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Wednesday 6 October 2010

Colour Cells

                                View All Photos | COLOUR CELLS

One band that seems to be a permanent fixture within the Ayrshire music scene now is Colour Cells. It’s hard to imagine them not being a band and part of the scene but like most bands now a day’s Colour Cells formed out of previous bands demise. They first formed when doc and gee started writing new songs together after the demise of their previous band The Kush with an instrument change from drummer to guitarist for gee and the recruitment of their old bassist from the previous band the line up was nearly complete. The only space left was for a drummer this was filled by doc’s good friend Andy from The Hunky Dorys.

        

Colour Cells take their music influences from such bands as Gomez, Tame Impala, Radiohead, The Who. The sound they produce within their music reminds listeners of a time when music was about good old rock and roll and not about how the front mans hair style looked. The guys are down to earth with their music and in their live shows which I personally have had the pleasure of putting them on twice they are interactive with the crowd and make the whole affair very casual and laid back.

Not only are Colour Cells now a solid feature within the Ayrshire music scene but they have also had the experience of playing in London in February 2009 in their biggest gig to date supporting Alabama 3 in Dirty South. An experience summed up by them in the following way;
“12 hours on coaches and subways in a blizzard. It was awesome!”


 Latest tracks by COLOUR CELLS


When asked about the bands future Doc revealed that the band are going to be focusing on

“Recording, writing, rehearsing, more gigs, back to London, just go with the flow really. No big plans for world domination. I hate to see bands get built up too soon and then they disappear. We've still got a lot of material in us. “

In regards the local music scene at the moment the band felt that
“There are some great bands and performers out there who are producing and distributing their own material to a high standard. It feels like there is a scene kicking off just now and it's a good time to be involved. Hopefully more venues next year will be the push it needs. ”


The final thoughts when talking to Colour Cells were ones of reflection, when asked what their biggest achievement was as a band since forming their answer was simple and full of honesty and gratitude to others.

“Although we've come a long way since 2008 it's still early days with the band. We can only measure our success just now by our live performances. there's definitely been more interest in us this year in particular, Wrecked Chord Records and The AMA have been really supportive and we do feel part of a new emerging Ayrshire scene. “


Colour Cells currently have only have 2 songs recorded and are working on more in order to complete their first release.


The band will also be playing the Ayrshire Music Association launch night on the 8th October along with some of Ayrshire finest artists.

The guys can be checked out on their myspace page at
http://www.myspace.com/colourcells

Their recorded tracks can be heard on their Sound Cloud page at the link below
http://www.soundcloud.com/colour-cells

Friday 20 August 2010

Unsigned Exposed Podcast

Hey Folks

Just to say the first podcast from unsigned exposed is now up and embedded below

Thursday 19 August 2010

Swin Deorin


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In recent years it seems there has been a trend surge within electronic music and its sub genres with each being very popular with the general public. Although this may be true for the masses there are still some who go under the radar one of these artists is Ayrshire’s rising talent Swin Deorin.

Swin Deorin crosses the barriers within electronic music and delves into the experimental side of the genre, “It started out as experimentation on computer programs and evolved into something else entirely”

With an impressively varied collection of influences ranging from Aphex Twin to Tom Waits and also including such artists as The Prodigy, Autechure, Bjork, the Allman Brothers, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and the Dust Brothers. Swin manages to create a unique sound which has started to become more popular with fans even having people within Mexico and as far away as Japan checking out his recent remix of Lady GaGa. He has also managed to rack up over 3000 downloads of his album “Dank Infestor” which for an unsigned act is rather impressive. Swin has managed to go global.




The thing that truly makes Swin different from others is his attitude to music. Even when there is such a debate going on about illegal music downloading and the slow collapse of the major record labels and indeed the music business itself he continues to put his music up for free to download. Swin now had a back catalogue of 10 releases so far of which more will be added in the future.

Even though he has only ever played one gig in his career he still works tirelessly at his music and has future hopes of more shows including a tour of the UK, Europe and possibly the USA. Swin has also worked with such underground artists like Endometrium Cuntplow, RedSK, Soni Jimm and many more.

Although his music may not be to everyone’s taste there is no denying that Swin has started making waves in the underground and indeed the local scene. Praise must be given for this accomplishment.


You can download all of Swin’s work at the below links
For single tracks
http://swindeorin.official.fm/
For full albums
http://www.myspace.com/swindeorin

Martin McLaughlan


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In March 2007 Ayrshire music almost lost one of their most promising and loved artist Martin McLaughlan. Thankfully with the support of his now fiancĂ©, he picked his guitar back up and gave it another go. Martin quite openly said that if it wasn’t for her then he still wouldn’t have thought about it. From this rebirth into music as it where Martin managed to play one of his best gigs in the 02 Academy in Glasgow.

With musical influence ranging from Jon McLaughlin and Newton Faulkner to Dallas Green and Eric Clapton, Martin breathes new life into acoustic music by provided it with a rocky edge which is not always seen within this genre.


When asked about what makes him unique Martin states that “I’m me, I don’t try and be anyone else and I don’t try to sound like anyone else. My style might not be unique, but the way I feel about my music is something that not a lot of musicians have.”



It is this feeling about music that does make Martin stand out from other artists within the area. His focus and passion for the music he creates and performs is outstanding, unlike most artists who want only money Martin cares deeply about his art -a bit of financial gain from it wouldn’t go a miss for him though since he now has a wedding to pay for. He believes firmly though that as long as he is still making music and has those closest to him in his life then he would be happy regardless of anything else.

Within a discussion concerning the local music scene within Ayrshire he feels that “It’s dire, the music is there, the acts are there and the commitment is there, it just needs nurtured into something we can be proud of.”

At present Martin is focusing on the upcoming recording of his eagerly awaited debut EP yet unnamed later this month (23rd of August to be exact), which is going to be recorded by his close friends from another local band The Underdog Theory.

For any future gigs and any other information concerning Martin, you can check out his pages on Facebook and MySpace of which the links are below.

www.myspace.com/martinmclaughlanuk
www.facebook.com/martinmclaughlanuk

Photography by Martin Bone Photography
http://www.facebook.com/martinbonephotography#!/martinbonephotography?v=wall

Monday 9 August 2010

Reclaimed Review on Glasgow Music

So I wrote a review a good few months back for Glasgow Music and I have now realised its been kinda put into the stored file per say so I have reclaimed it and going to put the whole thing on here below, Enjoy





THISFAMILIARSMILE - Red Wine


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Since the release of their 2008 EP "What kind of monster am I ?" Glasgow/Ayr four piece ThisFamilarSmile have been on a fast track to success.Not only have they gained a massive fan base but have toured the UK and parts of Europe playing festivals and general shows.

Their latest offering is their new single "red wine" from their new debut album "Ribbons,Regards and The More Machine" which is out later this year.

The song includes all the usual complexed melodies expected from the band with well blended vocals and the outstanding passion that seems to be in all their songs. Essentially ThisFamilarSmile are a band who put a new spin on an already saturated genre of music and have managed to keep a sense of individuality about them.

With rave reviews from publications like Rocksound the band are sure to be very successful in the future and with the release of their album later this year I can only imagine their popularity growing even more.

http://www.myspace.com/thisfamiliarsmile

Friday 9 April 2010

Review on Glasgow music

Hey guys,

Ive posted a new review on glasgowmusic.co.uk

http://www.glasgowmusic.co.uk/webTest/viewReview.php?blogId=65

Give it a wee read tell me what you think

Tuesday 6 April 2010

As Darkness Falls



If praise should be given to a band for great accomplishments in 2010 so far it should be Ayshire five piece “As Darkness Falls”.

The band was formed in February 2009 after competition of line up, by bassist David Crossley and drummer Jamie Dobbie following the demise of their previous band “Illegal Eye”. With the addition of guitarists Scott McCallum and Craig “DJ” Brown they produced 5- 6 tracks but were still without a vocalist. After a two year search and countless failed try outs, David Leggate contacted the band and after a few practice sessions was immediately offered the gig.

As uniqueness in bands go vocalist David Leggate admits that

We have our own unique sound that comes together from every individual, with a mixture of the heavy end and our melodic harmonies catchy choruses and the fact that we're not trying to be a specific style or sound.”

This unique sound comes across very strongly within each of their songs taking influence from such great metal band as Pantera and Metallica amongst other genres and bands. These influences mixed in with impressive song writing and passion for their own music results in something truly enjoyable listening.



Within the scene of unsigned bands “As Darkness Falls” are considered fairly new and yet despite this they have managed to create an impact. They have played support to such bands as Glasgow metallers “Bleed From Within”, and prog-metal band “Enochian Theory”

The bands biggest achievement this year though has to be winning the “Best Newcomer Award” at the Scottish Alternative Awards in last month. After four months of public voting they were awarded the title over such bands as Make my Day, Bronto Skylift and The Darien Venture.

Whatever the future holds for “As Darkness Falls” if this year so far is anything to go by it shall be very successful.

The band are currently recording their debut E.P. which will consist of 6-7 songs, but currently have older demos available online via MySpace.


“As Darkness Falls” are currently booked and confirmed to perform at Killiefest in Dirty Martini's on April 10th.



As Darkness Falls can be found at the following sites:

http://www.youtube.com/user/asdarknessfalls09

http://www.myspace.com/asdarknessfalls09


Tuesday 30 March 2010

Burn The Evidence




With an album already recorded and released, Brighton band Burn the Evidence are in a better position than most unsigned bands within the UK.

The band already have many past live performances under their belts, most notably their performance at the LA Pebbles Festival- an open air summer festival on the south coast near Brighton. Guitarist/vocalist Mark Fox proudly explained that;
“Our live performance is exactly that a performance. Too many bands play in a static manner, almost like background noise. If you’re not going to put on a show you might as well put on a cd.”


Guitarist/Vocalist Mark Fox and lead guitarist Rob Erskine first met while working together in a local DIY store. A common interest in all types of rock music and a love for playing guitar prompted the formation of the band. Chris Sedlmayr joined shortly after on drums and the bass position was filled by Carl Topping. The band started rehearsing in November 2007 and debuted at their first live show in early 2008.
When asked about the unsigned music scene in the UK at the moment Guitarist/Vocalist Mark Fox states;
“There are a lot of great unsigned bands out there that don’t get the radio play or media attention because of “X Factor” type programming! The music scene should be about just that (local music) Supporting local poets can be just as rewarding.”
When listening to the band’s debut album This Troubled Road it is clear that the band take influence some such bands as Foo Fighters, Therapy?, Queens of the Stone Age and Stone Temple Pilots. Their sound is different from the latest influx of indie and emo bands that have emerged in the last five years, with a raw grunge like feel to their music.
The band’s ambition is impressive after creating a decent fan base within their area they are now looking to step out and conquer the rest of England and the UK. They are definitely a band to look out for in the future.
You can catch Burn The Evidence live at the following shows:
Saturday March 27th – Crawley Community Centre, Crawley
Friday May 14th – The Providence, Brighton (TBC)
Saturday June 26th – The Years Rock Club, Littlehampton
Burn The Evidence’s debut album This Troubled Road out now on iTunes or band camp and features the single New Disease.
Check out BTE videos at



Tuesday 9 March 2010

Miss The Occupier



A mutual love of the Pixies and cider brought Glaswegian trio Miss The Occupier together and keeps them at one.

Support slots with The Grates and The Fall the led the dirty indie pranksters to the verge of the unknown as their speculative first album, Recovery Position adorns the mainstream MP3 download centres.



Citing influences from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Sleater-Kinney to Sonic Youth and Kraftwerk, the band has had a quick rise up the ranks on the Scottish unsigned scene, their fun temperament never far from centre stage.

It’s quirky, it’s bouncy fun and singer Roz Davies changes tone and lyrical tact as often as haircuts.



During a charity gig last year at permier venue, King Tuts, the trio spent the lion’s share of their slot covering Smiths songs like How Soon is Now, Frankly Mr Shankly and Bigmouth Strikes Again, catering for the drunk Morrissey fans in the crowd to rapturous applause.

A stint at the Wickerman festival and a getting a jar of home made chilli jam from music gateway guru Vic Galloway are amongst the band’s highest acheivements.

New EP, The Heart Is Deceitful (Above All Things), is out on 15th March to an already-positive response from influential music rags.

Title track Glue me to Thee has a menacing guitar line, punchy drums and a rambunctious melody line to get the kids up t’front dancing.

A couple of solid promo vids to follow – this lot are one to watch when the tide of indie tribalism remembers itself for the second coming.

This is one band bound to fly high, catch them on tour.



Myspace – http://www.myspace.com/misstheoccupier

Photos by Gav Troon and Heidi Kuisma

Tuesday 2 March 2010

From Collisions I Collapse









A typical setting, marking the foundation of a not-so-typical band.
Singer Garry Gillies and David Scott were having a drink and realised they shared similar musical influences.
After hours of consumption an agreement was reached and a band was formed in late 2007.
Never before has a brand of Screamo nodded in the direction of Spandau Ballet, but it seems to be working and record labels are knocking on the door of Glaswegian six-piece From Collisions I Collapse.

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By their own admission, originality isn’t their forte, rather their unique storytelling voice.
“We’re a heavy band but we like to write a story behind our songs, but I would say our live show makes us stand out. People pay money to come see us we’re going to make it worth their while” said guitarist David Scott
The band has already played with Swedish favourites Her Bright Skies, scenesters Exit Ten and impressive touring lot Deaf Havana.
From Collisions I Collapse is currently writing a debut album after extensive label interest in the midst of a metal takeover in the underground – a subculture which demands great industry support and grabs the game by the jaffers.
Glaswegian Screamo never looked so good
Glaswegian Screamo never looked so good
Call it metal, call it screamo but hardcore is getting prettier, sellable and cleaner. That’s not to say less sanitised – but rather like the grungy undercurrent in their tunes, the rawness is equalised with a sellable face on the packaging.
From Collisions I Collapse are currently in the Scottish finals of Live and Unsigned.


Welcome all,
Let me explain to you a bit more about Unsigned Exposed. Its a weekly feature by myself Each week a different unsigned band or artist will be interviewed and a feature will be written about them from this. This is an ideal way for unsigned bands to gain reviews and press that they may not have gotten in the past or to help them build on what press they have already have.
I hope you all enjoy the features and I am currently working on a live pod-cast containing all bands I will feature each week. This will either be monthly or every second month. Keep your your eyes peeled and your ears to the ground there are some amazing talent lined up for unsigned exposed in the future.


Jenn