2014 Ones To Watch: The Family Rain

In a week which has seen the release of their debut album, I decided it would only be right for my 2014 Ones To Watch this week to focus on The Family Rain…

Will, Ollie and Tim Walker, otherwise known as The Family Rain, are an all-brother trio who last year began to bed themselves further into the industry and showcase their energetic music in what has been a quick yet deserved climb up the music ladder.

Formed in 2011 after a fairly unsuccessful attempt as a band named ‘The Rock Pirates,’ the brothers released their debut single ‘Trust Me…I’m A Genius’ in late 2012 which was their first step in putting their name out there and getting noticed.

Catching attention is certainly vital in the early stages of a band’s career, and luckily for the Bath-based band 2013 was a year which saw them catch the eye of the right people in the music game; namely those who enlisted them as support acts on their respective tours, such as Miles Kane, Jake Bugg, the Courteeners and Willy Moon.

The brothers finally released their debut album this week

And if the release of their debut EP ‘Pushing It’ in May wasn’t enough to gauge interest of the up and coming band, their most notable support slot to date definitely will have turned some heads, when they opened for The Rolling Stones at their Hyde Park gig in July.

Appearances at a handful of festivals – such as Reading and Leeds and Latitude – were a given; allowing the brothers to create a real buzz around their blues-rock sound and aiding them in gathering a fan base who have patiently waited for the release of their debut album, which finally arrived this week (February 3) entitled ‘Under The Volcano.’

This rapid rise to fame is certainly an achievement The Family Rain can be proud of, but it will be up to the trio to sustain this in 2014, with ‘Under The Volcano’ giving them the perfect platform with which to do so.

Find out more...
Twitter: @TheFamilyRain
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thefamilyrain
Instagram: @TheFamilyRain
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/thefamilyrain

Check out my previous Ones To Watch For 2014...
Bipolar Sunshine
Circa Waves

2014 Ones To Watch: Circa Waves

If you read my blog post last Friday you’ll know I have decided to write a weekly feature about bands and artists I think you should be on the lookout for in 2014.

My first blog looked at Bipolar Sunshine, and you can read what I have to say about Adio Marchant’s solo project here.

This week I decided to talk about Circa Waves; a recently formed band who are set for a big debut year…

It would be oh so cliché of me to use some kind of ‘making waves’ pun to describe newly formed band Circa Waves. But making waves is exactly what the four-piece intend to do this year, after catching the attention of the right people in the music industry in late 2013.

Hailing from Liverpool, the quartet in the form of Keiran Shuddall (vocals and guitar), Joe Falconer (guitar), Sam Rourke (bass) and Sian Plummer (drums) was formed by Keiran just nine months ago through his overwhelming desire to be in a band.

After being part of bands but not really getting anywhere, the 26-year-old decided to make a real go at being noticed and recorded a demo – playing all the instruments himself – and uploaded it online. The magic of the internet soon prevailed; Keiran had people hooked and gig requests flying in. Now he just needed a band.

The demo ‘Young Chasers’ allowed him to recruit Joe, Sam and Sian and from there they formed Circa Waves; with a sound reminiscent of the noughties indie era, influenced most profoundly by bands such as The Libertines and The Strokes and being compared more contemporarily to The Vaccines.

The band have so far released two songs

Circa Waves are now in the stages of recording their debut album, with vocalist Keiran telling NME Magazine “at the moment, I only write things that could be singles.”

For some this may seem like a big statement to make, but the material released by the four-piece thus far supports this claim. ‘Get Away’ and ‘Good For Me’ are both stunning singles; brimming with guitars and an upbeat, bright sound that the band must be hoping will go hand in hand with their bright future ahead.

Find out more...
Twitter: @CircaWaves
Facebook: www.facebook.com/circawaves
Instagram: @CircaWaves
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/circawaves