For the second year, LSRadio and LSFilm have teamed up to produce a series of sessions with local artists in the run-up to Merseyside’s biggest music festival, Liverpool Soundcity. Over the next four weeks we’ll be releasing four exclusive acoustic sessions with some of the most exciting acts to come out of the city over the last year, all of whom have earned slots at the prestigious music festival. With it’s reputation for championing emerging talent and record label and music press presence high over the three days of live performances, Soundcity is an opportunity for local acts to play to an audience of influential tastemakers in the modern music industry. 

Our aim with this series of Soundcity Sessions is to encourage interest in the local music on offer at the festival. First on our list of must-see acts at this year’s Soundcity…the superb All We Are. 

It’s not often that a band have a European tour booked before their first practice, but with members already well established and respected on Merseyside as individual musicians in their own right, the prospect of a collaboration between Rich, Luis and Guro was enough to prompt Stealing Sheep to invite the three-piece to join them on their jaunt around mainland Europe in June 2011. After two weeks of constant rehearsal, All We Are headed out on tour with a set of beautifully constructed alternative folk tinged with psychedelia and enough delicate harmonies to make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end.

Since their dramatic inception the band have quite rightly earned a reputation as a hard working collective, honing their sound, recording and producing their own demos, shooting, editing and releasing their own videos. The hard work has clearly paid off as the release of new EP, We Hunt, sees the band’s sound blossom into an altogether more expansive offering. The simple drums and three part harmonies give All We Are an aesthetic bordering on tribal, whilst the influences of traditional folk and more experimental psychedelia remain clear. In a live setting, Rich, Guro and Luis have proved unparalleled, with a sense of uncontrollable euphoria accompanying the few gigs they’ve played in Liverpool to date, a characteristic perhaps best captured in the glorious swelling guitar loops of session trackGo. 

Despite the release of We Hunt  the band show no signs of relenting from their intense work ethic, with new material already in the pipeline and another European tour scheduled for the hazy summer months. This is a band with the drive and motivation to make things happen themselves and the creativity and skill to produce ethereal pop songs destined for bigger things.

Catch them, while you can, on Thursday 17th May, 9pm @ Leaf (Bold Street) as part of Soundcity. Or head down to their EP launch, Saturday 28th April, 7pm @ St Brides Church … I’d recommend both.

Until then you can stream We Hunt for free on http://soundcloud.com/thisisallweare

Next week our Soundcity Session comes from the seemingly unstoppable Ninetails. Visit LSRadio.co.uk next Wednesday to see the band perform an exclusive version of their new single, Blue Bottle Flu, live for LSRadio & LSFilm.

Hello, and welcome to the second instalment of LS Introducing! For those who don’t know what that means, LS Radio has launched a new section where we bring you the best in up and coming local talent, straight from our home and base, Liverpool!

This week we move over to the Urban side of things, to bring you the sweet sounds of rapper/singer KOF. Having already received consistent airplay on BBC 1Xtra, BBC Radio 1 and the Capital Network, the Merseyside artist has also earnt accolades from the likes of radio DJs Trevor Nelson, Mistajam, and DJ Target. Collaborations wise, the list is already admirable. Not only has KOF teamed up with other local artists such as Chelcee Grimes and Esco Williams, he has also featured on tracks with up and coming Birmingham MC Lady Leshurr and well known artists Wretch 32 and Wiley.

With 3 previous EP releases, this September saw the delivery of the Looking At Me EP. The first single from his forthcoming debut album, Looking At Me has had great success and was added to multiple Radio and TV playlists including BBC 1Xtra and MTV. On December 11th 2011, the second album single Be Like You will be released. Smooth vocals run over a mellow drum and bass track, with lyrics that stand for the purity of music and its purpose in the world. The track showcases KOF’s impressive songwriting, vocals and production skills, and is set to continue his elevation on the path to re-inject Soul back into the UK scene.

As you can see KOF has already achieved a great amount, and hopefully 2012 will be the year he gets the recognition he deserves.

Be Like You is released on 11.12.11 via Nothin’ But The Music

by Georgina Upton

Despite our apparent preoccupation with music making global waves in both our reviews and playlist content, LSRadio’s heart is rooted firmly in Liverpool and, as such, beats to the sound of local music. This illustrious musical city has produced some truly ground-breaking talent from the Fab Four to the Wombats. With new bands a constant on Liverpool’s ever changing landscape we’ve been hard at work with our ears to the ground to find the most promising acts who might just be next in taking their music from their Mersey base to the big bad world of Britain and beyond.

First on our list of acts oozing star quality and pop potential? Super Cannes.

 Super-Cannes, named after a JG Ballard novel, consists of Richie; lead vocals and guitar, Davy, lead guitar, Billy, bass guitar and Jams, drums. Huge devotees of Radiohead, this strikingly comes across in their sound, which is a mix of the brooding, the anxious and jittery. Songs such as When People Die In Small Rooms with its ominous bass rumble lingering over sharp guitar stabs and Richie’s inauspicious vocal performance create a truly claustrophobic atmosphere, a theme common throughout their debut EP. Vocalist Richie himself put it in one interview that there is a ‘melancholy undertow’ in the lyrics of the band and even in their more up-tempo songs there is vulnerability lurking behind some of the dark boots and leather jacket posturing that fronts the stage. If you only listen to just one track then New York-London-Paris-Tokyo is the stand out feature and contains all the Super-Cannes trademarks, Jams tight militarist drums, Davy’s swirling guitar effects and Richie’s intense baritone.

Described by BBC Merseyside presenter Dave Monk as ‘a group you really have to listen to’, Super Cannes are carrying on the fine tradition in Liverpool of superb Neo-Psychedelia acts such as The Teardrop Explodes and Echo & the Bunnymen and I for one hope their star continues to rise.

Their debut EP ‘Idee Fix’ is out now. 

New York-London-Paris-Tokyo- by supercannes

by Leo Gibbons-Plowright

Another week and another mixed bag of musical offerings from artists new, old and frankly past it. Some of the most satisfying music to review is those new artists who surprise (see this weeks Single of the Week). So prepare to be pleased, surprised or disappointed by how our reviewers rate or slate a selection of new music making its debut over the few days and weeks. 

Single of the Week

This weeks highlight comes in the form of London based, Alt-Folk band Urusen who charmed reviewer Sean Howlett with their refreshing brand of infectious folk pop.

Urusen // The Islander/A Once Was Tramp & Tree (Double A Side)

Urusen’s double A-side single The Islander/A Once Was Tramp And Tree is a joy to listen to. Their folk-inspired melodies don’t just fit in to the current folk spectrum, marked by Marling and Mumford, but rely on a greater heritage of alt-folk. The songs are great, first of all. The lyrics are bold yet calming and the production really presents archaic images of Britishness. Lush harmonies and orchestration accompany these incredibly catchy ditties, taking them from nice songs to melodies that get stuck in your head for days. You can really tell that at the core of this act is incredible passion, yet they remain to touch the heartstrings and offer a beautifully constructed pastiche of sound. In this David Guetta day and age, it’s a stunningly refreshing change. Out November 14^th. (by Sean Howlett)

Singles

The Submarines // Shoelaces/Fires (Double A Side)

Brimming with Electronic-Indie Pop goodness and some damn fine melodies, the Submarines are worth a listen. ‘Shoelaces’ keeps the raw vocals of the husband and wife duo contrasted against a mix of experimental style instrumental. Reminiscent of The Cardigans; a definite feel-good song. Meanwhile, folky vocals against an Electronic backdrop, Fire is a beautifully layered song with a catchy melody and punchy beat. The Submarines have done it again, a song to make you feel good…it’ll have your foot tapping. (by Emma Sims)

Maverick Sabre // I Need

Maverick Sabre burst onto the music scene this time last year when he featured on Professor Green’s single, Jungle. Since then, his music has been going from strength to strength. In March this year he released The Lost Words EP which featured 4 singles, including the amazing song Look What I’ve Done. His voice is highly distinguishable, quirky yet beautiful, and that tone certainly doesn’t differ on his new single I Need. The single, which is out on the 6th November, is a smooth, chilled out track featuring silky strings flowing throughout, along with the odd guitar strum and piano motif. The great thing about Maverick Sabre is although he is able to sing in a beautiful way, he still manages add an urban vibe to the music with his almost rap like vocal style. I highly recommend this track, but just to warn you, if you press play it is more than likely you’ll have to put it on repeat! Look out for Mavericks album, due 2012. (by Georgina Upton)

The Bullits // Supercool

Infectious ‘Supercool’ vocals, the swagger of early Kasabian with added dance ability makes this track from the Bullits an instant hit in my books. Perhaps not as full sounding as earlier single Landspeeder but a different direction from London producer and song writer Jeymes Samuel’s group is very much welcomed. (by Rob Dewis)

Albums

Wretch-32 // Black & White

I must admit, I was never a big fan of Wretch 32 when he first came out with Traktor or Don’t Go and before playing the album Black & White I did have pre-conceptions about the album, expecting to hear the sound of your typical rap album. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the album as a whole, especially certain songs such as I’m Not The Man and Anniversary depicting his effortless style. The phrase “write about what you know” is evident in his songs as he mentions life growing up in Tottenham, London and some of the worries of youth living in similar areas. The album shows off some great collaborations between Wretch 32 and other artists such as Chipmunk, Example, Ed Sheeran and Delilah to name a few. The collaborations seem to stand out from the other tracks on the album, pulling on from different influences in the music industry. (by Saadiya Yusuf)

You Me At Six // Sinners Never Sleep

Sinners Never Sleep is You Me At Six’s third album and having only just come out of their teens is quite the achievement. The album is definitely an attempt at leaving behind their pop punk songs about girls breaking hearts and leaving their lipstick on your best friend’s car and instead have opted for a more serious rock sound. This is shown by having Parkway Drive’s lead vocalist; Winston McCall to emphasise the more hard-core side of the new album in “Time is Money”. It would have been a disaster if the boys totally left their pop punk days behind, so there are still songs about those who have broken poor, unlucky in love lead singer Josh Franceschi’s heart to keep already devoted fans happy. Personally I enjoy the sound they already had going for them, it has brought them so much success, and feel that they shouldn’t have to mature and turn into the Foo Fighters just because they are now in their early twenties. The album has some good songs, including “Bite my Tongue” a song Josh wrote about the tensions within the band at the time, but surely the band is still young enough not to take themselves too seriously and keep on chasing “blondes with green eyes”. (by Tilly Sharp)

The Kooks // Junk of the Heart (Album)

Listening to the marmite-esque vocals of Luke Pritchard, consistently sounding like he can’t quite be bothered to open his mouth properly, the new Kooks album comes across more relaxed than their previous, Konk. They seem to have stripped down their up-beat songs in favour of a more mature, acoustic sound. Unfortunately lacking any prospects of matching the hits (Naïve and She Moves In Her Own Way) heard on Inside In Inside Out, Junk of the Heart seems to be taking a slightly different direction that just isn’t different enough. Some songs come across dated and repetitive with lyrics sounding suspiciously like they were stolen from the diary of a thirteen year old girl. Undoubtedly die-hard Kooks fans will still enjoy this album; they ultimately retain their distinctive style but honestly, don’t get too excited. (by Emma Sims)

Skrillex //More Monsters and Sprites EP

For anyone familiar with Skrillex’s Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites EP, the question is how can you actually get ‘More’? With so much wobble bass, Skrillex should probably call himself ‘Obi Wub Kinobi’, the original hits you over the head like Godzilla with a laser gun.

As individual tracks, this ‘extras’ EP is pretty decent and has some unexpected gems. Who would have thought a Phonat remix would include slow dub, more in line with SBTRKT number. However there are only so many ‘OH MY GODS!’ that you can take in one listening. In other words, Skrillex’s intensity, that is often so genius, actually creates the fall of this EP. For me, More Monsters and Nice Sprites EP is just a means by which a box gets ticked with the words, ‘new release’. (by Rob Dewis)

Next week we’ll have reviews of Lou Reed & Metallica, Jay-Z & Kanye West and Delilah. Until then, have a good one!