Tag Archives: Leeds

Best New Bands of 2013 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD #5: Hookworms

26 Dec
The Toy of 2013! We love the vocals and the pure psych rock of Hookworms

The Toy of 2013! We love the vocals and the pure psych rock of Hookworms

Best New Bands of 2013 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD #6: Hookworms

We loved Toy last year, we named the #1 new band of 2012. WE loved Tame Impala in 2011, but damn every band out of England right now is hovering around the Psychadellia rock scene. I think we get the credibility of having been there for the past three years, but much like the female led electro-clash scene we mentioned yesterday, Psych rock is the shit right now and it’s hard to pick through them all. What wasn’t hard, was finding our favorite and the band that should rival the top echelon of the space. Toy’s new record in 2013 still makes them the scene leader, but Hookworms is right there. These bands come from a decades worth of bands like early Verve, Adorable and the Blur. Truly it was founded by this year’s comeback band of the year, My Bloody Valentine or the earlier Pink Floyd rock years. All in all Hookworms deserve this Hummingbird and we believe they will be bigger than Temples. Yes we heard their new record already and we still support Hookworms! THE YEAR OF THE PARASITIC ROCK BANDS!

Founded: 2010
Hometown: Leeds, England
Members: Initials only MB MJ JN SS JW
Sonic Soulmates™: Toy, Temples, Dirty Beaches, Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Verve, Blur, My Bloody Valentine
Trackables™: The album released in 2012Pearl Mystic
Listen to “In Our Time” & “Preservation”

Follow Hookworms:
Facebook
Bandcamp
Twitter

Hummingbird Awards – ALL YOUR BEST NEW BANDS FROM 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013:

Hummingbird Awards 2013 RECAP
#13 MS MR
#12 Swim Deep
#11 Holy Milk
#10 Mutual Benefit
#9 Diane Coffee
#8 Haerts
#7 Holograms
#6 Autre Ne Veult
#5 Hookworms

Hummingbird Awards 2012
Hummingbird Awards 2011
Hummingbird Awards 2010

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Best New Bands of 2012 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD #4: Alt-J (∆)

26 Dec
Alt-J deserves the Hummingbird Award

Alt-J deserves the Hummingbird Award

Best New Bands of 2012 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD #4: Alt-J (∆)
This might be a record for us, two bands back-to-back from Leeds. First Hey Sholay now Alt-J, although this civic rivalry may be problematic since most of the Hey Sholay lads are from Sheffield…either way, something is brewing in the water and it’s not ale, it’s a penchant for good quality music that leads the pack in some of the best new bands of 2012. We loved Alt-J back in September and we still love the Awesome Wave LP, hell they won a Mercury Prize…not why we loved them, but rarely does a winner of that prize suck. Read the original Uncorking here.
Alt-J is definitely still riding the hang-over of the 2011 layered electronic, dreamy sonic sounds of Animal Collective and Midlake, but at times we hear the timeless Fletwood Mac beauty shine through. Please listen to “Breezeblocks” and tell us you don’t love these guys.

Vitals:
Founded: 2011
Hometown: Leeds, UK
Members: Gwil, Joe Newman [guitar/vocals], Gus Unger-Hamilton [keyboards] and Thom Green [drums] met at Leeds University in 2007
Sonic Soulmates™: Midlake, Nurses, Animal Collective
Trackables™:
“Breezeblocks” – Amazing single

An Awesome Wave

Follow Hey Sholay:
Alt-J Website
Facebook

Hummingbird Awards – ALL YOUR BEST NEW BANDS FROM 2010, 2011 and 2012:

Hummingbird Awards 2012
#12 Rose Elinor Dougall
#11 Fear of Men
#10 The Weeknd
#9 Nude Beach
#8 Class Actress
#7 Johnathon Boulet
#6 DIIV
#5 Hey Sholay
#4 Alt-J (∆)
Hummingbird Awards 2011
Hummingbird Awards 2010

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Best New Bands of 2012 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD #5: HEY SHOLAY

23 Dec
#5 is oh so fine. Hey Sholay. Photo Credit Lofty Fiasco

#5 is oh so fine. Hey Sholay

Best New Bands of 2012 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD #5: Hey Sholay

It’s always nice to spread the Christmas cheer and joy with an uplifting set of mates from Leeds and Sheffield. We’ve been harmonizing with them since August just waiting for this day to award them with a Hummingbird Award. They’re part indie anthem rock see Arcade Fire, part party music see Los Campesinos! with a final dash of London Suede for your festivus celebration. “Wishbone (Wish Wish Wish) is the song that will take them a mile above the Earth to their stardom. Whatever your taste, the album cleverly titled ((O)) will make your end of year plans a little happier.

Vitals:
Hometown: Sheffield and Leed, UK
Members:
Rob Philpot (Drums), Stef Kania (Bass, Moral Support), Liam Ward (Keys and Guitar), Liam Creamer (Vocals and keys and ) and Laurie Allport (Guitar)
Sonic Soulmates™: Arctic Monkeys, Maccabees, Los Campesinos!, London Suede
Trackables™ from the new LP ((O))
“My Blood”
“The Bears the Clocks the Bees”
“Wishbone (Wish Wish Wish)”

Follow Hey Sholay:
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Hummingbird Awards – ALL YOUR BEST NEW BANDS FROM 2010, 2011 and 2012:

Hummingbird Awards 2012
#12 Rose Elinor Dougall
#11 Fear of Men
#10 The Weeknd
#9 Nude Beach
#8 Class Actress
#7 Johnathon Boulet
#6 DIIV
#5 Hey Sholay
Hummingbird Awards 2011
Hummingbird Awards 2010

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UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (9.14.12) Alt-J (∆)

14 Sep
Alt-J is worth the listen. The Leeds lads would rather you call them ∆

Alt-J is worth the listen. The Leeds lads would rather you call them ∆

UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (9.14.12) Alt-J

Leeds, no football club wants to be caught dead playing at Elland Road. You not only risk the punishing play on the field, but the fan abuse is unrivaled. It’s not surprising that a band like (∆), pronounced Alt-J was birthed under that protective shell. They like the culture of the football fans, is one of a kind. Although, they’re not punishing, just lushing…a new word I just made up. It’s hard to pin them to one sound. Maybe they lean a little to the right with Nurses, Animal Collective, or maybe a little more left and Radioheady, but it’s the upbeat almost danceable nature of the music that gets me and the NBDers jazzed. Yes these lads one the Mercury Prize, so it’s not a surprise that they are on our watch list. And by the way F*(K Pitchfork for that craptastic 4.5 review. I feel good when I lis tento tracks like “Something Good” or “Ms” maybe it’s the bells or the strummy guitars. A track ends and I get the same feeling I used to get before an exciting first date with that lady I fawned over. Alt-J is that band that will make your weekend better.

Vitals:
Founded: 2011
Hometown: Leeds, UK
Members: Gwil, Joe Newman [guitar/vocals], Gus Unger-Hamilton [keyboards] and Thom Green [drums] met at Leeds University in 2007
Sonic Soulmates™: Midlake, Nurses, Animal Collective
Trackables™:
“Breezeblocks” – Amazing single

An Awesome Wave

Follow:
Alt-J Website
Facebook

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UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (4.5.12) Crybaby

5 Apr

Crybaby is his name and sadness is his game.


UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (4.5.12) Crybaby

We’re busy but we’re not too busy to find great new bands on this eve of Coachella. Crybaby is the brainchild of Danny Coughlan, his passion for the soul music led him down the path of success, eventually to Crybaby. His love of Morrissey all things soul, pushes this record to the top of our list of 2012. We hope you love it as much as we do. Danny’s love of Garney Mimms gave birth to the name Crybaby from Mimms classic track “Cry Baby” Listen to Cry Baby by Garnet Mimms

Vitals:
Hometown: Bristol, Leeds, UK
Members: Danny Coughlan (vocals, guitar)
Sonic Soulmates™: Roy Orbison, The Smiths, Phil Spector and the Jesus & Mary Chain.
Trackables™:
“I Cherish Heartbreak More than the Love That I Lost” –

Follow:
Facebook
Crybaby site
Spotify

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UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (2.6.12) This Many Boyfriends (UPDATED)

6 Feb

This Many Boyfriends are what The Housemartins are to a Monday morning...good fun!


UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 – This Many Boyfriends

Is anyone else having this issue where you feel like everyone knows what you’re listening to…Facebook streaming and Spotify have made me self conscious of my guilty favorites. Now that everyone knows what I listen to, I feel like you’re judging me. Don’t judge my love for Neil Young, Nada Surf, Pearl Jam, Echo, etc. It’s okay, sometimes I want to be reminded about the past. Music is the greatest story every told…you can go back to a song and it reminds of exactly the moment you heard it first or last. So here’s to guilty pleasures. This Many Boyfriends is derived from the happy bouncy 90’s Britrock pop dreams of Teenage Fanclub, the cynicism of The Smiths and their obvious love of Norman Cook and The Housemartins. Good solid happy poppy English rock for a Monday.

Vitals:
Hometown: Leeds, UK
Members:
Daniel Boyfriend – Guitars
Laura Boyfriend – Drums
Richard Boyfriend – Vocals
Tom Boyfriend – Bass
Sonic Soulmates™: The Smiths, The Lodger, The Housemartins
Trackables™:
“Young Lovers Go Pop!” –

NEW TRACK – “Starling”

Follow:
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Spotify
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