Sunday 24th June 07 - The Sonic Hearts at Lamp Words and Pictures By Michelle Dee Photo-editing by Robert Hodgins

Photograph Gallery   Red Night Strip Gallery,   Kalels Cape Gallery ,   The Sonic Hearts Gallery 1 ,   Gallery 2 .

Just lately I've found myself down at the Lamp checking out the very different range of artists performing there. Tonight was a pleasant surprise; one new band The Sonic Hearts. Another reformed, with a new name in Kalels Cape and one with two new members and new songs, Red Night Strip. I'll start with Red Night Strip www.myspace.com/rednitestrip As most strips fall to rack and ruin, the Red Night variety continues to rise above the rest. Two new line-up additions in the drums and bass guitar department. New songs may have a nod or more to some of the more popular chindie acts ligging at Glastonbury t'other weekend, but remain highly entertaining and open.

Red Night Strip rouse a likely crowd with songs old and new, the song Straight Out of Soho being a standout tune and the audience participation on Pandora serves to unite the mixed group. By the time the band breaks into Why the atmosphere has almost turned raucous and rebellious. This final number, borne out of a jam session days before, may well prove a perfect encore tune in weeks and months to come. Encores from the strip are a must.

So to a new act that are already creating a buzz around the local media and have won the chance to play Guildfest this year. Kal-els Cape www.myspace.com/kalelscape1 (Superman ref: for all you movie buffs) Out of the dying lights of The Brilliance, Kal-els Cape has risen like a phoenix giving Shane McMurray and his latest creation a new lease of life. Early on the new guitarist shows flamboyant flair, and sweet easy grooving bass lines set up the first two sing along numbers.

The four piece band, mine the seam of indie/pop that will no doubt garner them many fans, as their anthems, to be, grow in stature. With a step away from the old, a drum sequence has me happily looking on. A broken string during the set doesn't snuff out Shane's energy out front as more guitar drama unfolds. It's been a while, but now the songs are coming together and offering something new, we will see if Kal-els Cape really does fly.

Headliners tonight The Sonic Hearts www.myspace.com/thesonichearts hail from Liverpool and they are quite possibly the best UTI band this year (at time of writing I hadn't yet witnessed Amy Macdonald) Their sound evokes the days of Bob Dylan and The Band and the Americana folk rock days of the sixties and mid seventies. The Sonic Hearts are blazing a trail getting back to real songs and song writing. A move away from the limited shelf life of three minute Indie tunes.

Strong vocals from Sean Francis Butler with a Liverpudlian twang and guitar sit alongside more melodic sections of soul filled vox from Kirsty Donaldson and occasional flute refrains. Organ filled country styled songs mix with more upbeat folk rock as more musical gems are played in an intimate setting. The track Catherine Wheel usually an acoustic number is given the electric treatment and proves memorable. More songs flow that evokes the magic days of sixties rock n roll dipping into florid ground, but what blossoms is exciting, original and free. The sweetly sung Honey leaves the crowd shouting for more. After the gig, I managed to get a few words with The Sonic Hearts.

Sean and Kirsty were playing within the country acoustic genre for about 3 to 4 months when they realised there was a definite musical spark; a natural coming together of talent. Later on they acquired Anthony Rowan (bass) and John Sealey (keys and vocals)from the band The Cuckolds. For the last eighteen months the band has been touring the country almost continuously. They played many of the showcase gigs up and down the country only returning to Liverpool to play sell out home-coming shows. The band admit to nearly getting fired by their regular jobs because the touring schedule took them away from their workplaces so often.

They are currently in the middle of a second tour with Air Traffic ( click link to /music07/lamp/403124958_michelle07feb07.html ) The band said it felt amazing to get signed to EMI after being part of some screamingly good gigs. They were glad to give up those day jobs to become professional musicians. Sean explained that the songs explored feelings of guilt, rejection and embracing those feelings then balancing them with extreme opposites of elation and depression. The rest of the band bring their own diverse talents and instruments to produce well crafted songs during prolific jamming sessions.

The band emphasise the importance of good songs, real tunes and melodies, not just a series of hooks and fills. They are filled with a new energy and approach which could see the big labels turning away from the limited appeal of the latest tightly trouser-ed hopefuls and bringing craftsmanship back into music. The Sonic Hearts are to appear at Latitude Festival 13th July and on the Electric Gardens main stage 5th August. The Sonic Hearts have an as yet untitled album in the pipeline, meanwhile new single Hold On is out on the 16th July get a free download when you sign up to the mailing list at www.thesonichearts/download Or get the The Sonic Hearts on your mobile Text SONIC to 84477 to get the download on your mobile and regular updates.

The photograph galleries for this article were prepared by Robert Hodgins, a student at Henry Cooper School in Hull. This work was done as a project while on Work Experience placement at thisisUll.com. Link: Sir Henry Cooper School website www.sirhenrycooper.hull.sch.uk/

Photographs courtesy and Copyright ©  Michelle Dee 2007

Photograph Gallery   Red Night Strip Gallery,   Kalels Cape Gallery ,   The Sonic Hearts Gallery 1 ,   Gallery 2 .

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