Support comes from local pop punk heroes Loser Token, and new indie kids on the block the Only Braves. This is his pre-tour warm up show at his home venue (he's from Harlow, just lives in Bristol).
This track starts as any other Morning Parade song, with the word anthem thrown upon it! The guitar (think the start of 'Ares' by 'Bloc Party') and Steve build the tension up at the beginning, then a tumbling guitar comes in and the track gains body, the drums kick in and the synths then become apparent as everything comes together... WHAM.
The build up then drops into this madness of joyous sound, you are treated with brilliant guitar work and technical drumming, if you are lost in the music no problem, I am, its stunning. When the chorus kicks in it is better than you would think considering this WON'T be on the album. Why the label thought this may not be good enough is beyond me!
The second verse then kicks in and it becomes even more than an anthem, this my friend should be a number one song! The only downside about this track was it is only on 7" vinyl only and download from their newsletter. But I have a 7" rip on my soundcloud account you can listen to below. So there we have it, another 'Monday Morning' (pun) and another out-standing 'Track of the week'
Morning Parade, where do I begin? They keep on coming out with absolute gems! This song was put down by EMI to be a song that wouldn't appear on Morning Parades debut album. So, the band (being the best a band can be) thought, lets release it so the fans can hear what the album may sound like, and for the serious fans to grasp a rare item in the history of Morning Parade. Only 300 of these have and will be ever printed so I am lucky to have two..!
On Your Shoulders: This track starts as any other Morning Parade song, with the word anthem thrown upon it! The guitar and Steve build the tension up at the beginning, then a tumbling guitar comes in and the track gains body, the drums kick in and the synths then become apparent as everything comes together... WHAM, the second verse then kicks in and it becomes even more than an anthem, this my friend should be a number one song! Why the label thought this may not be good enough is beyond me! The chorus is an outburst of talent as you can hear every single person in the band giving it their all. The only downside about this track is it is only on 7" vinyl only, something I am sure Morning Parade will sort out ;-) Out of 10: 9/10
Under The Stars (Wilkinson Remix): With a remix I was prepared to be let down by the B-Side to the single. Nope, the drum and bass remix of this song is top notch, with a hint of Dubstep in the background this is a raver track for the Indie-kid! The version I am listening to is on soundcloud, so it may not be the full version but it certenly gives you a taste of the kind of remixes Morning Parade have, Dance, Dubstep, and Drum & Bass. All fast tracks which are all amazing in their own way! Out of 10: 7/10 (Sorry it's a remix at the end of the day)
Morning Parade - On Your Shoulders 7" Out of 10: 8/10
Morning Parade, a band from Harlow and from their press releases they clearly have ambitions to take over the world.
A&E: A&E is a collision of Dance, Rock and Indie hooks, it’s a pacey song and clearly lead singer Steve Sparrow loves this song as it involves shredding his guitar, singing at to a high degree, not forgetting Chads guitar powering trough too and Phils bass throbbing away. But this song would be incomplete without the pulsating Keys of Ben and the amazing drum skills of Andy. The whole song is just a orgy of perfection as you can easily see why EMI snapped them up! Out of 10: 9/10
Marble Attic: This track is why I got into them, it just illuminated them up to me and provided one of the best surprises I had in 2010. A swooping guitar enters and you are treated to 30 seconds of bliss. Then it drops and Steve enters and sings a cryptic verse.
"Step into the unknown With the nightmares creeping in At the bottom of the ocean You keep looking back, you keep looking back, take a look at yourself"
They always provide brilliant music, regardless if it is a B-Side or not, they want to create tracks for tens of thousands of people to dance to and go crazy, and I am sure they will do that! Out of 10: 9/10
With a couple of warm up acts before the main event I thought I'd check them both out, as I know, support acts are normally brilliant!
The opening act were called Brothers, and they came from Slough. Possibly the armpit of the south of England but this didn't stop them making music that sounds a bit familiar. Oasis sprang to mind at first but then I realised the women on the end with such a soulful voice acting as backing vocals. Using a laptop too (but honestly I didn't hear what was coming out of it). The front man was seeming to be a bit big headed about playing first on the bill stating "we have never not played a headline slot" and "this is strange isn't it? Headline act on first", well at least he has attitude and a bit of a joking side. Some front men just stand there and look lost. I ended up loving their set. The song I most loved was "Darling Buds Of May"
Next on stage was a brilliant rock band called Sound Of Guns, I have been listening to their album for the past month and couldn't wait to see them play live. They come from Liverpool and play Alternative-Rock songs with big hooks and a powerful front man. They had more of a presence on stage as the previous band solely down to the front man going down onto the floor and mingling with the crowd during the songs, jumping from speakers on stage and attempting to climb over the lights like some sort of animal. But that's good as it gives you a visualisation of the energy they have on stage. A song that really stood out for me was "Lightspeed" this is available to stream below for your listening pleasure.
This has been the gig I have most been looking forward to this year. Not Foals, Kele, Editors or Two Door Cinema Club. This. Morning Parade at their home show.
Well they never disappoint, but one thing I did miss was the headline act getting on stage and being a bit shook by the performance of the support slot, and of which Morning Parade normally do. But this is their headline slot, and for a good reason. The end of year show, first of two! They opened with the latest single "Under The Stars" and the place started to get into the groove. A couple of people started to dance, followed by more and more until the place erupted when "Marble Attic" came on. After a bit of a technical issues Steve decided to play a new track called "Half Litre Bottle" which apparently is going to be a B-Side, he played this track on his own and said "It's better than waiting isn't it", sure was! SO the problem got fixed and then they went into what is becoming my favourite track by them "Headlights", I really do hope this makes the album and EMI decide not to put it as a B-Side to a single. This could easily be the centrepiece of the whole album as it showcases their sound perfectly.
A 'oldie' was played next (oldie as this has been around since April). And "Youth" is just brilliant, the demo doesn't do it justice live and live... don't get me started, the vocals are crisp, bass is throbbing, synths are fantastic and the guitars are amazing. I have not noticed yet the drummer and you can see him sweating it out in the back. "Pieces" and "Carousel" were next, not much is known of these songs to me to I shall skip them as I haven't heard them enough live yet. "Monday Morning" the B-Side to "Under The Stars" was next in the setlist and I was a bit weary about this live as it seemed to have a drum machine in the background and was wondering how the drummer would incorporate this live. Pulled it off! This was a highlight of the night, possibly hearing a track that when they go into album 2 you may not hear. "Speechless" was a track they have played a acoustical version for Absolute radio and it is brilliant no matter how they play it, electric or acoustic. "A&E" had the biggest reaction of the whole night with mass sing along and a few people losing it in-front of me! "Your Majesty" and "Close To Your Heart" both have tremendous choruses and amazing riffs that when played live you just have to imagine if they are really human! The last song to round the night was a brilliant track called "Born Alone" perfectly rounded off a great nights worth of music! Setlist is below.
SETLIST: Under The Stars Marble Attic Half Litre Bottle Headlights Youth Pieces Carousel Monday Morning Speechless A&E Your Majesty Closer To Your Heart Born Alone
I have already written about this little band from Essex... and for good reasons too. I had them in the top 5 tips for 2011, and judging by this song they are top.
The track starts off with a lovely guitar rhythm, then Steve's vocals kick in and your ears are treated to brilliant singing. The synths played in the background just give this such a atmospheric sound, and it is an excellent addition to what is a brilliant intro. Bass kicks in for a bit then it all faded away to more majestic synths.
"I'm gonna set my sight, I'm gonna set you soul alight"
I can only assume this is Steve (and indeed the band) giving us a glimmer of what is to come.
A kick back in with a swooping guitar, heavy bass and those oh so infectious synths. The drums kick in and with all of the factors I have already mentioned this is just a epic song to listen to. I am so pleased this sounds just as good as it does live. You can easily get so excited (on the first listen) to when Steve's vocals kick in and you think "ITS HERE!" The verse after the break is just unrivaling. I mean the production is top notch too, and this can easily make or break a song, it only helps it here.
The track drops again around the 2:30 mark, and goes into a guitar that sounds like it is being assaulted because it is being played so well. Back again into the bridge and chorus this song has so much momentum behind it and you can't help to think... don't end. But the ending is the reverse of the intro, and it just completes the track in such a breathtaking way.
The single is out 29th November 2010 on 7" Vinyl. Expect a download too with a possible b-side and remixes (they are on EMI after all).
