Alistair Sheerin

Follow link for article and interview - Exposure Northeast

Alistair Sheerin played in the North East last at the Cluny 2 on 14th April, why am I now reviewing his music now?

Well due to a backlog of essays and what not when he was up playing live I didn’t get round to reviewing his music - but I never make a habit of going back on promises and so please read below all about this dapper young man and his modernistic music.

While listening to Alistair’s music you are taken back to the 1950’s / 60’s the era of the MOD and the great breath of music that came with it.

After been described as “Middlesbrough’s very own Miles Kane!” his demos had a lot to live up to – however I saw not disappointed. His demos consist of three song which are a mix of paces.

The first track “Why Why Why ?” is sweet song that is sweeping and captures your attention. Alistair’s vocals shine through and it is a pleasant song that is recognisably inspired by the likes of The Beatles and Bob Dylan, yet his own sense of style is marked clearly on the record.

The second track “Move With The Times” has a true sense of Rock ‘n’ Roll that I can be certain is a hit in his live shows. Full of energy and anthemic lyrics it is a great feel good tune.

The final demo track “Live The Way We Should” reminded me of Elton John to an extent not because it is a show song but instead a mellow track with strings, piano and a beautiful guitar solo to the end.

Overall Alister Sheerin is a name I think you should watch out for in the future as he sings with ease the songs that you would expect from the greats such as The Kinks to today’s Miles Kane.

Ruth Edmonson
- Wear On The Pulse

"Really catchy, funky and different. I love the mix of Franz Ferdinand-esque guitar riff, swing-style drums at times and a delicious pop chorus. More at his homepage:" - Tom Robinson - Fresh on the Net

Alistair Sheerin is a singer-songwriter from Middlesbrough with a melodic-rock style, comparable to that of The Beatles, The Kinks and Oasis. Nevertheless he has a very unique style, blending sensitivity with a trendy swagger. The three track EP entitled 'Animal Farm Sessions' would be very listenable to a wide ranging audience and has the ability to hold the listener's attention for the duration.

Sheerin has crafted a wonderful sound that owes a lot to the British Invasion bands of the 1960s, as well as other rock styles such as 90s Britpop and 80s New Wave. On top of having a classic sound, Alistair Sheerin has a strong talent for melody whereas many rock acts these days leave melody at the door while Alistair's melody is at the forefront of all of his songs.

'Take It All' begins the EP with thumping drums and energetic guitar work that creates a path for the vocal melody to travel and deliver expertly placed melodic lines and hooks. 'I Bet You're Sorry Now' follows and maintains the lively melodic and colourful arrangement features created by 'Take It All.' The anthemic 'A Question of You' is the last track on the EP and contains a string arrangement as well as clever interplay between the guitars and backing vocals.

Given that the 60s was the golden age of popular music, to hear an EP such as this is incredibly exciting and restores faith in modern rock music. Too many artists these days, particularly in the rock genre, forget about the importance of melody and rely too much on rhythm to deliver the excitement, however Alistair Sheerin supplies an endless stream of melodies that get stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

Although it is only three tracks long it is an excellent piece of work, from an artist who deserves to go a long way. However in today's music scene singer-songwriters are everywhere and getting noticed is becoming more and more difficult. Alistair Sheerinneeds to find the key to opening the door to get his music noticed by the people who could take it a long way.

(4 and a half stars) - Leeds Music Scene

1. Opia
2. I Bet You’re Sorry Now
3. Run For Their Money
4. Simple Little Tricks
5. Start Again
6. Hope To Reality
7. A Question Of You
8. Just The Way That It Goes
9. Cold Turkey
10. Take It All

Taking to the stage, immaculately adorned in full Mod attire (including a Paul Weller ‘Modfather’ haircut), ‘Boro born jack-the-lad Alistair Sheerin could quite easily have just stepped off of Carnaby Street in 1960’s London.

Despite his vintage looks, Alistair and his band offered a modern and fresh sound with their unique, hooky blend of genres spanning from Britpop and Merseybeat to indie and Motown influences, still managing to sound refreshing and up-to-date.

The band’s performance was faultless. Alistair radiated confidence, strutting and dancing about the stage with boundless energy and swagger, with impressive guitar chops (particularly on tracks such as Take It All and I Bet You’re Sorry Now) and a surprisingly wide vocal range.

The rest of the band also held firm for the full set, with a solid and unwavering rhythm section and rhythm guitar creating a wall of sound that more than supported Alistair’s vocals. You’d struggle to believe that this was their first live performance together.

The set was dynamic, with a diverse array of tracks; from the singalong chorus of Run For Your Money to the distinctly ‘Motown’ feel of A Question Of You, rightthrough to the mellow, laid back acoustic vibes of Start Again, there was plenty to keep the audience on its toes.

I caught up with Alistair earlier in the day.

If you could describe your music in three words, what would they be?
Oh, erm… I’d say catchy, rocking and honest!

Who are your musical influences?

I love Miles Kane. I love Oasis, Noel Gallagher’s the reason I picked up a guitar. I love all the ’60s stuff, like Bob Dylan, Lennon, The Beatles, The Small Faces and the Kinks. I like all sorts, but I love some of the obscure stuff like folk music and psychedelic stuff, a lot of soul, motown and all that stuff. I like everything. I go into it liking it and let it turn me off. I find that’s a good way to go.

What’s your songwriting process like?
Usually with about two chords on the guitar, which I play for about two weeks, over and over. Then I’ll pick up a line that I’ll sing for about two weeks, and a different part of the song that I play for two weeks. I just play it over and over until it’s finished. It’s very rare that I write a whole song in one sitting.

How do you find inspiration for lyrics?
I just write about everyday things, just things that I see. I like to watch people, so I write about my experience of watching people, but there’s another approach as well which I used on the opening song tonight. The words are just complete and utter gibberish. I took inspiration from those Love Heart sweets and advertisements in the post and stuff like that. You don’t have to be narrow minded, you can look everywhere for inspiration.

What do you make of Darlington’s music scene?
To be honest, I don’t really know what it’s like. I’m from Middlesbrough really, but I’ve played this venue before, this will be about the fifth time. From the scene I’ve seen in this venue, it could do with a few more original acts but I’m sure they’re about somewhere. It’s probably because it’s a big venue to fill for an original band.

How big a role do you think the internet plays nowadays in marketing music, and getting it out to people?
Probably too big of an input. A lot of people don’t want to go out and put posters up anymore, a lot of people don’t want to buy CD’s anymore. They just want to download it at the click of a button. People have lost their grounding with it, they can easily watch a gig on YouTube and they won’t go to a gig. They’ve got live streaming of gigs now which is wrong. If you don’t go out and see live music, you don’t get the true experience. In terms of advertising, Facebook is good but it’s basically taken over everything. There’s no point in a band having websites anymore and that’s a downside. So I suppose it’s good in some ways, bad in some ways. - Review From The Afternoon