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
A four piece indie band from Manchester Lyerr,consist of Ryan Johnson (Vocals/Guitar) Samuel Greene (Guitar) Rory Magner ( Bass) James Kershaw ( Drums). Their début singles were released last month and are cracking tunes. ‘N.Y.C.’ is a rock and roll, feel good song with punchy drums and nimble guitar definitely one to get you up dancing.
” Miss Bright Ideas’ again is a strong song for a début. This song really shows their potential, its my favourite of the two. The track starts with a steady beat and guitars and breaks into a melodic chorus which shows off their skill both instrumentally and vocally. Its one of those songs that is blissful to listen to.
You can catch these guys April 1st at Night and Day cafe in Manchester if your around definitely go.
These guys are ones to watch!
Stream ‘ N.Y.C’ and ‘Miss Bright Ideas’ below
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
Our Worth A Listen track this week comes from Black Honey.
Their latest track “All My Pride” is from their forthcoming Headspin EP. Brighton band, Izzy Baxter, (vocals, guitar) Chris Ostler (guitar), Tommy Taylor (bass), Tom Dewhurst (drums), deliver an infectious rock pop sound with attitude in this track.
‘All My Pride’ is a vicious post – breakup song with slick, blazing guitar. Izzy performs her vocals with such intensity and vulnerability that sucks you in and makes you listen to every word of her story. This is a very well written song. It is what I would imagine Lana Del Rey would sound like if she was in a rock band. They have the same ability to draw the listener in with nonchalant melodies only with fierce guitar. This band will definitely do well with this song as it ticks all the boxes.
Stream ‘All My Pride’ below
Sisteray are a British four-piece rock band from London, UK. Formed in 2014, the band consists of Niall Rowan (lead vocals/rhythm guitar), Michael Hanrahan (bass/vocals), Daniel Connolly (lead guitar/vocals) and Marco Biagini (drums/vocals).
On first hearing Sisterays songs I realised they are a band with strong opinions and a Rock and roll, punk rock, mod revival, attitude to life which is refreshing as they say and do everything we want to do with a rebellious ‘I don’t give a damn attitude’. They have previously worked with producer Rory Attwell (The Vaccines/Palma Violets) and have created a cult-following in the UK due to high energy live performances and upbeat melodies and catchy clever lyrics about Britain in the 21st Century.
My attention was grabbed when they released ‘Back to Yours’ and ‘A Wise Man Said’ – as part of their new Double A Side Single. Both songs are very catchy ‘ A Wise Man Said’ is a fast pased tune with a gnarly sound full of raw british punk rock attitude. While ‘Back To Yours’ is a slower pase with Nialls voice adding a bit of grit to the vocal with a London twang
We will be hearing a lot more from these guys as word is beginning to spread about their energetic live performances. Definitely a band with a bright future ahead
Stream ‘ Back To Yours’ and ‘A wise Man Said’ here
That striking moment when you find a song that stops you in your tracks, hits you to your core and makes you listen to every word and note, that’s the effect that Isaac Gracie’s song ‘Last Words’ has. Isaac is a singer songwriter from London and with only one song released on soundcloud in the summer of 2015 is making a big impact, gaining media attention when DJ Zane Lowe named it his World Record on Beats 1.
‘Last Words’ has a rock-grunge sound and the track’s unmastered acoustic and vocals are very effective. The elevated backing vocals are perfectly placed and add emphasis to the despair and nostalgic atmosphere created in the song. This song has a very raw feel showing us a vulnerable side with striking lyrics ‘Cocaine in your eyes and bullets in your gun,’N’ blood in your nails is scratching for the faith’ this song grabs your attention and fills you with emotion.
You can watch Isaac Gracie perform ‘Terrified’ and ‘Running On Empty’ at Maida Vale for BBC Music Introducing on youtube. These songs again are brilliantly written and preformed. Isaac has a Jeff Buckley rasp to his voice which is so effective and flawlessly expresses his passion.’Terrified’ again strikes a chord as its a lovely heart on your sleeve track and Isaac performs with intense emotion that gives you goosebumps. ‘Running On Empty’ is a faster paced powerful song. Isaac shows of a higher range vocal in the chorus.
Isaac’s new EP is due to be released next week and ‘Terrified’ will be a track on it, it’s set to be a promising EP and I for one am really excited to hear the rest of the tracks.
Stream ‘Last Words’ and watch ‘ Running On Empty’ below
Beautiful Corruption are a four piece alt-rock band based in Kilkenny, Ireland. The band consists of Oisin Wolfe on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, James Brown on lead guitar and back-up vocals, Simon Cooke on drums and Rory Cooper on bass.
Their début EP was released on the 14th of February 2015 and is a strong collection of tracks that show the bands growing talents and potential. The EP starts strong with ‘Leather’ a fast passed solid rock song with catchy riff on bass and strong vocals. Followed by ‘ Snakes and Ladders’ again another strong riff based song with punchy drums and full sound. ‘ The Wait’ shows us more guitar skill throughout the song with a shredding guitar solo which is just kick ass.’The Hench’ has a slow intro until the drum kicks in bringing the tempo up again. The final track on the EP is ‘Dilate’ with an infectious guitar hook, again guitar is definitely a strong feature in this band as they slide into a cool slick guitar solo to the end.
I had the pleasure of seeing this band live in Cyprus Avenue in Cork the other day and my thoughts of this talented band were confirmed as they performed with such confidence and swagger while maintaining a tight sound and without compromising on the vocals. ‘Beautiful Corruption’ are a band that you have to see live to really appreciate their talent. Their high energy show had the whole venue forming a mosh pit just as the band came off stage into the crowd and began playing and jumping amongst them.
Inkfields was formed in Australia, 2012 by Brit Singer-Songwriter Sam James-Griffiths, but has appeared in band-form from time to time. Inkfields is most often a solo act that crosses indie, rock, pop and electronic. Sam James-Griffiths is a multi instrumentalist from Edinburgh he has mastered guitar, piano, bass, drums.
The first official record from Inkfields was titled ‘Paperless Book’, and was recorded and released in Sweden, in 2015. This 5 track EP is a beautiful arrangement of light ambient songs where the electric guitar and vocals are most prominent. The EP as a whole is relaxing and has the power to put you at ease and create a peaceful atmosphere while subtly showing off Sams guitar skills.
His EP ‘You forgot the roots’ was recorded in Germany and released February this year and is a compilation of well composed tracks as Sam displays his instrumental talent with bluesy style piano and guitar and deep lyrics. Each track is so easy to listen to and beautifully arranged and melodic with strong beats and soft piano,perfect for summer evenings.
Summer 2016 will see a third EP to be released. It will be recorded in a studio in Wales and as of yet, the title and launch date are not known. I for one will look forward to hearing more from Inkfields.
Stream ‘Take My Card’ Below
The Curious Incident are a pop/rock band with a Caribbean Twist. This four- piece based in London released their EP ‘ Penny Lonesome’ in 2015 full of bright upbeat songs.They experiment with a variety of genres but the Caribbean influence is prominent throughout.
On my first listen to this band two songs in particular stood out for me the first is ‘Money’ it is an energetic song with a bouncy rhythm and is cleverly written about the universal theme money, or lack of. They use the lyrics of some of the modern artists Aloe Blacc and Sam Smith ‘Aleo Blacc He told me that ,He needs just a dollar to get by’ its a fun track with a Bob Marley feel mixed with a bit of Vampire Weekend. With added ‘la la la la’ parts and ‘hey hey’ shouts that make this song easy to sing along to after just one listen.
‘Diane’ was the second song I loved, about a cheeky youthful flirtation its a smooth easy to listen to pop track with steady foot tapping rhythm. ‘The Hunt’ follows with a more electronic sound while still holding their Caribbean style and pop bounce.
‘Penny Lonesome’ is a delightful EP and I’m glad I received a message to have a listen to this talented band as they show serious talent by fusing amazing genres together and making it sound so blissful.
They are set to play a few gigs this spring you can catch them at The Cellar (Finborough Arms) – London on 26 th March if your around go see them you wont regret it!
Stream ‘Money’ and ‘Diane’ Below
Our Worth a listen track this week comes from The Jackobins
The Jackobins are a 5-piece band from Liverpool formed in 2014. With a debut EP, Ghosts, and single ‘Waiting on the Sun’ Their latest single which came out early this year ‘One More Chance’ is a proper upbeat anthem everything about this song makes you want to get up and dance. This is a band who knows exactly what to do to liven up any crowd. This song is full of punchy beats with lively guitar riffs that all build as the song progresses. With lyrics about living life and being free. The simple but effective chorus “One more chance! You know you’ll never know…” is repeated to a high energy fist pump note.
This track is extremely well written almost with the live shows in mind as you can imagine the whole crowd shouting the chorus at the top of their lungs as they dance to this high spirited, enthusiastic anthem of freedom.
Stream “one More Chance” below
