More Live Event News!!

 Right, before I get totally confused with who's playing where, when, and with whom, let's get thing cleared up :-) (Don't worry, I know exactly whats going on!)

Ok, we kick things off 6 weeks today with the Launch Party at The Roadhouse in Birmingham on November 11th. With 10 fantastic acts playing, there's 4 acoustic performances and then we hit the main stage for 6 great full band perfomances.

The Line up is:
Acoustic Lounge
Tommy Graham
SoundStorm
Terry and Piet from The Universal
and King and Queen of Sorry

The Main Stage
Collider
Looca
Guns For Girls
Crooked Dawn
Zodiac N Black
and Sister Shotgun

Bands will have merch on sale, who knows, there may even be the odd BritRockArmy t-shirt available :)

The next live event is on Thursday November 29th and is being held at Scruffy Murphys. This will be a more intimate affair, but no less rocking, so prepare for your face to be melted by 4 fantastic bands!!

The event is being headlined by
THUNDER LION!!
With suport from
Faltered
Amaryllis
Severed Ties

The first event of 2013 is currently booked for Thursday January 17th back at The Roadhouse and this one is sure to blow the roof!!

This Night of Rock will be headlined by the awesome....
RESIN
With support from
Cold Stone
Stolen Empire
One Thousand Suns and
Gag Reflex

There are a total of 8 dates at the moment that are either confirmed, or very near to being confirmed. All details will be posted in the events section on the Facebook page, or on the live events tab here on the blog. Keep look out, because I've got some AWESOME bands lined up for all these dates.

The Hazy Eyed Smiles

The Hazy Eyed Smiles hail from the sunny south coast of England, Portsmouth to be exact. And it must be this sunny disposition that puts the sunshine into the own brand of melodic indie rock. There's no escaping the catchyness of their tunes. Lullaby is a great song, with a brilliantly sharp and toetapping chorus, the same goes for Redeemed.

REDEEMED by The hazy eyed smiles

The craft in ther songs comes from their obvious love of what they do, you can almost hear the enjoyment in the songs, and can then imagine them just getting down and partying on stage.

 

The band started in 2011 when vocalist Pete Lawrence and drummer Phil Thompson met up through the joinmyband.com website. He liked the melodic indie rock sound of Pete's songs and, like Dr Frankenstein, wanted to give them life. After various comings and goings guitarists and bassists in and out, the current line up and sound was decided. And its a sound, to be honest, I can't get enough of. The EP is great, 4 epic, catchy tunes, great songwriting and just some GREAT music to enjoy!!

If you haven't got the EP yet, firstly WHY?? Secondly, get it, listen to it, enjoy it, and share it with your friends, NOW!!

Lullaby by The hazy eyed smiles


The Hazy Eyed Smiles are:-
Pete Lawrence- vocals/guitar/keys
Lee Rapson- lead guitar
Dan stagg- bass
Phil Thompson- drums/percussion

BritRockArmy Q&A - Mercury Underground

This weeks Q&A is from Scottish 3 piece, Mercury Underground. Drawing influence from the likes of Deep Purple, Led Zepp, Living Colour, and Foo Fighters, this is a bunch of Glaswegians making a name for themselves in all the right places. Having played venues such as Camden Underground in London, and also the world famous King Tuts in thier home city, they've also supported acts such as Voodoo Six, Attica Rage and The Sword during their tour with Metallica.

They released the debut EP in May this year.


1 Please introduce us to the members of the band.

The main band are: D.R Webster- Vocals/Guitars/Songwriting, Bradley Smith- Bass, Robert Shearer- Drums. Recently we have also added Gavin Paterson on Keyboards under a session musician style basis.

2 What musical genre would you say you fit into best?

I think we would fit into the Classic Rock category best, we have a broad variety of influences which can take us in many directions however our main style and influences are rooted in Classic Rock music.

3 Who are your musical influences?

We have so many influences collectively that it would take forever to list, however some big influences on the band sound as a whole would be bands like Rush, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Black Country Communion, Guns N Roses, Toto, Van Halen, Foo Fighters, Living Colour, those are most important ones which come to mind and the list goes on and on from there.

4 How did you get together as a band?

I (D.R) started the band in high school many years ago, at that point going under a different name and Bradley (our bassist) joined a few months after that and has been in the band ever since, we have been through a few different drummers with our latest and newest member, Robert Shearer just joining a few months back but he has been a great fit for the band and he plays great.

5 If you could collaborate with anyone, past or present, who would it be?

Personally I would love to collaborate with Ritchie Blackmore or have worked with Tommy Bolin, both are massive influences on my guitar playing and two of my all time favourites. As a band it would be amazing to collaborate with Rush because we have always massive fans and to us they are the benchmark for where we want to be as musicians.

6 Would you rather play arena gigs, or smaller intimate gigs?

Definitely Arena gigs, playing at arena/stadium level is our ultimate goal and I'm sure every rock band would say the same thing. There is nothing wrong at all with smaller intimate gigs, they can be great but playing in arenas has to be the thing to strive for, we can only imagine what it would be like to play in front of thousands of fans who are there just to see you play and hopefully we get to experience that one day.

7 If you could play any venue in the World, where would it be?

That is a tough one but I think it would have to be the Budokan in Japan. It is such an iconic venue in music, rock music in particular, so many great bands have played and cut live albums there, it seems like you have really made it when you play the Budokan and the fact it is in Japan as well which is a dream country to play in for us. Aside from that it would have to be somewhere in America.

8 Where do you see the band in 5 years time?

We just want to make a living in music and get our music out there for people to enjoy but in all honesty hopefully in 5 years time it would be great to have a few albums under our belt, gold or platinum certified in many countries preferably haha, along with a few big tours, a large fanbase and everything else that comes with it. The business is tougher than ever these days so all of that is easier said than done but you have to shoot for that or else there is no point.

9 Signed or independent

Independent is good for established bands with strong fanbase behind them and previous success, also for creative control or for bands with a DIY ethic however in my opinion to be successful in a band of our style you have to be signed, to become more successful than the average band it calls for a lot of support from a label in areas like promotion, recording, touring etc.

10 What's been favourite gig you've played, and why?

Our last gig supporting Adrenaline Mob and Voodoo Six at King Tuts Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow. It was just a great experience all round, playing with the big names of Adrenaline Mob, some of the finest musicians to ever grace the stage, playing in front of a sold out crowd, the atmosphere was electric and we got a great response from the crowd. It felt like we were apart of something big unlike any other gig we had been part of before.

11 What has been your worst gig experience?

Our worst gig was a few years back in the early days of the band held in a hotel in Luss. We were on the bill first followed by a rave two piece who had brought a busload of their fans with them and we were caught in the middle of it all. There were people covered in blood, people pissing themselves in the hotel reception, all sorts of things going on so it wasn't the best or most well matched gig we have been apart of haha.

12 If you could cover any song, what would it be and why?

There are a lot of great songs that we would love to cover but a favourite is Kashmir by Led Zeppelin. It's such an epic and powerful song so that one would be great to play, that or Black Dog.

13 What song would you like played at your funeral?

That's a tough question, at the moment for me it would be Wild Horses by The Rolling Stones, it's just a beautiful song and is just a great and fitting piece of music in my personal opinion.

14 What song would you/did you have as your first dance at your wedding?

None of the band members are married at the moment so we haven't had any first dance songs, I think that it would have to be down to both bride and groom to decide on a song for a first dance so I don't have an answer for that one haha.

If the EP is anything to go by, there's definately great things on the horizon for Mercury Underground

EP Review - REVA - Nothing Changes Here

There's an awful lot of great bands coming out of the North West at the moment. Mutineers, The Universal, and The Sherlocks are just a few bands making a name for themselves, and also bringing the North West back into musical prominance!

The latest of this crop of bands is a bunch of likely lads from Liverpool, REVA. Another fab four piece from Merseyside. 'Nothing Changes Here' is there first EP, and if its a sign of things to come, then bring it on!! the four tracks are all crackers, easy comparisons can be made to Britpop bands of the nineties, but the truth is, they have a pretty unique sound. Catchy choruses, great guitars, and great songwriting.

We kick off with Flying. A soaring, almost anthemic start to the EP, with a great chorus, Oasis-like guitars, its a brilliant first track and it leads straight into the 2nd and slightly catchier Northwest Skies. With another supremely catchy guitar track, and chorus, its impossible to resist the fot tapping urge that takes over you. I'm gonna confess, that track 3 is my favourite. Enough is Enough, is a great song!! Great lyrics, great guitars, catchier than catchy chorus, it's an absolute stormer, as is the final track Revolution.

The whole EP is a great piece of work, 4 great tracks, from for great lads from a great musical city, who's heritage is there for all to hear.

If you've not listened to REVA before, have a listen to the EP below, and then head over to iTunes and spend some pennies on it!! You know it makes sense.

Nothing Changes Here EP by weareREVA

Reva are:-

Lewis Cromby
Luke Lawler
Jake Larsen
Calum Lauder

---

A Challenge to Bands :)

Afternoon all, hope I find you in good spirits, it is Friday after all. as you've hopefully seen, I've added a page giving details of event dates I have available, I've had contact from loads of bands asking about dates and wanting to play which is awesome, and the dates are filling up nicely.

But it's not as easy as that, as you may see, I've got an event available on December 27th, slap-bang in the middle of Christmas and New Year :) and for this gig, I wanted to have a little bit of fun! I'm putting a call out to ALL unsigned bands out there, setting you a challenge, and hoping 4 of you bands out there are up for this challenge.

I'm looking to have a raffle at the event, to raise money for the BritRockArmy charity of choice, Balls to Cancer. So if any bands wnat to donate any signed cd's, posters, t-shirts, etc that would be awesome!!

But there's an extra special challenge I want to ask for any bands up for a laugh at that time of year. Have you ver wanted to put your own spin on your favourite Christmas song? What about a rocking version of Misletoe and Wine? A punk version of Little Drummer Boy? I would love bands to come and play this gig, and put their own spin on 3-4 Christmas/Seasonal favourites! Now, come on, it's not all about credibility at Christmas, Just ask Sir Cliff, lol. It's about having a damned good time!! So, who's up for the challenge? who's gonna take part in......

The BritRockArmy 'Twixmas Special

Promethium - Welcome to The Institution

Now, I've said on twitter on more than one ocassion that, if you like your rock loud, heavy and ass kickingly good, you can't go far wrong with Promethium. Between the 5 members, they have over 70 years experience in the studio, on the road, and promoting their work. (funny, they don't look old enough! lol). The Metal Meisters from Lancaster have honed their skills and this is evident in their live shows, where they are energetic, unpredictable, and above all else entertaining!!

They formed from the break up of 5 metal bands in Lancaster, and released their first EP, Tribute to The Fallen, in 2009. This received much radio air time from underground metal stations, and was the talking point of many a reviewer. In 2011, the followed up the success of this release, with their debut album Welcome to The Institution. Which is what I find myself crunched in the middle of now, lol. I finally managed to get my grubby paws on a copy and in the time its taken me to write this so far, i've listened to it fully twice :) For heavyness, it's about my limit, for quality as Wayne and Garth would say, "I'm not worthy!" From the very start we're treated to awesomeness. With Distant Illusion, we're kind of drawn into a smooth instrumental, with a soft guitar from Dan Lovett, a smooth basline from Wayne Ward, and cool drums from Fraser. It's a fine introduction to a great album. Visions is next, the track that introduced me to Promethium. It's a frantic, emotional, almost fearful track. The vocals from Gary Mcgahon, pull you in, he sounds almost fearful of the visions the song is about. Again, it's full of great guitars, fine solo's and is still my favourite metal track for some considerable time. Meaning of Trust sounds like early Metallica with driving guitars, and a thumping drum beat. The pace then slows, into Nothing. The intensity is still there however, especially in the bitter sounding chorus, where the lyrics almost spit out like a poisonous snakes venom.



Tribute to The Fallen, is a kickass song, driving guitars, pounding drums, killer solo's, emotive lyrics, with a message. Once again, the pace is slowed for 33.1, a chance for Gaz to show the delicate side to his voice, ok so only for part of the song, but it shows what versatility he has. Filled with killer bass, kickass solo's, and again, although emotion isn't necessarily something you associate with the metal genre, there's an emotive tone to Gaz's voice. Cycle of Vengeance has a vengeful feel to it, again transmitted through the vocal performance, the same goes for the rest of the album, Trapped, The Curse, and Murder Inc, the final 2 tracks being written by Gary, himself. This is easily one of the best metal albums I've heard. Massively underated, unmentioned, unrecognised, and above all else, unfair! That Promethium haven't had some serious recognition for this work is criminal. It's a fantastic album, if you haven't got it, get it, NOW!!!

Promethium are:-
Gary McGahon - Vocals
Dan Lovett-Horn - Guitars
Rossi - Guitars/Vocals
Barry Mills - Bass
Allan Gardner - Drums

The Official BritRockArmy Launch Party Line-up

OK, so here it is. The announcement you've been waiting for. The final line-up for The BritRockArmy Launch Party on Sunday November 11th.

We're gonna kick things off by showcasing some great acoustic music. The Acoustic Session will kick proceedings off at 3:30pm and will last till 6:00pm. The great line-up will be:-


King and Queen of Sorry
The Universal (Terry Shaughnessy and Piet Koehorst)
Soundstorm
Tommy Crisis - Lead singer from Blacklist Saints

Can't wait to see these guys performing, showcasing their great talent and helping to kickstart what will be  continued showcase events for great unsigned British rock/music.

They will lead us very nicely into the evening Rock Party. starting at 6:15pm and going on until 11:00pm, these bands are gonna blow the roof off The Roadhouse in Birmingham. Some great West Midlands based bands, and some great bands from around the country, showing what British music is all about, and proving that, as always, we make the best music!! The Line-up will be:-

Looca
Collider
Guns For Girls
Crooked Dawn
Zodiac N Black
and Headlining the proceedings
Sister Shotgun

Great British music, a great West Midlands venue, a great time to come and listen to all these awesome bands and artists.

Tickets are available direct from The Roadhouse Website, they are priced at £7.00 and this is for the whole day!!

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High/Low - Forty - EP Review

This little gem of an EP is brought to us by a band from Southend, Essex, going by the name of High/Low. It's 6 tracks of brilliant guitar driven indie/rock that should have a place in everyone's record collection.

The first, and title track, and single, Forty, sets the tone for the whole EP, a tiny bit of static before the guitars and drums kick in. it sounds a little like a combination of the likes of Ash, The Charlatans, Oasis, and Nirvana all rolled into one, which may appear on paper a bit odd, but when you hear it, its a very well written and put together track, with an almost anthemic feel to it. Spy Eye continues in the same vane, pounding drums, driving guitars and a great vocal, all brilliant mixed and produced into a great song. There's a change of pace and feel to the start third track, In Flight. That is until the chorus kicks in. the vocals have an almost spiritual feel to them, with a slight psychedelic undertone to the whole track. Sunshine Recorder, Tell Me Something, and Cures, are more of the same, a great mix of guitars, great vocals, and brilliant alround performaces.

If you haven't already got yourself a copy of 'Forty', you can download it from iTunes, and also from Bandcamp.

Below are 2 great alternative versions of the title track 'Forty'

Skeleton Kid - Live at The Adam and Eve Birmingham

To say I entered The Adam and Eve with slight trepidation last night, is a bit of an understatement, lol. When you pull up outside a venue, and all you see milling around are punks with mohawks, leathers, and cans of Red Stripe, it kind of makes you wanna stay in the car, lol.

That's when I noticed, standing a few feet away from the gig goers, the tall figure of Timmy C and the blonde hair of Frankie G, singer/bassist and guitarist for Skeleton Kid. The punk rock band from Bournemouth, who had travelled all the way from the south coast to entertain an unfortunately small, but none the less enthusiastic crowd, in this back street Birmingham rock bar.

And entertain is exactly what the guys did! From the opening riff of Rock Her Bones, you were left in no doubt that these boys meant business! Timmy on bass, Frankie on guitar, Eddi J on rhythm guitar and Rusy Olli bashing hell out of the drums, blasted their way through a 30 minute set including Watch Me Bleed, a superb cover of Mötley Crue's Kickstart My Heart, brilliantly sung by Frankie G (who'd of Thunk it!!), and ended with a great performance of the track Skeleton Kid. The guys showed that no matter what size the crowd, their energy and enthusiasm is always on overdrive, with great banter between Timmy and Frankie, and the ability to decide what tracks to play, on the fly. It was great to finally get to see these guys live, the gig was originally scheduled for last month but due to an important member of their crew being ill, (ok, so their tour van was dead!), it was also great to have a chat with Tim after the gig, to say hi, grab a signed EP, and have a quick chat about the charity gig in March, and Skeleton Kids massive gigs coming up!

If you get a chance to see the boys from Bournemouth, in a town near you, take it!! You won't see many punk rock bands put on such a polished, enthusiastic, energy filled performance.

The EP, The Graveyard Deciples, is available now.

New Killer Shoes - Rocking Killer Tunes

Another great West Midlands rock band!! How many more can there possibly be? The more the merrier is what I say. You can never have too many local bands (especially when you want to put some kick ass gigs on!!)

New Killer Shoes are from Redditch in Worcestershire. Their blending of Ska overtones, with punk, grunge and indie rock has already won them an army of supporters, and caters for a multitude of music loving fans. They write their own material and are currently busying themselves on creating their first which will hopefully be launched early 2013.

They've already treated us to a sample of what is in store with a 3 track promo EP, available from their website here, http://newkillershoes.com/ It's a great little EP. The 3 tracks, Let's Go Disco, Smooth, and Love Rocket, are cracking examples of what to expect from their full length CD when it arrives. Packed with catchy guitars, and great vocals, its well worth a listen.


Let's Go Disco (2012 Promo EP) by newkillershoesband

The Mega Dudes

There are 3 words to sum up this West London based 4 piece, "they rock, LOUD!!"

They combine elements of many influences, including Guns N'Roses, Weezer, Elvis Costello, Nirvana, to create a sound that is gonna take the music world by storm.

The Megadudes by The Megadudes
 
With funky guitar riffs, driving drum beats, and great vocals The MegaDudes make music to satisfy fans of almost any rock sub-genre, be it grunge, punk, indie, etc. They write music for the masses. Imagine early Weezer/Nirvana guitar driven backing tracks with a mixture of Rivers Cuomo and Elvis Costello singing. The result is catchy, melodic rock songs that make you want to listen to them over and over again.

The MegaDudes are:-
Chris Rhodes - Vocals & Guitar
Adam Gardner - Guitar & Backing Vocals
Kyle Radbone - Bass
Tom Mitchell - Drums

BritRockArmy Q&A - Message To Venus

The latest Q&A comes from an international band that was featured a couple of weeks ago. I am both honoured and excited that they've taken time out of their busy schedule to do this.

From Miami via Puerto Rico, Message To Venus are really making a name for themselves lately. With a song featured in a new Puerto Rican horror movie and a nomination for a prestigeous Latin Rock award, the sky really could be the limit, and world domination just around the corner!

1 Please introduce us to the members of the band.

Jandre Nadal: Vocals and guitar
John Feliciano: Guitar
Edgar Ramos: Bass
JuanMa Font: Drums

2 What musical genre would you say you fit into best?

Jandre: The band is Active Rock, I'm exotic rock.

3 Who are your musical influences?

Jandre: Deftones, Led Zeppelin, Soudgarden, Bob Marley, Depeche Mode
John: Tool
Edgar: Level 42, Sting, Tears for Fears, Dream Theater, Killswitch
Engage to name a few :)

4 How did you get together as a band?

John: We've know each other for many years from playing with other
bands in the Puerto Rican local rock scene. While Edgar, JuanMa and I
were recording an album with our previous band we found ourselves
without a singer. At the same time Jandre found himself without
musicians for a project he was trying to get going. That's when
producer Leo Alvarez suggested we invited Jandre to the studio to lay
down some vocal tracks. His voice fit perfectly with the music and
we've been together ever since.

5 If you could collaborate with anyone, past or present, who would it be?

Jandre: I'd get Damian Marley, David Gilmore, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez,
The Edge, Neal Pert, and Rocco on bass.

6 Would you rather play arena gigs, or smaller intimate gigs?

Jandre: I think smaller venues are much better because of the ease of
interacting with the crowd, like theaters.
Edgar: But we'll play wherever our fans are willing to go and enjoy a
great show.

7 If you could play any venue in the World, where would it be?

Edgar: Wembley Stadium ;)
John: O2 Arena in London
Jandre: The Red Rocks Colorado, and anywhere in Japan because they
seem so welcoming and hospitable.

8 Where do you see the band in 5 years time?

John: Working hard and touring the world.
Jandre: Album going platinum and sold out tours worldwide with other
great bands.

9 Signed or independent
John: We are currently independent. Keeping our options open.

10 What's been favourite gig you've played, and why?

Edgar: I would say the Coors Light Indie Fest in Puerto Rico; it was
an amazing show and we got a true taste of our true fans. :)

11 Where's the worst venue you've played?

John: No worst venue thus far with M2V. With previous bands, the worst
venue always is the one where you get the police called up on you
because of the loud noise. LOL

12 If you could cover any song, what would it be and why?

John: We have a really cool cover of Depeche Mode's "Stripped". We
decided to do that song cause first, we love Depeche Mode's music and
second, because we wanted to cover a song that our version would sound
very different from the original because of the instrumentation.
Jandre: I'm going to try to convince the boys to do Pink Floyd's
"Comfortably Numb".

13 What song would you like played at your funeral?

Edgar: "To Smile" by M2V
John: "My Way" by Frank Sinatra
Jandre: "Wild Horses" by The Rolling Stones or "Three Little Birds" by
Bob Marley

14 What song would you/did you have as your first dance at your wedding?

Jandre: "Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman" by Bryan Adams
Edgar: "When We Dance" by Sting
John: "Sway" by Michael Bublé in a cha cha cha version.

 Well there you go, an internatioonal bands take on the world of being unsigned. Again, massive thanks to Message To Venus for taking the time to be part of BritRockArmy

Mary's Ruin - Rebuilding Rocks Foundations

The first thing that hits you when you listen to West Yorkshire's Mary Ruin, is the overwhelming thought that something has been missing from your life!

From the opening riffs of Killer, there's a feeling in the pit of your stomach, "and now my life is complete!" It's a real return to classic old school rock'n'roll music, from a band formed in April this year, from the remains of a previous band. The intro to Killer almost makes you feel like you're going to be listening to something far more indie based than you actually get. It's not until Jason Roberts' distinctive voice and driving rhythm guitar kicks in that your bought back to some serious rock. This is any hardcore headbangers dream of a track.

Killer. by MarysRuin

 The gritty, gravel-strewn tones of Jason Roberts' vocals are what someone like Joe Cocker would sound like if he sang in a rock band, with an almost soul feel to them, shown particularly in Whiskey Train. From the slow, driving guitar and harmonica intro, Whiskey Train feels like you're riding the diesel locomotive from the title. The solo's are real face melters, with 'slug' and Chris Dover on guitars, in damned fine form! It's a great rock track.

Whisky Train by MarysRuin

I'm very much looking forward to whatever future material the guys come up with. If these first two tracks are anything to go by, any 'old school' rock fan is gonna be in for an absolute treat. 

Mary's Ruin are:-
Jason Roberts - Vocals
Slug - Guitar
Chris Dover - Guitar
Darren Townes - Bass
Robert Jackson - Drums

Keep The Change - Bright Young Things

Keep The Change are a young pop/punk/rock band from the West Midlands. They've been together for just over a year, first deciding to make music in March of 2011. They write a lot of their own material and have built up a solid collection of tracks for performing at their many gigs. Since first forming, they have played more than 60 events around the West Midlands and Warks and have built up a soilid fan base.

They've released an EP of 3 great, catchy, punky tracks a la Busted/Green Day, etc that you can listen to on their Facebook page. You can also request a copy from them via email, details are also on their FB page. they're a great prospect for the furture and have already received rave reviews for their live performances, and for the EP, called Until You're Gone, including this one from Loud-Stuff.com.

They EP kicks off with probably the catchiest of the 3 tracks called Hang It Up, which is a great example of they song/music writing skills, it flows at just the pace a catchy, almost McFly/Busted style, (but better!), track should and would, the sort of thing you automatically feel your foot tapping to. The second track, Parachute, steps up the pace a notch but is also a great tune. The third, and title, track Until You're gone, allows the lads to show off their heavier side with great guitar riffs from Matt Williams, and a great vocal from Will Inns. It's a cracking first EP from this band of young 'uns, great songwriting, great music performances and three solid tracks are the result.

Give it a listen, give 'em a follow on Twitter, and give 'em a like on their Facebook page. Also look out for them playing in a town near you in the future, I've got a feeling, the UK beckons.

Keep The Change are:-

Will Inns - Vocals and bass

Matt 'Stumpy' Williams - Guitar and backing vocals

Tim Sillars - Drums

Zodiac N Black CD Giveaway

 Enter the brand new giveaway, for the chance to win one of 3 copies of Zodiac N Black's CD, The Aftermyth. simply follow the instructions below. The more entries you earn, the more chance you have of winning!!
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

BritRockArmy Launch Party - Media Invite

On Sunday November 11th, The Official BritRockArmy Launch Party takes place at The Roadhouse in Stirchley, Birmingham. It promises to be a day of great music, with both an afternoon acoustic session, followed by an evening of the greatest in unsigned British rock music.

It is not only a chance to say hello to a new promoter on the block, but also to see some awesome local and national bands.

I would like to offer the opportunity to any local or national magazines, radio stations, indie labels, pr companies, etc to attend this event.

If you would like one of the very limited spaces available on the guestlist, please get in touch via email, britrockarmy@gmail.com. This is on a strictly first come, first served basis.

Thank you, I hope to see as many of you there as possible.

Song of the Week - Escape - The bedroom Hour

It Doesn't take much to see why The Bedroom hour are fast becoming one of the hottest unsigned bands around. First they gave us Shadow Boxer, then Nocturnal and now they hit us with their new offering Escape. A much rockier outing than previous, and a chance for Stuart Drummond to really display his vocal power. It's songs like this that make great unsigned bands, like The Bedroom Hour, worth listening to.

As soon as the drum beat starts pumping, you know what you're in for, and as the beat subsides for Stuarts vocal to come in, its a momentary subsidence. It's when the chorus kicks in that Drummond's vocal power is truly shown and the track continues in the same vain.

It's a great song, again, from the guys from Hillingdon. Another one to add to the ever increasing collection of quality material being produced by this band.

And long may it continue!!


Escape by thebedroomhour

The Universal - Britrocks Best Dressed Band

"As sharp musically as they are in attire, Liverpool quartet The Universal apply timeless values of upbeat melodic British rock songwriting to a sharp-dressed 2012 model."

 It's certainly not just the dress sense that's pin sharp with these guys from Merseyside. The Universal's music is bursting with enough quality to make a Saville Row suit. Like a guitar driven mix of Paul Weller, Oasis, Ocean Colour Scene, and The Reel People, you cannot help but be impressed by the four pieces musical prowess. With  Terry Shaughnessy pulling, as well as strumming, the strings, his songwriting equals that of Mssrs Weller and Gallagher, (big boots to fill!!), and thats as well as singing and playing guitar. Is This England is almost a tribute to what the British music and other industries used to be, before the likes of X-Factor (excuse my language) became such an unfortunate influence on todays record sales. Satellites is a much slower but equally strong track. I  fact, I'd stick my neck out and say that there is not a 'weak' track that I've heard.

It's difficult to say anything else other than to stronlgy advise you check these guys out as soon as you can, like NOW!!

The Universal are:-
Terry Shaughnessy - Vocals and guitar
Piet Koehorst - Lead guitar
Gary Chambers - Bass
Dave Ormsby - Drums

Album Review - The Emily Tree - The Emily Tree

OK, so the album choice this week is a total change of pace and style from what has been covered before, but don't worry, I haven't lost the plot. Here in the land of BritRock, we like to be open to anything. Well, with the exception of One Direction, lol!!

This weeks offering, is the self titled album from the multi piece pop/folk band The Emily Tree. Over the past months, The Emily Tree have been playing some of the finest music venues in London, but not necessaruly in the same format. Some gigs may feature an acoustic trio of members, other nights they may place as a full 8 piece jazz/folk/pop band, other nights it may be something completely different. thats the great thing about there versatility. Not just in their sound, but in the fact that they can change the number of members in the band to change everything over and over again.

The album starts of with the impossibly catchy Pedestal. From the opening twang of the banjo to the final bars, it's a real toe tapper. Which in all honesty, the whole album is. It's the perfect music to listen to on a beautiful sunny day. A bit like it is as I write this, listening to the fourth track, called Skip. And that's just what the song makes you want to do, if I'd been listening to it on my iphone, I just know I'd be skipping down the road. Vocalist, Emily Matthews, has a beautifully crafted voice, that shows tenderness and emotion through the slower tracks like Millie. But then on the more up tempo songs like Harold Rithla, it's Emily's voice, as much as the acompanying track, that makes you want to tap your toes.


4 Skip by The_Emily_Tree

This is a really lovely album. As I mentioned before, it's perfect for a lazy, sunny Saturday afternoon. In the garden with a cold beer, glass of wine, or whatever your favourite tipple is. Again it begs the age old question. How on Earth are bands producing this quality of music not getting snapped up by agenices, labels, management companies, etc? It's really beyond me. The Emily Tree, along with a lot of other bands, deserve much better treatment from this industry we call music! You can download the album as a physical CD or digital download, right here. Enjoy!!

The Emily Tree are :-
Emily Matthews - Vocals & Ukulele
Mark Kennedy - Banjo
Fuzzy Brown - Guitar & Mandolin
Jon Wilson - Bass
Claire Waterhouse - Clarinet & Flute
Rich Hawking - Drums
Max Fagandini - Flugelhorn
Beth Mills - Violin & Backing Vocals
 

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Band of The Week - Sister Shotgun

This weeks Band of The Week are a band, who many of you may not know, many of you may not have heard their music, but I assure you, that wont be the case for too much longer.

Coming fresh from a performance at the Loaded festival in Kidderminster, Sister Shotgun are a female fronted rock band who have a style and a sound all of their own. Fronted by flame haired Chloe Ozwell, the band are making a name for themselves around the West Midlands with their own unique style and stage show to match. Their music takes its influences from many styles including classic rock and metal, and then twists it into something and, if rock music is supposed to be, refreshing!

Give these guys a listen, you can find 2 tracks on soundcloud where you can also download them. The future holds a very bright future for Sister Shotgun, of this I have no doubt. It certainly holds a starring role at the BritRockArmy charity gig on March 7th 2013.

Sister Shotgun are:-
Chloe ozwell - Lead Vocals
Martyn Bullock - Lead Guitar
Niall Wills - Bass Guitar
Ollie Round - Percussion

This Is Us - Hot^taches

Manchester's Hot^taches have built quite a reputation for themselves. Not only by playing music that shows off an incrdible enthusiasm and passion for what they do, but also for producing the style of music to appeal to a very wide audience, 'music for the masses' if you like. When you listen to them, you can hear influences and elements from a broad spectrum of music, from Floyd to White Stripes, to The Doors. What you get is music that truly entertains you. You can't help but tap your toes, nod your head, whatever floats your boat, but it's almost like whatever you're doing while you listen, your brain tells you to stop it, and dance!!

The first release is a funky-four-tracker called This Is Us. And Bye 'eck it certainly is. From quite possibly one of the coolest opening riffs ever, first track My My My, not only introduces to the band, but also to the sheer downright funkiness. Steve Thomas struts through the vocal, and you almost have a vision of him having a dance while he's laying the vocal down, the track has that kind of feel. it's the kind of opening track, that would make the perfect encore to a gig. The track that lifts the crowd back up again, gets them dancing, jumping, anything they feel like doing. The psychedelic opening, and guitar track on second track If You, introduces us to an, almost, darker side of the 'taches music, with an almost sinister feel to it. Dreaming, takes us right back to where we started, cool riffs, great vocal, and a track where your soul takes over and makes you dance. I defy anyone to not want to get up and dance when the track really kicks in. The final track, Real To Me, kind of mixes everything together from the preceeding 3 tracks. It's a psychedelic, funky, indie, rock infused trip to the end of the record. But again, it mnakes you want to dance, tap your toes, anything!! It just makes you want to move!

Hot^taches are:-
Steve Thomas - Vocals
Billy Walker - Guitar
Nathan Lowe - Drums
Matthew Asspery - Bass

Hottaches, This is us by Hottaches

This EP, is definately one of the best I've heard in a while, a great piece of work that the guys should be immensely proud of.

You can get hold of your FREE copy of the EP by clicking the download button on the player above :) Do it NOW!!!

International Unsigned Artists - Overworld

For this weeks International artist, we've flown in the oposite direction to previous weeks. We find our band in the land that bought us Henrik Larrsen, Ulrika Johnson, and a muppet chef!

From Sweden, we have an adrenaline fuelled roller coaster metal ride, bought to us by Overworld. They're a young band hailing from Stockholm, and formed in 2011. Although a young band, the 5 members are not that new to the music scene as they all came together from other familiar Swedish metal bands including Still Echo and Kyrielle. Since coming together they have been widely recognised for their amazing live performances and the interaction with an ever broadening fanbase.

With their debut EP released in May of this year, it took Sweden by storm, rocketing to the top of the country's iTunes chart. This happeing despite the fatc that the EP was totally self released, as the band are at this moment unsigned to a recording contract.

Now, I'm gonna be honest and say I'm not a huge fan of the 'screamer' style vocal. Having said that, Until We're Dead is a great opening track, and for fans of the genre, there is very little to be disappointed with if you listen to the whole EP. The vocals are done in a Dead By April style, so a great mix of smooth crisp vocals and the roaring harshness of the 'screamer'. but the vocals create a sound that kind of offers similarities to the afore mentioned DBA, and also, to a degree Five Finger Death Punch, yet still offers a sound that is unique to the band. The guitar work is top notch, with great solo's in amongst the tracks.

If you like your metal, loud, hard and extremely heavy, then you'll love this, as it is a great piece of work in it's genre. They deserve a much larger worldwide fanbase, as they prove with this first release that they can definatley hang with the big boys (and girls ;D).

Overworld are:-
Endigo - Vocals
Kaz - Guitar
Nikke - Guitar
Lynx - Bass
Andie - Drums

Where Are All These Bands Coming From!!??

When I started BritRockArmy, almost 6 months ago, a lot of bands were spread across a big area. London, The North West, and South West seemed to be home to most of the bands that I was coming across. Not all that surprising really, over the years, these places have given us a hell of a lot of great bands. We've obviously had the Liverpool/Manchester era's, The Beatles, Oasis, Stone Roses, Charlatans, etc. While London and the South have given us The Rolling Stones, The Who, Pink Floyd, and the entire Mod scene.

But until recently, it seems like some people, including me, forgot where the birthplace of rock/metal music is. When you think of Birmingham, a lot of people think of funny accents (sorry!!), loads of (dodgy) football teams (sorry!!), and possibly the home of chocolate, Cadbury's. (Well I do anyway :-D) True rock music fans are however guaranteed to mention 2 words when you say Birmingham. Ozzy and Osbourne. The Black Country was of course the birthplace to the real Prince of Darkness, and lead singer of the legendary Black Sabbath. Through the early days of metal, The West Midlands was like a factory for great bands.

But then, it all seemed to go a bit flat, peoples musical tastes changed, as metal bands evolved, they became more contoversial, doing more and more shocking things on stage. London became the more affluent city when it came to producing, not all, but a lot of the music people were listening. Further down the line obviously, we've had the introduction of 'talent' shows, (and I use that term very loosely!) Pop Idol, Popstars The Rivals, The X Factor, BGT, and however many other sleights on musics name you care to mention.

Well it would seem as though the tide may be turning back. whilst on my journey with BritRockArmy, I am noticing just lately, how many fantastic rock/metal bands there are in Birmingham and the West Midlands, and indie/alternative of course!! Bands like Shotgun Sister and Crooked Dawn, both booked to play for BritRockArmy in the future. The fact that nearly a third of my bands on Twitter are from Birmingham or the West Midlands says a lot for the current state of the West Mids music scene, and I for one, am very excited about what the future has in store for these great bands.

Sister Shotgun - Riots! by SisterShotgunUK

BritRockArmy Q&A - The Bedroom hour

Time for another Q&A with another great unsigned band. This time The answers are supplied by Hillingdon based alternative rock band The Bedroom Hour. They are another band that have been booked to play for BritRockArmy, playing at our Balls to Cancer benefit concert on March 7th. Here's their latest track Escape, available to listen to on Soundcloud.

Escape by thebedroomhour

1 Please introduce us to the members of the band.

Stuart Drummond -vocals

Rob Payne - guitars

Mark Dudley - keyboards

Mattia milan - bass

Ryan Pincott- drums

2 What musical genre would you say you fit into best?

We like alternative as it doesn't really put us in a box! We don't wanna say we are indie, rock, punk, blues, cos we take elements of all these genres!

3 Who are your musical influences?

Our main influences are Doves, Elbow, Boxer Rebellion, Death Cab For Cutie, Interpol, Pink Floyd, Doors although we don't sound too much like these bands

 4 How did you get together as a band?

We formed from the break up of two bands who regularly gigged together and met on the circuit! We decided to join forces to write credible music

5 If you could collaborate with anyone, past or present, who would it be?

The Beatles

Stone roses 

Boxer rebellion

3 bands we respect highly

6 Would you rather play arena gigs, or smaller intimate gigs?

 Smaller intimate gigs have always suited our sound and there is so much more of an atmosphere to bigger stages! Although we would never rule out playing an arena

7 If you could play any venue in the World, where would it be?

A headline show at Knebworth would be great also south by south west festival in Texas would be great

8 Where do you see the band in 5 years time?

In 5 years we will have sell out shows a top selling album and most important gained respect as top song writers

 9 Signed or independent

Independent for now but that could change very soon

10 What's been favourite gig you've played, and why?

 The Cavern in Liverpool was great because of the history!

Also the academy supporting the Stone Roses tribute band! These were gigs with our former bands

11 Where's the worst venue you've played?

We have enjoyed every venue we have played but we have had 1 or 2 gigs in the middle of nowhere! 1 in Ireland!

12 If you could cover any song, what would it be and why?

We spoke about covering drive all night by Roy Orbison just to be different

13 What song would you like played at your funeral?

Another one bites the dust!

14 What song would you/did you have as your first dance at your wedding?

Stu- band of horses

Rob- happy together 

Mark- day like today elbow

The Bedroom Hour headline the O2 Academy in Islington on Saturday September 22nd, on stage 9:20pm.




If you're in the area, make sure you get down there to see these guys live!!

BritRockArmy - The Story So Far

Not a music post this time I'm afraid, but the story of how this all came about and, hopefully, where it's all going.


This time 12 months ago, I was a night shift manager for a multi product retailer, working stock and deliveries from 7pm until 7am. One week before my 12 week probationary period was up, 24 hours after helping with the stock take, which I'd help sort the warehouse for, I was told I was unsuitable for the role and my contract was terminated. Now, there's a lot more to it than that, suffice to say I'd been royally shafted for no reason whatsoever. Christmas came and went, we celebrated my little boys first one as best we could and 2012 began. I continued signing on, continued looking for work, but to no avail.

Then something rather cool happened. In April this year, I started listening to some great bands, on Twitter, that I'd never heard of, Euphoria Audio being the first. I then found out that none of these bands were signed! Then more bands came along, then more, and more, and it suddenly became apparent that the wealth of unsigned talent out there was far more than a lot of people could ever imagine, and i needed to set up a new account dedicated to sharing these bands, and BritRockArmy was born. So, I shared their music around, I mentioned them, I posted videos and songs and did what I could to get these great bands heard by as many people as I could. Now I'm not claiming to be the only person doing this, there are some awesome supporters out there, too many to mention, but if they read this, they'll know who I mean.

By the time July came along, my new hobby was taking up more and more of my time. Much to the annoyance of my extremely supportive fiancee, I was constantly on my phone, tweeting about one band or another. I realised I needed more than just a twitter account to cater for the number of great u signed bands out there. So the BritRockArmy facebook page was born. Designed to be another outlet for these bands, giving them the chance to post links to their music, for fans to share their favourite unsigned bands, and for a lot more other than just mentions and tweets. So I ran with the twitter and Facebook pages, and everything was cool, but still not quite enough. There was still something missing. Eventually after a little bit of tinkering and experimenting, this blog came about and has been more popular than I could ever have imagined. Numerous requests from bands I'd not been in contact with before, emails from other new bands, asking to be featured and 2 amazingly popular international artist posts, one of which has lead to an email from the artists management company regarding interviews and reviews!!

The Show by messagetovenus

So where is all this leading? Well, let me answer that for you. The only natural progression I see for BritRockArmy is to go into the live event market. Now, obviously, I've announced the 2 gigs for March, I have a third on the cards, and hopefully a fourth on the way too :) I'm not looking to compete with anyone, I'm simply giving brilliant, unsigned bands another avenue for playing in front of a live crowd. Who in their right mind could take issue with that?

Now here's where it gets exciting. I had a meeting today with my local Chamber of Commerce about joining a scheme they operate in conjunction with Job Centre Plus. This scheme gives support to people looking at going into self employment! Yes you heard it here first, BritRockArmy is going into business!! I'm extremely excited about this as I hope all the fans and bands are. As I said to one of the bands booked for a date in March, I'm not going to promise you the Earth, just the opportunity for a lot of great bands to come and play in a city a lot have never had the chance to play. Things will hopefully get rolling now and everything will be ready to Rock N Roll quicker than you can say Hell Yeah!! I've got a meeting with a venue on Wednesday, and I'm hoping the chance will arise to have an event or 2, or 3,  this side of Christmas.

Watch this space for info as it becomes available!!