60 – ‘Thank Pablo’, ‘Ferris’ and ‘Trash Green’
Thank Pablo:
“Based in South London, Thank Pablo make sun-kissed quintessentially English pop songs that have been dragged through the backstreets of Africa, Spain, France and Jamaica.
It is music to make you smile.
Recently featured on XFM, BBC 6Music and Queens Radio Belfast.”
(Info obtained from the band’s facebook page here)
Ferris:
Trash Green:
56 – ‘The Harlots’, ‘Big Num’, and ‘Shag Nasty’
The Harlots:
“An upcoming band based in the heart of London whose members are Sherwin Claridge (Vocals & Guitar), Enrique Moreno (Lead Guitar), Florent Amador (Bass Guitar) & Adam Szabo (Drums). Their success can be attributed to the fact that having only been together for only half a year have already established a highly coveted and personal sound.
Their style is easily recognisable due to their vast range of influences. From classic British Rock ‘n’ Roll such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones all the way to The Libertines’ punk and iconic bands of the 90’s (Oasis & Blur).
Their set list which has arisen as a results of many rehearsals serves as the strongest evidence of The Harlots’ creativity, performance skills and coordination amongst band members. They have a promising year ahead of them in which they are eager to present their passion and song writing capability.
In brief, The Harlots are a band formed by ambitious young musicians who deserve the opportunity to showcase their talent to the world.”
(Info obtained from the band’s facebook page here)
Big Num:
“An English take on full-size, brash American stadium rock, Big Num putting a completely wonderful modern alternative, heavy scope onto a soulful and honest vocal that sheers Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones with glints of Bono or Jack White. Classic rock in the vein of Billy Idol dazzlingly sped up to a contemporary model with an eccentric overtone of grinding, stirring guitars and lyrics that demand head-bang brutality. They serve shout-a-long enthralment with an accomplished style and batch of finely and expertly arranged songs which sound well rounded and memorable. This band is an absolutely lustrous and gallant gem in the British rock scene.”
(Info obtained from the band’s facebook page here)
Shag Nasty:
“We are the original UK punk rock band SHAG NASTY not to be confused with later pretenders and inferior US imports. We’ve been gigging and making records since 1977… all for your enjoyment. So lock up your Grans because SHAG NASTY are back”.
(Info obtained from the band’s facebook page here)
50 – ‘Hot Panda’, ‘Rotifer’ and ‘Auction For The Promise Club’
Hot Panda:
“Hot Panda are just two boys and two girls from Edmonton trying to do the same thing they’ve always tried to do: play some kind of rock and roll that’ll make people dance and feel happy…Simple stuff!
These kids -Maghan Campbell (drums), Chris Connelly (vocals, guitar), Catherine Hiltz (bass), and Heath Parsons (keys, accordion) – have toured so much in the past few years that their shabby van, $30 motel rooms, and stranger’s floors feel more like home these days than their own beds. Since the release of their first EP (2008’s Whale Headed Girl) and their subsequent signing to Vancouver’s Mint Records, the band has zigged and zagged their raucous live show across North America (ok, minus Mexico, but still…) and Europe on planes, trains, and automobiles until they thought they might die!
They’ve snapped pictures of themselves under the Eiffel Tower, played on a stage once graced by the Beatles in Hamburg, and visited royal palaces in Vienna, all when they went on tour opening for the Von Bondies across Europe in April, 2009! They’ve also had wonderful times playing at festivals like SXSW in Austin, Texas, CMJ Music Marathon in New York, and North of the border at Pop Montreal, Halifax Pop Explosion, Sled Island in Calgary, and NXNE in Toronto. Along the way, they’ve played with lots of other bands they love, like Art Brut, The Raveonettes, Tokyo Police Club, Chad Van Gaalen, Electric 6, Crystal Antlers, and lots more. So, in short, it’s been some kind of adventure!
Yet, as great adventures often go, this one suffered some moments of ugly struggle. November 2009 marked the departure of one of their founding members, shortly before the band was supposed to record their sophomore release. However, despite this sad and unsettling blow, the band kept their heads held high long enough to snag Catherine Hiltz as their new bass player/multi-instrumentalist. Hiltz’s arrival, however, has majorly revitalized the band- it’s a long story, but in short, Hot Panda is having fun again, and they’re damn happy about it!
How Come I’m Dead? (Out on Mint Records October 12, 2010), a follow up to 2009’s acclaimed Volcano…Bloody Volcano!, was written with Hiltz and recorded at Vancouver’s JC/DC studios during the chaos of the 2010 Winter Olympics. It has a playful sense of humour to it, revealing the band’s sense of relief and the return of ridiculous good times since Hiltz’s arrival. Like Volcano, How Come I’m Dead draws inspiration from music’s most random corners- the album has moments of dreamy noise, circus freak dance, heartbreaking country ballads with screeching metal guitar solos, lovely harmonies, psychadelic drones, and straight up pop/rock numbers. There’s even a hip-hop track, which includes a bass scratch solo and enough f-bombs to earn them an adult content warning sticker- which tumbles directly into a grinding techno song!
Watch for Hot Panda in a town near you this fall- joyfully dispensing their new rock and roll tunes as they tour North America starting in September!”
(Quote obtained from the band’s official website)
Rotifer:
Auction For The Promise Club:
www.auctionforthepromiseclub.co.uk
“Recently listed in the Marie Claire UK Playlist alongside Florence and the Machine and I Blame Coco, 2011 is year proving to be a for the unsigned band,Auction for the Promise Club.
Introduced on BBC 6 Music by Tom Robinson and on XFM by John Kennedy as well as regional BBC Radio Show’s across the country, the female-fronted rock band have garnered critical acclaim for their unique sound, which channels shoegaze through giant hooks and huge choruses.
2010 saw Auction for the Promise Club support Paolo Nutini and Martha Wainright at the Eden Sessions and also Reverend and The Makers. The band has racked up performances at some of the country’s most renowned venues, including Liverpool’s Cavern Club, Birmingham’s Gatecrasher and the ICA in London, as well as headlining a closing show at London Fashion Week, Jalouse, Mayfair. ”
(Quote obtained from the band’s official website)
48 – ‘Krossbreed’, ‘Bletchley Park’ and ‘The Insight’
Krossbreed:
“KROSSBREED stands for non-compromising metal. It’s a mixture of 4 different minds and 4 different ideas about metal formed into one hard and heavy unit, in other words a crossbreed of their own creativity.
KROSSBREED was formed in 2003 in Antwerp, Belgium. KROSSBREED has no real boundaries, what leads to a style of metal that is hard to name. But one thing we can agree on is that it’s a band that will take you to every corner of the metal world. Going from fast ripping riffs to catchy mind breaking tempos, KROSSBREED has it all.”
(Biography info obtained from the band’s facebook page)
“
Check out Krossbreed‘s Music video for “Ashes of Tomorrow” – a song from their album “3 Cheers for the Misery”:
Bletchley Park:
www.myspace.com/bletchleyparkband
“Bletchley Park is growing to become a high-aspiring band in the indie scene. Highly influenced by bands Editors, Interpol and Bloc Party amongst others, the female-fronted quintet has produced a distinctive sound that continues to catch the interest of many.”
An indie rock band with a particular sound in mind, one you are to discover.
Bletchley Park first took its novel tunes out of the garage during the Rookie’s Battle of the Bands of June 2009 which brought together (or against each other) twelve bands from contrasting genres. The band made its way through to the finals until it was announced winner of gigs in Copenhagen, Denmark and of a production project with renowned British producer Paul Powell.
The band started off its in-studio experience with David Vella, from Temple Studios Malta, who left a trail of his musicality in five original pieces: ‘Alien’, ‘Dust’, ‘Hold The Trap’, ‘The Last Star’ and ‘Fake Smiles’.
The first single released – ‘Alien’ – was in the Maltese charts for over 12 weeks and hit the number 1 spot on XFM’s Homegrown chart and Bay Radio’s Malta’s Top 10 chart. ‘Alien’ is currently being aired on UK Radio 10 – The Varmint show:www.varmintshow.net
In the mean time, the band was promoting its music through a number of public appearances on TV shows and radio interviews while having press releases published in the printed media.
Bletchley Park’s second single ‘Hold the Trap’ has also made it to the top place in the local charts – Bay Radio’s Malta’s Top 10 & also those of the Malta Music Charts(Smash).
Bletchley Park have been nominated for the Best New Artist Award of the Malta Music Awards 2009 honouring their achievements in just a few months.
The band has myriad plans for the coming years, the nearest being rocking Copenhagen and production of an album with Paul Powell during Summer 2010 in Ibiza.”
(Biography info obtained from the band’s facebook page)
The Insight:
“The insight est un groupe breton, de rennes plus exactement …le style musical est dans la lignée de The Cure, Joy Division, Interpol.
La nouvelle vague bretonne écume à nouveau les terres arides de nos platines. Et Rennes retrouve son statut de scène innovante quelque peu égarée depuis Marquis de Sade. L’intermède des Transmusicales ne faisant qu’importer une fois l’an un savoir faire trop bien caché. The Insight a en revanche choisi la langue de Shakespeare pour convoler en juste noce avec la créativité. Une différence de taille qui pénalise d’entrée toute diffusion radio, trop dépendante des quotas « chanson française ». Oui, côté musique, il ne suffit pas de naître en France pour être français. Et si The Insight chantait en Breton, ils seraient français ? Allez savoir… Côté influences, la bonne pioche serait les cartes Cure et Joe Division à n’en pas douter.”
(Biography info obtained from the band’s facebook page)
36 – ‘Ronit’, ‘Lunch’, ‘The Broken Tea-Set’ and ‘Israel Cannan’
Ronit:
“A passionate and captivating musician, Ronit has developed a devoted following around Australia that grows with each performance. Audiences are drawn to her strong vocals and emotive honest lyricism, while being floored by her fiery guitar playing. Her sound is a melting pot of soul, roots and rock with hints of Middle Eastern inspired melody, due in part to her Israeli heritage.
Before emerging as a solo artist, Ronit cut her teeth in several established Melbourne bands and toured with popular Reggae/Dub band The Red Eyes as a backing vocalist, gaining vast live playing experience around the country. She is now accompanied by a six piece live band featuring some of Melbourne’s finest musicians, who compliment and embellish Ronit’s catchy songwriting perfectly. Whether playing with her band, or performing intimate solo concerts, Ronit has fast been creating a reputation as one of the city’s premier and most exciting live acts. Just as comfortable playing in large venues as she is playing in smaller jazz clubs and classic Australian live music pubs, she has performed supporting such iconic Australian acts as The Whitlams, Tim Rogers, Renee Geyer, Mark Seymour, James Reyne and Vanessa Amorossi.
Ronit’s music has been used exclusively in the internet based advertising campaign for the established ‘Nevenka’ brand fashion line, and quite recently was used in a successful short film called ‘The Wake’ directed by Gemma Lee. ‘The Wake’ was selected to screen at Palm Springs Short Fest in June 2009 to critical acclaim, and was recently chosen for the prestigious Tribeca film festival in New York.
Ronit released her debut EP ‘Heavy’ through MGM in June 2009. The past couple of months she has been on a whirlwind Summer tour of the US and the UK. ”
(Quote obtained from the artists’ Official Website)
Lunch:
“The product of four years writing music together in differing projects, Lunch is the collective masterpiece of songwriters Tom Cale & Josh Jackson, merging the boundaries of as many genres as possible.
Together with bass player James “Mull” Mulligan, the trio are crafting the future sounds of your afternoon mealtimes that will have enough resonance to keep you hungry for more all day, no matter what course of the banquet you find yourself indulging. ”
(Quote obtained from the artists’ facebook page)
The Broken Tea-Set:
Israel Cannan:
“In 2010 Israel Cannan travelled 20,000 kilometers around his homeland Australia singing songs in the streets and capturing hearts in the process.
This year he decided to trade the streets for the stage and headed to the UK armed with the new album “Walk” in which he wrote, recorded and played all the instruments on. After only a week in London Israel was showcasing at Cargo alongside fellow Australians The Jezabels, Little Red, Luluc at “The Aussie BBQ”.
From there came shows at some of London’s most prestigious venues including The Troubadour, Borderline, The Bedford where Israel continued to wow audiences with his heartfelt melodies and powerful lyrics.
Meanwhile back in Australia National Broadcaster Triple J were featuring Walk on their Unearthed podcasts and The AU Review even named “Walk” as #19 on the top 40 Albums of 2010 (Worldwide).
With shows and festivals being confirmed in the UK & Europe over the summer including Groundswell festival (France) alongside Jason Mraz and Newton Faulkner Israel’s Walk looks like its just getting started..”
(Quote obtained from the artists’ facebook page)
19 – ‘Arms of Atlas’, ‘LeCarla’ and ‘Eat Off Your Arms’
Arms of Atlas:
Arms of Atlas‘s ‘Hour of the Night’ Official Music Video:
LeCarla:
Check out LeCarla‘s Official Music Video for their debut track ‘DILLIGAF’ which was released in May of last year:
Eat Off Your Arms:
www.myspace.com/eatoffyourarms
Check out Eat Off Your Arm‘s video for their song ‘Sit and Grin’:
06 – ‘ 14th’, ‘Bungalows’ and ‘The Voyeurist’
14th:
’14th’ Promotional Material which was handed out before and during their performance:
Bungalows:
www.myspace.com/bungalowsmusic
The Voyeurist:
01 – Recent Bands…
The first gig I photographed professionally was in October 2009 and since then I have photographed a variety of bands at a wide range of venues. Around Camden, Islington, Shoreditch and Kilburn, every venue is different. Personally, I’m not a believer in using ‘flash’ when doing live music photography. It can be distracting to the performer(s) and it also has the potential to drown out some of the atmospheric stage lighting. Sometimes though, when used appropriately and correctly, it can work to the photographer’s advantage. Some venues are very dark; even on the stage, and I think these places are the best locations for any photographer to practice and test their technical abilities. After all, I believe that testing conditions determine how good we really are. A photographer can be in a studio all day long with full control over everything from lighting, backgrounds, props etc and not be tested. On-location shoots, such as gigs are the ones that are always different and test me…plus they get my adrenaline going too.
Here is a selection of a few Live Music Photos that I’ve taken recently.
AmberSuit:
Live @ The Workshop
Live @ The Workshop
Live @ The Workshop
Live @ The Enterprise
Live @ The Enterprise
Live @ The Good Ship
Live @ The Good Ship
DeepSeaGreen:
DeepSeaGreen’s latest album can be purchased from itunes here
The Glass Child:
www.myspace.com/charlotteeriksson
The New Outfit:
Pearl Jammed (Tribute Band to ‘Pearl Jam’):
Absolute Bowie
(Tribute Band to ‘David Bowie’):
London Unsigned Music 