Scott Lloyd

Monday sees the release of Give Me Something a new EP from Middlesborough born singer/songwriter Scott Lloyd. 

Having moved to Manchester he's become a firm favourite on the local scene with his blend of folky Americana and this new rendering will build on that.

trust a fox photography

God I Say kicks off the EP strongly with its punchy, reflective lyric and Dylan-esque musicality. It's followed up by the plaintive Give Me Something which reinforces what I've said previously about Scott Lloyd being a younger version of Jackson Browne, but bringing a grittier flavour to his own brand of North Western based Americana.












What Have I Gotta Do is pure Americana with a hopeful message and a bouncy tune leading into the lilting Picture In My Mind in which Scott Lloyd's harmonica once again shows the Dylan influence in his music but also reminds me of Ewan McColl's Dirty Old Town (which was about his home town of Salford).

Make That Mistake is more of a hat tilt towards Alt Folk with its choppy acoustic guitar and the EP finishes with Is This What You Dreamed Of which kicks off with almost a hint of Pink Floyd before it builds into what for me, is the strongest track on Give Me Something.






Scott Lloyd laid a strong foundation with his previous release The Northern Gate and he's built on that with a collection of six well crafted songs that confirms his pedigree as one of the best of a bunch of young singer/songwriters currently exploding from the North West. He's embarking on a mini tour starting off with a launch of Give Me Something in The Eagle Inn, Salford on the 17th of November with support from Liam McClair and Bones.

Stanley Odd

It's not often you get to use dystopian, Scottish and Hip-Hop in the same sentence, however, the third album by Scottish Hip-Hop collective Stanley Odd has some extremely incisive and introspective views on the increasingly dystopian society in which we currently exist. 

A Thing Brand New is shades of  Fear and Loathing in Airdrie rather than Las Vegas as Dave Hook's writing examines not only himself but the 'Scottish Dream'.










From Get Back In The Basement with its 1984-esque theme - 

"Fear and consume, fear and consume.
With CCTV. 
As they peer in ma room. 
They think I don’t but I .
Can see through the gloom." 

- to Son I Voted Yes with its hopes and dreams for a better future for his son in an Independent Scotland laid bare, Dave aka Solareye has me gripped with his ability to share thoughts through his lyrics. 

The album is Stanley Odd at their best, blending Hip-Hop stylings with Veronika's sublime vocals overlaid on a variety of musical themes ranging from electronica to blues courtesy of AdMac, Scruff Lee T Lo and Samson the Snake.

The album is out November 10th and can be ordered in advance.

The first single from A Thing Brand New is 

Pastime and here's the video for your delectation.

Upcoming live dates...

Date	Venue	Location		Tickets
	Nov 15	The Lemon Tree	Aberdeen, United Kingdom		Tickets	RSVP	Share
	Nov 21	Liquid Room	Edinburgh, United Kingdom		Tickets	RSVP	Share
	Nov 25	Barfly	London, Uk		Tickets	RSVP	Share
	Nov 26	The Sunflower Lounge	Birmingham, Uk		Tickets	RSVP	Share
	Nov 28	Ironworks	Inverness, Uk		Tickets	RSVP	Share
	Dec 13	Glasgow Garage	Glasgow, United Kingdom		Tickets	RSVP	Share

Ralph's Top 10 Blogged Band Chart - 1.11.14

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.  

The Top Ten Blogged Band Chart is played every Sunday 5-7pm on Radio KC as part of Ralph's Indie Show.

No 1...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 2...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 3...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 4...William Stead





There's a plethora of male singer/songwriters at the moment and; as Ed Sheeran recently proved with his dire performance on X Factor, not necessarily all of a standard, but with the release of his Indigo Bird EP, Bradford's William Stead is heading towards the top of the pile. 

No 5 .....  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 6...  Allusondrugs





'I Should Have Gone to Uni'  sees hotly tipped grunge rockers Allusondrugs articulating the anxieties and pressures of young adulthood as only they can. The band, whose touring schedule alone surely puts them in the running for the title off the hardest working musicians in the UK, recorded and mixed this track as well as producing, filming and editing the video themselves, in a two day break between gigs!

No 7...No Hot Ashes




If you're looking to get the funk out, you could do worse than grab yourself the No Hot Ashes debut single Goose which was released 22nd October with its choppy Haircut 100 stylee guitar and North West vocalising. It's a punchy, catchy release from this young Manchester band and produced by multi award winner Gavin Monaghan.





No 8...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 9...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 10...  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 Hot Ashes

If you're looking to get the funk out, you could do worse than grab yourself the No Hot Ashes debut single Goose which was released 22nd October with its choppy Haircut 100 stylee guitar and North West vocalising. It's a punchy, catchy release from this young Manchester band and produced by multi award winner Gavin Monaghan.

Their live performances are the stuff of local legend and Goose looks destined to become a firm favourite for getting the crowd bouncing. Backed by Skank which is no less catchy, they put the guitar work to good use against in your face vocals.

Thanks as always to trust a fox for the picture

Formed in 2012, No Hot Ashes are Isaac (vocal & guitar), Luigi (guitar & backing vocal), Matt (drums) and Jack (bass). Their brash funk-fuelled style is well formed for ones so young and should see them garner more attention with radio plays over the next few months. They've already been regulars on Ralph's Indie Show on Radio KC as well as Salford Radio and Pure FM.







The only upcoming No Hot Ashes gig to report at the moment is December 13th in Manchester's Soup Kitchen alongside Velocets, Black Light White Light and Sebastian Melmoth. Don't miss it - it'll be huge!


“They truly do have `Northern Swagger` in their music. What I like about these guys is that they’re not afraid to experiment with new sounds. They’ve clearly got talent and its exciting to see where they can push that talent.”

M.E.N Newsdesk (Music in Manchester)

Goose is available now from this link at just £1.58

Allusondrugs

'I Should Have Gone to Uni'  sees hotly tipped grunge rockers Allusondrugs articulating the anxieties and pressures of young adulthood as only they can.

The band, whose touring schedule alone surely puts them in the running for the title off the hardest working musicians in the UK, recorded and mixed this track as well as producing, filming and editing the video themselves, in a two day break between gigs!

With airplay from Radio KC, Radio 1, Xfm, Kerrang and playlistings across the UK, Europe and America, an appearance at Reading & Leeds Festival this summer and a September UK headline run that was immediately followed by an October tour with Marmozets & Lonely The Brave it's been hectic for Allusondrugs.

‘I Should Have Gone To Uni’ is a stomping, retro-fuelled grunge single inspired by the anxiety of growing up and moving on that will be airing on Kerrang! Radio, Kerrang! Television and with the Kerrang! website as part of their new Fresh Blood feature.  The track's available as a free download on SoundCloud and it's up for a play on Ralph's Indie Show on Radio KC on Sunday the 9th November. 












"This song was written about 3 years ago while i was at a particularly low point” explains guitarist and songwriter Damo Hughes “I was watching all the people I used to know starting up families, moving towards higher education and going on to do great things while I wasn’t really doing anything with my life." 






"It’s basically about being depressed and feeling like you’ve done all the wrong things and don’t really have a place in the world. Musically I think the song is fairly upbeat though, I’ve always really liked the juxtaposition of dark, depressing lyrics over optimistic sounding music."






The five self-confessed fuzz-junkies from Castleford, West Yorkshire formed in the autumn of 2012 and their unique sound and DIY approach to releasing music (online as-and-when they like, sometimes before it’s even finished… streaming practices live on the web… hosting debauched release parties), coupled with growing praise for their explosive live shows, has seen Allusondrugs build a rabidly loyal following locally and beyond. 






NOVEMBER 2014 (headline tour with Lyger + Forever Cult + Prom)

Tues 25th          MANCHESTER SOUND CONTROL
Wed 25th           GLASGOW 13th NOTE
Sat 29th             LEEDS THE WARDBROBE
Sun 30th           STOKE THE UNDERGROUND

DECEMBER 2014 

Mon 1st             NORWISH EPIC STUDIOS
Wed 3rd            LONDON BLACK HEART
Thur 4th           TUNBRIDGE WELLS FORUM
Fri 5th               CARDIFF CLWB IFOR BACH

William Stead

There's a plethora of male singer/songwriters at the moment and; as Ed Sheeran recently proved with his dire performance on X Factor, not necessarily all of a standard, but with the release of his Indigo Bird EP, Bradford's William Stead is heading towards the top of the pile. 

William Stead has been writing and performing his distinctive brand of Alt Folk from 2010 and with the release of Indigo Bird seems to have very much found his niche.

Kicking off with the vocally plaintive yet nicely melodious Sleep the EP starts strong and continues in that manner with Silence. Its got a more laid back Brit Poppy feel as he uses the musicality of his guitar to compliment the vocal.

Title track Indigo Bird conveys a sense of longing and regret made all the more poignant by the wistful guitar work whilst Paris showcases the distinctive and compulsive vocal stylings of William Stead. 

Money has a soulful retro feel with the horns on intro leading into the final track Sometimes which emphasises the quality of his musicality and songwriting ability on this quietly understated gem of an EP.