Sunwheel were formed in the heady days of the 90’s, a golden age of indie rock. Touring the university circuit and the London scene Sunwheel were known for their soaring ‘Verve like’ choruses and great musicianship. Fast forward to August 2024 and the original 5 members from Derby, England are back.
Sunwheel are Mark Gould on Vocals & percussion, Bobby Manners on Lead guitar, keyboards, harmonica & backing vocals, Andy Richardson on Guitar & backing vocals, Matt Shaw on Bass guitar and John Middleton on Drums & Percussion
After the success of self-released three song CD ‘Your Empty Will’ in spring 1998, Sunwheel began to introduce new songs into the live set.
The new songs, crafted at a rehearsal space in Spondon, Derby, were inspired by the band’s collective appreciation of 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s rock n roll music, and the then contemporary vibes the post- Britpop, Neo-psych, neo-prog and Triphop trio of The Verve, Radiohead and Portishead.
Three of the new songs were recorded at Rubber Biscuit studios in Nottingham and were released on the now mythical three song self-release tape ‘Recollections’.
One of those songs, ‘Northern Lights’ has lived on a CD ROM at Andy’s house (along with other demos) for 26 years, Until the band re-recorded it in June 2024.
Here is the brand-new version of ‘Northern Lights’, which like their inspiration, the Aurora Borealis, many people never guessed the song would be enjoyed by the masses 2024!
Out now, for your ears is ‘Northern Lights’ by Sunwheel, enjoy and immerse yourself in its splendour.
SUNWHEEL are back after a 26-year hiatus featuring the original line up of Mark Gould on Vocals & percussion, Bobby Manners on Lead guitar, keyboards, harmonica & backing vocals, Andy Richardson on Guitar & backing vocals, Matt Shaw on Bass guitar and John Middleton on Drums & Percussion.
SUNWHEEL were formed in the heady days of the 90’s, a golden age of indie rock. Touring the university circuit and the London scene Sunwheel were known for their soaring ‘Verve like’ choruses and great musicianship. Fast forward to August 2024 and the original 5 members from Derby, England are back and they are raring to go with some new music as well as looking forward to performing live some of the classic Sunwheel anthems.
The brand new song to be released by the band, Ferris Wheels & Laser Beams is a song about loss, then finding love and being immersed in the whole overwhelming (but universal) experience, and power of those emotions.
Composed collaboratively by the band earlier this year, the track showcases the guitarists’ distinctive riffs, complemented by pulsating rhythms and captivating vocal harmonies.
The new track is a massively appealing anthem with a distinct vibe to the songs of the band’s heyday while still managing to sound fresh and exciting to a whole new audience of fans.
Formed in late 2022, Sura Laynes are a 4-piece rock and roll band from Derby, UK. The band’s original songs contain strong melodies and lyrics that instantly connect. Clean, crisp guitars and strong vocal harmonies give a nod to the bands that built them, with shades of The La’s, The Libertines and The Beatles detectable in their honest, heart on your sleeve sound.
The founding members of the band are Tommy Walsh and JJ Marriott, who met through a mutual friend and instantly formed a strong bond and musical chemistry. Both had been in bands previously and they met at quite possibly the worst time in their lives to be forming a band for personal reasons, but in spite of the obstacles there was something irresistible about the music they made, and the act of playing it together.
The band performed more as a duo in those early days until in late 2023 they were joined by Paul Harrison on drums and Paul “Pablo” Whittington on bass.
Lead singer and chief songwriter Tommy Walsh’s songs are always lyrically and melodically powerful. Tommy states that his writing style is heavily influenced by a deep love of poetry and people.
The band’s latest single release ‘Let The Good Times Roll’ is the second single to be taken from their self-titled debut album which was perhaps controversially, recorded,mixed and mastered in Analog 8 Track cassette format.
‘Let The Good Times Roll’ has no preamble about it – it simply explodes into life in an instant with a unique analog sound. The twang of the acoustic rhythm guitar is complemented by a jangling top-line of lead guitar and a rattlesnake tambourine. Underpinning the song is the urgent, yearning basslines and the anxious, almost fearful sounding lyrics in the verses which contrast dramatically with the ecstatic chorus lines.
The band have said of the track:-
“This is a song about those moments of euphoria amongst the grind of everyday life. We picked this song as the second single from our album because it feels like it reflects the mood that a lot of people in the country are feeling right now. So many of us in the UK are struggling to get by from day to day, and it feels like we’re only living for those fleeting times when we can forget about all that for a bit and just enjoy ourselves”.
Upcoming Gigs/Tours
22nd September – The Victoria Inn, Derby
5th October – The Royal Oak, Ockbrook, Derby
28th February 2025 – The Hairy Dog, Derby with The Outcharms, All The Young, Alright and Long Island.
Led by the charismatic Tristan Cooper on lead vocals and guitar, accompanied by the ethereal backing vocals of Jack Stanger and Tom Bath, the dynamic six-piece ensemble, rounded out by Guy Smith on lead guitar, Adam Goulding on keys, Jon Wright on bass, and Jack’s powerful drum skills, promises a musical journey like no other.
Hailing from Derby, UK, The Mease is a six-piece indie psych rock outfit renowned for their genre-defying sound and electrifying live performances. With a diverse range of influences and a penchant for pushing musical boundaries, The Mease continues to captivate audiences with their distinctive blend of Britpop, garage rock and dreampop.
The Mease Unleashes Powerful New Single “So High” from Highly Anticipated Album ‘The Machine Rolls On…’ Indie rock sensations The Mease are back, ready to set the airwaves on fire with their latest single, “So High,” a high-octane, straight-up rock n’ roll anthem. Celebrating diversity and defiance, this track is a raw, loud, and exhilarating masterpiece that is sure to resonate with listeners worldwide.
“So High” embodies the spirit of rock n’ roll with a sound that is both nostalgic and refreshingly original. Drawing from the gritty elements of garage rock and infused with Beatles-esque guitar licks, the song also features haunting harmonica parts that add depth and intrigue. The Mease delivers a powerful message of rising above naysayers and narrow-mindedness, making “So High” not just a song, but an anthem for today’s diverse and dynamic generation.
With their signature bravado, The Mease has crafted a track that is as bold in its sound as it is in its message. The harmonica’s eerie undertones weave seamlessly with the relentless guitar riffs, creating a sonic experience that is both haunting and electrifying. This single promises to be a standout, pushing boundaries and redefining the indie rock genre.
“So High” is part of The Mease’s brand new album, ‘The Machine Rolls On…’, which is OUT NOW. The album showcases the band’s evolution and their commitment to creating music that is both innovative and impactful. Each track is a testament to their artistic prowess and their ability to capture the essence of rock n’ roll while addressing contemporary themes.
Radio stations and bloggers, prepare to amplify your playlists with “So High.” This track is destined to become a fan favourite and a staple on the airwaves. The Mease invites listeners to turn up the volume, embrace diversity, and rise above with “So High.”
Marseille are consistently upping their game, reaching goal after goal with their blistering sounds and are now releasing the follow up to their huge hit “Monkey In The Middle” with ‘SHE CAN FLY’
Marseille are the Derbyshire based five piece band consisting of Will Brown on Vocals/Rhythm Guitar, Joe Labram on Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals, Lennon Hall on Rhythm Guitar/Backing Vocals, Will Sabey on Bass and Tom Spray on Drums/Percussion.
Formed in 2021, the band have wasted no time in getting down to business showcasing an impressive momentum in releasing an envious array of hit singles to date to include the 2022 releases of ‘Forget It All’ ‘Might As Well Be Mine’ and ‘The Jungle’ including the Vega Rally Remix of the track and the b-side of ‘The Universe Is Yours’ and the 2023 releases of ‘Only Just Begun’ ‘Thinker’, ‘This Dream Of Mine’ and ‘Devil’s Gonna Get You’ and their first release of 2024, the epic, psychedelic anthem of ‘Monkey In The Middle’– all of which were received to much critical acclaim and support from the likes of Soccer AM, BBC Radio introducing, Steve La Macq on BBC Radio 6, John Kennedy on Radio X, Rodney Bingenheimer on Sirius XM Radio in Americaandonline praise fromindustry legends and peers such as Rick Witter from Shed Seven and Aziz Ibrahim from The Stone Roses,plus extensive reviews and features in the music press.
These releases have served to showcase this band as well and truly being ones to watch which has been further cemented with their extensive touring schedule and live performances to include both Y-Not and the Isle Of Wight Festivals.
Marseille started 2024 by being named as one of This Feeling’s “Big in 2024” actsand performing as part of their showcase in Manchester.
Marseille shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon with gigs, festivals slots and tours already booked in for them throughout the year and with plans to release their ‘Godiva’ EP; 2024 is without doubt, going to be the year of Marseille.
The second single to be lifted from the upcoming EP is the harmonious and melodic ‘She Can Fly’. A certain love song that starts off slow and measured with gentle strumming guitars and a sense of soft romanticism that quickly gives way to the building of crashing drum rhythms and loud distorted guitars before ebbing away once more to allow the genteel nature of the delicate vocals to come into play, before the track takes a turn once more building into a euphoric crescendo with contrasting melodies and mesmerising guitar solos.
Singer and songwriter Will Brown had this to say about the track:
“She Can Fly was bizarrely written so effortlessly for a song that’s so euphoric. It’s just that chorus that came to me when singing over some inversions on my guitar and the rest really wrote itself. A song about being visited by a girl with similar qualities to that of an angel, now that’s a topic for a song! Especially for an EP titled GODIVA.”
The ‘Godiva’ EP from the band is due for release later this year.
Upcoming Tour Dates :
18th May – The Font, Brighton (The Great Escape Fringe) 25th May – The Adelphi, Hull 26th May – The Cavern Club, Liverpool 1st June – 33 Oldham Street, Manchester 16th June – The Brickmakers, Norwich 21st June – Isle Of Wight Festival 14th July – Ripley Music Festival 3rd August – YNOT Festival 9th August – Deva Fest 31st August – Spiders Web, Grimsby
MARSEILLE HEADLINE UK TOUR DATES
12th September – The Deaf Institute, Manchester 13th September – Record Junkee, Sheffield 14th September – The Grayston Unity, Halifax 15th September – Think Tank, Newcastle 17th September – The Garage (Attic), Glasgow 19th September – The Joiners, Southampton 20th September – Komedia Studio, Brighton 27th September – The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham 28th September – The Victoria, London 2nd October – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
The UK’s new hottest indie prospect, Marseille have announced their biggest UK tour to date, taking place over September and October 2024. The tour spans over 10 dates and it will be a monumental tour to celebrate and showcase a new groundbreaking EP, GODIVA. The tour starts at legendary Manchester venue The Deaf Institute on the 12th of September and will close with Marseille’s biggest headline ever at Nottingham’s The Rescue Rooms on the 2nd of October. The tour will consist of handpicked support acts by the band (the best support acts from far and wide.).
This is the Derby teens only run of full set UK headline shows in 2024 and will consist of their biggest and best performances of the year and a full showcase of their incredible catalog they have built over the past two years. If you wish to find a band to get really excited about, buy a ticket and take a ride, there isn’t anything stopping Marseille from becoming indie juggernauts.
The band are self described as ‘The Baggy Era’ of the 90’s Madchester Scene, the soundscapes of Shoegaze and a hint of 60’s psychedelic jangle pop. Marseille consist of front man Will Brown (Singer, Bongo basher), Joe Labram (Lead Guitar, Guitar Wanker), Lennon Hall (Rhythm Guitar, Brian Jones love child), Will Sabey (Bass, Full Time Groover) and Tom Spray (Drums, Tub Twatter).
Buy tickets to see Marseille classics such as, “Brightest Star”, “Monkey In The Middle” and “FREEDOM” to name a few! All this for the bargain price of £10, ask yourself what more could you want?
Established in 2014, These Wicked Rivers are Derby’s entry to the new wave of rock and roll that is sweeping across the United Kingdom. Drawing influence from the well of rock legends and blues greats, the band have made quite an impact since their inception with their unique brand of blues-infused modern rock steadily picking up plaudits for their gutsy live performances across the UK.
The ensemble received a slew of positive reviews for their debut EP ‘The Enemy’ back in 2015, and followed it up with 2017’s ‘II’, gaining them attention within the emerging UK rock scene as well as airplay on Planet Rock radio. Debut album ‘Eden’ was released in May 2020 and brought new levels of critical acclaim, including a Classic Rock Magazine ‘High Hopes’ feature as well as a coveted ‘Track of the Week’ accolade.
The band embarked on their first headline UK tour in March 2023, taking their trademark ‘Grandma’s Living Room’ stage set to the far corners of the UK to a rapturous reception including several SOLD OUT shows. This was followed by a Planet Rock sponsored headline tour in December 2023, which saw momentum gathering with yet more sell out shows across the country.
2024 is sure to be a huge year for the band. It kicked off in January with a hometown show that sold out in just 5 hours and Eden’s highly anticipated follow up, ‘Force of Nature‘ released via Fat Earth Records. The band will be hitting the road once again in May armed with the new album on their ‘Peace, Love & Lampshades’ tour, bringing their signature sounds to a venue near you.
THESE WICKED RIVERS FULL TOUR DATES 2024 Mar 16 Matlock Bath The Grand Pavilion (‘Force of Nature’ Album Celebration Show) Mar 23 Peddlers Market, Chesterfield
These Wicked Rivers ‘Peace, Love & Lampshades’w/ She Burns Red 2024 Headline UK Tour Dates: May 17 Bridgwater Cobblestones May 18 Stoke Sugar Mill May 19 Manchester Night & Day May 24 Cardiff Club Ifor Bach* She Burns Red not appearing May 25 Bournemouth Bear Cave May 26 Call Of The Wild Festival May 31 Leicester 02 Academy June 01 Edinburgh Bannermans June 02 Leeds Brudenell Social June 20 London Dingwalls (supporting The Answer) Tickets: https://planetradio.co.uk/planet-rock/news/rock-news/these-wicked-rivers-uk-tour-2024/
After a successful 10 date UK Tour. Marseille release their Freedom E.P.
The EP features 4 cracking songs from a band that are shining on the UK indie scene and currently making more waves than the ocean.
“Psychedelic sunshine beaming down on them” ~ Steve Lamacq (BBC Radio 6)
Marseille are a young rock n roll band formed in late 2021 in Derby, England. The band consists of Will Brown, Joe Labram, Lennon Hall, Tom Spray and most recently Felix Moxey. The 90’s Madchester scene and the 60’s Merseybeat is where Marseille draw most their influences from.
In 2022, Marseille had successes with the singles “Forget It All” which was played on Soccer Am and the 9 minute monster “The Jungle”. Over that summer, the band also performed at the Y-Not and Isle Of Wight Festivals.
Already in 2023 the band have completed a successful 10 date UK Tour selling out venues and are continually building their fan base.
Track 1: ‘Freedom’ is trademark Marseille. A Fast tempo, high energy, in your face guitar driven anthem with euphoric guitar solos. The track starts with a brilliant drum intro, a thumping bassline and the roaring feedback of guitars and this sets the tone for the rest of the rock n roll anthem.
Its a song written about the band’s hometown of Derby. The lyric portrays how there’s not a lot going for it anymore. Once a city booming with life in the streets is now a dull, gloomy place which really needs something to liven it up again.
Track 2: “Only Just Begun” is a great call back to Marseille’s 60’s Mersey-beat inspired sound with hints of the 60’s psychedelia movement. With sweet sounding guitar riffs oozing with a bright sunny sound. It’s a song jam packed with glorious hooks and jangles and a great sing-along catchy chorus.
The song is written about a relationship that ended too soon and how something so full of potential can end before it even began.
Track 3: “Thinker” is a heartfelt song accompanied by divine strings. It has a lyric that plays with your heart and killer hooks that cut deep in your soul. The song is reflective and full of emotion addressing the situation of lost loved ones and all the things you want to say to them now they’re gone.
Track 4: “Lost And Found” This track came from the same recording sessions and had previously been an early live favourite of the band’s fans. One of the first songs the band fully fleshed out together, this is a song with a lot of history and the band wanted to keep in touch with that raw, live sound.
‘Cellar’ is full of high-paced, heavy riffs which will leave your heart thumping. Brooke’s panicked delivery of vocals mimics the fight-or-flight reaction to waking with no recollection, the noise of chains and threat of death.
This track will leave you certain that this is based on a true story of an innocent prisoner. It is a true story, but that of metaphor; each lyric describes the exact feeling of being trapped in a dangerous relationship with a narcissist.
This is MuddiBrooke’s first collaboration: the track has been co-written with Steven Battelle from the Derby-based band, LostAlone, who recently supported My Chemical Romance on their latest UK tour. As well as producers Robin Newman and Richard Collins from Snug Recording Co.
‘Cellar’ is one the first singles to be released from MuddiBrooke’s debut album, which will be released Spring 2024.
Tour Dates
May 7th | Dominion Festival | Durham
June 24th | Bannermans | Edinburgh 25th | Wildfire Festival | Wanlockhead Sep 16th | New Cross Inn | London (Supporting Black Spiders) Nov 4th | Hard Rock Hell | Great Yarmouth 10th | Rough Trade | Nottingham 11th | Little Buildings | Newcastle (with Sleep in Motion) 17th | The Vaults | York (with Sleep in Motion) 18th | Retro | Manchester (with Sleep in Motion)
Dec 8th | Palladium Club | Bideford (with Sleep in Motion) 9th | Apple & Parrot | Torquay (with Sleep in Motion) 16th | Soundhouse | Leicester (with Sleep in Motion)
Jemma Johnson is a rising singer-songwriter from Derby, UK. She has gained a following of over 64,000 on YouTube and has racked up over 20 million streams on Spotify alone, having featured on several curated playlists including ‘New Pop UK’, ‘Easy’ and ‘All New Punk’.
‘Sing It With Me’, the new song from rising talent Jemma Johnson, is an anthem for a heartbroken youth that we never knew we needed. In the wake of a difficult breakup, ‘Sing It With Me’ was written “after a solo night out trying to move on from someone and no matter what I did, the music kept pulling me back to how much I missed them” after hearing their song at a gig.
From the masterful production to the infectious vocal arrangements, ‘Sing It With Me’ is a delicious slice of mainstream pop. Minimalist in instrumentation but powerful in execution, Jemma delivers an immaculate vocal performance – cementing herself not only as one to watch, but as one of the most talented songwriters emerging from the independent music scene today.
Jemma has supported Charlie Simpson, Beth McCarthy and James Walsh and has played gigs curated by Jake Gosling. Festival slots have included Y-Not, Off The Tracks, Bearded Theory and Acoustic Festival Of Britain. Jemma has recently toured the UK and has confirmed slots for more summer festivals yet to be announced.
Jemma’s songs have received airplay from national, regional, and internet radio stations including BBC Radio 1, Radio X, Amazing Radio and BBC Introducing. Recently, BBC Introducing have backed Jemma more than ever following the release of her last single ‘Love Rush’, not only playing the song every week since, but recently filming an exclusive session and interview. Jemma has also been a featured artist (interview and session) on Coop Radio, which was broadcast in-store across the UK.
Indie Revolution 