Meet Two Skies, an Indie/Rock duo…From Warrington…

Cal and Brad, members of Two Skies taken by Ink Blots

Following the success of their debut song ,Another way , their new single loser echoes the insecurity of adolescence, the difficulty of finding love when you’ve been told you’re not good enough and persevering on the same path in the hope of finding different outcomes.

Loser By Two Skies

Loser, to me, is about finding someone that loves you despite your flaws, so much so that they are not seen as flaws anymore and just part of who you are, another element to be loved.

It’s fitting then that their name, Two Skies, was inspired by a quote in Forrest Gump a film about the unpredictiabillity of life, embracing the challenges faced and finding love despite it all.

Inspired by greats such as Bruce Springsteen, Dayglow, Sam Fender it is no suprise that their songs are already such a hit. Two skies materialised tfrom a discussion between it’s members Cal and Brad, 10 years ago, in a macdonalds car park aided by radio one and chicken selects, but officially formed in February 2021.

Cal and Brad by Ink Blots

Initially just two lads with a dream formed in year 8 to 79 monthy listeners on spotify,two songs already released and a live gig planned at Rivfest Warrington, Sunday 8th of August,it is likely we’ll hear them on Radio one soon, so if you’ve ever been in love but not felt good enough then this tune is for you.

For those of you who are hoping to achieve similar milestones, Brad said “Never stop writing, try to evolve your sound and be prepared to be knocked back 100 times before you get anywhere, but most importantly have fun with it”.

Meet Sarah Hughes, A singer/ song writer from Lincoln.

Sarah Hughes by misselizabethclaire

Sarah calls herself an ‘accidental musician’ for she never intended it to go anywhere but after finding music in her youth, secretly stealing her dad’s guitar and writing songs as a story to herself, she soon took her talent to open mic nights where her confidence grew she began networking and now she’s releasing another single ,’Grow’, tonight at 9pm.

Grow By Sarah Hughes

Sarah makes music more human by embracing the flaws of the sound. Her new single ‘Grow’, which will be released tonight at 9pm and available on all streaming platforms, is her cinsostent with her ethos of remaining authetic.

Born in the aftermath of struggles with her mental health ‘Grow’ came to life when Sarah was in the studio wtih Phillip Ball initally to record an EP wiht her band. The beauty of this new release comes in its raw nature, it evokes finding acceptance within the brutality and vulnerability that comes with being honest.

Sarah Hughes by 166 photography

For her music,is ‘a lense to percieve the world with’, making sense of everything it throws at you in order to deal with it. Although the music,once released, is owned by her fans she says ” it’s not about being recognised its about the process” she does hope her fans can resonate with the sincerity of her lyrics but also find their own meaning.

The intimate imagery her music evokes plays true to the sound of her folk band ‘The Curiosity Band‘ which has some upcoming live events; a Festival in Leadenham and another in Nottingham called the Eats and Beats festival. Whilst remaining unique as a creator it is clear that her inspirations such as Phoebe Bridges, Laura Marling and The Nationals have influenced her sounds and lead her to creating her own style.

For a muscian to want to be remembered as a ‘flawed indiviudual who found a way to cope with life’s hurdles through song’ shows how real and raw she is which is why her songs are so powerful especially ‘Level 3’ and ‘God thinks I’m dirty’ which can be found on spotify with the rest of her work . Today’s culture encourages perfection without showing the diffciutlly of achieving even close to that defintion, then when you get there you realise it’s impossible as everyone’s definiton of perfect is different. Be perfect to one person, yourself. This is why Sarah said she wants to use her songs to “convey that [she’s] made mistakes, [she’s] stumbled and that’s okay’. It is in recognsing and embracing our flaws that we ‘evolve as humans’.

As well as being a singer,songwriter, self taught guitarist and bandmember Sarah is the proud owner of a vast shoe collection, she prefers to post “photos of shoes over selfies” her most famous pair, which have been donned Shughe’s Shoes are her white converse. Interestingly some people will greet her shoes beofre greeting her, that’s fine with Sarah though as she likes to find ‘joy in the mundane’ we may even hear a shoe themed EP soon

Meet The Velvet Queens- A classic rock band from Lincoln.

Credit to The Velvet Queens

Shortly after forming as a band in the midst of the initial 2020 Lockdown, The Velvet Queens then released their debut single, Losing my mind, in January 2021 which they will be able to showcase in their upcoming live gigs, the first of which is happening on the 31st of July at the Scene in Lincoln. Supported by Carry the Crown and LaVire it promises to be a groundbreaking night, you can read more about it here. Then on October 29th, ‘the Night before Hell, they welcome in spooky season with a live performance at the Lincoln Imp in Scunthorpe.

Their debut single Losing My Mind is an emotional piece which discusses depression and the band want to use it as a’ vehicle to discuss mental health and how people are feeling’ aiming to  encourage  us all to be more open as it’s time to find strength in our  vulnerability and accept that sometimes it’s okay to not be okay.

Credit to The Velvet Queens

I had the privilege of speaking with Jordan Merrett, the guitarist and lead singer who shared stories of potential songs that went wrong, photos of phallic guitars in the woods and how the band make final decisions; it is all about being open and honest. Describing the band as “ridiculous” its exciting to see what is in store for the trio who seem to be bringing a new take to rock and roll, and I for one am here for it and you can hear about it on today’s episode of the podcast.

Credit to The Velvet Queens

With their music already been played on Radio Roadhouse with Dave of darkness and upcoming gigs the challenges of lockdown haven’t hindered the success of this band.

If you or someone you know is experiencing mental health worries, then please contact Samaritans on 116 123