Demons of Ruby Mae

One album that's helped sustain me through the extended winter months has been the debut LP from Cumbria's Kontiki Suite. (You can read my review here.) It was released on Size Records UK, a small boutique label/collective based in Wokington, Cumbria. I like the fact they're based in Cumbria, far from the perceived musical hotspots. My guess is that being based on the outer periphery allows your musical taste to be based on quality rather than on fleeting trends. So it would seem after hearing the label's latest release, the debut EP from Leicester 3-piece Demons Of Ruby Mae. While there's nothing groundbreaking or challenging about their sound, the emphasis is on quality songwriting and musicianship, with their piano-led songs similar to those of Coldplay, Keane or Noel Gallagher at his most introspective and melancholic.

The Boy Who Cried Wolf opens the EP with a descending piano motif before the song grows into something more strident and muscular, with strong lyrics and from-the heart vocals. You Got It Wrong's sparse instrumentation and falsetto vocal give way to a heavier chorus. Hope Is comes across as a more street tough version of Coldplay, downbeat but defiant. Volcanic Mouth is perhaps my favourite of the four songs, simultaneously haunting and anthemic.

Size Records UK operate an admirably noble policy in that the artists take 100% of any profits, so buy with confidence that it's money well spent. - Harmonic Distortion

I don’t do many posts on new bands, mainly because they don’t share the emotion or warmth of acts from the sixties/seventies. However, Leicester’s rapidly rising group Demons of Ruby Mae are the exception.
Their stripped back approach of emotively played piano, guitar and drums lets the startling vocals of Jonny Gavin shine. Tied to an indie/folk/rock sensibility fans of Doves will particularly welcome these new arrivals to the music scene.

Rumour has it that Whispering Bob Harris is a fan and no wonder. They recently released the excellent Heliacal EP, but I won’t go into detail to review the music - just give them a listen and catch them on their summer tour before they become absolutely massive.
- See more at: http://thestrangebrew.co.uk/http:/thestrangebrew.co.uk/demons-of-ruby-mae#sthash.TKsy4tKU.dpuf - The Strange Brew Podcast

Something that irks me so often about some music – even the stuff I enjoy – is that it is so ‘cluttered’, for want of a better word. Often, solid melodies are obscured by unnecessary sound, good vocals ruined by overproduction.
Happily, the same such accusations can’t be levelled at Leicester trio ‘Demons of Ruby Mae’ and their debut EP ‘Helical’, as clean-cut and atmospheric a sound as you’ll find.
The opening track ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’ is a perfect illustration of that; a haunting, voice-driven opening gives way to a gorgeous piano-led ballad. Throughout the EP, piano and voice complemented each other wonderfully, and the first track is absolutely no exception. Lead singer Jonny Gavin’s voice is the centrepiece not only for this song, but the entire EP itself: it is powerful and extraordinarily rich, capable of evoking all kinds of imagery and emotions.
‘You Got It Wrong’, the second song on the EP, doesn’t deviate too much from the precedent the first set. A moody, raw song that varies between the solitary, colourful vocals and the occasional background thrash on the guitar, it manages to flit between the two without ruining the mood and atmosphere – two things that are of utmost important to the Demons’ sound.

‘Hope Is’ is more of a traditional indie rock song, but retains the signature depth and mood that the band manage to convey so well. Nothing is unnecessary or bloated by extra sound, and the clean, constructed rhythms complement Gavin’s vocals to create arguably the best song on the EP.
Finally, ‘Volcanic Mouth’ is probably the most the band deviate from their usual sound, a rhythmic, almost anthemic track that adds the kind of layers of music that the Demons usually do without, but without spoiling the core of the song. Even in this relatively upbeat track, there are still the trademark piano and vocal bridges that permeate almost everything the band does.
It is a testament to the versatility in Gavin’s voice and his skill as a songwriter that the sound of his words and the piano’s embellishment does not become formulaic and dull, but rather a motif capable of expressing any range of emotion.
Demons Of Ruby Mae aren’t a regular indie band, and ‘Helical’ isn’t a regular indie EP, but both are excellent. Hauntingly beautiful and deeply emotive, ‘Helical’ is created by three extremely talented musicians, and the power and colour of Jonny Gavin’s vocals create mood in the same way few other bands can. - The Underclassed

Something that irks me so often about some music – even the stuff I enjoy – is that it is so ‘cluttered’, for want of a better word. Often, solid melodies are obscured by unnecessary sound, good vocals ruined by overproduction.
Happily, the same such accusations can’t be levelled at Leicester trio ‘Demons of Ruby Mae’ and their debut EP ‘Helical’, as clean-cut and atmospheric a sound as you’ll find.
The opening track ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’ is a perfect illustration of that; a haunting, voice-driven opening gives way to a gorgeous piano-led ballad. Throughout the EP, piano and voice complemented each other wonderfully, and the first track is absolutely no exception. Lead singer Jonny Gavin’s voice is the centrepiece not only for this song, but the entire EP itself: it is powerful and extraordinarily rich, capable of evoking all kinds of imagery and emotions.
‘You Got It Wrong’, the second song on the EP, doesn’t deviate too much from the precedent the first set. A moody, raw song that varies between the solitary, colourful vocals and the occasional background thrash on the guitar, it manages to flit between the two without ruining the mood and atmosphere – two things that are of utmost important to the Demons’ sound.

‘Hope Is’ is more of a traditional indie rock song, but retains the signature depth and mood that the band manage to convey so well. Nothing is unnecessary or bloated by extra sound, and the clean, constructed rhythms complement Gavin’s vocals to create arguably the best song on the EP.
Finally, ‘Volcanic Mouth’ is probably the most the band deviate from their usual sound, a rhythmic, almost anthemic track that adds the kind of layers of music that the Demons usually do without, but without spoiling the core of the song. Even in this relatively upbeat track, there are still the trademark piano and vocal bridges that permeate almost everything the band does.
It is a testament to the versatility in Gavin’s voice and his skill as a songwriter that the sound of his words and the piano’s embellishment does not become formulaic and dull, but rather a motif capable of expressing any range of emotion.
Demons Of Ruby Mae aren’t a regular indie band, and ‘Helical’ isn’t a regular indie EP, but both are excellent. Hauntingly beautiful and deeply emotive, ‘Helical’ is created by three extremely talented musicians, and the power and colour of Jonny Gavin’s vocals create mood in the same way few other bands can. - The Underclassed

With their simplistic approach with astripped back piano, guitar and drums, Demons of Ruby Mae do a great job of making the most with what they’ve got, or rather what they have chosen to have.

Having originally started out as a two-piece with founding members Adam Rowley and Jonny Gavin, who previously played together in Leicester's the Chairmen, they added Dino Johnson on drums six months into their existence to bring the whole sound up. This definitely seems to have done the trick with their debut EP 'Heliacal', which invests in a delicate use of sound rather than trying to fill all the noise cavities for the sake of it.

‘Brooding’ is one of those words that gets wheeled out far too often. It wouldn’t be my place to say whether this is due to the sheer amount of ‘brood’ in music these days or was more of a result of the limited vocabulary of the modern reviewer, but not even the thesaurus function on my laptop could give me with a better way to describe the vocals on ‘Heliacal'.

'You Got It Wrong’ is a brilliant example of this and also of that sparing use of the instruments. Its verses consist of the lightest of percussion, little to no guitars and some gorgeously haunting piano, before it bursts into a chorus that has such impact you can’t help but be drawn in by it, much in the way you would listening to Jeff Buckley.

With that groundwork laid by that track and opening song ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’, ‘Hope Is’ carries on in a similar vein yet manages to not sound at all formulaic. All the tunes have a soul about them that is simplistic and mesmerising.

It ends perfectly with the much more upbeat ‘Volcanic Mouth’. 'Heliacal' is the sort of EP that makes me want to go round to all the people that consider Radio One and people like Adele as the be all and end all of music and say, "No, you’re wrong. They’re wrong. She’s wrong. It is probably not her fault, but there is more out there, and it sounds like this, and it can be brilliant."

Demons of Ruby Mae are already making a name for themselves as a live act, and they make the sort of music that people will consider their own.
- Penny Black Music

Jonny Gavin started on the baby grand piano and introduced a new song which he sang with his great rich, powerful voice. Jonny and Adam Rowley took it in turns to play either the piano or guitar, both of them superbly good vocalists and excellent musicians.

You got the feeling that Demons Of Ruby Mae is a national-level band, poised and ready to break with a set of extra-ordinarily quality songs that are laden with mood and colour. This is from a band that quotes its influences as drawing on such as the Fleet Foxes, Felice Brothers, Bon Iver, and Gram Parsons.

The three members of Demons - Jonny Gavin, Adam Rowley and Dino Johnson - are all top-notch musicians and the band's music is rich in powerful emotions and imagery; when it comes to musical ability they tick all the boxes. Their balladic pieces were sweeping and euphoric, fired with imagery and moodily evocative.

Their line-up of songs was varied and the audience already knew some of them, joining in with the singing and frequently clapping along to some of the more upbeat rhythms. Despite the audience being entirely seated in the tiered theatre, there was no shortage of participation.

The guys on stage are and have been popular musicians for quite some time and, playing in their home town, they had attracted an enthusiastic audience, eager to sample the next stage in their artistic evolution (not to mention the large contingent that has trekked over from Leicester on a bleak Sunday evening.)

It was a superb performance and the music was breathtakingly impressive. Jonny and his colleagues had put together a set of spell-binding musical delights that was rich in eloquence and originality. It was a magic night, with magic songs and magic artists.

- Arts In Leicester

Jonny Gavin started on the baby grand piano and introduced a new song which he sang with his great rich, powerful voice. Jonny and Adam Rowley took it in turns to play either the piano or guitar, both of them superbly good vocalists and excellent musicians.

You got the feeling that Demons Of Ruby Mae is a national-level band, poised and ready to break with a set of extra-ordinarily quality songs that are laden with mood and colour. This is from a band that quotes its influences as drawing on such as the Fleet Foxes, Felice Brothers, Bon Iver, and Gram Parsons.

The three members of Demons - Jonny Gavin, Adam Rowley and Dino Johnson - are all top-notch musicians and the band's music is rich in powerful emotions and imagery; when it comes to musical ability they tick all the boxes. Their balladic pieces were sweeping and euphoric, fired with imagery and moodily evocative.

Their line-up of songs was varied and the audience already knew some of them, joining in with the singing and frequently clapping along to some of the more upbeat rhythms. Despite the audience being entirely seated in the tiered theatre, there was no shortage of participation.

The guys on stage are and have been popular musicians for quite some time and, playing in their home town, they had attracted an enthusiastic audience, eager to sample the next stage in their artistic evolution (not to mention the large contingent that has trekked over from Leicester on a bleak Sunday evening.)

It was a superb performance and the music was breathtakingly impressive. Jonny and his colleagues had put together a set of spell-binding musical delights that was rich in eloquence and originality. It was a magic night, with magic songs and magic artists.

- Arts In Leicester