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Chris Warner, is without doubt a very talented singer/songwriter, from right here in Leicestershire! His four track E.P. - entitled Whilst Dylan Sleeps - is one not to be missed.
Packed full of insightful lyrics, powerful vocal hooks and instrumental surprises, this makes it a great album for everybody. Having had this on repeat for the last hour, I spied some very nice arrangements on guitar, alongside his haunting vocals which instantly drew me into his world.
Each track is great on it's own merits and provides the listener with plenty of variety whilst maintaining Chris's unique style. We all like good music, but we love great music and what's more, it's yours for free!
Could Chris Warner be the next big star emerging from Leicestershire? Download his album and find out - I did! You can also obtain a hard copy which comes lovingly hand packed in a plastic wallet with paper inlay for only £1.99
Whilst Dylan Sleeps - Out Now! - Artsin Leicestershire - April 2012
Chris Warner grew up in Leicester and has appeared on stages with Steve Earle, Macy Gray and Jose Gonzalez as well as turning up on a few BBC radio shows. After taking a year out in 2010, Chris came back from an around the world "gap year" to work on DEVON LANES & LONGBOARDS.
The title refers to a surf film released by Barnstaple filmmaker Andy Haworth which documents the surfing scene in Devon. Soundtracks can be tricky things to release, especially with a (relatively) obscure film as the reference point. However I am pleased to say that the ten tracks on this CD are a delight. I wasn’t sure what to expect but from the opening ‘Light My Fire’with a powerful melodic voice that just cried out summer evenings on the beach, allied to some excellent lead guitar from Chris himself, I was entranced. The good vibe continued through the instrumentals‘Blues in A';featuring some laid back acoustic picking and ‘Country Jam’ a tune that would not be out of place in a Down South Juke Joint. Other stand outs for me were the catchy ‘Goodbye’ as strong an "I’m off" song as you will hear and ‘Satisfy Me’ a tongue in cheek appeal to a girl to ‘....won’t you satisfy me/give me some relief/from what this world throws at me...’
This album evokes warm feelings throughout and will have you digging those Beach Boys albums out. Chris is an excellent singer and musician who deserves to be heard by a wider audience if this release is anything to go by. JJ - Maverick Magazine - July 2011
Charity records are rubbish aren't they? Worthy cause and all that, but I'd rather pay double the price of the single NOT to hear the latest piss-weak cover churned out by some X Factor contestant for Children In Need. Last year, Leicester songwriter released an album called 'Devon Lanes and Longboards' which, thanks to the South-West's surfing community, raised a few thousand pounds for cancer research. Great work, and at least they're not all listening to Rootjoose still.
'Temporary Fix' will be Warner's second EP of 2012 and 'Alright!' is the lead single. Rather than bearing any relation to other 'surf' music (the early 60s twangy garage, The Beach Boys summer pop or Jack Fucking Johnson's inhumanely awful gap-year drivel) it's a little ripper of a song. He's not shy of fuzz, the intro is as buzzing as Bez at a drugs convention. It's both grungy and garagey with distortion applied like pebble-dash on a 70s housing estate. Scrape all this away and there's an cracking, upbeat guitar-pop song buried beneath. It's the type of thing mid-period Supergrass would be proud to knock out and the only thing stopping it having an epic, singalong chorus are the effects, but it's best left that way as a fizzing song deserves an effervescent, discordant production style.
Ultimately this riff-fuelled, frayed-around-the-edges punky piece of powerpop is a whole heap of guitar-based fun. Buy this and then go and tell Newton Faulkner to piss off. - Sound of Confusion - Aug 2012
Sharing stages with Supergrass, Macy Gray, Steve Earle and Jose Gonzalez, and supporting the likes of Keane and Biffy Clyro – it's not a bad little musical CV, is it?
If you have got your finger firmly on the pulse of Leicester's music scene, then you will definitely have heard of singer-songwriter Chris Warner. Like all musicians, says Chris, it was trying to impress a girl that got him into music. "I lied and told her I was a musician so she'd think I was cool and agree to go out with me," he says. "Ten years later and she still hasn't twigged."
Whatever it was that got him started, Chris was certainly hooked from the moment he first picked up a guitar aged 10. "I did my first live show when I was about 13 or 14," he says. "You're not afraid of anything when you're young. I just got straight into it. "I found an old guitar in my grandma and granddad's spare room, and that was it. "I'd listen to CDs and tapes and just try and work things out. It was Guns 'N Roses, the first time I thought, 'Wow, this is it,' when I was about 10. As I got older I started to listen to more grunge and punk."
Now, music is something Chris couldn't live without. "They say with musicians that it's not something you choose, that it chooses you, and that's something I think I can relate to quite a lot.
Last year, he was approached by film maker Andy Haworth to write the soundtrack to a surf film, Devon Lanes and Longboards, which gained him recognition outside of Leicester. This year started with the release of a free to download acoustic EP, Whilst Dylan Sleeps. Tomorrow, he launches Temporary Fix, his second EP for 2012.
"It's all a bit darker and harder hitting than any of my previous work," he says.
"For Devon Lanes and Longboards, I went for an upbeat, summery vibe, and got tagged as a kind of summer kid, but there's a lot more to me. Usually, I'm all out rock 'n' roll."
Chris Warner is playing at The Cookie Jar, in High Street, Leicester, tomorrow night. - Leicester Mercury - Nov 2012
Discography
TEMPORARY FIX (EP): Dec 2012
WHILST DYLAN SLEEPS (EP): March 2012
DEVON LANES & LONGBOARDS (Album/Soundtrack): May 2011
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Bio
CHRIS WARNER is a daydreaming, punk rock loving, Indie Singer-Songwriter from Leicester, England. A well known fixture on the local music scene, Chris has shared stages with Supergrass, Macy Gray, Steve Earle and Jose Gonzalez, as well as supported international touring acts Keane and Biffy Clyro. Recognised for his passionate “heart on sleeve” live performances, most are first struck by his warm melodic voice, while his versatile guitar work and clever use of dynamics confuses and impresses many with how big a sound he can create for a man simply with a voice and guitar.
From Fugazi to Sam Cooke, he’s a fan of all great music however cites the rock bands of the 90’s, especially those evolving from the Seattle Grunge scene as his major influences. His attitude and approach to music is firmly rooted in the DIY punk-rock ethos in which music is all about passion, not perfection.
In 2011 he was approached by Barnstaple film maker Andy Haworth to write the soundtrack to his then forthcoming surf film “Devon Lanes and Longboards”. Upon release the film went on to raise £5500 for MacMillan Cancer Research, gaining the songwriter recognition outside of his hometown. 2012 started strongly with the release of his free to download acoustic EP “Whilst Dylan Sleeps”, recorded at the home studio of lifelong friend Rob Connolley and aptly named after his new born daughter while trying to keep noise levels down. This leads to the present day and the opening of chapter “Temporary Fix”.
TEMPORARY FIX will be Chris Warner’s second EP of the year and showcases the songwriter truly coming of age. Wanting to illustrate there’s much more than the misguided “summer” tag he earned after the release of “Devon Lanes”, the musician found himself drawing inspiration from his early influences of rock n roll, experimenting with a harder hitting, darker sound. The result is a collection of songs that challenge the listener, yet still stay true to his affection of melody and hooks.
“It’s a very honest collection of songs lyrically, musically and in performance and production too” says Warner. “Life is far from perfect but that’s what makes it interesting. You have to embrace the imperfections. The same goes with music. It’s about passion; flawless music quickly becomes tiresome to listen to and therefore disposed of.”
Working again with producer Rob Connolley and multi-instrumentalist Nick Bott, what’s immediately apparent is Warner’s diversity and how he’s able to shift musical gear with absolute ease. From the all out punky rock n’ roll opener “Alright!” it’s clear to see the artist means business. Hot on its heels “Rewind” keeps the foot on the pedal with its contemporary rock riff and thought provoking lyrics while the acoustic tinged “Wearing Scars” highlights Warner’s knack for simple yet effective song writing. The trio stretches its musical muscles on the soulful title track “Temporary Fix” which after an energetic three minutes, collapses into a melodic melancholic jam ending with a clever swirl of production. Leading out the EP is the laid back country infused “There Will Come A Day” which sees Warner soberly reflect the possibility of a lonely end. “There’s a stranger at my grave, looking down on a name, in a stone that’s old and overgrown still I, won’t have the ache of one more day...”
Indeed as those closest to him already know, there’s much more to Chris Warner than what’s found on the surface and you’re never quite sure where the wave he’s riding is going to take you. One thing is for sure however, this is what makes him one of the most exciting artists on the indie circuit.
TEMPORARY FIX will be released in CD and Digital formats on Monday 3rd December via Trading Magic For Fact.
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