Virtual is a series of intimate evenings with exclusive live performances from the best emerging and established artists initiated by AER Music, Fluttertone and dootdoot Records
Last night’s show was a special treat featuring the mesmerising Rachel Grace ( nicknamed by one fan as “The Beanie Queen”). Grace is a diverse and engaging performer as she blends genres to suit her wonderful emotive style. Guitars adorn the wall behind her as she sits with a yellow beanie on her head ready to blow us away with her immaculate performance. The beanie becomes a hot topic of discussion – one viewer comments “the beanie is the only way to contain her talent from getting too much for us to handle“. From the upbeat pop gem ‘To Love Somebody Else’ to the warm cosy ‘Home’ and sassy, powerful upcoming single ‘Cry Me an Ocean’ she cruises through her set with a cheerful stride and soulful flair.
Her sterling voice and empathic songwriting are far beyond her years ( she has just turned 18 ). Whether she is singing about the pain of heartbreak, sweet love or a wistful lullaby, Grace beautifully translates those feelings into intimate moments of soulful tones and tender dreamy melodies. Time stops when Grace sings as the viewers are swept up in her luxuriant tones swaying and singing along. The comments section fills with compliments for the young starlet almost instantly as she shyly thanks the viewers and chats between tracks.
Grace could make the most brawny man weep like a baby with just one simple vocal coo but its the power and emotion within her songwriting in tracks such as ‘Love Will Come’ that will summon ocean-sized water wells in your eyes. There are R&B elements glimmering through the soulful and jazzy- like tunes even within the more attitude soaked ‘Quite Like You’ and bluesy country ‘Nice Knowin’ Ya’ as Grace’s delivery holds a professional entrancing poise. The simple setting of Virtual allows the viewers to truly appreciate the breathtaking ability of this singer songwriter
Rachel Grace put on a sensational passionate performance. Her impressive evocative voice is a joy to listen to and the perfect accompaniment to her emotive songwriting. I can’t wait to see more of this artist.
The Rezner are set to release their new single ‘The Jive’ on 3rd of July. Conquering just about every corner of the UK, The Rezner have already become stalwarts of the Festival Scene impressing crowds across the nation. Playing the likes of The Isle of Wight, Leopallooza, Port Eliot & Beautiful Days following 2018’s main stage slots at Boardmasters and The Great Estate as well as support slots with VANT, SUM 41 and King Nun.The bands previous releases ‘Micky’ and ‘Wouldn’t You Like To Know?’ have proven popular building up over 10,000 Spotify streams on each track as well as gaining traction from ‘Huw Stephens’ at Radio 1 and Sarah Gosling over at BBC Introducing.
With all its blustery riffs, rock and roll sleekness and adrenaline fueled gusto ‘The Jive’ is a swagger slapped indie anthem that travels full throttle with The Rezner’s explosive sound. Surrounded in a whirring flurry of sharp guitars, dynamic bass and pummeling drums the track erupts into the bands vivid and full bodied sound without any hesitation. The sleek verses buoyantly triumph through an elastic display on bass as the band flesh out their rock n roll panache.The Rezner meander between the polished and the crazed as they blast out a manic raw indie rock track with confident control and maturity. This quarter remain as dedicated as ever in their mission to serve us an earworm of exhilarating musicianship as the kinetic chorus and vibrant instrumentation keep the song traveling at neck snapping speeds. With a ruckus wall of sound, catchy chorus and exuberant vocals, ‘The Jive’ is another smashing indie anthem from The Rezner.
Speaking about the track, frontman for the band ‘Sam Stone’ said :’’We like it because whilst it smacks you in the face from the get go. ‘The Jive’ is also a song that you can dance to. Now that might not sound like much but the thing about dancing is that when you’re doing it, you’re completely in your own little world and right now I think people need that little world. Because right now we are surrounded by so much anxiety and fear, it’s nice to be able to give people at least 2 minutes to forget about that. Maybe have a jive, who knows…”
Liverpool’s POLAR STATES are set to release their new single ‘2020’ on July 3rd. The band recorded the song remotely during lockdown, working from their bedrooms.Since forming in 2015 the band have had strong support from Radio 1 including a feature on the best of BBC introducing playlist, entered Spotify’s Viral 50 Chart, and have played a number of major UK festivals, supporting Wolf Alice, The Japanese House, and Clean Cut Kid.
‘2020’ is an anthemic whirl of the vibrant, passionate and refined indie rock POLAR STATES do so well. The invigorating riff sends adrenaline through the body as the band adorn this track in jagged running riffs and soaring guitar lines set to ignite a live audience. Bursting with more energy than a can of Red Bull, the chorus erupts into an arena-ready anthemic vocal line evoking images of bellowing crowds. With a rooted bass line and punchy drums creating the buoyant foundation POLAR STATES present one intense indie banger, however, the band smooth the track in cool ethereal tones and chilled crisp production. With guitar refrains chiming over the hearty crescendo and infectious melody POLAR STATES present a tight, well crafted slice of indie rock.
On the song, and the experience of recording remotely vocalist Paul Tong commented: ‘’The experience of recording a song when we can’t be in a studio together has been weird, but ultimately, the message of the song hasn’t changed, and we wrote it together in a room, so it’s still us. The message of a song always matters more than how it’s recorded anyway. We actually wrote 2020 before our tour, back in October. We wanted to document how we felt about going into a new decade. It was written in about 15 minutes and came from a really introverted moment. The world was overwhelming, and it felt impossible to appreciate what really mattered. The last few months have given the song a life of its own, taking on a new relevance that nobody could’ve seen coming. At the start of the lockdown we setup a Discord group where we could chat to fans, and give our community a place to connect from a distance. By being able to speak to our fans on such a personal level, and also give them a space to be themselves made us realise why this song was so important to so many of them. It was at that point we knew we had to release the song no matter how we recorded it.’’
Omar Addis has released his new single ‘Easy’. Addis is a 21-year-old artist from Cardiff, Wales, who has been making music for almost 10 years and has collaborated with artists such as Julian Lamadrid and Heavy Pulse. Addis produces, mixes and masters his tracks so he has complete creative control. He has released two singles and one EP since 2018 as a solo artist, with plans to release more in the near future.
‘Easy’ is a melding of psychedelic and electronic indie as Omar Addis presents his lush intricate and refined musicianship through a thrilling labyrinth of weaving soundscapes. The track has an instant easy listening vibe exuding an effervescent psych hued backdrop as the jaunty guitar line interjects between swirling electronic melodies and gloopy electronic beats. Addis finds a wonderful medium between the harsh and supple elements of his song. With velvety vocals and a radiant atmosphere this lo fi bubbling gem is well crafted and set for repeat listens on a lazy sunny day.
Indie / Folk singer-songwriter Joe T. Johnson has released his debut single ‘10 Pounds’. In the past, Joe performed multiple times at Glastonbury Festival in 2019, made his first international TV appearance on ‘Made in Bristol TV’ and recently performed at the O2 Academy Bristol with his band Hush Mozey. Steve Lamacq also “Recommended” his band Hush Mozey on his BBC 6 Music show.
Draped in vintage pop, ‘10 Pounds’ presents Joe T. Johnson’s laid back sound through melodic and soft instrumentation. The song bounces delicately upon jangly guitar, a soft beat and whispered mellow vocals as Johnson floods the track with sweet notions, simple arrangements and stories of life in England. Warm indie elements chime through the twinkling guitar as the vocal melody becomes the track’s main charming center point. There are hues of The Beatles wisping through the lush dreamy soundscapes and smooth vocals while the striking lyrics contrast the hazy soundscape. ‘10 Pounds’ is a well crafted absorbing ditty exuding hefty lyrical content and sweet retro pop with a modern twist.
MTN BEATS has released his second EP, ‘Infinite’.The title ‘Infinite’ reflects the endless, awe-inspiring beauty of the natural world. ‘Infinite’, a solo project, was created in a home studio overlooking the mountains of Colorado.Trained as a classical musician, MTN BEATS creates instrumentals that incorporate hip hop drums, chill synths, and electric guitar. His sound combines elements of trap, EDM, and lo-fi into a unique musical blend.
‘Infinite’ is a chilled three track instrumental EP brimming with ambient and vibrant tones as MTN BEATS displays his musicianship and meticulous attention to detail to create a wholly consuming listening experience. The songs flow effortlessly into one another with twinkling keys, swirling delicate electronics and buoyant groove-infected beats as MTN BEATS fleshes out the dreamy melodies and pacifying soundscapes. Each layer unfolds beautifully from the vibrant and radiant ‘Perspective’ with its 80’s pop tones and chilled synths to the sultry flow of title track ‘Infinite’, and warm golden guitar in ‘Reflection’. It’s a tight and well crafted EP. The sun kissed ethereal textures fuse with hip hop beats and subtle EDM seamlessly to create a spacious rich collection of tracks. MTN BEATS is continuing to define his sound creating wonderful music within a laid back lo fi medium.
I had a chat with Luke Thomas last week about his new project Butler and his eagerly awaited second single, Colours Of Love. Butler is the brainchild of award winning singer/performer Luke Thomas, whose electrifying new project has allowed him to explore his more commercially creative side. Already known as the front man for the band The Swing Cats, Thomas wanted to try something different with Butler.
Thomas recently released the sensational summer anthem ‘Colours Of Love’, with Afro/Irish singer J Bols. We talked about the differences between the two projects and the birth of Butler.
“ Well I’m in a band at the moment called The Swing Cats and I just wanted to get back to being more creative and explore more radio friendly songs and projects.I started this maybe two years ago just working with Irish producers just to be more current with one eye on radio play and stuff like that. I released a song last year which did quite well, it was played on most national stations and I just wanted to follow up with something summer-y and something to make people happy. I hooked up with an Afro Irish artist called J Bols and he had a song called Colours Of Love and we just rewrote parts of it and arranged it and it is what it is now. So I’m delighted and excited that people can finally hear it.
I started as a solo artist when I was a teenager, that’s going back maybe 13 years now at this stage and it was always my idea to do dance/hip hop/pop sort of music. That’s what I started off doing and I fell into The Swing Cats by accident and that was kind of my main identity – like with that band I’ve sold out a lot of venues, The Concert Hall, The Olympia, Vicar Street and it was always in my head that I wanted to return to the pop/dance element. That was the creative side, the song writing side so to speak. So I said it’s now or never, that’s how it came about. It really helps the creative side but it’s fun as well. It’s fun to hear people’s reaction to a song that you have written on the radio.”
The Swing Cats are a six piece collective which has performed for President Micheal D Higgins, appeared on The Late Late Show and enjoyed two number 1 iTunes albums. However Butler gives Thomas more freedom.
“Absolutely, I’ve gone to a point now with The Swing Cats where I feel quite comfortable and people know me from that so I’m able to explore other avenues and it really shows another dimension to what I do. At the end of the day I would describe myself as a performer without being conformed to a genre. I know a lot of bigger artists, not to compare but you look at bigger artists, like, Lady GaGa would obviously do her big dance pop numbers but at the same time she can collaborate with someone, an iconic figure like Tony Bennett who is the closest thing we have right now to a Frank Sinatra. Tony Bennett is 90 something years of age. He was around those days, in Vegas in the 60’s and 70’s. He’s won Grammys doing that style of music and there’s countless other examples of people who have switched genres so I suppose it’s just to explore it. I would never forgive myself if I didn’t give it ago. Thankfully people like it and thankfully it has been received very well.”
Colours Of Love is a vibrant and fun track – perfect for summer. I love how Thomas blends rich elements of guitar with electronics and afro beats. I wondered if he had the full idea of the song before he went into production or was it a case of messing around in the studio to get the right sounds and energy. Although he had help on elements of the song it was challenging to cut the track into a 3 minute song.
“ It was a lot longer there was another minute and a half on the song and I felt it just needed to get to the point quicker and that’s where I brought my experience on that side of things to the table and the guys were gracious enough to work with me. A lot of times if you have come up with a creative piece you don’t want people picking at it or changing it to much so it was a great partnership where we worked together to get the best out of the song and it’s turned out really well. “
Butler’s previous releases ‘Forever Young’ and ‘Applause’ have that night club dance floor feel although ‘Applause’ is more of a cool pop tune. Thomas enjoys the collaboration experience with other artists as they bring different elements and knowledge into his projects
“I like to work with a lot of different people and I suppose you always lean when you work with different people.The last song (with Butler) I worked with Lo Cutz. He is an Irish DJ as well and a producer. He was coming up with the music and the beats behind the last single and that worked well. It brings other elements as opposed to me saying I’m able to do everything because I’m not, so when you are dealing with different genres it’s great to have other experts in their field add to it and make it better. To build the best possible product. So yeah 100% I would love to continue with that and collaborate as much as possible.
The next one will probably be with Lo Cutz again. We held it back, we felt the summer vibe of ‘Colours of Love’ suited the time and the next song is more darker, an evening night time sort of song. So we are going to keep that one and maybe release that later in the year. Again it’s kind of pop dance-y with a little bit of synth in there. Just to try and build on the foundation of this style that seems to be getting a good reaction.When you release something it’s out of your control it’s down to people’s reaction whether it’s going to work or not so it’s always a nervous time.“
Ireland has a vibrant and budding music scene at the moment especially in the dance and hip hop genre. Butler believes that the great quality content of artists and how they are mastering their craft is making each genre’s scene strong
“It is, and a lot of hip hop and different genres which is great. Its great to see Irish artists coming up to the mark and delivering international level content. I know its always a sticky point for Irish artists with airplay and with getting support but I feel now that a lot of artists are at the level where it warrants the right amount of airplay and its always going to be tough no matter whether your Irish or International to get some sort of airplay particularly if you are independent, so it’s great to see the quality there. They can’t take that away from the artist anymore.The quality is there and people are getting so much better at production levels and stuff like that. It’s great to see.”
Thomas hopes to be able to do live shows as Butler and see what that set up would bring. Seen as Butler is a more dance-infused project it will be a different experience than the live band aesthetic he is used to.
“That was the plan and just get a vibe or a band together just to see what it would look like live, because I actually haven’t gigged with this project and it would be exciting because there is a lot of great young musicians and it would be interesting to see what way the physical side to things would turn out. You know, would I go with keyboards and samples or would I go with the full live band. I’m actually quite interested to see how that pans out so I suppose there is no plans just yet, obviously it’s going to come down to the current situation lifting and various things like that, so I would imagine it could be early next year before Butler will be performing fully live.But I do look forward to that and getting a few more songs and having a decent enough set to perform. “
Thomas has experienced the industry from many different aspects.Through hIs band The Swing Cats, he has worked with different people and now Butler. I wondered what advice he would give to someone who wanted to start a career in music.
“I would say first of all you have to decide what you want to get out of music. I know that sounds a little clinical but do you want to be a gigging musician, do you want to be a recording artist, do you want to be a producer because I think in this day and age sometimes when you are releasing a song it’s like buying a lottery ticket. There are so many talented people out there and you need the infrastructure around you to get the results you’re looking for. So I would say first of all decide what kind of area of music you want to be in and then you will be able to streamline your plan. You need a plan, you need to know what you want out of something. I know obviously a lot of people do it for the love and that is absolutely brilliant. I do it for the love as well but you still need to know what you want out of it because I know a lot of people that would gig around and it might be more of a past time to them or life takes over and they have to get a full time job so again it’s around sustainability, it’s around having a plan and finding out what you want from it. I feel there is a lot of talented people not just in Ireland but around the world but there are a lot of talented people in Ireland and some don’t have the tools to know what the next steps are. Unfortunately there is only a handful of top managers so you have to, for want of a better expression, die on the cross before someone comes and picks you up or saves you. Gigging yourself to the top is not always the best option. If you’ve got a particular sound, you hone in on the sound, you try and make yourself somewhat original or somewhat better.It comes down to having that product and then you need the infrastructure around you. So if you have a product you then look for people that might be able to provide the infrastructure – I call them plugins as opposed to trying to do everything yourself. So ok I might need someone that can promote songs to radio, I might need someone that can help produce things to a better level, things like that and you will get plugins along the way.
As the saying goes youth is wasted on the young. If knew when I was 17 or 18 what I know now it would be a different world for me.But that’s the way it is. You do have to learn and you do have to try and make these decisions, particularly with a new band, there’s no rush no one is waiting for you to release your song, no one is banging down the door well for most new bands, so take your time, get it right. Get your songs right, your content, get what your sound is right, listen to what’s out there on the radio. Have a listen to the top 20 songs out there and if you have songs that you’re writing, fair enough their original but have a listen to what the current taste is in music and be clever about it. Maybe you could tweak a song that you have and you know might be slightly sounding a different way and just tweek it into the area it needs to be for radio for example. If a song is too long, to short, you have to think of it like that, which allows you to get to the next level. “
Thomas is building up his writing and tunes for a potential EP next year and hopefully a tour. Things are unsure at the moment but he’s busy planning and putting all the pieces together for his next release.
“The plan would be to release one more single this year and then early next year bring out an EP and maybe a small tour that would be the ultimate plan at the moment. I suppose the climate at the moment is about having the next song ready to go and thats what people want. They want instant gratification on the music side where they won’t necessarily take the time to listen to an album. What I don’t want to do is spend a lot of time and effort in a big album and something like that for it not to get the proper exposure.So at the moment my plan is to continue to release singles until something catches on to a level where people’s ears are open and then I can bring out a more comprehensive piece of work. That is the way music has gone, certainly for Butler anyway. That may change but that seems to be the way people are consuming music. So what’s next for me is a load more promo and a load more writing. I’ve been working on this next song. I’ve been doing it remotely at the moment but hopefully with the slight changes with four people being aloud in a room I’ll be able to go and actually work on the song face to face and trying to start building the next campaign as well. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks we will have some acoustic songs up online as well just to get people’s feedback on it. That’s what I’m up to at the moment.“
Butler is an ambitious and fun project with infectious tunes that make you want to instantly dance. Thomas has clearly put a lot of planning and effort into creating and honing his craft to provide lush, well textured and melodies tunes ready for everyone to enjoy. I’m looking forward to what tunes the coming months bring and also to that all important live show as soon as Thomas can organise one.
Songwriter April and the Drift releases her satirical new single ‘Garbage Rules’. Based in Australia, Copenhhagen’s April and the Drift is a singer-songwriter whose debut album ‘Shorelines’ came out in 2019 to much acclaim, with her most recent single ‘In a Prayer’ amassing over 29,000 streams on Spotify.
With wispy haunting tones drifting through a misty lo fi pop background and a creepy fairground soundscape, ‘Garbage Rules’ showcases April and the Drift’s eerie ambient musicianship. Whispered vocals coo over the floaty mysterious melody while ska rhythms and jaunty guitar add buoyancy. The songs rhythmic backbone bounces with reggae-like beats providing a cheery underbelly to the songs chilling exterior. Beautifully haunting breathy vocals add an ominous contrast while the lyrics question the priorities of modern society.
Written in a day ‘Garbage Rules’ is a thoughtful and satirical reflection of consumer culture which April and the Drift could see having a negative impact on their surroundings and environment. The way the haunting elements pivot around the cheery beats is masterful. ‘Garbage Rules’ is a lulling and eerie new single from April and the Drift.
Martha Hill has released her new single ‘Grilled Cheese’. The track is the first single off her upcoming EP ‘Summer Up North’. After being tipped as one of BBC Introducing’s “ones to watch”, followed by a feature on Jools Holland, Martha Hill is one of the most exciting upcoming artists of 2020. Funded by the coveted PRS’s Women Make Music Fund, and also a Rebalance finalist, Hill released her debut EP “Be Still” in October 2019 which received support from BBC 6music, BBC Introducing, Amazing Radio and Spotify Playlists (amongst others).
Thriving on a deep rhythmic beat, ‘Grilled Cheese’ presents Martha Hill’s engaging and edgy musicianship through a blend of soft pop and biting indie. The light verses are presented with hypnotic guitar strums between bouncy drum beats while Hill’s soft rasped vocals caress the melody. The track becomes dynamic as it builds to its harsher chorus. Crashing guitars slice with angst while a rampant bass groove and intensifying drums create the tracks raw backdrone. The song is surrounded with melodic hooks and vibrant soundscapes to create an effervescent expressive number which lyrically dissects the tumblings of a relationship. Hill crafts her music superbly and this invigorating tune is a glimpse at the potential of this talented artist.
Kodaline follow the release of their new album ‘One Day At A Time’ by sharing an inspiring new video for their current single ‘Say Something’. Directed by the band’s long-term collaborator Stevie Russell, the video is the first project from an exciting new partnership between the band’s label, B-Unique Records, and Mirriad, the computer vision and artificial intelligence (AI) company, to develop and harness in-content advertising for music artists using different streaming and social platforms. It has also been boosted with participation from UNICEF.’Say Something’ represents one of the highlights of Kodaline’s ‘One Day At A Time’ album. The band’s fourth studio set has already accumulated 28.5 million streams and looks set to add a bold new chapter to a career that has included three #1 albums in Ireland, two Top 5 albums in the UK, and more than a billion streams on Spotify.
Wrapped in a blanket of melodious songwriting, twinkling soundscapes and emotional radiance, ‘Say Something’ is another heartfelt number from Kodaline. The track begins tender and sweet before building into a sway along, emotive anthem. With sweet vocals, soft harmonies and a blossoming wall of sound ‘Say Something’ follows the rich musicianship and heart rushing tenderness of ‘One Day At A Time’ in all its warm, fuzzy and glowing glory.
The ‘Say Something’ video tells a story about thinking big. In the video a toddler dreams of going into space, becoming an aerospace engineer, pilot and astronaut to make that ambition a reality before returning to earth with a bump and a tasty treat.
Watch the video for ‘Say Something’ below
Author : Danu
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
