Brewtown #17: The Arcadians

Arcadians on Fire from left to right: Petch, Cavanagh, Alton, Lenaghan

Continuing from last week’s subject of a young act who’ve only been around for about a year or so, these lads have only been gigging for barely a year but are looking like a promising addition to Brewtown. Put a coin in the slot and start up The Arcadians!

Jamie Cavanagh (lead vocals, lead guitar), Ed Petch (rhythm guitar), Jack Lenaghan (bass) and Dan Alton (drums) look to be a promising new foursome in the same vein of Mario’s Nicotine Parlour who formed around the same time MNP started officially gigging. Coincidence? I THINK…so.

Though they have yet to put on facepaint like Mr Knight here so they’re not EXACTLY alike!

With Petch and Alton having been playing music since they were kids and Lenaghan and Cavanagh finding the bass and guitar along the way, half the band and the other half come from two different musical journeys but eventually found themselves performing together as The Arcadians as of March 2013.

Cavanagh, coming down from Doncaster was looking to perform original music but didn’t have much luck with most wanting to go the cover band route. Thinking “just grab the first person with an instrument”, Cavanagh met Alton playing a trombone (band member doubles as a brass player…NO MORE MNP COMPARISONS MR BREWTOWN!) and they clicked very well when talking about music.

Petch and Alton already knew each other and decided that the band they had been talking about forming for a while needed a singer/songwriter, guitarist and bassist. After bringing Lenaghan in for an audition, they decided that’s the one for the band and formed in late Spring of 2013 after waiting on Lenaghan to confirm his place in the band.

But the wait was worth it for this Photoshop job!

Their first gig took place at the Wetmore Whistle in July 2013 supporting Phoenix Salvation and The Decade Runners which not only gave them a decent starting audience but also allowed themselves to be on the bill with two of Burton’s prime music acts.

After racking up some more gigs and mini festival spots in Leicester and Milton Keynes, they scored their first headline gig back at the Whistle at the end of August being supported by Joy & Ali and Mario’s Nicotine Parlour.

Come October, after a stint of Derby and Leicester gigs in September, the band released their first single or maybe double in this case Catch Your Breath/Dirty Savannah on the 11th under Trap 6 Records, the same label that released Get Cubs’ album To The Mountains and Canada EP.

To finish off the month, they supported Phoenix Salvation’s EP launch on the 25th and the next day were on the bill for the Derbyshire ExFest festival for Derbyshire Music Explorer Scouts where they were very well-received by the young audience.

Finger mask=well-received! Music Scouts code of honour Section 8 Par 3

In December, Cavanagh returned to his hometown of Doncaster to perform with The Arcadians at the Toast bar (with a nice glass of milk, I mean White Russian!) and The Empire in Swadlincote along with Genziani’s Jukebox to promote Trap 6 Records.

Going into 2014, they’re set to perform at the Less Than Three festival taking place at The Victoria Inn in April, which will feature not only MNP, but also Nottingham-based House of Thieves and Sheffield indie sensations The Sherlocks.

As a relatively new band, this writer apologizes for the smaller amount of information on this band than for other bands, but give them time and they will fulfil their Arcadian heritage and one day usher their goat god Pan to perform a busting pipe solo alongside them!

If you could also bring Bill Hicks with you, that would also be appreciated Randy Pan!

But nevertheless, how does their music fare? As I have just put above, their name derives not from video game arcades (yes I put an VG arcade-related pun in the opening paragraph. Sue me!), but from the Greek land of Arcadia where the legend of the rustic, cheeky music god Pan originates. Their music does give off a certain air of that.

The music of the Arcadians can cite influences vocally from Joe Strummer and Billy Bragg to bring in a punk-ish vibe (Beer Goggles On) to the affair and musically shows shades of The Smiths to provide the alternative-ey vibe (Savannah). Yes, I just said alternative-ey! Wot mate? WOT!?

It is quite impressive to see this band be as well-received as they have around the Midlands and, of course, their songs are to thank for that. One song in particular of theirs I recommend would be Catch Your Breath.

The song immediately takes off strong with punk rock chords and Cavanagh brings in his flair for writing a song with a story by showing us how he shows a girl a good time and how he makes her ‘catch her breath’ through him being such a gentleman.

It’s not the most conventional way to go in the punk rock direction but it’s at least a good contrast from how damning and angry the genre can be which makes for a good contrast.

Even though their back catalogue of this band isn’t large yet, what they’ve provided so far is pretty promising and is an interesting preview for whatever EPs will come. Check them out and see.

Do it! Goat boy is watching you!

So that’s The Arcadians, another rock quartet that have established themselves pretty quickly in the Brewtown scene with a satisfying taste of what is to come. Whether they’ll be as big as say, Star From Ivy is another story, but only time will tell. Until that time comes, this has been Brewtown Music serving you another fine brew of Midlands tunes.

Arcadians’ stuff

Official Website: https://www.thearcadians.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheArcadiansband

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/arcadiansband

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEwmqwN31lWtOgHcBy8EWyw

Twitter: https://twitter.com/arcadianshq

Brewtown #16: Mario’s Nicotine Parlour

Sadly, this is not how they usually look from left to right: Chester, Mines, Knight and Skellet

We return to regular Brewtown programming here with a young quartet that have made a decent impact in their first year of being part of the Burton music scene a la 5 Days of November. It’s-a-them, Mario’s Nicotine Parlour!

Jack Mines (lead vocals, lead guitar), Rhys Knight (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Jack Skellet (bass guitar) and James Chester (drums) have brought a solid punk alt rock sound that comes as an interesting addition aside the Indie and hard rock that is common in the scene.

MNP describe their sound as “Arctic Monkeys meet Half Man Half Biscuit.”

“I bet that you’d look good in those Joy Division Oven Gloves!”

The story for MNP starts in May 2012, despite not officially starting to do gigs as a band for nearly a year. Mines and Knight had always been playing music as a duo either at open mics or at friend’s parties.

The original line-up consisted of Mines and Knight in their usual roles with Luke Mousley on bass, Richard Bates on drums and Skellet as a deputy bass in case there was any hang-ups.

They spent the good part of 2012 and early 2013 writing material and practising said material, as you do, getting it ready for their awaiting public. Well I should say they were waiting after their first music video was released!

A video budget bigger than Texas, on a US map.

During the Spring of 2013 is when they started performing live officially, in April when they performed at the Navigation Inn in Swadlincote and at the Victoria Inn in Derby supporting Get Cubs and Great Scott. In May they would perform at the Wetmore Whistle for the first time as well as The Royal Oak supporting Sam Garrett, Fantastik 4 and Lucida Scroll.

In June, they would end up on the bill for Soundcheck’s Best of Burton event that took place at the National Brewery Centre run by Burton College students for their final course so their grades were in the band’s hands! Not really, but they were helped out by Star From Ivy, Phoenix Salvation and Fantastik 4 again.

The next month they would return to the Whistle to support The Vibe‘s Eyes EP launch along with 5 Days of November and support Kitten Pyramid and Lady and the Tramp for the Moira Beer Festival. In August was a major break for them as they performed on the main stage at the Rosliston Forestry Centre for Gladefest which also featured Tilted Smile, Wildfire Folk and The Roz Bruce Infusion. Knight would pull double duty that night (no typing error there) as he would also play percussion in folk band Green Fortune with Ma and Pa Knight, Kay and Mark.

Though nobody does a family band like the Partridges!

MNP got their first bit of radio play with Knight and Mines being interviewed on Radio Ashby (Internet radio but hey it’s a start) where they were also promoted by Green Fortune. Family musicians helping each other? Take notes Oasis! (Dated I know but still)

October and November would bring them a line-up change with Chester and Skellet replacing Bates and Mousley on drums and bass respectively and a number of big gigs including a return to both the Glade for a Food and Drink Fair/Farmer’s Market, the Victoria Inn supporting Nottingham-based Indie rock act The Steady Sound and back to the Whistle once again, this time for their OWN EP launch!

Done on Hallow’s Boxing Day (Nov 1st), they launched their first EP Proof of Identity (produced by Dan Gallagher, yes him again!) and because it was the day after Halloween, they all daubed black and white makeup on their faces and that explains the first picture so…yeah there’s that.

But does that explain this genius editing job? Probably!

The night after their EP launch, they were down to Kidderminster and pretty soon they were performing in Leicester, Derby, Sheffield and wherever else wanted their hands on them! In between these gigs going into 2014, a new demo track Organism was released in December and have attempted to be a part of the 2014 YNot Festival. Go for it!

Time for the actual music! Though they have only been around for a short time, behind the scenes and before officially performing live, their music has made a connection with a good number in the Brewtown scene as well as helping them go down a storm in the outer reaches of the country.

Their music is a hybrid of alternative, indie and punk which seems like a no brainer of styles especially from a rock band their age in this generation or music. Still, they own their music in both instrumentals and vocals with Mines and Knight showing some gruff and cig-ragged singing on their tracks. Speaking of, let’s look at two I recommend.

The first is the third track off their Proof of Identity EP, Time Will Wait. It starts off like a grunge track with the slow start and rough yet restrained vocals. But at about the 1:40 mark, it kicks into a higher gear like it literally should be a song that you speed up to along the highway while listening on the car radio. Definitely one to check out if you’re looking for some really up tempo and gritty music, coming out of Burton-on-Trent at least!

The second is, oddly enough, the second track from the EP, Crumpton Blues which sounds like something a depressed Chippy Minton would sing, if he could speak of course! Although there’s Blues in the title, you wouldn’t take that from the song itself as it is an up tempo, dare I say, jolly sing-along track. Oh it still keeps the rough vocals and dirty rock sound, but it is a pretty catchy tune itself.

It does appear to be in the lyrics though where the downer blues lyrics come in so it’s not an entirely misleading title. While tinged with the optimism the song does seem to give off, there’s definitely an acceptance of bad things happening to the singer:

Alcohol stained, it’s like a bullet to my brain and I know

These long, long days, they make me feel whole again and I know

I’m on a freight train and I’m just singing again oh!

Granted there’s a na-na-na sing-along refrain to step into give us a chorus as well as some trumpets thrown in which Bates himself is known for playing, but it isn’t without it’s slightly depressing moments. It’s a good mix of the downers and the uppers (don’t take that mix literally kids, drugs are bad mkay?), but that’s just me. As always, see for yourself.

Mario’s Nicotine Parlour are ones to watch out for, in terms of newer and younger acts. They show great promise in both their music and entertainment value and are being received well wherever else they go. If they’re round your way, drop by their parlour and smoke the night away, I mean put on your Nicorette patches! I wouldn’t want to upset anyone would I? Still though, this has been Brewtown Music serving you another fine brew of Midlands tunes.

MNP’s stuff

Official Website: http://mnpofficial.webs.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariosnicotineparlour37

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/marios-nicotine-parlour

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/mariosnicotineparlour

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MNPofficial

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/mnpofficial