Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles - Single Launch

We've followed the ascendancy of Billy Bibby since he started to plough his own furrow on departing Catfish and The Bottlemen and the formation and transformation of Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles.

So we're delighted to be featuring news of the new single War Of One here on Ralph's Life and Brian will be playing the single on the Radio KC Indie Show on Sunday April 29th between 5 and 7pm.

Billy had this to say of the new release:

"War Of One is another upbeat rock song that I personally loved writing because I just know that live it's gonna be a blast to play for mine and the band's sake, and I'm sure from the audience perspective too," 


Billy mused further:

"Any fans of rock music are going to want to be hit with a wave of sound that fills their hearts with joy and tears them down with its sheer power and driving force behind the amps, and that's what I am hoping this single will bring to the fans. I always want to keep an element of secrecy behind my lyrics so that you can all create your own thoughts as to what they mean to you."

"For me, it is simply about the war between you and you alone and how you deal with certain normal issues in life. Hence why it's called War Of One. As depressing as that may sound I always try to make light of it and write positively so it's far from being a negative song!"



Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles will be celebrating the single release tonight and most appropriately, at Record Junkee in Sheffield.  This marks the penultimate date of busy 16-date spring tour that began near home in Chester and zig-zagged across the UK, from Cardiff to Birmingham, from Liverpool to Glasgow and many more places in between. 

The tour ends on a high note in London with a Camden Rocks appearance at Nambucca April 28th. 

Apr20

Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles / Sundance / Keyframe

Today 19:30 · Record Junkee · Sheffield

Apr28

Camden Rocks All-Night'er feat. Echoic & more at Nambucca

Sat 19:00 · Camden Rocks Presents · London, United Kingdom

Aug4

Gig in the Car Park 2018

Sat 12:00 · The Greenside Venue · Leslie, Fife, United Kingdom

As we wait to spin the new single...why not have a listen to the last one which was a big favourite on Radio KC here...

Oddity Road

Oddity Road kicked off 2018 with their biggest headline gig as 500 people crammed into a sold out Sheffield Academy. They followed this up with a UK support slot alongside The Sherlocks and their own UK headline dates. 

The four 18 year old school mates played over 50 gigs and 25 festivals in 2017 including an infamous BBC Introducing headline set to 4000 people at Y Not festival.

With new songs in the bag Oddity Road plan to build on their relentless work ethic to reach an even bigger fan-base through 2018. For fans of the big indie chorus. 

About Don't Hold Me Down :

"It's really a fairly simple love story for our mates.  We're all 18, our mates are. We go out in town, spend what little money we have, sometimes drink too much and we're all trying to meet that someone. 

The song starts with that first glance across a room, a one night stand? But it's not really about that, it's about how you start spending time together, fall in love and will do anything for each other; before the inevitable fall out, regret and broken hearts.”

Feb 24th Oddity Road Sat 19:30

Lending Room             Leeds

March 2nd Oddity Road Fri 19:00

Sound Food and Drink             Liverpool

March 3rd Oddity Road Sat 19:00

The Garage           Glasgow

March 16th Oddity Road Fri 19:00

The Bodega            Nottingham

March 30th Oddity Road Fri 19:00

The Deaf Institute            Manchester

March 30th Oddity Road Fri 19:30

The Deaf Institute            Manchester

April 13th Oddity Road Fri 19:00

The Victoria, Birmingham           Birmingham

SHEAFS

SHEAFS are a five-piece indie rock band from Sheffield, which formed in the later end of 2015 comprise Lawrence Feenstra (lead vocals), Chris Goodacre (guitar/backing vocals), Charles Mellor (guitar), Callum Wright (bass/backing vocals), Charlie Eastap (drums).

Following on from the legacy of breakthrough single, This Is Not A Protest, new track, Shock Machine is a bold step up in both power of performance and size of hooks used.




Working with producer Thomas Mitchener (Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes) Shock Machine showcases a harder, faster side to the band yet still gives the listener a riotous sing along chorus and a break down to end all breakdown. 

As with the previous release, be afraid, be very afraid, this song will get stuck in your head.

SHEAFS live sound has earned them a consistent place in This Feeling tour book as well as slots on the Isle of Wight, Reading Festival bills and their largest show to date in front of a 2000 strong crowd at Y Not Festival. SHEAFS debut headline tour in support of Shock Machine runs across the UK this February and March.

SHEAFS are another band high on our 'ones to watch' list and Brian's giving Shock Machine a spin a week on Sunday's Radio KC Indie Show so tune in from 5-7pm GMT on the 11th of February. They're going to be mahoosive!!!

Purest

Yielding more swagger than a Kevin Shields customized Jazzmaster, the intense sounds of Sheffield guitar bandits Purest have come knocking firmly at the door of mainstream radio with new single Waiting For to be released later this month.

The Sheffield 4-piece’ debut made such an overwhelming first impression on Gary Powell of The Libertines that he, along with label partner Wayne Clarke, signed them to their label 25 Hour Convenience Store Records for their second full release. 

Formed in Sheffield on early 2016 Purest are, James Rollings, Danny Davidson, Richard Bithrey and Ashley Platts so if you have a hankering for noise with an edge Sheffield’s Purest have you covered.

Following their debut release, Always which we played previously and raved about on Ralph's Radio KC Indie Show, their new single, Waiting For is a tidal wave of post punk whirring and thrumming shoegaze noise.  Of the track, singer James commented, "Waiting For is an honest view of being young and naive; a heavily angst driven feeling of uncertainty, relying on someone else to fix problems only you can."

The Purest mission has been to “create contemporary noise pop hooks and melodies”.  With ‘Waiting For’ we have a track that blends Loveless production intensity with current radio friendly sensibilities. 

Floodhounds - Video Of The Week

FloodHounds - 'I Wanna Know'
Pre Order the single from floodhounds.bandcamp.com Officially released on iTunes/Spotify etc on 4th March. Video by Tom Flynn Using footage from Fritz Lang's 1927 film Metropolis.
Make Noise Studios/Practice Sheffield provided the live band footage.


Recorded at 2Fly Studios with Alan Smyth January 2017 NEXT SHEFFIELD GIG - Outlines Festival
TICKETS: outlinesfestival.com FACEBOOK EVENT: facebook.com/events/12568



For latest FloodHounds gig and music news http://www.FloodHounds.com Follow them on - SpotifyFloodhounds facebook.com/FloodHounds twitter.com/FloodHounds soundcloud.com/FloodHounds FloodHounds are: Guitar/Vocals - Jack Flynn Bass - Rhys Owen Drums - Lauren Greaves FloodHounds 2016 EP "Look What You Started", available from: itunes at itun.es/gb/0vOKeb or Spotify at spoti.fi/2cEdQmp

Two Skies

Ralph has had his eyes on Sheffield band Two Skies for a little while now having previously played the deliciously heavy Stay on his Radio KC Indie Show. 

So it was with great interest that he heard that they were realeasing Feel as a single on May 11th.

It's a pleasingly psychadelic offering, evoking memories of early Pink Floyd or pre - Hawkwind the Hawklords.

Gaining critical acclaim including Q Magazine saying - "They deal in bass-heavy, freak out friendly reveries" and Tom Robinson no less was heard to say - "Soaring vocal and big drums".

Comprised of Dan Cutts on Vocals and Guitar, Jamie Cheetham on Bass and Oliver Harrap on Drums Two Skies are a powerful live band that are creating solid, eminently listenable indie psych music that will appeal to fans of many different genres.

To quote the band - "Two Skies were driven together by a mutual love of ethereal noises and powerful trippy grooves".

My best advice would be catch Two Skies live in Carsons Bar in Middleton on May 21st as their powerful psychedelic guitar infused live sets are becoming legendary and with strong new tracks like Feel and the flip side Broken Hearts to add to their armoury of haunting anthems, it'll be a night to remember.

Other Live Dates are...

MAY

21 - Carsons Bar, Middleton

30 - Opium 10, Barnsley...with Blossoms

JULY

03 - Kraak, Manchester... with Dom Keller

24 - Tramlines festival, Sheffield

25 - Karma, Leeds

The Clear

Now you know Ralph's a fan of unsigned Indie and that's mainly all he writes about. However he does indulge himself now and again when a truly classic piece of songwriting finds it's way into the kennel.

Sheffield's The Clear and their latest single America which is fresh, yet nostalgic and beautifully channels classic West Coast Pop is just such an example. 

America is a slice of classic songwriting, harking back to that golden age of perfectly-crafted pop songs which Ralph's playing on Radio KC next Sunday

Colin Elliot (producer of fellow Sheffield star Richard Hawley) heard The Clear and their songs so after working with Kylie Minogue at Abbey Road Studios he invited them to his own studio to capture their warm & glossy sound. A fruitful session followed out of which the tracks America and Sunlight were born.

The debut single was released a while back and DJs Gary Crowley, Tom Robinson, Janice Long and top tastemaker Simon Raymonde rushed to play it on this shows. Gary went as far as naming Sunlight one of his “favourite songs of the summer.” 

Since Sunlight the band have been signed by the inimitable Lance Freed to Rondor Music and America is the new single to be released this summer by The Clear as part of the build up towards their debut album. 

Personally, I can't wait!

Faerground Accidents

Now strictly speaking Ralph operates an unsigned policy, however an exception can always be made for a band or artist signed with John Robb's Indie record label Louder Than War who champion the underdog.






Especially when that underdog is the extraordinarily out-there Faergound Accidents who; digitally on 9th February, are releasing the single She Makes Me Want To Die accompanied by a gorgeously glammed-up video. If Robert Smith and Jarvis Cocker have conceived a bastard son then Faerground Accidents extravagant front-man Bomar Faery is the result.

Despite the record's doom laden title, it's an upliftingly delightful musical romp. The vocal backed by bouncy, jangly guitar and organ in a Britpop stylee.

Photo by Mark Tighe at the o2 Academy, Sheffield 

It's infectious and fun and should finally see Faerground Accidents garner more of the acclaim they so rightfully deserve. 

If there's a fine line between genius and madness then Bomar is certainly straddling the fence, fortunately for us he's now toppling towards the genius side.  

Photo by Mark Tighe at the o2 Academy, Sheffield

Back in 2012 the Faerground Accidents fortunes took a dip as Bomar was admitted to a psychiatric facility. 

Once recovered he reformed the band, calling on the musical skills of Marray Fenton, Dan Botterill, Michael Breeze and original band member Henrietta Rowlett.









The enforced hiatus has obviously paid off as Bomar and cohorts are back with no small amount of aplomb. 

Upcoming live dates include the single launch in Gullivers, Manchester on February 12th and it's a must for any North Westerner's gig diary. Ralph will be spinning We Hate The Same Things on his Radio KC Show on the 8th February.