Floyd Soul & The Wolf

FLOYD SOUL AND THE WOLF were next in line! With influences from Kings of Leon, The Rolling Stones, Creedence Clearwater Revival and to quote them in their blog The wilderness (not a band) this motley bunch took to the stage. They began with a good punchy number GIVE IT A CHANCE.

This song had a big bashing intro and with each musical instrument audible and Luke Heffernan’s addictive and charming voice, this band was already overtaking their predecessors on the road to the prize! Using close harmonies and up-beat distortion-packed guitar chords they had us all in the palm of their hands. Lots of their influences were coming through in this song, with its outstanding and gutsy arrangement. As they ended it they did the chorus accapello which I found to be a good choice for a hat trick!

They went on with a brilliant number called started off slow and sweet. The melody line was extremely catchy and had a Cajun ring to it, very Creedence style. Luke was in his element here, enjoying himself and looking like he didnt care a fig. He was just jamming and giving it loads. With polished backing vocals from the rest of the crew, the whole sound definitely came together so well and so smoothly blended and seamless! Cute little Rhythm ‘n’ blues? riffs injected between the choruses and confident lead solos kept the whole of The Village intrigued. You just had to stand up and take notice of FLOYD SOUL AND THE WOLF whether you wanted to or not. They drew you into their lair!

MAN ABOVE was third. It had a classic hard rock feel to it with outstanding lead. Luke jumped down into the audience and strutted about Mick Jagger-style with a tambourine as he raised it above his head and the arrogance of this man seemed to know no bounds! You had to give it to them. They wouldn’t let you take your eyes of them and transfixed you with that unmatchable ROCK sound!

My guest and his friend, both members of the band Rifle Tower, arrived after this act finished. They were so disappointed to have missed them and The Dirty 9s. I told them no amount of description could properly paint the picture that had just gone down.

I just knew that stroppin? tambourine-bashing stunt would overwhelm the judges as it did me. I would definitely have picked them myself, because quite seriously although it would have been close with all competitors performing to such a high standard on the night, Luke Heffernan (aka Mick Jagger) mesmerised everyone in The Village on the night. Not forgetting Si Merriman?s artful bass riffs and the whole powerful sound coming from this band. Aswell as a goldmine of talent, they have that special ingredient that won’t let you forget them CHARM!

- Irish Unsigned (www.irishunsigned.com)

If you go down to the woods today... Taking influence from The Rolling Stones, Crazy Horse and Kings of Leon, Waterford rock outfit Floyd Soul & The Wolf start the new year preparing for their first single release. Prior to this, echoes of roots rock could be heard in some of the earlier material on their début, the 2006 Welcome To The Woods EP, particularly with Talk On The Rocks, a loose rumbling number all the way from the honkey tonk blues rock counties. In other tracks, Stonewalkin' and to a lesser extent I Am The Room, we catch shadows of a music life raised to and indulging in the sounds of Exile on Main Street.

Having brush-ins with garage/blues rock, filled with harmony and energy, and shoved through to some country-rock narcosis, its hardly surprising to hear that they've a producer coming over from Nashville to work with them on their single, to point them in the right direction, so to speak, before taking it back to Nashville for mixing and mastering. The omens are good. Given that their debut EP is a thoroughly enjoyable listen, one can wait in anticipation of another fine release. - Frequency Ireland (http://www.frequency-ireland.blogspot.com/)

'Floyd Soul & The Wolf who, while clearly influenced by Kings Of Leon, Neil Young and Creedence Clearwater Revival, add their own ingredients to a thoroughly uplifting stew. The Creedence influence chugs its way through swamp-rock of 'Cabin In The Woods' as it settles into a naggingly catchy groove. There are Neil Young and good-time Lovin' Spoonful flavours to the excellent 'Talk On The Rocks'. 'Stonewalkin' has echoes of the Rolling Stones 'It's All Over Now', with some sweet guitar licks and a couple of unexpected gear changes. All told, a band who can say all they need in three minutes and then fuck off. - Hotpress Magazine

So you arrive at this gig and a bloke from the band gives you a set-list with 20 songs on it and you think,
"Holy shit, we'll be here for the whole weekend"
and then the band hits the stage and takes you on a no-nonsense rollercoaster trip through the history of rock, stopping off at all the right places. For that's what Floyd Soul & The Wolf did to a packed and appreciative audience.

Lead by dynamic frontman Luke Heffernan, the four-piece are a breath of fresh air, delivering short, taut songs, with not an ounce of flab on them, and with a real sense of joy and celebration. - Hotpress Magazine