Category Archives: Indie

Indie, Indie Pop, indie rock, Rock, Rock and Roll, Smooth Rock

Mayflower ‘Sienna’

Mayflower are a smooth Rock & Roll band from Manchester. Formed in 2014 they have wasted no time in getting their name out there. They have secured headline gigs at the iconic Night & Day Café, a sold out show at The Castle Hotel and a string of shows around the Northwest in UK. They quickly gained the attention of Michelle Hussey and Natalie-Eve Williams at BBC Introducing in Manchester and subsequently BBC 6 Steve Lamacq has expressed his interest in them.
Their track ‘Sienna’ is the song that caught my eye. It’s a beautiful melodic track full of warm hazy nostalgic vibes portraying a melancholy sombre atmosphere. With gentle guitars and soft beats while the lull of lush harmonies in the backing vocals have a relaxing effect. The delicate smooth vocals are filled with emotion and combined with the sweet backing vocals give an uplifting feel to the track. The lustrous guitar feature gives a bite to the song and an almost psychedelic feel which adds a little contrast to the velvety sound.
Looking forward to their new tune coming out mid-August we really can’t wait to hear more!
Stream ‘Sienna’ below

Indie, Indie Pop, New Music, Synth-pop, Worth A Listen

Worth A Listen

Our Worth A Listen Track this week comes in the form of Fickle Friends ‘Swim’

Fickle Friends are Nattassia (Natti) Shiner (vox/synth), Sam Morris (drums), Harry Herrington (bass/backing vox), Chris Hall (guitar) and Jack Wilson (synth/backing vox) from Brighton. The Indie Pop five piece released ‘Swim’ earlier this year. We are big fans of Fickle Friends hear at Indie Buddie. We have previously published a feature on their track ‘Say No More’ and were so blown away with their sound we decided to make ‘Swim’ our Worth A Listen Track this week.
‘Swim’ is a playful exuberant track that radiates sunshine from the very first note. The soft sprightly pop beats and chirpy shimmering synths give this track a bright upbeat vibe. The twinkling guitar uplifts your soul and teamed with the positive bouncy beat gives a dance quality you can’t help but bop to. The cool and sweet vocals give an airy vibe to the track like a refreshing breeze on a hot day. The lyrics have a more sombre tone as the track is about one feeling like they are drowning which adds an effective contrast, but there is hope as we are told “you are not alone” this mantra keeps the track optimistic and positive.
Another fantastic song from Fickle Friends look forward to hearing more!
Watch ‘Swim’ below

Alt Rock, Indie, indie rock, New Music, Rock

The Barmines ‘Sky’s The Limit’

The Barmines are an Indie Rock band from Leeds. Band members Rob Burton (Singer/Guitarist), Liam Lockey (Drums/Backing Vocals), Leam Hayes (Guitarist) and James May (Bassist) are creating a stir with their energetic explosive sound and fantastic live shows. The release of their début EP “There’s Never Any Romance” was played in front of a sold out crowd at The Wardrobe in Leeds to just over 300 people. Since then they have played the O2 Academy in Sheffield, The Cockpit and The Wardrobe plus slots at Strawberry Fields Festival and Bingley Festival playing alongside some top bands like Catfish and the Bottlemen and Reverand and The Makers.
Their single ‘Sky’s The Limit’ is a dynamic spirited track with a full robust sound. With vigorous guitars and hefty drums this song packs a punch. The sturdy bass line runs throughout the song especially in the verse giving a potent foundation to the track. The song features an infectious chorus with a booming sound behind driving this song to victory. The track begins on a soft start and builds both in energy and dynamics as the song progresses. The strong confidant vocals are emotion filled and intense which is particularly effective in the chorus. The bridge breaks to a lighter tone with slick guitar and then blasts us into the powerful sound that has a mosh effect. This song I can imagine is fantastic live as it is full of charisma and energy.
The Barmines have already confirmed some awesome festivals for 2016 including Isle Of Wight and Down To The Woods, Party In The Pines and Blackthorn Festival with a few more to be announced. If you are around definitely go see these guys!
Stream ‘Sky’s The Limit’ below

Alt Rock, Hypnotic, Indie, New Music, psychedelic, Trance

West Of The Sun ‘Siberian Hysteria’.

West Of The Sun are a five piece psychedelic rock and roll band from North London. Band members Luke Ward, Joe Stratton, Michael Howes, Kieran Callinan and Stevie Durkin have recently released their new single ‘Siberian Hysteria’. The five piece self-produced the song alongside engineer Shuta Shinoda (Primal Scream, Spiritualised, The Horrors) at Hackney Road Studios in East London.
‘Siberian Hysteria’ is a dreamy, warm psychedelic track with a hazy desert vibe. The track begins with fast passed striking guitars and a rapid steady beat. It then breaks and becomes a smooth astral psychedelic journey with an Arabian feel. With wah wah psych-guitar jangles and prominent percussion giving a sand like image to the track. The almost spoken main vocals with the soft lull of the backing vocals puts you at ease and sits contently in the back of your mind creating a trance feel. The slick guitar riff adds an intense sun rays feel that you can almost feel burn you. The atmosphere of sweltering heat and exhaustion is created through the loop and repetition as the song spirals to a delirious end.
This is a brilliantly written song that plants a visual image in your mind and takes you on a journey. West Of The Sun are set to release their début album later this year and if ‘Siberian Hysteria’ is anything to go by its going to be fantastic!
You can catch West Of The Sun live at
18 Jun The Soundhouse Leicester
02 Jul The Borderline London
18 Sep The Amersham Arms London

Stream ‘Siberian Hysteria’ below

Album Review, Alt Rock, Grunge, Indie, Indie Pop, indie rock, New Music, Rock

The Flux Machine ‘Louder!’

The Flux Machine is Luis Accorsi and Raphael Sepulveda. They are a New York City based alternative indie rock band with an edgy hard rock sound. Their new album ‘Louder!’ was released earlier this year and it’s a tornado of hardcore rock music with some sneaky melodic pop and country aspects thrown in which make this album contagious and appealing to all.
The first track on the album is ‘Run Away’. From the start they blast you into a storm of pounding drums with a deep rooted bass that pulses through your soul. This track is full of energy with a catchy anthem like chorus that compels your body to jump and dance. With simple lyrics and “na na na” feature it’s hard to stop yourself from singing along.
‘Square Up’ follows in a grungy eerie seductive manner. The verses are full of gritty deep bewitching vocals with luring bass line and tempting drums. The track bursts into another massive energetic rock pop chorus. The contrast between the dark verses to the lighter chorus is effective and innovative.
The title track ‘Louder!’ is a manic mosh pit of frenzy. It’s rapid tempo and grinding guitar with thunderous drums makes this song the power rock track that lives up to its name. You can just imagine a live crowd going wild to this track. Turn it up and go crazy!
‘Toxic Love’ has a “The Strokes” feel. With distorted vocals and prominent strong drums. Again filled with infectious melodies and catchy easy to sing along chorus. The sweet backing vocals and slick guitar solo add a refreshing change to the tone of the track and breaks up the intense energetic vibe.
‘How It’s Gonna Be’ and ‘Mess you up’ follow with the same high powered energy with ‘Mess You Up’ becoming more grunge and intense. With heavy sound and screaming growl vocals that add an eerie quality and give a wall of death feel.
‘Believe’ is a dramatic change from the intensity of its predecessor, it lightens the mood and slows down the tone giving us a chance to calm down and slow our racing heart beats. It is a melodic softer track that is full of emotion with an airy bright feel. It completely takes you by surprise but shows a delicate side to the band. With cool sunny vocals and bouncy beats. The backing vocals add a psychedelic 70s vibe in places. It is a proper tender hazy sunshine track.
‘Love And Affection’ continues to surprise us as it is also bright and more pop infused only with a hint of country added to the mix. The light bopping beats really lift this song while the guitars give us a taste of that rock sound we are used to. The soft vocal in the chorus give a gentle feel to the song. It’s definitely a surprise but a beautiful song all the same.
‘Wheels Of Love’ eases us back into their heavier sound with a slick blues bass riff that coaxes your hips to sway and move. We welcome the heavier rock sounding drums back with gritter vocals and a scream in places. A confident filled, seductive track that exudes swagger and is extremely strut worthy.
‘Jack, Jim And Johnny’ brings us back to a blues country style. With twanging guitars and a soft bouncy beat that builds as the tempo becomes more rapid until we are presented with a country rock track. This track is full of middle finger attitude. It is a great song to get you pumped.
‘Crash Down’ brings us back to a fast tempo high energy rock track. With a call and response chorus that is infectious. It shows us a fun side to the band with stunning guitar and strong drums that bury and bend deep inside you and pound through your body making you get up and dance.
The album finishes with ‘Hate Love’ which is full of “oomph” and energy and is a fiery strong song to end on. The dynamic guitars and spirited drums make this track lively and infectious. With its humorous lyrics and aggressive spirited sound this track will leave you wanting more.
The Flux Machine have created 12, non-stop, power songs that are infectious and memorable and extremely likeable and innovative. They have something for everyone ‘Louder!’ is definitely a fantastic listen.
Stream ‘Louder!’ below

Indie, Indie Pop, indie rock, Live Music

Live Music Review of The Last Shadow Puppets and support act Blossoms

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Fashion seems to be a big part of The Last Shadow Puppets act as Miles Kane and Alex Turner always show up in the most smart brightly coloured silk outfits when possible. This was true for this Thursdays show in the Olympia, Dublin. Blossoms however keep things cool and simple with their stage attire. They choose dark colours usually black with some white thrown in to contrast which adds to their appeal.
Blossoms opened their set to the eager crowd all muttering what they think Alex or Miles will do, where they will stand what tracks they will play ect. Blossoms begin with ‘At Most A Kiss’ a synth infused indie rock track. With it’s strong bass, slick guitars and rapid20160526_200932 punchy drums it’s a fantastic start to their set. Blossoms are a band that you absolutely have to see live to really appreciate their talent as we see from this instrumentally energetic track. They give you a full bursting sound that you don’t here in the recordings. They follow with their new single ‘Getaway’ which as we hoped in our review of this track earlier this year was amazing live, once again they gave us a new more voluminous sound and dimension to this smooth indie pop track giving it a edge and bite. Blossoms fly straight into ‘Across The Moor’ as the crowd enjoy it’s sleek seductive style with bouncy funky beats and flirtatious bass. It’s 20160526_200928_001irresistible keyboard melody has everyone bouncing and swaying. They slow things down with ‘My Favourite Room’ before they blast into ‘Blown Rose’ followed by the crowd favourite ‘Charlemagne’, with very little speech between tracks. Blossoms let their music do the talking, while their cool, calm persona radiates and gives them that attractive feature that draws the crowd in and makes them listen attentively. They conclude their set with the dynamic ‘Blow’ this song is full of swagger with enticing psychedelic guitars and strong alluring bass. This song performed live commands your body to dance and leaves the crowd wanting more. An excellent warm up and a strong act for The Last Shadow Puppets to follow.
The Last Shadow Puppets strut onto the stage Alex in a smart blue suit that only he can pull off and Miles in a golden yellow silk shirt that glows and shimmers with every movement. They begin with the melodic ‘Miracle Aligner’ as their adoring fans serenade them with their own lyrics. Turner struts about the stage with a 50s/ 60s style 20160526_210618 of stage performance. We see a fresh more playful side to Turner as he interacts with the crowd and his partner in crime Miles Kane. They perform some beloved songs from their first album which obviously are a big hit with the crowd as they watch Kane and Turner perform in a theatrical manner full of hip thrusts and guitar poses. Both are pros at performing and command the stage and captivate their audience as they perform. Nothing can put them off their stride not a lead coming out of a guitar while playing or a mic falling off its stand while Turner is singing. Turner simply carries on with or without them. The show is full of dynamic playful energy. They surprise us with ‘Is This What You Wanted’ a 20160526_212038Leonard Cohen cover in which Turner sings the verse while Kane’s strong vocals take on the chorus. They return for an encore of ‘Meeting Place’ ,’The Dream Synopsis’ and of course ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ The Beatles cover which gives the crowd an explosive ending as we are presented with a full heavy instrumental end of pounding drums screeching guitars and insane synth sounds. It’s definitely a show I’m glad we didn’t miss as it was a refreshing change to see such a fun light hearted show that was bursting with fantastic music from the much loved duo.

Hypnotic, Indie, indie rock, New Music, psychedelic, Trance, Uncategorized, Worth A Listen

Worth A Listen

Our Worth A Listen track this week is ‘Ride On’ from Cherryshoes

Cherryshoes is a Psycho-pop band Fronted by the mesmerising El-Jay. They portray a hypnotic blend of dark pop that is captivating. Their single ‘Ride On’ is a well crafted psychedelic rock-pop track that consumes you in a bewitching wave of psychedelia. El- Jay’s soft vocals adds an alluring hypnotic quality to the track that could lead you down a trippy garden path. The soft instrumentation has a relaxing hex effect that places you at ease and perfectly content in this spell – like enrapture. The steady beat gives an eerie seductive tone to the track this is reinforced by the echo backing vocals. It reminds me of a succubus, a highly attractive seductress or enchantress, alluring but dangerous.
Cherryshoes recently performed two sets at latitude festival and are currently recording their first album. Can’t wait to hear more from these guys.
Stream ‘Ride On’ below

electro- pop, Feel Good Music, Indie, Indie Pop, New Music, Synth-pop

Charlyn ‘Marylise’

 

‘Marylise’ is Charlyn’s promising first single from her upcoming début EP. The Swiss singer/songwriter who is now based in London portrays an electric mix of Indie Pop and 80’s elements blended together. Charlyn perfectly complements the rising popularity of female electro-pop vocals, in a similar vein to Chvrches or Brighton’s Fickle Friends.
‘Marylise’ is a bright upbeat electro – pop track with sugar coated synths and a soft bop beat. This smooth track is full of lush harmonies and shimmering electric guitars that add a little bite to this sweet creamy luminous track. Charlyn’s vocals are flawlessly radiant and syrupy and so easy to listen to. This song is full of cool tones with the added sparkling sunny vibes portrayed by the guitars and the rhythmic, spacious 80s-pop beats. .Although the lyrics are somewhat melancholy and sad the tone of the song remains upbeat and hopeful which is refreshingly effective. Its definitely one to add to your summer playlist!
Charlyn has graced the stages of renowned London venues such as Bush Hall, Under the Bridge and 02 Academy Islington, as well as playing shows in Paris and Switzerland, Charlyn is now set to take Western Europe by storm over the summer with four performances in London and appearances in Switzerland already confirmed!
We are looking forward to hearing Charlyn’s EP which will be released this June. The EP release show will take place on the 15th of June at The Half Moon in Putney, London – 8pm if your around make sure you head down.
Stream ‘Marylise’ below

https://soundcloud.com/charlynmusic/marylise-charlyn

Alt Rock, Indie, indie rock, Live Music, Rock

Live Music Review of Anna-Liese supported by Beautiful Corruption

 

We headed down to Brewery Corner Kilkenny, a lovely vintage style pub in Parliament Street, Kilkenny. The outside of this little blue building will be forever imprinted in my mind as we spent a good half hour going round and round passing the venue each time, trying to find parking as its a little scarce when its raining. Once inside this charming pub we found lovely helpful staff amazing pizza and fantastic music! Also they have the best range of craft beers and ciders on draught in Ireland, as well as a huge selection of international craft beers and whiskeys, and specially selected wines, or so I’m told. But that is not why we are here, its Anna – Liese’s  EP launch.
Support came from Beautiful Corruption which is a band Indie Buddie is no stranger to. We have written features on their live shows before and this one didn’t disappoint. Even though the boys had done a show the previous night they were a bit tired but still bursting with energy. Showcasing their signature style of infectious riffs and mosh worthy tracks. They gave us a sneak peak of some new tracks which were amazing live. Finishing with ‘Snakes and Ladders’ as frontman Oisín Wolfe descends into the crowd for the 20160521_224651massive final track. As usual a strong performance from Beautiful Corruption.
After a short intermission filled with tuning and setting up while the crowd topped up their drinks Anna- Liese take the stage. Beginning with the massive fast tempo ‘Break The Chain’ with its heavy guitar riff it gets the crowd moving, followed by ‘Pyscho Mask’ an upbeat funky beat that is infectious and sounds amazing and fresh live. Watching these guys play you really get a sense of their musical talent, all members of the band have a strong understanding of their instruments and a tight relationship on stage. They take us through some melodic tunes which have the crowd swaying along to  tracks like ‘Storm’ with its smooth airy drive time vibe. Finishing with two dynamic rock tracks.’Green’ which is a crowd favourite, its a proper mosh pit tune20160521_232111 with slick guitars and pounding drums followed finally by ‘Chasing and Fading’ the EP’s title track which is a riff based track that is infectious and trance like. They build to a heavy end with a strong final note, that leaves the crowd wanting more. After a little persuasion Anna – Liese play two more songs before finishing as the crowd begin a frenzy of dancing moshing and pushing. A strong way to end a brilliant gig.

A Chat With, Indie, indie rock, Interviews, New Music

A Chat With : 5 Dollar Shakes

5 Dollar Shakes are an alternative rock band from Gorey, Co. Wexford. The band consists of Jack McEvoy (Vocals), Colin Doran (Lead guitar), Caleb Dowdall (Rhythm guitar), Richard Deering (Bass guitar) and Ciaran O’Doherty (Drums). They have released their new single ‘Auxiliary Love’ ‘from their recently released second EP ‘Come and See Enough To Stay’ . We did a feature on ‘Auxillary love’ earlier this month and caught up with the band to get to know them a little better.

When did you form your band?
We formed the band in 2012, after auditioning for a school talent show. A few members came and left during that first year but by 2013 we had the line up that we were happy with! We’ve remained the same since!

How did you decide what Style/ Genre of music you wanted to do?
We have a quite a diverse approach to our music. We all have different musical interests and try to incorporate as many different influences into our songs as possible. As such, we’re a bit of a Jack of all trades type of band! If you had to label us under a genre though, it would probably be indie rock.

What inspired you to make music?
We’re inspired to make our music as it is a unique outlet for expressing ourselves. We’re musicians and we love what we do, and playing in a group as opposed to on your own is an incredible way to tell our stories.

What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs?
We’re all still very young, so our songs tend to convey a coming of age of sorts. We make mistakes, and have regrets, and these usually translate into great themes for our songs.

Could you briefly describe your music-making process?
It’s loose. Our creative process is a bit of a chaotic mish mash. We like to just get together and start jamming until the bones of a song starts to develop. Then Jack will take the music and throw a draft of lyrics on top. We spend a while refining the song after that until it becomes something we’re happy with. We never try force it though, if a song isn’t working we scrap it.

What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
Financial issues have been our biggest challenge. Unfortunately there’s not a lot of money in the industry for young, independent bands. As a result, there have been gigs that we’d love to do that we simply couldn’t, due to not being able to take time of work and such. A lot of money also goes into making a record, between paying for the studio time, artwork ect. It can be tough but we’re getting to a stage now where we’re starting to see a return on our investment. The goal is to make a full time living from doing what we love, so fingers crossed we’ll make it there.

What is your Favourite song to perform live and why?
Our favourite song to preform live is definitely ‘Arthouse’. It’s a bit of a crowd favourite, and there’s no better feeling than seeing a crowd chant back lyrics that you’ve written. It’s very humbling and it justifies all the sacrifices and dedication we’ve put into our music.

So far what are your favourite and least favourite venues that you have played ?
Our favourite venue is the RDS. We played the BT Young Scientist Exhibition there and playing in such a large room to so many people was simply incredible. Our least favourite is a tough one, we enjoy all our gigs! But we did play at the Golden Shears Sheep Shearing competition and got shut down for being too loud! So I suppose that would probably be our least favourite.

What’s the most bizarre thing to happen while you were on stage?
We were playing a festival last year but had to stop after only 5 minutes as a storm started to literally take the stage apart! It was a shame as it was a gig we were really looking forward to, but these things happen!

Who has been your favourite support act so far?
We got the fantastic Sam Ali to support us for our EP launch in the Opium Rooms. He’s been our favourite. He’s incredible and you should definitely check him out.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
Drinking, FIFA, chicken wings.

What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?
Our advice would be don’t do it. There’s enough bands out there for us to be competing against…. Only kidding, yeah if you want to start a band make sure it’s with people you really enjoy playing with. If it’s not fun there’s not much point and you’ll more than likely break up very quickly.

Whats Next for 5 Dollar Shakes?
We’d love to start playing outside of Ireland, so we’re hoping to play some gigs in and around Europe during the coming year! Other than that, we’re gonna keep writing and playing, getting our name out there as much as possible!
No doubt 5 Dollar Shakes will be playing festivals and shows all round Europe soon if their EP ‘Come and See Enough to stay’ is anything to go by. If you haven’t heard the EP stream it below, trust me you are going to want to hear it!