What is Home? is the debut album from Brownbear. Combining strong melodies and indie riffs that have come to be expected from the band with an added lyrical maturity, the album covers love, loss and life whilst questioning what exactly home is. The album is preceded by an addictive and accomplished single release by the band in the shape of Truth Without Consequence which is accompanied by an equally accomplished and stylish video. Brownbear are a four-piece indie-rock outfit led by singer/songwriter Matt Hickman.
The group released their debut single Dead or Alive in May 2014 which subsequently gained them national radio exposure and high profile gigs which included supporting The Libertines at their comeback show at the iconic Barrowland’s Balllroom in Glasgow.
Brownbear then went on to join The Libertines again at their BST Summertime show at Hyde Park before playing at a number of festivals including T in The Park & Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival. An acoustic version of Dead or Alive recorded in the BBC Treehouse became the most viewed clip online for T in the Park 2014 ahead of the likes of Arctic Monkeys & Biffy Clyro. The bands first London headline show was a sell out and received a positive 7/10 review from the NME. Brownbear then embarked on a European tour before starting work on their debut album. Early in 2016 they supported The View on the Scottish dates of their UK tour before returning to the studio to finish recording the album, produced by Joe McAlinden. With What Is Home? now complete and set to be released Brownbear are gearing up for getting back out playing live this year starting with the album launch show at Stereo in Glasgow on Friday 20th April and that's one not to be missed! April 20th – Stereo, Glasgow (Album Show) May 3rd – Clarks, Dundee May 4th – Mr C’s, Thurso May 5th – Bakers, Kilmarnock May 11th – The Drouthy Cobbler, Elgin May 12th – Gig in the Goil Festival May 13th – Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh May 26th – Ayr Town Hall w/ Tom Clarke June 23rd – Upside Doon Festival, Ayrshire June 30th – Kelburn Garden Party July 27th – Kendall Calling
One of Ralph's; and of course Liverpool's, favourite bands is The Mono LPs so it was with no little joy to see that they'd released L.O.V.E & H.A.T.E. from their State Of Decay (3rd November launch gig in the Buyers Club) album. It's a gorgeously riff-laden rock track overlaid with orchestral cello and a raunchy vocal. Scissor Sisters meets ELO is as close as I can come by way of comparison, although to be fair The Mono LPs are most definitely one of a kind. We'll be playing the single on this Sunday's Radio KC Indie Show so be sure to tune in from 5-7pm.
It's a punchy song making a poignant statement about how love and hate can be as small as two people in a relationship or as big as two countries at war. It's guaranteed to be a fans favourite and garner radio play both locally and further afield. More especially as fans of The Mono LPs include Elvis Costello, The View and Blood Red Shoes. With a multifarious catalogue of gigs, including supports with The Maccabees and British Sea Power helping to showcase their unique sound The Mono LPs are getting further away from comparisons to the likes of The Arctic Monkeys and The Black Keys. They're comprised of Ste Reid on Vocal, Songwriting & Guitar, Vicky Mutch on Cello & Backing Vocal, Chris Barlow on Bass and Daniel Beech on Drums.
Earlier this year New York Tourists began recording their debut album which was funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign. In June they played their biggest gig to date in front of 12,000 people as the main support to Status Quo. Well the good news is the kickstarter was successful and the You + Me album will be officially released on April 8th. The You + Me album is composed of 10 tracks of anthemic Indie rock music which should seem them propelled from the local North West music scene to the headier hights of regular national radio play and the bigger festivals in 2017. Speaking of anthemic Indie music, the album kicks of with the impressive and addictive Colours before moving into the choppier and more pop-like Fear. Following on Fools gets meaner and moodier, with a gritty vocal overlaid on driving guitar, what's not to like. It's Call after that with a dirty bass and sleazy vocal which made it a perfect pick as a single previously. Then Adrenaline kicks in before getting heavier again with Two Heartbeats. Then it's the eponymous and aggressive You + Me, and it's got to be a live favourite. On an album of continually strong tracks Lost Love is for me the weakest, but that's me being picky and it's OK as they quickly step it up a gear with the in-your-face A Kick In The Teeth before rounding off with the dreamy and extremely radio-friendly Sirens. With this album Blackburn's favourite sons New York Tourists are making themselves heard and certainly not to be missed live. Speaking of which, check out their gig listings below... New York Tourists Live Dates:
Not so much a group, more a self-styled musical collective, Glasgow's Brownbear led by Matt Hickman have just released Wandering Eyes as a prelude to their much-awaited debut album. Matt, along with Andrew McAllister on lead guitar, Ruairidh MacDougall on bass and Sam Waller on drums are producing melodic, indie pop songs of the highest quality. Wandering Eyes (accompanied by a nicely retro video) harks back to the heady days of Roddy Frame's Aztec Camera or Peter Coyle's Lotus Eaters when they were producing the perfect pop songs and Brownbear have picked up that baton and are running well ahead of the pack with it. Brownbear released their debut single Dead or Alive in May 2014 which subsequently gained them national radio exposure and high profile gigs which included supporting The Libertines at their comeback show at the iconic Barrowland Balllroom in Glasgow.
They joined The Libertines again at their BST Summertime show at Hyde Park before playing at a number of festivals including T in The Park & Belladrum. An acoustic version of Dead or Alive recorded in the BBC Treehouse became the most viewed clip online for T in the Park 2014 ahead of the likes of Arctic Monkeys & Biffy Clyro.
The band's first London headline show was a sell-out and received a positive 7/10 review from the NME. Brownbear then embarked on a European tour before starting work on their debut album. Earlier this year they supported The View on the Scottish dates of their UK tour. The band then returned to the studio to finish recording the album, produced by ex SuperstarJoe McAlinden.
Ralph's been spinning tracks on his Radio KC Indie Show on a regular basis by Blackburn band New York Tourists who interestingly described as QOTSA meets Foals. Their debut EP received rave reviews from some of the UK's most respected music media outlets and Chew Me Up, Spit Me Out was selected as one of BBC Intro's top 10 tracks of 2013. Hugely coveted support slots followed, with the band bagging appearances alongside the likes of The Subways, The View, The Sunshine Underground and The Buzzcocks plus a headline slot on the Alt Stage at Blackburn Festival.
Earlier this year New York Tourists began recording their debut album which was funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign. In June they played their biggest gig to date in front of 12,000 people as the main support to Status Quo. Well the good news is the kickstarter was successful and the You + Me album will be officially released on April 8th. The You + Me album is composed of 10 tracks of varying degrees of anthemic Indie rock music which should seem them propelled from the local North West music scene to the headier hights of regular national radio play and the bigger festivals in 2017. Speaking of anthemic Indie music, the album kicks of with the impressive and addictive Colours before moving into the choppier and more pop-like Fear. Following on Fools gets meaner and moodier, with a gritty vocal overlaid on driving guitar, what's not to like. It's Call after that with a dirty bass and sleazy vocal which made it a perfect pick as a single previously. Then Adrenaline kicks in before getting heavier again with Two Heartbeats. It's the eponymous and aggressive You + Me after that, and it's got to be a live favourite. On an album of continually strong tracks Lost Love is for me the weakest, but that's me being picky and it's OK as they quickly step it up a gear with the in-your-face A Kick In The Teeth before rounding off with the dreamy and extremely radio-friendly Sirens. With this album Blackburn's favourite sons New York Tourists are making themselves heard and certainly not to be missed live. Speaking of which, check out their gig listings below... New York Tourists Live Dates:
Riding the crest a wave of up and coming young Scottish bands currently flooding the UK music scene is Dundee band Vladimir. Their industrial yet infectious brand of 'post-punk' is reminiscent of fellow Scots the late lamented Cinematics with a heavier Joy Division-esque vibe. No surprise then that they've been supporting such luminaries as The View and The Fall of late.
Ralph's played Vladimir a couple of times on his Radio KC Indie Show with great feedback and their new single In My Head is on next Sunday's playlist.
Ralph's also looking at a Liverpool Ralphstock event which he hopes will feature the 'bleak' yet anthemic Vladimir live and loud sound. That would include of course a rendition of their third single,In My Head which is the lads at their best with it's burgeoning intro leading into mean and moody dystopian vocal.
It's overlaid on driving guitar and throbbing drum with a chorus that will stick in my head (see what I did there) for a long time to come. It's a short, sharp stab in your aural senses that wounds deep and will take a long time to heal. Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming Vladimir gigs as they're currently planning countrywide tour dates. Upcoming Dates
Ralph's had a soft spot for Dumfries band Barstow Bats for a while now and has given some of their past tracks a spin on the Radio KC Indie Show, so it's good to hear they've just released a new single. It's called 'Partners In Crime' and it's a slight change in direction with its more poppy, zingy, guitar driven Indie sound in a slightly View-esque stylee which should help them make greater inroads with the mainstream radio stations. Barstow Bats are…Andrew Rendall (guitar & vocal) – Steven McKie (guitar & vocal) – Barry Gemmell (Bass & vocal) – Jonny Tait (drums) and formed just over a year ago. Since then Barstow Bats have played two major Scottish festivals, The Wickerman & Electric Fields. They've also headlined at the world famous King Tut’s and played at the Dumfries Music Conference supported by Honeyblood & Ralph's long time favourites Hector Bizerk. Next year should see them go from strength to strength with their signing to independent record label smart indie.
With What Is Home? now complete and set to be released Brownbear are gearing up for getting back out playing live this year starting with the album launch show at Stereo in Glasgow on Friday 20th April and that's one not to be missed!
