Jeramiah Ferrari

So! Now all you kiddywinks are back at school/college/university, let’s do a little sum. Take an infectious reggae riff, impeccable vocals and a Bowie cover and what do you get? Jeramiah Ferrari.

They ‘supported’ The Skints this weekend at the poorly organised Manchester Academy and took the intimate venue by storm. I put supported in inverted commas due to the fact this would be an insult to the Reggae 4 piece, they outplayed every band on the bill and made it look incredibly easy.

Ryan, on vocals, kept the highly excited crowd going with his brilliant stage presence and at one point, impressive skatting. However, the most credit must go to Stuart Welch on drums who played like I’d seen no drummer play before and made his drum kit make noises that I didn’t know were possible.

They played a strong six song set with the highlight being the opener, Shine, such a reggae anthem with a spectacularly catchy riff. I am not usually a fan of reggae music but when it comes to Jeramiah Ferrari, like a skilled potter, take the genre, mould it, and make it into something new, fresh and spectacular. Well done guys. - Jack McCabe

If ever you’ve had the pleasure of visiting the small and unassuming town of Leigh in Lancashire, you will likely agree that it’s the last place you would expect to find musical influences from the likes of Sublime and Steel Pulse. The warm and bright sounding Jeramiah Ferrari however, from this very locale, are working hard to bring a fusion of Roots Reggae, Rock, Punk, Ska and Calipso to the ears of the nation, and are thus far doing incredibly well.

The four-piece, currently unsigned, released their first EP ‘The Cactus Killer’ late last year, impelled by the popular and uplifting single ‘Mighty Sparrow’ and also a bold music video titled ‘Mindless Riots’, a lament on the summer riots of 2011. It conveys the band’s opinions and perspective on the events that ensued. The initial run has long since sold out and the band have enjoyed over 100 live gigs supporting the likes of ‘The English Beat’ and ‘The Aggrolites’, as well as winning a support slot at the 2012 Key 103 Summer Ball in front of a 20 000 strong crowd.

The variety of style and influence brought to the table by each band member promises an eclectic selection of tracks, featuring an efficacious mix of sweet vocals and melodies complimented by funky baselines beats that switch stripe with ease.

The band has just released ‘The Dubby Rock EP’, and I will be catching up with them soon for a chat and an exclusive acoustic set.

Definitely one to watch. - GOLA

Manchester (England) has long had an active reggae scene, and this four piece roots rock reggae and ska outfit is among the latest generation of performers. This is their second CD EP, opening with a bright and breezy up tempo piece which alternates between ska and a rock flavoured reggae, with some African styled guitar work.

Trigger Of A Gun has a rootsier feel, though with some rock guitar chording on the chorus, dub effects and a very Barrington Levy styled vocal. Island Girl leans more towards Bob Marley’s more commercial Island singles of the 70s, and the title track is frantic and more akin to the sound of 2-Tone – particularly The Specials. Best of all is the closing roots reggae track, Mindless Riots sung with intensity and passion by front man Ryan Barton, and dealing with the events of Summer 2011 – “forever this will be a scar on our generation”, he sings, acknowledging that whilst there is a place for anger at the killing in north London which sparked the riots, “you shoot and you loot, rob your own community” and that “mindless riots will never be the key”. Watch out for this group… - UNITED REGGAE MAGAZINE