The Brandy Thieves

OLD TATTOOS

the debut album by

THE BRANDY THIEVES

Many of you know about my love of The Brandy Thieves. A great Leicester based band with influences from folk, punk and soul, with a healthy dose of scar thrown in for good measure.

The Brandy Thieves came together in late 2012 during which time they have produced some of the best festival anthems around. So, it came as something of a surprise to find that, until November 2015, they had not produced an album! The guys have released a couple of ep’s but not a full album… well they have now it’s called ‘Old Tattoos’ and I got my hands on a copy of it!

Through their music, The Brandy Thieves use well crafted lyrics and an array of musical instruments to tell, in the great folk tradition, a story. Stories based on their experience of life. They tell stories of alcohol fueled benders and the kind of social commentary that can only come from a life well lived. Their songs are catchy and easy to get into and before you know it, you are hooked!

If their ep’s and live gigs tell you a story, then their new album, ‘Old Tattoos’, use those stories to take you on a journey; the journey of The Brandy Thieves. The album brings together their music from the very beginning of their existence to where they are today. In many ways the listeners become voyeurs, watching through sound, the very personal journeys these guys have gone through and which comes through in their lyrics and music.

I loved the new album, Old Tattoo’s and have it playing at least once a day, much to my kids annoyance; they are big fans of The Brandy Thieves but, they tell me,  “you always have it on!”. Well that may be near the truth but I make no apologies for it! So The Brandy Thieves first album, Old Tattoo’s’, should be in everyone’s collection and I can hardly wait for their next one!

The Brandy Thieves are a very talented bunch who deserve to have much wider recognition than they currently enjoy! So, watch out Mumford and Son, you have some serious competition!!!

 

FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thebrandythieves

TWIT: @thebrandythieves

Gigs:

 

 

 

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Statutes: In the throes of…

Ok! I know hardcore is not everyone’s favourite, often people don’t get it, it seems, they say, like a load of banging and screeching. All I can say is these people haven’t seen… Statutes!

Statutes are a Nottingham based Melodic Hardcore outfit with great stage presence and a tremendous sound. Formed from old friendships, Statutes consist of: Rich Herrick – Vocals, Adam Kinson – Guitar, Tom Whitmore – Guitar, Mark Abbott – Drums and Ollie Jones – Bass. According to the guys they formed Statutes “With the sole aim of writing music that we enjoy to play”.

Statutes particular form of ‘hardcore’ has an emphasis on ‘melodic’ sounds and well thought out lyrics. Lately, the guys have been busy playing throughout the East Midlands, promoting their new album: IN THE THROES OF…

 

In The Throes of… is a cleverly worked out album of 11 quick tracks that are musically sound and to the point. Recorded at Nottingham’s ‘Stuck On a Name Studio’, the album was released on 7th September and is available to buy at all major online retailers and can be previewed at Statutes SoundCloud Channel (see link below).

TheGuyWithaStick wish Statutes well with the new album, we look forward to seeing them again soon, we also look forward to adding a video from ‘IN THE THROES OF…’ to www.theguywithastick.com soon!

 

Statutes Facebook page: www.facebook.com/statutes

SoundCloud preview of Statutes album: ‘In The Throes Of…  soundcloud.com/statutes

 

RJG

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THE BOB CATS

 

THE INIMITABLE STU CROWN AND THE BOBCATS BLUES BAND.

The purpose of TheGuyWithaStick is to celebrate originality, which is what you get with The Bobcats. Heavily influenced by the likes of BB King and Peter Green, The Bobcats effortlessly blend originality with good old, traditional, 12 bar blues. A good smattering of the blues favourites pays homage to the past greats, but, they do it their way… The Bobcats way!!!

The Bobcats are a very good, 3 piece, traditional, 12 bar blues rock band who are not afraid to learn and refine their art through some grueling practice sessions. Comprising of Stu Crown lead/vocals,  Dan Fraser-Betts on bass and Boppa on drums. They have been together since 2013 and can be seen playing throughout the region on a very regular basis. Stu Crowns persona and, almost hardcore voice along with Boppa’s attack of the drums and Dan’s 6 string bass are a trio well matched and completely suited to blues rock…

 

TheGuyWithaStick held back on reviewing The Bobcats, not because they are not original or inconsistent but purely because of the fake American accent Stu Crown uses between numbers. The plain fact of the matter was, we didn’t get it!; we didn’t get the reason for such a cliché, we couldn’t understand why a band as good as The Bobcats would use a fake American accent instead of their own and why on the one hand you have the charismatic and highly original persona of Stu Crown and on the other, you have that accent. I put this to Stu who tells me he is moving away from the accent, I felt he meant the accent had served its purpose and it is now time to move on… I hope I’m right because they don’t need it, the way they look and the way they play is all they need… these guys are VERY GOOD!

These guys make a statement… This is the blues, we are The Bobcats and this is the way we play… original and charismatic, yet as traditional as they come.

 

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We’ve seen The Bobcats many time now and each time we pick-up a little more understanding, a little more originality. They strive for perfection and it shines through in their performance each and every time. If you have not yet seen The Bobcats, do yourself a favour and check them out, you certainly won’t regret it!

 

Check out The Bob Cats on Facebook www.facebook.com/thebobcatsbluesband and bobcatsbluesband.co.uk

 

JSB

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The Bow Bridge Band

THE BOW BRIDGE BAND

We at TheGuyWithaStick feel privileged to be able to indulge our passion for live music right here in the East Midlands. The music scene throughout the region is absolutely kicking nowhere more so than in City of Leicester, where, on a daily basis, you can see a wide variety of bands and soloists, from teenagers to the more ‘mature’ artists, playing just about every genre possible to imagine.

With originality in abundance, bands like The Bow Bridge Band set-out to deliver an ‘experience’, one that will leave you shouting for more. infact, Bow Bridge are the epitome of pop rock, with its roots based firmly in the blues.

The Bow Bridge Band consist of Peter Stafford on lead/vocals Howard Fairey on bass and  Barry Gibson on drums, when they are not gigging around Leicester, the guys can be seen, busy as hell, at their day jobs, at a local hospital. However, Bow Bridge are not a ‘cobbled together’ outfit looking for a way to unwind after a long day saving lives, these guys are good!… bloody good!

 

 

Currently working on their second album, The Bow Bridge Band offer-up a cleverly conceived set of classic hits together with some well crafted original numbers. Their musicianship is of a high standard and on stage they really seem to gel and enjoy, which, in turn enables the audience to ‘believe’ in the band and come away with an infectious euphoria. They work well together and enjoy their craft; you certainly get your monies worth with Bow Bridge.

We at TheGuyWithaStick are looking forward to getting our hands on a copy of Bow Bridge’s new album and hope to be in the audience the next time they play, which, I believe is on the 19th of September at Odd Bar, Millstone Lane in Leicester.

Check-out The Bowbridge Band on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/thebowbridgeband

 

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Sam Bradshaw

Playing under the name ‘Instrumental Sam’, Sam Bradshaw is an accomplished experimental guitarist from Leicester. Using the slapping style long before a certain advert for an expensive money-lender mad it popular, Sam captivates audiences where ever he plays. A stalwart of Leicester’s music scene, Sam is equally comfortable playing the festivals as he is playing at the local pub. In fact, the very first time I had the pleasure of hearing Sam play was in a City centre pub where he worked; he finished his shift behind the bar, grabbed his guitar and set about enthralling the regulars with a number of his own compositions…

(sorry for the poor quality video but stay with it!!!)

 

TheGuyWithaStick have had the pleasure of including a couple of tracks from Sam on our acoustic playlist, available on http://www.theguywithastick.com/playlist.html, in fact, without Sam it is unlikely that TheGuyWithaStick would have come into existence… It’s all his fault!!!

Sam is a must have for any gig or music festival, he sets the mood and hints to the crowd of a great time to come. If TheGuyWithaStick was to put on a gig or two, Instrumental Sam would be on the bill, of that there is no doubt!

Finally, I would like to pass-on my congratulations to Sam on becoming a father for the first time, no doubt another great guitarist in the making… like father like son?

Sam is on Facebook: www.facebook.com/guitarmansam83

 

JSB

©Copyright TheGuyWithaStick2014 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

TheGuyWithaStick Vid-List1+2

18 videos featuring some of the best bands on the circuit!!!

All artists and bands featured on TheGuyWithaStick  Vid-Lists also have reviews on http://www.theguywithastick.com just use the search box on the right of this page… ENJOY!

 

 

For a fuller list of Matt’s upcoming events follow this link

Hailing from Ilkeston in Derbyshire, Matt Henshaw describes his current location has Derby, Nottingham and Leicester… he gets about this guy! In fact, Matt Henshaw has to be one of the hardest working musicians around. It often seems there is not a day or night goes by that Matt is not adorning a stage somewhere in the UK, it’s quite understandable to suspect there may well be several Matt Henshaws, all cloned from the original, but no! I can assure you there is only one Matt Henshaw… only one, brilliantly talented, trend setting, soul saving, Matt Henshaw!

Matt describes his style of music as ‘rhythmic gospel’, and in doing so Matt invents a whole new genre which, without the blink of an eye or  a scratch of music journalists head, the genre is accepted… and why not! What Matt does, and does expertly, is his own thing! He’s not bothered about ‘pigeon holes’ or classifications, he is bothered about his life and his life is music!

Matt has had something of a rebirth lately, standing-down from his University job to concentrate on relaunching his career in music, following his epiphany on the road to stardom and alcoholism which saw the demise of his former, and very highly rated, band ‘Censored’ in 2008. Since this time Matt has done some amazing things, from recording a cracking album with MC Rudimental st al, to re-launching his career. You can’t keep this guy down, he is determined, he’s confident and he is one of the most decent human beings I have had the pleasure of meeting he’s also destined for success!!!

TheGuyWithaStick have included a couple of Matt Henshaw tracks on the acoustic playlist on the ‘Feature’ tab at www.theguywithastick.com

Matt Henshaw can be seen all over the UK including OSFEST Music Festival in Derbyshire on July 26 and Leicester’s Simon Says on July 27th

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©Copyright: theguywithastick.com2014

 

Matt Henshaw

Elisabeth Cornish

 

The beautifully enchanting Elizabeth Cornish and her band, comprising of: on drums – Adam Wykes, bass – Jason Skinner and on additional guitar – Mark Riley Cardwell, are wonderful a tremendous acoustic folk band following in a great tradition, and doing it justice!

Influenced by the likes of David Gray, Alanis Morissette and Laura Marling (which comes across in Elizabeth’s guitar playing) with undertones of Susan Vega, Elizabeth Cornish and the band are becoming quite a force in the region. Elizabeth’s voice is well suited to the genre mature yet amazingly gentle…

 

… her finger-picking guitar play is highly complimented by Mark’s electric guitar and Jason’s bass play with it all brought together by Adam’s drums and Elizabeth’s vocal, and what vocals they are… a master class in folk pop!

I always thought that the best thing to happen on the 15th of March was my birthday, so you can imagine how distressed I was to be ‘gazumped’ by a piece of plastic!!! Ok! it wasn’t ‘just’ a ‘piece of plastic’, it was something much more precious it was the birth of an album… Elizabeth Cornish’s album called ‘Displaced’ which had it’s launch at the Cookie on March 15th this year… and what an album it is!

Below is the title track…

 

…It truly is a must for any music collection!

There’s an old saying about ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’, well, in time, Elizabeth Cornish and the band will be those giants!

 

Elizabeth Cornish can be seen at Leicesters SimonSays Festival on the 27th July and at The Musician on the 19 August… and you just know in between these dates they’ll be playing somewhere. x

 

JSB

 

©Copyright: theguywithastick.com2014. All rights reserved.

 

The Arcadians, Burton-on-Trent at its best.

The music scene in the East Midlands is kicking at the moment and nowhere more so than Burton-on-Trent. Burton are producing some top artists and band, we have previously highlighted Wet Lettuce and the Magik Bean… who have recently signed a record deal with LMC Records, well here’s another band to keep an eye on… the awesome Arcadians!

Formed in 2013, The Arcadians are a 4 piece indie/rock band playing original compositions. The band comprise of: Jamie Cavanagh – Vocals & Lead Guitar, Ed Petch – Rhythm Guitar, Jack Lenaghan – Bass and Dan Alton – Drums. A busy bunch, they have been winning friends across the East Midlands and have received some good reviews, not least from Burton’s own ‘Brew Town’.f you like indie then The Arcadians are right up your street, we like… a lot!

On stage it’s clear they know their stuff, its also clear that they enjoy what they do. We at theguywithastick.com try to avoid comparisons but with The Arcadians it’s difficult not to see a little more than a hint of The Arctic Monkeys. but, don’t let that fool you! The Arcadians are very much their own people, this isn’t a tribute band, this is a top-notch indie band with some great riffs and original thought which comes through in well thought-out original compositions…

 

They have great stage presence and draw their audience in with some really catchy riffs clever lyrics, you can’t help but get involved. If you just want to stand a look at a band playing, then, The Arcadians may not be for you, but, if you want to go to a gig, get right into the music and come away feeling you got your monies worth, then, go and see The Arcadians… you won’t be sorry!

The Arcadians can be seen at The Barefoot festival on the 26 July and Wardstock on the 23/24 August

Theguywithastick.com have included a video of The Arcadians on the site and included them in one of the playlists on the ‘feature’ page… enjoy!

 JSB

©Cpoyright: theguywithastick2014 All rights reserved.

The Brandy Thieves

At theguywithastick.com we ask our people to write about how they feel about a band or artist, how they are moved and what they take away with them from a gig. We are not professional journalists and we reject, as much as possible, the requirement of professionals to ‘pigeon-hole’ everything and everyone. This is evident in the multitude of musical genres that purport to exist at the moment. If you constantly break everything down to its common denominator you limit yourselves, and, in the opinion of theguywithastick, you force artists to conform to that limited view, instead of enabling originality we stifle it! and then an artist, or in this case a band, comes along and sticks two fingers up to convention and with a swagger in their step and a wry grin on their faces, they set about ripping the guts out for the established ‘pigeon-holes’ and do what the hell they want… I give you The Brandy Thieves!!!

Listed as a four piece outfit, although they played as a five piece at the recent Western Park Festival, The Brandy Thieves, consisting of: Andrea Kenny, Cain Barriskill, Bernardo Mendes and Joe Carey, they play gypsy folk, in a punk rock manner, punctuated with ska… and they do it brilliantly!

Andrea’s mature, enigmatic, vocals start slow and clam enough but then she beats the crap out of you with fast guitar play and equally quick vocal hooks, aided and a betted by a rasping horn with bass and drums ensuring you can’t run off, and why would you want to? Their lyrics come across as joyful but they are drenched in social comment delivered in a rhythmic gypsy style, with two fingers in the air and smile on the face. Their energy is infectious, it’s simply impossible to stand still, you’ve got to move it… and then you’re hooked!!!

The Brandy Thieves are immense! They have won over audiences wherever they play and bit by bit they will take over the nation, the sooner the better!

So! would I pay good money to see The Brandy Thieves again, well it’s a no brainer… hell yes! However, there’s a gig I would love to see even more and that’s The Brandy Thieves on the same bill as Under A Banner, an electric folk rock band, reviewed by theguywithastick.com some months ago… I’m salivating at the thought!

Until that happens, theguywithastick.com have placed videos by both The Brandy Thieves and Under A Banner on the website along with tracks by both on the playlists under the ‘Feature’ tab.

The Brandy Thieves are playing Heather Music Festival on Friday 25 July and Leicesters SimonSays on Saturday 26 July

 

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