The Lucid Dream were formed in Carlisle, Cumbria, in January 2008, born out of a frustration at the lack of current life affirming music and the aim to fuse a love of drones and psychedelic sounds with harmonies, as done by past greats such as Spacemen 3, Jesus and Mary Chain, and numerous 60’s garage bands.
In May 2008 The Lucid Dream joined the roster of Dead Young Records, on the back of having played just 2 gigs, with the debut release been 'I Got The Devil', featured on the Dead Young Club limited 10" vinyl release, released 22 September 2008 to rave reviews. A national tour also coincided with this release.
The tracks, 'Love In My Veins' and 'Coming Down', have received airplay on BBC 6 Music, as well as worldwide airplay for 'The Twilight End' and 'I Got The Devil'. The band have played with bands such as Spectrum, The Aliens, Free Peace, The Maybes? and Exit Calm amongst others.
'Love In My Veins' was included on the January 2009 'Open Your Mind' compilation, as released by Psyilocybin Sounds, alongside major influence the Brian Jonestown Massacre, a release pioneering the current forces of the world pysch underground. It was recently featured on BBC Radio 1 Huw Stephens' Introducing show.
Steve Lamacq also featured 'In Your Eyes' as his Listeners Choice of the week on his Radio 2 show in June 2009.
'Fans of The Lucid Dream are also found in record companies and at the BBC. This Carlisle band formed only in January. They have played just three gigs. And they have already earned a recording contract and airplay on national radio.
There’s no secret to this success. It’s the tunes, big beasts that resonate with the ghosts of their influences while always coming back to Lucid Dreamland.
I Got The Devil swaggers like Jesus and Mary Chain. The Verve would be proud to have spawned The Twilight End. Unearthly delights, played on vintage 60s’ and 70s’ instruments but easily substantial enough to defy any suspicion of pastiche.'
News and Star
'"I Got The Devil" sounded like nasty psychedeliced Iggy, "The Twilight End" took me back to the days of Ride and Chapterhouse, and "Love In My Veins" might as well have been the Stones circa 67, its been a long time since I heard anyone as good as The Verve were back when they were simply Verve.'
daydreamgeneration.com
'it's like someone flicks a switch and suddenly they metamorphosise into the young, lo-fi, first-album Spacemen 3, all "Lord won't you help me" stoner vocals and rich psychedelic keyboards, and from thereon in it just gets better and better. They play just five songs but it's enough to see what's getting people excited. The last builds to a powerful climax, drenched in feedback, heavyweight drums and screaming noise before dropping back to a strung-out fade, singer Mark Emmerson carrying the last few lines like he's got the weight of the world on his shoulders.'
Cath Aubergine, Manchester Music
'these shade wearing space cadets are already being compared to the likes of Suicide and the Spacemen 3 and who are we to argue.
Head tripping fuzz laden hazes are the order of the day here for this uber cool 60’s throwback of shimmying lazy eyed rock ’n’ roll, a melodic myriad of hypnosis inducing hallucinogenic glazes, repetitive drone collages a la Sonic Boom and prime sliced struts - tell me now what is there not to love?'
LosingToday.com review of 'Dead Young Club'
'they do quick-step back-beating and all manner of hypenated things during 'I Got The Devil', and ironically, its a bit like a speed-soul Nick Cave shimmering darkly in black fire, so we like it'.
www.unpeeled.net review of 'Dead Young Club'
'The Lucid Dream merge Sigue Sigue Sputnik with The Jesus and Mary Chain. Turn it up full whack on your stereo and zone out to 'I Got the Devil' for 5 minutes of supreme shoegazing.'
www.tastyfanzine.org.uk review of 'Dead Young Club'
'forget about Dragon’s Den rejects Glasvegas evoking a similar spirit to Jesus and Mary Chain. This bunch, from Carlisle (can you think of any other acts from that neck of the woods? I can’t) have more than a touch of the early JAMC about them. Worth getting.'
www.soundsxp.com review of 'Dead Young Club'
'a JAMC/Ravonettes-type, taking the former's high-speed feedbackfuzz guitar but pairing it with an early-Ravonettes lightness and sense of fun which shines through the whole thing. Add basic handclappish drumbeats, spaced-out vocals with that sense of being stretched out and singing from across an epic soundscape, a descending effects-pedal bridge section and some attack-keyboards at the end, and you generally have a fantastic space-pop-fuzz number which mixes attitude with a pleasing lightness of touch. Definitely one I'll be investigating further'.
www.repeatfanzine.com review of 'Dead Young Club'
'The Lucid Dream sound like mid 90’s Primal Scream and Spacemen 3, and is none the poorer for doing so.'
www.isthismusic.com review of 'Dead Young Club
'I’m going to come right out and say that The Lucid Dream are the most exciting band we’ve got on these two discs. By exciting I don’t just mean the music, but also the potential impact that they might have on the future of music. A few months ago I was lucky enough to hear a handful of songs from this Carlisle psych-outfit that blew me away, where dirty Iggy-style fucked up rock & roll walked hand in hand with shoegaze brilliance such as we’ve got here with “The Twilight Endâ€. It’s been a long time since I heard anything as immense and atmospheric as the early Verve singles - but I’ll stick my neck out and suggest that this even surpasses that. For a few years people have been talking about the UK psych-scene breaking into the mainstream, and finally perhaps here is a band who have got all the credentials (and the songs) to tip it over the edge.'
www.daydreamgeneration.com
'This will blow your mind'
Psychedelic Velveeta!
'sounding more like they’ve stepped into a time machine in the 1960s and somehow ended up in 2008. a sparkling 5 minutes of distortion and noise proving the Lucid Dream to be something to look out for.'
Neon Buzz Magazine
'a year since we first caught The Lucid Dream's tentative early steps at Night & Day; hailing from Carlisle and barely six gigs old there was already something about them that said this band is special - and how far they have come since then. Supports with Spectrum must have had Sonic Boom wondering if he was on a particularly intense out-of-body flashback, because close your eyes and this could indeed be that early Spacemen gig. Not to say there's any plagiarism; more a feeling that they have come from the same headspace, growing up in a forgotten town with a pile of 13th Floor Elevators and Velvet Underground records and discovering the euphoria that comes from playing one chord for longer than conventional wisdom would recommend.'
Cath Aubergine, Manchester Music
'jangly psychedelia. Listeners tip of the week'
Steve Lamacq, DJ
