Introducing The Grand

Here at Rapture, we like to bring you the best new bands around. this band is no exception. The Grand are a trio from Wakefield that like to bring the noise with them. Rapture caught up with the boys from Wakefield during a rehearsal to get to know the real them, and to let you wonderful readers get to know them.

Can you all just introduce yourselves and say what your part is in the band?

Russ: Yeah, I'm Russ. I sing & play bass. 

Tom: I'm Tom, I play guitar.

Andy: And I'm Andy & I play the drums.

For anyone who has not heard your music before, what would you say it sounds like?

Andy: It's always pretty hard to describe yourself cause you're just too close to it. People have compared us to The National, Springsteen, Nick Cave, Talking Heads, The Gaslight Anthem and probably a load more bands. I think for all of us it's important to sound like ourselves too.

How did you meet each other?

Tom: Russ & Andy met at uni, & I'm Russ' brother so we met at the hospital when I was born.

Where has been the best place you guys have played?

Tom: It's got to be the the BBC Introducing stage at this years Leeds & Reading festivals.

Andy: Yeah, they were great gigs. I think we all enjoyed playing with We Are Augustines at The Cockpit too. And we've played The Leadmill a few times recently which is a really great place to play.

You have a new single out I Don't Want To Make You Happy I Want To Make You Cry. What is that all about?

Russ: I guess it's about that thing in relationships when people seem to get enjoyment out of deliberately saying really shit stuff to each other just to piss each other off. People getting pleasure out of making someone's life a misery rather than making them happy. I think that's what it's about anyway.

The launch night for the new single is on Wednesday 27 November, what will you have in store for the people that will be coming?

Tom: 3 really good bands from the Leeds area & a free copy of the single on the door.

Russ: For our last single, 'Romance Is Dead', we had our own lager made for the launch night. It was quite a cool thing to do but just took ages to sort out. This time we're keeping it simple.

What were the first records you ever bought?

Andy: I really want to say something that's cool but as the youngest of four kids I was quite easily influenced by what they listened to, & there was a bit of an age difference, so it was probably something a bit shit like Bon Jovi.

Russ: I think it might have been Guns n Roses Use Your Illusion 1 for me.

Tom: I think the first CD I bought was Lost Prophets Fake Sound Of Progress but I also got Hanson's album so I've got a chequered past too! 

Do you have any strange experiences with fans, strange experiences in the music industry in general?

Tom: We had a song played on Hollyoaks a while ago & me & Andy went over to the set in Liverpool. That was pretty surreal. Walking past the dog & gun pub or whatever it's called & queuing up for a sandwich in the canteen behind Mercedes.

What's the most annoying comparison reviewers make?

Andy: It's not an annoying comparison, more of an annoying style of review, that don't really say anything that's worth reading. We had a couple of these when we first got together that used to say stuff like... 'this song starts with the drums, then the bass & guitar come in, then the vocals & then it ends'. Seriously, who likes songs based on the order that the instruments start playing?

You each get to invite one person to a dinner party. Who comes and why?

Tom: Kanye West cause I think he'd hold a pretty good conversation.

Russ: Probably Bill Hicks for me just cause I think it'd pretty interesting hearing what he had to say & he'd be pretty funny.

Andy: It sounds like it could be a pretty tense dinner party. Maybe a bit too tense. I might just invite Ben, my brother.

I have been doing some extensive research on bands and artists that charge a substantial fee to have a meet and greet with their fans. What is your view on this and when you get big and famous do you think it is something that you would think about doing?

Tom: I don't want to do it, I think it's pretty stupid.

Andy: I think the regular guy or girl that you'd like speaking to probably wouldn't be there. I think you'd probably get people like the Whitney Houston fan off The Bodyguard turning up so I'm not really up for it either.

Russ: It might be pretty uncomfortable for the band. Getting recognition for what you do & hearing from people that are really into your stuff is great. But you'd kind of want those situations to come about naturally. 

Describe each other in one word.

Tom: Andy's organised.

Russ: I'd say blunt for Tom, or a polite way of saying the same thing.

Andy: Honest for Russ.

Thanks guys.

Rochelle Massey

Remember to catch them at Oporto in Leeds City Centre on the November 27th 2013. 

Check their music out here

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Lily Allen - Hard out here

Lily Allen has released her first original material since 2009 with a rather controversial and out spoken song. Lily Allen controversial and outspoken are not something you would put together right... ok she has had her fair share of outbursts. she sticks up for her fellow woman and refuses to back down and do all the stereotypical female acts that are done in pop these days.

Her new single Hard out Here is everything she is about and stands for everything she hates about pop music and objectifying women. In the opening scenes you can see her under the knife having liposuction with her so called manager standing at the side asking why she has let herself get this way. So is she suggesting that it is the mangers that are telling her to change and this is how she should act. I think it is pretty much common knowledge that for women in the music biz this is how it works. It is all about the looks in pop culture if you don't have that certain criteria that managers want you simply won't make it in pop music.

She is also taking a swipe at Robin Thicke and his Blurred Lines song, which he has huge balloons saying he has a "Big Dick". Lily on the other hand goes the comical way with regards to her having two kids so she has a "Baggy Pussy."

Lily Allen is one of the few female pop artists out there that is not afraid to say what she thinks. She defies everything that a stereotypical female pop star is. She is a true women in a world where magazines and television tell us that if are not a size 8 or below we are fat. I would happily say that Lily Allen is a role model for women who want to succeed in the industry buy have low self esteem, and feel that they do not fit the bill to be in the industry.  

If you have not already seen the video then take at look at it now.

Rochelle Massey

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Marsden Jazz Festival

Sunday 13th October

If it’s raining, a little windy and gloomy, it is a tell-tale sign that you’re in Yorkshire. Despite the rain and wind this did not dampen the spirits of the people visiting the West Yorkshire town of Marsden for the annual jazz festival.

In 1992 Mike Lucas had a vision, a vision that would make use of the newly refurbished Mechanics Hall. He came up with starting a jazz festival in the little town of Marsden. The festival has grown every year and now has a staggering 20 venues that take part of the weekend for almost 10,000 people. As some of the venues may be a little out of walking distance for some, bus company JRT kindly puts on a jazz bus to take you to them. One crucial thing about this festival is that the majority of it is free. There are only 15 gigs over the entire weekend that is ticketed. Previous years have seen the likes of Mercury Music Prize Nominees, Roller Trio and Dennis Rollins play at some of the venues.

At the Railway Inn was what the festival likes to call a ‘Join In’ event. The ‘Poetry Jam with Write Out Loud’ is surprisingly busy for 11am Sunday morning. Here general public are getting up on to the stage and reciting their own poetry, some comical. There was even some jazz and beat poetry going on.

Over in the Marsden Liberal Club, some actual jazz music was being played. The Gelatos are a jazz trio who also play with a little Italian sound infused with it. They even take on the Disney classic ‘I’ve got no strings’. Some of their stuff does seem to be a bit theatrical, but that does add to the sound of the band. There is even a little old couple that have dressed for this occasion and are pulling out all the old moves.

It is time for the Bad Back Blues Band, at the Shakespeare; this is what Dad rock is all about. Four middle aged old men covering all their old favourites from the Stones, Dire Straits and also Hendrix. They even do one of the songs that the lead singer has written.

I made a tough decision to leave the Dads of rock and head down to the crowning moment of this festival which is the national trust duck race. All the money that is raised from this event goes towards looking after beautiful surroundings that are the Marsden Moors.

Back up in the liberal club, they had booked another band to close the festival for them. On came A State of Confusion. After listening to a number of songs in their set. Imagine dad rock but with comedy. Some of that came from the audience, when a highly intoxicated man started dancing and then stole the mic off the confused singer and proceeded to mumble the lyrics.

After a long day experiencing a strange but also interesting boutique festival, it was definitely my cue to leave.

Rochelle Massey

Yorkshire Day

A little while ago Rapture went into the studio and did a show based around Yorkshire day. Is that even possible I hear you all saying, well yes it and they have some pearlers.

So give it a listen here

Walking WIth Wolves - Interview

Here at Rapture we like to keep you up to date with some of the local bands. Walking with Wolves are that new and up and coming band.

I went down to speak to them before their show at the Cockpit, but due to technical difficulties   we had to re do the interview via email. 

1. For people who are unaware of you guys, will you describe your style?

Acoustic driven rock.

2. How did you all meet and what inspired you to become a band?

School. Jack and Ben were forced into a band by school but lacked a singer, which after a really complicated sequence of events we got, who asked Oli. Unfortunately we went our separate ways but were asked to reunite for our schools 'battle of the bands' but due to other commitments our singer couldn't commit so Jack recruited Greg.

3. What were the first records that you bought?

Jack: much to my disgrace it was somebody to love by the boogie pimps. The video enticed the ten year old me. A giant woman in her lingerie! What's not to love?

4. If you could host a dinner party a bit like come dine with me, who would you invite dead or alive? Who would you have voice it over?

Jesus, if he didn't show we could disprove Christianity. Kurt Cobain, it's to be expected really. Henry Cavil for Oli, he loves superman and superheroes. Actually I'd just invite all of the DC comic book heroes and all of the Marvel comic book heroes and have them fight for their food in a sort of 'WWE royal rumble match' It'd be cool to see who would win. 

5. If you could have any superpower what would it be, and would you use it for good or evil?

The power to read people's minds and control them. You'd never fail an exam again and well, at least we could force people to come to our gigs and buy all our merch! 

6. What is the process for writing your songs? Is it just one person, or a collective effort?

It's kind of strange, Ben does the drums, Jack does the lyrics, we all get rid of the lyrics, Greg and Oli re write better lyrics and the music, Jack does what he's told. 

7. Where has been the best venue to play at?

We played at Wembley one time, then we woke up. Cockpit is always fun.

8. Any plans to play any festivals?

Glastonbury and Leeds/Reading approached us but they couldn't meet our terms so for 2013 no, but 2014, we can hope.

9. You are still a relatively new band on the scene how are you finding it?

Fun, tough but fun. We've made some great friends with people from all over! 

10. What would your dream line up be to play a gig with?

Supporting us? Foo fighters, Mallory Knox, 30 Seconds to Mars, Arctic Monkeys, Muse, the list is endless really but Jack and Ben have always said their dream is to play a gig with Foo Fighters.

11. What is your view of the music scene currently? Are you excited by it or is it a bit bland?

The music scene as a whole? Bland? Is that a joke! It’s really quite intense, I don't know if that's the right word but it’s really competitive with so many good bands out there but all with completely different styles! It's mad!

12. I have read that you have changed your name before becoming Walking with Wolves. What made you change it?

Claim the Conscious... It always prompted the question 'why would you like to claim the conscious' or 'how do you planning on claiming us?' And well we weren't sure. So at least now when people say 'when do you go Walking with Wolves' we can say when we're in Norway. Because they do that there and Ben is Norwegian!!

13. Describe each other in one word?

Jack is awesome 

Greg is enthralling 

Ben is Ben, no word can accurately encapsulate him. He is just Ben. 

Oli is bodacious 

Now that you have had a read take a listen to this awesome band.

Rochelle Massey

Introducing Allusondrugs

Here at Rapture we like to bring you the very finest in music talent. Keeping with that tradition here is our latest Introducing article, so get out the fan fare and lets have a drum role please. I can’t actually write a drum roll out so it seems so lets give a big warm welcome to Allusondrugs.

This wonderfully sounding five-piece alternative rock band are from Castleford, West Yorkshire. They are a relatively new band on the seen but that will not stop them.

They have just released their debut single ‘Plasters’ on Clue records. This record was released on August the 19^th with only 100 physical copies available. If you were one of the few who were able to get their hands on one you will be able to enjoy the sleeve artwork, which was hand-drawn by the band.

Now lets get down to business and get some music flowing shall we. Below is the video link to one of their other tracks ‘Sunset Yellow’ so check it out and see what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52R78M3A9bk

 This is a dark and fuzzy track, with a huge chorus that will make you want to scream into someone’s face. The different tempos keep this track interesting and would also give Biffy Clyro a run for their money. 

Allusondrugs are going to be huge there is no doubt about that. They will add to bill of already great bands that are coming out of West Yorkshire. We will end with the new single from the guys so enjoy!!

Rochelle Massey - Rapture