Music

Meet The Mease, and discover an Indie Christmas.

11th Nov 2021 — Leave a comment
The Mease studio session

With the release of their EP See the light and the announcement of an eagerly awaited indie Christmas banger ‘Christmas time (What a time to be alive), 2021 has been a monumental year for The Mease.

Breaking into the Derby music scene with riffs that resonate with a fan of 90s britpop and early noughties tracks The Mease are an experienced indie band captivating audiences with their lyricism and their live performances.

Band members Tristan Cooper, singer-songwriter and rhythm guitars,Guy Smith on Lead Guitar (Both of whom I spoke to on the latest episode of the podcast), Adam Goulding on Bass and Keys and Jon Wright on Drums know how to keep their fan based entertained.

Carry Me Home by The Mease

Their debut track “Carry me home’ talks about what is arguably the best part of a night out, the journey back home, the scenes that you witness, the way the streetlights usually mundane and uninteresting now become a beacon illuminating your stroll back to safety. The lovers you meet, the friendships you make, it’s all about the life you find at the side of the bar.

Victory Road The Mease

This track sets the tone for the personal perspective of their music which can be heard in their melencholic Victory Road which was inspired by the tragic deaths of six children in a house fire close to band member Tristan Cooper home in Derby.

Their latest single, “Christmas time, (what a time to be alive)”, to be released on November 26th offers a listener the familiar comfort of a choir, scenes of friends around the pub table adorned in snow and appropriate sweaters. It is rare that we experience an indie Christmas tune other than Paul McCartney’s a wonderful Christmas time which loosely inspired this upcoming track.

The Mease studio session

So whether you’ll be wrapping you presents to fairytale of New York by the Pogues or sipping mulled wine (If you’re 18 or over) to Christmas wrapping by the waitresses The Meases new release serves a place on your Christmas party playlist. Add 26th November to your calendar and get ready to step into the season with a new song.

Sorry to unintentionally usher in the (Happy) new year already, but 2022 looks promising for the band, with gigs lined up that’ll see them performing throughout the midlands, more details to be released soon.

Hear more on my podcast

Meet Conchúr White, rising talent from Northern Ireland

1st Nov 2021 — Leave a comment
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Conchúr White

Currently on tour in the UK and Ireland Conchúr caught a rare break to share his roots in music, his thoughts on AI and the meaning behind his song ‘Go Easy’ with me in the latest epiosde of The Lincoln Ear podcast. For more information about his tour and up coming gigs head here.

Podcast Episode

His music inspires with it’s anecdotal flair, playing on satirical narratives and emotive imagery. This is eloquently portrayed in his latest EP Dreamers which has flourished following on from the success of his debut EP Bikini Tops back in 2020.

Dreamers by Conchúr White

Originally frontman for 5 piece Indie Folk band Silences for five years Conchúr is familar with the ways of the music industry and how to produce music both for the self and for an audience.

When his own style of music took a vastly different direction, at the end of 2019, Conchúr decided to pursue a solo career producing tracks like Dreamers which is about seeming unattainable aspirations and tripping up over your own self consciousness.

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Conchúr White

In my opinion Conchúr is somewhat of a lyrical artist, his songs evoke dream-like imagery allowing a listener a glimpse into surreal narrative where they either explore the singer’s world or one of their own. Influenced by Lana Del Rey, Alex Turner and Charles Bukowski fans of them his songs become a moving social commentary on our emotions and how we interact with external forces.

Daisies By Conchúr White

His innovative use of langauge stems from personal experiences and his work with young people in his local area, helping them to pursue careers with their own creativity.

Although currently busy with his UK and Ireland tour Conchúr has already got gigs in place for the new year but if you can’t wait until then there are tickets to his belfast show in December available here . As well as this he has also performed at the Dot to Dot festival in Nottingham earlier this year along with Alfie Sharp and The Publics. Conchúr shared with me how he prepares for live gigs in my latest episode of The Lincoln Ear podcast.

There is positivity in vulnerabiltiy, and pride in the strength of overcoming our set backs, having faith in humanity and sometimes we just need a song to get us there, to let us check in with these feelings and I think Conchúr’s music serves to that need.

For further information on gig dates listen to my podcast.

Meet Alfie Sharp, Nottinghamshire singer songwriter.

4th Oct 2021 — 1 Comment
Alfie Sharp By Emily Damyan

Music is the strongest form of communication, listeners resonate with and relate to the emotion which is why songs that are straightforward with their message allow for a different relationship with the melody. We hear what we need to, entering the singers realm and sharing their experiences from a seemingly effortless standpoint.

Although there is no apparent formula to songwriting this method is arguably why Alfie sharp’s debut track Nostalgia has done incredibly since being released in 2019.With over 600,000 streams on Spotify this poignant track about not feeling secure in the position you’re in and persevering to where you want to be shows that we all struggle with the same insecurities and are constantly trying to power through to overcome them.

Nostalgia pulls off the difficult juxtaposition of being both direct yet hypnotizingly beautiful, liquid poetry that is somehow straight to the point.

Nostalgia By Alfie Sharp

Learn more about the creative process behind Nostalgia and why the piano it was created on is such a pivotal piece in the making of this musician on my podcast episode.

His style is candid and personal, remaining true to himself and his audience whilst writing and performing live. Each gig is an expression of his humanity and the only way to prepare for a gig, other than practising, according to him is “Panic and eat a lot of oily spaghetti’.

Shortly after its release he performed Nostalgia live with the Unusually Fanatical Orchestra (U.F.O) and more recently performed at the Dot to Dot festival, which featured artists such as The Publics and Lucy Deakin.

Alfie Sharp Emily Damyan

Since 2019 Sharp has had time to evolve as a musician, exploring new sounds and working alongside other songwriters, all in preparation for a big release in February 2022, which we should all stick around for. Hear more on my podcast episode.