Chris Jones
Patrick Gardiner – He’s Not Right For You
Chris Jones: ‘ It reminds me of Field Music actually. It’s smart, rye, sophisticated pop music. I was really impressed with this. It’s got really good lyrics and good drumming as well – I’m a sucker for a good drum track.’
Morgan MacIntyre – Butcher
Rigsy: ‘ I find this super engaging and really creative. All the stuff that I listen to, I go back and listen to it two or three times, and takes a little while before you latch onto a track you want to play on the show . But this got me straight away, it’s got a real hook to it and her voice reels you in.’
Chris: ‘ It really jumped out at me when I heard it, just loads of personality. There are a lot of really good female singer-songwriters around at the minute with Alana Henderson and Katharine Philippa, I would put her (Morgan) right up there with them.’
Joshua Burnside – Black Dog Sin
Chris: ‘I think he’s a massive, massive talent…bit of a Tom Waits influence. He’s quite a big fan of Bright Eyes, that comes through quite strongly. A little bit of a Decembrist as well, a very literate lyricist and songwriter. Definitely worth seeing live, a really poised performer.’
In Their Thousands – Vive La Revolution
Rigsy: ‘They’ve already got an impressive following and are clearly an ambitious, hardworking lot with a third run of UK gigs planned. This reminds me of my favourite band of 2013, Villagers. It’s got that dark creepy vibe…I find it very curious and engaging.’
Chris: ‘It’s got a real dark sea-shanty vibe to it. Especially with the maritime references in the lyrics. I love noisy guitars and rolling floor toms, so I like that.’
Girl Band – Lawman
Chris: ‘A glorious racket…if you’re a fan of noise-rock, post-punk – all that good stuff – anything produced by Steven Albini, they’re your band basically. I’d love to see them live.’
Rigsy: ‘It sounds like a remix of Pavement, it’s got that Stephen Malkmus kind of ranty vibe’
DAZ & DJ O-One – Do What I do
Chris: ‘DAZ is a leading light in the Belfast Hip-Hop Scene. As you can tell from that track it’s a bit of a love letter to early 90’s 'Daisy-Age' Hip-Hop.’
Rigsy: ‘I absolutely love it, it proper flows and he nails it.’
Chris: ‘Some Hip-Hop which comes out of Northern Ireland can be quite bleak and dystopian almost. But this is a lot more escapist which is the kind of stuff I relate to. Really good production from DJ O-One.’
Ethan’s Bucket – Crown Me King
Rigsy: ‘Epic electro-rock, created by a man classically train with a very musical mind - a perfect marriage for me. Really interested in this guy and his approach to writing music. Genuinely looking forward to hearing more.’
Chris: ‘I’m pretty impressed. Kind of 80’s feel off it, like Simples Minds and The Church.’
