Sounds of an Eccentric

Happy Easter y'all. This week's additions to the SOAE playlist come from: Hello Operator , Velvela, Purple Thread, The Pale White and Avalanche Party. FOLLOW SOUNDS OF AN ECCENTRIC FACEBOOK TWITTER INSTAGRAM

Photo by Alethea Shephard This year is flying by! Don't be a fool this April - go support your local music scene. 1st - Arcades with support from The Americas, Bad Bug, Follow the Giant at The Lending Room 2nd - La Rissa, Mutabase, Cynthias Persiscope, Work, Tom Bramfoot at Wharf Chambers 3rd -  Veda at Hyde Park Book Club 4th - Ivory Wave, Northern Comfort, The Brackets, Spearmint Tongues at The Lending Room 5th - SG Lewis at Belgrave Music Hall and Canteen 6th - Tuesday's Secret, The World Keeps, Elastic Waste, Fudge at The Lending Room 7th - Double Denim Live Presents: The Brazen and Neon Dolls Co-Headline at Key Club 8th - Myles Manley at The Carlton Club 9th - Queen Zee at The Castle 10th - This Feeling Presents: Trampolene, Himalayas, Sophie and the Giants at The Junction 11th Keyon Harrold at Brudenell Social Club 12th - Goat Girl at The Shipping Forecast 13th - Orielles at Brudenell Social Club 14th - Double Deni...

Photo by Alethea Shephard Sounds of an Eccentric is three years old! When I spontaneously wrote a review of a Little Comets gig three years ago, I never thought anyone (apart from my mam) would read it,   and to see how the blog has grown over the past few years is incredible and really humbling. I want to thank everyone who has supported me and my writing. Every band, artist, photographer, promoter, writer, or live music fan - you let me indulge in my two greatest passions in life and for that I am so grateful. In particular I'd like to thank Cath Wilcox (my darling Mama Soul and Number One fan), Jack and Carly Bowden, Shaan Sira, Ben Marcano-Olivier and all the Tranqua Lite Boys,  Russel Poad, Karl Hodge, Martina Topic, Richy Southern, Phil Mitchell, Mick Dolman, Chantel Littlewood, Arianne Jessop, Nathan Robinson, Alethea Shephard, Adam Gallagher, Cal Ruddy and all the team at Spotlight UK and Indie Central Music. You're all fabulous and have giv...

This week's Spotify playlist additions come from Glass Peaks, The Blinders, Dream Estate, The Old Pink House and Twilight Driving . Give them a listen and keep your eyes peeled for upcoming reviews and articles.  FOLLOW SOUNDS OF AN ECCENTRIC FACEBOOK TWITTER INSTAGRAM

Photo by Alethea Shephard March is nearly upon us and with so many exciting independent gigs on the horizon, it's the perfect time to discover your new favourite band. 1st March - Contagious Courageous and In The Tune Presents: Scribble Victory, Rascalton, Emaze and Cameron Sinclair-Harris at the Sitwell Tavern 2nd March - Solis Debut E.P. Launch at Leaf on Portland Street 3rd March - The Harriets at Belgrave Canteen and Music Hall 4th March - Farfisa Single Release at Aatma 5th March - Here Lies Man at the Brudenell Social Club 6th March - THE WORLD IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE & I AM NO LONGER AFRAID TO DIE at Brudenell Social Club 7th March - Deep.Sleep at the Lending Room 8th March - Spotlight Music Presents: International Women's Day Showcase At Independent 9th March -  Sauvage, Mosaic Sun & Noah Noah at Tynemouth Surfcafe 10th March - Double Denim Live Presents: Avenoir Single Launch at Key Club 11th March...

Follow our Spotify playlist - a mix-tape dedicated to promoting the best independent bands from across the UK.  Each week I'll be adding five new tracks - but for the time being here's 30 tracks to get you started.  Featuring the likes of:  Tranqua Lite , Velvoir, Glass Peaks , Naked Six , SONS , Red Rum Club , Rival Bones  and Avalanche Party - you'll never be stuck for something to listen to again.

"Rib rattling riffs with a Mancunian Kiss" - Manchester trio Carnation's latest single 'Fatal Attraction is our track of the week. The track opens with whirring synth before welcoming poignant guitar and front man Saul Parker-Backhouse lilting vocals. The  crescendo into the catchy chorus engulfs the listener with in an armada of aggressive, distorted guitar, beefy bass and suave vocals, radiating a cool, 'give no fucks' vibe. As the song progresses garish punches of synth are added, giving it a ballsy edge and complimenting the intricate counter melody riff. The band are playing a sold out show this Friday at Jimmy's in Manchester with support from Sway and Little Strange. If you didn't get tickets, you can catch them in Sheffield , Manchester , Stockton or London in the upcoming weeks. FOLLOW SOUNDS OF AN ECCENTRIC FACEBOOK TWITTER INSTAGRAM

Enigmatic art-rock group Velvoir return with their explosive single: 'Jackboot' The track opens with a frenzy of pulsing bass and aggressive guitar before welcoming front woman Verity Jasmine Bee's gritty, alluring vocals. The single has a more of a rock edge than their previous tracks, with a bigger focus on the raw, ferocious energy that makes their live sets so compelling. However, like their previous releases the lyrics are evocative and thought-provoking, resonating with an intense, twisted sermon-esque vibe. As the track concludes, Bee channels her usual theatrical flair through a belligerent belting verse before erupting into a banshee-like scream. This is reinforced by an uninhibited wave of ebullient bass, herculean guitar and punchy percussion, emitting a colossal sound. It's a track that is easy to envisage in a live setting - it radiates with a nuclear buzz. Although their recorded material is great, Velvoir are a group that you have to experi...

'Never Mind' is the debut single by Newcastle born artist Amy Marrianne. The twenty year old singer-songwriter has combined her background in musical theatre with her love of pop and folk music to create a bewitchingly mellow track. It's clear that she has been heavily influenced by French artist Bon Iver - as the single sounds like a middleman between 'Holocene' and '715 - CRΣΣKS'. The songs opens in an acapella style, delicately layering ethereal harmonies with vulnerable vocals, to create an hauntingly beautiful ambiance. Occasionally there's a glimmer of a Geordie accent tickling the vocals, which gives the track an endearing warmth and sense of character. As the song progresses, minimalist piano and flute accompanies the vocals, adding a sweet depth to the tranquil melody without compromising its gorgeous simplicity. Overall, it's a very promising debut single that highlights Amy Marrianne's ability to craft engaging and compos...

Photo by Alethea Shepherd February 2018 is an exciting time for the independent music scene, with every day hosting an exciting gig from an up-and-coming band or artist.  So forget about how you're going to declare your undying love for someone on Instagram and support your local scene. 1st February - The Seagulls at The Lending Room 2nd February - Cassia at Chapel 3rd February - Idle Ross at Verve Bar 4th February - Baby Strange at Jumpin' Jacks 5th February - HAUS at Brudenell Social Club 6th February - VUUR at The Wardrobe 7th February -Red Rum Club, Lending Room 8th February - No Teeth at The Head of Steam 9th February - Crywank at Temple of Boom 10th February - Honey Arcade at Key Club 11th February - Spring King at Brudenell Social Club 12th February - Peach Pit at Headrow House 13th February - Avalanche Party at the Polar Bear 14th February - Julien Barbagello at Hyde Park Book Club 15th February - Joe Kelly at Ver...

'$pend $ome Tim€' is the latest release from Newcastle solo artist $lick king a.k.a.: Callum Casey. Casey is renowned for composing pieces that are satires of alternative genres, creating catchy tunes that incorporate muzac themes and pairing them with farcical music videos. He has described the song as: "a bunch of 'indie cool kid' music clichés thrown together. It's a basically Chamber of Reflection by Mac DeMarco, Boredom by Tyler the Creator and Tame Impala all blended together". The track opens with a simple, twinkling synth riff, before welcoming a disco beat and mellow vocals. It's the ultimate 'chill in the bath' track. It's an easy listen with a heavy 80s influence that gives it an upbeat catchiness and an endearing warmth that'll make you want to smile and bop along. DooDle$ by $lick King FOLLOW SOUNDS OF AN ECCENTRIC FACEBOOK TWITTER INSTAGRAM

Newcastle post-indie group Static Blue return with not one, but two new singles: 'Rabbit Hole' and 'Tarra'. The two singles are due to be released on 5th December, and will be launched at their headline show at Little Buildings on December 9th. The first track 'Rabbit Hole' opens with a charmingly nostalgic guitar riff, before introducing a disco drum beat and hazy, daydream vocals, creating a post-indie and disco hybrid. It's a lot more reserved then their previous singles, which have grittier (and occasionally camp) undertones. The ambient harmonies and lilting vocals work well together to produce a really pretty tonality and the group have the solid foundations for adding an ethereal, tranquil side to their music. The track could have been elevated if the bass line was more pronounced - there's some really delicious riffs but we only get a little nibble of its flavour. Also the screaming in the final chorus is a bit distracting and spoi...

Former NME writer and veteran journalist, Gavin Martin, has teamed up with Newcastle indie group VITO on his latest single 'I want to tell you something'. Martin showcases his flair for writing through a spoken word monologue, discussing how the world and music industry has changed over the span of his lifetime. The most endearing part of the monologue is: "You kids, you don't know nothing about what really went on. You never heard King Rory sing his cowboy song, you never saw The Clash, or slept on Strummer's floor and you never heard Costello play encore after encore. You see I come from a different era, it's one that's now out of bounds because nowadays there is no Record Mirror, Melody Maker or sounds". The track is given a surge of energy through VITO's instrumental. They use simple bass lines, peppy drums and catchy guitar riffs to create a steady pulse while Martin speaks, before exploding into a gritty jam in the interlude...

'NECK DEEP' is the latest single from Newcastle's hottest indie-pop quartet 'The Old Pink House' .  Despite only forming in 2016, the group have earned themselves a strong fan base, released five singles, accumulated countless radio plays and performed at several festivals across the UK. Alluring synth teases the listener before exploding into a crashing wave of ebullient drums, bold riffs and a hearty bass line. Front man Chris Brown's vocals adopt a lilting, soft tone that balances out the loud, full bodied instrumentals. This allows the track to have a refreshing depth whilst adhering to the very trendy, delicate vocal style that's dominating the current indie scene. The track is centered around the straightforward chorus of: 'Neck deep is the something you don't want me to see', meaning it's super easy to sing and dance along to and probably will be stuck in your head for a few days. The song concludes with an effortlessl...

Newcastle rapper J Smirk has been nominated for the 'Best of British Best Unsigned Male' award at the Unsigned Music Awards. Despite only emerging on the scene a year ago, J Smirk has gone from strength to strength, building an explosive set list, accumulating radio plays and supporting  DJ Yella and   N.W.A on their 'Straight Outta Compton' tour at the O2 Academy. J Smirk said: "It's an honour to be nominated, one of the hard things about being independent is gaining that recognition we all need to push on, so it's incredible to see the credit we all deserve." The U.M.A's launched in 2012 and they strive to showcase the Best of British Talent. Past winner  Molly Smitten-Dowes  went on to represent GB at the Eurovision song contest in 2014. J Smirk has also been entered into the 'Critics Choice Award', which will be judged by You Me at Six guitarist Max Helyer, BBC Introducing radio presenter Dave Gilyeat and Louise ...

Photograph by: Ant Adams Kent based indie group Glass Peaks return with their latest single: 'Hold me Closer'. Since forming in 2016, the group have been causing a stir up and down the country, collecting countless radio plays, exploding onto the festival scene and their last single 'I'm Okay ' earned them a spot on the 'Viral Top 50' and Spotify's 'Indie List'. The track opens with an alluring guitar riff, heightened by a blanket of echoing synth, before welcoming suave vocals, engulfing the listener into an indie-pop daydream. Engaging harmonies are woven throughout the song, providing it with a gorgeous depth and full bodied, yet catchy sound. This is complimented by the well controlled vocals, which highlight how much detail has gone into the harmonies. The vocals and guitar riffs are a perfectly balanced see-saw of rhythms, bass lines and apparent technical flair, which gives the song a complexity that many catchy indie tracks ...

Kicking the night off was alt-rock trio Blesh, filling Tyne Bar with their grunge meets Mac DeMarco sound. The group enlivened the crowd with their upbeat tunes and witty banter. Unfortunately, one of front man Reece Monaghan's guitar strings snapped mid set, causing him to run around the venue to find a guitar he could borrow. However the group carried on, welcoming local legend Cameron Cutts to the stage for a freestyle rap cameo. Even with their technical difficulties, it's apparent that Blesh  are very talented musicians with a great stage presence and will undoubtedly do well in the local music scene. The main support of the night was indie rock five-piece Hazels. I've seen this group play many times and they have improved each time, delivering a more slick and polished performance. Their sound is catchy and loud enough to create a great atmosphere without compromising on interesting melodies and engaging choruses. The two tracks that really stood out was ...