The Blue Hearts
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The Blue Hearts

Brighton, England, United Kingdom | INDIE

Brighton, England, United Kingdom | INDIE
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"Mojo review"

A sparky and stylish slice of UK country-rock, full of urgency and passion
- Mojo


"Americana review"

The Blue Hearts is the band that their home town of Brighton can be proud of, instead of averting its eyes from the electronic histrionics of Mr. Slim, it can now glory in the rich, velvety tales offered up by Dark Side Of Town. Although I've never been to Brighton, I find it hard to believe that its genteel reputation conceals the seamier side of life, so brilliantly and vividly portrayed here by The Blue Hearts. But from wherever the tales have sprung, they are intriguing and wonderfully atmospheric. The band is fronted by singer Bob Powell, a man with voice so rich, textured and laced with menace that a simple hello must seem like a portent of doom. Given that on Dark Side Of Town all the hearts are broken and the flowers wilted, comparisons with Cave and Cohen are understandable, valid and not at all over-flattering, The Blue Hearts reach the same depths as their illustrious fellow-travellers. But the growing suspicion is that there is a collective twinkle in the eye of the band, paradoxically it is first hinted at on Downhearted, surely nothing can be as bad or bleak as this song suggests. The smell of irony wafts through. Dark Side Of Town is built on the raw talent of its creators rather than clever construction. It is a back to basics album that revels in the absence of slick production. Mother Of Faith is a country song with a substantial amount of flesh on its bones, its both dark and solid. Neither The Blue Hearts nor Dark Side Of Town slot easily into any recognised pigeonhole. It hovers somewhere between gothic country and rock but what it does have is an irrepressible spark that keeps you listening and listening
- Michael Mee - Americana UK (Aug 5, 2005)


"Fallyrag review"

Jukebox of Maladies is the new album from The Blue Hearts and is being launched nationally on the 21st of October. Alongside a new line-up, the band are also showcasing a brand new sound, citing influences as diverse as Kasabian and The Doors, a real step up from the beats of their first album Lullaby for the Lost.

The sound has been dubbed ‘Neon Rock’ and with good reason. While they retain much of the classic rock rhythms, with established pop hooks and provocative lyrics, they manage to weave in some ethereal harmonies that add great depth to their sound. Yet, unlike so many contemporary groups that attempt to create the great new genre, The Blue Hearts have lost nothing of what makes a classic song and, consequentially, a well crafted album.

Opening the album is Silver Dollar Girl, in many respects it could fit easily into The Doors classic Morrison’s Hotel album, yet the driving rhythm is broken up by pop-esque interludes that, no doubt, make it perfect for today’s radio play. The title track, Jukebox of Maladies, features some classy bass lines and a dreamy, whacked out guitar play that gives it the air of a summer psychedelic rock classic. Lead vocalist, Bob Powell, has a great, driving power in his voice that he manipulates wonderfully on Ballad of a Bad Boy. Though my personal favourite track is Snake Oil Sam – a real gritty and dirty track that any bluesman would be moodily proud of.

Rock n’ roll for the modern age, well needed and divinely delivered. For more information on The Blue Hearts, and I heartily recommend checking them out and getting the new album once it’s released on the 21st of October, please visit their website: http://www.bluehearts.co.uk

- Rob Dickins - FallyRag (Aug 31, 2010)


"Pure Rawk Review"

This is the kind of thing you could only find under a flickering neon light down a back street somewhere. You might just have the time of your life, or you may be dead before the night is over, but either way, you’ve just got to go in…

If you like your American blues, alt country and the dark parts of Mr J Cash, then this is for you. If you’re looking for Tammy Wynette, you’re in the wrong bar, son

- Pure Rawk (Oct 30, 2010)


"Fatea review"

"Country streaked psychobilly (Silver Dollar Girl, Velvet Prison), twangy desert reverb guitar country (When You Shine Down,

The One Who Loves), keening pedal steel and voice soaring ballads (You Never Let Me Bleed) and dirty blues (Jukebox of Maladies, Snake Oil Sam)

with a splodge of alt-country psychedelia on top (A Dying Star)" - Roots & Branches



" 'Jukebox Of Maladies' packs a lot into the eleven tracks.

It's a full blooded sound with bucketloads of drive and all those great rock 'n' roll themes"

- Fatea (Oct 2, 2010)


"Uberrock review"

South Coast neon rock purveyors The Blue Hearts have delivered an album choc full of seedy late night inner city lounge rock. The more I listened to this album the better it got. I found myself warming to the 'Jukebox Of Maladies' with all its 50's and 60's guitar licks, especially 'Velvet Prison', but as the album wore on the better the tracks got. 'The Wagon Rolls' is a great song as is 'Snake Oil Sam' but the best track on offer would be the lap steel lament of 'You Never Let Me Bleed', coming across like Chuck Prophet jamming with the Bad Seeds with some great playing. 'Ballad Of A Bad Boy' reminds me of Mozzer's band when they get nasty with some great lyrics to boot.


All in all a surprisingly decent effort and one that crept up on me - check it out you might just surprise yourself with some Neon Rock!

- Dom Daley - uberrock.co.uk (Aug 23, 2010)


"Sunshine FM review"

Johnny Cash jamming with The Clash in Nashville. I love the album..its certain to be in the top 30 rock albums of the year on my show.

- Jeff Collins (DJ Rock Show) - Jeff Collins, Sunshine FM (Aug 24, 2010)


"Source Review"

Beefy rock rhythms snake around a catchy pop sensibility, with accomplished performance delivered by all. Genuinely good songs. The sonic achievement is usually reserved for international names. Definitely worth checking out

- Nick Coquet - The Source (Oct 4, 2010)


"Metalville review"

"Place together Elvis and Iggy in a lift and add Hank Marvin in the corner and you’re somewhere near but with a sweet female backing voice and good use of violins as a bonus on reaching the top floor"

- Metalville (Jan 2, 2011)


"Maverick Review"

“An album with slick, soulful and dirty tunes, definitely one to get excited about”

- Charlotte Bones - Maverick magazine (Oct 2, 2010)


"Mark Lamarr - BBC Radio 2 (Jan 8, 2011)"

This is another track from The Blue Hearts who I've been playing almost mercilessly over the last month or so

- BBC Radio 2


"Not a Girlie Band"

In an age of girlie bands to be suddenly confronted with agit pop reggae rock seems ludicrous. But this is real fun and the messages are woven into the fabric of what are in fact very clever pop songs. John Fitz, the singer punches the lyrics across with charisma, and the syncopated rhythm is literally drummed into your feet by the fantastic pace and invention of drummer Norman Marsh and Mike Fitz on bass. John Wilkinson adds the washes of sound and the whole thing just hums along. Favourite track for me is "The Only One I See is me"... (my God, what a great song!) and the final track 'Roxy Plays The Wild Card" had my radio glands going. If this lot don't make the year something to remember no one will. Buy it.
Steve Maz 1999
- TimeOut London '99


"US Ain't Ready for This..."

Welcome to America boys- I don't know if this will do much here but it should. Not since the days of The Clash have I heard such well-crafted commercial polico-pop. While the songs are messages, they also made me smile. Android seems to be about falling in love with metal women, while Reggae on the Radio (surely a number 1 hit) takes us to the streets of London for a journey in a police car. Maybe America will still keep twanging on country guitars but there might just be enough to launch this on a sleepy generation of kids. Join the party now and get a ride into town.
AL Riccola 1999
- City Noise


Discography

Band Discography: 1993 Single Delirious - 3 tracks
1995 Album Lullaby For The Lost - 14 tracks
1995 Single Hearts About To Break - 3 tracks
1997 Single A Thousand Stars - 3 tracks
2001 Album No More Long Goodbyes - 12 tracks
2003 Single Everyone Wants To Dance With My Girl - 3 mixes 2005 Album Dark Side Of Town 10 tracks
2010 Album Jukebox Of Maladies - 11 Tracks.

All tracks are streaming on Last FM, Spotify, MOG and many Internet stations as well as playlisted on national and local radio.

CD's and tracks are available Amazon, HMV as well as CDBaby.com and as a download from all good quality sites such as iTunes

Photos

Bio

We wanted a new sound and a new style, so we took everything that we'd ever played, from Punk to Psychobilly, Rock n Roll to Glam, and spent long hours hammering out our new music and then recording it for our latest album 'Jukebox Of Maladies'. Our influences were Cash, Reed, Strummer, Cohen and Bolan and whole lot more. When we were done it didn't sound like anyone else, it sounded like our favourite places: honky tonks and speakeasies, bars that are enticing and dangerous, full of people who love live music, we dubbed it neon rock.
So what about our live shows? Whether you were at the 100 club in London, or at the Stadfest in Germany you would've experienced the same thing. Bob is in the audience, dancing with the crowd, the band are rocking out wondering when he’s going to climb back on the stage. It’s getting late but no-one cares, the crowd won’t let the band go. Mark’s getting ready to hit them with another stunning solo from his ’63 fender jazzmaster pumping out of a 60’s fender super reverb, waves of Sue’s electric violin crash over the audience, Will is taking the drum kit to places it was never supposed to go, Torquil’s merciless bass lines are keeping it all powered up while Randy is making sure the rhythm stays tight, danceable and energised. Like a loaded gun, the band’s backing vocalists are ready, waiting to fire up another killer chorus. This is real, this is rock ’n’ roll. And when the last song is done beer bottles are banging on tables, people are shouting for more...

"The Blue Hearts" are about delivering energy - the energy of real rock music. Our new sound is a kaleidoscope of brash rock n roll tones mixed with provocative lyrics set in hard rock pop-esque tunes, a whirlwind of electric violin and technicolor neon rock guitar. We are about writing songs with a long shelf life. Songs that touch you, and take you to places that are off main street. You can hear the sound from a block away. When you walk in, you know this is where you’ve always wanted to be, the stairs are crowded, the bar 5 deep, it's hot and its full of people who love music, the kind of music that got us all buying records in the first place, rooted in honky-tonks and speakeasies from Memphis to London, dangerous, listenable, rebellious and loaded with dark promise.

We've been together for twenty+ years, gigging, writing and recording. We've changed the format and the line up a few times on the way. In that time we have produced and released 4 albums, 3 singles and played countless gigs. We have worked with Jools Holland, and Kirsty McColl, and as Geoff Martin, the Vp of our current label 'Militant' says, It's a pleasure to work with a band that have more than paid their dues'

Band members come from a long legacy of UK bands. Will played drums with Wreckless Eric, Mark was the lead guitarist with Bone Orchard, Randy played bass with The Papers and The Piranhas, Sue played violin with Pookiesnackenburger, Bob was the lead singer with URU, and there were many others.

The band are prolific songwriters and have a big picture attitude; featured at European festivals in Germany and Holland, they plan to continue gigging widely. Already writing new tracks towards a 5th album. Appearances at gigs and festivals in 2012 are being scheduled and the band have a growing international following.

Book the band, buy the CD, sign up on the web site. Easy!
love to you all x

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