The 48k’s got in touch with Mods Of Your Generation to help promote their debut album ‘Every Whisper Has a Voice’ once I heard the excellent story telling lyrics I happily obliged. It was a pleasure to listen too and another great opportunity to promote great music performed by a great band.
Already the album has had glowing reviews as they are on their way to dominate the rock scene in Doncaster and i am sure the rest of the UK. The rock n roll band formed in 2008 and released their first full-length album (Detour Records) on June 29th 2019. Songs from the debut album are extensively played on radio as their music pay homage to the bands that i have inspired them. Indie bands including Ocean colour Scene and Cast and more. Their familiar but unique take with modern living lyrics, driving guitar riffs and unparalleled harmonies, The 48k’s have produced their own unique brand of music. The 48k’s focus on live music and have performed at prestigious venues such as the Leadmill, in Sheffield, The Dome, Doncaster, and the Cavern Club Liverpool. They have also shared stages with Cast, Ocean Colour Scene, Space, The View, Reverend and the Makers, and The Hoosiers. Lead singer, Ryan Lightfoot, has also performed acoustically with John Power, Tom Hingley and Chris Helme, to name just a few.
Listen to the new album here.
READ MORE BELOW
Introduce the band & explain how the band got together?
Ryan : Acoustic guitar, vocals
Steve : lead guitar, vocals
Pete : rhythm guitar, vocals
Jase : Bass guitar
Tilly : Drums, Percussion, Vocals.
We have been together for about ten years but had various line up changes but the one constant has been Steve and I. We 'd known each other when we'd been in other bands on the Doncaster music scene so when our bands broke up we decided to start a new one together. Tilly was our original drummer but he left then returned. Jase had played various gigs for us as a session guitarist and bassist when we needed him so it was natural for him to join permanently when our bassist departed. Pete was the missing piece of the jigsaw joining in May 2018 after our guitarist left and he really gave the band fresh impetus and enthusiasm that kick started our revival which has led to our album which we believe is our best work to date.
You have released your new album “Every Whisper has a voice” what has people’s reaction been to it?
Our album "Every Whisper Has a Voice" was released in June 2019 on Detour Records and the public response has been phenomenal. We have been overwhelmed by the reaction from everyone who has heard it. The majority of the album was recorded and mixed at Vibe stidios in Manchester by Dean Glover. Dean did a fantastic job of really bringing the songs to life. Vibe is owned by Martin Coogan of The Mock Turtles. The acoustic songs on the album were recorded at Murdoch Studios in Doncaster and Alex Murdoch also gave the songs that vulnerability that they needed which contrasts nicely with the rest of the album.
The plan was to make an album we could be proud of and try to not to have any fillers. We wanted every song to be a potential single which in hindsight is probably why it took so long to record and release. The result though is exactly what we wanted and the responses we have received make it all worthwhile.
It seems everyone we speak to have varied takes on their favourites on the album which is exactly what we wanted.
" Very impressive! Great song writing, production, musicianship. Lush harmonies. Sounds great. Quite a Liverpool sound dare I say, the La's, The Coral. Overall, broad appeal I'd say. Good luck with it. I'm sure it will be well received. All the best mate👍"
Martin Coogan
What’s your favourite tracks from the new album and how does it compare to previous tracks?
It's difficult to say what my favourite song off the album is as it changes on a daily basis. Steve and I have written together for years now and really complement each other. I would probably say "Days" and "I Want Everything" are my current favourites but like I say it might be "Don't Let Go" or 'Heart of The Matter" on another.
How does it compare to the older stuff? Well i do think we have some cracking tunes that are on spotify from various recordings and demos. There is a collection of our songs on a kind of demo compilation 'For Every Day A Memory". Unfortunately i don't think the recordings do the songs justice. You will find we still play a lot of them in our live set. Songs like "Lead The Way", "It Can't Be Me " and "The Fortune Teller" have been rejuvenated and given a new lease of life.
The New album is now on Sale at HMV in Doncaster. That must be awesome?
Being in a band has loads of ups and downs but being told that the album we worked so hard on is being stocked in HMV is amazing.
We worked so hard and are immensely proud of it. To see our faces staring back at ourselves in HMV on posters is a bit surreal and its funny how people seem to treat you a little bit differently. It definitely gives you a bit more clout and they take you a little more seriously.
You have performed at many notable venues across the UK, Tell me about some of them & the artists you have supported?
We have played and gigged all over the place and we are always pleased to add new places to play and explore new towns and cities.
We have had some brilliant support slots over the years that gives you a taste of what it could be like if you could give up your day job and live the dream of life in a band.
The gigs that stick in my memory tend to be the bigger ones. We have played Doncaster Dome a few times supporting The Enemy, Reverend and The Makers and The View. We have supported Cast a few times at Cleethorpes and Lincoln Engine Shed. I really enjoyed that venue and would love to return. We have supported Space, The Hoosiers, Babybird, Tom Hingley, John Power, Mark Morris, Chris Helme and countless others. We have been lucky enough to share the stage with some big acts on various festivals such as The Askern Music Festival, Mosborough music festival and various scooter rallies with all being amazing.
The gigs that stand out for me though are when we supported From The Jam at The Leadmill in Sheffield. The Lead mill was a kind of dream to play for me having watched so many legends like The La's, The Verve etc perform there. The fact we were we were well received was an added bonus.
We were lucky enough to play The Cavern in Liverpool this year and with us all being Beatles fanatics was amazing.
Our Doncaster gigs are always special, and we are lucky enough to have great venues such as The Leopard and The Hall Cross who continue to provide the platform for local acts to perform on.
There are loads of places we hold very dearly as you always have a great crowd. We love Maida Vale at Sheffield and often return to places where you are guaranteed a fantastic sound and are well looked after by Steve and his team. I also loved The Waterloo Bar in Blackpool. Gaz and his team are doing a great job there and that is somewhere we'd love to return to. There is so much time and effort that goes into these events it really is crucial to support the live music scene and visit your local venues especially as so many have closed or under the threat of closure.
Who are your musical influences?
With five of us in the band we have a few varied influences which have shaped the way we sound which you might be able to pick up on the album.
I am lucky enough to have been brought up with the influences of my parent's Mick and Margaret's musical taste. Both are massive Beatles fans and i can remember playing the Red and Blue Albums to death and albums like Rubber Soul, Revolver and Abbey Road blowing my mind. My Mum loves motown and my Dad loved his heavier stuff like Deep Purple and Wishbone Ash so there was always music in the house that i absorbed.
My influences are obviously The Beatles, The Kinks, The Who, The Jam, The Specials, The Housemartins, The Stone Roses, The La', Oasis, The Beautiful South,Ocean Colour Scene, Cast. Hooks and melody always do it for me and The Beatles were the masters.
Steve is very similar to me in the fact his parents have been massive influences on his musical taste. He is obviously a Beatles nut but he gets a lot of his love of guitar music from his Dad, Bill. ( Bill is also a talented guitarist so you can see where he gets it from!).Bands like Thin Lizzy and Quo right down to Sabbath and The Eagles. His favourite band and biggest influences are Ocean Colour Scene and Steve Cradock which you may hear echoes off in big riffs or deft guitar work on the album. For me, Steve is the best guitarist in Donny and probably Yorkshire. He defines our sound and knows his way round a good hook and melody.
Tilly again is a Beatles fan but probably edges a bit more towards The Kinks.His Dad, Pete is also a drummer so our very Ringo is all singing and all dancing. Also he can pen and sing a tune if you listen to "Memory Lane" on the album . Tilly is into similar stuff to me really so 60's stuff through to 90s Britpop. The Beatles theme runs quite a bit through our songs and influences . Not too many bands have four singers!.We tend to get a surprised look every time we ask for four mics at gigs!
Pete is the harmony king. He loves The Beatles but also loves a singer songwriter. His love of melody and harmony is also evident. He loves The Eagles and Crosby, Stills and Nash. When Steve or I fetch a new tune down to rehearsal, Pete will already have a two, three or even a four part harmony sorted after a few listens! The man is obsessed! Pete is the glue that holds us all together and it is no coincidence the bands fortunes and live performances have increased since his arrival.Also he is a bit of a troubador with his acoustic sets which again is how he met the band.
Jase is the quiet one of the band. He is defintely our John Entwhistle. He quietly stands at the side letting his bass speak for him. He plays the bass like a lead guitar. His influences are a bit heavier than ours. He loves Metallica and Guns 'N Roses, Alice Cooper and AC DC and most 70s and 80s rock.He does love a bit of Bryan Adams too.He loves the Who too so we let him off on the Bryan Adams thing . We haven't quite got him into The Beatles yet but it is a work in progress...
What is next for the band and what can we look forward to?
We have started laying down a few demos for a new album so hopefully by this time next year we should have a new one for you. We are pretty excited about it and we are really pleased with how the tunes are progressing. It is also a massive bonus that Pete is feeling more confident and getting involved with the writing and Tilly has a few bits and bobs he is working on. Steve and I have quite a few new ones too so its all coming along nicely.
We are busy gigging as always. We love it and a good chance to test people's reactions to the new tunes.
GIGS
Sat 28th Sept : Hemsworth Mining Club
Sat 12th Oct : HMV Doncaster in store gig.
Fri 18th Oct :Maida Vale, Sheffield
Fri 8th Nov : The Hall Cross, Doncaster
Sat 21st Dec : The Leopard, Doncaster
Mon 23rd Dec : The Hilton Hotel, Doncaster (private function)
Sat 1st Feb 2020 , Brentwood venue tbc with the Sha la las.
Fri 21st Mar :Philadelphia WMC - MIND charity Gig
Sat 22nd Mar: Guildford March of The Mods
Sat 28th Mar : Hartlepool March of The Mods afternoon gig
Sat 28th Mar : Morecambe March of The Mods eve gig
May 2020 The Cavern, Liverpool IPO festival date tbc
Fri 28th Aug : Brighton Mod weekender tbc
We are always booking gigs so get in touch if you want us at your town/city/venue/ festival.
Describe the bands sound & style?
Hmm a tough one that. Nobody is able to pin us down to a certain sound or influence. We seem to have been embraced by the mod scene but all we try to do is write good tunes and hope people like them. There are obviously influences there in little bits or hooks but as long as people like what they hear then its all good.
"A little indie. A little mod. A Little Rock n Roll"
Edwyn Collins
"Sounds like The Who mixed with The La's. Top tunes"
Tom Clarke, The Enemy
How do you approach writing your music?
Writing songs always starts individually. You need that initial idea or spark to ignite it.
Steve and I write pretty much in the same way. We write maybe a verse, or a verse and a chorus then take it to rehearsal and say "What do you think of this? ". I always go on gut reactions so sometimes I’m a bit of a bastard to Steve when he fetches tunes down. If I'm not keen i will tell him straight away. We both do the same, so we know where we are. We might both like a verse or a chorus so we will keep that, and both try to come up with something better. I always have the question " Would i buy it? " as a general rule. We work well together. I write my bits he does his. Sometimes i like the whole tune but not the lyrics so I re-write them. Sometimes i don't need to change anything. Steve takes my ideas and turns them into proper songs.
Then the rest of the lads get involved. Pete with the harmonies and intricate guitar to complement Steve's melodies, Tilly with the back beat and percussion and Jase with killer bass lines. Without all of these ingredients it just wouldn't work.
Steve and I encourage the other lads to write and we go through the same process in order to maximise the song. We all have the same goal at the end of the day, so any creative ideas and criticisms are never personal. It worked well so far so no need to change it. What i will say is that Steve is a brilliant song writer with great ideas, but we need each other to make the most of them. The guitar hooks, melodies etc are genius in my opinion. It's up to the rest of the band to showcase them in the right way. Personally, I don't think we are doing a bad job, but the beauty of music is that everyone is entitled to an opinion once you put it out there.
What can people expect from a 48k’s gig?
Gigs to me are where the magic happens. There is no better feeling than playing live and people singing your songs back to you. To be fair a lot of them know the words better than me.
We are blessed to have the best fans in the world. It is one big family. You realise people are spending their wages to travel and see you, so it is your job to put on a good show. If you come to a gig on your own, you will be welcomed with open arms.
I mean we have loyal fans. Andy and Marie from Hemsworth way travel to most gigs and only picked up on us from watching us support The Gents the other year. Carl from Cambridge, Mick and Carole from Hartlepool, Andy from Barnsley, Stu and Joanne Garland, The Taylors from Bolton, Joe and Vicky and The Chesterfield crew and many more that i will be told off for not mentioning.
Not forgetting the Donny legends led by the most enthusiastic supporter of ours Mr Richard Mangham who will shout from the roof tops about how much he believes in us. Constantly sharing posts, banging on about us in the boozers and on the Terraces. Harry, Denise, Mick Batty and Si Golding. Our ever-suffering wives/ girlfriend’s families etc.
The gigs are where it happens. All these people together singing along and having a blast. All with their own little stories about where they first saw us or their favourite song. Memories mobile phones can capture but can never replicate the feeling of being there in that moment.
Where would you like to see the band in the future and what would you like to accomplish?
Where we go from here is anyone's guess? New album, more gigs, some decent support gigs. Anything is possible.
A bit more exposure would be nice too. We have sent songs to various radio stations etc and not even had the courtesy of a reply which is why we appreciate groups such as yourself for spreading the word. The word of mouth is our best seller so we will continue to plug away.
Do you have a message for all your followers and potential fans?
We fully appreciate the support we have received so cheers to everyone who has come to a gig, bought or downloaded a cd. Please continue to do so. It doesn't go unnoticed from us. Please tell your mates and your mate's mates. Come to a gig or have a listen. You won't be disappointed.
We could be your new favourite band..
@the48ks
Copyright © Johnny Bradley (Mods Of Your Generation) & @The 48k’s 2019, All Rights Reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced without the permission of the author.
Comentarios