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Now Mr Snuggles and I have been sitting with our heads down counting the hits on each blog to see which band's got what place.Tracks from the Top Ten Blogged Bands are played
every Sunday 5-7pm on Radio KC as part of
Ralph's Indie Show.
No 1: Graham Marshall
The Graham Marshall story is reflected in his catalog of songs: survival, adventure, love and tragedy are more than mere subjects of whim to strum his guitar to.At 20, his band, Screaming Silence, was a hit in his hometown of Glasgow, Scotland. But on the brink of the showcase gig that would “seal the deal” with a label, the lead member “disappeared” after running into some unsavoury entanglements. A couple of years later, Graham entered into a rehabilitation program for clinical depression and put on a cocktail of drugs at the hands of questionable care workers.
No 2: Duke & The Darlings
Long-time Ralph's Life favourites Duke and the Darlings will release a double A-side, Days of Wonder and The Click, on Saturday 14th May through Sweet Sweet RecordsDays of Wonder is a feel-good anthem about not feeling good; the on-point harmonies and saccharine delivery obscure the discontent towards a growing poverty gap in the UK. The Click closes the curtains, lights a few candles and looks inwards on being a twenty-something, and explores the accompanying paradox of being young and not being young with expressive orchestration and histrionic dynamics.
No 3: T.O.Y.S
Leeds band T.O.Y.S have been percolating since 2010 but 2016 sees them coming to the boil with the release of a new video for their bouncy G-A-C release. It's the first single from their debut album SICKS which is due to come out on Odd Box Records next month.The self-styled lo-fi pop rockers are on to a winner with this Cure-esque concoction. It's a heady blend of all that was good in 80's dancefloor electro brought bang up to date for the discerning listener and dance floor aficionado.
No 4: Feral Love
It's just over three years since Ralph checked out Liverpool's sublime Bird and then some time thereafter they took a bit of a hiatus before parting. However, Adele Emmas and Christian Sanford have re-emerged triumphantly like the proverbial phoenix from the ashes as the nascent Feral LoveEmmas and Sanford spent a year in a damp, windowless basement studio writing, emerging only when they knew they'd arrived at the sound they'd been striving for.
No 5: Ded Rabbit
Comprising four brothers, Ded Rabbit are an Alt rock/Indie band consisting of: Eugene (vocals, rhythm guitar), Fergus (lead guitar), Donal (bass) and Eoin Gaine (drums). 2015 was their most notable year to date - with a number of well received EP releases, they continued to complete a number of high profile performances that should be on any UK band’s bucket list.
No 6: Suzerain
London's Suzerain have just released their second album Identity after a two year gap, but it's been well worth the wait. As lead singer Tom Pether said - "it took a while to break into something we wanted it to be. Identity is something that is difficult to grasp on a day-to-day basis, it can change but isn’t always obvious. For us, this album feels like our identity at the moment.”No 7: This Party
A chance encounter at a Smiths tribute gig in early 2015 led to the formation of Brighton's This Party, a band that fuse sharp basslines with infectious melodic hooks. Charismatic frontman Matt is as well known for his energetic on-stage performances as he is for his strong vocals.New single Taste is two and half minutes of guitar driven indie rock. A clear statement of intent from a band that have very quickly established themselves as one of the UK's most exciting prospects.
No 8: Day Old Hate
Ralph's just got a sniff about a new single from Leeds based alt-rockers Day Old Hate called Don't Chase Me so he thought he'd share the news and the video with you.“It’s important to not to get too hung up about the people that didn't or don't believe in you”, states vocalist Ollie Swift and it is this very sentiment that forms the basis of the newly released video for the single Don’t Chase Me.
No 9: Bloch Eyot
The story of Danish born but UK living Nikolaj Bloch who now performs under the pseudonym of Bloch Eyot is as strange and tangential as it is fascinating and absorbing. It leads us to his current incarnation which he describes as, "A new musical journey."
Born in Denmark, his mother taught him Danish political folk songs on guitar from the age of 6. he then trained in classical piano at college, and when he left school he joined a touring blues band.
No 10: The Phantoms
Formed in Edinburgh in 2012 by four school friends, ThePhantoms released their debut EP This Is How It Should Be in December 2013 and followed this up with a short UK tour.
They are influenced by the likes of Kasabian and Simple Minds and are Colin Simpson on guitar and vocals, Colin Mckillop on lead guitar, Zach Tarimo Goodhur on bass and Blair Cullen on drums.
