Zed Motel

The pride and terror of Swansea, Zed Motel deliver a brooding, cinematic slow-burner that sounds like something that might accompany a bloody hotel murder scene in 1994. If grunge was this sexy way-back-when, we'd all still be wearing flannel. - Classic Rock Magazine

“Scratched” is the new stand alone single from Swansea based Alt-Rock trio Zed Motel and it’s totally worth stopping by for a listen! I’ve been watching the band develop over the past couple of years and it’s safe to say they have now comfortably settled in to their particularly cool style of Rock and/or Roll.

The track opens with its thick guitar punches, very reminiscent of the song “Robot Rock” by Daft Punk. This draws you in with intrigue, especially with the double harmony “Ooh-ooh-ooh” vocals from lead singer Katie Skilton and backing vocals from lead guitarist Chris Noir.

Katie’s vocals soar over this solid Rock track with a smooth flow of distinct intricacy. It harks back to the early vocal styling of artists such as: The Runaways or Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, but with an almost White Stripes-eque instrumental backing.

The sweet vocals bounce off of the nasty electrical guitar fuzz with a nice contrast. This song is one for drummer Jonathan Williams to shine on. Out of all the drummers I’m come across over the years, he most likely holds the crown for the most powerful that I have ever witnessed! You can feel each thump, thud and whack of the drum kit, which I’m sure was barely left standing after they finished the recording process.

There is a Thrashy-Grunge feel to the chorus as well as its squealing guitar bends & licks from Chris Noir, giving the song a slick modern edge. The sound is still very dominant for a 3-piece that don’t utilise a bass guitarist I will admit.

I went to see the band play in Swansea last week and they are currently playing from strength to strength at the moment. The whole set was an Alt-Rock wet dream for lovers of bands such as: Death From Above 1979, The Dead Weather and Queens Of The Stone Age. They’ve got a few gigs coming up soon, go and catch them while you can and of course check out this bitchin’ new single - Sound Board Magazine

Single review.
Artist : Zed Motel
Title : Hammerhead (26.02.21)
A welcome return for Chris Noir's darker musical musings alongside bandmates Katie Skilton & Jonno Williams. The James Weaver produced 'Hammerhead' pounds along with a relentless riff punctuated by Katie's vocals - sometimes with shades of Chris in the background to add emphasis. Jonno's extra loud snare (if you know you know) drives this one into the stratosphere where it fuses with Chris' guitar to bring it crashing back down to Earth. If only we could see them live.........won't be long now ! - Welsh Connections

Zed Motel are a Two-piece from Swansea who wear their influences on their sleeves at all times. This is 70’s style, bluesy, heavy rock. It sounds somewhere in between Black Sabbath’s earliest work, and Monster Magnet at their best. The single, Tie Dye is a slab of unapologetic retro rock, and any fans on that classic sound will eat this up.

B-side, ‘New Pony’ is again very Sabbathy, down and dirty with a Sweetleaf/War-Pigs vibe. All along though, it’s homage and inspiration rather than derivation.

If you like classic heavy rock, listen to this! - Metal Gods