One to watch: Tubelord
- Jan 22, 2009
Fortune tellers around the indie rock scene have gazed upon their mystical crystal balls to foretell who they think are gonna really break through this year. Amongst the list was a three piece from Kingston upon Thames called Tubelord. 2008 was undoubtedly a great year for these guys whilst endlessly touring they have made an appearance in the Radar section in NME and signed to indie label Big Scary Monsters (BSM). Self described as making 'pop songs for rock kids' these guys are definitely doing something right as they stir up a storm in music forums whilst also having more and more people singing back the lyrics at their live shows.
When I first read 'pop songs for rock kids' my immediate reaction was that I was going to be bombarded with yet more over produced Kings of Leon-esque club infestation tatter. Oh how I was proved wrong when I listened to their second 7" EP I Am Azerrad (BSM), the harmonised vocal intro of the first track (I Am Azerrad) had me tentatively tuned in and despite not knowing the lyrics I felt the urge to learn them so I could sing along (badly). The EP is an upbeat initiation of foot tapping with the B side upholding the tempo and feel-good quality with Dun Dun Dun, Scissor, Rocks and Tonne. Their first release with BSM, Feed Me A Box Of Words, is also commendable as their influences of early Biffy Clyro shines through â“ and let's be honest â“ early Biffy is the best Biffy (ie: before they farted themselves into the grating mainstream crap).
It then became an imperative to see these guys in action and so I caught them in their hometown supporting Johnny Foreigner (the result of which can be seen on the Beatcast TV podcast). I was left astounded, the vocals were spot on and the pure energy that seemed to pour from this band was hungrily lapped up by, not only myself, but everyone there, Tubelord fans or not. I caught them again at the fourth annual Artrocker Festival (Friday 16th January) as they opened for Pulled Apart by Horses and Kong (whom I also recommend profusely) as this was reportedly their last gig until the 31st March when they will be coming back with a tasty supply of eagerly awaited new material.
If you're not one for hyped bands then I urge you to stand down and check the hell outta this band - that is all I ask... for now.
MySpace / iTunes / last.fm / Amazon
When I first read 'pop songs for rock kids' my immediate reaction was that I was going to be bombarded with yet more over produced Kings of Leon-esque club infestation tatter. Oh how I was proved wrong when I listened to their second 7" EP I Am Azerrad (BSM), the harmonised vocal intro of the first track (I Am Azerrad) had me tentatively tuned in and despite not knowing the lyrics I felt the urge to learn them so I could sing along (badly). The EP is an upbeat initiation of foot tapping with the B side upholding the tempo and feel-good quality with Dun Dun Dun, Scissor, Rocks and Tonne. Their first release with BSM, Feed Me A Box Of Words, is also commendable as their influences of early Biffy Clyro shines through â“ and let's be honest â“ early Biffy is the best Biffy (ie: before they farted themselves into the grating mainstream crap).
It then became an imperative to see these guys in action and so I caught them in their hometown supporting Johnny Foreigner (the result of which can be seen on the Beatcast TV podcast). I was left astounded, the vocals were spot on and the pure energy that seemed to pour from this band was hungrily lapped up by, not only myself, but everyone there, Tubelord fans or not. I caught them again at the fourth annual Artrocker Festival (Friday 16th January) as they opened for Pulled Apart by Horses and Kong (whom I also recommend profusely) as this was reportedly their last gig until the 31st March when they will be coming back with a tasty supply of eagerly awaited new material.
If you're not one for hyped bands then I urge you to stand down and check the hell outta this band - that is all I ask... for now.
MySpace / iTunes / last.fm / Amazon
