After the dissolution of these groups, Gilles formed and fronted 4 piece rockers "Cortez", Donna Crawford soon joined as bass player and they began writing songs and touring the pub circuit in Coventry.
Due to musical differences the band called it day in the summer of 2002. Gilles now resides in London and has been gigging acoustically. Gilles is now looking to form a new group.
Donna has now formed a new group "Lil Minx" a punk trio based in Rugby in which she plays the drums. Donna also plays drums for Coventry based Indie Rockers "Late Starters".
Gilles Rawson's songs explore the human condition with themes varying from Love, Self loathing to Faith and Guilt to name but a few. Gilles' fragile yet pure voice, sounding undoubtedly resonant with his uncomplicated guitar playing and backed by Donna Crawford's solid beats and bass lines. Gilles' songs will creep up on you and gently hug the brain.
"A Game Of You" & "Loser" Written by G. Rawson & D. Crawford.
"Leviathan", "Sunglasses After Dark" & "Take Me Away" Written by G. Rawson. Copyright 2007 all rights reserved.
Reviews of "Gilles Rawson: Demos EP"
Gilles Rawson is French, apparently. He also (So I am reliably informed) used to play in some bands you’ve never heard of with someone called Donna Crawford, which may or may not have been any good. None of this matters though, because this CD of demo tracks is thoroughly ace in its own right, regardless of nationality or former bands.
These are essentially perfectly crafted power pop songs in the vein of Matt Pond PA, Jets to Brazil or The Weakerthans, with occasional hints of things as disparate as Lynrd Skynrd and the Magical Trevor song from weebls-stuff.com. It works really well though, Gilles has a great voice and is clearly endowed with the all too rare ability to write wonderful catchy pop songs without ever becoming overtly commercial or irritating.
I live in the hope that someone will pick up these demos and give Gilles the opportunity to record a full-length album. In the meantime, I highly recommend you visit his MySpace page and have a listen.
We rate this: 8 out of 10
By Will Slater, Taken from "Die Shellsuit, Die!" Magazine
"Behind every great man, so they say, is a great woman. And in the case of Nice-born, London-based Gilles Rawson, she’s called Donna and she comes from Coventry. 25-year-old Gilles weaves and rich tapestry of contemporary balladry and classic indie that veers from the sensitive to the shouty – whilst being backed by Donna Crawford on bass guitar and all sorts of other things.
“A Game Of You†is the first of six songs here and it demonstrates that the Frenchman has a firm grasp of British rock roots. The modest, semi-acoustic shuffle has the everyman charm and quiet storm vibe of a Noel-sang Oasis number. Likewise, “Take Me Away†swells with rough-hewn passion like the bruised balladry of Embrace. Bless.
“Leviathan†is another slowie, but it fizzes with the indie jangliness of The Sundays, pointing to the more leftfield approach of the other stuff on the ep. “Friday†comes on all dark moody and jazzy like St Etienne with a man singing and no keyboards. Meanwhile, “Sunglasses After Dark†blows away the cobwebs with a full-on punker that blasts onto the scene with all the bratty bounce of the Buzzcocks or Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
“Loser†goes further into indieland. It is spiky, superior pop music with a big buzzing chorus coming straight out of the early 1990s like James, Throwing Muses or Lush. It’s the clear winner here, but overall Gilles still manages to provide a classy, sophisticated set with some cool tunes. Get ready to rock. A bit."
Taken from www.overplay.com
This E.P. is by London based Frenchman Gilles Rawson – with a little help from Donna Crawford. The songs cover all the bases – from the Brit-pop sensibility of ‘A Game of You’, through the grungy punk of ‘Sunglasses After Dark’.
‘Loser’ is by far the strongest track. The lead guitar bites through beautifully, driving a really good pop-rock song ahead with boundless optimism.
The talent of this guy doesn’t come to the fore often enough on this E.P. however. These songs would be a lot more accessible as solo acoustic numbers rather than through the parody and pastiche he tends to create with the overdubbing. Simple, catchy songs show a curious potential as slow burning pub classics. And that’s a compliment.
By: Jon Mitchell Taken from www.glasswerk.co.uk
Gilles Rawson presents a collection of feel-good pop-rock tracks that are entirely pleasant. Each tune has a distinct theme, but is firmly tied to rock-with-melody dynamics.
Its nice harmonies for the chorus in 'A Game Of You', supplying a nice audio hook. The guitars hark back to Cast and the piano adds a bit of extra poppiness to an otherwise guitar-led track.
With 'Loser', things pick up once more and although the record gets more reflective with 'Take Me Away' and 'Leviathan', there's still enough pace to keep the EP moving. But most of the songs are enjoyable and I'm sure Rawson will get smoother with the licks as time goes by.
Review by Steve (Editor), Taken from The Mag.
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