Invisible Filter – Oxford's brand new music blog

Creating a sound that captures your attention from the first listen, VEI’s striking work contains all the ingredients required to achieve mature pop bliss. The singer is ready to release her new single, ‘Rolling on You Romeo’, out on January 27.

Formulating music that resonates, she merges the bold creativity of Bjork with the joyous pop frivolity of artists like Lenka, Lily Allen and Kate Nash. Through her love of honest music, matched with a pulsating bass and provoking melodies, London’s new sweetheart has hit upon a strikingly unique and winning combination.

Written with, and produced by Mike Chapman and Simon Pilton. 

Scandinavian dance pop stars Rebecca & Fiona have revealed the video for their Christmas single ‘Cold As X-Mas’. It’s out now through Universal and sees the girls battering Christmas presents with baseball bats dressed in sizzling Santa outfits in the streets of Stockholm. 

The single wraps up a hugely successful year for Rebecca & Fiona, which has seen the viral sensations (over 66 MILLION streams on Spotify and counting) tour the world in support of their recently released Party Hard EP, clocking up critical praise across the board from the likes of The Guardian to Wonderland and many more besides.

Those who headed down to the library last Thursday were in for a real treat. Before burying themselves in work and recording a brand new studio album, Little Red bid us farewell with a stellar performance. Leaping between hits old and new, the trio made sure all of us were having a great night.

They open their set with the aura-like ‘The Huntsman’, which doesn’t feel like an explosive entrance, but it’s the summary of what Little Red do stand for.

Even though they play their very best songs from their latest EPs, including ‘The Boxer’, ‘The Garden’ and ‘Black Dog’, this performance is more than just a band recycling old and well-rehearsed tracks; the guitar caresses and grows as ‘Chapters’ moves forward, blooming into the chorus; “Something wicked this way comes.”

Mr. Wolf is the perfect example of their strong songwriting skills and how they can turn a beloved fairytale into a quirky, creepy song that will “follow you for days” after the first time you hear it.

The imagery of their new track ‘Siren Song’, both in the lyrics and the instrumentals, is exceptional. It’s low-key and mellow with a hint of americana. What truly remarkable is that singer Hayley Bell delivers these songs with such an angelic voice and authentic passion, it is impossible to focus on anything but the lyrics as they claim “Come down to the river / Wash away your pride / Vanquish the sweat / And the tears left inside”. The sounds are delicately chosen, they let the listeners peel back all the compiled layers, and by the time they are done, they’ll want to listen to it all over again. But the new album is nowhere in sight yet, oh, well.

Little Red have proved once again that they have style in everything they do. Even though they don’t seem to be breaking out of their comfort zone, their music is nothing but invigoratingly exciting. Last Thursday they allowed us to get lost in our own minds and discover what a flawless performance really looks like.

Sister act Bloom Twins, have unveiled their new single ‘Set Us Free’. The track is another perfect example of their‘dark pop’, offering up haunting dual vocals set against pulsating electro beats.

Talking of the new single, the girls say; "This track we co-wrote with the amazing and talented Fiona Bevan and Max McElligott. It was the first track we wrote after returning from the Ukraine where we got stuck for half a year during the uprising. The track is not political at all, rather a call for freedom, but it was certainly influenced by everything that was happening in the Ukraine and the fact that we couldn't come back to our new home - London”.

To mark the end of the year, the girls have announced a headline show, at London’s Nambucca, following their packed out gig at Birthdays, Dalston, in July.

Indie bandits Who’s Alice? recently recorded a brand new song, ‘Brainface’, which was released on November 27. After playing at the O2 and The Cellar earlier this year, the four-piece band are ready to make an appearance at the Bullingdon on December 5, supporting The Night Cafe and Yves.

‘Brainface’ is easily one of the most engaging releases of 2016, spiked with groovy bass, solid guitar work and consistent vocals. It’s like they tore themselves to pieces and used the best bits to create something refreshingly familiar. Opening with unadorned guitar picking, it immediately sets the pace while the lyrics reflect the story behind the song, effortlessly showcasing the band’s strong points.

The steady vocals work well with every single instrument, making it easy to get lost in the song as it insists, “Well, I really do not have a fucking clue / Because I’m only doing the things that I think that I should do”. And while lines like this one are not necessarily poetic, they remain simple and potent, and conserve a dynamic, self-assured formula.

The experimental bits are almost tangible, yet the whole composition maintains a light playfulness that allows Who’s Alice? to be the best at what they do. ‘Brainface’ will be followed by another track, ‘Forget About Tomorrow’, and a new EP called ‘Onethreefour’ is on the horizon.  

Get tickets for their show on Gigantic.

Newcastle-upon-tyne based indie rock band Lanterns On The Lake started their UK tour on November 21 to promote their new, orchestral live album, out this Friday.

This might be their last tour for a while, and Future Perfect is ready to bring them back to Oxford for a phenomenal and unforgettable show on November 27. Their latest studio album ‘Beings’, released in 2015, is just as dark and sensuous as it is dreamy and captivating. The songs are led by simple strings of bare beats, bold vocals and irresistible atmospheric elements, while delivering a twist of intensely poetic and catchy lyrics.

Support comes from Irish singer-songwriter Ciaran Lavery, who released his second studio album ‘Let Bad In’ earlier this year. He won much critical acclaim for the release of his mini album ‘Sea Legs’and EP ‘Kosher’. The Huffington Post compared him to Bob Dylan and Tom Waits. “Love and loss are universal themes for all of us, especially songwriters but Lavery imbues his music with a sound that stops you in your tracks and demands you to listen.”

Lanterns on the Lake will be performing at the Bullingdon on November 27 — get your tickets here.

King No-One have released their brand new single ‘Alcatraz’, a vibrant, upbeat indie-pop track which hints to the likes of The 1975 and Don Broco. 

Hailing from Yorkshire. the 4-piece have been championed by various radio DJs including Huw Stephens (BBC Radio 1), Steve Lamacq (BBC 6 Music), Dermot O’Leary (BBC Radio 2), Dan O’Connell (Radio X) and Tom Robinson (BBC 6 Music), and last year their track ‘Constellations’ was added to BBC Radio 1’s Best of BBC Introducing List 2015. ‘Alcatraz’ follows their previous single ‘Halo’.

They’re also an ace live band who were chosen to support Embrace on two sold-out UK tours and have played a number of festivals including Reading & Leeds, The Great Escape, Live At Leeds, Dot-To-Dot plus headlined a Club NME show at KOKO in Camden.

They’ve recently sold-out their own UK headline tour and will be back on the road this December due to high demand for a second headline run. 

London-based Richard Walters visited his hometown on October 27. His set included older hits such as ‘Young Folks’ and ‘King of Leaves’, he also performed several songs from his recently released studio album, ‘A.M.’.

The stripped-off quality of Walters’ performance, topped by his fragile and tender voice, gave the set a haunting and alluring style. The poignant lyrics of ‘U’ and emotive aesthetics of the title track ‘A.M.’ created the perfect atmosphere: the songs skilfully grew in volume and left us in comfortable silence as they ended. Their stirring intricacy felt heavy – as if the room was filled with imponderable winter air, where the act of breathing seemed impossible.

The jokes he offered in-between songs were accepted, his anecdotes made the audience forget about the heartbreaking nature of the tunes, and they were hungry to hear more, to explore every scarred yet delicate bit.

His last song ‘Awards Night’ left me in quite an emotional shock for he wrote it about Elliott Smith’s Oscar performance. The singer was nominated for an Academy Award back in 1998 and lost to Céline Dion. ‘If you know Elliott Smith,’ Richard said, ‘then you understand that he didn’t belong to the Oscars.’ The way he conjured him up was almost palpable, unobstrusive and gentle guitar-picking merged with his exquisite voice, blazing like fire.

After the successful fundraising campaign for ‘A.M.’, he’s ready to get back to work again. He’s already planning to release another album in March.

Released through Dirty 38 Records ahead of a nationwide UK tour in November, it embodies the raw, honest and captivating energy that any truly great rock anthem should; the song wears its heart on its sleeve with every belted line and every screech of the guitar.

“This song came out of such an organic place, and rings true with all of us – there is an underlying sense of freedom and release in this track that we all felt when we recorded it in the studio... and that same feeling is present every single time we play it live – it's a no bullshit record!” says frontman Jamie Beale.

Recorded live and produced by the band in an old theatre, the song is a potent taste of the bands upcoming debut album scheduled to be released in Summer, 2017.

“Recording our music live is important to us as our live shows are always chaotic, we wanted to capture that energy on record by just setting up in a room and making some noise without being tied down to a metronome! ” explains guitarist Tom Cory.

Bare Knuckle Parade will be touring throughout the UK in November.

Oxford outfit Haze have recently released their second, home-produced EP, ‘Digital Fulfillment’ which contains eight upbeat tracks. It kicks you right in the throat with the first song ‘Baggy’, that summons the aesthetics of quality pop punk from the late nineties, which accompanies you on the whole journey.

There are no crazy solos, just straight-up, steady guitar work and harmonised beats. The EP overall has got a quick pace with a few slower songs thrown in, like ‘Bent’ and my personal favourite ‘Park’ – which was crafted with care and compassionate love. It welcomes the inspection of different sounds and synths, whilst they also managed to pack a lot of emotion with heavy lyrical content into this album.

Since releasing the EP on 16th September, Haze have supported Rat Boy at the O2 Academy Oxford, received airplay on BBC Introducing Oxford and been featured as 'Demo Of The Month' in Nightshift Magazine.

With “Awards Night”, Richard Walters takes a step back from the grand production of preceding single “U” and delivers a song full of raw honesty and restrained beauty. Inspired by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith’s surreal 1998 Oscars performance, where Smith was to perform “Miss Misery” from Good Will Hunting, nominated for Best Original Song, but he lost to Celine Dion. “Awards Night” is sung from the imagined perspective of the late Smith.

Richard Walters: “I was a huge, totally besotted Elliott Smith fan in my teens and I remember him playing at the Oscars so clearly...even at the age of 16 I could see it was an unnatural, out of the ordinary event. In an interview afterwards he said he couldn’t imagine being part of that world, but ‘it was fun to walk around on the moon for a day,’, which I thought was an incredible way to look at it. It struck me that for so many people something like the Oscars would be their biggest moment, this massive mainstream thing that anyone can understand and gauge as success...and there’s this indie musician having to play the role for one night.”

Opening with a discordant orchestra that sets the scene of a grand performance hall preparing for the titled awards ceremony, the song is led by a string of bare piano bars and Walters’ slightly wavering, but nevertheless, bold vocal as he steels himself for the event. Although inspired by Elliott Smith’s Oscars experience, on closer inspection the lyrics could be read as a sceptic commentary on the entertainment and music industry: “This is a war between my body and my heart; this is a war between integrity and art.” Throughout the lo-fi recording, and even as additional atmospheric elements come into play, it’s pure emotion that resonates.

Last month, the Oxford-born artist released “U”, the lead single from his upcoming and highly anticipated fourth album A.M. Produced by rising Londoner Aidan O’Brien (Ider, Cass Lowe), the track hurtles from lush, warm pianos to gigantic, earth-shaking rhythms and stirring strings within the space of four minutes. With an unashamedly pop and emotional outlook, ‘U’ marked an exciting return for Walters and was warmly received by The Revue, Variance Magazine, Little Indie Blogs, Impose Magazine, All Things Go and many other reputable blogs, as well as featuring on Spotify UK’s New Music Friday playlist.

Discovered by Radiohead’s Courtyard management at the age of 19, in 2009 Walters released his David Kosten-produced debut, “The Animal”, to critical acclaim. At the time, The Guardian’s Paul Lester wrote: "Richard Walters is good. Really Good...Finally a male singer-songwriter that I actually enjoy!" Since then Walters has released two further full-length albums and several EPs, each a progression in sound and style. Walters has also become a much in-demand co-writer and collaborator, working with a truly eclectic mixture of artists in recent years, including British pop icon Alison Moyet, Rachel Goswell of shoegaze legends Slowdive, Grammy award winning singer-songwriter Joe Henry, German house DJ Solomun and even poet & novelist Simon Armitage, as part of a new spoken-word project called LYR.

Oxford-based singer Cameron AG recently released his latest song ‘Heroes’, a catchy and electric indie pop track that grows on you instantly. Its main, driving force is Cameron’s sharp, yet comforting voice that makes the song flow with ease. 

Oxfordshire artist Kid Kin is set to release his new single ‘Masterclash’ on October 3rd. The track will be available on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and Bandcamp as well. 

‘Masterclash’ is a meticulously woven alt-rock instrumental track with a rigorous and dreamy quality which feels almost hypnotic. It has taken 18 months to finish the recording, which had over 50 different instruments in the final mix. 

Upcoming tour dates:

Sept 25 - Swindon - Baila Coffee and Vinyl

Oct 6 - Bristol - Stag and hounds

Oct 7 - Chester - Live Rooms

Oct 8 - Liverpool - Maguire's Pizza Bar

Oct 14 - Oxford - What Became of Us Festival, The Bullingdon

Oct 15 - Manchester - A Carefully Planned Festival

Nov 13 - London - Old Blue Last 

Nov 24 - Oxford - The Library

London-based production company Villager have worked with critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter Richard Walters to create a Stranger Things fuelled new video for his latest release “U”. The music video charts a travelling salesman’s escape from his tedious life into an imaginary world of love, showbiz and game shows.

“The song seemed to me to be about longing,” says Matt Cooper, director and one of three founders of Villager. “To that end, I imagined a cinematic, narrative-led story, colliding the “Fifty Shades of Beige” drudgery of the character’s life with vibrant, blinding surrealism of what he was chasing. I was interested to explore what would happen if our character who had nothing was given everything he wanted. Like Stranger Things, I wanted to shortcut the logical, and by harking back to a kind of nostalgic aesthetic, with the colours and textures of 80’s sci-fi, create a beautiful concoction of the bizarre and the recognisable."

“U” manages to be both delicate yet soaring, concise yet epic, and combines Walters’ ethereal vocal with an irresistible melodic hook. Produced by rising Londoner Aidan O’Brien (Ider, Cass Lowe), the track hurtles from lush, warm pianos to gigantic, earth-shaking rhythms and stirring strings within the space of four minutes. It’s unashamedly pop and emotional, and ultimately is an exciting return. 

Back in 2009, at the time of his debut album, The Guardian’s Paul Lester wrote "Richard Walters is good. Really Good...Finally a male singer-songwriter that I actually enjoy!" Since then Walters has released two further full-length albums and several EPs, each a progression in sound and style. In 2013 he quietly announced that he would be taking a break from the solo game to concentrate on a collaborative project called Liu Bei.

The upcoming release of A.M follows a frenetic two years for Walters, with Liu Bei releasing three critically acclaimed singles and touring alongside the likes of Dry the River, Gengahr and Communion signees Banfi throughout 2014 and 2015. Walters has also become a much in demand co-writer and collaborator, working with a truly eclectic mixture of artists including British pop legend Alison Moyet, million-selling Finnish cello-led metal band Apocalyptica, superstar German house DJ Solomun and even poet & novelist Simon Armitage CBE.

London based newcomers M O S E S released their debut single ‘Leave Leave Leave’ on September 7th via Crosstown Recordings. Comprised of front-man Victor (a Bucharest native), long haired South Korean guitarist Juno, bassist Zakk (a genuine East Londoner) and County Tyrone-born drummer Matt, the music of M O S E S is destined to become a crucial soundtrack for 2016’s prescient indie generation, with ‘Leave Leave Leave’ being their first call to arms.

Over the coming months you’ll have every opportunity to see M O S E S in the environment in which the flourish most – in front of an audience. Lead by the angelic, charismatic Victor, they’ll be playing support to The Enemy and Jimmy Eat World on their upcoming tours, as well as appearing at the Hackney Wonderland Festival and playing headline shows in London and Brighton.

Upcoming UK Shows: September

7th - Bush Hall, London (w/ Jimmy Eat World)

8th - Islington Assembly Hall, London (w/ Jimmy Eat World)

16th - Tooting Tram, London (John Kennedy ‘Remedy’ Night)

23rd - The Black Heart, London

24th - Academy, Newcastle (w/ The Enemy)

30th - The Green Door, Brighton

October:

14th - Club NME @ Koko, London

15th - Hackney Wonderland, London

November

2nd - The Monarch, London (Camden Rocks Presents)

OASIS guru Alan McGee is teaming up with local bands in Oxfordshire as part of his new campaign against homelessness. The music mogul launched a new nationwide campaign called Musicians Against Homelessness earlier this year to raise funds for the homeless charity Crisis. 

Bands here in Oxfordshire have rallied to the cause. Kanadia, Sleepers’ Dome, Slate Hearts & Wolfs will play an MAH fund-raising concert at The Wheatsheaf Oxford on 1st October 2016. 

Alan McGee said: “I am delighted that bands of this calibre want to be part of this campaign. The support in Oxfordshire has been tremendous and inspiring and it’s fantastic to see so many come forward to take part. Although our primary concern is to combat the scourge of homelessness it is vital that the MAH gigs also give up-and-coming bands a chance to play to larger audiences.” 

Gigs will take place over a three week period between 18 September and 9th October. They are all endorsed by Alan McGee and will be open to all bands and venues who’d like to get involved in their local area. McGee, who formed Creation Records and manages bands including Black Grape and The Jesus & Mary Chain, said: “We are trying to build a new wave of opportunities for young bands.” 

Local organiser Terri Bonham-Samuels from Gets Louder said: “We are delighted to have the fantastic Kanadia headline our event. They will be supported by three more very talented local bands; Sleepers’ Dome (featuring members of local teen band The Aureate Act), grunge rockers Slate Hearts and pop rock duo Wolfs. All bands will be playing for free to support the event.” 

Oxford treasure NEVERLND are going away for a while since some of the band members are heading off to uni, and they made sure to go out with a bang.

The Bullingdon is packed by the time GLASS finish their set and the crowd is mildly rioting for Neverlnd. The band’s style has changed a lot over the past year; it has grown and taken a new shape which affects their older songs as well. Yet they sound like a well-oiled machine as they kick off their set with the fan favourite ‘Cutout’ that radiates contagious energy and captivates the audience’s attention.

It’s easy to get lost in the atmosphere of the songs, especially one of their newest, the frenetic ‘Neighbours’ that makes you forget about your surroundings and commands you to sing along. The groovy tunes and the warm simplicity of the lyrics “Let’s do something I don’t expect / Or a conversation I don’t wanna forget” make the whole song irresistible.

Since it’s the night to say goodbye, they present the almost classic ‘No’, and then slow down a bit with their yet-to-be-released ballad ‘Easy’. Even if you are not familiar with their new stuff, they do a tremendous job at making you feel included.

They perform a couple of older songs including ‘The Only One’, and the last lines of the well-known and loved ‘Aberration’ has the whole crowd cheering and singing along. “I wanna see your eyes / I wanna see your eyes / I can run but I cannot hide” will always have a special place in my heart.

Another gem of their collection, the annoyingly vibrant and frustratingly catchy ‘We Don’t Talk Like We Used To’ is up next. Here, unadorned lyrics collide with hypnotic and playful tunes until the smooth fusion of crunching drums and gentle riffs wraps the song up.

‘My Heart Away’ feels as if it is still in experimental phase and leaves some to be desired. But it is nearly impossible not to enjoy it, as each member possesses charisma and charm on stage, which happens to remind me of an awkward night last year: I attended a gig where the singers kept asking the audience to clap to the rhythm and sing along, yet no one did. Neverlnd have never had this problem. The sense of community amongst the guys and the fans is truly special; they sing their hearts out and lose their minds as the drummer, Otto stands up during ‘Where Do I Start’ and alongside Robin he encourages the audience to clap.

Even though they are exhausted, they return to play one last song, ‘Tundra’, and front-man Thomas Roberts declares that they are not going away forever.

They are expected to be back in January, until then we have a night to remember. This show, from start to finish, from stellar vocals to explosive pop moments, was the perfect amount of intimate.