Skint and Demoralised

Skint and Demoralised, named after the lyrics of one John McClure, have been on our radar since October 2006. At 17 Matt Abbot began writing poems about going out, getting lashed, girls and some-good old scrapping. After a few performances in between bands at local venues Abbot continued writing and came across Sheffield based producer Mini Dog. Suddenly these promising tales of trips to Blackpool ‘Seaside Shenanigans’ and teenage tarts ‘Happy Slapper’ turned into songs. Since then Matt Abbot and Skint and Demoralised haven’t looked back with support slots for one of Abbots influences Reverend and The Makers and recently signing a deal with major label Mercury.

The Sheffield link is visible in the songs and you can see influences of Alex Turner and The Reverend in Abbot’s lyrics, however he puts his own spin on things in a Skinneresque fashion. His witty stories of Northern life combined with his West Yorkshire accent and catchy riffs are surely onto a winner. This is simple indie-pop at its best.

MySpace: www.myspace.com/skintanddemoralised

Get hold of: Red Lipstick, Withdrawal Symptoms, It’s Only Been A Week

The Old House

The Old House reformed in 2006 after taking a couple of years out. When they first formed they were touring the toilets of Yorkshire along with The Cribs and they still have that lo-fi sound that was more prominent on early Cribs songs. In 2007 they released ‘Weekend Driver’ on a limited number of 7”s through Louder than Bomb Records with Russell ‘The Disaster’ Research accompanying them on stage for a number of gigs.

Like I said it’s quite lo-fi indie, ignore the links with The Smiths there’s more of a Pavement feel about them, catchy guitars and a real raw edge to the songs. ‘Ruff Idea Of Smiling’ states ‘You know that girl, she held me so tight and said I made her night in Wakefield feel so rosy’, they’ve made a fair few people’s nights in Wakefield feel ‘rosy’ and long may it continue!

MySpace: www.myspace.com/theoldhouse

Get hold of: Ruff Idea of Smiling, Weekend Driver, Calvin D Cline

Close to home

Over the next week or so I’m going to introduce you to some new bands that you probably haven’t heard of. All of which hail from my hometown: Wakefield. ‘The Merrie City’s’ greatest exports to date are Rhubarb and Jane McDonald. Thankfully we also have The Cribs to shout about.

The music scene in Wakefield has always been overshadowed by neighbours Leeds but over the last few years the city’s been thriving.
A combination of talented young bands coming through and promoters Louder than Bombs are mainly to thank. Louder than Bombs started putting on up and coming bands at Escobar in the centre of the city. The likes of Arctic Monkeys and The Pigeon Detectives all played the venue before they made their way into the mainstream. More recently bands such have Late of the Pier have graced the stage. The success of the club nights led to the formation of Louder than Bomb Records and the label has released singles by local bands such as The Old House and Leeds’ Micky P Kerr.

The Answering Machine

How these aren’t signed yet is beyond me. If you’re after catchy sing-along indie this band’s for you. They’ve released three singles to date, ‘Oklahoma’, ‘Silent Hotels’ and ‘Lightbulbs’. The intro to ‘Silent Hotels’ sounds suspiciously similar to when Los Campesinos!’ ‘You! Me! Dancing!’ launches in to full throttle but with its fast-paced guitars and throw-back lyrics its got anthem written all over it.
They’ve been gigging quite frequently, especially in their local Manchester area, recently so go and see them for yourself.

MySpace: www.myspace.com/theansweringmachine

Get hold of: Silent Hotels, Answer Me, Lightbulbs

White Lies

You’ll have probably heard a few whispers about White Lies since the end of last year, trust me people aren’t lying when they say they’re a bit good. The band is made up of the three former members of Fear of Flying. To date I believe they’ve only had three songs up on their MySpace, currently with two tracks to whet your appetite, including their upcoming single ‘Unfinished Business’ on recently signed-with Chess Club Records. Also up for your listening pleasure is ‘Death’, the only other song available online at the minute is ‘From the Stars’ (let us know if you know otherwise)
Their sound is quite a breath of fresh. The word ‘epic’ gets banded around a lot at present but these three tracks define the real meaning of the word. It’s quite difficult to describe, there is a slight Killers feel to some of the songs. To put it bluntly it’s great pop music with a hint of darkness thrown in. ‘Unfinished Business’ is limited to 500 7” vinyls and if you want one or a few to flog on ebay be quick, they’re selling fast. They’ll have probably all gone by the time you’ve read this paragraph!

MySpace: www.myspace.com/whitelies

Single Released: 28th April