Half Crown

Half Crown were next, a bizarre mix of funk, ska and grime all swirled together. If that sounds dubious, take solace that it in fact worked brilliantly, the combined vocals of Frankie Harper and David Gayler thick with the charm these guys thrive on. The novel ska/grime combo cementing their position as favourites of the evening, a brilliant number capped off by their trumpet wielding bassist.

The time was filled by Blissfields Cut Corners who treated the audience to a taste of their own indie blend. There was dancing, there was hollering and there were T-shirts bearing 80s film references. So basically the essentials of most successful indie acts. What they lacked in originality though they made up for in gusto. And anyway, the founder of Blissfields son was a member, so everyone smile. It was during their set the verdict was made, and as Half Crown griined, hugged and posed for photos, you couldn’t help but smile too, knowing the right act won. Congratulations Half Crown, and thank you Blissfields. - drink brighton

Thursday night is always a fairly relaxed affair, with no main stage performances, and limited programming elsewhere. Most of the music on the second stage was given over to the winners of a series of local competitions titled 'Road To Blissfields'. The regional winners were: FlashFires, Ben Goddard and The Heartbeats, Kamikaze Test Pilots, Half Crown, Novatones, and Bigtopp. For us the standout acts from these were Ben Goddard and The Heartbeats whose songs are a good mixture of Blues and Rock that seemed to get the crowd interested. Also Half Crown, a swing and ska influenced rap group with infectious and bouncy melodies which soon had the crowd on their feet and dancing. - efestivals

Half Crown are a Brighton-born five piece band who claim to produce a new era of upbeat Indie music. The quintet also make use of R&B, Funk, Blues and Rap to make their audience as vast as possible, although they remain unsigned.

The band’s track Enigma has been available to download for free since the 23rd of November after it was played over 100 times on their Soundcloud page. Engima does precisely what any music fan wants from what they listen to; desirability. The track is so catchy and likeable that it’s difficult to not listen again and listen to more of the Half Crown’s work. It also fuses the band’s many influences such as Jimi Hendrix, Blur, Maroon 5, Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Kinks.

Based on this track, it is a wonder the band aren’t already signed, particularly because of their unique flair and energy, as well as their use of unusual instruments you don’t tend to find in mainstream music. Engima is peppered with trumpet sections, rapping, hard-hitting gang-style vocals and ridiculously strong solo vocals that bring a really unique and professional element to the track. It is also very well produced right from the discreet guitar-driven beginning, to the blending of different vocal types, right down to the final fade out at the end of the song.

Even without a huge audience, Half Crown have pin-pointed who they want to be as a band, and have combined the perfect assortment of genres and styles. The track has also earned the band a headline spot on the SQ Magazine stage this coming summer, and is sure to help them in the process of earning the widespread fame they deserve.

If Engima proves anything, it confirms that there are really talented musicians out in the world yet to be discovered, and Half Crown are certain to have a very bright future ahead of them with their distinctive, brash and intelligent music. - Sound and Motion

Finally, with two singers and a brilliantly British rapper in their midst, final act Half Crown were a jump ahead of everyone else and were a great act to close the stage. Raw and soulful, their contagious sound, which is impossible to do justice, was a seemingly limitless mix of genres, with more springing to mind than we could keep track of. This was a demonstration of flawless, boundless talent. Written so well that it defies belief, their poetic rhymes drew complete attention from the crowd and left many people open mouthed. Impeccable. - SQ MAGAZINE

Probably one of the finest unsigned bands we’ve ever encountered, Half Crown went down a storm when they closed the final day of The SQ Stage. Built upon an offbeat, sluggish groove ‘Keep Up Or Keep Out’ sees three separate vocalists all bring intricate and meaningful hooks and verses to the track, making for a fresh and exciting sound. With sensational guitar-playing and the use of a trumpet, the band compliment an on-going dub drumbeat and bassline that lays and loops around the sweetly harsh double-time rapping. ‘Keep Up Or Keep Out’ sets the bar really high, jumps over it, and then raises it again. - SQ MAGAZINE

Compared to many other bands that have played at The Pav Tav Half Crown were immediately different. At first what they wasn’t apparent, especially as for a moment they appeared to have their very own version of Bez from the Happy Mondays, but as their first song kicked in what they were became obvious; they were brilliant. Half Crown mixed vocal styles perfectly; their MC was exactly my favourite type of rapper, one with smart rhymes, seemingly boundless energy, and the ability to make what he does seem effortless. In total they had three vocalists, and their harmonies were fantastic. Surprisingly enough for me my highlight of the set was their cover of Pyro by Kings Of Leon. I hate Kings of Leon, I think they are one of the worst bands around at the moment, but by covering that song Half Crown demonstrated that they can effectively cross genres and still add their own edge. The cover of Pyro was, in my opinion, a hundred times better than the original. My only real problem with the band was that at times the rapping was too fast to keep up with. Half Crown are difficult to put in a box, they are one of the best local bands I have heard (proven by the fact the crowd begged for The Pav Tav’s first encore) and easily deserve a whole one. - SQ MAGAZINE