LIVE REVIEW: 36 Crazyfists at 02 Islington

IT was in the early 2000s when I discovered 36 Crazyfists. I was in a Virgin Megastore taking advantage of their 5 for £30 CD offer and needed one to fill my quota. Having heard Slit Wrist Theory, I took a punt on getting Bitterness The Star.

I then followed the band through all the following releases - some critically acclaimed, some less so, but all with enough to warrant regular revisits.

2015's Time And Trauma was perhaps their best in recent times with some absolute belters, the title track among them.

And when I heard Death Eater - the first track from last year's Lanterns - I knew I had to be in London when they came by on their European tour.

The gig at the O2 Islington saw support from US noise punk duo '68 and All Hail The Yeti. The former were strong and engaging but I got distracted by the amount of spitting they did - I guess it was to show how raw they were, but ended up seeming like they had some sort of condition. All Hail The Yeti were OK, but a bit metal by numbers.

Crazyfists, though, stepped things up a gear right from the get-go as they launched into the powerful Death Eater as their opening track.

Frontman Brock Lindow's vocals are unique and while not always hitting the mark, they carry that sense of raw and brutal emotion that endeared the band to me all those years back.

The set is long - 14 songs plus three more on the encore - and interspersed with what feels like genuine thanks from Lindow and the band for the support. He remarks that age and distance means they cannot tour to these parts as often as they'd like, but they appreciate the following nonetheless.

They play new songs like Wars To Walk Away From and Better To Burn along with oldies such as At The End Of August and Bloodwork.

They finish with the live debut of Sea And Smoke from Lanterns followed by Time And Trauma. It's safe to say the crowd are delighted and the demand for more is on.

"I thought we were going to have a beer," says Lindow as the four-piece come back out and play Eightminutesupsidedown and then cover Alice In Chains' We Die Young.

Not unexpectedly, the final song of the night is the one that brought them into many people's consciousness - Slit Wrist Theory. The emotion and power in that song has not faded as the years have passed and neither has the band. A fantastic performance.

Debut track from Jake Thomas Turnbull

SINGER-songwriter Jake Thomas Turnbull has released his debut single One More Day.

He launched the track at his first gig in London since moving to the capital from the North East.

It has already gained traction with Record Of The Day, as well as BBC Introducing Teesside and other radio stations across England and Germany.

You can listen to One More Day below and for more information on Jake visit www.jakethomasturnbull.com

Arcade Fortress Q&A

Your name: 

Gavin Connolly.

Where are you from?

London, United Kingdom.

Name of band:

Arcade Fortress.

Who is in your band?

Gavin Connolly: Vocals, guitar, colourful sock fancier.

Richard Fox: Lead guitar, artwork, Grant’s chauffer.

Bill Sim: Bass guitar, pizza acquisition.

Grant Salmon: Drums, pizza consumer, misplaced sense of entitlement.

How would you describe yourselves and your music?

Our band functions on a strict diet of beer and banter. A phenomenon we call ‘the shark tank’. No space for shrinking violets here. Underneath a veneer of general debauchery, there is a great deal of commitment that goes into creating music that we’d want to listen to ourselves. Every practice results in the beginnings of new material, as well as honing our existing set. We’ve been together since June 2015 and have around three albums worth of quality material, with more being added all the time.

Who are your main influences musically?

Musical influences across the band are varied and eclectic. We all love Foo Fighters and Biffy Clyro. I’m a Led Zeppelin fan. Richard likes Avenged Sevenfold. Bill is mildly obsessed with Metallica. Grant loves Abba and The Beatles. Varied, to say the least.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

I feel there’s space in the market for a new British rock band. We all have day jobs, but what we aspire to is to be paid to make music for a living. I realise nobody is going to hand us success on a plate, so we’re working hard to try and make that happen. It’s not enough just to have good songs these days, everything on social media has to be spot on too, so when we’re not performing, I’m usually making sure everything is kept up to date. On the music front, I try to write songs that stand the test of time, songs that I’d like to hear and buy myself. Some albums are simply timeless; I still listen to Physical Graffiti (Led Zeppelin), Dookie (Green Day) and Ten (Pearl Jam) regularly. I aspire to write albums of that calibre. My dream is to be standing on a festival stage with the crowd singing my lyrics back to me. That would be a major bucket list tick for sure.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

We’ve been lucky enough to play at some legendary venues such as The Dublin Castle (a past favourite of The Libertines & Amy Winehouse) and The Water Rats (where Bob Dylan played his first UK show, and Oasis made their London debut) but my best band moment so far was recording ‘Tinder’ at Ventura Soundhouse Studio. I was laying down one of the guitar tracks and had a moment where I realised we were creating something special. I may have had a small lump in my throat. In a very manly and rock ’n’ roll way of course.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

On stage, at The Angel in Hayes. We’d just finished playing our last song ‘Overdrive’. Grant gets really excited during that one. At the very end he launched his drum sticks into the audience. One of them split a guys head open. There was a fair amount of blood. He’d had a good night though, so he was cool with it. We bought him a beer.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

Tinder. It’s an anthem. I could imagine playing it on a festival stage.

Where can we listen to it?

Stream @ https://soundcloud.com/arcadefortressrockband/tinder

Buy @ http://arcadefortress.bandcamp.com/track/tinder

Where can we find out more about your music?

http://www.arcadefortressband.com

Strobegirl Q&A

Your name:
My name is Heather-Jane.

Where are you from?

I am from Croydon, South of London.

Name of band: 

I work under the name of Strobegirl.

Who else is in your band?

It's just me :-) I play all the instrument parts myself, but sometimes I collaborate with other artists and producers.

How would you describe yourselves and your music?

I would describe myself as eclectic and kooky! The music I am currently producing I describe as folktronica as I blend folky and electro elements together in my work. I like to take elements from different genres and mix them up.

Who are your main influences musically?

My musical influences are hugely varied and there are so many of them. I was influenced early on by folk artists then later by punk, rock and electronica. Vocal wise I have been influenced a lot by Joni Mitchell, Julianne Regan, Hope Sandoval, Siouxsie Sioux, Suzanne Vega, Tori Amos and Deborah Harry.  

Music wise I have been influenced by those people too but also Kraftwerk, Cocteau Twins, Depeche Mode, Queens of The Stone Age, Massive Attack, Sufjan Stevens, Grimes, Alt J, Little Boots, Imogen Heap, Froux Froux, The Japanese House, Foals, 1975 a big mixture.  

I am very very taken with the work Grimes has been producing lately as well as Alt J. They are two current artists that I admire a lot. Again I think I am attracted to the way they build up such emotive layers in their music. Fantastic musical soundscaping, I like that. I could talk music and musical influences all day!

What do you hope to achieve in music?

I have achieved what I set out to do which was to produce music and find an audience for it. I am happy with where I am at, I have no desire for fame or fortune etc, that's not why I do it although I wouldn't say no to a wider audience and a regular income.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

The highlight of my career was the year 2015 because so much amazing stuff came together! A track that I had written with one of my collaborators Illustrial was picked up and used on TV and on the back of that many good things have happened.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

There's been nothing that I want to forget yet, so maybe that's still to come! I'm a big believer in taking positive from a not so great situation and learning and moving forward from that point so maybe that's why nothing seems like a negative. 

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
I think it would be my current track Alice as it is the culmination of a huge musical journey and I am really happy with how I have blended the folk and electro influences in to it as well as the other diverse musical sounds I had wanted to try and blend. 

Where can we listen to it?

You can listen to it and download it from my bandcamp page and also listen to it from my soundcloud page the direct links are here :- 

https://strobegirl.bandcamp.com/

https://soundcloud.com/i-am-strobe/alice

Where can we find out more about your music?

You can find me on most of the social networking sites and my downloads are available from my bandcamp page. There is currently a 15% reduction if you buy my full discography!

https://strobegirl.bandcamp.com/

https://soundcloud.com/i-am-strobe

https://twitter.com/I_am_strobe

https://www.facebook.com/StrobegirlUK

https://www.reverbnation.com/strobegirl

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?

Just please take a listen to it. I have a large back catalogue of tracks through my collaborations with other people as well as my own material. l  do like to think there is something a little refreshing and different about the music I produce and I would love to share it with as many people as possible.  

From Apes To Angels Q&A

Your name: 

Millie Gaum.

Where are you from? 

I was born in London but raised in Brussels, returning to London with my mother when I was 13. I have lived in Sheffield since 1997. 

Name of band: 

From Apes to Angels.

Who else is in your band? 

Andrew Brassleay, who makes all our additional noises, I believe, from some kind of underground lab in a secret location.

How would you describe yourselves and your music? 

Re-imagined 80s synth pop. Like The Book of Love having raided Chvrches' studio and pinched all their best 21st-century keyboards.

Who are your main influences musically?

In terms of songwriting it has to be Everything but the Girl, The Cocteau Twins, Joni Mitchell, Bjork, Suzanne Vega, The Cure, The Smiths, Billy Bragg, The Velvet Underground and more recently The Album Leaf, M Ward and Sufjan Stevens. I'm a sucker for a sad song. In terms of musical genres I like ambient and dance music. 

Andrew is into artists such as Grimes, Purity Ring, and iamamiwhoami.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

I love that question! I still have a childish urge to be recognised and praised and I guess I would really like for my music to be heard more widely. I will always write songs because I need to to process my feelings and I guess any achievement is a by-product of that. 

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

From Apes To Angels has only just started so we hope our highlights are still to come, although we've had a few blogs say nice things about us. But in 2011 a DJ got in touch with me, having heard me online, and asked me to do some vocals for him. I recorded a song for him which he worked his magic on and the track got picked up by a label and  remixed and is still now used in sets. I love the idea of a nightclub full of people dancing to one of my songs!

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

I would like to forget that time my old band and I drove, full of excitement, all the way to a recording studio in deepest Cornwall but got the day wrong and ended up standing around for hours hoping the guy might show up. We didn't have mobile phones. We managed a call from the local pub's phone but no one was in. 

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

We've only launched two into the public domain so far! There are more to come that are currently under wraps. But I like the direction our new single Perfection is taking. It has an 80s vibe, but it also feels like a modern dance record. I love the beat. You can listen to it here: https://soundcloud.com/fromapestoangels/perfection

Where can we find out more about your music? 

https://soundcloud.com/fromapestoangels

https://www.facebook.com/fromapestoangels/

https://twitter.com/apestoangels

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?

Perfection is out now at https://fata.bandcamp.com/

You can also download our first single, Head & Heart, there for free. 

Niki Tyler Q&A

Your name:

Niki Tyler.

Where are you from?

London, UK.

Name of band:

I work under my name Niki Tyler.

How would you describe yourselves and your music?

I guess you could call my music mostly pop/ballad… but I am straying from that genre a little. I write mostly from experience which makes the songs easy to relate to and real. I'm told my songs make people cry, which makes me happy and sad all at the same time. Happy because they clearly get where I was coming from with the song - and music should reach out to the listener. And sad, because, well - the aim is not to upset people obviously. People who meet me say I come across as quite serious, maybe that serious side comes out in a lot of my songs, but really I’m not that scary – just the opposite really!

Who are your main influences musically?

I’d say I’m influenced by life. But I do admire and enjoy listening to artists like Adele, James Morrison, The Script and Ed Sheeran to name a few and also unsigned music. I do actually host a live radio show every week at EGH Radio so I’m privileged to have access to loads of amazing unsigned music and I really enjoy doing the show.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

I think ultimately it would be nice to reach a bigger audience with my music – I’d love to do a tour of the UK. I’m hoping to do a gig or two when I release my new E.P. later this year – so yeah, to do more live shows is definitely an aim for me.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

There's been a few occasions that I thought, wow, didn't think I’d ever achieve that. Releasing my album ‘All This Time’ was just amazing, I threw a big release party and we all had a great night. Being entrusted with my own live music radio show was also something I didn’t even dream of achieving. But I have to say it's the simple things that have meant just as much, like one time - when I just started out gigging and at one show I had an amazing reaction from the audience. I got pretty much mobbed.. even in the toilets! I wasn’t prepared for that haha.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

A live performance when I wasn't at my best. Think we've all had those... but it does stay in your mind. All you can do is put it down to experience and think hey - this is live, stuff happens.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

Just one? Now that’s tough. As my writing evolves it does seem to be moving in a slightly different direction so I guess we’ll go with that and I’ll say ‘Times Like These’ – the single I released last summer. You can read a review for the track right here: https://saltshake.wordpress.com/2015/06/26/niki-tyler/

Where can we listen to it?

Here is the official video for it - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nm4o-PS2qI

Where can we find out more about your music? 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nikityler1

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/NikiTylerOfficial/

Website: http://www.nikityler.co.uk/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/NikTT51

ReverbNation: https://www.reverbnation.com/nikityler

Soundcloud:  https://soundcloud.com/niki-tyler

iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/id558467235

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0097KYBF4?ie=UTF8&redirect=true

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=Niki+Tyler+All+This+Time&c=music

emusic: http://www.emusic.com/album/-/-/13583543/

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?

I don't think so, but I would like to say that reaching a wider audience is the hardest thing in this business so thank you for putting this out there.

James Clark Hangover Q&A

Your name: 

David Clark.

Where are you from? 

Born and lived most of my life in Toronto. Raised in London, Ontario.

Name of band: 

James Clark Hangover.

Who else is in your band?

In the studio it's just me with the help of my producer. Live it's Don Currell on bass and Andrew Jones on drums.

How would you describe yourselves? 

Late-Seventies rock and roll with side orders of pop and punk. 

Who are your main influences musically? 

Stones, Beatles, Neil Young, Zep, Pistols, Ramones, New York Dolls..you know, the usual suspects.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 

Universal acclaim for my songwriting skills would be great but I'm not holding my breath. Honestly all I want is to keep playing regularly and keep making records. 

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 

The highlights of my career are many. Meeting and playing with DOA over the years has to up there. Playing Webster Hall, The Continental and CBGBs all in the space of a week a good one. Jamming with Perry Ferrell at The Bovine rates.  

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 

Any time drugs or alcohol impacted performance. So that's many.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 

Black Cloud. It's rock and roll with pop melodies, a fun lyric, sexy T Rexy guitars and a beefy Keef/Johnny/Jonesy solo.

Where can we listen to it? 

https://soundcloud.com/david-clark-787291184/black-cloud

Where can we find out more about your music?

https://soundcloud.com/david-clark-787291184
https://www.facebook.com/James-Clark-Hangover-1401638326755241/
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/james-clark-hangover/id1046996971

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?

I try to write music that is fun and not too serious. The Stones in a bar having fun.

Shïppa-63 Q&A

Your name: 

My real name is Mark Hoy…

Where are you from? 

A humble Maths teacher from Kingscliff, New South Wales, Australia. But my alter-ego is…

Name of band:

Shïppa-63.

Who else is in your band?

Shïppa-63 is a solo band, rather than a solo-artist or one-man band. I want to achieve a full three-four piece rock band sound. All vocals and instruments are by me. As I am the only member, I take all the credit and criticism, so that I can share it evenly amongst the others.

How would you describe yourselves and your music? 

My music is very heavily influenced by Brit-rock/pop/punk, especially of the 80s and 90s, and some of the 00s… This could be due to the fact that I was born in Enfield, Middlesex, and have always had some kind of psychic bind with the UK…or I just love the music that I grew up with.

Who are your main influences musically? 

I would have to say bands like Radiohead, Muse, Elbow, Blur, Jesus & Mary Chain, The Cure, The Clash, The Buzzcocks, Fischer-Z etc. More recent bands, such as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Doves have also had an effect on my musical stylings. Oh, and I would have to say that my mum was a huge influence in my love of music. She was a cabaret singer in her younger days…brilliant voice.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 

Music is a passion and a therapy for me. I hope that I can covey and convert this passion and share my tracks with as many people that I can. I have always wanted to be able to perform in a band, creating my own stuff, and being able to reproduce it live would be my ultimate goal. It’s difficult when there is only one of me…but you never know.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 

Having a song selected for a compilation CD early on was one highlight, being interviewed on the radio and hearing my tracks played was another, but getting positive feedback from John Watts (Fischer-Z) for a cover I did of his track Pretty Paracetamol was pretty much up there…he is one of my musical heroes. Oh, and last week I was put on a playlist on Italian Radio with The Killers, Oasis, Supergrass, Muse, Blur and Radiohead…now that was kinda special (as you can probably tell, I’m easily pleased).

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 

I guess at this stage there haven’t been any real things I’d like to forget along by brief musical journey. It’s a learning curve, so if any glitch occurs, I take it as a lesson to be learned and move on.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 

It is difficult to say which song best represents my music, as it often depends on the mood I’m in as to which one I’d pick. But…I would say that There & Back (Again) would be the track I’d pick, as it turned out almost exactly as I had planned it (in my head…I can’t read or write music!). It’s a song about my frustration with politicians, and how they promise to take you to a better place, but you always end up back where you started. The vocals are in the style of John Watts (falsetto in places), and all instruments are played by me (as they are on all my tracks). I have only just started to learn what I can do with a guitar, so I was happy with what transpired in the recording.

Where can we listen to it? 

https://soundcloud.com/shippa-63/there-and-back-again

Where can we find out more about your music? 

You can find my tracks on:

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/shippa-63

BandCamp: http://shppa-63.bandcamp.com/album/pas-rien

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Shippa63/videos

…as well as my Social Media pages:

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/Shippa63

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Shippa63

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask? 

I am fully aware with how difficult it is to make a career out of music. I’m definitely keeping my day job, but when music is a passion, you just want to enjoy it while you can. I plan to keep making music for as long as I can, and if others enjoy it, well, so be it. If they don’t, well at least I tried (and enjoyed myself in the process). Thanks so much for asking me to join in your musical journey.

The Glass Children Q&A

Your name: 

Daniella Kleovoulou.

Where are you from?

Born in Athens, Greece but now I live in London, UK.

Name of band: 

The Glass Children.

Who else is in your band? 

David Fairweather - synths/vocals.

How would you describe yourselves and your music? 

Dark electronic pop.

Who are your main influences musically? 

The Cure, NIN, Massive Attack, The Knife, The Smiths, Portishead.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 

Short term - to play the UK festivals over the summer. Long Term - to tour the world with our music!

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 

Hearing 'Capture' on BBC Radio 6 Music earlier this year. We've both discovered great music from there so it was exciting to hear our song being played on the station.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

Being invited to play a gig in a well respected venue in London, but arriving to find the promoter had been fired and that the new sound guy couldn't work the sound board. Well we enjoyed playing our music anyway..but rather forget the experience.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 

It would have to be 'Capture' as there was a good synergy between David and I. We wrote the lyrics together and had a clear vision about the imagery and feelings we wanted to express.

Where can we listen to it?

https://soundcloud.com/the-glass-children/capture

Where can we find out more about your music? 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_GlassChildren

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theglasschildrenband

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/the-glass-children

Bandcamp: https://theglasschildrenmusic.bandcamp.com/

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask? 

You didn't ask us about what cover we'd most like to do? And our response is... we've wanted to do 'Some Velvet Morning' by Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra for a while now. We're planning to stream the cover in December so give it a listen!

Narrow Plains Q&A

Your name: 

Charlie Ferriday.

Where are you from? 

London, UK.

Name of band: 

Narrow Plains.

Who else is in your band? 

Stuart and Roger Connick.

How would you describe yourselves and your music? 

We are a trio and normally call our sound “acoustic indie”. We write and record our own, original songs that are acoustic-based but owe a lot to the indie tradition.

Who are your main influences musically? 

Many and varied but particularly Goo Goo Dolls, Ben Howard, Bon Iver, Mumford, Newton Faulkener.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 

Write and record the best songs that we can and share them with as many like-minded people as possible.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 

Winning “Hard Rock Rising” at Hard Rock Café in London. Tough competition with a lot of great acts competing.

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 

Losing my voice when half way through a set – tried to get the crowd to sing along instead but it really didn’t work out too well!

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 

Probably “So Rewind” – it’s a very popular song live and was one of the first songs that we all wrote together. It was a more ambitious song as it changes tempo, includes a samba beat and features some vocal harmonies.

Where can we listen to it? 

On most music media but here’s a link to Soundcloud: 

https://soundcloud.com/narrowplains/so-rewind-1

Where can we find out more about your music?

www.narrowplains.com

www.facebook.com/narrowplains

www.twitter.com/narrowplains

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/somewhere-in-between-ep/id504921976?ign-mpt=uo%3D4

http://www.youtube.com/user/narrowplains  

http://www.reverbnation.com/narrowplains

http://soundcloud.com/narrowplains

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?

We have a new album coming out on January 22nd 2016 – it will feature 12 of our own compositions and is being released through Smart Indie.

Symon Withay Q&A

Your name: 
Symon Withay.

Where are you from? 
South East London.

Name of band:  
Symon Withay.

How would you describe yourselves? 
Soul, country, blues and folk.

Who are your main influences musically? 
Eric Clapton and Andre Segovia in terms of Guitar playing and Al Green for his vocal phrasing.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 
I hope that my music is relatable, to keep writing and creating songs.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 
My highlight has been meeting David Hockman who I am now signed with. He understands where I am coming from and has vast experience in the industry having signed artists and bands such as Sir Elton John and ABBA.

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 
Cleaning my glasses on a packed train with what I thought was a lens cleaner that turn out to be a condom... not a good look.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 

Cherry Tree is my single which shows my light country side... with more songs to come that will show a very different aspect...

Where can we listen to it?  
Via my webpage www.symonwithay.com

Where can we find out more about your music?  
All my links to Facebook and Twitter etc can be found on www.symonwithay.com