Oranj Son

Oranj Son are a four piece Psych Punk band from Ellesmere Port comprising Kieran Linford (guitar & vocals), Lew Yii (drums), Brad Welch-Harley (bass) and Matthew Linford (keys/synths). 

The band, whose influences range from Echo and the Bunnymen and Teardrop Explodes to LCD Soundsystem and Sonic Youth, have been together for two years and Oranj Son have already made a big impact on Liverpool's music scene since they made their live debut at Sound City in 2015.

Ralph gave their latest single Still a spin on last Sunday's Indie Show on Radio KC.





Still was recorded in Glasgow and produced by Luke Palmer and released by The Label Recordings as part of their Summer Sampler on June 2nd.

“Liverpool is full of great, quirky and fascinating bands at the moment. The latest to catch our attention are 4 piece Oranj Son whose curiously spelt name hints at their twisted and brilliant music which is a tripped out take on wonky psychedelic, gritty northern Fall style grooves and laced with great melodies" - John Robb

The Moods

Ralph has been featuring the Blackthorn Festival on the blog recently due to the fact that it's near Manchester and probably the best value for money small festival in the UK.

We've also been singling out a few Manchester bands for some special attention and today it's The Moods turn.

They are the city's premier electro hip-hop reggae outfit, and their message is loud and clear. This 9-strong band unifies rap, brass and beats, delivering potent, political lyrics for a post-2016 world to make you dance make you think. Born out of a musical experiment in North Manchester's Boomshack Studios in early 2014, The Moods quickly gathered members and momentum. 

With thanks to trust a fox photography

A dizzying amalgamation of producers and poets, they swiftly honed their very own sound, which, when taken live, quite simply blew their audiences away. 

It wasn't long before The Moods attracted the attention of local radio stations (Ralph's giving them a spin again on next Sunday's Indie Show on Radio KC) and journalists like John Robb and Terry Christian.

The Moods ended 2016 on an absolute high, with raucous, sell-out gigs in London, Glasgow and Manchester. 

As the world reflected on the travesty that was 2016, The Moods channeled their energy into writing and performing their vital, mighty music.

They have now signed an artist development deal with the fiercely independent A1(M) Records (Ralph's just featured their Music From The North Live EP to raise funds for Salford 94.4 fm) in Manchester. Further to that, their new single JOY is to be released on June 23rd and we gave it a pre-release spin on Sunday 4th June.

The New Southern Electrikk

Manchester bands are coming very much to the fore currently and none more so than The New Southern Electrikk.who are looking to be one of 2015's most exciting prospects.

Their current single Brown Eyes captures the listener from it's heartrending first chords garnering them some famous fans, from Suede's Bernard Butler and The Lemonhead's Evan Dando to Creation Records co-founder Joe Foster and punk icon John Robb who is releasing the track on Louder Than War Records.











The New Southern Electrikk have been invited by Alan McGee to play at his Creation Sessions in May and the band performed the track on Channel 4's Dispatches on Monday 19th January. 


It's been a busy few weeks for Rikki Turner and the rest of the band who always knew the song was something special, but are still astonished by the amount of attention it has received in such a short time.


Explaining where he drew his inspiration from, Rikki says...






 "The song was written during a particularly dark period of my life when things weren't going well. Brown Eyes was a woman who left me.

As she walked away, Baby It's You by The Shirelles was playing and the song came to me there and then. The pain I felt that day can be heard in Monica's breathtaking vocals and the band's performance on the record is stunning.  To think something so beautiful can emerge from that level of pain is extraordinary... but that pain had to be experienced for the song to exist."










Brown Eyes channels the sound of sixties girl groups with a pared down production style that draws inspiration from the work of celebrated producer Martin Hannett. The New Southern Electrikk however, cannot be easily categorised as b-side The Theme to The New Southern Electrikk proves with its echoes of early New Order and The Charlatans defly woven together with samples of Charles Bukowski.










Drawing inspiration from Psychedelia, Krautrock and Post-Punk, The New Southern Electrikk craft dark,  beautiful melodies driven by grinding, sexy undertones. Monica Ward's vocals can be as ethereal as they are deep and soulful; capturing her audience in the palm of her hand, with her mesmerising performances.





Zach Davies's flowing guitar shimmers over Steven Tajti's gritty, throbbing basslines with Rikki Turner's keys and backing vocals providing a darker edge. Jim Correy's drumming is brooding and purposeful giving The New Southern Electrikk a solid base on which to build soundscapes that are visceral yet sultry.






Ralph's already given the track a spin on Radio KC and you can catch the single launch in Manchester's Roadhouse on Friday February 13th.

Cover art: Frida With The Rainbow Tears used with the kind permission of Femke Huurdeman

All live photos by Russell Bloor

Studio shots by Shari Denson

The Backhanders

It's always nice when a hard copy of someones latest release drops through the letterbox, as is the case when; courtesy of the enigmatic Mr Peeps, the niftily designed CD just out by The Backhanders in the style of a vinyl 7" single arrived and its look fits in with the two tracks contained within.

The Backhanders are a recently formed Manchester four piece who are rapidly forming a steady local fan-base after a series of successful gigs including a sell-out at Manchester's Academy 3 and a support to Twisted Wheel in Kraak Gallery.





Lead track 'Campfire' is a punchy, guitar driven track inspired by and dedicated to the late Joe Strummer. The track came about after they received a photo album from Joe's wife which included some random lyrics underneath the pictures. With her permission they added their own words to create 'Campfire' and it's reminiscent of the direction Joe took with The Mescaleros. The Backhanders pay him fitting tribute.

They've been getting some radio plays and critical acclaim of late with Terry Christian giving their track 'Memory Lane' a spin and John Robb of Louder Than War including them on his list of bands to watch in 2014. Keep your eyes peeled for their Live Streaming on Vidzta on May 11th and some live dates to be announced soon.