Each month I will giving a shout out to a handful of the best unsigned/self-produced music that my ears come across. This April is the first one to give you a taster!
Normanton Street - "Take A Walk With Me"
Combine soulful vocals and guitar licks, add in some air-tight drums and sexy bass and sax and you are starting to scratch the surface of what Normanton Street have to offer. Regulars on the Brighton and London music scenes, the band are on tour this April heading to Liverpool, Bangor, Cardiff and Newport. Smartly dressed and with music to impress, this band might be right up your street. Their recent EP, 'Phoebe Freya' is available to download for just £1 from their website.
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Time For T - "Free Hugs"
Bringing free hugs to the streets of Brighton on a sunny day with this chilled out tune, Time For T's music video is heart-warming and uplifting in equal measures, as well as providing a valuable social commentary on city life in Brighton. The song comes from their upcoming self-titled EP which will be out in June. With a strong local following, these boys always put on a good show and are well worth checking out. Fusing world music influences, bossa nova rhythms and smooth guitar melodies and vocal harmonies, Free Hugs could well be the feel-good track for your rainy days.
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Beautiful Boy - "Love Me More"
With the driving rhythms of the Kinks, Beautiful Boy are a highly energised outfit, with highly danceable rhythms rocking out under the punchy and clear vocal delivery. The video is great too, watching the drummer give his kit a good battering in the park in front of a football goal. Festival ready tunes like this will surely grab the attention of all the right people. With a cinematic sound, Beautiful Boy would be best served cold with The Smiths and Arcade Fire.
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TMC - "Forest Flood"
Stafford 3-piece Twerking Mens Club (TMC) is one of those bands with a silly name that rolls off the tongue far too easily. Beneath their quirky personalities lies a wealth of songwriting experience which makes this recently formed band punch well above its age category, with a solid set of songs already under their belts. The two vocalists juxtapose their melodies with ease in this Garageband-recorded record which has impressively high production values, thought-provoking lyrics and catchy melodies. It is rumoured that Miley Cyrus is hoping to make an appearance in the music video but the band did not want her to interfere with the narrative.
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Sabrina Gunston - "Drowning"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tb9qk79IcM
Occasionally you are fortune enough to catch something just before it blossoms into something beautiful. Brighton singer-songwriter Sabrina Gunston is one of those things. After stumbling upon this new track a couple of days ago, I was very surprised that it was the first original track that she had uploaded. Her voice is instantly captivating with each syllable carrying with it an emotional depth and weight far beyond her years. The song has a rich r'n'b vibe, with a hint of Alicia Keys in the predominantly piano and vocal arrangement. Keep your eyes peeled and watch out for more tracks soon hopefully.
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Kate Ashton-Butler - O'er The Mountainside
Mancunian songwriter Kate Ashton-Butler was hiding south of the border in Kingston upon Thames when she discovered her songwriting talent and drive whilst studying Journalism at university. Her unique and quirky low-fi sound is endearing; her songs often sound like 17th Century madrigals with modal melodies and intricate vocal harmonies. With lyrics combining archaic literary references and subtle sexual wordplay, Kate's songs are charming, quaint and very English. This song-churning minstrel is a busy one so follow her progress on her soundcloud.
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