The Grace Note Blog

  The Great Leslie, Hawke The Band and Charlie Baker at Hot Box, Chelmsford On Thursday 29th September, Future Hits Radio hosted a gig at Hot Box in Chelmsford with The Great Leslie headlining. Hawke The Band and Charlie Baker were the successful support acts chosen from the Apply To Play applications. I've been following The Great Leslie since I first started doing a music blog, so was super excited to finally see them live for the first time. Unfortunately their drummer couldn't perform as he was unwell (hope you're feeling better now Ryan!), so we were treated to a more relaxed, stripped-back and intimate performance with the band "sitting down for the first time" as singer Ollie said. They played a full set which included all their recent singles and some earlier tracks, finishing off with their latest 'All Good Things'. Highlights for me were 'Feel Alive' and my all-time favourite of their's 'Hold On To My Ex'. As a musician, I hav

  Let’s Talk About Gigs - Gabby Rivers Gabby Rivers is a 19 year old singer/songwriter from Suffolk. She has performed at Latitude and Reading Festival, alongside appearances at Sundown Music Festival and Cambridge Junction. This Friday, Gabby has her debut headline gig at Voodoo Daddy’s in Norwich with support from Kitty Perrin and Hungry. I spoke to Gabby about gigs ahead of this. *** What was the first ever concert you went to? The first ever concert I went to was The Zutons at Thetford Forest. I think I was age 4 and I was blown away by them and remember being so happy I was going to watch them live as I used to listen to them all the time as a child in my mum and dad’s car. Who is your favourite band/artist to see live? My favourite band/artists to see live are Tom Misch and Florence and The Machine. These two artists are the only artists who have ever made me cry with happiness when seeing them live and have given me goosebumps. Who is the band/artist you’ve seen live the most ti

  Baby Queen at Primadonna Festival Alt-pop artist, Baby Queen headlined the John Peel centre in Stowmarket on Friday 29th July, as part of Suffolk's Primadonna Festival. As a local gig-goer, it was really special to see an artist like Baby Queen play this venue - especially as this was her first time in Suffolk! Baby Queen took to the stage without her full band for this intimate show, accompanied just by her bass/keys player, Ben, and had the crowd singing along to favourites including; 'Want Me', 'Dover Beach' and 'Buzzkill'.  They also performed unreleased song 'Lazy' as well as latest single 'Nobody Really Cares' which was released 4 weeks ago (and has one of the catchiest choruses ever!) with Baby Queen wearing a fantastic t-shirt with lyrics from the song; "Tell your boyfriend that it's over" in silver glittery writing.  Baby Queen has had a massive year with her song 'Colours Of You' featuring in the Netflix show

  'Storms' - The Blams Single Review Essex/East London trio The Blams are back with their latest single 'Storms' released 28th January.  Unmistakably still very much The Blams, it has a softer feel than some of their previous tracks, with emotionally delivered vocals and a bittersweet feel. The grunge is still there, it's just more stripped back and raw which adds to the heartbreak and fits the lyrics on a genius level. The band said "Storms takes the perspective of loving someone too much, to a point bordering on abusive. It takes the rose-tinted perspective of the one unknowingly smothering their person"  I love the clever storytelling, the stormy metaphors and the line "I'd give you everything that you never wanted" I think this one will definitely gain them some new listeners and is a must add for those sad Valentine's playlists. I'm not crying you are.

  'Somebody' - Sarpa Salpa Single Review Sarpa Salpa released 'Somebody' on Friday 14th January. A refreshing, upbeat song that you just have to dance to! The strength of both the keys and guitars vying for supremacy as the track progresses is fantastic. There's an amazingly catchy hook, enhanced with vocals that are full of personality and emotions. They manage to fuse a nostalgic synth sound with indie guitars to produce another Sarpa dance floor banger full of depth.  Written about the end of a relationship, frontman Marcus Marooth said "'Somebody' is a final goodbye to an old friend after 7 years together, it's the summary of realisation that we weren't meant to be and that we are both happier and better off where we are today." I was introduced to Sarpa Salpa after I got chatting to one of their fans whilst waiting outside a Declan McKenna concert. After telling her I ran a music blog she told me I must listen to them - she was so righ

Single Preview of 'Picture' - The K's Get ready as The K's are about to release their latest stadium sized anthem 'Picture' tomorrow (10th December). Having already achieved radio play pre-release including a first national spin on Radio X this is a highly anticipated release from the four.  With a smooth start the song smashes in hard when the guitar is joined by vocals and drums, the spirit and energy of punk fused with the clever indie guitars and rock solos is unmistakeably The K's. The personality and humour of lyrics that everyone will relate to made me smile and you definitely feel them! "And I just liked your picture from 36 weeks ago". This is one you'll have on repeat and one listen isn't enough! Frontman Jamie said of the story behind the track: "Picture encapsulates an all too familiar situation for many people - a drunken night ending in disaster - you accidentally let your ex know you're thinking about them when you s

Abbie Ozard - 'Grown' Single Review Abbie Ozard released new single 'Grown' today (30/11/21) accompanied by a video premiere this evening, on The Fader for the single. Known for her thoughtful, storytelling style 'Grown' incorporates samples from her family home videos and both starts and ends with these and a simple piano accompaniment. The track builds atmospherically after reflecting back and questioning a past relationship, as Abbie says "everything has changed......and I hope you're happy and your hearts still fine without me", and is possibly more reflective and melancholy in style than some of her previous tracks. What stands out are the emotionally beautiful vocals and the clever and effective pace of the song with the simple start, epic build and then return to the heartbreaking simplicity one again to conclude. This effectively makes you feel the song and the lyrics in full force! Abbie said of the track "I wrote 'Grown' back

  19 year old, Shropshire based singer/songwriter Greysha released 'Gold Glaze' on 20th October.  A beautiful and reflective song about looking back at key events in your life. Told from the perspective of growing up it touches on lots of subjects many teenagers will recognise in themselves, not wanting to be in class, rebellious piercings, also however the more serious and poignant subjects of family and looking back at happier times.  As a subscriber to her mailing list from back when I bought the CD of her previous single 'Aspirin' , Greysha said of 'Gold Glaze' on release "I have poured my soul and a little part of who I am into this" The inflection and emotion she puts into the vocals literally make you feel this is true. A track with layered harmonies and cinematic strings, you smile and you even sing along to the "Gold Glaze" part but you also feel Greysha's pain at times..."Tell the darkness to stay back another day"  Gr

  Dead Freights - 'Batman' Dead Freights released their new video for 'Batman' today, this follows on from their recent announcements of signing a multi-album deal with 25 Hour and that they are the main support slot for The Libertines UK tour next month! Formed in Southampton in 2015, Charlie, Louis, Robert and Dan write punky, angsty tracks laced with dark humour and social commentary. On listening to their reincarnation of the original superhero theme there is a witty but angry message forged from the experience of a night out in Southampton. "One night on my way home from the pub I got chased by a guy with a baseball bat, he was off his head and told me he was Batman.... it occurred to me that Batman is just another billionaire that can live above the law, use violence cause he's got that moral authority that comes with power"   The self-produced video sees frontman Charlie James being chased through the back alleys of their hometown into a car park wh

  Lauren Hibberd - 'Charlie's Car' Single Review Lauran Hibberd has signed to Virgin Music and shared her amazing new track 'Charlie's Car'. Fresh from a summer of festival appearances and headline dates, the Isle Of Wight musician follows up the anthem-packed EP 'Goober' with this latest upbeat release.  As always, Lauran has a loveable, satirical way of telling a story in her music in a way that makes you smile and empathise when you listen. The self-deprecating acceptance of the situation and the fact that you know it's part of the attraction!  Lauran explained the meaning behind the lyrics; "I think everyone has a 'Charlie' in their life. It's ironic that this totally unreasonable behaviour is something I find myself thirsty for. WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME? This track is definitely just a down spiralling array of unhealthy events that I find myself (as always) coating in infamous comedy." Lauran worked with producer Suzy Shinn

  Hands Off Gretel - Still Angry Tour Before COVID, Hands Off Gretel (Lauren, Becky, Sean and Sam) were celebrating the 'Angry' EP with a UK tour. They had played a handful of shows before it got cancelled along with everything else, but last week the 'Still Angry' tour finally arrived at The Portland Arms in Cambridge.  Their set was energetic and fabulous, packed with songs from their last EP 'Angry' and their previous album 'I Want The World'. They have the natural ability to engage and entertain the crowd from start to finish - from telling off the crowd for clapping at the wrong time, to getting us all to chant for "Ron!" they worked to make their fans feel part of the experience.  Lauren Tate is an amazingly charismatic frontwoman and interacted between songs - encouraging people to speak to her dad at the merch table, and unbelievably she told us a story from the previous night's gig where she literally had to slap someone in the fac

  Yur Mum - 'Tropical Fuzz' Yur Mum are Brazilian rock duo Anelise (bass and vocals) and Fabio (drums), now based in London. They released their latest single 'Tropical Fuzz' today, and I was lucky enough to see it performed live last week! Their sound is energetic and punky, crossing over to grunge and rock, I think it would appeal to fans of Skating Polly and L7. They are signed to M&O Music with plans to release an album and as well as the new single today they have a self made music video for your viewing pleasure.

Tom Lumley and The Brave Liaison - 'Everything's Affected' Album Review Following a sell out album launch show at The Grace in London on Thursday, Cambridgeshire band Tom Lumley and The Brave Liaison (Jake Day, Billy Stewart and Jonny Thompson) released their debut album 'Everything's Affected' on 22nd October.  It has 12 tracks, including the previously released singles 'Crawling', 'Fake Friends' and 'Haunted'.  The album represents the bands work over the past 4 years and perhaps more importantly it is packed full of bloody brilliant tracks! The band have been described as hard-working and they obviously are, I know this from watching their social media and the effort they put into their posts, their promotion of their singles, their gigs - this is a band that are invested in what they do and who make their music with passion - and you can hear that in this album.  This is an album of predominantly high energy rock songs, with some refl

  Salem - Join The Church Tour Following on from the success of their recent two EPs, Salem set out on their 19 date 'Join the Church' tour around the UK, stopping at Norwich on Tuesday 19th October to play at The Waterfront. Frontman Will Gould and guitarist Matthew Reynolds were joined by Ranny Ransom on bass and Jack Wrench on drums for a jaw-dropping, fast paced and spectacular night.  They started the set strongly with the opening song from their debut EP; 'Fall Out Of Love' and Will instantly had the crowd singing along to the first lines. Following this dramatic start, came the super punky 'DRACULADS' enhanced by Will wearing the T-shirt. (I of course nabbed one of these from the merch stand!) Every single line was delivered perfectly, full of emotion and confidence - I think this song was the highlight of the performance for me, and Will's signature spin and point move will be forever in my dance repertoire! After a beautifully theatrical performance

James and The Cold Gun Live Review "We're so happy to be back! Our backs aren't though!" James Joseph of James and The Cold Gun told me before their gig yesterday at The Waterfront, Norwich supporting Salem. South Wales band, James Biss and James Joseph (formerly of Holding Absence) were one of the strongest support bands I've ever seen - I enjoyed every minute of their set. Everyone on stage was entertaining to watch, it was hard to keep up with what was going on! They delivered an incredibly energetic and powerful set full of punky bangers that were made to be played loud and live - engaging the crowd during and in between songs with their confident and unique personalities, and building up the energy throughout their set with lots of jumping around - no wonder James said his back hurt!  They are currently halfway through their 19 date 'Join the Church' tour with Salem, they head up north next for shows including Leeds and Huddersfield before coming back

  'Halfcut' - The Rivers Single Review Welsh indie-rock band, The Rivers released 'Halfcut' on 1st October. The track has a clever, catchy melody and the lyrics are delivered with the perfect level of emotion for the subject of the song. It is easy to listen to from the start and strikes a balance with just the right level of guitars, bass and drums to complement the vocals and give us an emotional banger of a tune. It is definitely one you can have on repeat! Frontman Dan said the song was about the arguments people in relationships have when they're drunk, "nothing really makes sense, nothing's ever getting sorted and it just makes the whole situation worse." The expressive chorus draws you in to the frustration felt and the need to be anywhere else but in this argument - "someone please get me out of here, cos you're halfcut already". Forced by the pandemic to take a break from releasing music, (their last EP was released in September

  Call to the Faithful & Dear Monday Live Show On Thursday 23rd September I went to the Portland Arms in Cambridge to catch the amazing and loud sets from Peterborough rock band Call to the Faithful, and Cambridge indie-rock band Dear Monday. Call to the Faithful's Matt, Oscar & Will, performed an energetic and massive set starting big with their single from earlier this year 'Animals' followed by current single 'Thieves and Liars'. Unfortunately Ethan was unwell, so Simon from Das Kapitans stepped in on bass for the evening and the guys performed one of theirs in homage. Frontman Matt told me afterwards he went too hard on their explosive Rage Against The Machine cover and blew his voice out but you wouldn't have noticed as they ended the set with a blasting new one, due for release 1st October, 'It Doesn't Matter'. Full of rock anthems with big drums and guitar solos that were on point, these guys are smashing the Cambridgeshire rock scene.

  'Doom & Bloom' - Dude Safari Single Review I have found some amazing new music since I started this blog, and this band from Surrey are up there as one of my favourites. I won't shout out who introduced me to them as he's a big enough show off already, but seriously good call! Dude Safari have released a string of 5 singles since March this year and their latest 'Doom & Bloom' came out on 17th September.  'Doom & Bloom'  is a massive grunge rock anthem with big drums and guitars, amazing choruses and when the sweet "Doooooooom" hits as the chorus starts it reaches another level of fabulousness! Dude Safari said it best themselves when they described it as having "a backline louder than Godzilla's mating calls". I can't do better than that! Jamie has a unique and beautiful voice, and the bittersweet vocals on this one are full of emotions that really come out. This is the one of theirs that seen live will be the p

  'Wasted Time' - Candid Single Review Coventry based indie band Candid released their brand new single 'Wasted Time' on 10th September.  With a massive intro this song grabs you from the start and the addition of the synth pop blending with the indie rock makes such a distinctively unique sound. The song is big and catchy, it gets you dancing and skilfully draws you in and keeps your attention from start to finish. The expressive vocals, the infectious drum beats and the clever guitar underpinning the powerful keys give the song its character.  The video is genius and takes this track to another level, I recommend watching this first as it will make you smile and relate to the song on future listening. The band say that after two years of lockdowns and misery they mean business now and the chorus itself backs up this claim with its lyrics "I don't wanna fight, I can't sit and waste any more time". With BBC Radio backing, festivals and a support slot f

    'Fragment of Imagination' - Mellor EP Review Reading quartet Mellor (Gary, Sam, Kris and Josh) released their EP 'Fragment of Imagination' on the 27th of August. Five indie rock tracks full of clever and complex riffs, this whole EP creates an atmosphere for the listener that fits perfectly with the nighttime artwork they used.  The opening track 'Cool, Calm, Deranged' is about the media turning people into psychopaths. It looks into the glorification of serial killers and the violent dramas which lead to people becoming immune to fear and shock. Along with the heavy-hitting lyrics, it has a dramatic chorus, that strips back for a few bars before kicking in again, which I absolutely love.  Track two 'Version of a Life' is upbeat with strong, dominating guitar riffs and an atmospheric solo. This one is about sticking to a predictable routine, rather than being spontaneous and living your best life outside of your comfort zone, with lyrics like "h

 Declan McKenna Zeros Tour J1, Cambridge Junction - 23rd August 2021 "Cambridge are the OG's... everyone in this room saw me busking in the street 5 years ago." Declan McKenna appreciatively told the sold out crowd on the first night of his Zeros Tour, kicking off in Cambridge last night. With the checkerboard stage set with glitter balls and confetti cannons, the atmosphere was electric! You better believe Declan was on top form wearing his glittery suit, and the set had everything that you could have asked for. This gig was a humongous deal for me as it marked my return to indoor gigs for the first time in 18 months, and I couldn't think of anyone better to do it with than Declan! He gave the crowd exactly what they wanted with a blistering start performing 'Beautiful Faces', 'Rapture' and 'Sagittarius A*' accompanied by the confetti cannons going off, making sure that the concert literally started with a bang!  Declan appeared to be full of

  'Culture Non-Stop' - The Skinner Brothers EP Review The Skinner Brothers dropped their new EP 'Culture Non-Stop' on Friday 6th August. An indie band with an arena sound, The Skinner Brothers tell stories of football, drugs, booze, sex and love! Four explosive and individual brand new tracks make up an EP full of swagger and attitude! First up is the title track; 'Culture Non-Stop' - from the start you know this is the Skinner Brothers as Zac's distinctive vocals draw you in. With fuzzy guitar riffs and driven by the drums, this song is an upbeat swipe at the bullshit! It has an addictive quality to it - I could happily have it on repeat - and as the song itself says "I need the music in my system to feel high".   With the second track 'Told You So' we have more of a dance vibe with a definite summer festival feel coming from the guitar riff and the bass. This will fit in perfectly with the news announced yesterday that they will be perfor

  Zuzu talks: Singing in her accent, Adventure Time and The Sims Merseyside musician Zuzu first started writing songs at the age of 7 and by 18 she had a publishing deal. Her debut single 'Get Off' was released in 2016, with her first EP 'Made On Earth By Humans' following in 2018. She released her latest single 'My Old Life' on 30th July, the second single from her upcoming debut album 'Queensway Tunnel' due for release on the 12th November. Zuzu's instantly recognisable vocals draw you into a sad song where heartbroken, the subject of the song drives to the edge of the Mersey and throws in her phone. A beautiful, chill song about being in a terrible place in life, with sweet acoustic guitar and mellow drums. Zuzu said the video for 'My Old Life' is inspired by her seeing 'My Bed' by Tracey Emin in the Tate art gallery. I was lucky enough to get the chance to speak to Zuzu: ‘ Timing’ is obviously your first single off your upcoming d