur on bass and Blair Cullen on drums. 

Suzerain

London's Suzerain have just released their second album Identity after a two year gap, but it's been well worth the wait. As lead singer Tom Pether said - "it took a while to break into something we wanted it to be. Identity is something that is difficult to grasp on a day-to-day basis, it can change but isn’t always obvious. For us, this album feels like our identity at the moment.”

Guitarist Rich Sutter continued “We wanted to strip away as much as possible. It sounds like a cliché but the more we removed, the more it sounded like us. We have a tendency to try everything we can and see what sticks and once we found the heart of the music, we stripped everything down to that one little nugget that was the identity of the track, in a way.”

Enlisting the talents of respected producer Steve Lyon (Depeche Mode, The Cure, Siouxsie Sioux), Suzerain strived to create something truly exciting, something brand new, something so very now that its process pushed their artistic vision to its very limits. As the pieces slowly fitted into place, so did the understanding that identity is the invisible carpet beneath our feet: a journey of self-discovery, and how the results of such naked introspection place us in equilibrium with the other forces of life.

 

“It’s not a concept album by any stretch,” says Thomas. “But it certainly does have elements of that. Our track I Know You So Well came from how we can be seen through our digital footprint in the world, and 'Hide Yourself' is about opening up to other people by not hiding yourself, by just being you. Which to be honest is something we all want to do! So there were many things that crossed over in actually defining Suzerain on this record.”

“We recorded so many songs that didn’t make the album,” continues Rich. “We decided that if anything sounded like another band could have done it, we didn’t want to include it. Suzerain music had to be something that could only be done by us. And embracing that side of us was both a blessing and a curse! But the result is that anyone listening to Identity would have to grab a whole group of genres to figure out where we belong.”

Ralph's Top 10 Blogged Band Chart - 21.5.16

OK bands you know the score .....

the more hits your blog gets by the fans ..... 

the higher you go .....

So Tweet it, Facebook it .....

Generally expose yourself .....


ralphslife.co.uk

                                         

Click here for the Ralph's Life website

Now Mr Snuggles and I have been sitting with our heads down counting the hits on each blog to see which band's got what place.

Tracks from the Top Ten Blogged Bands are played 
every Sunday 5-7pm on Radio KC as part of 
Ralph's Indie Show.

No 1: Duke & The Darlings

Long-time Ralph's Life favourites Duke and the Darlings will release a double A-side, Days of Wonder and The Click, on Saturday 14th May through Sweet Sweet Records.

Days of Wonder is a feel-good anthem about not feeling good; the on-point harmonies and saccharine delivery obscure the discontent towards a growing poverty gap in the UK. The Click closes the curtains, lights a few candles and looks inwards on being a twenty-something, and explores the accompanying paradox of being young and not being young with expressive orchestration and histrionic dynamics.

No 2: Feral Love

It's just over three years since Ralph checked out Liverpool's sublime Bird and then some time thereafter they took a bit of a hiatus before parting. However, Adele Emmas and Christian Sanford have re-emerged triumphantly like the proverbial phoenix from the ashes as the nascent Feral Love.

Emmas and Sanford spent a year in a damp, windowless basement studio writing, emerging only when they knew they'd arrived at the sound they'd been striving for.

No 3: Graham Marshall

The Graham Marshall story is reflected in his catalogue of songs: survival, adventure, love and tragedy are more than mere subjects of whim to strum his guitar to.

At 20, his band, Screaming Silence, was a hit in his hometown of Glasgow, Scotland. But on the brink of the showcase gig that would “seal the deal” with a label, the lead member “disappeared” after running into some unsavoury entanglements. A couple of years later, Graham entered into a rehabilitation program for clinical depression and put on a cocktail of drugs at the hands of questionable care workers. 

No 4: Ded Rabbit

Comprising four brothers, Ded Rabbit are an Alt rock/Indie band consisting of: Eugene (vocals, rhythm guitar), Fergus (lead guitar), Donal (bass) and Eoin Gaine (drums). 2015 was their most notable year to date - with a number of well received EP releases, they continued to complete a number of high profile performances that should be on any UK band’s bucket list.

No 5: T.O.Y.S

Leeds band T.O.Y.S have been percolating since 2010 but 2016 sees them coming to the boil with the release of a new video for their bouncy G-A-C release. It's the first single from their debut album SICKS which is due to come out on Odd Box Records next month.

The self-styled lo-fi pop rockers are on to a winner with this Cure-esque concoction. It's a heady blend of all that was good in 80's dancefloor electro brought bang up to date for the discerning listener and dance floor aficionado. 

No 6: This Party

A chance encounter at a Smiths tribute gig in early 2015 led to the formation of Brighton's This Party, a band that fuse sharp basslines with infectious melodic hooks. 

Charismatic frontman Matt is as well known for his energetic on-stage performances as he is for his strong vocals.

New single Taste is two and half minutes of guitar driven indie rock. A clear statement of intent from a band that have very quickly established themselves as one of the UK's most exciting prospects.

No 7: Day Old Hate

Ralph's just got a sniff about a new single from Leeds based alt-rockers Day Old Hate called Don't Chase Me so he thought he'd share the news and the video with you.

“It’s important to not to get too hung up about the people that didn't or don't believe in you”, states vocalist Ollie Swift and it is this very sentiment that forms the basis of the newly released video for the single Don’t Chase Me. 

No 8: Franco & The Dreadnought

Franco and the Dreadnought is the pseudonym of Manchester born multi instrumentalist John Blaylock. It’s a winning combination of his heartfelt vocals, superb songwriting skills and his trusty Dreadnought acoustic guitar. 

He's no stranger to success and as a testament to the power of his musical ability, he was asked personally by Desmond Tutu to write a song celebrating the life of Nelson Mandela. The archbishop gave the song entitled "Inyaniso" (translation - "Truth") as a gift to Mr Mandela for his birthday.

No 9: The Phantoms

Formed in Edinburgh in 2012 by four school friends, ThePhantoms released their debut EP This Is How It Should Be in December 2013 and followed this up with a short UK tour.

They are influenced by the likes of Kasabian and Simple Minds and are Colin Simpson on guitar and vocals, Colin Mckillop on lead guitar, Zach Tarimo Goodhur on bass and Blair Cullen on drums. 

No 10: Bloch Eyot

The story of Danish born but UK living Nikolaj Bloch who now performs under the pseudonym of Bloch Eyot is as strange and tangential as it is fascinating and absorbing. It leads us to his current incarnation which he describes as, "A new musical journey."

Born in Denmark, his mother taught him Danish political folk songs on guitar from the age of 6. he then trained in classical piano at college, and when he left school he joined a touring blues band.

Drunk Wolf

Now as Ralph has been wont to say, it's not just about the music. That being said, when invited to the opening of the Drunk Wolf Exhibition which is on show in World Of Glass, St Helens there was live music as well as an abundance of art on show. 

Drunk Wolf is a local spray paint and digital artist whose clever and often humerous work is becoming more widely known despite his Banksy-esque ability to keep his identity a closely guarded secret. That being said, Ralph did manage to catch up with him just after his opening night for a quick chat.



Drunk Wolf is highly talented and yet extremely unassuming person who seems slightly bemused by the attention and acclaim his work received at World Of Glass. he was also very grateful to local band Weekend Wars who performed a short but very tight live set for the entertainment of the large crowd who'd showed up for the launch night.




Much of the Drunk Wolf work focuses on St Helens and the denizens therein and none more so than his homage to local character Johnny Welly using Star Wars dolls. You can see more of his work on the drunkwolf.co.uk website.


But there was much more on show, including a montage of St Helens celebrities; including Johnny Vegas, in the form of a Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club album cover stylee. The exhibition runs until June 3rd so go check it out.