BOUT THIS BLOG

Hey.

I feel like I need to collect my thoughts on things that happened recently, so I'm doing it through here. It's craving an update anyway. I started writing on this two months ago to try and motivate myself through unemployment and gain some more skills whilst doing something I love. I really enjoy writing and it was good to sharpen up my skills, teaching myself the ropes of critically reviewing music, as well as giving me a chance to practice Press Releases and other useful things (as boring as press releases sound, a good one goes a long way - more on that in a bit).

LIVE REVIEW - Colour Me Wednesday / Perkie / James Choice & The Bad Decisions / Milk Crimes / Exit Earth @ Wharf Chambers, 01/04/2016

Since the Cockpit last shut its doors in 2014, multiple venues in Leeds have popped up, rushing to fill the void and offer their own take on how to represent the local scene. With The Key Club snapping up most pop-punk acts, and Temple of Boom grabbing most touring hardcore bands, it’s up to Wharf Chambers to be the heart of the DIY-punk scene in Leeds. Tonight, as the latest in Wharf Chamber’s Scene Better Days series of gigs, two tour packages come together for a snapshot of the UK’s vibrant DIY scene. Whilst Perkie and James Choice & The Bad Decisions are two weeks into a three week tour across mainland Europe and the UK, Colour Me Wednesday and Milk Crimes are just ramping up on the second date of their tour.

Narrowed - On To Something Else

My review for Narrowed's debut album On To Something Else is up on Independent Music News. It's an interesting introduction to the band; they're clearly still trying to find their feet and need to iron out a few creases but it has a couple of moments of genius, and this band are definitely one to watch.

http://independentmusicnews.com/review-narrowed-on-to-something-else/

Modern Tribes - Pam Beesly (Official Video)

Music video for Modern Tribes - I did some PR work for them. Happy to see this video, the song is ace!

One Month (Pretty Much!) Update

Hey! I've been doing this on and off for a month, really intensively at first and now it's cooled off a little bit, but I just wanted to pause and reflect on it. Even though it's only been a month, involving myself in music in this way has been really busy and great, and has definitely helped me feel a lot better about my current situation (which is getting better as well!)

I've not done a review for the blog in a while because I've been writing articles for Independent Music News - I've already posted some of the links up on here and will keep on doing so! But it's also because I have to job search for around 35 hours a week, so it is hard balancing what is essentially full-time commitments on top of this. Although writing for this is also kind of useful in building a portfolio and resume for a potential job, so I guess it counts as work and I'm just getting a bit swamped? Ahahahaha. I'm also going to start working on Punktastic's helpdesk for a few hours next week so I'm dead excited bout this.

I managed to use the work I've done on here and for other websites as a way to get myself some work experience at a local music PR firm called ilikepress. They work with a load of my favourite international bands - like ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Opeth, Tesseract, MONO and Sikth - as well as some local Leeds bands like Hawk Eyes and Blacklisters. I'm going to be working there for a few days a week starting next week and it's exciting; even though I'm sure I'll just be doing basic stuff at first, I've got the opportunity to knuckle down and prove myself in a field that I love.

I need to source some more reviews but it's difficult to find the time for it; I have a few more queued up but I need to slow down the rate I review them. I might also add live reviews in, as I have a few gigs queued up which I'm excited about. On top of that, I also have a band that I need to work on, as I've neglected it for the last few weeks. Playing music live is my passion and I've not gigged in a while due to stress and anxiety, so I want to work on that and get this unit up and running ASAP. Yeah!

So thanks for anyone who's read this blog in the last few weeks, it's exciting and I wanna keep it going, probably just at a better pace. See ya on the flipside.

Harrison Rimmer - C

The next time someone asks me life in York is like, I'm gonna tell them to go check out Harrison Rimmer. He's been kicking about in the vibrant York singer/songwriter scene for a few years now. C is his third EP, and was recorded piecemeal over the course of 2015, with Rimmer playing all the instruments on it. And, surprisingly for an artist located in a small town in the North of England, it comes across sounding like it was birthed in the heartland of America, soaring acoustic guitars, organs and driving rhythms. But I guess it exposes the contradictions of my hometown pretty nicely; it's a city with no high rises, where you can slip down a side street and be mistaken for falling into the sixteenth century, or walk for an hour in one direction and find yourself in the countryside by accident. It feels like an outpost in the middle of the Moors and Dales, so I guess that's where the small-town Americana feel comes from, as well as the inner city angst that Rimmer captures perfectly in his distinct voice. It's the perfect backdrop for this EP. So let's dive in eh?

Modern Tribes - Music Video Press Release

[Upcoming Press Release for a band called Modern Tribes. They're really cool, sounding like a cross between Touché Amoré, Boston Manor, Crywank and some really heavy Brand New influences coming through. Their music video is coming out really soon, and their EP is coming out soon after it. I've had the pleasure of listening to it a few times, and it's incredible, so expect a glowing review of that a little nearer to when it comes out] 

WATCH MODERN TRIBES NEW VIDEO FOR PAM BEESLY - PREORDER THE EP "EVERYTHING IS DYING AND I WILL PROBABLY DIE SOON TOO"

Ahead of their loud, snarling and sincere second EP Everything Is Dying And I Will Probably Die Soon Too, Oswestry punks Modern Tribes prove that they're a force to be reckoned with on their new music video for lead single Pam Beesly. Mixing the melodic anthems of Brand New with slacker-style grunge, pounding surf-rock toms and howling vocals, it's a slab of steaming fuzz and high gain lead guitar, with Eric Evan's lovesick lyrics giving the song an air of desperate drive.
Modern Tribes are also currently taking pre-orders for a limited first run of CDs for "Everything Is Dying..." with limited edition artwork on their merch page at http://moderntribes.bigcartel.com

Modern Tribes formed in January of 2015. Since then, they have shared stages with Muskets, ho99o9 and Riggots, have played across the UK and Europe, and have released their debut EP You Do Drugs, which won Musically Fresh's EP of the year award for 2015. The band successfully fuse their love of 00s punk like Brand New, the Gaslight Anthem and Frank Turner with the more modern punk and indie stylings of The Front Bottoms, The Menzingers and Joyce Manor. On Everything Is Dying And I Will Probably Die Soon Too, Modern Tribes are staking a claim for their rightful place at the forefront of the UK's punk scene.

Get in touch with the band through Eric, at erikevans1994@gmail.com. You can check the band out on their Facebook and follow them on Instagram and twitter on the links below.

Website: https://moderntribes1.bandcamp.com/releases

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ModernTribesUK 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/moderntribes

Instagram: https://instagram.com/modern_tribes/