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Manchester

How Do You Expect Me: Angael feels the controlled walls closing in on You Found Me

Posted on 1 March 2023

After posting her first songs in the summer of 2013, Angael returns to the solo waters with a superbly devised single to play on full volume and this one is called, You Found Me.

Angael aka Rachael Ward is a Manchester, UK-based indie alternative pop solo artist who was recently in the English-Portuguese band Rilke.

”Not to be confused with being “found” romantically, YFM is about feeling watched over and controlled. Taking inspiration from Eminem and Dido’s ‘Stan’, as well as other trip hop/pop style beats from the early 00’s(cc: SugababesStronger), You Found Me will trigger an immediate sense of y2k nostalgia, that wouldn’t be too far off a sound found in the Bridget Jones soundtrack.” ~ Angael

With beautifully authentic vocals and brimming with the type of quality usually reserved for the best, Angael has dropped a much-loved song to gain courage from. This is top-tier stuff from one of the most enchanting artists on the map.

You Found Me from Manchester, UK-based indie alternative pop artist Angael is one of the more elevating tracks to play when a new door needs to open. After feeling trapped and rather unloved, this is the call to shake all fears away when the cold nights start to catch up.

When you need to fly away, it’s probably time already.

Listen up on Spotify. See more on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

B!TEZ advocates uninhibited authenticity in her alt-pop hit, Be Like You

Posted on 17 February 2023
https://soundcloud.com/bitezhearts/be-like-you/s-x2BfzMy4Je3?si=5ef857d702054d8abca2db5663d4b746&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

It’s time to let the dust settle on the archaic records from New Order and The Stone Roses and lock into the viscerally fresh talent from Manchester-based artist and poet B!TEZ, who has been taking the rainy city by storm.

For her latest single, Be Like You, B!TEZ (Princess Arinola Adegbite) reinvented the 80s pop wheel with her afro-futuristic edge that is sharper than any papercut. The infectiously melodic earworm is a stellar hit based on the instrumentals alone. When the socially conscious lyrics are thrown onto the stabbing synth lines, it is impossible not to get wrapped up in the vindicating euphoria.

“The first single on Vintage Destiny is ‘Be Like You’. A self-love disco pop anthem integrating rock, and funk elements encouraging listeners to be their authentic “exceptional” selves despite living in a comparison-driven world.”

After finding influence from a broad range of artists, including Nina Simone, Mazzy Star, FKA Twigs and Bjork, the songstress carved out her niche and thrived in every arena she threw her multi-faceted talent into.

The multi-award-winning poet, filmmaker and BBC Words First artist has won Manchester Young Creative of the Year and been commissioned by Selfridges, the BBC and the University of Cambridge. In addition to performing in  Manchester’s most iconic venues, including Blues Kitchen, Soup and Band on the Wall. She’s definitely one to watch.

Honestly, I’m inspired by her after just one hit on Be Like You. Eat your heart out John Cooper Clarke.

Be Like You will officially release on February 17th. Hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Following Me: Lewis Ross-Robson is in a reinvigorated form we should surely savour on Black Again

Posted on 31 January 2023

Making his return to the music world after a much-needed hiatus to complete his studies and explore the perimeters of his sound, Lewis Ross-Robson is in extraordinary form on the rather memorable new single Black Again.

Lewis Ross-Robson is a York-born Manchester-based indie-folk singer-songwriter who has overcome those easy-to-pickup-bad habits to make music with a real message and pure purpose.

”Lewis’ take on introspective folk is a reminder of the importance of simplicity in music, seeking to retain a delicate and distinctive essence through his sound.” ~ Lewis Ross-Robson (taken from his Spotify page)

With quality overlooking at every corner as each note stirs the soul, Lewis Ross-Robson has cemented his name into our anxious hearts with a simply superb showing on his much-anticipated single Black Again.

Black Again from York-born Manchester-based indie-folk singer-songwriter Lewis Ross-Robson is a single all about trying to stay positive in a rather tempting and destructive world, He sings with truth and love. The realness attached is rather refreshing and shall float our minds away from the harsh vortex, which can take our souls away if safeguards aren’t put into place.

Knowing what you need to do is the start. Actually achieving your goals, is the brave battle where success is formulated.

Heal your heart on Spotify. See more news on his IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Joshua. orchestrated the ultimate Lynchian love song with ‘WALK BY LOVE’

Posted on 6 December 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-CwO_7iXLo

Mike Patton walked so the ethereally scintillating alt-folk artist Joshua. could ‘WALK BY LOVE’ in his latest music video.

Only an artist as iconic as he could get away with a mononym *and* allowing haunting tones to creep out of a ukulele in the production that wouldn’t be out of place in the Eraserhead soundtrack. He could never be accused of writing ‘just another love song’.

The disconcertingly cinematic single allows his sonically ephemeral vocals to drift atop the minimalist instrumentals that envelop you in their wistfully nostalgic sepia tones. In the space of just two minutes, the originator made an ever-lasting impression that definitively proves everyone’s interpretation of love is as individualistic as they are.

The official music video for WALK BY LOVE is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Meg Chandler finds herself on the visceral side of ethereal in her intimately nostalgic indie alt-pop single, Woodland

Posted on 25 November 2022
Meg Chandler

Given that it has been a fair while since we weren’t living through a historical event of some devastating global nature, it’s all too easy to crave the uncompromised simplicity of youthful nostalgia. Meg Chandler brought it by the smorgasbord in her single, Woodland, which precedes her debut EP, due for release in 2023.

The 21-year-old singer-songwriter divides her time between a remote village in Shropshire, where she finessed her authentically out-of-the-smoke alt-pop style that will be a hit with any fans of Daughter, Adrianne Lenker and Phoebe Bridgers, and in Manchester where she enlists the help of the production/writing duo SOAP.

Never a truer line has been delivered than “now everything just seems to hurt” in Woodland, which flicks through the sepia-tinged memories of a childhood “chasing shadows by the lake”. Projected through intimately vulnerable indie pop vocals that resound on the more visceral side of ethereal, Meg Chandler, with her proclivity to hold nothing back in her lyrics, is set to make major waves with the profound consolation in her music.

Woodland will officially release on November 18th. Stream it on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Empty Page affront the new normal with their 90s nostalgia-implanting electro-punk anthem, Dry Ice

Posted on 20 November 2022

Rather than releasing a sonic sign of the stagnant times, The Empty Page protested our drab and dog-eared-with-anxiety modernity by letting pulsating synths guide the way towards 90s nostalgia in their electro-punk hit, Dry Ice.

Lyrically, you’re reminded of how it felt to be stripped of inhibition, sharing the euphoria with strangers long before they could request you on Facebook and never speak to you again and even longer before the pandemic left its mark on our social appetites while the dizzying guitars drop off-kilter momentum around the gravelly pulls of the post-punk bass strings.

It’s a major shift from the Manchester-based outfit’s previous sound that has been lauded by just about everyone that matters. The duo has ventured into their The Julie Ruin era, and we couldn’t be here for it more. After all, synths were the true gateway to punk and DIY (FIGHT ME), and this new anxiously frenetic earworm that will pull Polaroids of strobe-lit hedonism towards your temporal lobe is the ultimate affront to the new normal.

Dry Ice will officially release on November 18th. Watch the official video on YouTube, add it to your Spotify playlists, or support the band by purchasing the single on Bandcamp. 

Follow the Empty Page on Facebook, Instagram & TikTok. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Waiting For Tomorrow: Paul Hand prays for that strength to block those lonely nights away on Mind Give Way

Posted on 2 November 2022

Finding that hard-to-find inner force to move on from the past and those torrid memories, Paul Hand joins paths with the good parts of his soul to see that bright light of progression make everything better again on Mind Give Way.

Paul Hand is a Manchester, UK-based indie singer-songwriter and music producer who performs with a timeless style and keeps it classy throughout.

Pulsating with a catchy energy and filled with so much promise, Paul Hand is in rarified air with a cloud-jumping single about finding that ideal zone to flourish like the birds in the sky. This is a quality listen and is drenched in rather pure vocals to get thrilled about.

Mind Give Way from Manchester, UK-based indie singer-songwriter and music producer Paul Hand is the call to soak into that happy path again and move from the rain-clouds within. Searing with a likeable sound and filled with introspective lyrics, this is a stylish release from a gritty artist who doesn’t know how to give up.

When you get your mind back to the proper place, you can move mountains.

Listen up to this new song on Spotify and see more via IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

To The Devil: The Superphone shows love for that special soul on Guardian Angel

Posted on 24 October 2022

Sung with a supreme magnificence which shall take your mind away from the noisy pollution, The Superphone shows us deeply into a reborn state of mind on Guardian Angel.

The Superphone is a Manchester, UK-based 4-piece alternative band who are the type of outfit who shall set your heart alive because of their nostalgic nature.

”We have an extensive gigography, supporting many acts across the country.” ~ The Superphone

Taking us on an electrifying ride through time which shall get all those senses ready for something different to the rest, The Superphone drops a fuse-filled explosion of a single to turn up to full volume.

Guardian Angel from Manchester, UK-based 4-piece alternative band The Superphone is a vibrant single that is laced in so much class that shall set your mind free from the temptations lurking. Lathered in so much exquisite vocal projection and with a sound that feels so precise, this is something rather fulfilling and shall change our perspective into one that is only looking forward.

Listen up to this new single on Spotify and see more via IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Live Review: The Virginmarys mainlined blues through punk veins with rock & roll reverence on their tour of their EP, Devil Keeps Coming.

Posted on 16 October 2022

The UK live music scene may be on its knees. But on October 15th, a near-capacity crowd flocked to Gorilla in Manchester to kneel at the unholy alter of The Virginmarys as the Macclesfield-hailing band played the home leg on their tour of their critically acclaimed EP, Devil Keeps Coming.

With it being my first Virginmarys show amongst their devout fans, I was unsure of their ability to cut through the usual awkwardness of live music in the new normal. From the very first note of The Meds, any sense of cynicism slipped away. The crowd was instantaneously thrown into animation. Yet evidently, this was no average punk rock pit. Euphoria fuelled the momentum in place of the usual boozy weight-throwing aggravation. Something I’ve scarcely seen unless Riot Grrrl icons and their descendants are gracing the stage. As a testament to how much adoration The Virginmarys garner from their fans, one couple made the 3,000+ mile journey from Ohio to witness the deafening duo tearing up the turf in their hometown.

One thing I will never forget is how it wasn’t just the blues mainlined through punk veins with holy rock n roll reverence that gripped the crowd through the symbiotic dynamism between Ally’s guitars and Danny’s Bonham-Esque drum fills. In every direction, I saw how viscerally the lyricism resonated and psyched the crowd into a frenzy through the wit-deep lines that strip the alienation from political disillusion and mental precariousness.

The acoustic rendition of Sleep was also a tear-jerking memorable feat of the hit-after-hit setlist, which forwent the egocentric inclusion of an encore. I’m fairly convinced that in Ally’s past life, he was a tortured soul from Tennessee. His uninhibited songwriting skills are only matched by his ability to get to the crux of emotions that mostly go unspoken.

If you get a chance to catch them on the remaining legs of their UK tour, take it. You won’t regret it.

Artist Links: Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, Twitter.

Live Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Relays sentimentally stargaze in their synthy alt-indie debut LP, Under Different Stars

Posted on 29 September 2022

After recording their debut album and mislaying the only copy for ten years, The Relays are finally here with their arrestive synth-driven LP, Under Different Stars.

With their previous releases, the Wigan, UK-hailing 4-piece have featured on BBC and Radio X, along with being lauded by Steve Lamacq and Huw Stevens. The title single from their debut album is a spacey testament to their swoonsome radio readiness.

While Under Different Stars lyrically latches onto a sense of sentimentalism that pulls you into the interstellar centre of affectionate gravity, somewhere along the way, the shimmering synth chords become entwined with your rhythmic pulses as you follow the melodic progressions through their absorbingly artful distinction. There’s no understating the evocative power of Under Different Stars, which effortlessly reaches above the standard for up and coming artists. It’s an achingly sweet release that will undoubtedly see the luminaries go far in their candour-heady career. Forget Editors’ new album, delve into this.

The debut album launched on September 29th; check it out on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast