The Wishing Well
Preston, Victoria, Australia | SELF
Music
Press
I wish to hear more...
Melbourne five-piece The Wishing Well might have something special on their hands. Life On The Border is a solid piece of dramatic, epic folk rock. It moves briskly from ominous piano to intricate guitar before unleashing the violin, setting up the builds and crashes to come. Jai Larkan’s vocals are suitably emotive and carry the weight of the track with conviction. Rachael Byrnes’ vocals wistfully wind in, linking up with Larkan effectively for some excellent harmonies. The strains of Zac Johnston’s violin do a lot for this track, an efficient vehicle for Larkan’s strong delivery.
The instrumentation is lush and surprisingly aggressive at times, and for a four-minute track they cram a lot of substance in. The track strikes similarities to the tapestries of Augie March or Enola Fall and sounds like it would be even better live.
I look forward to hearing what else The Wishing Well can do.
MICHAEL PINCOTT - Rave Magazine
This little gem arrived for me today. Life On The Border, the debut single for the Melbourne band, The Wishing Well. The Wishing well, it seems, have only been together as a band for just over a year now. However, the quality of sound that they produce is not that of an immature group of musicians.
The song itself is airy and wistful; reminding me somewhat of being a child, playing in a park at sunset; the world at my feet. I apologise if that sounds a bit poncy.
At over 100 live shows to date, I can only imagine that after luring people to their shows with the recorded music, they would truly make their fans during their shows/ It's bands like this that generally suck me in, not by their releases, but by the magic they perform on stage.
- VOX
As debut singles go The Wishing Well has notched up an almighty success. A sprawling folk rock song with a swaying string section and simmering
drums accompanying the mid-tempo acoustic strum of Jai Larkan's guitar; his voice ahead of the swell with a warm and powerful stride. Beauti-
fully arranged and accented. - Beat Magazine
Discography
Life on the Border (2008)
Fire in the Valley (2010)
Available now from iTunes, CD Baby or via Pay Pal from www.thewishingwellband.com
Photos
Bio
Performing together for four years, The Wishing Well come with an impressive musical maturity and remarkable background. Originally hailing from Australia, the band has been living on the road since 2008. Since this time, The Wishing Well has toured the UK, Europe and Australia tirelessly. In the course of their three epic tours of the UK and Europe, they performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland), the Blue Balls Festival (Switzerland) the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Scotland), Skagen Festival (Denmark), Nibe Festival (Denmark), Canterbury Arts Festival (England) and Across The Tracks Festival (England) as well as hundreds of concerts in nine European countries. In 2011, the bands talent and passionate touring caught the attention of UK radio promoter Judd Lander (Michael Jackson, Katie Melua, The Ramones) and German promotion and booking companies King Ink and Stahl Entertainment (Ben Harper, Nick Cave, UB40) who have increased the bands presence on the airwaves and in print media.
Since the bands inception it has recorded 2 full length albums : Life on the Border (2008) and Fire in the Valley (2010) of which over 18,000 copies have been sold. They plan to release their forthcoming third album in early 2012.
Lead singer Jai Larkan has previously supported artists such as Bob Geldof, Andy White, Liam O'Maonlai and Tim Finn. The Wishing Well has shared stages with the likes of Tori Amos, Mumford and Sons, David Gray and Seal.
The Wishing Wells music is rich in textural depth, building gradually to dizzying heights only to momentarily pause and cascade into an orchestral crescendo. They evoke an extraordinary gamut of emotions with their compelling and awe-inspiring arrangements spun around magnificently poetic lyrics. A cacophony of three part harmonies, wistful violins, oceanic cello and majestic rhythms all melded to lead singer Jai Larkans achingly strong and haunting vocals.
In the melodic tradition of Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Dave Matthews Band and The Waterboys, The Wishing Well appeals to lovers of emotive lyrics and melody. Their inspiring live performances captivate audiences and have created an enthusiastic and ever-growing worldwide fan base.
Career Highlights
Three European/UK Tours - 2009 (3 months), 2010 (7 months) and 2011 (5 months).
2 Month US Tour 2011
Montreux Jazz Festival 2010- Switzerland (w/ Simply Red, Tori Amos, Mumford and Sons, Phil Collins)
Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2010 & 2011 - Scotland
Skagen Festival 2010 - Denmark (w/ The Dubliners, Arlo Guthrie, The Oyster Band)
Nibe Festival 2010 - Denmark (w/ Scissor Sisters)
Blue Balls Festival 2009 - Switzerland (David Gray, Seal, Joss Stone)
Canterbury Arts Festival 2010 - England
The Galway Sessions 2009 - Galway, Ireland
6 National Tours of Australia
Over 18,000 CDs sold independently since 2008
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