The Height are a three piece alt indie rock band hailing from the musical mecca of Salford consisting of John Denton on Vocals/Lead Guitar, Brandon Greenalgh on Bass and Ted Ellis on Drums.

The band were formed in the late summer of 2022 and released their official debut single ‘Nowhere’ in December 2022 following it up with the single release of ‘Go’ in February 2023 and since then it’s fair to say that things have been an absolute whirlwind for the band, with not only both singles receiving much critical acclaim and praise from some pretty serious high end radio and press but the band also caught the ear and eye of legendary The Smiths guitarist and co-songwriter Johnny Marr who awarded lead vocalist/guitarist John Denton the first ever ‘The Salford Foundation Trust Johnny Marr Award’.  

It’s the sort of thing that many seasoned musicians can only dream of and it’s made all the more amazing when you factor in the band’s ages with Lead singer/Guitarist John being only 12 years old!

Despite being of tender years, John is no stranger to the scene and regularly can be witnessed busking on the streets of Manchester, the videos of which have racked up thousands of views on the band’s social media channels . Additionally, John has also taken to the stage and performed at the world famous Salford Lads Club.

Collectively inspired by the sounds of The Smiths, Korn and CHIC, individually the band have very different musical backgrounds with John being an Indie kid, Brandon a Metalhead, and Ted being influenced by drummers such as Ralph Rolle, but when all brought together something pretty special is created.  

The band have said about their previous single releases:

“Nowhere is a song about walking home from school in Salford. There’s always drama on the way home like people messing about and sometimes fighting. In the song it says ‘See on the Height cos you know there’s gonna be a brawl’. The Height is a place in Salford and obviously there’s often a brawl up there! Sometimes when you are walking home and all this is going on it can feel like the middle of nowhere! I think lots of kids our age can feel like that when they are walking home from school or even just being out and about on the streets. So when it says ‘running ‘round trying to make sure you don’t fall’ that’s a bit like just trying to get by in life as a teenager!”

And 

“Go is a happy upbeat song about just having a good time. It’s about growing up and sometimes the grown ups don’t have all the answers. You’ve got to find your own way with things and let things just go. It’s inspired by music like The Lathams and that type of guitar led tracks.”

Excitingly The Height now have plans to release their first EP called ‘Nowhere to Go’ simply because it starts with ‘Nowhere’ and ends with ‘Go’! 

The EP is being produced on CD and is  being printed and distributed by Vinyl Revival,  the legendary record shop and Label. All proceeds from the sale of the EP are going to be donated to the hospital charity Christie Charity.  The EP is available to purchase HERE NOW 

‘Nowhere to Go’ will also contain two further tracks from the band namely ‘Anthem X’ and ‘Control’ 

‘Anthem X’ is a hard, hitting straight off the bat, fast paced post punk rock tune with its blistering guitar solos and frenzied drumming. Vocally it’s reminiscent of early works by The View and fans of this genre will love this. 

‘Control’ in contrast has a very summery feel-good vibe to it with its strumming melodies and catchy guitar riffs. Fans of The Kooks will resonate with the whole vibe going on here. 

All in all every track contained within this EP showcases an amazing amount of talent and diversity from a very exciting new band that are certainly going to go from strength to strength. 

Coming up, the band already have many dates pencilled in  the diary in Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham, Doncaster, Tyldesley, Geronimo Festival, Liverpool & Bury – see below for further details 

UPCOMING GIGS 

25.03.23 – Birmingham 

26. 03.23 – 33 Oldham St, Manchester – (Supporting Small Talk)

02.04.23 – 33 Oldham St, Manchester – (Supporting Dirty Laces)

Loafers, Halifax – 22.04.23 (National Record Store Day)

29.04.23 –  The Little Un, Pontefract 

13.05.23  – Lounge Bar, Tyledesley – (All day music with Jace Campbell & Bez from the Happy Mondays on later)

13.05.23 – Salford Lads Club – (John alone supporting Vinny Perculiar)

17.06.23- Monton AFC, Manchester – (GFest)

30.06.23 – Poynton, Stockport – (Family Festival)

29.05.23 – Geronimo Festival 

09.09.23- Sessions, Wax N Beans, Bury 

Emily Marsden – Editor
#MusicSceneWales
@MusicSceneWales
musicscenewalescymru@gmail.com