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...

Jess Kemp

Ralph has been a fan of the supremely talented Jess Kemp for a while now having played her tracks on his Radio KC Indie show regularly over the last two years. 

In that time, her star has very much come into its ascendancy, especially with her video of Stars (one of the Videos Of The Week on ralphslife.co.uk last year) which was one of the musical highlights of 2015. All the more blatantly obvious due to the release of her debut EP Camden which is being launched in Manchester's Academy 3 on the 29th of April.

The Camden EP is Jess Kemp at her strongest with four varied and very radio-friendly tracks which will also go down well at gigs.







With a strong track like Killer Shoes (which Ralph's spinning on his Indie Show on February 28th) with its choppy guitar and punchy vocal or the more delightfully subtle Stars; which she released as a debut single, with its uplifting lyrics and pop-esque soundscape, what's not to like.

There's many an artist that would be glad to produce material like this at the height of their career, never mind as a debut EP. Jess Kemp is getting it spot on right from the off!

The Pacers

Photo by Sylvia Ewa

The Pacers draw their influences from the sixties Psych/Garage scene, mixing it up with their own unique ideas to create unforgettable and  energetic live performances in the same vein as The Stooges and The Stones, with a healthy dose of freakout psychedelia.

Formed two years ago when Alexander Friedl and guitarist Harry Stam met under what they describe as "mysterious circumstances" and with a shared interest in all things 60's, the duo picked up their guitars and began writing songs.


Bass player Jay Creswell, was next to join The Pacers, closely followed by drummer Jamie Yuan. With the line up complete, the band set about making a name for themselves on the underground music scene, playing a string of venues primarily in north and east London which have earned them a loyal and ever increasing fanbase and Losing Touch is their debut single.




It's an incredibly well constructed dip into the world of psychedelia which would have fitted well on any late 60's turntable, but still has a current feel to it due to Alex's dreamy vocal overlaid on some trippy guitar work. Ralph's giving it a spin on the Radio KC Indie Show, Sunday 27th October. 

 Flip-side I'm Down is poppier, pacier and surely destined to become a live favourite of The Pacers fans. If you're near The Barfly on Friday 18th September or The Hawley Arms in Camden on October 22nd don't miss the chance to catch their gig! 

The Old Border

Courtesy of Amar Chauhan

Despite describing themselves as 'ne'er-do-well musicians' London four piece The Old Border are producing some classy alt-pop stylee tracks culminating in the release of the bouncy All Over as their first single.

It's the first track off their soon to be released debut EP Rehearsed In The Mirror and reflects their musical influences nicely.

Born from a love of loud modern rock bands like Biffy Clyro and Kings of Leon fused with the honest storytelling of Bruce Springsteen and Gaslight Anthem, The Old Border have turned personal failures and small town strife into earnest, authentic guitar music.

After gigging and recording, the band have finished their debut EP Rehearsed in the Mirror, and in anticipation of its release are returning to the 'toilet circuit', filming a music video for their second single and continuing to capture suburban struggles in three and a half minute rock songs.

The marriage of honest lyrics and assured musicality runs through the Rehearsed In The Mirror EP with a moodier Don't Talk following on from the effervescent lead track All Over. 

Influence-wise the third track in If Only leans towards Kings Of Leon with its infectious guitar work whilst Past Caring veers off towards Biffy Clyro with a more driving riff and vocal. A fair bet for a second single release by The Old Border?






The Old Border are playing The Enterprise in Camden on January 30th and I'm sure there'll be announcements soon with more gigs. In the meantime, have a look at the nicely crafted video for All Over. Rest assured Ralph will be giving the single a spin on Radio KC.

Desert Ships

Musical news for today comes in the form of a dreamy EP release by Desert Ships called Skyliner. 

Desert Ships are composed of Mikey on vocals and guitar, Daniel on bass and vocals with Claude on drums and vocals and forming in 2012 then releasing their debut album Doll Skin Flag in the same year.  The album, produced by acclaimed musician and producer Mark Gardener formerly of seminal shoegaze band Ride was met with huge critical acclaim.







Alan McGee, founder of Creation Records described the band as having “some great fucking songs” and Mark Gardener described his time working with Desert Ships as “a total pleasure, a total trip.”

The London based trip-tonic Desert Ships describe their sound as heavily cinematic. Haunting guitar loops and hypnotic grooves allow the dream-like melodies to weave in and amongst each other, while the three-part vocal harmonies bring a spacey, ambient tint to the eclectic mix.  Comparisons have been drawn with the likes of Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Flaming Lips, Tame Impala, and at times even the rousing film scores of John Barry.  Lead singer Mikey describes the band’s music as “a reverb drenched apocalyptic experience”.

Desert Ships have played numerous festivals since the release of Doll Skin Flag, and toured with the likes of The Prodigy, Band of Skulls, Babyshambles and The Rifles as well as radio airplay from XFM's John Kennedy, BBC 6 Music's Steve Lamacq and BBC Radio London Calling's Gary Crowley.  They consistently receive radio play on local stations in the UK, US, Europe and South America.









The Skyliner EP is trip-tastic and Desert Ships are psychedelic as you can get, kicking of with the shoegazy title track Skyliner which drifts dreamily into the excellent Shell Shock. They follow that up with Heart Beats which has shades of Rubberbear, before finishing with the more industrial and edgy Ausgang, my favourite on the EP and for me it's a 9/10.




Gigs

Sat 8th Nov

 EP Launch: Cherry Cola club night at The Purple Turtle, Camden, London.

Snippet

Snippet aka Johnno Casson is the quintessential English musician.  Prolific, diverse, entertaining, clever, wistful and whimsical (no more so on his previously released mini-album 'DIY' and the track 'Let's Talk About Us' on which he comments on his winkle (and he isn't introducing us to his pet mollusc Brian). Prolific as ever Snippet has released an EP of tracks that should be on everyones 'Summer Playlist' and it's called, appropriately enough, 'The Sunshine EP'.




Previously Ralph's referred to Snippet as being all things to all listeners bringing you everything from funk to electro. If you haven't already been introduced to his inimitable stylings then this is the perfect lead in...go and seek out his back catalogue or even better check him out live...I think you'll find he's one of the nicest blokes you'll ever meet, as was proved when he kicked off the Ralph's Life CD all-dayer in London's Proud Camden earlier this year.





The EP was performed, recorded, produced and mixed by the man himself and mastered by Wim Oudijk. Snippet was quoted as saying "the EP is six unique nuggets of sunshine 'SnipHop' that are big on bounce, low on fat (but always 'phat') & full of technicolor loveliness."

Following on from the previously mentioned and critically acclaimed D.I.Y Album, Snippet takes it up a notch with a batch of killer songs cloaked in sweet layers of retro synths & hand crafted loops, topped off with vocal hooks to die for...music to lift your spirits & put a spring in your step.





From the first bars of the lead track 'We Luv The Sunshine' the lyrics are uplifting and the whistling infectiously cheerful. Second track in and the instrumental 'This Way Up' with an Ivor Cutler harmonium vibe leads you into the optimistic and bouncy 'Can I Luv You'. 

'Misplaced Youth' is a more soulful, reflective track whilst 'Run For Your Life' moves up a gear again with a 'SnipHop' vibe, finishing off with the quirky 'fLIP' showing just how versatile Snippet can be.




We Luv The Sunshine by Snippet

If you don't believe me then... 

“Snippet: A National Indie Treasure…The most played artist ever on BBC Introducing - Fresh On The Net” 
Tom Robinson BBC 6 Music

Crystal Seagulls.....clear cut ambition.....

Crystal Seagulls bill themselves as a new London-based four piece Brit Rock band whose music holds a mixture of the infectious sounds of the Sixties, the swagger of the Nineties whilst simultaneously paving the way for a whole new style of music.  Brave words but do they live up to their swag?  Yes they do as they've just seen of some stiff competition to win the right to play the Isle Of Wight festival Introducing Stage at this years festival!  They're one of only 6 bands chosen from the 3,000 who originally applied.




Well you only have to listen to 'Yours For As Long As You Keep Me' to pick up the Brit Pop vibe, hints of those cheeky chappies Supergrass and just a sprinkling of Blur.  If you want to dredge the depths of time for a true influence there's more than just a nod to the godfathers of Brit Pop,The Small Faces.....this is a good thing!

Despite only having formed early this year they've had some exposure on the airwaves including French station RKC, BBC Three Counties Radio and most recently Brooklands Radio in North Surrey when they were nice enough to give this very blog a name-check!  

Back to the music and the next track for your delictation is 'Ups and Downs' which is a punchier guitar driven track that'll have the Crystal Seagull's crowds firmly in the palm of their hands.....or should that be under their wings?  Despite their relatively recent formation they've been doing some extensive gigging including a spot at this years sell out Brisfest!

Jim Lawton- Vocals/Rhythm Guitar
Elz Whitty- Lead Guitar/Vocals

John Armstrong- Bass/VocalsBen Heliczer- Drums

'Play Dead' is a dirtier, sleazier track, all throaty vocals, drums and thrashing guitar.....gotta love it.....a bit more grown up from ones so young.  They got together whilst at college earlier this year and things have moved on fairly swiftly since.....some very accomplished music for ones so relatively young.  Crystal Seagulls seem to have a good grasp of what it takes to get noticed and how to get their music out there.....