Hadouken!

(25th July 2012 - Phone Interview)

We had the pleasure of speaking with Daniel Rice, guitarist for Hadouken. Here's what we talked about.

How did you meet and get together as a band?

Well, I met James at university and we worked on various projects together such as starting a record label and we started jamming together. Basically we decided that we wanted to start a band, after that James asked his girlfriend Alice to play synth for us and I got my brother to play drums.

How did you come up with the band name?

Well all the bands that were out at that time, that we were listening to all had names that were quite different but we wanted something a bit more out there and easily recognisable. Our name comes from the game Street Fighter, ‘Hadouken’ is the name of one of the special moves in the game.

Can you tell us a bit about your recent releases?

Our single 'Parasite' is out just now and our new single 'Bad Signal' is coming out soon. We have also just added the finishing touches to our new album which should be out at some point at later on in the year.

Is there anything big coming up this year for the band?

We are playing the Reading festival and that is always a big thing for us, it will be our fourth time playing the festival so we are all really looking forward to it. We will also be touring the UK and Europe once the album is released.

For you personally, what is the best thing about being in a band?

For me personally it’s touring. When we are out on the road we have a crew of twelve to fourteen people and it’s always a great laugh, it’s as though we're all one big family. Getting to travel round the world with your best friends, playing music and meeting new people, everywhere you go is amazing.

Is there anything else you would like to say?

Yes, it would be great if everyone could check out our new singles because they show two sides of the new album and the new direction we are taking with the new album and where it is going.

Check out the band on Facebook and Twitter-

www.facebook.com/hadoukentheband

twitter.com/HadoukenUK

Boyce Avenue

(11th June 2012 - O2 Academy Glasgow)

YouTube sensation Boyce Avenue recently performed at the O2 Academy in Glasgow, and brought both Alex Goot (YouTube) and Tyler Hilton (One Tree Hill) along for the ride. Seeing every show the band have ever played in Glasgow, I was proud. The boys have made it all the way from King Tut's to the O2 Academy, playing The Garage, The Oran Mor, The Arches and the O2 ABC in between. This was a great venue for the guys to play and they definitely managed to keep the house rockin' all night. 

First act of the night was Alex Goot, our YouTube wonderboy. He walked on stage with his band as if to take it all in, and sat at his keyboard. Lights on, everyone screaming, he kicked off the night with a bang and had everyone dancing straight away with his feel good pop beats. His cover of Cascada's 'Everytime We Touch' was a crowd favourite, it had everyone in the room singing along, and that's a lot of people. With the crowd warmed up and stoked for the next act, Alex had done what he came here to do, entertain. As he left the stage the audience went crazy, he definitely added a couple thousand more fans to his Glasgow fanbase. 

Tyler Hilton was the next artist of the night, most famous for his role as 'Chris Keller' in the hit TV series 'One Tree Hill', it was clear that some people were here to just see him. As he took the stage with his guitar and his band, he was greeted with a room full of screaming girls. Playing songs from his new album 'Forget The Storm' he completely wowed the crowd. He has such a unique voice, and will be welcomed with open arms here in Glasgow. 

Next up was Boyce Avenue made up of brothers Fabian, Daniel and Alejandro Manzano. As the intro to 'Daylight' began, everyone was in suspence just waiting for the guys to take the stage. As they skipped on stage they began playing along and went straight into their set. In between songs Alejandro had some banter with the crowd keeping everyone up beat. Performing a mix of their own songs as well as some covers, they had everyone in the room smiling the entire night. Crowd favourites were 'Change Your Mind', 'When The Lights Die', and 'Every Breath'. After performing a lengthy set Fabian and Daniel left the stage and Alejandro sat at the keyboard to perform 'On My Way' which slowed things down a little bit. Such a lovely song and he performed it beautifully. After his brothers joined him again they performed a couple more songs together before finishing with 'Here Me Now' which is always a great song to end on. It gets everyone involved and ends the night on a great note, literally. It was definitely a night to remember.

This was a great gig, with two of the best support acts I've seen in a very long time. Hopefully they will return on a headline tour of their own, and I look forward to seeing Boyce Avenue again when they come back to Glasgow.

If you haven't heard of any of the acts you have just read about, I highly suggest you have a listen, these are acts that won't let you down. Keep Cool, Life is Music TV.

-newcitylauren@gmail.com

Walk The Moon

(5th July 2012 - Phone Interview)

We had the pleasure of speaking with Kevin Ray, Bassist for indie-rock band Walk The Moon. We talked about; how the band got together, the name, their new album and upcoming tours.

How did you guys meet and get together as a band?

Nick’s[singer]mum and my mum were friends when they were younger so me and Nick have also been friends from a young age. Me and Nick had always played in bands and after I finished college Nick called me up and asked if I would come to Cincinnati and play bass in the band he was starting and I brought in our drummer Sean who I have known since middle school. Eli our guitarist was very well known in the Cincinnati music scene so we snapped him up before anyone else got him.

How did you all come up with the band name?

We were all sitting around trying to think of a name for the band and we came up with around about two hundred names. At the time though every band was on MySpace so what we done was we took all the names we came up with and typed them into MySpace and as it happened every name we initially thought of was already taken. One night while trying to come up with some more band names we were listening to ‘Walk The Moon’ by The Police and we all just though “walk the moon would be a great name”, so we checked MySpace and there was no band using the name so we made it ours.

Your new self titled album is out just now, what was the inspiration behind this album?

Well we have released other albums and various other EP’s. We’re now on a major label and we are now making music that the whole world will hear. So we wanted to make a record that is inspired by us as a band and on the record we wanted to capture the energy of our live shows onto our album.

How long did it take to record the new album?

On this album it was the first time we recorded in a proper big recording studio, with a budget. We moved to Atlanta, Georgia and we were recording for twelve hours a day and in total it took us about a month and a half or two months to record.  We were recording twelve hours a day and we really got to know each other better in the short space of time we were there.

Are there any big tours coming up this year?

We are non-stop touring until January and then off for a couple of weeks then touring again for six months. Just now [July] we are in the UK of 2 weeks then we go back to the states, then we will be back in September/October on tour for five/six weeks in UK and Europe with Fun.

Is there anything else that you would like to say?

It’s really exciting as a band after building a big fan base back home in the states to come over here and meet new friends and gain new fans. It’s also nice to come so far from home and see people having fun and enjoying our music and we can't wait to come back and play some shows.

Check out the band on facebook and twitter-

www.facebook.com/walkthemoon

www.twitter.com/WALKTHEMOONband

Blink-182

(20th June 2012 - Glasgow SECC)

Punk Rock legends Bink-182 graced the stage at the SECC on the 20th June bringing with them Punk Pop band The All-American Rejects and Scottish band Twin Atlantic. It was an event not to be missed and everyone left the SECC sweaty and on a high.

As Blink made themselves stage ready, Twin Atlantic were first up to woo the crowd. It was great to see these guys playing such a big stage, as I'd previously seen them play the main stage at Wickerman and I thought that was big, I was wrong. This was definitely a bigger crowd. The Glasgow band quickly took control of the crowd and had every one jumping. It was awesome to see people singing along to their hits 'Edit Me', 'Make A Beast of Myself' and 'Free'. The guys played a set to be proud of, managing to keep the crowd going and creating an atmoshphere that carried on through the night.

Next up to support the punk-rock trio were The All-American Rejects. Frontman Tyson Ritter seemed a little too happy which made us a little suspicious but not to worry, the show went on and the band didn't disappoint. Starting with 'Dirty Little Secret' the crowd were immediately jumping around like crazy and screaming the lyrics. The band played a lengthy set and even performed their most known songs 'Move Along' which was featured in TV show One Tree Hill and 'Gives You Hell'. It was a great set and they absolutely blew everyone away with their performance and banter in between songs. 

As Blink-182 skipped on stage their fans went wild and moshpits opened up everywhere. 'Feeling This' was the first song of their set and it was a winner, it was clear everyone was enjoying it. Throughout the night the amount of 'your mom' jokes was sky high as well as the band talking about younger times when Mark said he done some 'finger banging' back in the day, it was a little X rated but it was great and had everyone laughing. A Blink show wouldn't be the same wthout the childish banterous ways of Tom and Mark. And of course the fabulously talented drumming of the tattoo'd man that is Travis Barker. As they played through their set including older songs and more recent songs from their newest album 'Neighbourhoods'. It was clear that 'Always' and 'All The Small Things' were crowd favourites.

Just when we thought the night was ending, the band somehow made their way over to the seating section and set up a stage near the sound engineers desk. Completely surprising people in the seating sections. They then went on to perform 'Reckless Abandon' and 'Wasting Time'. They blew everyone away, they were flawless. Travis then done a solo performance of his single 'Can a Drummer Get Some' and rocked it. Then followed songs 'Carousel', 'Dammit' and 'Family Reunion'. And as the night finally came to an end the crowd were screaming and still chearing for more. Blink were shown so much love and the night ended on a high.

If you haven't heard of any of the bands mentioned then you should give them a listen and show them some love. Stay Awesome, Life is Music TV.

-newcitylauren@gmail.com

Campbell's Wild

(Superman Pills by Campbell's Wild - Song Review)

Type- Single Review

Title- Superman Pills

By- Campbell's Wild

Label- Unsigned

Edinburgh based indie band Campbell's Wild recently released new track ‘Superman Pills'. The songs catchy chorus is one that'll be stuck in your head for a long time... trust me. These boys definitely have something to be proud of with this particular track. The distinctively Scottish vocals are also gives the song it's own unique vibe.

The 4 piece wonder is led by frontman Fraser Jamieson, who gives the band their vocal edge. Other members Keir, Calum and Steve all play a huge part in the band, making it all come together, in turn, creating the sound that is Campbell's wild.

In my opinion, Superman Pills is a song about self destruction, needing something or even someone to make it all okay. Somewhat of a warning to people who get in the way when we don't have that something to help us through.

The 4 minute long lyrical beast of a song is now available on itunes and you can buy it here. If you haven't heard any of the band's other material then we suggest you check it out, they won't let you down. Lotsa Love, Life is Music TV.

Check 'em out on facebook -  www.facebook.com/campbellswild

-newcitylauren@gmail.com