BELAKISS
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BELAKISS

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In studio working on first album!

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Ben Sheldrick (vocals, lead guitar), Ruari Meehan (vocals, guitar), Tatia Starkey (bass, backing vocals), Andy Shaw (drums, backing vocals)

Since they first formed in late 2007, the members of Belakiss have been bringing rock and roll back to the streets of London. For years, the British music scene has been dominated by the twin, yet opposing, forces of Indie and Electropop. Rather than the question: do you prefer the Beatles or the Rolling Stones, these twenty-years olds grew up with a different question of the day: do you align yourself with Oasis or Blur? But, these four friends are old souls, their music harks back to the gritty, smoky clubs of sixties West London and Soho, where the Who united and defined the youth with My Generation.

It was at a Who gig at the Royal Albert Hall in early 2009, where Northerner drummer, Andy Shaw, met the threesome that is Belakiss at the bar, thus completing the current line-up. Guitarist and singer, Ruari Meehan is no stranger to the world of music. Signed to a major label at the tender age of 15, Ruari learned the underbelly of the industry early on. When the label wanted him to ditch his band and turn him into a one-man boy-band like Take That, Ruari ditched the label instead, preferring to create and sing his own sound. It was at a Vampire party at a warehouse in London’s notorious East End, where he met bass player and vocalist, Tatia Starkey. You could call it love at first bite – they started talking music and chords, and next thing they knew, it was the beginning of Belakiss.

Speaking of romance, Tatia began dating lead guitarist and vocalist, Ben Sheldrick in 2008. With a history of London bands under his belt, Ben brought a dirty edge to Belakiss’ psych rock. His whiskey-stained howls compliment and compete with Ruari’s sweet melodies. They became songwriting partners, pushing and pulling and encouraging each other to new musical heights.

“There’s a strictly no 80s disco beat rule imposed in this band,” declares Ben. “We aren’t Indie landfill,” Ruari adds, “a lot of thought goes into the structure and melody of our songs, we take a great deal of influence from a lot of those old West Coast bands like the Byrds and Crosby Stills and Nash and mix it up with the old rock hard hitters.”

Dualing lead vocals, hypnotic bass licks and a pounding beat – welcome to the world of Belakiss.