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...Peacock Affect
Recently whilst checking out the recently released double A side single by Peacock Affect; which is the alter ego of young Essex musician George Holman, it was interesting to hear his experiences and thoughts on his own struggle with mental health and how music helps him to cope.
George has been writing music from his home in Exeter since he was sixteen. Influenced by the ill-fated Elliott Smith and The Smiths, George's music stems from melodies that he picks on the guitar and lyrics that flow directly from his feelings.
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.
Early 2013 Ralph highlighted the debut album by Cole Stacey & Joseph O' Keefe called On Hire and subsequent UK and European tour. Well since then they've been playlisted on BBC Radio 6 and have played Glastonbury, but that's not the best part as they've now re-invented themselves as India Electric Co and will be releasing a debut single Beirut on the 1st of December, plus supporting Midge Ure on his Breathe Again tour in 2015. To coincide with that India Electric Co will be releasing a debut album in March.
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...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.
Ralph's played Little Brother Eli a couple of times now on his Radio KC Indie Show, so it was with great interest that he heard they were crowdfunding the release of their next three singles. Their bluesy eponymous debut EP was met with great critical acclaim and lead track Animal Blues is a firm favourite here in the kennel.
No 7...MIR
One of Ralph's most Northerly favourites for plays on the Radio KC Sunday Show has been MIR, the ever evolving musical vehicle of ebullient Scottish singer/songwriter extraordinaire Miriam Campbell.
Originally formed in 2012, there's now a new line-up about to play their first gig in The Market Bar in Inverness so it's as good a time as any for y'all to take a closer look and a listen to their 'Soul' EP.
No 8...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'.
No 9...The Rivertairs
Ralph's recently played English band Rivertairs on his Radio KC Sunday Show thanks to a heads up from Blue Soap Music so thought it was a good idea to investigate their voyage of musical discovery in which they channel influences from rock n’ roll through to psychedelia to create what they describe as -
"a soundscape of many colours".
No 10...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 mainst
Ralph's been checking out Scottish band Milton Star prior to giving their excellent track Salvation a spin this Sunday on his Radio KC Indie Show.
Reinvigorated by a mutual dissatisfaction for what they describe as a "mostly insipid modern music scene" Milton Star picked up the gauntlet to produce sweet structured melodies carried by an expansive tremolo wall of sound and a dark soul.
