Hailing from Warsaw (Poland) alternative punk band White Crosses, featuring the creative partnership of Konrad Sloka (Vocals/Guitar), Sebastian Prokop (Guitar), Stefan Banaszynski (Bass) and Marcin Plocha (Drums) have released a video for their single ‘Dead Souls’. The quartet produced big waves in their native country with their acclaimed EP release ‘Native Handshakes’ in 2015. They have recently joined forces with UK indie label Engineer Records and ‘Dead Souls’ is a taste of things to come from their forthcoming EP ‘Anchorless’. ‘Dead Souls’ is a hefty steady alternative pop punk track with strident guitars that drive the track forward. The punchy drums and exuberant bass give a strong foundation to the track. The heavy drum kicks for the verse giving the track a punch and weighty feel while the vocals are simple yet effective for the verse and become more animated for the chorus as they portray the honest lyrics with passion and emotion. I can imagine this song is massive live as it is set up for all the dramatic guitar poses and spins with dramatic breaks and attitude.
Watch ‘Dead Souls’ below
London-based singer-songwriter Scott Dean has released his new single ‘Lucky Seven’ from his recently released album ‘Neon’. The lyrics of ‘Lucky Seven’ were inspired by Dean’s experience working as a croupier, he explores the effects of obsession and addiction in society. ‘Lucky Seven’ is a melodic track with an airy atmosphere. The reverb used conveys this perfectly and teamed with soaring guitars which add an edge to the track you really get a feel of wanting to escape. The drums are light and keep a melancholy tone as they provide a soft steady beat. The instrumentation is light leaving the guitar and vocals to portray the message to us. Dean’s vocals are smooth and emotion filled and become slightly more animated for the anthem like chorus, while the guitars give an aerial feel like a sharp breeze that is refreshing.
‘Lucky Seven’ explores a hard-hitting subject matter which Dean portrays through reverb-laden guitar riffs, atmospheric soundscapes and a soaring chorus that displays the range of Dean’s influences and abilities.
Stream ‘Lucky Seven’ below.
Originating from a combination of Stockport, Devon, Yorkshire and Liverpool, BARRON are Alex Barron on piano and lead vocals, Lewis Jones on guitar and backing vocals, Ryan Lee on Bass, synth and backing vocals and Aaron Haigh on drums. They have gathered a following from their energetic live performances and memorable feel good sound. Their most recent release ‘We Can Run’ is a polished uplifting track with a smooth ” free as a bird” vibe. The airy motivating chorus and smooth vocals make you want to drop everything and go on a road trip. With its light pop beats and running piano this song can make you believe you could fly. ‘Waiting For’ again is an uplifting anthem with piano riffs bouncing along behind and forming the backbone of the track. Its light pop beats and soft vocals make this track very catchy and atmospheric. With strong chorus and bridge which softens to make way for a piano solo until it kicks into the final intense emotional chorus. ‘All For You’ is a melodic sentimental track, with again beautiful piano and soft accompaniment. With a heartfelt chorus you can imagine the crowd at a gig swaying and pouring their hearts out as they belt out the chorus. The sweet vocal harmonies create a tender atmospheric vibe.
BARRON have recently finished their début EP and are set to release their First Single ‘Waiting For’ so keep your eyes out for that.
Stream ‘We Can Run’ and ‘All For You’ Below
Ginger Tom are a pop-punk band from Doncaster. Dan Washbourn (Vocals/Guitar), Tom Prendergast (Vocals/Guitar), Alex Byard-Cooke (Drums) and Luke Broadhurst ( Bass) released their single ‘Thought You’d Won’ on Friday 15th April. This single is the title track from their third EP and showcases their talent for writing catchy, melodic, harmony driven upbeat tracks.
They had previously wowed audiences at Universities around the UK when they were hand-picked to join the prestigious Coffeehouse Sessions tour last year. Their tour support slots with The Hoosiers, Marillion and The Pigeon Detectives have further increased their growing fan base.
‘Thought You’d Won’ is an energetic track with great hooks and tight harmonies accompanied by radiant guitars and a solid dependable rhythm section. The vocals are smooth and effortless with luscious harmonies that are infectious. This is a positive animated track that’s easy to listen to and sing along with.
The band will be celebrating the release of ‘Thought You’d Won’ with the following tour dates,
5th May – The Lion, BRISTOL
13th May – The Century Club, LONDON
31st May – West St Live, SHEFFIELD
1st June – Think Tank, NEWCASTLE
2nd June – The Actress & Bishop, BIRMINGHAM
3rd June – The Zanzibar, LIVERPOOL
9th June – The Maze, NOTTINGHAM
11th June – Verve, LEED
Stream ‘Thought You’d Won’ below
The Perks are a Pop Rock Alternative band from Las Vegas, NV composed of brothers Andy, Aaron, and Hunter Gorman, and their best friend Ryley Isakson. Since their inception on October 11, 2012, they’ve been playing energetic sets for passionate crowds both in and out of Vegas. The band just released their new single “Enough of This Place” which is a light catchy melodic tune with beautiful harmonies and a chorus everyone can join in to with “ooh” lyrics. It’s a sweet simple song that is well composed with light accompaniment for the verses which builds for the chorus. Their clapping bridge over electric guitar is very effective and has a positive vibe giving the song an uplifting “Imagine Dragons” feel. The simple vocal style also adds a smooth, easy to listen, laid back vibe to this song.
The Perks seem to have a nack for writing catchy tunes and their collection of songs show a variety of styles while keeping it fresh. “Not My Home” is a track they released last year which is an example of their talent. It’s a well produced song with steady beats and shimmering pop synths. It’s a really infectious tune and again the vocals are perfect as they are soft while showing off a vocal talent by moving into a smooth almost falsetto without becoming sharp. The tempo change at the bridge is very effective and we get to hear an instrumental solo which shows off their playing skills.
“Sirens” shows us a more indie rock side to the Perks with slick guitar riff and an intense mysterious vocal in the verses before a catchy upbeat bright chorus. They keep it light with this song also, but show off their guitar and compositional skills.
“Razorblades” would be my favourite of their songs with its groove beat and memorable chorus with energetic tones. Its a fun positive track that will make you dance and clap along.The funky guitar and luminous synths gives the track a spirited lively feel finishing with a lustrous guitar solo.
Perks are an energetic radiant band with catchy songs that are very easy to listen and sing along to.
Stream “Enough of This Place” ” Sirens” and ” Razorblades” below
Anna Liese are a four-piece alternative Rock, Irish band based in Waterford. Mark Walsh (Vocals, Guitars) Emmet Conefery (guitarist), Sean Carey (Bass) and Eddy Blake (Drums) have just released their début EP ‘Chasing and Fading’.These guys give us a variety with their slow tempos, melodic guitar passages, beautiful vocal harmonies in ” Storm” which has a smooth airy drive time vibe, compared with the fast tempo and heavy riffs in ” Psycho Mask” and “Break The Chain”.
” Psycho Mask” is an upbeat funky tune with some distortion which adds a hint of psychedelic rock as they lead into a instrumental break. “Break The Chain” is a rock and roll style track and my favourite of the three with it slick guitar and punchy drums its an animated track that’s bound to sound good live and get everyone up dancing. This particular tunes heavy riff and use of guitar licks is very effective.
‘Chasing and Fading’ is a strong début EP that shows promise and with a number of gigs under their belts and preparations for their EP launch gigs which will be taking place over the next few months we can look forward to some high energy shows.
Stream “Storm’ and ‘Break The Chain’ below
This for me is the saddest blog I have done but I felt I must, as the only reason I started Indie Buddie was because one day in the summer on 2015 I stumbled upon a fantastic band on soundcloud. They had only one song on soundcloud at the time and from the first note I was hooked, the sunny vibes clever lyrics smooth beat and catchy riffs made this song my favourite that summer. It was the upbeat vibrant song that makes everything better. That song was of course ‘ Swings and Waterslides’ by Viola Beach.
Viola Beach were an emerging British indie rock group, formed in Warrington in 2013. The band’s final lineup consisted of Kris Leonard (guitar and vocals), River Reeves (guitar), Tomas Lowe (bass), and Jack Dakin (drums). I was so impressed with these guys and hoped they would do well as it was obvious to me they deserved it. I began telling everyone I knew about them. I watched the youtube videos from BBCs Maida Vale sessions and it was confirmed that these guys had serious talent and were going to be very big. Their performance was very professional but still their humour and fun came through. I found that my favourite song they performed was ‘Get to Dancing’. It’s a cheeky lively track which of course makes you want to dance. The song has a really catchy guitar riff and also shows Jack’s skills as a drummer, it’s light but very effective.
Their second released single came to us in early 2016 ‘Boys That Sing’ this is a bright and cheery song with an infectious melody and again their slick guitar and drums give a Californian surf sound. It definitely brightened up our winter days and made us smile with their cheeky mischief lyrics.
I decided in December of 2015 to message them and ask them to come to Ireland as I couldn’t wait to hear them live and they told me they were going to support Blossoms in the Academy in Dublin in February. Naturally I went, I couldn’t miss that! Their live performance was brilliant. You could see their love for music and every beat, strum and note oozed energy.They were having fun and loving every moment of it and so was the audience.
We spoke to them afterwards and they were the most lovely people you could meet they discussed their passion for music and they promised us they would play ‘Get To Dancing’ when they returned to Dublin as it wasn’t on their set list this time. Of the bands I have met they really stood out. They were genuine lovely guys doing what they loved and sharing it with whoever would listen.
Since then, I have found other songs that they have done on youtube and found their track “Daisies” which was featured on Bandcamp’s The Indie Cassette Player’s (now known as ” The Mill Records”) second compilation album, with “Love My Love” being featured on the website’s third compilation album. Both these tracks are lovely well written songs and show us a deeper side to the band. I was looking forward to what kind of album they were going to release.
I decided to write this blog about one of the best bands I have been lucky to see live because they were amazingly talented and right now they should be taking the music industry by storm. But their career was cruelly cut short. I don’t want to dwell on the details of their passing as it’s their memory I want to preserve.
A celebratory tribute gig will take place at Warrington Parr Hall on April 2 to pay tribute to the band and their manager, Craig Tarry.The sold-out show will feature The Coral and Courteeners frontman Liam Fray as well as an acoustic set by The Kooks. Viola Beach supported Courteeners on tour and were due to open for Blossoms, who also feature on the bill. The packed bill is finished off by Eliza and the Bear, Hidden Charms, The Vryll Society, The Strawberries and Psyblings. All proceeds from the show will go to the families of Viola Beach and Craig Tarry.
Viola Beach a really lovely 4 piece indie pop band from Warrington whose Infectious anthems and sunny bright feel good melodies will not be forgotten here at Indie Buddie.
RIP Viola Beach
London band Ten Fé consist of duo of Ben Moorhouse and Leo Duncan. Their new release comes in the form of the dreamy, smooth ‘Elodie’. This is a lovely 80s inspired love song with polished production and lush harmonies. Ten Fé show off their song-writing and vocal abilities on this track, Ben is on lead vocal with a rich yet daydream tone to his voice. They create a melancholy and uplifting atmosphere that swallows you up in a bubble of nostalgic dreaminess. With their soft electronic pop style, steady tempo and warm feelings this is definitely a song to have a listen to.
Stream ‘Elodie’ below
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
