Secret Sirens
Leeds, England, United Kingdom | SELF
Music
Press
Secret Sirens take to the stage just as the room reaches its fullest. Tonight the band are debuting the video for their debut single 'Black Heart' which proves to be the strongest song of their set accompanied by a impressive video granted their low budget.
The track perfectly demonstrates the bands gift for tempo change and hooky chorus which pervade the set. There is no denying Secret Sirens talent, they sound like a band who have been playing together for years and their songs are some of the most commercially accessible seen on the 360 Club stage.
Frontwoman Narelle is captivating channelling pop-sirens like Florence Welch and Kate Bush throughout and her vocal delivery is undeniably diverse and powerful.
Leeds Music Scene - Leeds Music Scene
The introduction to this sultry piece from Leeds group Secret Sirens could quite easily be the next Bond theme. It’s big, it’s ambitious, and it’s got that infamous theme tune bassline. It’s a grand piece accompanied by some finger-breaking piano, and then the vocals kick in, where it becomes less of a Bond theme and more of a mesmerising journey through hard rock-tinged pop.
To say this piece is bursting with tension is to say that the Grand Canyon is a crack in the ground. This is a three minute piece of music that simply picks you up and refuses to put you down until such time that it feels is justified. *That* bass line continues throughout, but it’s the strength of lead singer Narelle Francis’ voice that really creates the atmosphere. Strong yet on the hinges of being broken, she conveys a scene of a focused woman on a dangerous prowl exceptionally well. She doesn’t snarl as much as she yearns for acceptance as this story immortalised in song continues to its conclusion.
“I can’t stop following you” isn’t delivered as a promise of harmless celeb-spotting. It’s a mindset. It’s an obsession. Apparently it’s her favourite one. Loosely based on a real-life experience Narelle has had herself, its classical piano, heavy guitars and twinkling percussion on top of the hit-em-till-they-break drums should be a total mismatch, but it slots together perfectly.
Put simply, this is a stonking way to spend three minutes of your life. The only annoyance during which comes through a random spot of electric, distorted guitar during the dying seconds which seems to have absolutely no bearing to the whole of the rest of the track. However, aside from this it’s truly excellent, well produced, mature and truly conveys the emotional aspect of being a celebrity stalker. Probably.
It could be worse of course. There’s always Twitter. You get followed all over the place there.
My Favourite Obsessions is out now on iTunes. - Stereoboard.com
Please read review on the link - St Helena Independant
Opening with highly theatrical, throbbing piano chords and pounding drums that are so ambitious they sound like they were recorded in a cathedral, one could be excused for thinking they were being ushered into the latest rock opera.
But no, this is the two track single from Secret Sirens; 'Black Heart'.
After the theatrics subside the powerful vocals of Narelle Frances are revealed, whose strong yet distinctly feminine tone, crafts a scene of an impassioned Austen heroine beating her heart out on the Yorkshire Moors over an indifferent lover.
Distinct parallels can be made the the likes of Evanescence, in terms of strong voiced females, and also more pleasingly with the bold percussion a nod to Bat for Lashes. Consequently 'Black Heart' is not a wholly fresh sound but instead a revival of one from a few years back, however catching the audience with less overblown electric guitars and more punchy and imaginative percussion.
Anyone who is anyone has a remix or 'rerub' these days and Secret Sirens are no different. The second version of 'Black Heart' has a more energetic beat yet lacks the dramatic drums and atmosphere of the original track.
Secret Sirens have managed to bring back strong, dramatic, feminine power and with this ambitious, but very well accomplished offering, it will surely not be the last we hear from this talented two-some.
- No Title Magazine
Black Heart, is Secret Sirens debut single, due for release on the 6th September. The Leeds based pop duo of Andrew Siron and Narelle Frances, have managed to produce a tense and progressive pop track, which is both dark and catchy in equal measure.
The first track of the single, the radio edit starts with huge, screaming electric guitar notes and thumping drum skins, before Narelle’s wonderful vocals open up over the plodding keyboards. The track rises and falls throughout, musically and vocally, shifting the depth, tempo and volume, from subtle to huge and back again.
This is more than a pop song, the musical excellence and atmosphere the track creates with the wonderful musical craft of Andrew Siron takes the track way beyond the norm and Narelle’svocal range, flows over the musical arrangements, amplifying the already huge sound and delivering the equally large and emotion laced lyrics, with the energy and emotion that they require. - Stereoboard.com
Pounding drums, soaring guitars and smooth synth melodies; Secret Sirens' new single ‘Black Heart’ could almost be nu-rave’s older sister. Gone are the days of pre-teen glowstick extravaganzas instead replaced with what sounds like Biffy Clyro and Muse having a bare-knuckle fistfight with the Eurythmics and Florence. In outer space.
Black Heart takes all the elements of a perfect song; simple enough to be catchy, yet massive enough to sound at home in a James Cameron movie; Secret Sirens have the effortless ability to make a basic chord progression into an apocalyptic soundtrack all the while being as infectious as hepatitis. As things take a step down in the verses, a beautiful vocal melody spins a forlorn tale of love-turned-sour before breaking back into a huge, minor key infested chorus.
With a polished sound and fist-pumping chorus that’s perfect for the festival season, Black Heart should make its way onto any music fan’s must-listen list - The Leeds Scenester
Our Band Of The Week, is a feature designed to promote the wonderful unsigned and indie label talent on offer in the UK right now.
The first group in this series are the fantastic unsigned Yorkshire act Secret Sirens.
Secret Sirens are a Leeds based pop duo, who produce a unique sound which can only be described as dramatic pop. Narelle Frances's wonderful vocal talent and ability with a keyboard, coupled with Andrew Siron's ability with just about every musical instrument known to man, particularly the drums, provide an extremely unique and diverse sound which delivers pop music with attitude and huge quality.
The group use musicians, Natasha Williams, Stu Turner and Michael Crawford to compliment their sound when playing live. Something that the group do so well that they have so far caused quite a stir on the Leeds gig circuit.
The group have the release of their new single, 'Black Heart', coming out on the 6th September, which will be available from iTunes and they will have an album out around the New Year.
In the mean time, they continue to work hard, spending most weekends when they are not gigging, recording at the Soundmill Studio in Leeds.
Secret Sirens are a band that deserve all the acclaim they are currently receiving and I am positive we will be hearing a lot more from this group in the not too distant future. - Stereoboard.com
Discography
Album:
Favourite Obsessions - (released 17th October 2011)
Singles:
Black Heart - (released September 2010)
My Favourite Obsession - (released June 2011)
Radio airplay:
* BBC network (BBC Introducing shows)
* Kerrang unsigned show
* Fresh Unsigned
* Leeds Indie Radio
* Variety of internet and unsigned radio shows
Photos
Bio
‘Secret Sirens’ is a Pop music project created by singer/songwriter/keyboardist Narelle Frances and multi-instrumentalist and music visionary Andrew Siron.
Based in Leeds, the duo write and produce their music to capture images of fantasy, mythology, love and hate in the form of what has been described as ‘Dramatic Pop’.
“I never knew what genre to describe our music as, I just knew we wanted it to be dramatic, with a large soundscape, touch on people’s emotions, and generally create catchy pop songs in some shape or form” explains Narelle, front woman of Secret Sirens.
Narelle is Yorkshire born, but with exotic roots from her maternal grandmother who hails from a rather tiny and unknown island in the South Atlantic Ocean called St Helena. It has approximately 5000 inhabitants, they first received TV in 1995 and Napoleon was extradited there. “I’ve been inspired by my grandmother’s life and where she came from in a lot of my songwriting, in fact most of my family and friends are my sources of inspiration - they just don’t know it!”.
Andrew Siron (also Yorkshire born) is one the tallest musicians you will ever probably meet, standing at a mighty 6ft 6” with a surname that partly inspires the name ‘Secret Sirens’. “We wanted something musical and linked with Greek mythology, and liked the idea of ‘Sirens that sweetly sing’. There’s also the added bonus of it being a slight spelling variation of my surname!”.
The duo have worked together previously and between them have had some indie chart success and some Top 10 remixes of their tracks in the Commercial Club Charts in various musical past lives. They’ve performed at designer Karen Millen’s house above a swimming pool for her Christmas party (“a bit dangerous”) and have performed alongside the likes of Corinne Bailey Rae, Mica Paris, The View, The Pigeon Detectives, You Me At Six and Goldie Lookin’ Chain. Narelle has recently provided backing vocals for Rob Harvey from ‘The Music’ who has been in the studio writing material and working with 'The Streets'.
Secret Sirens released their first single ‘Black Heart’ at the end of 2010 as a ‘taster’ and is available to download on iTunes and Amazon. The track has received radio play across the BBC network, Kerrang, numerous Internet radio stations as well as Liverpool football ground; receiving positive reviews all round.
Their debut music video for ‘Black Heart’ is currently in the final stages of production and will be showcased on the BBC big screens in the Yorkshire region, along with Sky music channels and Online. Secret Sirens are also set to release their debut album in October 2011 via their own label Juniper Tree Records and will be available in CD format as well as digital download.
The duo both state they are inspired by so many artists such as David Bowie, The Beatles, Elton John & Prince, however admit their music doesn’t necessarily sound like the people that inspire them. “We love the fact it’s just two of us creating all the noise and drama” explains Andrew.
They like Grimm Brothers Fairytales and all things mystical. Narelle claims she watches too many soaps and true life documentaries which quite often inspires her creativity - “after all there’s nowt queerer than folk.”
Secret Sirens are Northern for sure, but their roots are not just set in the beautiful sweeping landscapes of Yorkshire. Their music takes you on an imaginary exploration around the world and deep within your mind and heart...
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