Indie Revolutions Single Of The Week goes to the fantastic, high-energy single ‘Watch Yourself Boy’ by genre-defying band The Silver Lines, the latest track from their upcoming EP.
The Silver Lines are the fantastic Birmingham based alt indie rock band made up of brothers Dan and Joe Ravenscroft on lead Vocals and Guitar respectively, George Vivian on Bass and Kindo on Drums.
The Silver Lines were first formed in 2018 by the two brothers who said they were “uninspired by the current landscape of guitar music” and as such, decided that they were going to take matters into their own hands and make music of their own.
“Repulsed by the notion of being just another ‘all white male indie’ band that sings of teenage love or rants empty pseudo prophetic quotes”, The Silver Lines set out to release new music that defies the genre and the peers within it. The product is a very self aware form of songwriting that covers many taboo topics from toxic masculinity, learnt behaviours from past generations, and explores personal experiences that connect with the listener on a much deeper level.
Speaking about the single, the band comment: “Watch Yourself Boy is a clever take on the ‘Rock N Roll lifestyle’. We all say we would love to live like rock stars but do we really mean it? Lyrically it’s narrated in a way of ambiguity for interpretation. Musically it’s driven, unrelenting and very heavy. It’s an echo to the previous single Cocaine.”
They add: “Based around four notes, the key is in its simplicity and use of light and shade to gain it’s effectiveness. In contrast to the previous period of The Silver Lines, this era of the band is focusing a lot more on what works with a live performance and how simple the song can be whilst being effective.”
Discussing their forthcoming EP, The Silver Lines explain: “…And The Lord Don’t Think I Can Handle It captures the energy of our live sound — angsty, bold, yet more introspective than their earlier records. The tracks depict the cyclical nature of our lives, swinging from chaotic moments to nostalgic reflections.”
Showcasing some of their heaviest work to date, Birmingham Alt-Rockers The Silver Lines new single ‘Tame’’ captures the band at their most potent and intense. Taken from the band’s upcoming second EP ‘…And The Lord Don’t Think I Can Handle It’, the track offers a taste of what can be expected as well as how the quartet’s sound has progressed.
Truly capturing the essence of the high-octane live performances which have seen them sell out shows across the UK and beyond, appear on festival line ups through the US and Europe, and gain a wave of support from national radio (Huw Stephens on BBC Radio 1, Tom Robinson on BBC Radio 6 Music and John Kennedy on Radio X).
A departure from the indie-come-alt-rock tendencies of their previous material, ‘Tame’’ sees the band delve into the punk elements of their sound with a ferocious, Soft Play-esque approach. Built around a relentless guitar line, punching drums and driving bass, the track creates an explosive, fuzzy backdrop for the urgent, infectious, shouted lead vocal.
Talking about their upcoming EP, the band explain:
“The Silver Lines second EP …And The Lord Don’t Think I Can Handle It, is a darker and more provocative piece of work than our previous.”
Having received support from the likes of BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 6 Music, Radio X (including two X-Posure Hot Ones), Clash, NME, Louder Than War, Ones To Watch, Rolling Stone France, Rock & Folk and Earmilk, The Silver Lines have built a reputation as a touring band, playing on some huge stages including Trans Musicales – France to over 3,500 people, SXSW, New Colossus Festival – New York and some dates in LA. Played at Stockton Calling, Focus Wales, MosFest, BBC Introducing stage at LakeFest, The Alternative Escape, French Toursand opening for The Buzzcocks.
Focus Wales is an exciting event at the heart of Wrexham that has been going for over a decade now. It’s a great event for discovering new bands and a fantastic opportunity for anyone in the music industry to network. With three days of acts from around the world there is something for everyone.
We had scheduled so many exciting acts to see that over the course of the weekend we must have walked a thousand miles! The first act that stood out to us was The Silver Lines at a fantastic venue called Hope Street Church. The band is genre defying with songwriting that covers all matter of taboo topics. We were totally blown away by them. Their fantastic new single ‘Cocaine’ is out now.
An act that has resonated with me all week since the festival is the wonderful Charm Of Finches, an Australian sister duo who performed within the stunning St. Giles Church, the setting was just perfect for their ethereal and enchanting performance. A song that really captured me was ‘Clean Cut’.
Megan Wyn rocked it out at The Rockin’ Chair. Megan is an Anglesey born artist who is destined to go far, for such a young age she has already accomplished so much as a musician. She gave an excellent performance, reminiscent of Debbie Harry from Blondie or even the likes of PJ Harvey.
The Garrys are a sibling quartet from Canada consisting of three sisters and their brother who make surf music dripping with nostalgia that could be straight out of a Quentin Tarantino movie soundtrack. They gave a fun and groovy performance at The Parish.
The Royston Club played the main stage Llwyn Isaf, they played a blistering set to a passionate Wrexham crowd who totally soaked them up. With immense vocals they delivered great song lyrics perfect for anthem singalongs, you could feel the crowds love for the band. What another great moment for these talented home town boys.
North Wales band Holy Coves played an electrifying set to an eager crowd at Hope Street Church, the venue was packed out with people listening in off the street. They opened with the vibrant Away We Go and closed with the darkly devastating Droner, they had the crowd in the palm of their hands. If they return to Focus Wales 2025 they will most certainly need a bigger venue.
Adwaith who are a Welsh band to the core played a stomping set at The Rockin’ Chair, the highlight was hearing their latest single MWY, a track that is made to be played live.
Sister Envy are a North Wales band signed to Snowdonia Records (along with Holy Coves). They played their debut at Focus Wales in the Wynnstay Arms and blew the crowd away. The very same day they released their second single ‘Tide’. This is a band that will go far with their exceptional talents.
Spiritualized, a prolific songwriter and musician of Space Rock delivered a beautiful set. It was great for the long time fans but maybe could of done with some of their more popular songs, they were still on fire and delivered a fantastic performance.
That was to name a few, there were many more I would of liked to have seen, for example, Mr. Phormula, Hazmat, Gallops, CVC, Chalk, the list goes on, it was impossible to be everywhere at once but it demonstrates the great variety of talent showcased at Focus Wales. The weekend was packed with astonishing performances from so many accomplished artists. I’m eager to see what Focus Wales 2025 brings us!
Super early bird tickets are now available for Focus Wales 2025 via the link below!
The Silver Lines are the fantastic Birmingham based alt indie rock band made up of brothers Dan and Joe Ravenscroft on lead Vocals and Guitar respectively, George Vivian on Bass and Kindo on Drums.
The Silver Lines were first formed in 2018 by the two brothers who said they were “uninspired by the current landscape of guitar music” and as such, decided that they were going to take matters into their own hands and make music of their own.
Later being joined by George on Bass and Kindo on drums, the band have gone on to release a string of successful releases being ‘Roamer’ in 2018, ‘Parliament’ and ‘Fallen Idol’ in 2019, ‘Breathe’ and ‘Skin’ in 2020, ‘Alive’ and ‘Delivery’ in 2021 and ‘Love Made’, ‘The Big O’, ‘Hotel Room’ andthe ‘SLEAZE’ (EP) in 2022 and ‘Blow Dry’‘Castaway’ and ‘Bound’ in 2023 . The band have consistently sold out hometown gigs as well as play support slots with the likes Buzzcocks and established U.K. punk band Ist Ist. They have also played extensive gigs and festivals in both the UK, France and USA and have had radio plays on the likes of BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 6 Music, Radio X, XS Manchester and Amazing Radio.
Fast forward to 2023 and being “repulsed by the notion of being just another ‘all white male indie’ band that sings of teenage love or rants empty pseudo prophetic quotes”, The Silver Lines set out to release new music that defies the genre and the peers within it. The product is a very self aware form of songwriting that covers many taboo topics from toxic masculinity, learnt behaviours from past generations, and explores personal experiences that connect with the listener on a much deeper level.
2023 has been a year which has seen The Silver Lines secure themselves as established artists on the underground punk / indie circuit in the U.K. They released two singles being ‘Blow Dry’ and ‘Bound’ both of which have been played on BBC Radio 6 Music, Radio X, XS Manchester, Amazing Radio and championed by BBC Introducing West Midlands and Hereford & Worcester. They also did a live BBC session showcasing their sound.
At the start of the year they did a 12 date UK tour (all 100 -150 cap venues) with Hope & Anchor, London, Audio, Glasgow, Bristol, Cavern, Exeter, Smokehouse, and Ipswich all selling out. This was then finished with a US tour (NYC and LA) with the second date of the tour Piano’s, NYC selling out. They also drew a good crowd at The Paramount, Los Angeles where they headlined both. Notable festivals they’ve played include Focus Wales, Stockton Calling, MosFest, Your City, The Alternative Escape and playing the BBC Introducing stage at LakeFest.
After being spotted at Pianos in New York by the owner of Focus Wales, The Silver Lines were invited to play Focus Wales, from there they were spotted by Jean-Louis Broussard and invited to play his festival Trans Musicales,France which attracts over 62,000.00 music fans. Following this they are now working closely with the French booking agent Twin Vertigo who are keen to book some European dates in April 2024. Also after catching the Focus Wales set, Dev Sherlock, senior programmer at SXSW invited the boys to play SXSW which is where they are headed in January 2024 which will be attended by 300,000 people.
In August The Silver Lines recorded a new EP which is to be released early next year. In 2024, aside from going to SXSW and potentially extending their stay in the states to do some more dates, the band will also be touring in Europe and aim to book an Independent Venue Week tour, along with releasing new singles from their upcoming EP.
The Silver Lines are the Birmingham based band made up of brothers Dan and Joe Ravenscroft on lead Vocals and Guitar respectively, Joe Cartwright on Bass and Kindo on Drums.
The Silver Lines were first formed in 2018 by the two brothers who said they were “uninspired by the current landscape of guitar music” and as such, decided that they were going to take matters into their own hands and make music of their own.
Later being joined by Joe on Bass and Kindo on drums, the band went on to release a string of successful releases being ‘Roamer’ in 2018, ‘Parliament’ and ‘Fallen Idol’ in 2019, ‘Breathe’ and ‘Skin’ in 2020, ‘Alive’ and ‘Delivery’ in 2021 and ‘Love Made’, ‘The Big O’, ‘Sleaze’(EP) and ‘Hotel Room’ in 2022. The band have consistently sold out hometown gigs, received streams in excess of 100k and have had plays on the likes of BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 6 Music, Radio X and have played multiple festivals from England to America.
Fast forward to 2023 and being “repulsed by the notion of being just another ‘all white male indie’ band that sings of teenage love or rants empty pseudo prophetic quotes”, The Silver Lines set out to release new music that defies the genre and the peers within it. The product is a very self aware form of songwriting that covers many taboo topics from toxic masculinity, learnt behaviours from past generations, and explores personal experiences that connect with the listener on a much deeper level.
The latest track and the first of 2023 to be released by The Silver Lines is ‘Blow Dry’.
‘Blow Dry’ is a straight to the point rocker with a punk edge. The simplicity of the song allows the band to really experiment with light and shade on the guitar (particularly over the verses) to really keep the song driving. The vocals are snide and snotty with plenty of innuendos and metaphors which aim itself at today’s all too fashionable “cancel culture”. This is then met with a more melodic chorus utilising the backing vocals which keeps the song on full tilt. The middle eight makes the song turn in a completely unexpected direction grabbing the listener further as the drums fall into half time and the guitar and bass become almost hard rock-esque. Ultimately ‘Blow Dry’ is a reflection on some of today’s uglier parts of society all over an ingenious 2 chord riff!
UPCOMING GIGS
08Mar – The New Colossus Festival 2023 Lower East Side, NY
17Mar – The Hotel Cafe Hollywood, CA
25Mar – AwayDays Alldayer – Rainbow Pub Birmingham, United Kingdom
Indie Revolution 