Single Review - Serinette / Routine of the Week

Written by Adam Gallagher

Serinette, a 5 piece pop band from Middlesbrough have hit the nail right on the head with this song, 'Routine of the Week'.

Not only does it start with opening bars that are truly unique, so unique in fact, you're able to identify it within the first few seconds of playing. Serinette have made sure that it is also layered with a sound that you'll find yourself tapping your foot with a certain swagger.

It only gets better from there. You've got a sound that will wet anyones appetite, throw in the additional vocals, which are provided by lead singer Louise Radford, you've certainly got a song that not only is music to your ears but it also dips into both genres of Pop and Indie. They've been able to find a tempo that is high through the entirety of the song. What doesn't go a miss either, is from start to finish, you can sense the effort that Serinette have put into this single. The hard work that the band have put into this track, is the main reason as to why we love this track so much. It is a track that establishes Serinette not only as one of the best bands to be produced from Middlesbrough, but also the pop masters of the mighty town. Who knows if they keep producing material such as 'Routine of the Week', then there is no doubt in my mind that Serinette can go on to bigger and better things.

'Routine of the Week'

Single Review - Idle Violets / Gunslinger

Written by Hannah Pebbles

I pressed play and as soon as that guitar kicked in, who did I think of? The Black Keys. Brilliant. That’s a pretty good start, right? And the vocals by lead singer Joel Clayton contributed to also sounding like Queens of the Stone Age. Another good (great) place to be! When I checked their Facebook page
(https://www.facebook.com/idleviolets.band?fref=ts) it seems that I am not the only one who likened them to these bands.

The trio based in Middlesbrough have made a lot of noise over the internet, and enough to hold my interest in the band. Clayton’s gritty and rough vocals throughout Gunslinger soars over the electrifying riffs from his guitar, whilst Richard Federkiel’s bass accompanies it beautifully, holding the rhythm throughout the song.

The song is split into 3 distinct sections making for a dramatic and emotional song, to which each section is sublime, taking you on a musical journey.

The song that the trio have produced is a song which requires your loudest volume and will sound great as you are driving (which is exactly where I will be playing it). A song of this caliber would hold up to the standards of a large arena – filling the room in its entirety. ‘Gunslinger’ had my foot tapping the whole time and the guitar riffs with grunginess makes the whole song a winner.
The single was released on the 19th of September, which is a release from their new EP due out October 29th.

Watch the video for their track Gunslinger here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pvj-Vk-4fs8&feature=youtu.be

Single Review - Lord Swans / Tracks

Written by Nathan Douthwaite

Lord Swans, a solo artist who has had recognition from BBC Introducing and BBC Radio 6.

His real name, Matthew Bulmer, has a backing band of three other members. The group have been compared to bands such as Biffy Clyro and Pulled Apart by Horses.

However on his newest track taken from their debut EP “Tracks” and titled the same, Lord Swans brings a fresher sound.
The indie pop ballad is a build-up of synths and instruments that burst into a massive pop chorus.
There is an underlying rock guitar that sits playing its powerful riff throughout the song.

Bulmer’s vocals resonate that of Bastille, sitting well over the backing music to the track.
Towards the end, the song explodes into its final chorus with Bulmer chanting his well worked lyrics.

The sparkly synths and big riff come to a climatic close with a simple cut off.
“Tracks” sets any Lord Swans fan up in excitement for the release of his debut EP.

Gig Review - The Sherlocks, First Family & Davey Bandman / Shine Like A Star 12th Birthday (KU Bar)

Written by Adam Gallagher

Photo by Phil Harrison

Friday 2nd October, Stockton a peaceful town, that is until the street lights begin to beam down on to the concrete. That's when the mayhem began, KU Bar opened it doors, for officially twelve years of the weekly event 'Shine Like A Star'.

Twelve years and still been able to bring the crowd through the door for some amazing bands. This time round it was Middlesbrough very own, Davey Bandman to open the show. They brought the  northern swagger, charm and humbleness, that they have produced several times before, but this time it seemed like the boys had stepped it up even further on this momentous occasion. They were fantastic through the set, it's not very often that you go see a band so many times and their performance is fantastic every single time, but Davey Bandman are that band that truly do that.

It's not very often that a band first on can cause the crowd to start dancing and singing along with them. Davey Bandman ticked both of them boxes. Opening with Tall Trees was always going to be a crowd pleaser, throw in 'Leave Me Lie', 'Every River' and the ever favourite cover of 'Addicted to Bass' and the crowd were certainly treated to Davey Bandman at their finest.

Davey Bandman setlist
- Tall Trees
- Leave Me Lie
- Paper Planes
- Come Home
- Every River
- Jenny
- Addicted To Bass


Next upon the stage that truly has had the presence of legendary bands were First Family, looking like they had just came from helping Sean Meadows film the newest series of This Is England, the four piece indie-pop band had travelled all the way from London, virtually unknown to the North East crowd, but it all changed once they blasted out their opening song 'In The Red'. The opening vocals from lead singer Aaron Dollimore set the tone of the evening, surprisingly shocking the crowd, the crowd in return responsed in a positive manner and carried on where Davey Bandman left them all, dancing and enjoying the evening.

The band played their full first EP 'All Is Fair' in the set, which was made up of four tracks 'Next X', 'When The Night Comes', 'Hope & Love' and 'No Surprise'. Add the tasty treats of 'Set Sail' and 'Young Foolish' and you can understand why KU wanted the boys to perform on such a big evening.

First Family setlist

- In The Red
- Next X
- When The Night Comes / Afterglow
- Young Foolish
- Set Sail
- Hope And Love
- No Surprise

Photo by Phil Harrison

The crowd were certainly in full voice by the time Simon Shaw stepped onto the stage and introduced The Sherlocks on to the stage. The response was phenomenal, for a band that is still unsigned, yet able to create so much hype over the past year is remarkable and to have them celebrate KU's 12th birthday was the cherry on top of what truly was a fantastic night.

They opened their set with the single 'Escapade', with the crowd jumping up and down from the off, it wasn't long for everyone involved to understand how this night was going to end, with everyone wanting more. With arms raised, some accompanied with the beautiful sight of reds stripes and a few even with the very dodgey decision to go wild on the VK's, never the less, everyone was in full music mood and they certainly helped lead singer Kiaran by singing/shouting along with him.

The one track that stood out for me was the newest single 'Heart of Gold'. This is the track the boys themselves hope can get them in to the top 40, we can understand why they believe this. It is a track that somehow wets everyone's whistles.

The perfect decision was made by The Sherlocks, to end the evening with the ever so famous track 'Chasing Shadows', it was certainly one evening the crowd, KU and the bands involved will forget in a hurry.

The Sherlocks setlist
- Escapade
- Last Night
- Was It Really Worth It?
- You've Made A Mistake
- Step Inside
- Motions
- Live For The Moment
- Blue
- Heart Of Gold
- Chasing Shadows

Overall, the evening was a massive success, massive credit to KU Bar for yet again proving to everyone, that Shine Like A Star is were it is at on a Friday evening in regards to live music.

Happy 12th Birthday Shine Like A Star, here's to many more!

Single Review - The Enemy / So Much Love

Written by Sal Wilcox

'So much Love' is the latest track from The Enemy. Usually my opening sentence would include some fancy adjectives so I could pretend I know lots about the band and their genre, but alas this time I cannot.

A few close friends of mine are big fans The Enemy, but I've never had the pleasure of listening to them. They've been on me 'to listen' list for ages, but I've never gotten around to doing so. However, after listening to 'So much Love', I shall definitely be giving their Spotify a cheeky raid.

The track is the epitome of happy-go-lucky indie. Catchy synth pop riffs accompanied by melodic choruses, elevated by peppy piano and ebullient percussion. The lyrics possess a quirky charm and the reference to Joy Division ('you are my Unknown Pleasure') made my inner indie fan girl chuckle.

The overall vibe of the song is just so happy and feel good that you can't help but sing and dance along. It's by no means a masterpiece, it's a little repetitive and sounds like every other happy indie-pop love song. That being said, it is really catchy and I can easily envisage myself singing it in the shower and it will undoubtedly get crowds going during live performances.

Interview - Mikey Chapman (Mallory Knox)

Written by Adam Gallagher

Just a matter of hours before Mallory Knox stepped onto stage to entertain the crowd with their set for the night, I sat down with Mikey and spoke to him about everything from his experiences in the band so far, to what the crowd can expect to what the future has in store for him and the band.

It's your second time in Middlesbrough and performing again the Empire, what made you come back to Middlesbrough and to the North East?

Middlesbrough is one of them places we are determined to make an impact on, it's an area that many people can easily access to, it means we can put on a really special show for the crowd. The crowd itself are always great, really great attitude and everyone is up for a laugh, it makes sense for us to come back.

It's been two years since your last tour, the Signals tour, but what has changed over the period of them two years?

I suppose, in general as a unit, the five of us, our crew, everyone that works behinds the scene have become a much tighter, more professional unit. We're like everyone else, we are always learning and developing and always trying to make ourselves that bit better. The time away from the UK has helped us on the side of things also.

What can the crowd tonight in Middlesbrough expect from yourself and the band?

We'll sing some songs, on guitar and sing through a microphone.

No, this time round we've stepped the production up, we want to make a visual impression as well as a sonic one. Those two combined, hopefully the crowd will see that they're in for a good show.

You've recently been in America, on their Warped Tour, as an experience, what was that like?

It was incredible, we were told very early on, you get out of Warped Tour, exactly what you put into it. We put graft and hard work enough to really realise how incredible that tour can be, we got so much back from it. It was a real experience for me.

As a band, you've come along way in a short space of time, from your Pilot EP, the iTunes track of the week, to headlining your own tour, to playing major festivals, but what is the one memory you'll take from your journey so far as Mallory Knox?

Oh dude, that's such a good question, there's so many.

I think one of the memories that pops straight into my head, we were playing Sydney in Australia, on their Warped Tour a couple of years ago, we were playing just as the sun was setting, we were out in Darling Harbour, which is this beautiful part of the city. The sun was going down and the sky was beautiful. We were playing by the water, and I looked out and for a few seconds I tripped over my words as I thought it myself how lucky we are to do the things we do.

Finally, what does the future hold for Mallory Knox?

Hopefully, pretty much of the same, we always want to be climbing and moving forward. I think production wise, we are always going to be trying to make it bigger and better and beat what we've done before. Musically, we are beginning to write album three, we've not got dates or times, but we want to give ourselves as much time as possible to work on it and see where we go from there. We defiantly will be touring more next year.