Ralph's Top 10 Blogged Band Chart - 25.10.14

OK bands you know the score .....

the more hits your blog gets by the fans ..... 

the higher you go .....

So Tweet it, Facebook it .....

Generally and expose yourself .....

Now Mr Snuggles and I Have Been sitting with our heads down counting the hits on each blog to see who's got bands which place.  

So here it is .....

The Top Ten Chart Blogged Band .....

No 1.....Roadidendren

Ralph's been spinning some tracks by London (and Luton) singer/rapper Roadidendren of late on his Radio KC Indie Show as her fresh, funky, funny yet ferocious style never fails to please and favours no small amount of favourable feedback (yes, I know that's a lot of f's) from the listeners.

Her upcoming album, The Empress's New Clothes focuses on and picks apart the trivialisation of many parts of the music industry by its stars and insiders. 




No 2 .....  Feral Five

Ralph  's been up to His ears Gunk in this week! No not the stuff for cleaning car engines ... 'Gunk' is a portmanteau of Geek Punk and it was Celebrated in style on the 5th-7th September at the    Music Tech Fest   in London ... and   Ralph  's chums   Feral Five   Were at the forefront with a live performance prior to the launch to celebrate the official release of   3D Print Me   single on 12 "Vinyl on September 17th in the   East London Design Store  .






No 3....Barstow Bats

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.






No 4...The Inkhearts


North West band The Inkhearts are due to release two tracks - Temper Temper and Uptight - by digital download on November 17th of this very year.

The Inkhearts formed in 2010 when the members, then young teenagers, were introduced to each other at a music tuition initiative at The Engine Rooms, Skelmersdale.

No 5...Alex Highton

Never let it be said that Ralph doesn't have a softer side - and the Alex Highton follow-up album to the highly acclaimed Woodditton Wives Club appeals to just that. The Liverpool born singer songwriter has just released Nobody Knows Anything and it's an introverted collection of diverse musical gems.

No 6...Desert Ships

Ships Desert  are Composed of Mikey on vocals and guitar, Daniel on bass and vocals with Claude on drums and vocals and then forming in 2012 releasing Their debut album    Doll Skin Flag    in the same year. 

No 7...Steel Threads

Ralph    played the    Steel Threads    track    It Goes On    During this week's Indie Show on    Radio KC    and such was the interest in social media via the kennel His That I was moved to take a closer look.

Describing Themselves as 'An Original band playing acoustic unique blend of Their Own Rock and Folk' and with influences as diverse as    Led Zeppelin   ,    Crowded House    and    Fleetwood Mac   , they '' 'are multi-talented duo of Neil Wardleworth (drums / guitar / vocals ) Wilcockson and Laura (violin / vocals).

No 8 ....  One Eyed Wayne

Photo courtesy of   Emma Marshall

Listening to North London band   One Eyed Wayne   is like having a flashback to putting on a   Blockheads   record (one of Those round, flat, black vinyl things) that's been re-mixed with a bit of   UK Subs   and no small amount of humor.  A case in point is Their latest release   After The Break   and Accompanying video. It's fast and furious social commentary at its televisually cynical, clever and best punk.

No 9 .....   Braver Than Fiction

Ralph's recently Been listening to a lot of 'proper' music for 'grown ups' and in this category comes the recently released EP  King Of Crows  by Sheffield band       Braver Than Fiction   . It's a collection of four live tracks off That September infused vocalist Mel's bluesy vocals against some snazzy      Steampacket   esque    Hammond    organ-ising.

10 .....   Wullae Wright

Ralph's with with previously blogged   Wullae Wright   and it's Proved to be The most well read of any over the last couple of years. Needless to say it was good news When   Wullae Wright   got in touch to say I was releasing 'Superhero' as a single. The story of the song is no less poignant than   Wullae Wright  's plaintive voice Which, overlaid on subtle acoustic guitar with an orchestral background is just as heart wrenching as the single's message. 

Alex Highton

Never let it be said that Ralph doesn't have a softer side - and the Alex Highton follow-up album to the highly acclaimed Woodditton Wives Club appeals to just that. The Liverpool born singer songwriter has just released Nobody Knows Anything and it's an introverted collection of diverse musical gems.

As a kid his time was split between his native Liverpool and Florence, Italy. It was there that his musical education began, as he took in everything from Talking Heads or Penguin Cafe Orchestra to The Band and David Ackles. 




He lost his twenties to bad decisions and train-wreck relationships and it was only after meeting his future wife that he started to take songwriting seriously. The songs he wrote (part therapy/part love letter his new life) formed the basis of his debut album Woodditton Wives Club, a record replete with tales of rural S&M, mental, emotional and economic collapse, and ultimately salvation through love and family.

Nobody Knows Anything seems a more personal inwards journey delightfully rendered in a North Western stylee.

From the melodious You Don't Own This Life to the quirkier It Falls Together you're immediately drawn into his introversy and the compulsive Panic makes sure you'll stay. There definitely must be something in the water in Liverpool that consistently produces songwriters of quality, whether it's Lennon and McCartney of yore or Ali Ingle currently and Alex Highton is floating towards the top of that musical H2o.

I won't go through the whole album on here but I will say  that the eponymous Nobody Knows Anything is a highlight and Mephisto an understated classic with it's moody horns and jangly guitar. As enjoyable to listen to as Richard Hawley or Robert Wyatt - I can pay no higher compliment.

Get yourself copy of Alex Highton Nobody Knows Anything, out officially December 1st on Gare Du Nord Records, pour yourself a glass of wine and stick the headphones on, you won't be sorry. 

Ralph doesn't do marks out of 10 however he's playing You Don't Own This Life on Radio KC this Sunday - which is nice...

• THUNov20 - 23The End Festival 2014
London, UK
  
• TUENov25Alex Highton, Papernut Cambridge, Ralegh Long
Servants Jazz Quarters, London, UK
  
• THUNov27Alex Highton
The Hunter Club, Bury Saint Edmunds, UK
• 
  

Barstow Bats

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.

• NOV 01

  Barstow Bats @ The Ship Inn, Dalbeattie JoinSave

• NOV 15

  Barstow Bats @ Greens, Dumfries JoinSave

The Inkhearts

North West band The Inkhearts are due to release two tracks - Temper Temper and Uptight - by digital download on November 17th of this very year.

The Inkhearts formed in 2010 when the members, then young teenagers, were introduced to each other at a music tuition initiative at The Engine Rooms, Skelmersdale.





  

Originally a seven piece, it was only when three original members left that the band found their sound and started to write and gig more seriously. 

With three members aged just eighteen and one aged nineteen, The Inkhearts’ music is full of enthusiasm and teenage energy yet it's underlined by a songwriting ability that belies their youth.








 Citing influences typical of their young years like The Vaccines, Two Door Cinema Club and The Libertines, the band seem well versed in the art of mainstream indie pop and their intricately layered tracks have a degree of individualism due to their North Western roots that sets their sound apart, giving them an identity all of their own.

Their last single 'Keeping Up', described by XFM Scotland's Jim Gellatly as a ‘cracking track’, was produced by The Farm’s Carl Hunter and Gary Westhead at Parr Street Studios in Liverpool. The single received widespread airplay across the UK, Europe and America and was chosen as Janice Long's BBC Radio 2 Janice Loves track plus was selected by Artrocker for inclusion in their New Blood feature.







Following on from the excellent Keeping Up which was their last single release, Temper Temper is a bouncy, pop fuelled track reminiscent of another North West band and long time favourites of Ralph,The Lottery Winners. Uptight is slightly moodier lyrically but none the less listenable with choppy guitar and Northern infused vocal.

If they steadily improve in this vein they'll continue to garner more airplay and industry attention in the months to come. 2015 is looking like it'll be a great year for The Inkhearts.

The video below for Keeping Up was shot by students at Edge Hill University, Ormskirk.

Ralph's Top 10 Blogged Band Chart - 4.10.14

OK bands you know the score .....

the more hits your blog gets by the fans ..... 

the higher you go .....

So Tweet it, Facebook it .....

Generally and expose yourself .....

Now Mr Snuggles and I Have Been sitting with our heads down counting the hits on each blog to see who's got bands which place.  

So here it is .....

The Top Ten Chart Blogged Band .....

No 1 .....  Feral Five

Ralph  's been up to His ears Gunk in this week! No not the stuff for cleaning car engines ... 'Gunk' is a portmanteau of Geek Punk and it was Celebrated in style on the 5th-7th September at the    Music Tech Fest   in London ... and   Ralph  's chums   Feral Five   Were at the forefront with a live performance prior to the launch to celebrate the official release of   3D Print Me   single on 12 "Vinyl on September 17th in the   East London Design Store  .





2 ...    Desert Ships

Ships Desert  are Composed of Mikey on vocals and guitar, Daniel on bass and vocals with Claude on drums and vocals and then forming in 2012 releasing Their debut album    Doll Skin Flag    in the same year. 

3 ...    Steel Threads

Ralph    played the    Steel Threads    track    It Goes On    During this week's Indie Show on    Radio KC    and such was the interest in social media via the kennel His That I was moved to take a closer look.

Describing Themselves as 'An Original band playing acoustic unique blend of Their Own Rock and Folk' and with influences as diverse as    Led Zeppelin   ,    Crowded House    and    Fleetwood Mac   , they '' 'are multi-talented duo of Neil Wardleworth (drums / guitar / vocals ) Wilcockson and Laura (violin / vocals).

No 4 ....  One Eyed Wayne

Photo courtesy of   Emma Marshall

Listening to North London band   One Eyed Wayne   is like having a flashback to putting on a   Blockheads   record (one of Those round, flat, black vinyl things) that's been re-mixed with a bit of   UK Subs   and no small amount of humor.  A case in point is Their latest release   After The Break   and Accompanying video. It's fast and furious social commentary at its televisually cynical, clever and best punk.

No 5 .....   Braver Than Fiction

Ralph's recently Been listening to a lot of 'proper' music for 'grown ups' and in this category comes the recently released EP  King Of Crows  by Sheffield band       Braver Than Fiction   . It's a collection of four live tracks off That September infused vocalist Mel's bluesy vocals against some snazzy      Steampacket   esque    Hammond    organ-ising.

6 .....   Wullae Wright

Ralph's with with previously blogged   Wullae Wright   and it's Proved to be The most well read of any over the last couple of years. Needless to say it was good news When   Wullae Wright   got in touch to say I was releasing 'Superhero' as a single. The story of the song is no less poignant than   Wullae Wright  's plaintive voice Which, overlaid on subtle acoustic guitar with an orchestral background is just as heart wrenching as the single's message. 

7 .....  TITORS INSIGNIA 

Well it's finally here, St Helens band   TITORS LOGO   are releasing   Get Yourself A Name   - Their long awaited 11 track follow-up album to  Fair City Riots  tomorrow. It includes classic rock it out Their track     Beg, Plead and Pray   Which featured on the   Ralph's Life CD   for mental health charity   Rethink  .

No 8 .....    Fragile Creatures 

Brighton Seems to be producing a wealth of musical goodness of late and    Fragile Creatures    are pushing Their Way to the forefront of That trend after an enforced hiatus due to tragic Circumstances. After a successful start to 2013, Including starting to record an album, David Vatchnadze, Their mentor and founder of Indie record label DNVMusic sadly passed away.

No 9 .....  Jingo

With the majority of unsigned bands pushing Their music via the EP recently it's nice to see That a band has the confidence in songwriting Their Ability to produce a complete album of twelve tracks in order That the listener can get a handle on Their current music.

London based, four-piece alt rockers   Jingo   just that Have Done With the release today of   The Art Of Loving.   Comprised of husband and wife Jack and Katie Buckett along with friends Chris Smith and Joe Reeves they've compiled some delightfully mean and moody music That highlights Katie's crystal clear vocals.

No 10 .....  Villiers

Ralph s Been keeping an eye on Lancashire lads   Villiers   for a bit now and, With the imminent release of a Double A Side single (You're Not Alone / Nowhere Left To Run) as a follow up to the excellent 'Dancer', This Seemed as good a time as any to spread the good word musical. They're very much in the same mold as London electro boys   Thumpers   or   Resonate   from Sheffield, but with a bit of a mean and moodier edge as shown on 'Dancer'.