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DEMO'S/EP'S/ALBUM REVIEWS
Demo Review
APE
Not long ago I was set with a challenge of naming musical influences and big names from Cornwall - CORNWALL!! Of all places I ask you!! Well if i can eck this out a while I may have a name that being APE!
APE are a four piece band hailing from St Austell in Cornwall, nice bunch of lads who sent an almost apologetic note with the album explaining they had produced it themselves - why be sorry!! It adds to the raw appeal of the sound.
Sounding very post grunge with a heavy tinge of Nirvana and Sound Garden in their musical sound with very Cornellesque vocals at times, we have an album of nine tracks with some well written material and great musical competence which I'm sure will only grow overtime.
With varying sounds and paces in music from the big bouncing "in the bin" to the mellower "Comfortable chair" with a meandouring verse that bursts into life with a bigger brash chorus, the guys prove themselves to be at ease playing different paces and using variation.
Overall if i heard this as a debut from The foo fighters, Alice In Chains or SoundGarden I would have been suitably impressed would have seen it is as an instant sucess, yes these guys are accomplished musicians with great song writing ability that will hopefully stand them in good stead in their future careers. check out their page at www.myspace.com/jayall
Hopefully we'll get to see these guys out on the road soon.
Andy ~ UK Rox magazine
Mars Bonfire.
When I think of the current crop of British bluesy rock bands around I think of Rattlesnake Remedy, Sweet Seduction and Crimes of Passion. Now, I think there's another to add to the list - Mars Bonfire.
This EP from Mars Bonfire is full of blues raw sound with all the riffs of an early Aerosmith or even the mighty Zep with a pounding rythm section and the big lungs to compliment the music.
The Blues Rock scene is healthy in the UK right now and Mars Bonfire could be adding more life to it, I hope there live performances are as big,musically tight and as full of energy as this recording if so I can't wait to catch the guys live!!
See the light is a big rauchous anthem that could become a future signature number for the band in years to come.
second rack "you find you" has a Reef Glow quality about it with a softer riff but still with those big vocal sounds that just reminded me of Gary Stringer at times only complete maybe the track could have wound downa little sooner but all the same a great tune.
Track 3 "here nor there" Is another big balls out tune with a catchy riff that'll have all you air guitar maestro's pounding your leg and again Martin Martyn's vocals pay tribute to some of the biggest voices in hard rock fantastic sound full of angst and boy he means it!!
Of all the demo's and EP's I've heard in the last 12-18 months this in my opinion is one of the most complete and professional ones I've heard and with all the demo's I've heard that says alot!! After all this is very high on my play list right now I'm loving it!
Catch them live around the midlands soon they have a comprehensive list of dates on their myspace page - Nice one guys
George Agan
George Agan is a Manchester based singer songwriter - with so much more to offer!! These are more than just songs they are potential classic tunes from a potentially great debut album that he will hopefully get the opportunity to do sooner rather than later!
"Its my way" opens with a simple but gritty guitar riff that sets a tempo strongly influenced by bands such as Oasis, Inspiral carpets and Shed 7 however accidental that is but it creates a great sound and one I like.
Running for your time demonstrates a more melodic side of george but you can still hear that Mancurian influence in there.
Third and final track on the demo "Get off your Feet" tells you to do just that its big, its brash, it crashing through your sound system and if you like your big rock n roll tunes this is for you.
George Agan has a big future judging on this offering and we for one will be looking out for him in the future...
Check out George's website on www.georgeagan.com or myspace page www.myspace.com/georgeagan
Andy ~ Uk Rox Magazine
The Brascoes - Tina do the splits
For Wolverhampton's The Brascoes they are arriving at a perfect time, when the British music scene is saturated with a brand of Indie Rock from the likes of the Arctic Monkeys, The View and the Pigeon Detectives that their sound lends itself to perfectly.
So if you're into any of the above you will quite honestly love this Demo which with a no frills bouncy sound gives you three offerings from a band growing in stature and fanbase in the local area.
Overall this is a more than worthy offering that could potentially bring interest from industry bosses and once their live performance is taken in and the following they have taken into account they are a good safe bet for commercial success!!! Well done lads!! Look forward to hearing more soon.
Andy.
Major Artist Review.
Dark Passion Play - Nightwish
Spinefarm records.
For our first major recording artist review I've chosen Finnish Symphonic metal gods Nightwish and their latest offering of Dark passion Play.
Sporting new vocalist, Anette Olzon, Nightwish offer us something that is more accessible than some previous efforts that said they lose none of the passion and desire with the loss of Tarja Turunen on vocals, In fact, what the line-up change does is give the major songwriting influence of Toumas Holopainen and new imputeus to write some of the most amazingly crafted work you'll ever hear.
Opening track "The poet and penduleum" is a fourteen minute monster, rock opera that takes you through every emotion before leaving you by the wayside begging for more. The orchestral arrangement is something that the late great Michael Camen would have begged at the opportunity to work on, in fact the whole influence of the orchestral set up, makes for the atmosphere and compliments the powerful metal sound all the way through the album. It has been said many times that Heavy metal and Orchestral music go hand in hand listen to this and you'll be convinced this is true!
Other highlights are the sheer power and Metallica sounding "Master Passion greed" your jaw will ache after dropping s far after listening to the sheer ferosity of this track. Eva on the contrary is a beautifully crafted ballad that is a complete change and a welcome break from the power proceeding it so to is closing ballad "Meadows of Heaven". "Sahara" is also a big pwerful number that takes you again on an epic emotional ride that again is complimented perfectly by the big orchestral sound.
Overall this is one of the most complete, powerful and yet beautiful pieces of work I have heard. it will be a long long time before I take this from my CD player which is leaving me with an appetite for more when they tour spring '08. Now how to they recreate that big sound live - we'll see. 9/10!
MUSIC CITY
New Manchester
Written by David George
There are very few cities across the world that can claim to be such an integral part of the history of modern music like Manchester can. From the now legendary scream of John Lydon at the Manchester Free Trade Hall on the 4th June 1976 through the birth of British Punk Music, to the great bands that came through Factory Records. From the opening of The Hacienda to the historic Knebworth gigs Oasis performed at in front of 250,000 people.
Tony Wilson once said that from the moment of the Sex Pistols gig to the time when Oasis ‘took too many drugs’ Manchester was the central musical city in the world. While other cities undoubtedly have their periods of success such as Liverpool’s ‘Merseybeat’ era. No other
can claim to be at front of British music across the decades like Manchester can.
However it is not the already established history of Manchester that I am discussing. The NME once wrote that a current visit to Manchester is enough to “make you want to burn your copy of Definitely Maybe†because the city is so obviously living in the past.
I have been around the Manchester music scene for over 4 years now regularly travelling to gigs. There are the traditional Manchester venues such as the Night n Day Café situated on Oldham Street to The Roadhouse on Newton Street that between them over the years have been host to some of the greatest up and coming bands in this country. However there are also venues such as The Dry Bar and Jabez Clegg to name but a few that offer quality music night across many genres. There are also the 3 Manchester Academies, The Manchester Evening News Arena for more established bands playing to stadium sized crowds. As-well as the
Manchester Apollo, which many believe to be the spiritual home of Manchester music as it has seen so many of the world’s greatest acts over it’s history.
One of the great things about this city is its size. Unlike London, Manchester is a city that you can cross within twenty minutes. This means that any new band/musician can become part of the Manchester scene, while in London it can make a band almost feel dwarfed by the sheer scale of becoming part of the scene. In Manchester there is that closeness, an energy that makes people believe anything is possible.
So Manchester is not only a city with a great musical past but also a diverse and constantly changing modern music scene. The current ‘hotspot’ in town is a new music venue called ‘The Aftershow.’ The night is held at Manchester traditionally dance venue called Sankeys. However every Thursday the venue gets transformed into ‘The Aftershow’ a showcase for everything Manchester has to offer in new music. Danny McNamara (lead singer of Embrace) set up the night and since its launch on the 13th September 2007 it has been host to ‘The Magic Number, Badly Drawn Boy, The Ting Tings and The Sunshine Underground.’ I went to go and see Badly Drawn Boy play there and it was one of the best gigs I have ever been to. Outside venues such as the Manchester Evening News Arena and Academies it is rare that you see so many people who are at a venue purely for the love of new music. The place was full and it had a great atmosphere about it, it is a must for anyone with a passion for great music and an example of even post Hacienda Manchester can create nights that will stick in your memory forever.
It can be argued that Manchester does have such a huge history that can sometimes seem to overshadow the music scene. However as soon as you arrive at the city there is such energy around the venues and the scene that the city. I would recommend everyone should visit the city and enjoy some of the great music because the scene is always on the brink of a New Manchester era.
