In The Moment: THE BAY RAYS

Photo credit: Dik Ng 

Little is known about The Bay Rays. With just over 300 likes on Facebook and minimal results about them as a band when Googled, you'd think they didn't exist. After a little more searching however, you'll come across their soundcloud and it's here you'll find the infectious Get Together EP. Listening to that is exactly how your love affair with them will start and it's also what will get you dancing like no one is watching. But who exactly are The Bay Rays and what are they about? Well, for a start they're Max, Harry and Anthus and here they are to tell you a little more...

In ten words, who are The Bay Rays? 

We're a British garage-rock/punk three piece from Kent.  

What made you guys start the band and want to play music? 

We all grew up together as close friends and the inspiration for the band came after Harry and Max went on a road trip across America. On this trip we met a lot of musicians who were playing in small bars and they clearly loved doing what they were doing. We were tired of being in other bands where every little detail is over thought and over analysed, it saps the fun out of things and goes against the reasons as to why you wanted to be in a band in the first place. We wanted to start something new where we wrote tunes that we have fun playing, I think you get enjoyment out of watching anybody who is doing something they love, its infectious. A lot of that is lost with bands these days because before they have even got on stage they are already worrying about what other people are going to think of them.

If you could tour with any two bands, who would they be and why? 

Arctic Monkeys – They are constantly evolving and making amazing music. They are also incredible live.Alabama Shakes – incredible musicians and very passionate about what they do. Brittany is probably the best front person in a band at the moment. 

Why should people go and check you out? 

We pride ourselves on being a really good live band, its so disappointing when you love a track and then you see that track live and its not very good! We are also inclusive as people and that is the case at our shows. Its important for us to make sure that when people come and see us play they feel like they are at the best party in town and leave feeling like they’ve been part of something they want to experience again.

So, what more do you need to know!? Head to their soundcloud now and head down to this Friday's Slaves show to see the boys live!

Listen to: Five More Miles

In The Moment: DEMOB HAPPY

Type Demob Happy into google and you'll be greeted by a definition: "feeling elated because one is about to leave a stressful or responsible job or situation." Type Demob Happy into this blog and you'll be greeted by some words which tell you about an awesome band who deserve you're attention right now.

Hailing from the best of places in the UK, Brighton and Newcastle, this quartet groove and slide their way through modern day grunge delights like they invented such a sound alone. Debut album Dream Soda is full of favourites from start to end. Haat De Stank is an electrifying opener, Succubus imbeds itself in your memory and Dream Soda has you dancing like you have no control over your limbs. Meanwhile, most recent single Junk DNA, establishes the band as one's to watch by really showcasing their racket to it's full potential. So at this point you still haven't opened up YouTube to see what they're about? Well what about if we tell you they have all the tones of Nirvana, mixed with the bouyancy of Blur, mixed with something completely new and far more rad? Demob Happy will most definitely be your new favourite band in no time at all. And what's more they've just embarked on a UK-wide tour in support of their album!

Catch the boys in the next two weeks by following THIS link. You'd be a fool not to.

Listen to: Suffer You, Succubus, Dream Soda

Bring Me The Horizon, The Hippodrome, 01/12/2015

Thanks to the wonderful team at Banquet Records, The Hippodrome (situated in Kingston-Upon-Thames) is fast becoming one of the best places to see the biggest and best bands in the alternative game. Recently, this venue has seen the likes of Foals and Don Broco grace it's tiny stage with fans paying bargain prices to see them, and tonight is no different. On the first eve of the Christmas month two massive names are giving their fans an early present and what a bloody lucky bunch of fans they turned out to be.

Pop-punk royalty, Neck Deep, are first up tonight and fresh off a long tour which saw them support Bring Me The Horizon's huge headline dates and headline shows themselves across America, you'd expect them to give a bit of a lack-luster performance. But no, not this bunch of heroes. Right from the minute they get on stage they are bursting with energy ready to make this the perfect start to our night and the perfect end to their live stint. They tear through the likes of Losing Teeth, Kali Ma and Can't Kick Up The Roots, throw in new crowd pleaser Serpents and of course include the always delectable A Part of Me. This is a band that just keep getting sharper, cleaner and more amazing so after a well earned break, 2016 will only see Neck Deep get bigger and better.

After a whirlwind of stage-techs blow across the stage, the lights go out, the music stops and screams erupt. Not even Bring Me The Horizon themselves were ready for the reception they were about to get; it was unreal. You'd think smaller venues like the one tonight would be of no significance to a band that now dominate arenas and festival main stages, but frontman (and beautiful messiah) Oli Sykes, is quick to say how much it means to them that they still get to play to small and adoring crowds. The scene on the floor for the whole night is carnage. Pits open and close without any need of command and people crowd surf their way to their heroes feet like it's no mission at all. Each and every one of the band look ecstatic throughout as they play new anthems Happy Song and Throne, Sempiternal classics such as Shadow Moses and Sleepwalking and even when they throw back to Chelsea Smile they still play their souls out. Following the latter the crowd plead a 2000 strong chant of "pray for plagues" (a song from the band's debut album Count Your Blessings) to which Oli replies something to the effect of  'no, not a fucking chance so you can all just forget it.' The crowd aren't disappointed however as more favourites such as Antivist, True Friends and Blessed With A Curse are piledrived into their earholes. Drown concludes the night in an emotional and epic singalong and every single person in the room is left wide-eyed and smiling from ear to ear.

It's a spectacular sight to behold and an even more spectacular one to hear, and if tonight has taught us one thing it's that Bring Me The Horizon can orchestrate mayhem of any size like no one else can.

👽 BMTH 👽 I waited at least six years for this moment and it was fucking incredible 💞 #SPIRIT #snapchatgrain #sheffieldsfinest

A photo posted by Alice Hoddinott (@kell_soopreez) on Dec 2, 2015 at 5:13am PST