Great Walls

Great Walls hail from Andover, Hampshire, a far cry from the hustle and bustle of England's major towns and cities. Their music however does not evoke images of green fields or dandelions floating in the breeze. It paints a picture of the grey, industrial towns up and down the country that are too small to be noticed. Songs such as 'Small Town Boy Mentality' and 'Cars, Robbers, Alleys' tell clearly of the frustrations and lack of ambition that come from living in middle class suburbia. The subject of war also crops up frequently and once again there is emphasis on the pointlessness of existence and how quickly it can be taken away. Vocalist/guitarist Ricky Ray Piper's storytelling style has led to comparisons with Kelly Jones and Ray Davies, but this ends at lyrically. Musically Great Walls are far more contemporary. As each song makes an individual point, it has been treated musically as such. Their sound is epic in places, atmospheric in others but overall driven by an edge provided by the individual styles of guitarist Vernon Peacock, drummer Al Norton and bassist Stewart Heatley. Their recent recordings have drawn comparisons with The Jam & Stereophonics as well as Idlewild & Glasvegas. There are no gimmicks and you won't find them jumping around on stage trying to whip up the crowd. The music speaks for itself.