By The Rivers
Leicester, England, United Kingdom | INDIE
Music
Press
''Despite their relatively young age, By the Rivers saunter to the stage with confidence and assurance to the hearty cheer of the crowd. When an act is stripped back to just an acoustic guitar and two voices it really shows who has music woven into their souls. By the Rivers do, bucket loads of it.'' - Jon Dodd, The Monograph
"Some of the auditory gems that have emerged over the years – notably Kasabian and Cornershop. And if you hadn't already heard, another diamond just came out of the rough. By The Rivers are in town and they're out to put smiles on faces and skanking shoes on feet." - Ben Summers, Leicester Mercury
"Another absolute find from the weekend was Leicester reggae band By The Rivers. Their sound, a mixture of bass, keyboards, guitars and brass meshed into new generation ska beats, sounding fresh and vibrant." - Sam Schofield
"To once again make my opening sentence seem like a complete lie, comes the reggae/ska stylings of By The Rivers. When you first hear By The Rivers, you’ll probably assume that they’re around 40 and all of Carribean descent, because their music is so soulful; but you would be wrong. The 20 year old lads from Leicester have made quite an impression on the ska scene, being booked to support The Specials on their October/November tour. Even if you’re not overly interested in ska music, I strongly recommend you check them out, especially the track ‘Take Control’." - Meg Sullivan
''The laid back music of By The Rivers is like a tropical breeze that calms the spirit and nourishes the soul, a classic example of what it takes to really do reggae music right.'' - Raegan Oates, FD2D
"Within the first 5 seconds of ‘One Word’, you will find yourself welcomed by that unmistakable By The Rivers sound, but don’t worry if not, you certainly will be when the vocal harmonies kick in – they’re still as flawless as ever. With that familiarity however, comes some new surprising elements, one of the most noticeable being a larger sound in general. Is it possible that with this new single, we are being introduced to a much more confident band? I don’t doubt it." - Emily Parish, The Monograph
"Leicester’s very own reggae band impressed last year and the six-piece, fronted by Jordan Birtles and Nile Barrow, returned to a packed tent, which oozed the stench of cannabis and Special Brew. But right from curtain-raiser ‘Vulture’ they completely encapsulated the party-atmosphere of the festival, in spite of the now falling drizzle outside, with their positive vibes. Other notable tracks included ‘Rocksteady’, ‘Run Around’ and ‘Take Control’, which were greeted with delight by the cult following that the band have acquired courtesy of their energetic and upbeat live shows." - Jordan Halford
"I want you to remove all thoughts of Sting, UB40 and… *shudders*… Mick Hucknall from your mind, because By The Rivers are actually really good!" - Matt Kennedy, Guitar Strung Revolution
Discography
EP 1 - Released 12th August 2010
EP 2- Released 18th February 2011
One Word (Single) - Released 10th August 2011
Photos
Bio
By The Rivers, a 6 Piece Original Reggae band, formed in the Spring of 2010 by Leicester friends since birth, Nile Barrow (22) and Jordan Birtles (19). It was with a passion for the sound, culture and style of the music that they began to write songs with social comment, positive messages, as well as love songs and all things that affect the youth of today.
They write and record all the songs and arrangements themselves.
The line up sees Nile on Lead Vocals/Guitar, Jordan on Drums/Vocals, Will Todd on Saxophone, Leo May on Trumpet, Matt Willars on Bass and Sam Read on Keyboard/Guitar/Backing Vocals.
Nile and Jordan also perform as a duo with two Vocals, an Acoustic Guitar and a Melodica! Stripped down to the songs core!
May 2010 saw their first full band gig in Leicester and the response was amazing! They played and sounded like theyd been playing for years not like the 5 rehearsals theyd actually had! Word spread around Leicester like a bush fire. This band was hot. 7 gigs in they had supported DAWN KINNARD, NEVILLE STAPLES, TOPLOADER and FUN LOVIN CRIMINALS (on 2 of their September 2010 tour dates at Norwich UEA and Cambridge The Junction) to more accolades and positive feedback. CDR copies of their 5 track EP sold-out at each gig and now every promoter in town wants them on their bill!
2011 has seen the band releasing their latest EP entitled 'EP 2', as well as supporting THE BUZZCOCKS, MAXI PRIEST, MUSICAL YOUTH, DAWN PENN, SAXON SOUND, NEVILLE STAPLE, JOHN HOLT & THE SPECIALS on their 15 Date UK Arena Tour in October.
The year has also seen the release of their Debut Single 'One Word' which reached No.21 in the iTunes Reggae Singles Charts, as well as receiving BBC Radio 6 Airplay on Lauren Laverne's & Huey Morgan's shows.
Their EP Package entitled 'EP1+EP2' reached No.2 in the iTunes Reggae Album Charts, coming 2nd to Bob Marley.
The band have also played on the BBC Introducing Stage at T IN THE PARK, having their set videoed by the BBC and gaining BBC Radio 1 Airplay.
Acoustic sessions from Nile and Jordan have also been performed on BBC Radio Nottingham's visuals show 'The Beat' and also an A64 session on SB.TV.
Links
