VITO

Hailing from Newcastle, VITO are four young men with their sights firmly set on achieving greater notoriety than just gigging around their local stomping ground in the North East.

They offer - "a 'no-frills' ethos, focusing on raw, dynamic performances" and "have a flair for compelling lyrics to accompany their upbeat riffs, creating poignant messages through tracks that pack a punch."

Not only that, VITO are taking a fiercely Indie approach by producing their debut single Masquerade themselves and available from January 13th via the fiercely Indie End Of The Trail Records.

Whilst there are no real surprises (they stick to what they know best, with a view to appealing to fans of similarly minded contemporaries) they're blending choppy guitar riffs, pleasing harmonies and a much better than average pop-esque vocal with style, therefor Masquerade sticks in your head and makes you want to go back for another listen.

VITO are: Tom Conway on vocals/guitar, Andy Bell on guitar/vocals, Ben Houlton on Bass and Dom Willis on drums.

Live performances so far for 2017 are:

O2 Academy, Newcastle

 - 27th January

Head Of Steam, Newcastle - 2nd February

The Monarch, London - 11th March

They have also been confirmed for Brighton's ever popular Great Escape Festival in May.

The Boston Shakers Live in The Cavern Club

With thanks to Nicki Vinall Photography ©

It's always nice to get out on a road-trip and when the chance presented itself to catch The Boston Shakers as support to Xander and The Peace Pirates for their album launch in Liverpool it was too good an opportunity to pass up. 

The Boston Shakers closed the recent Ralph's Life event for Musicians Against Homelessness in St Helens and very nearly brought the roof down, so it was going to be interesting seeing them do their thang in a sold out Cavern Club.

In true Boston Shakers style they hit the stage running with Best Things In Life For Free, with Lucas playing fastest finger first building up the beats and charismatic front man Alex flowing at machine gun speed over Jordan Kennie's manic guitar playing.

They're loud, tight and entertaining as they thrash through their set. In no uncertain terms The Boston Shakers are staking their claim as one of the best unsigned bands on the live circuit.



They've already got a bank of tracks that are fast becoming classics, none more so than their electric rendition of Black Magic where again frantic guitar play and speed of sound vocals backed by the heaviest of beats got the Cavern Club crowd jumping.

They finished off by throwing a hoedown with a barn stomping rendition of Keep Of That Grass. 



Next up they're supporting Electric Six in O2 Academy in Liverpool followed by Space in The Arts Club and it's onwards and upwards for The Boston Shakers.

Rock Against Violence 2016

Rock Against Violence 2016 is back for a 5th year and will take place on 10 November at the O2 Academy in Islington. The concert features stellar London-based bands, all in aid of Solace Women’s Aid. 






Headlining the evening will be one of Ralph's favourite London bands Hunter and The Bear. They've featured regularly on Ralph's Indie Show on Radio KC and in the blog.

Hunter and The Bear are a four-piece whose combination of melodic sensibility with riff-heavy tunes puts them to the fore of the burgeoning guitar-driven music that is currently prevalent. 

This summer saw Hunter and The Bear setting out on an exciting and highly ambitious project. Anticipating their first full length record in early 2017, the band will release a single a month giving audiences a teasing insight into their work.

Of late they have set crowds alight at the UK's major summer festivals such as Leeds and Reading whilst also embarking on critically acclaimed headline tours of Spain and here in the UK as well as supporting guitar legend Eric Clapton on his most recent arena tour so their set at Rock Against Violence is one not to be missed!



Established in 2011, Rock AgainstViolence has grown into Solace’s annual flagship music event, raising a staggering £23,000 in 2015. 

Mary Mason, Chief Executive Officer at Solace Women’s Aid, said: “We’re really thrilled and grateful that these talented bands are all helping us campaign against domestic and sexual abuse. There is such a widespread problem across the capital with thousands of women and children needing support after experiencing horrific abuse. Gigs like these reach new audiences and help raise awareness of the issues as well as the services that can support women and girls to be safe, recover and live independently free from abuse.” 



Advance tickets cost £15 and are on sale at RAV2016.eventbrite.co.uk. 


Tickets at the door will be £20. During the show, there will also be a silent auction and raffle prizes to raise additional funds for Solace, including a Gourmet Society membership, a VIP personal shopping appointment with money to spend, private bartending services, collector's items, beauty products and many more.



Also playing on the night are...



Patch & The Giant who are currently gearing up to release their debut album, “All That We Had, We Stole” early next year. 

Folk Radio UK says about the band: “Tucked somewhere between the music of Balkan enthusiasts, Beirut and the rustic elegance of modern DIY folk”. 

Read more and listen to free tracks on their website.

We Use to Make Things who are an eight piece London-based indie-pop band with big horns, big harmonies and a healthy respect for a melodic hook and fat groove. 

Read more and listen to free tracks on their Facebook page.






The Wild Things are a four-piece alternative rock band from West London. 

Pulling from early influences as wide as the Beach Boys and Foo Fighters by way of a Weezer pop-tinged lean, the band’s recent output has seen them pull in a rockier, dirtier vibe recalling The Smashing Pumpkins and Band of Skulls via Wolf Alice. Read more and listen to free tracks on their website.

The Assist

One of the tracks that's had a lot of feedback since Ralph gave it an Intro spin on his Radio KC Sunday Indie Show recently was 'Control' by up and coming young Walsall band The Assist.  They're a four piece Alt/Indie group with an infectious, bouncy Brit Pop-esque style that's proving popular not only locally, but country-wide despite their only being fully formed this year.


The band originated from the idea of a 365 day music project which tracks their progress throughout a whole year. After much discussion the band was formed on the 1st of January 2013. They feel that unsigned bands today spend too much time being critical of the music around them and not enough time on their own music. They believe to be a successful band you can't rely on one style of music and that musical depth is the key.



Whereas many bands seem to be around for ever achieving little recognition, they believe their fast approach and young, ambitious personalities will stand them in good stead when it comes to progressing at each stage.  The Assist are Mikey and Ryan Stanton, Jak Baker and Ben Faulkner who aim to write 'real music, with honest hard hitting lyrics that speak for themselves'.  Well so far so good with the energetic 'Control' (got to be a fans favourite at gigs) with its shades of the now defunct Nizlopi fitted with brand new Duracell Extra batteries. They're a more frenetic, grittier version of that other Birmingham band The Twang. 

The Assist have some impressive gigs under their belt already, including supporting Bruce Foxton and the near legendary Reverend And The Makers so take a chance and go see them November 15th when they headline The o2 Academy 3 in Birmingham with support by Action Replay, Hightower, Superficials and State Of Suburbia.