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.