Words: Amanda Nicholls

We’ve not heard much from Coral frontman James Skelly of late – not since 2010’s ‘Butterfly House’ – but next month will mark the start of a seven-stop UK headline tour for him and his new band of Intenders. Set to coincide with debut album Love Undercover – due for release on June 3rd via Skeleton Key Records – the tour will see the group take to the stage at Bristol’s Thekla on June 14th, to showcase their self-produced material.

This side project looks to be something of a departure from Skelly’s previous work with The Coral, with romping, rattling taster tune ‘Do It Again’ (free to download from the website), revealing an earthier, bluesy side to the singer and being hailed as a bar-room growler.

Recorded back home in Wirral, the album features fellow Coral members as well as members of the Sundowners and Tramp Attack. It’s been a more direct approach this time, with tracks recorded in one or two takes, and less abstract concepts forming the basis of the record. Look out for ‘You’ve Got It All’ – only co-written with Paul Weller, mind. This promises to be a debut not to miss.

Check out ‘You’ve Got It All’ right here:

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Deap Vally – Baby I Call Hell

Queens Of The Stone Age – I Appear Missing

Oliver Wilde – Flutter

Kate Boy – The Way We Are

Airbird & Napolian – In The Zone

Joel Compass – Fucked Up

Her Royal Harness – Blood + Fire

Bravestation – Somewhere We Belong

Cherri Fosphate – Wool

Young Wonder – Time

Words: April Donnelly
Photos: Louise Brady

Trucking on down to Old Market on 28 April, this was my first time at The Exchange and I was really impressed with the venue. With two stages and a third bar the atmosphere is earthy and raw as soon as you walk through the door. The perfect place to celebrate six years of guiding Bristol fans through a plethora of gigs to find the bands they want to listen to. Live Music Scene put on mighty fistful of acts to celebrate their sixth birthday.

Bristol continues to deliver an increasingly rich new music scene but in the last six years our disposable cash has been hit hard by the recession and the rising cost of living in the city. Music fans have to be more discerning about whom they pay to see these days. LMS has become a trusted source of advice for fans across Bristol. Their sixth birthday gig was always going to be a great night and well worth the £5/6 entry fee to see the 10-band line-up. Plus it’s the little details that make all the difference – they’d even thought about the afternoon start time set to run into the night and had organized discounted food – veg chili and rice from the fab Stag & Hounds next for a bargain £3 for those with a wristband.

Black Elephant were loud and low. There were only a few people watching when they started up but the room soon filled up as the singer belted out a powerful vocal – for an average sized guy his voice packs a punch that takes you by surprise but also has a nice melodic quality that nicely balanced their dark rhythms and booming sound.

They built up to a big crescendo and things got quite heated with much crashing about and feet being stamped into the pedals – by the end of the set my ears were ringing and my pulse racing.

The next band were Empire, playing on the upstairs stage. These five guys have only been together for a year but already they are causing a small storm. Apparently they don’t like to label their music but describe themselves as rock ‘n’ roll that smells clean and tastes fresh – well their singer definitely fits the fresh description! He drew the audience in straightaway with jokes about anglerfish and not getting back with your ex. He teased the crowd for assuming that he was gay because of his voice and manner and then jumped into the crowd for a song about fit girls that come to their gigs. His small size and feminine voice did nothing to diminish his ability to deliver massive screams in between their crashing riffs.

Next I saw Cars on Fire who have a great reputation and the downstairs stage was packed to the rafters by the time they started. These are a storming band with a beautiful ability to ricochet between full and frenzied, all out rock, then dropping into heartbreakingly beautiful choruses that will haunt you for a long time afterwards. They’ve a new album out called ‘Black Hearts and Bloody Hands’ which I will definitely be buying.

I went back upstairs to watch the last two bands of the night – Cavorts and The Wires.

The Cavorts are from Barnsley and recently have been playing some very large venues but they still turn up at smaller gigs every now and again – I guess they like getting a bit closer to the crowd. The Wires were another visiting band, this time from London, with a pretty impressive history including opening for Paul Weller. Both of these bands were superb and definitely worth a watch but in the only downside of the night the numbers of people watching had nosedived at this point. This was a real shame as those that left early missed out on some great tracks – however maybe this was not surprising as by this time is was getting pretty late for a school night.

Maybe for their next birthday they should make like her Maj’ and move their ‘official’ birthday to land on the Bank Holiday – the more people that get the chance to go to a quality gig like this the better. See the LMS event for the full line up of bands on both stages from the night.

Words: April Donnelly

Introducing to you, Wolf People, who believe it or not have just released their third full length, ‘Fain’.

Listening to lead track (and personal favourite) ‘All Returns’, you’d be forgiven for thinking that you’d slipped back into a bygone musical era littered with costumes, extended instrumental breaks and outrageous sparkly trousers. But not for long, because this four-piece from Beford capture a delicate and sophisticated elegance that sets them apart from their drug fuelled and chaotic prog-rock predecessors (that and an appearance far more demure than Peter Green ever aspired to in his hey-day).

There’s a clever familiarity woven into the key phrases and the strong folk flavours make the music seem so simple that you almost don’t notice yourself becoming bewitched by its trickery, and although the band members seem quite elusive, we do know that ‘All Returns’ was written about a powerful dream the singer had – where a figure looked through his eyes, into his soul and calmly described his faults and demons.

The fact that this intriguing and enchanting band have chosen my new favourite venue (The Exchange) for their Bristol date on 11^th May has increased their appeal even more – see you there!

Check out the video for ‘All Returns’ right here:

Words: Laura Eley

Not much has been disclosed about secretive Mexico natives Hawaiian Gremlins, apart from a Facebook description selling them as “teenage deadbeats who don’t have anything to do on Saturday evenings.” An image of high school flunks playing FIFA and passing round a bottle of flat Frosty Jacks immediately springs to mind – never fear – their music sounds mature enough to have been created by industry pro’s.

From the three songs uploaded to their Soundcloud page – all swirling beats, doused, hazy vocals and synth slides – they evoke a clear comparison to New York four piece DIIV. Latest release ‘Mogwai Love’ opens with washed out, beachy guitar rhythm before a distant, lazy vocal slurry floods over a panoramic pool of oceanic chords. Mixed with the spectral sighs and wooziness of Wild Nothing’s 2010 album ‘Gemini’, the Gremlin’s are sure to be making some waves on the lo-fi, surf-pop scene in the near future.

Stream ‘Mogwai Love’right here:

Words: Laura Eley

After monumental breakthrough single ‘Fluffy’ it’s daintier b-side ‘White Leather’ and something-in-between follow up track ‘Bros’ all being released within a few weeks of each other, Wolf Alice are on a roll.

Throughout these tracks there’s been an air of youthful recklessness with gigantic riffs, sun-soaked upbeat choruses and dancably jangly melodies. Latest track ‘Every Cloud’ then is somewhat an anomaly. A hazy, melancholic affair, it opens with lethargic, repetitive synth which seeps into Ellie Rowsell’s wispy, sweet-sour vocal which, on this track, sounds not unlike the dulcet croon of Daughter’s Elena Tonra.

Hollow and echoey, ‘Every Cloud’ is at times interestingly disorientating. Midway layered vocals arch over each other creating a plethora of indecipherable lyrics, sighs and whispers, linking back to their delicate folk roots with early tracks such as ‘Wednesday.’ Loosely pinned by the same synth pulse, the track winds up with a lulling 20 second instrumental fade out.

Although ‘Every cloud’ might be a bit different – a slow grower perhaps – it’s not to be dismissed by any means, nicely balancing out their back catalogue and proving that the unstoppable London three- piece do have a softer side.

Words: Owain Jones

The Fleece, Bristol – 22nd April 2013

Birmingham seems like the place to be for up and coming indie bands in 2013, but tonight sees the band at the top of the pile, Peace, bring a bit of the action to Bristol. With the pressure of producing a successful debut album and being NME’s latest indie pin-ups hanging on their shoulders, I, along with the whole of the packed out Fleece were desperate to find out if they could live up to all the hype.

Peace take the stage to the delight of the dozens of teens waiting eagerly in anticipation. With lead singer Harrison dressed in what can only be described as a sailor’s outfit, they kick in to opener ‘Delicious’ and the crowd instantly erupts in to a sea of dancing bodies. Next up is recent single ‘Follow Baby’ which keeps the energy on a high and causes an overexcited teen’s head to collide painfully with one of the pillars scattered around the fleece. With another song comes the first guitar change for sing along anthem ‘Lovesick’ which Harrison videos with a phone stuck to the headstock of his guitar.

‘Waste of Paint’ transports us to late 80’s Manchester, while ‘Float Forever’ gives everyone a bit of a breather as we’re instructed to prepare for a slow dance. However, the rest is only momentary as ‘Higher than the Sun’ sends the energy level back up to a dizzying height with yet another huge chorus. ‘Toxic’ continues in the same fashion as the whole crowd bounce along and join in for a chorus of “All I gotta do, all I gotta do is forget you”. Proceedings are taken down a slightly more chilled out route with B-side ‘Scumbag’ followed by it’s A-side ‘Wraith’ which is one of the standout tracks of the night. Their 10 minute epic EP track ‘1998’ provides without a doubt the best moment of the evening as it grows and grows before coming to an abrupt halt leaving just enough time for Harrison to shout “Bristol!” at the adoring crowd before plunging in to a huge drop. The whole of the Fleece drops with them and descends in to madness for the remainder of the song. The set continues with another track off the EP, ‘California Daze’ before finally giving in to the crowd’s continuous demands for ‘Bloodshake’ to round off the set in spectacular fashion.

Having played B-sides, EP tracks and more or less the entirety of their debut album, Peace leave everyone happy and prove to any doubters that they can not only live up to the hype, but can take the album to another level on stage. The crowd filter out of The Fleece rather tired, sweaty and with the satisfying feeling they have just witnessed something special.

Words: Simon Roach

On Sunday 19th May, The Louisiana plays host to London’s finest. Paris-born Sophie Delila graces the stage to share her own blend of pop, rock and soul with a Bristol audience.

Following the success of her 2012 release, ‘What Did I Do’, the artist described by leading tabloids as ‘the real deal’ has a small handful of intimate shows lined up and Bristol is lucky enough to be on the Parisian-bred singer’s schedule

The show is a must for anyone who enjoys a helping of upbeat soul, laced with motown spirit and at £7 a ticket it’s a no-brainer for an incredible evening of music. More here.

The debut track from Blaue Blume, ‘On New Years Eve’, surfaced last month, and we were blown away.

After a careful and deliberate journey to find their sound, they’ve arrived firmly in the wistful vein of Wild Beasts or Anthony & The Johnsons, with their own Danish twist.

This inspiring appetite-whetter was born out of a handful of songs sketched out during a road trip through the US and Canada, amazingly in the very van which served as both studio and home.

Reportedly inspired by the drama of The Smiths and the melodic structures of Cocteau Twins, they also cite certain aspects of Genesis, Roxy Music and even Nina Simone as helping them sculpt their chosen sound.

Blaue Blume’s poetic passion for their finely crafted output make it a pleasure to dive into -

“On New Years Eve’ is a manifestation of a past youth, ushered in by the peal of the town hall’s bells striking midnight. A delirious boy dances through the streets in an inferno of feasts, fireworks, drinking and lechery. Completely unaffected by the fact that everything is collapsing around him, he dwells on the thought of finally having drained her spit from the kisses, she gave. Love is transient.”

Hear it for yourself, right here:

Belgians Silicon Ballet make instantly likeable chamber (or this that chambre) pop that twinkles its way right into your heart.

Of their Gareth Parton-mixed EP (Go! Team, Breeders), personal hilight ‘Goodbye Low’ dances between ethereal and driving, much in the way Mew do, complete with smatterings of 7/8 that embellish this very effect.

Amongst the euro-twang of layered vocals sit an array of clean-n-clear arrangements, which although steeped in pop sensibilities, are not afraid of following a mad tangent or two – making for a much more interesting listen than many of their contemporaries.

Stream ‘Slowly Slowly’ in its entirety below, or make it your own here.