The Climb

The Climb are a popular girl-fronted rock band currently based in Devon. Andrea has the voice of a rock angel and she is accompanied by some of the finest musicians currently performing. A haunting quality manifests within their songs and one is left with the distinctly hypnotic feel of longing for an album release...

It really has been a long time since a sound as unique as that produced by The Climb was presented to the public. I’ve listened to seven tracks and I am at a loss to claim that any of them are the same as their predecessor. The band obviously put a lot of thought and detail into their music. Added to that is the band’s obvious gift which flows through each and every one of the musicians. Never underestimate the power of such a creative gift. The rhythms and beats produced by The Climb already have this reviewer in a spin of toe-tapping enjoyment and it will only be a matter of time before the rest of the world joins the movement.

I can only imagine how tough and frustrating it must be for a band this talented and edging towards genius, not to be instantly signed up by a record company. Record companies often can’t see the woods for the trees. One only has to remember how many decades a certain record company has been kicking itself for not signing The Beatles...

The lyrics are inspired, the band play together as a unit and support each other with their talents. This is the best band I have seen this year. - Marty Drury

Exeter based four-piece The Climb consisting of Andrea Barber (Vocal, Guitar, Songwriter), Peter Firth (Drums), Duane Pearson (Bass) and Andy Wood (Lead Guitar), have supported bands such as Crackout, Jetplane Landing and The Datsuns, have had their songs included in various compilations, and have played all over the UK. They sent me their EP to see what I'd make of their particular blend of pop-rock...

'Colourful Thoughts' starts off the EP with an energetic blast of head-bopping music and sweet vocals. The chorus is catchy and the lyrics "are you losing your mind to those colourful thoughts?" really stick in your mind. This is a very strong song; a good way to start the EP. Next up is 'No Goodbye', which I think is the best song on the CD. It has a more sinister feel to it, but still using the light vocals of Andrea Barber, which creates an unsettling atmosphere. The lyrics "she hurts to breathe, she breathes to cry, she cries because there's no goodbye" describes the mood of the song, later on adding the lines "she needs to leave, she wants to die." The dark music mixed with the light vocals really does create something special here.

Track three is 'Lose Control'. It is pretty different compared to the first two tracks, as it's a smooth-flowing, laid back song with some nice harmonies, and it's nice to hear some variety. Track four is 'Pure Effect'; I'd say this is the weakest track on the album, as the other songs are so much more catchy and immediately appealing. However, that doesn't make 'Pure Effect' a bad song, in fact the vocals are quite beautifully haunting.

The last track on the EP, 'Floor', is a faster paced song, with a good head-bopping beat and funky music. The melodies are catchy and the lyrics "might as well have come here on my own" show the kind of mood the band were going for in this track. The melodies from this song really do stick in your mind, and I think it's a good way of rounding off the EP.

Overall, this is an impressive EP with some pretty catchy tunes. The music is great but it's the smooth, light vocals that set this band apart from the rest. For more information, check out www.soundclick.com/TheClimb.
- Jess Coleman

THE CLIMB
Exeter-based The Climb present a female-fronted indie/rock sound, which has great potential amongst today's pop. The songs have great lyrical qualities and the emotions are strongly portrayed. The Climb have been doing the live band circuit in the West Country for some time, with quite a fan-following that's building all the time. Check them out if you get chance. - Olympic Radio

While asserting the likes of Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Feeder and Muse are from where The Climb take their cues, thus seemingly sticking their flag firmly into the planet grunge, it is remarkable just how little of their heroes' sounds they actually come to emulate on this short and sweet three-tracker. Pitched somewhere between racy garage punk and pop sprinkled Brit-pop, they are far more refreshing and unobtrusive than their hackneyed collection of emo-grunge idols would suggest. And although top track No Goodbye may capture a portion of sweet guitar melancholia from our aforementioned yokel friends Muse, it does, thankfully, salvage us from the cursedly audacious and terrible Bellamy histrionics to deliver a far breezier, jazzier denouement. Embodying admirable elements from rock's last decade - swelling guitars and speedy pop-meets-punk rhythms - the uniquely taut and harmonious female fronting sits comfortably against this backdrop to round off what is some pretty impressive listening.
Amy McGill - The List (local magazine)

I made a mistake when listening to this album for the first time. I left the volume down too low. Oh, and I should have been driving at the time. This is perfect driving music. Which leads me to another thought – if Blondie, Fleetwood Mac and The Sundays had a car crash and got their members all mixed up, is this the sound that they would have produced? You’ve got the driving beats of Blondie, the poetic lyrics of Mac and the sailing vocals of The Sundays.

Surely this goes to produce a great album? In a word, yes. The album shows a great variation between songs. It begins by diving straight into ‘Floor’; Andrea’s sailing vocals drift gently over a low down, stripped down rock beat, where the phased guitar parts drive straight through the sound. The sound changes then in songs such as ‘Lose Control,’ which takes the stripped rock sound to a more melodic level.

The two songs that really grabbed my attention were the rolling ‘Shades Of Grey’ and the introspective ‘Days Like These’. ‘Shades of Grey’ sounds like a song that Fleetwood Mac should have released but never did and ‘Days Like These’ shows the band’s softer side – the song reminds you of warm summer afternoons with its lazy guitar runs, pulsing bass line and beautiful lyrics. Even though I’ve compared The Climb to Fleetwood Mac, Blondie and The Sundays, it must be said that they have a sound all of their own that takes all of their influences, which include such bands as Ash and The Foo Fighters, to a new level.

Certainly, they’ve had time to cultivate and nurture their sound and the end product is pretty good indeed. It’s also good to see a rock band with a female vocalist, something that seems to be lacking from unsigned bands of late. So, if you get a copy of this album, go do the following: - shove it in your car - turn it up loud - enjoy it Because you will.

J - 40,000 Volts Show, Radio Freeway
www.thevoltsshow.com/reviews.asp - J - Radio Freeway

"I liked the choice of topic in 'Who Shot Lana Clarkson?' It's very disturbing how few songs these days are actually about anything. It's a pretty good track, too --- not perfect, but interesting and catchy and worth sitting all the way through."
Paul Gambaccini, DJ

"Love the EP, they're all good songs... You've clearly learned your trade, tight well played music and well crafted songs... I'm telling people to go and buy it! You have a fan."
The Weasel - Radio Caroline DJ

"I can understand why your mates can't believe you're not gracing magazine covers etc... The playing is great, the songs are strong..."
David Sheppard, journalist, Q/Mojo

“The Climb are an ambitious rock band with the tunes to match. The female-fronted four-piece have built up a strong following and profile in the SouthWest and much further afield through their great songs, tight live performances and sheer determination.”
Loneshark - live music promoter - Quotes