Late Night Legacy thrives on taking the alternative rock scene to new heights with incredible gusto and will. Sonically, you can hear the sounds of fantastic rock artists from vocally the Black Keys to the guitar work of Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
All the hype is real. From being ‘ones to watch’ in BBC Introducing Cumbria to headlining events in Wigan, the Leeds band blends a multitude of genres to create a fluid, rocky sound that will get the crowd jumping. The latest single ‘JUSTaSOnG’ cleverly melds a hard, rage against the machine esque riff with muted, low distortion chugs to create big chorus build with the rallying cry of ‘Such a know it all’.
They also have the ability to touch on tender moments such as in the single ‘Dreams of You’ (2021) which strips back and uses a piano and acoustic guitar to convey feelings of forlorn love and emotional restriction. It’s rare to see a rock band be able to give such a variance of emotion without seeming overblown or pedantic but Late Night Legacy is able to do both justice.
Alex Rave – Fragile For A Funny Man
Alex Rave is as indie as they come, be it from playlists named ‘It never stops raining’ and his about section simply saying ‘reflections at dusk’ to the way his drums in ‘Fragile for a Funny Man’ take the Lofi approach.
His latest release ‘Fragile for a Funny Man’ takes the early Artic Monkeys approach in their album ‘Favourite Worst Nightmare’, particularly with the song ‘Only ones who Know’. With orchestral synths and modulated guitars, it creates a delightful soundscape to talk about his experiences with men in his local pub.
A lot of his songs touch on these tender moments through creating soundscapes. The song ‘A Spark in the North’ (a collaboration with ‘Queen Green’) takes a Stone Roses vocal performance with the same modulated guitar but this time with harder hitting drums.
Alex gives Doncaster a good name for indie music and imbues his Yorkshire accent well to give a personal edge to his songs.
Someday by Alex Rave is his ‘Islands in the Stream’. It’s a wonderful swelling song that excellently pushes into a raucous chorus. A definite sing a long track and it tinged with the typical Alex Rave melancholy.
William embodies the Lofi, chill section of the music world. The Scotsman edges seamlessly between falsetto and a wail conveying great emotion as shown in his latest single ‘Always’. He controls all aspects of his music as he is self taught in various instruments, resulting in a deeply personal end product with his signature placed throughout all of it.
There is a strong influence of Bon Iver, resulting in powerful vocal performances and phenominal ambient soundscapes. In ‘Moon and Stars’, he blends harmonies with violins, with his lead vocal taking precedent and pushing his message of ‘knowing who you are’.
It’s unfair to link Lewis Capaldi to all Scotsman but there is a very reminiscent sound in ‘The Way You Once Loved Me’ with just a piano and beautifully calling vocals that gives an almost direct link to ‘Before You Go’.
Swan are a fast tempo band, revitalising the burning embers of bygone Sheffield rock scene. They utilise the skills from their rock forefathers in using distorted electric guitars and break neck drum tempos to get the crowd from static to bouncing.
Enthusiasm follows the band like a rash. Songs like ‘Behind Her Eyes’ and ‘One Of These Days’ warrant this reception and headlining shows at West Street Live demonstrate the loyal following these lads possess.
From distortion through to clever vocal lines, SWAN are capable of pushing Indie Rock to new heights. Watch out!
Rich Brown – Down and out to sea
Rich embodies the Sheffield (and Yorkshire!) lifestyle. From talking shop about politics to drinking to much, Rich very adeptly melds the word play skills of Bob Dylan to the enthusiasm and catchy hooks of Mumford and Sons.
This solo artist thrives on acoustic work, cleverly adopting the skills of acoustic artists before him and adding his own personal twist, creating a variety of moods and feelings designed to make the audience think, or to make them get up and sing along.
It’s a skill and a real talent to operate in different genres and make them work but Rich succeeds. In conjoining perfect harmonies with a soulful vibe, Rich is definitely a one to watch!