Music
The best kept secret in music
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With the cold and hard month of January now upon us and this years summer and music festivals still many moons away, new year is often a depressing time with a break from work, uni or college seeming a lifetime away. Though with a new year brings new bands and acts who hope to make their mark on the scene and which will help to consumer some of our lust for new music within 2007.
Scarlet blonde, a duo originally from Sheffield are definitely a band in the underground scene who threaten to do extremely well in 2007. As this year could well be a very exciting time for them. Dawny Vic, (vocals and guitars) and Ditch GBH, (bass, synthesisers and programming), have now lived in London for 3 and a half years and are set to release their self produced debut album, ‘Bedroom superstars’ later this year on there own label entitled Hypermedia recordings, containing some exciting electronic rock based material.
The band becoming just one of the few new artists to release their music by setting up their own record labels, this now becoming an increasingly popular way to start our and this DIY style is certainly benefiting Scarlet Blonde. Through their label there have also set up their own night entitled ‘Scarlet blonde presents’ hosted at the Luminaire in Kilburn, North London every second Friday of the month. ‘We find bands to support us that we think are good, fit our style and most importantly which we like’ remarked Ditch and so far things have gone well. A night worth visiting to check out there music and a couple of bands who aren’t to far behind on the way to getting noticed as well. The talented multi-instrumentalists plan to continue to expand the label by signing other artists once their own album has taken off.
Also a deal to release their music in Europe and the US has also just materialised which also plans to increase the bands underground following as the duo explain, “we’re looking to continue to grow our underground following in America before we release stuff here and looking to tour it sometime soon, we also have some attention in Australia which we’re getting around to attending to as well’. So things are just beginning to happen and ‘bedroom superstars’ is an album worth watching out for in the near future.
The music itself is led by a powerful vocal courtesy of Dawn with some catchy guitar riffs and superb synthesised programming making for a very unique listen which surely will launch the band onto bigger things. Tracks like ’Electric’ and ’Addiction’ just some of the examples of great tracks to listen out for off their debut LP. Though the one thing that will spring to mind when you hear there music is the term ‘nu-rave’, and of which the band, like many music fans are unsure exactly what to categorise the genre as.
“When nu-rave began it was something completely different to some of the bands that are associated with it now and the bands themselves attached to nu-rave vary so much in sound, though if people want to attach us with nu-rave then we’re fine with it’. Their sound is also fairly similar to self confessed kings of nu rave, the Klaxons and undoubtedly if you like their debut then Scarlet Blonde is a band worth getting into. An honest and hard working duo who’s efforts are worth taking a listen to and a name to be remembered through 2007. For more information and a preview of their music, visit their myspace, www.myspace.com/scarletblonde and for information on their night visit www.myspace.com/scarletblondepresents. Definitely a name to remember in 2007.
- Life@Uni
Calling heavily on 70's and 80's synth influenced pop rock, 'Electric' is the new single release from Scarlet BLONDE. It's a melodic retro sounding number that's punchy and infuriatingly infectious.
But, Scarlet BLONDE do it all real style; musicians with instruments rather than just ideas and producers - if you see what I mean. Their music crosses from the mosh-pit to laser-lit dance floor and falls between genres exactly as they intended. With grinding pop sensibility and utilising catchy electro-vibes Scarlet BLONDE will make it happen for a pretty big section of the music buying public.
For me, 'Electric' is a song that needs maximum decibels; it needs to be turned up big time to really get the Scarlet BLONDE message across and to realise its true potential - at low levels it just doesn't work as well!
With their catchy hooks, sing-along choruses and energetic drive, Scarlet BLONDE set out their stall in the opening bars and just then let it rip out at ya! 'Electric' by Scarlet BLONDE is nicely proportioned and solidly performed. I'm not sure how Scarlet BLONDE will fit into the general scheme of things but they're certainly trying to do it in a genuine 'hands-on' way.
Peter J Brown aka toxic pete (www.toxicpete.co.uk)
(Rhythm & Booze rating 7)
- www.toxicpete.co.uk
Discography
Bedroom Superstars- LP, 2007
Bedrom Superstar- single, 2007
Electric, Single 2007
Whenever Whatever Acdi Planet EP 2008
Fuse'd EP 2008
There are Many Black and Whites EP 2008
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
scarlet/blonde is the fusing of the light and dark. Born out of fate, the founder members, Dawn Firth and Ditch, met at age 4 and were always destined to work together. A class photo from back then has the words “Dawn’s boyfriend” inscribed by Dawns father beneath Ditch’s picture- so the chemistry was clearly obvious from day one. In the intervening years, Dawn became a guitar virtuoso by learning every note from every Iron Maiden song alone in her room and picking up String and Guitar Endorsements on the way through her unbelievable, unique, self-taught technique. Ditch travelled and studied, learning about music in all its forms from Dance to Electro to Classical to Metal to Arabic to Jazz. He learned how to record and be recorded and everything else he could pick up from wherever he could learn it. Then, in 2005, after a chance meeting at the party of a mutual friend, it finally happened.
For the next few years the duo worked on and forged a variety of musical styles, searching for their final direction, culminating in the release of ‘Bedroom Superstars’ in 2007. Later in 2007 they began working with Andy ‘Grohl with Soul’ Harvey, a drummer of sublime power and passion and through their edgier live sound the direction they needed to take became obvious. Thunderous grooving drums surround themselves with electronic synth lines, orchestral soundscapes, classical pianos, pounding bass lines, Dawn Firth's faultless, virtuoso Space-Age guitar playing and her incredible voice.
The three piece have just finishing recording their new album, the awesome 'Acerbic...a loose concept' and will be unleashing it and their hungrier, more intense live show on the public in May 2009. Taking from their influences of Muse, Massive Attack, Duran Duran and 'Ray of Light' era Madonna, scarlet/blonde have expanded musically and lyrically. Just on the edge of progressive, the new album is angry, cold, dark and yet cautiously optimistic.
"It can be about something, but we aren't sure what" says Dawn about the new album’s title, "we'd rather people tell us what it’s about than preach. We just realised that lyrically, it could, loosely, fit together into a story"
Watch over the coming months for fan previews and rough cuts from the Album, and see the Scarlet Glow grow darker, louder and impossible to ignore.
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