80 – The Hidden Revolution (England)

79 – The See See (England)

78 – The Recusants (England)

77 – Rise Against (USA)

76 – Gaoler’s Daughter (England)

75 – The Prettiest Meltdown (USA)

74 – Running the Risk (USA)

Backfire by Running the Risk

73 – 100 Monkeys (USA)

72 – Lickspittle (England)

71 – Alphabet Backwards (England)

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Gaoler's Daughter | St. Peter

There is no mistaking the distinctive sound of Gaoler’s Daughter and St. Peter refreshes the mind as to why they are a band who should be gaining far more exposure.

The unmistakeable voice of John Sterry, reverberates from the speakers, as the highly effective guitar bounces playfully against well tempered percussion. St. Peter finds the band in a perhaps a more commercial frame of mind, as dance beats pulsate my darkened room. I think this adds nicely to the repertoire and is a neat little release which will remind the fans and those searching for emerging bands exactly what makes Gaoler’s Daughter a band worth getting to know. For some reason that reminds me, I must find out if John is still traipsing up from Brighton…

Find out more about Gaoler’s Daughter.

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Gaoler's Daughter

This was certainly a gig of two halves, the first half of which was extremely disappointing. The band started off with a few new songs which they were clearly quite nervous about and this led to a wave of awkwardness around the room. This was typified by a large, empty semi-circle in front of the band where it seemed no-one wanted to stand.

Their front-man, John Sterry, carried the band with his charismatic presence but the remaining band members were glued-to-the-spot. Fair play to the guys as they stuck it out and as they changed instruments and moved on to songs they were more familiar with the gig improved. This prompted onlookers to start moving and get more involved.

The Relentless Garage is an ideal place for small bands like Gaoler’s Daughter to showcase themselves to a few hundred people, but drink prices were slightly extortionate, as a result the night was very dry.

I would strongly disagree with their self proclamation of being a “band that defies categorization …a genre-bending sound, free from boundaries, that is unlike anything you’ll have heard before”. They sound good, but as is always expected they are, obviously, an amalgamation of different influences which include, in my opinion; the Strokes, the Drums and you can almost hear a stolen lyrical tempo and chord sequence in the Sun Coming Up from the Libertines single Time for Heroes.

The pick of the bunch definitely had to be the tantalizingly indie song Angry Eyes which requires a Mandolin and has an interesting and upbeat rhythm with a hint of reggae, coupled with some Latino inspired riffs mid-way through. This particular performance was no awe inspiring but they are good for what they are; an up and coming band of likely lads.

Thanks for the review John and thanks to Ben from Gaoler’s Daughter for organising the ticket.

In the mean time they are busy laying down tracks for their forthcoming Album

Gaoler's Daughter

The four track EP Rhyme and Treason finds Gaoler’s Daughter developing greater resonance to their sound.

While I was listening to Shark in a Sink, I found myself floating off in to the world of psychedelia, before a reverberation of tempo change slanted the track towards a more reggae beat, prior to heading off to some classic Rock, before depositing me back to the 21st Century. In just under four minutes of music, the band manage to interpret a huge range of musical styles to great effect, avoiding the pitfall of music by committee.

Angry Eyes, has the band back in the more familiar territory of The only way to travel, with reggae influences to the fore. An arena in which Gaoler’s Daughter excel.

Gaoler’s Daughter | Angry Eyes

Famous Green Dress, is with-out doubt my favourite track on the EP. Heavy syncopated bass, high pitched vibrato guitar and superb vocal has the band in superb form. The 4:20 of the track are over all too quickly for me.

Anyone is the lightest track on the EP, I don’t mean light as in lacking value, but light as in up-tempo. It still holds the signature guitar and drum sound of the band, but seems to take a more light hearted approach. I enjoy the depth of Gaoler’s Daughter and whilst this is a well crafted and delivered piece of music, it doesn’t sit on my radar as ‘core’ material,

You may have noticed the image above references a new album. Gaoler’s Daughter are currently looking for fan support to help with the funding of their new album and as of writing there are only 45 days left to help with the funding.

Be great if you could take a moment to look at the project and even if you don’t pledge yourself, perhaps you know of a friend who can help these guys.

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360 Degree Music

Roundhouse is one of those iconic venues and in recent months has undergone a few changes. I would only say of the bar… what is it with my fixation with venues bars… don’t go there for the beer. The music venue itself is superb, with a decent stage area, floor and great acoustics and as readers of the website will know my other oh so important grading of a venue is the ability to park nearby, right outside was pretty handy.

My night became slightly surreal when one of the bouncers recognized me from god knows how many decades ago when I was with my band.

First up was, Charlie Wallis, who is not on the label, an acoustic soloist from Southend.

Charlie Wallis

Charlie is a capable guitarist and song-writer, who has made a great start to his career and has evidently already garnered a loyal following.

Next up came Mozzy Green, who I hadn’t seen before. A duet which comprise as central instruments Cello and Guitar. Their experimental folksy style was a hugely enjoyable set.

Mozzy Green

Ben is an intense musician on stage as he poured heart and soul in to the performance. This was superbly matched by Anna on Cello, who bowed and picked her way through the atmospheric programme.

I had the chance to catch up with both Anna and Ben after the showcase and was struck by the absolute delight they found in the appreciation of their performance by the audience. I am planning to get to see them in Cambridge in June and will get a review of Mozzy Green in between now and then.

Gaoler’s Daughter took to the stage next and I was reminded again why I enjoy watching them live so much.

Gaoler's Daughter by G Mcgrath

Watching Ben battle with his drum-hit is entertainment in itself, I lost count of the number of times, due to the absolute passion and power in his drumming, the set moved a good foot across the floor, only to be brought back to face battle again for the following song. How he manages to maintain the tempo and power while his drum set wanders around the stage I don’t know. My abiding image of that particular set was Ben disappearing as the smoke machine technician found the maximum power button, but failed to find the off button. While the band played on, including Ben, all that was visible of his physical presence were reflections from the cymbals glinting in the light.

That kind of makes it seem like a one man band and they are far from it. These are a hugely talented group of musicians, I have commented before on the trance Alex appears to disappear in to as he finds finger splitting chord changes, while Alfie has the knack of creating room for his pounding bass lines. John on vocals strikes a great visual focus for the band as his vocal brings the whole of the band together in a powerful whirlwind of creativity.

By now the audience numbers had begun to swell considerably and a continual wave of dancing broke out across the venue.

It was good to see them again and I am looking forward to their next release which is due out in June.

To round off the night were Krakatoa, who I last saw back in November at the start of their UK tour with Alabama 3. They have come along in strides since then. The confidence in their performance has become self evident, which has let them become far more relaxed and in a set which mixed in many new tunes, they played as a really tight outfit.

Krakatoa

They are a band who I would love to hear on an 8 track recording release as the essence of the band to me lies absolutely in the raw honesty which comes though in the energy of a live performance.

Once again the smoke technician got a little excited with his buttons and JoshB disappeared with his drum-kit for a while. Jacko and JoshS on guitar play superbly off each other, while Andrew on Bass manages the tempo changes with hairsplitting accuracy. Darien is not only a great vocalist, he is also a pretty mean mouth organ and harmonica player.

I found myself drawn back to echos of The Kinks, kicked in to Clash territory and then transported in to ska. The audience were in a party mood and Krakatoa played to their audience superbly.

It was a great night and good to catch up with the guys from Krakatoa and Gaoler’s Daughter again.

Thanks for the invite Laurence and Stuart.

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Gaoler's Daughter in Birmingham by G Mcgrath

Huge chart changes for the week and a passing of some history, for the first time since September 2009, The Drums are out of the top ten.

Band of the week chart 20th March 2010

1. Gaoler’s Daughter England (+6 places)
2. Fez England/Wales (unchanged)
3. Let Her Dive Italy (new entry)

07 – LETHERDIVE – Laika (feat. G.Mod) by letherdive

4. Elephantom USA (- 3 places)
5. The Gadsens England (re-entry)
6. Coin Greece (new-entry)
7. The XX England (re-entry)
8. The Heartbreaks England (- 4 places)

‘Liar, My Dear’ – The Heartbreaks from Tambourine Management on Vimeo.

9. Reader’s Wives Ireland (+1 place)



10. Bombay Bicycle Club England (re-entry)
    

Gaoler’s Daughter are riding high in the charts as they continue to garner a wider home based audience, which is being picked up by a more global audience. Their mix of powerful drum and bass with spirited guitar is a blend which gels well with the readers of the website.

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Gaolers Daughter EP Launch 1.12.09 by Jacqui Sadler

17th January 7:00pm Stroll On at The Old Queen’s Head @ 44 Essex Road Islington

22nd January Shock Treatment @ 333, Old Street, London

28th January 8:00pm Koukee Maloukes @ 115 Upper Street London

6th February 8:30pm Carwash @ Club Aquarium – 256-264 Old St.

18th February 9:00pm BPAUT with Chapter 24 @ Red Lion, Twickenham

19th February King Monkey @ The Miller, London, SE1

27th February 8:00pm Nick Connett’s Birthday Party @ Bar Mondo, Dartford

For more on Gaoler’s Daughter including a review of their recent appearance at Flowerpot in Camden and a review of the debut EP – The only way to travel.

Gaoler's Daughter

The guys who make up the band are a really good bunch of hard working and dedicated musicians, who obviously enjoy their craft and are dedicated to music, this comes out both in their attitude and evident pleasure in playing live.

The good things about bands like Gaoler’s Daughter, is that genuinely like meeting their fan-base and were busy talking to various people around the venue, when a few taps on the shoulder and they appeared on stage. With no effort they launched in to their opening track, Boomerang Boy, which is taken from their upcoming EP.

These are highly competent musicians, who work superbly together. It is always good to get a chance to see a band live, as the structure of a band is much more evident in live performance and the music is always fresher to my ears. By the end of Boomerang Boy the crowd was completely in to the evening.

I had enjoyed the EP versions of From Russia with Love and Jumbo Jet, but in performance they take on an extra dimension. Many drummers can appear slightly lost behind their drum kit, but with Gaoler’s Daughter, Ben is an integral part of the band, and unusually works closely with the lead guitar, rather than just through the bass, as he dictates the pace of the set. Watching Alex, who appears to be lost in a world of his own as he gets his guitar to sing is an absolute delight, yet don’t be deluded by that appearance, the whole band is tightly focused.

Halfway through the set I was that engrossed, I took another chance to look round the venue and even the far reaches at the back, people were craning their necks to see the band and there was a swaying motion among the audience. With a superb reggae number, Man at Gate 9, Alfie on bass kept up a great rhythm and the dancers in the audience broke out in full force.

John had the crowd in hs hands throughout the set with his distinctive voice and strong stage presence and as he announced the final song for the evening, there was a palpable feeling of disappointment, that it was almost over.

The final song for the set, Bad News, taken from the new EP left me feeling that Gaoler’s Daughter have plenty in the tanks and should be around for some time to come. Their disparate influences and undoubted creative abilities, make them a band well worth seeing live and listening to on recorded output.

I had a chance to talk to all of the guys for quite a long time, which I really appreciate, if you get to see them on their upcoming tour, I will get the dates up pretty soon, I would recommend it, failing that, failing to get your hands on the soon to be released Alchemy EP would be a sin.

I was intrigued how a band made up of experienced musicians with strong opinions could ever manage to agree on anything. It works because these guys believe in what they are doing and do get on well together and I was struck with the respect they had for what each of them brought to the band.

With talk of a European tour coming up in the not too distant future, Gaoler’s Daughter deserve a great year as they continue to plough a furrow that is their own.

Thanks to all the guys for taking the time out to chat and even taking my phone call in the middle of preparing for the set that night. Keep doing what you are doing.

For more on Gaoler’s Daughter, including a review of their most recent EP follow the link

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Gaolers Daughter By Ben Clarke

Band of the week: Top 10. Saturday 28th November 2009.

1. Gaoler’s Daughter UK (new entry)
2. Krakatoa UK (+ 1 places)
3. The Drums USA  (+ 6 places)
4. Ashdowne UK (new entry)
5. Reader’s Wives Ireland (-1 place)
6. The Gadsdens UK (- 4 places)
7. Beloved Rogue USA (new entry)
8. Florida USA (new entry)
9. Rajasthan Roots India (+ 1 place)
10. Mono Stereo Sweden (- 3 places)

Gaoler’s Daughter, who have set out not be constrained by any one musical genre, have just released a new EP *. and start a supporting series of gigs, are likely to gain higher prominence in the near term. Can they emulate The Drums, who have now been in the top ten band of the week chart for the past nine weeks?

* if you purchase through the link Indie Bands Blog will earn a commission.

Gaoler's Daughter - The Only Way To Travel

Opening with picked guitar supporting the distinctive voice of John Sterry, quietly the drums are picked up and heard tapping in the back-ground as the band gradually pick up the pace and volume, until the superb hopping beat takes us on the flight that is Jumbo Jet.

From Russia With Love is a reflection of the death of Alexander Litvinenko. With a superb piece of lyrical writing Gaoler’s Daughter succeed in telling the story from a biographical perspective. Some great guitar work brings the whole atmosphere of the song together.

Clown and Out Blues reminds me of Ian Dury, with a great reggae influence. The off-beat construction, is a sound I always enjoy, relying on strong bass playing.

Sister on the Stairs is the fastest piece, combining rock with the high guitar pick, which is the trademark of the band. On this track, the drums come to prominence, as the sounds drift towards African Kwala beat.

A great EP and again here is the link *

Thanks to Laurence, from 360dgm who passed me over a pre-release CD.

For more on Gaoler’s Daughter

* links to are ones from which the Indie bands blog will earn revenue if you make a purchase.