British guitar music purveyors behind This Feeling - the clubnight shining light on new, exciting UK talent - have announced that they'll be taking the best of their musical discoveries on the road later this year. The 'alive' tour promises one of the hottest multi-band live gig bills to hit the UK. Bring it on.
With a ten year history behind it, This Feeling events have become a thriving community of new talent, fans and rockstars, who all share an undying dedication to the live music scene - with Noel Gallagher himself describing it as "the best club in the UK for future rock n roll stars".
The potential for success is clear to see in Blossoms, who were tipped by This Feeling's Mikey Johns in the early days of their career.
Now, taking a crop of the best new bands out on the road, This Feeling aims to take its ever-growing underground scene and push its resurgence in uncompromising guitar music into full throttle.
The line-up includes euphoric Britpop sorts The Shimmer Band, darkly atmospheric garage rockers The Blinders, and Bang Bang Romeo who are a more hard-edged Fleetwood Mac. Whilst explosive indie hitmakers Blackwaters are the new Libertines.
The acts have already been showcased by This Feeling at festivals such as Isle Of Wight, Leeds Festival and YNOT, with Bang Bang Romeo being championed by John Giddings himself.
Kicking off in Bristol, the twelve-night tour will stop off in cities such as Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Sheffield, London and Brighton.
Check out tour dates and the talent on offer below:
THE SHIMMER BAND
Bristol-based The Shimmer Band have only released three singles so far (‘Freedom’, ‘Sunkick’ , ‘Jacknife and the Death Call’) but they’ve gained such a huge following in so little time. They sold out Barfly and have been booked to play the main stage at Kendal Calling. The band make soaring euphoric electronica-infused indie with nods to late '90s Verve, U2 and Kasabian. Their seductive, dreamy yet punchy sound is perfectly captured on record and give the quality you get live. They worked with David Francolini (Julian Cope, Exit Calm) at Komplex Studio – a producer with whom they share a vision for great psychedelic pop music. Arenas await these lot but academy’s will get their roof blown off come October.
THE BLINDERS
It’s the sound of paranoia, political disenchantment communicated through scuzzy guitars and unhinged, stage moves to make Iggy Pop proud. Louder Than War described a show in Salford, near to their shared student house, as “riveting” and coin the group the “UK’s most firebrand new band”. Their recent single ‘Swine’ reflects this it riles against austerity Britain.
BANG BANG ROMEO
This band pride themselves on their DIY approach. Their singer writes all the songs, crowd funded the EP, and played up and down the country in small venues. The hard-gradt approach has seen a loyal following grow as they remain enchanted by their magnetic, powerful, swaggering tunes.
Gigwise caught the band at Leeds Festival last year and said: "The power behind lead singer Anastasia Walker’s vocal and performance was almost too great to be confine to the stage, as she broke-free into one of the busiest and most captivated crowds the tent had seen all weekend."
BLACKWATERS
Formed at university in Guildford three years ago, indie rockers Blackwaters make clever, raw indie punk and are a perfect outfit to site beside bands like The Libertines. The band currently only have a handful of singles online and with their Dead Kennedys-esque energy and Essex-raised singer Maximillion Tanner’s Jamie T-esque ear for pop hooks.
Tickets for 'alive' will be available here from Friday 2 June at 9am. Tour dates are as follows
01 Oct Bristol Thekla
02 Oct Cardiff Glee Club
03 Oct Birmingham 02 Institute 2
05 Oct Belfast The Limelight
06 Oct Glasgow 02 ABC3
08 Oct Manchester Academy 2
09 Oct Leeds The Wardrobe
10 Oct Hull The Welly Club
11 Oct Nottingham Glee Club
13 Oct Sheffield The Plug
14 Oct London Electric Ballroom
15 Oct Brighton Concorde 2
