Saturday, 8 November 2014

Ralph's Top 10 Blogged Band Chart - 8.11.14


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...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 2...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 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...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 5...Alex Highton



NKA ALBUM COVER CORRECT

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...Stanley Odd


Stanley Odd - A Thing Brand New - Cover.jpgIt'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'.







No 7...No Hot Ashes


Displaying NHA - Goose 1.JPG

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...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 9...Feral Five



FERAL FIVE - 3D
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 10...The Actions


Indefensible

Normally Ralph only blogs unsigned UK Indie, but now and again some mainstream goodness drops in the kennel that peaks his interest and when 'Indefensible', the new EP by London based Alt/Rockers The Actions arrived it was time for some rule bending (Their first album 'Real' was licensed to Nikita Music, a Brazilian record label and released in Latin America).









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.






Photo: I'm going on my debut UK tour - is your town/city on there?



Tuesday, 4 November 2014

Stanley Odd


Stanley Odd - A Thing Brand New - Cover.jpg

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'.









Download here
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...

DateVenueLocationTickets
Nov 15The Lemon TreeAberdeen, United KingdomTickets
Nov 21Liquid RoomEdinburgh, United KingdomTickets
Nov 25BarflyLondon, UkTickets
Nov 26The Sunflower LoungeBirmingham, UkTickets
Nov 28IronworksInverness, UkTickets
Dec 13Glasgow GarageGlasgow, United KingdomTickets




Saturday, 1 November 2014

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



FERAL FIVE - 3D
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


Displaying NHA - Goose 1.JPG

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



NKA ALBUM COVER CORRECT

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.