the empty seven

Posts Tagged ‘the empty seven’

crowne, the empty seven, the light streams

Asylum at Live Lounge, May 15th 2009

In asylum, bands, jersey, leeds, live lounge, music on May 15, 2009 at 08:37

Rivers of radiance

The Light Streams are Jack Simpson (guitar and vocals), Ryan Mulhern (bass and vocals), and Jimmy Milne (drums and vocals). They are coming to Jersey from Leeds, home of Leeds United and the Henry Moore Institute, as well as many other great things.

Until recently they were known as Rivers. The songs of Rivers reveal a stunning depth of feeling and joyful approach to melodic invention. Their work with Leeds-based label SoundPeople is noted for its quality and credibility.

A change of name for a new year, and The Light Streams continue to forge a unique path through the British pop landscape. New songs from the EP see them exploring even more thoroughly the authenticity and soulfulness of timeless pop and rock forms.

Their new release, The Lost EP, will be released in June. It was recorded with Andy Hawkins, notable Leeds-based musician and producer of the Pigeon Detectives, Matchbook Romance, and Kaiser Chiefs, among many others.

The Light Streams are a three-piece rock band whose sound is informed by many musical influences, with the classic pop of Beatles and The Byrds well to the fore and mixed ingeniously with sonic experimentalism. A lean, efficient musical prospect on stage as well as in the studio, their songs from Lost EP demonstrate a mastery of the art of the intelligent pop song – groovy, arty (but not arch), and richly orchestrated.

They’ve recently played a handful of well-received shows, and have a few small festivals booked and some dates in Europe planned for later this year.

Crowne are Rory Thun (guitar and vocals), Marcin Lach (drums), Mirek Lenart (bass), and James Underwood (guitar and vocals).

Crowne have been finding artistic inspiration from Germany, Poland and just about everywhere in Europe. They say you could describe their music as being commercial radio music, and the recordings they have produced to date certainly have the sheen and impact one would expect to find in the kinds of anthemic showstoppers that routinely ride high in the European charts. They prefer to think of what they do as four guys showing life as they see it through music.

The Empty Seven are Shane (guitar), Kerry (vocals), Dan (bass and vocals), Stewart (drums), Rhodri (guitar), and Elmo (turtle). This year they have played at Club 72, Terminology and Asylum, and in all cases audiences have been impressed by the kinetic muscularity of the grooves, the wonderful hook-rich nature of the band’s arrangements, and the beautiful voice of vocalist Kerry.

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banquet, blackstats, the empty seven

Asylum at Live Lounge, March 20th 2009

In asylum, bands, jersey, live lounge, music on March 20, 2009 at 04:23

A feast for the ears - Poster designed by Chris Mousdale

Banquet are Brett Muldoon (vocals, guitar and dancing), Chris Mousdale (guitar, synths, loops and vocals), Paul Holt (drums, percussion and vocals), and Scott Kean (bass and aahs).

Banquet made a huge impression last year with a series of shows that showcased a highly original sound, with strong songwriting and singing, and audacious live use of computers and synths with guitars, bass and drums. They are currently rehearsing and recording with newly recruited bassist Scott, and putting works-in-progress on their MySpace page as appetisers for this Asylum show which will be their first one of the year, and a comeback that is very keenly anticipated by their fans.

BlackStats are Nick Caunce (guitar and vocals), Paul Vibert (guitar and vocals), Aaron Brown (bass), and Leon Bouhaire (drums).

A band with a very high profile in the Channel Islands, and further afield, BlackStats have been very busy lately. They recorded a set of new songs late last year. After performing at an Asylum event at Live Lounge in November they were the subject of a very positive review in Jersey’s newest, and best, free newspaper, The Isle. Their music was featured on the website of Zvex.com as an endorsement of the company’s ‘Fuzz Factory’ guitar pedal. They have been invited to officially endorse the amps of one of the coolest amp manufacturers in the world, 65 Amps, and most recently they beat a host of local bands to the prize of supporting The Bootleg Beatles at the tribute masters’ Jersey show on 25th April.

The Empty Seven are Rhodri (guitar), Shane (guitar), Dan (bass and guitar) and Stewart (drums) and Kerry (vocals).

An important part of the Asylum project is to present new bands to a growing audience that is pleasingly up for being challenged and experiencing fresh musical ideas. The excellently named Empty Seven have been working together since summer 2008. Their songs seem to hark back to the psychedelic folk heyday of Arthur Lee’s Love, with pop and funk influences in the mix too. They are taking part in the Battle of the Bands events this year, and are welcomed with open arms into the Asylum fold.