The Holy Orders

It's been a while in the making, but well worth it. Hull four piece and long-time Ralph's Life favourites The Holy Orders have released a new single on the indie Mono Sound Records and it's a corker.

Recorded at Mountain Sound Recording Studio in Hull with Patrick Tobin and mixed by Mark Osborne-Lawn, The Deuce Of Hearts sees The Holy Orders taking their uncompromising guitar sound into new territory.

This dark tale of heartache, gambling and excess captures all the energy and vibrant melody that The Holy Orders have been acclaimed for.






Vocalist Matt Edible said - "The Deuce Of Hearts fell together with a few lost chords and a story of heartbreak and excess that revolves around card playing metaphors." 

"I've wanted to write a song with a timeless shanty feel for a long time and this gave The Holy Orders the opportunity to get the whole band singing along together."







The video adds an extra edge to The Deuce Of Hearts with it's brash, flash almost psychadelic vibe which is based around a live set in a pub. The track itself; taken from their forthcoming The Worst Day Since Records Began EP, is all driving guitars and raucous vocals, what's not to like!

The Holy Orders have a busy August coming up gig-wise and with an anthem like The Deuce Of Hearts up their sleeve (see what I did there) they'll be whipping audiences up into a proverbial frenzy. 

Live Shows in AUGUST

1st – Humber Street Sesh, Hull

8th – The Owl Sanctuary, Norwich

15th – Rewind, Wrexham

21st – The Hop, Wakefield

28th – Verve Bar, Leeds

29th – Music Lounge, Stockton

All The King's Men

With a new video out and a headline gig in top Manchester venue the Soup Kitchen coming up on the 7th of August it's all go for All The King's Men at the moment. 

The psychedelic video for rheir debut single Fever brings us a choppy, guitar driven, raunchy vocalising piece of in your face alt rock.

With a rapidly growing army of fans and a Jonny Brown DJ set, it looks like All The King's Men could be one of the top gig tips (except for Ralphstock on the 23rd of course) for Manchester in August.

Comprised of Matt Holland on vocals/guitar, Tino Caine on Bass and Ben Robinson on drums All The King's Men are stamping a very firm impression on the local scene.

Their burgeoning sound belies the fact they're a trio and with tracks ranging from the poppier Shake to the rockier I Don't Care What They Say they'll get the crowds up and jumping...why not join them!

Ralph's Top 10 Blogged Band Chart - 25.7.15

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 expose yourself .....

                                                 ralphslife.co.uk

Follow Ralph's Life Indie Music Blog on Pinterest.

Now Mr Snuggles and I have been sitting with our heads down counting the hits on each blog to see which band's got what 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 ...Lynn Gerrard

It's not often you get an invitation to go and listen to a gargoyle grumble as well as listen to live music, so Ralph sent out his roving reporter to cover the Lynn Gerrard (aka The Grumbling Gargoyle) live book launch in The Citadel St Helens recently. 

To celebrate signing a four book deal with Wallace Publishing to produce her poetry she took over her local theatre for an evening of music, comedy and spoken word.





No 2...Fiona Soe Paing




Ralph's long been a fan of the immaculate electronica produced by Fiona Soe Paing and is delighted that she's now developed a new multi-media experience that she's taking to the Edinburgh Fringe in a series of shows in The Capital's Summerhall venue. 

She's combined her stunning live vocals and electro soundtracks with animation from New Zealand artist Zennor Alexander to create a unique and surreal live performance called Alien Lullabies - Songs From A Decaying Future, which will both surprise and delight the Fringe audiences.

No 3...JB Barrington

Ralph's new found interest in Spoken Word Poetry was further piqued recently when St Helens Central Library announced that 

J B Barrington was performing there courtesy of St Helens Arts Service. So on Friday it was off to the library (and not to pay a fine for a change) to catch the show!

No 4...The Winachi Tribe

Seeing as they're almost next door to Ralph it's about time The Winachi Tribe from Warrington (and Leeds) got a shout out. They've just released their debut single Time For Love and it's seriously funked up in their own inimitable grooved up style.

Although Time For Love is a debut release for The Winachi Tribe, individual band members are already well established on the music scene. 

No 5... Vukovar

Ralph's ideally placed to find out what's happening musically in St Helens and a quick trip to Kaleidescope Records on Westfield Street proved to be worthwhile as local band Vukovar have produced a gem in the shape of their recently released album Emperor on Small Bear Records.

I may have invented the phrase Bleak Pop just for Emperor as it lays it's foundations in all that's good from the likes of Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground to The Fall and Joy Division. 

No 6 ...White Boy

If Marc Bolan and David Bowie had produced a bastard son to give their music a twist for future generations, then White Boy is the result. Although recently formed (frontman Joe Jones was previously with the much vaunted Janice Graham Band) they've produced 'Glitoris', an album of ten quality tracks that'll see them quickly rise to become firm favourites in their home city of Manchester (where they're already playing to sold-out venues) and beyond.

No 7...Officer

The last time Ralph's keyboard vibrated as he listened to the sounds of London singer/songwriter Officer was when he was bringing news of his then forthcoming album Myriads whilst listening to Glass Ceiling which had just been released as a single back in March. 

Well the wait is over as the album is available now on pre-order prior to it's release on the 31








No 8...The Fireflys


The Fireflys were headlining Runcorn's Brindley Theatre to a sold out crowd supported by The Spase and Chasing Infinity on the Saturday, so it was time to investigate further.

The 'Storyteller' gig gave an insight into both The Fireflys extensive back catalogue and the new tracks including the recently released single 'Branches' as Lee Wylding availed the audience of the thinking behind each track prior to them being performed, more of which later.

No 9...Peur

Ralph's been a fan of Manchester trio Peur since catching their debut EP We Can Build Astronauts back in 2013 so it's with great joy that today sees the release of their much vaunted Future Architects EP.

Their music has earned them airplay on BBC radio, most recently on the Huw Stephens Radio 1 show, an up-coming visit to The Shift Radio HQ, and a range of independent and commercial FM and internet radio shows including Ralph's Indie Show on Radio KC.

No 10...Vladimir

Riding the crest a wave of up and coming young Scottish bands currently flooding the UK music scene is Dundee band Vladimir. Their industrial yet infectious brand of 'post-punk' is reminiscent of fellow Scots the late lamented Cinematics.

Vukovar

Ralph's ideally placed to find out what's happening musically in St Helens and a quick trip to Kaleidescope Records on Westfield Street proved to be worthwhile as local band Vukovar have produced a gem in the shape of their recently released album Emperor on Small Bear Records.

I may have invented the phrase Bleak Pop just for Emperor as it lays it's foundations in all that's good from the likes of Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground to The Fall and Joy Division. Similaries with Ian Curtis abound in muso musings just out and that's no bad thing as Vukovar explore the depths of socio-politicality in this album.





Vukovar have created an aural joy in Emperor and their track The New World Order could become a bit of an Indie classic. If uncle John Peel were still with us he'd embrace it and play it relentlessly as will I on Radio KC.

The album is disjointed (in a good way - have a listen to The Staircase with it's narrative overlaid with a deliciously jangled soundscape), industrial, lo-fi, dystopian and addictive. 

There's no division in my joy (see what I did there) on listening to it.

Officer

The last time Ralph's keyboard vibrated as he listened to the sounds of London singer/songwriter Officer was when he was bringing news of his then forthcoming album Myriads whilst listening to Glass Ceiling which had just been released as a single back in March. 

Well the wait is over as the album is available now on pre-order prior to it's release on the 31st of July. One of the perks of having Ralph's Life is being in possesion of a physical copy right now and Officer gives us a thing of haunting lyrical and musical beauty.

From the first sonorifically plaintive notes of Laughing Rafters leading into the enormously captivating Glass Ceiling, Officer traps your heart and mind with thoughtful words and comforting melodies.  Having been lucky enough to have heard Glass Ceiling performed live recently it's comforting to know that he manages to convey much of the emotion of his on-stage vocal into this recording.




Officer brings tinges of all that was good in 80's pop bands like Peter Coyle's The Lotus Eaters in tracks like Can We Talk? and Act Of Survival. One Day is as lyrically heart-rending as The Waters is musically uplifting with Officer taking us on a roller coaster of emotions throughout Myriads.







There's no disappointments here as the quality of songwriting continues throughout Ambulance, DATV and Elisabeth. 

The highlight for me is the compelling, mightily pleasing and yet strangely disturbing My Darling Defibrillator which again I've seen Officer perform live, something you should try and achieve yourself. 

This inciteful album rounds off with the moody Burst and AFM and all I want to do is listen to it again.





It's quality and intensity is a tribute to the fans who helped make it possible through their crowdfunding efforts and to whom he pays tribute in the sleeve notes...

"Moved by this generosity and affirmation that my music was dear to the people who'd been coming to see me live as I wrote and trialled the songs."

"I have entitled the album Myriads to capture that sense of the myriads of people, kindnesses and acts of support I've been encouraged and empowered by, that have made the album possible to produce."

Ralph's Top 10 Blogged Band Chart - 18.7.15

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 expose yourself .....

                                                 ralphslife.co.uk

Follow Ralph's Life Indie Music Blog on Pinterest.

Now Mr Snuggles and I have been sitting with our heads down counting the hits on each blog to see which band's got what 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...JB Barrington

Ralph's new found interest in Spoken Word Poetry was further piqued recently when St Helens Central Library announced that 

J B Barrington was performing there courtesy of St Helens Arts Service. So on Friday it was off to the library (and not to pay a fine for a change) to catch the show!

No 2 ...Lynn Gerrard

It's not often you get an invitation to go and listen to a gargoyle grumble as well as listen to live music, so Ralph sent out his roving reporter to cover the Lynn Gerrard (aka The Grumbling Gargoyle) live book launch in The Citadel St Helens recently. 

To celebrate signing a four book deal with Wallace Publishing to produce her poetry she took over her local theatre for an evening of music, comedy and spoken word.

No 3...The Winachi Tribe

Seeing as they're almost next door to Ralph it's about time The Winachi Tribe from Warrington (and Leeds) got a shout out. They've just released their debut single Time For Love and it's seriously funked up in their own inimitable grooved up style.

Although Time For Love is a debut release for The Winachi Tribe, individual band members are already well established on the music scene. 

No 4 ...White Boy

If Marc Bolan and David Bowie had produced a bastard son to give their music a twist for future generations, then White Boy is the result. Although recently formed (frontman Joe Jones was previously with the much vaunted Janice Graham Band) they've produced 'Glitoris', an album of ten quality tracks that'll see them quickly rise to become firm favourites in their home city of Manchester (where they're already playing to sold-out venues) and beyond.

No 5...Fiona Soe Paing




Ralph's long been a fan of the immaculate electronica produced by Fiona Soe Paing and is delighted that she's now developed a new multi-media experience that she's taking to the Edinburgh Fringe in a series of shows in The Capital's Summerhall venue. 

She's combined her stunning live vocals and electro soundtracks with animation from New Zealand artist Zennor Alexander to create a unique and surreal live performance called Alien Lullabies - Songs From A Decaying Future, which will both surprise and delight the Fringe audiences.





No 6...The Fireflys


The Fireflys were headlining Runcorn's Brindley Theatre to a sold out crowd supported by The Spase and Chasing Infinity on the Saturday, so it was time to investigate further.

The 'Storyteller' gig gave an insight into both The Fireflys extensive back catalogue and the new tracks including the recently released single 'Branches' as Lee Wylding availed the audience of the thinking behind each track prior to them being performed, more of which later.

No 7...Peur

Ralph's been a fan of Manchester trio Peur since catching their debut EP We Can Build Astronauts back in 2013 so it's with great joy that today sees the release of their much vaunted Future Architects EP.

Their music has earned them airplay on BBC radio, most recently on the Huw Stephens Radio 1 show, an up-coming visit to The Shift Radio HQ, and a range of independent and commercial FM and internet radio shows including Ralph's Indie Show on Radio KC.

No 8... Nieves

Ralph's been a fan of Glasgow band Nieves since playing their simply sublime and sublimely simple Straight Line last year on his Radio KC Indie Show, so it's no surprise there's a bit of excitement in the kennel on hearing that their new single Black Tie is released today as a precursor to an EP later this year.

Initially a duo (Brendan Dafters, vocal/guitar and Herre De Leur, keyboards) Nieves have strengthend both their ranks and their sound by becoming an extremely tight four piece.

No 9...Vladimir

Riding the crest a wave of up and coming young Scottish bands currently flooding the UK music scene is Dundee band Vladimir. Their industrial yet infectious brand of 'post-punk' is reminiscent of fellow Scots the late lamented Cinematics w

No 10...Bloodlines

Now it's no secret that Ralph is a big fan of Ayrshire's Vukovi so it's no surprise his ears pricked up when he heard the new single Cathedral by Glasgow based (formerly from Fort William) band Bloodlines from their recently released debut EP Love The Taste. It's accompanied by an atmospheric video, of which more later.