A Range of New Releases from Indie Rock Bands on the Blue Soap Music Roster

The Reveurs Take a Bow 16 March 2015

'Take a Bow' is a storming new track from The Reveurs, a four piece Manchester based rock/indie band who are committed to writing and performing intense, unique and lyrically engaging indie-rock anthems.

Formed in late 2013, the band consists of Gary Nelson (Vocals/Guitar), Iain Brewster (Guitar/Backing vocals), Adam Molyneux (Bass) and Ben Devenport (Drums).

Channeling musical influences such as Kings of Leon, Arctic Monkeys and The Strokes, The Reveurs have found strong support in Manchester and are ready to take their music beyond their home city to further add to their already expanding fanbase.

Social
www.thereveurs.co.uk
www.facebook.com/thereveurs
www.twitter.com/thereveursuk
http://instagram.com/thereveurs


Gigs
14th March - Manchester Academy 3
16th March - West Steer Live - Sheffield
27th March - Verve Bar - Leeds
3rd April - Sound - Liverpool
25th - Etihad Stadium (City Square)
3rd May - Castle Hotel - Manchester
6th June - Carpe Diem - Leeds"They played to arguably the biggest audience I’ve seen in Night and Day since the end of last year as well, bringing with them many fans who got right behind them,
The Reveurs will grow and are well worth seeing live, as they establish themselves, they can only continue to get better.”
Mancunian Ways

Milo's Planes Aural Palate Cleaning Exercises 23 March 2015

Lead Tracks: 
Lost Talent
Only Listen
Two Feet in a Crowd

Formed in Bristol in 2013, melodic hardcore/punk band Milo's Planes began as a duo of Joe Sherrin (guitar, vocals and bass) and Harry Sherrin (drums and backing vocals).  After recording their first album they were joined by Charlie Horne (bass and backing vocals) who was a natural fit, sharing a love of Wire, Fugazi, Leatherface, Lync, Rites of Spring, early Modest Mouse and Pavement.

Priding themselves on their DIY approach to their music, the trio record and produce all their tracks themselves on a sixteen track in Harry's bedroom.
Joe's guitar playing is influenced heavily by the nineties emo/post hardcore band Lync; he uses a off-beat  tunings as a means to create interesting chords.

The band have earned support slots for Eagulls, Skaters, Traams, Electric Eel Shock and their hero Mike Watt, who made a cameo appearance in their music video for 'Two Feet In a Crowd'.

'Aural Palate Cleaning Exercises' has been a labour of love with Joe spending months re-ordering track listings, carefully editing exact track lengths, dropping songs and adding piano interludes/snippets of radio samples to make it flow as one complete piece.Of the subject matter, Joe says largely focuses on his experiences within soul destroying, bureaucratic admin jobs and the seemingly endless supply of bizarrely ordinary characters that can only be found within these roles. He explains "A large part of the fun I have writing lyrics is studying the mundane to the point where tiny details can be unearthed, exposed as real concerns and then exaggerated upon maniacally as a way for me to express the true feelings of frantic despair I feel sitting at a desk for 8 hours of my day.  Being pretentious I would say a running theme of the album is using language as a means to disguise tiny, nit-picky & personal matters as universally angry subjects worth shouting about."

In between 'A Letter In Confidence' and 'Interlude 2' is a hidden track; a shortened acoustic version of an earlier track - this was a concious effort to end the album in what Joe describes as a "dissonance of feedback which quickly resolves into something pretty & melancholy, with the album's final words ("I have good intentions, but I never know why") a statement intended to summarize the whole album."


"A band who are fast, furious and who ooze passion and drive. A band who evoke memories of all your favourite bands and who surprise you with punchy, urgent melodies when you’re least expecting to find them. And a band who are more than the sum of their parts, with busy songs chock full of ideas.And most importantly we’re left with a band who now have their own sound and identity and who don’t deserve to be described by referencing other bands anymore."
Louder Than War"Young kids who tore it up big time; reminded me of Rites of Spring"
Mike Watt and The Missingmen

"Having spent their first year dropping a string of statement releases, it’s not really strange that Milo’s Planes have kicked off the new one with such resolute volume… The aggression and sheer pummel of the music does the talking, coming in a coherent package of joyous flair and rippling guitars, that so greatly echoes Sonic Youth and other fuzz-endorsing bands."
Bristol Live Magazine

"It’s a confident track (Two Feet In a Crowd), breezy and catchy; distorted vocals you can shout along with and a finish that builds nicely. I’m impressed with Milo's Planes and recommend you check them out."
Tales From the Middle 8

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/milos-planes
Private Album Link: https://soundcloud.com/milos-planes/sets/private-album-preview/s-NZQpc

Social Links
https://www.youtube.com/user/MilosPlanes/videos
https://www.facebook.com/MilosPlanes
https://twitter.com/milosplanes
milosplanes.bandcamp.com
http://milosplanes.bigcartel.com/

Gigs
January 23rd - Stag & Hounds, Bristol

King Kartel Come At Me Now 30 March 2015

“King Kartel reanimate the glory days of The Jam & The Libertines. Many bands have tried that trick before, but there’s something highly appealing about the Manchester band’s efforts”
RADAR - NME MAGAZINE

Released on CD and as a digital download 'Come At Me Now' is the highly anticipated new single from King Kartel, a band renowned for their infectious indie-infused rock.

Formed in September 2012, King Kartel wasted no time in taking the UK and Ireland by storm through a successful tour to support the release of their debut single ‘Stone Cold Killer’, which has now racked up an impressive 29,000 views on Youtube.

The quartet, mainly hailing from Northern Ireland quickly caught the attention of Riggsy from the BBC’s ‘Across the Line’ who gave ‘Stone Cold Killer’ plenty of airplay, heralding them as hometown heroes, a claim justified by a string of sold out shows in and around Newry.
Riggsy describes the band as having an “eye for a hook!” and Philly Taggart from BBC Radio 1 says King Kartel produce “cheeky guitar pop in the vein of The Fratellis and The Courteeners”.

sensibilities which combine with their indie rock sound to create a storming single which is set to raise the profile of the Manchester based band even higher.

 

Both tracks were written by Hugh McCreesh (King Kartel)
Music by King Kartel

Social Groups:

https://www.facebook.com/kingkartelofficial

https://twitter.com/KingKartelUK 

https://soundcloud.com/king-kartel

Live:
February 20th - Barfly, Camden, London
March 20th - Verve Bar, Leeds
March 27th - Night & Day, Manchester
April 24th - Stone Roses Bar, York
April 25th - Live Lounge, Blackburn
May 2nd - Single Launch Night, Manchester, details tbc
May 9th - Proud, Camden, London

I, Us & We Mono 6 April 2015

Lead Tracks: Lanterns, Sunday

Jordan Doverspike, Evan Doverspike and Aaron Doverspike are brothers based in California who write and perform captivating dream pop they describe as "clean and unadulterated".

Their EP, the beautifully atmospheric 'Mono' was recorded in their home studio and produced by Chad Marshman over the course of several weeks.  Taking a collaborative approach, the brothers found that some tracks came more easily than others, but the advantage of recording from a home studio meant that they could act immediately whenever inspiration struck.

'Mono' is a fluid collection of songs featuring enigmatic sounds and vocal harmonies that ebb and flow, with each track differing in tone.  The upbeat opening track 'Lanterns' is perfectly juxtaposed with the ethereal and climactic 'Sunday'. Third track 'Free is ominously somber whereas closing track 'Alive' ends the EP on an optimistic note.

"This seraph’s song envelops us with a sense so cold it burns."
Danny Davenport

“…like cleansing your ears with a new sound that wipes away the stress. Its cryptic, its atmospheric, its quite fantastic, to be honest.”
CityScope Blog

“‘Sunday’ is a lush synth-driven glide with a nifty modern take on some soft-focus 80s production. Call it chillwave, call it synthwave, call it what you want, it’ll still sooth your soul just as well whichever way.”
Record Rewind Play"Wondrous and dreamy synth-pop with exceptional vocals – so mirage-like in quality that your perceptions will be happily bewildered."
Raw Ramp


Social:
www.twitter.com/iusandwe
www.facebook.com/iusandwe
www.instagram.com/i_us_and_we
http://iusandwe.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/iusandwe

Credits:
All tracks written and performed by Jordan Doverspike, Evan Doverspike and Aaron Doverspike who are all registered with ASCAP
Body Art by Jeffrey Locke
 

Cartesian Jetstream Ancestors Ballagroove Records 20 April 2015

Lead Tracks: 'Celebrities', 'Invisible Ink', 'Transparent Eyelids' and 'Ashes'


Cartesian Jetstream are Ben Scott (drums & backing vocals), Philip Bell-Scott (bass & backing vocals) and Simon Kilgannon (guitars & vocals) who formed in the 'deep south' of Isle of Man in 2010.

Explaining how the band got together, Simon says "I was one of the two people who interviewed Ben for a job, exciting office IT stuff!  The fact that he mentioned he played the drums has nothing to do with him getting the job.  Ben and I played casually with a few people for years and then Phil just seemed to turn up as a gift from the lord and immediately learned all our songs and we were off."

With influences ranging from Krautrock, Sonic Youth and Fugazi to Grateful Dead, Dylan, Jefferson Airplane and Funkadelic, Simon think that if Cartesian Jetsream had managed to make a record five or ten years ago "it would have been much more obviously influenced by whichever of the above I was currently digging the most but I think now it’s all been mashed down like bugs and jungle to make a less recognizable sludge of influences."

The release of their first album 'Sleep Over' in late 2013 brought the band to the attention of The NME who described the opening track 'My Captain' as "superb" together with BBC 6 Music and Amazing Radio.'Ancestors' is the band's second album and represents their take on pop music. The songs are direct, accessible and hooky with enough unpredicatability to ensure they take the listener to somewhere completely unexpected.  Simon explains "I wanted to get the feel of how bands like the Beatles sounded in 65/66 when it was still quite groovy and beauty but just starting to go a bit weird and psychedelic in places - Invisible Ink is probably the best example of that. Kosmiche power pop? Easy listening freakbeat? Party music for introverts?  Basically we're trying to make a whole album that sounds like the faster section from the Doors' track ‘L.A. Woman’ but with a (slightly) less drunk singer."

The overrall sound is very influenced by early REM, Echo & the Bunnymen and the Smiths. with its chiming guitars and melodic bass lines. The tracks are all very high tempo and driven by the drums yet they maintain an unhurried tempo and glide along.

The unusual band name has its origins in Simon's childhood.  He explains "I grew up loving all those sixties Nuggets bands like the 13th Floor Elevators as well as the bands from the eighties who followed that up, like Echo & the Bunnymen and The Teardrop Explodes.  The actual name is from a Lester Bangs article where he reviewed all these Count Five albums that never actually existed, he just dreamt them up.  I think Cartesian Jetstream was supposed to be their third album.  It’s a great piece and I love the idea of imaginary albums.  I’d quite like us to be a semi-imaginary band, maybe we’ll achieve that one day.""A perfect combination of modern garage rock and snarling UK punk swagger."
PsychedelicBaby Blog

"A forward thinking and innovative band."
Louder Than War


Social Links:
Website:  www.cartesianjetstream.com
Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/cartesian-jetstream
You Tube: www.youtube.com/cartesianjetstream
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/cartesianjetstream
Twitter: www.twitter.com/cartesianjet

JUNIORS Barcelona Robot Needs Home 20 April 2015

JUNIORS are an Indie Pop quartet formed in Leicester. Technically adept, they're capable of producing both furiously urgent and hypnotically dreamy Indie Rock featuring distorted guitars, complex melodies, uplifting vocals and pounding drums.

Following the conveniently timed demise of previous band projects, school friends Jamie Hives (vocals/guitar), Jake Tasker (bass) and William bond(drums) put together new project JUNIORS in 2013, later asking Daniel Lee to complete the lineup on guitar in 2014.

Singles 'We Swim' and 'Declare & Surrender' gained the attention and airplay of BBC Introducing shows across the country, securing the band a slot at Reading & Leeds 2014 and airplay on BBC Radio 1’s Jen and Ally show.

Dubbed by the BBC as 'Future Stars', new single 'Elusion', taken from their new EP 'Barcelona' is set to raise the band's profile even higher throughout 2015.


Socials:
www.facebook.com/juniorsband
www.twitter.com/juniorsjuniors (@juniorsjuniors)
www.soundcloud.com/juniorsband
www.juniorsband.tumblr.com
www.youtube.com/channel/UC6rZ_AqfA--g2cD2LavS0Ow
Gigs:
Handmade festival, Leicester - May 3rd

Sugarmen Dirt Poor Old Soul Records 13 April 2015

Sugarmen are a powerful combination of infectious melodies and angst delivered with a sonic buzz saw. Already confirmed as support to Sleaford Mods, Paul Weller, Blur and The Who, as well as making their debut at this years Dot To Dot Festival, they continue to expand their ever increasing fanbase and are fast becoming a band whose live set is known for its high octane delivery, drenched in energy and riffs.

The band was formed in Liverpool by Luke Fenlon and Chay Heney who attracted the attention of Drummer Sam McVann and Bassist, Tom Sheilds. Their love of music is reflected in their record collections. From The Clash to Orange Juice. From Hooton Tennis Club to Peace. From Parquet Courts to Alvvays. From The Velvet Underground to Wild Beasts. A good band always has a good record collection.

Mick Jones (The Clash / BAD) liked the demos so much he produced ten tracks for the band and Paul Weller donated his studio.

Sugarmen's debut single 'Dirt' will be released 13th April on Poor Old Soul Records and is produced by Mick Jones.


Gigs:
Paul Weller (support) Victoria Hall Stoke On Trent 12th March
Paul Weller (support) King George's Hall Blackburn 16th March
Paul Weller (support) Scunthorpe Baths Hall 17th March
Notting Hill Arts Club 18th March
Dot To Dot Festival:  22nd May / 23rd May / 24th May
Blur (support) Hyde Park 20th June

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8EDUd-TIlw

All photos by John Johnstone
Songs written by Luke Fenlon and Chay Heney
Links:
www.facebook.com/sugarmenuk
twitter.com/Sugarmenuk
instagram.com/sugarmenuk
soundcloud.com/sugarmenuk

The Valkarys (Just Like) Flying With God 25 April 2015

Formed in 2006, The Valkarys are an Edinburgh based psychedelic/garage band. Songwriter Scott Dunlop on lead vocals and guitar is joined by Craig Birrell on lead guitar, Colin Brennan on bass and Wayne Hoy on drums.

The quartet first came to the attention of UK radio stations with their debut single 'Candy Girl', released in 2006 on Diffusion Records.  The single was supported by a two week UK tour that won the band a stong fanbase through their blistering live appearances.

After relocating to London, The Valkarys released their debut album 'The Average Can Blind You to The Excellent'.  The album won favour from Carl Barat of The Libertines who played tracks at his London club nights.  The band were invited by Alan McGee to play the legendary Death Disco at Notting Hill Arts Club and they also made a live appearance at the Babyshambles club night in Camden.

'(Just Like) Flying With God' follows the success of two well received EPs 'Chloroform' and 'Psychodelica', extensive UK tours and a coveted support slot with Exit Calm.

The Valkarys recently returned to Edinburgh and are set to increase their profile further with this highly anticipated release, their most innovative and cutting edge collection of songs to date.

www.facebook.com/thevalkarys
www.twitter.com/thevalkarys
www.soundcloud.com/thevalkarysofficial
www.thevalkarys.bandcamp.com
 

The Jade Assembly One Last Time 4 May 2015

The saying 'can't see the wood for the trees' could easily be applied to Manchester's music scene... So many bands, so much attitude, so much history.  Keen to stand apart from their contemporaries, The Jade Assembly are in this for the long haul and for the right reasons, nothing is fabricated or posed, their attitude comes from an inescapable force of conviction in their music.
From the passion of Watson and Danny's rhythm section, to the raw power of Smed's guitar work, each Jade Assembly tune has a clear sense of purpose, nothing is contrived.
Central to their main point of difference is John Foster (Foz), a true northern poet and songwriter that places honesty above favour, a frontman who possesses an imposing sense of belief, not devoid of arrogance - but full of commitment.
As John puts it "Every word counts. Some people can't see the wood for the trees, but if you don't see The Jade Assembly - you're missing the best bit of the forest..."


''Best Guitar band since Kasabian''
Clint Boom, XFM/Inspiral Carpets

''Flying flags and empowering crowds, with their anthemic rock and roll, The Jade Assembly are he enthusiastic spawn of the Britpop ere''
Emily Schofield, The Mover Music Blog

''The Jade Assembly enter like a hurricane and instantly blow away any audience drawn into their path''Frank Floyd, Louder Than War

''What sets aside The Jade Assembly from the plethora of indie-rock try hards that litter the music scene of the modern day is that the band are not merely going through the motions of a tired genre but reinventing it, giving it new life and allowing it to rise from its own ashes''
Ian Critchley , Louder Than War

''TJA are one of, if not the most, interesting band swimming in an otherwise tepid sea of indie-rock'' Ian Critchley Louder than war
''The Jade Assembly what you do is amazing''
London Unsigned

''Tonight London without knowing experienced one of the best unsigned bands in circulation today!''
London Unsigned


Social Links:
www.facebook.com/thejadeassembly
www.twitter.com/thejadeassembly
www.reverbnation.com/jadeassembly
www.soundcloud.com/thejadeassembly
www.thejadeassembly.com
www.instagram.com/thejadeassemblyGigs:
Sunday 22nd March - Scotts Bar, Bolton in aid of Bolton Hospice (Acoustic set)
Saturday 2nd May - Macron Stadium, Bolton
Sunday 3rd May - Blind Tiger, Bolton (single release party - One Last Time)
Saturday 9th May - Midland, Rochdale (Acoustic)
Saturday 16th May - Sound Control, Manchester with Danny Mahon & Friends
Friday 22nd May - Maida Vale, Sheffield
23rd/24th May - Liverpool Sound City (not yet announced)*
Saturday 20th June - Cadence Festival, Tyldesley
Saturday 1st August - Kendal Calling
Saturday 29th August - Red Lion four lane ends, Bolton (Acoustic)
18th/19th/20th September - Ramsbottom Festival (not yet announced)*
Friday 16th October - Kings Arms, Ashton