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

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.