Lewis Watson Interview.

Lewis Watson is a singer/songwriter hailing from Oxfordshire. He's grown from strength to strength and is gaining popularity and success constantly! I did this interview for Quench a few weeks ago.

Your new EP ‘the wild’ comes out later this month, what can we expect from it compared to your last EP’s?

We tried to drip feed a bit of production in, purely because, when I started playing guitar i always wanted it to be in a band and always wanted it to sound big. We’re just sort of evolving the sound, just because thats never happened before, I’ve always been on my own. With my first EP it was purely on my own, and with my second EP we put a bit more production in, and with this one, we’re putting in a bit more. But it’s still very true to the first two EP’s. Theres one song which is recorded in one take with just me in a room with my guitar, like a harmonium. It still stays very true to the first 2 EP’s. We’ve just made the sound evolve a bit more.

There’s a cover of SBTRKT’s Hold On on your new EP, what inspired you to cover that song?

On my second EP I covered a Bombay Bicycle Club song and kind of changed it - their sound is a big bandy song and with me it’s just me and my guitar. I really like that process of changing a song and making it your own, and I wanted to do that with a song people would think i’d never cover.  I also saw them at Latitude and that song jumped out at me. Every time I heard that song after I was like yeah man, this is a really good song, and it put me back in that place. I was just jamming on it and just seemed to work. 

Your tour is coming up, and the Cardiff venue had to upgraded from Moon Club to Clwb Ifor Bach due to such high demand. that must feel pretty good...

It’s great. I’ve only ever been to Wales to write a couple of times. I’ve never really done any gigs there so I never expected the first venue to sell out. It’s a great thing to say oh I sold out my venue in Cardiff. I didn’t want it to be upgraded then only sell like 5 more tickets, and make the room look empty. But at the end of the day, I just wanted more people to listen, and more people to be there. And then it sold out again and it was just like, woah!

What’s it like being on tour?

It’s the best thing, it’s so cool. You’re in a different town every day, and I’ve never really been to many of these places, so it’s great to be in a new place with new food, or new weather. I get to be with the guys in the van and it’s loads of fun. We get to play a show every night and meet everybody. It’s a really cool, fun experience. I feel so lucky to be able to do it. It’s amazing. 

You’ve also played with some other great acts who are getting big like Lianne Le Havas, that must be fun!

Yeah that’s great, Lianne is fantastic. I’m supporting her this month at Shepards Bush. The first time I supported her it was so overwhelming, but they were really kind and it’s nice to be asked to support her again. And it’s great to be able to play Shepards Bush which fit’s like 3000 people. I won’t be headlining there for like 2 years time really!

It seems like you have some pretty big things in the pipeline such as playing Bestival, what else does the future hold for you?

I think if I can just continue to do this, I will be very happy. If in 5 years time I’m still touring, recording, writing, and developing as an artist - that’s what i’m looking for. But these things happening now are amazing, I never thought these kind of things would happen. I’ve only been playing guitar for 4 years, so to be playing Bestival with Elton John and Wu-Tang Clan this year is incredible. I never really expected this to happen. 

Lewis Watson's EP The Wild is out today (26th March).

Tall Ships gig review: 28/02/13

This was a review originally written for Quench.
Sorry it's taken so long to post, but it's still worth a read, if I do say so myself!!

With it’s small and shabby charm, and the lines of posters above the bars illustrating the likes of who have played there (such as The Killers and Radiohead), you can always expect The Fleece in Bristol to put on great gigs, and the latest band to play on the tiny stage and live up to that rep is Brighton based band Tall Ships. 

Before Tall Ships play their set, hoards of hipster-types fill the venue to sample the supports. First up is Oliver Wilde, who blend guitars and synths to create a mix of chilled out, relaxing music, and slightly more lively rocktronica. Only slightly more lively though... while the band were good at what they did, I had to admit, I felt myself getting slightly bored with their set filled with slow, melancholy songs. I was craving something more lively. I got that wish with next support Emperor Yes, who were joining the Tall Ships boys on their tour. Emperor Yes ditch the guitars in favour of synths and drums for an exciting new sound. While they definitely livened the place up, there was something about the band I wasn’t sure of. Perhaps it was the distortion on one of the players vocals or the fact I kept comparing their sound to something like a more alternative version of Owl City (who I’m really not fond of). Despite their overly electro sound not being for me, they did get the crowd pretty hyped for Tall Ships.

Tall Ships opened their set with 'T=0', and instantly the crowd went wild. Previously I didn’t think Tall Ships were much of a head banging band, but after seeing the die hard fans go crazy to 'T=0', I swiftly changed my mind. Tall Ships instantly electrified the stage, with an incredible stage presence. They played plenty of favourites from their album Everything Touching, as well as a few older tunes. They also played 'Books' live for the first time, which, being my favourite song on Everything Touching, made me extremely happy. Tall Ships are a band that prioritise the use of instrumentals over vocals to create a really engaging, math rock-esque sound which delivers live, however, on some songs the heavy use of instruments could drown out the vocals, which is a shame because the lead singer has an incredible voice. Having said that, other songs such as Ode to Ancestors were more vocal heavy on the live set, which balanced this out. 

 All of the band demonstrated incredible talent throughout and gave all that they had. By the end the bassist and the drummer looked like they were about to pass out. When they walked off the stage after 45 minutes, they swiftly came back for an encore, with lead singer Ric commenting ‘now I feel like we’re a proper band’. While the whole set was brilliant, the encore made it for me. After doing a little rendition of Angels by Robbie Williams, Ric started softly singing 'Vessels', before the rest of the band hopped back on stage to join him. The band ensured the whole crowd was clapping and singing along. Tall Ships finished on old favourite 'Hit The Floor', adding a slightly heavier sound to the mix. The bassist and keyboard player then got some drumsticks which seemed to magically appear and began playing the drums with the drummer. It’s fair to say that Tall Ships finished their set at The Fleece with a bang, having successfully delivered a set that was energetic, exciting and full of life. 

Biffy Clyro gig review: 22/03/13

First off, as you can tell I haven’t posted in a while. Unfortunately I have been quite busy lately, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t got lot’s to post. I’m going to be doing an epic load of publishing posts that need to be published in the next day or so, including a Tall Ships gig review, an album review, and an interview. But for now, I want to come on to the latest gig I went to, which was Biffy Clyro on Friday.

I’ve got a confession to make: I never used to be a big fan of biffy. 

WAIT PLEASE BEFORE YOU JUDGE ME.

I am now. it’s ok.

Until recently, I didn’t really get the whole Biffy Clyro hype. I liked Many of Horror, but the little else I’d heard, I didn’t love. Then my boyfriend got me into them, and i’m so glad he did. I fell in love with Only Revolutions and the love for the older stuff came naturally. And opposites came out and it didn’t disappoint me one bit. I’m glad I found this love because it meant that seeing them in Cardiff on Friday night was bloody awesome. Plus, City and Colour were supporting, a band I’d always wanted to see.

City and Colour came on stage in the Motorpoint Arena at about 7.15. City and Colour, a band formed by Alexisonfire lead singer Dallas Green, are acoustic, so naturally, don’t sound a lot like Biffy Clyro. While they started off ok, I have to admit, I found myself getting a bit bored. They didn’t play their best songs, in fact, they played hardly any of their older stuff. it was dry, disappointing, everything blurred in to one. I don’t think it helped that when City and Colour started, it was just Dallas Green and his guitar, but now it’s a full fledged band and a lot of that magic from the early days has gone. None-the-less, I still did not enjoy the loud football talk coming from a group of lads stood near me through the entirety of their set (see my upcoming post on gig etiquette for more on that!). 

Dallas Green/City and Colour

When City and Colour finished performing, everyone was eagerly anticipating Biffy Clyro. The entire building had filled out with people. When they eventually came on, just after half 8, I saw probably the most impressively designed stage-set I have ever seen. A curtain dropped to reveal a huge constructed tree, all branches with no leaves like the one on the Opposites album cover art, taking up the back of the stage. Simon Neil was naturally wearing no top, revealing his many tattoos and making all the girls swoon. They opened with new song ‘Different People’ followed by ‘Golden Rule’. The crowd instantly started moshing. It was a rowdy gig all the way through and by the end my light grey nikes were almost black. Biffy played plenty of older stuff which was great for the dedicated fans, and plenty off of Only Revolutions, which was awesome for people like me who saw it as their greatest album. They played a good song of heavy tunes to mosh to like 'there's no such thing as a jaggy snake', songs to feel instantly passionate about like ‘Bubbles’, and slower, sad songs like ‘Many of Horror’. They obviously played a few new songs, but without letting it rule their entire set.

They closed their main set with one of my Favourites ‘The Captain’, but then of course, did an Encore which consisted of ‘Skylight’, ‘Stingin’ Belle’ and lastly, ‘mountains’, which was a perfect song to close on. 

Biffy Clyro

All in all, it was a brilliant gig not simply in terms of the music but in terms of the stage design. I was impressed and it’s fair to say I’ve been completely converted to Biffy Clyro fandom, and I can not wait to see what they offer as a Reading festival headliner in August. 

FIDLAR album review

Originally posted in Quench Magazine.

FIDLAR’s self-titled debut album packs a punch right from the off, jumping straight in the deep end with ‘Cheap Beer’, a fast paced song which sums up FIDLAR’s raw nu-punk/thrash sound and attitude. Cheap Beer is a song I’ve been listening to pretty much on repeat for the last few months, so I hoped the other singles I hadn’t heard much of would live up to it. I didn’t need to fear. It seems to slow down a bit after the fast intro of Cheap Beer, with songs such as ‘Stoked and Broke’ and ‘Max Can’t Surf’ but while ‘Stoked and Broke’  has a slower, more drooling, sound, it still encompasses FIDLAR’s nonchalant attitude, with lyrics such as ‘I’m ditching school’ and ‘I just wanna get high’. Despite this mixture of fast and slow paced songs, the danger of FIDLAR’s distinct sound is that their songs can begin to all sound the same. This was saved however when last track ‘Cocaine’ played, finishing with soft, slow, and surprising vocals in the last 3 minutes of the song, which, despite being about cheap cocaine, sounded pretty emotional. Throughout, the album is unpretentious, unapologetic, and refreshing, with FIDLAR’s LA roots resonating within the music. 

8/10.

Gig Review: NME Awards Tour on the 17/02/13

This post was originally written for Hypewriter

The NME awards tour happens every year, and attending it is somewhat of a rite of passage for NME fans and alternative music lovers. Every year it gives a chance for NME to showcase some brilliant new, upcoming, and growing artists.And to see 4, usually fabulous, bands for only about 20 quid is a nice bargain. However I have to admit this year I was a little skeptical. While some of the acts on the bill are brilliant (Peace, Palma Violets, Miles Kane), I wasn’t sure about Django Django headlining. Django Django make some great music, however I wasn’t sure how strong they would be as a headliner. While The NME tour isn’t exactly Top of the Pops, previous headliners for the tour such as Two Door Cinema Club, The Maccabees, and once upon a time, The Killers, could be argued to be much more accessible. Despite that, I knew people who had rated them pretty well live so it would be interesting to see how they performed, and if their live set would provide something different from their recorded tracks.

Peace opened the set at 7.20, and were a nice opening act to wake up the crowd. The band walked on dressed in clothes which spoke of a retro 70’s hippy look, perfectly suited to the bands name. They played some tracks from their ‘Delicious’ EP and newer single ‘Wraith’, however they also played loads of newer songs which I can only presume will be from their upcoming album, opening and closing the set with lesser known songs. While this is expected, as they want to advertise their upcoming album on the tour, it would have been nice for their set to be opened and/or closed with songs from ‘Delicious’, rather than offering songs fans didn’t really know yet. However, they sounded pitch perfect, and their high quality sound present in their recordings was not compensated live.

Next up was Palma Violets. If Peace were the band to start the night and grab the crowds attention, Palma Violets were the band to get the crowd jumping, moshing, and singing (or shouting) along. The band walked on looking ridiculously disorganized, and a bit lost. But it worked for them. They provided a nonchalant attitude which matched their punky music. Palma Violets opened with a song which, from the reaction of the crowd, apparently only a few die-hard fans knew, offering a sample of what we can expect to hear on their new album. Palma Violets proved that they are definitely a live band. Their brash tones and deep voices were meant to be heard live. This was matched with a great stage presence, with the two singers using the space of the stage to their benefit. Half way through their set Palma Violets played ‘Best of Friends’, followed by ‘Step Up for the Cool Cats’, arguably their two most well known songs, which sufficiently got the crowd going. Finishing their set on ‘14’, Palma Violets had prepared the crowd for the rest of the night successfully. They’re a band I would definitely recommend seeing live, especially while they are still relatively small. The only way they could have been better is if they had played in a smaller venue, allowing for a more intimate experience.

The third act on was Miles Kane. Before I saw him live I thought that maybe he should of been last on the bill instead of Django Django. After seeing him live, I knew this. Miles Kane delivered the kind of performance that was worthy of finishing a show. This was evident even after only playing one song. Opening with ‘Give Up’, he had everyone singing along to the lyrics ‘you’re pretty, good looking, but i’m looking for a way out’. He induced plenty of crazy dancing, moshing and jumping. There wasn’t a single still body in the building. Miles Kane’s distinct, 90’s indie sound and look was completely unpretentious, and he protruded pure fun and talent within his set. He played a good mix of new songs and better well known songs such as ‘Inhaler’. Closing the set with ‘Come Closer’, he kept the song going for as long as possible, and totally engaged with the dedicated crowd.

Miles Kane was so good, in fact, that as soon as he and his band walked off the stage, about half, maybe even more, of the crowd walked out. Clearly, most people had only come to see Miles Kane, proving that maybe NME had got it a bit wrong with the order of their bill. Even if people hadn’t come to the gig just to see Miles Kane, it wasn’t too surprising. After such an incredible performance, I found myself questioning how anyone could top it. It was the sort of performance which you hear at the end of a gig and leave on a complete high.

Nevertheless, some dedicated Django fans stayed, and I’m sure were glad of the better view of the stage from half the crowd clearing out. Admittedly, Django Django did dispel some of my worries. Django Django had clearly made an effort with the image they protruded on stage. They were dressed uniformly, and had made use of clever visuals at the back of the stage and a great use of lighting, yet the visuals didn’t obscure the performance at all, which a lot of bands don’t manage to pull off. Django opened with Hail Bop, a safe opening choice. Django Django had a great and unique use of instrumentals,such as tambourines and maracas. There was also a greater use of synths present than in their album, which gave their live performance a more ‘dance-y’ sense. My main worry was that they’d be a bit dry live, but the use of electronics made them a good band to dance to. Django Django’s performance really grew after ‘Cairo’. There was a great mixture of synths and drum beats. The microphone had an echoed effect, giving a new dimension to the sound.

Despite Django Django being better live than I expected, they still failed as a headliner of the tour. Of course, after seeing Miles Kane, anything would be a bit of a let down, but I really found Django Django’s performance quite boring. While their electronic elements gave a ‘dance-y’ and lively feel, and while the use of instruments gave a unique live listening experience, I couldn’t get in to it at all. ‘Default’ was their high point, and a firm favourite amongst the crowd, yet after that I felt myself willing the end of their set to hurry up, which is something I’ve never felt before. All the other artists that performed are acts I would make an effort to go out of my way to see again, but as for Django Django, I can imagine enjoying them from the sidelines at a festival, when not much else is going on, but they don’t suit headlining the NME tour, especially when the supporting acts were, quite frankly, much better.

CHVRCHES

for some obscure reason I've only just HEARD CHVRCHES. considering I mostly blog about music, this is pretty shameful. I've seen all the hype on twitter and facebook and other blogs, yet I've only just bothered to type them in and listen. And I'm gonna join in with the hype and say, yeah, i like them, a lot. 
They sound a lot like a new Passion Pit, to me, apart from maybe better? Passion Pit used to be amazing but then the release of the second album marked a sharp downturn. Let's hope CHVRCHES don't end up with the same fate, dying before they've even had a chance to properly showcase all of their work and talent. 

what an amazing week for music...

Unfortunately, at the beginning of this week I was pretty ill, which prevented me from posting, but this did NOT prevent me from being excited about all the great musical news that has been happening this week...

Beyonce's tour (and her kick ass superbowl performance)
Who HASN'T been excited about this? Beyonce is an absolute goddess. Her performance at the superbowl was incredible, and now she's announced a 'Mrs. Carter tour'. While people have questioned the name of the tour (husband Jay-Z's real surname is Carter) and how it might inflict on her feminist credentials, she's still DOING A TOUR OMFG. Tickets go on sale on 23rd February and UK dates are late April - early May.

Fall Out Boy are back!
Some people refer to Fall Out Boy as a guilty pleasure. I don't understand what there is to feel guilty about. I shamelessly love Fall Out Boy and couldn't be more excited about their comeback, which brings me to...

...The Reading and Leeds Line Up Announcement!!
Yes! Fall Out Boy are on the bill, along with Foals, Jake Bugg, Bring Me The Horizon, but thats nothing really, compared to System of a Down!! I've been dying to see System of a Down live ever since I discovered them when I was 12 or 13. It will be insane. and of course, the headline announcement, Biffy Clyro. With their fifth album released, and the fact they totally deserve a headline spot, it's no surprise. I have a feeling this may be the best Reading fest yet.

Fidlar's album released!
Fidlar finally released their album, yay! I'm currently listening to it now, as I type. And so far, it's sounding pretty damn good. 

Plus...Bestival Line Up.
Ok technically this was last week, but I still think it deserves an honourable mention. Another absolutely incredible festival line up!! This summer is set to be a good one!!