SONS LTD Representatives on Local Radio

Written by Tom Donally

Local Bands, This is Seb Clarke, The Rafaels and The Rough Charm made a radio appearance last night on the BBC Radio Stoke's local music show, SUBCulture. This comes after another SONS, The Dilenttantes, made an appearance on SUBCulture last thursday.

All three bands are set to play with the other SONS bands, and a whole host of Big names in the SONS Showcase at the Victoria Hall on saturday night.

Ben from This is Seb Clarke, Tom from The Rafaels and Will and Dan from The Rough Charm all joined hosts, Matt Lee and Dave Hamer for a discussion about the Showcase. Which looks set to be a hell of a night, with a packed line up.
Rafaels had their recently released single that went straight in at number 4 in the Indie chart, 'Charming Man' played. Whilst SONS Newcomers; The Rough Charm had their track 'Cops and Thugs' from their recent EP Glamour in the Gutter played.

To listen again to the show, click here and follow the following instructions.

Click on 'Listen Again'
Click on 'SUBCulture'
The Bands are on around the 40 minute mark.

Tickets are selling fast but there are a few remaining tickets for the Showcase on Saturday night which are available from the Victoria Hall box office or the performing bands.

REVIEW: The Rough Charm @ The Bandstand, Hanley, 04/04/08

Due to the fact that it was my first time in the recently opened bandstand, the first thing that ran through my mind when I walked into the venue were two things, "Where's the stage?" and "This place is tiny". As it turns out the stage was actually down a small flight of stairs in an entirely seperate space, which is about the size of someones kitchen. Suddenly my thoughts changed to "This is going to be a messy night".

The Rough Charm came on stage at roughly 10pm, which in itself was another indication that it was going to be a hell of a gig, due to the fact that crowd were well on their way to a hangover (including yours truly) and so were the band themselves. In fact, drummer Lofty was so drunk he commented that he couldnt see. I'm no drummer, but I'm sure vision is an essential part of the drumming process. Maybe I'm wrong though, because the band were rocking on top form from the first song to the last.

They played their usual set but threw in a new, yet untitled song, which was likely a spur of the moment decision. A decision which the crowd obviously appreciated as it was met with a great response. The old, more established songs were met with a fantastic response as always. It's a testimony to Will's song writing ability that a large section of the crowd were singing along to every word of his lyrics. It was like being on the terraces at a football match, and this was England 5 - Germany 1 territory. The lads ended on "Better Off Alone", which they played earlier in the set as well, but pulled it out again as the crowd requested it. The set was a total blinder (almost literally with all the pints glasses that were hitting the floor) and everyone left on a high.

The Rough Charm are a band to watch and they are going on to bigger things in leaps and bounds. I don't even think the band has reached it's first birthday yet, and they are due to play at the Victoria Hall in a couple of weeks in front of Carl Barat, the editor of NME and some BBC radio DJs. I recommend everyone who's a fan of indie rock 'n' roll music to go see a gig by The Rough Charm, before it's too late.

More information on The Rough Charm can be found here.

Stolen Guitar and Drums - Can You Help?

On Friday night (4th April), Stoke-based band The Rough Charm had some musical equipment stolen from their car. Taken in the theft was frontman Will's Union Jack Aria guitar (pictured below), a Tom-Tom drum and a cymbal.



The car, which was broken into, was parked on the carpark behind the Bandstand music venue in Hanley.

The theft put a huge downer on what was a great night, as The Rough Charm had performed an amazing set at the Bandstand earlier in the night. A review of the gig will be posted soon.

If you have any information on the whereabouts of the equipment, please either contact the police on 08453 30 20 10, The Rough Charm or me.

Local Bands Dominate Indie Chart

Last week, the local SONS Ltd record company simultaneously released 4 singles. In an amazing feat of chart dominance, all 4 singles charted into the Indie Chart top 5.

The singles charted as follows:

#1. This Is Seb Clarke - "Rock 'n' Roll Alamo Pt 7 (Did You See Them Go)"
#3. The Novellos - "The Lady Is Not For Turning"
#4. Raphaels - "Charming Man"
#5. The Title - "Madman"

It has since been revealed that Conor McNicholas, the Editor of NME will be in attendance at the SONS Ltd showcase, which will take place at the Victoria Hall on the 19th April.

The showcase is shaping up to be a night not to be missed for indie fans, as Carl Barat (The Libertines/Dirty Pretty Things) will be performing a set on the night, alongside various DJs from BBC Radio 1, Radio 2 and 6Music.

The most important part of the night is the showcase itself, with a wealth of local talent on display. Confirmed to appear are:

This is Seb Clarke
The Novellos
Raphaels
The Title
The Rough Charm
The Dilettantes
La Dies

For more information on the releases and purchase information click here.
For more information on the SONS Ltd showcase and ticket information click here or contact one of the above bands.

SONS Ltd Release 4 Singles

Local record label, SONS Ltd, have simultaneously released 4 singles today. The 4 releases, which are all chart eligible, are now available from HMV.co.uk and RecordStore.co.uk.

The 4 releases are:

The Novellos - "The Lady Is Not For Turning"
Raphaels - "Charming Man"
The Title - "Madman"
This Is Seb Clarke - "Rock 'n' Roll Alamo Pt 7 (Did You See Them Go?)"

Samples of the tracks can be found on the SONS Ltd Myspace page.

To purchase any of these singles, click on one of the following links. The singles are £3 each from HMV.co.uk and £2.99 each from RecordStore.co.uk.

If you have already purchased any of these singles and would like to send in a review, please email it to: stokeindiescene@ntlworld.com

REVIEW: The Fears / Renton @ Old Brown Jug, 19/03/08

Review by: Tom Donally

Two local Bands, Saw The Fears supporting The Maybes? a few weeks back.

They came on to a decent crowd at the Old Brown Jug. Lauching straight into 'Promises'
Then came: 'Whispers'
'Black To Blonde'
'Victim'
Then they slowed it down with the powerful 'Surface'
'Memento'
And to finish, Their best song, the awesome 'Impact'

I am really liking this band at the minute, they seem to have a great balance, that many bands don't have. Very powerful lyrics, and good quality music.

After 'Impact' The Fears left the (would say, but there ain't one) stage. To be Replaced by Renton.

Not heard a lot by Renton, and their sound isnt really my cup of tea. With a Hard Rock/Electronica sound.

They played a 30-40 minute set to a vastly reduced crowd with a mixed reaction.

I shall be watching them as support for The Rough Charm on 4th april at the Bandstand in Hanley, Where i will be able to get a better judgement of them as a band.


Special Thanks to The Fears for their co-operation and details of the set list.

Kamikaze Pilots 2005-2008: Why?...

The 12th March 2008 saw the Old Brown Jug play host to what will be the Kamikaze Pilots final gig.

When the news broke that the Kamikaze Pilots were splitting, it was met by a huge response of shock and disappointment by fans. "To be honest, we're suprised at the response we got when we announced we were splitting" commented bassist Simon Eaton, "I don't think we quite realised how well liked we were". The fact is that the Kamikaze Pilots were arguably the most popular local act in recent memory and were well respected by their peers, "The thing that made us most proud was when a couple of upcoming Stoke bands told us that the reason they started playing was after seeing us, which is a really nice feeling" Simon revealed.

So the question has to be asked - why did the Kamikaze Pilots decide to split? "There's been no massive row or 'musical differences' sort of thing" said Simon, "The split's been kinda forced upon us really". The reason behind the split is the loss of their lead guitarist Ash Reynolds. "Basically, we've lost our guitarist Ash to another band being put together by Sony." revealed Simon, who added that there was no animosity towards Ash for his decision, "We wish him all the best and hope he goes on to bigger and better things".

This isn't the first time the Kamikaze Pilots had lost one it's members. Last year, their original lead guitarist Tom Crompton left the Pilots and joined fellow Stoke band The Alones (who Tom has since parted ways with). This led the Pilots to audition for a replacement, which is where they discovered Ash. "It felt like we were back on track, however losing him had dropped us right back in the same situation of losing a good friend." commented Simon, adding, "We toyed with the idea of going through the process again, auditioning and getting someone new, or even carrying on as a four-piece". In the end, the Kamikaze Pilots decided to go their seperate ways.

As for the future, it looks like we haven't seen the last of the ex-Pilots. "I know Sam's working on a new project with original guitarist Tom." told Simon, adding, "There's a chance some us may get involved with that in some way". The ex-Pilots bassist, Simon, will continue to work on what was a side-project, "I've been DJ'ing a lot recently and have started my own clubnight, 'The Psychedelic Circus'." commented Simon. The chances of the Kamikaze Pilots re-uniting somewhere down the line hasn't been ruled out either, "I spoke to Dave today about the future and who knows? Maybe we'll realise how much we miss each other in a few months and start it up again!" joked Simon. For the time-being, though, the Kamikaze Pilots as a band are no more.

Stoke Indie Music Scene blog would like to thank Simon Eaton for taking the time to share this information with us, and would also like to thank the Kamikaze Pilots for their contributions to the local music scene for the last 3 years.

Below is an unedited message by the Kamikaze Pilots:

"A MASSIVE thanks to all those who came to see us over the years, brought our records, gave us lifts, helped us in any way way shape or form and more than anything believed in us. We had a riot over the last three years and it would not have been possible without our loyal fanbase.

As a show of our everlasting appreciation weve made all the songs on our myspace page downloadable for free -Take, Share, Enjoy.

Hopefully it wont be the last time you see us, Were all working on other projects, who knows maybe we'l do a K. P. reunion tour in 10 years time when weer all skint!

Fianlly one last thank you from Kamikaze Pilots
Simon Eaton, Martin Birch, Sam Aspinall and David Wheat

A few names we'd like to thank personally
Tom Crompton, Ash Reynolds, Adam Coxon, Laura Janda, Emma Goodwin @ Tezla Management, All our parents, Adam Sutton, Simon Austin, Adele Cork, Tash, John Kelly, Dan, Everyone who we roped into working behind our merch stall, All the bands who supported us/let us support them (especially Blast Stereos Loud, Transmit Disrupt, My Seargent Mask, Agent Blue), BBC Subculture, Tamzin Hindmarch @ the Sentinel and all our friends. - Sorry if we forgot anyone."