Live Review - December 2nd - The Athelstan

Review by www.rockregeneration.co.uk
After their storming performance at the “Bandalism” gig at the O2 Academy in Bournemouth earlier this year, Empire Affair are building a solid following around the local music venues in Bournemouth and further a field with further gigs planned in London. The five piece band were who formerly known as “Echo” are tonight gracing the stage of their local public house the “Athlestan”. This is the bands last gig of 2011, rounding of what has been a great debut year with the release of their great EP reviewed here on Rock Regeneration.

The evening kicks of with two tracks from the EP, which really get the party started with lead vocalist Neil Tallent (who looks like he should be in a Franz Ferdinand tribute band) using his masses of energy encouraging everybody in the place dancing and singing along. The band included a couple of previously unheard new songs which for some strange reason have been temporary named using boys names “Fernando” and the outrageous “Techno Terry” both of which showed promise with the excellent twin guitar sound from Jack Woolston and Matt Park working to great effect.

The respectable sized crowd are treated a set littered with covers from Empire Affair’s favourite artists including a surprisingly great version of Britney Spears “Hit Me Baby One More Time” which was sang as a tribute for her 30th birthday, other highlights included a rousing version of Sow Patrol’s “Run”, and final song of the night “Kings of Leon “Use Somebody” which had virtually the whole of the pub singing at the tops of their voices along with the band. Playing covers in a pub to a drunken crowd is not easy and Empire Affair know what their home crowd wanted and delivered it in fine style, some of the cover versions may have sounded a little unrehearsed in places, but the important thing was that the band’s own songs such as the brilliant appropriately titled “December” and “Take Me Down” stood up well and shined through. It is clear that this band have the songs and ability to take things to the next level. 2012 could be an even better year with the Dorset Music Awards just around the corner. Could they been contenders? Only time will tell.

Visit the Empire Affair home page at www.empireaffair.co.uk 

My top 5 influential albums - Matt

Post by Matt

I had a change of job recently, and because of this I found myself listening to a lot more music while walking to and from work. In particular I have been going back and listening to albums that I haven't listened to in a while and rediscovered some gems from the time that I started playing guitar and I can hear certain aspects of my guitar playing style in this music, so I thought it would be a bit of fun to share some of the albums that most influenced my guitar playing, so here they are (in no real order)...

Pixies - Doolittle

The Pixies seems to be one of those bands that are mostly appreciated by musicians, even if they are not stunningly amazing musicians themselves. What I learnt from this album is that you don't have to be Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton to write a cool sounding prominent guitar part, and quite often the guitars on this album are slightly out of time and off key, and it really works. Just listen to 'Here Comes Your Man', a quirky, fun rock song with some great sounding guitar playing that is far from being musically perfect but nevertheless fantastic to listen to.

Key track: Here Comes Your Man

My Vitriol - Finelines

One of my favourite albums for so many reasons, it was just one of those albums that I picked up at the perfect time in my life for it. Many people have come to me at gigs and commented on the board of effects pedals that is usually sprawled across the stage in front of me, and its probably because of this album. In a kind of juxtaposition from what I said about the Pixies playing simple guitar parts and not needing lavish embellishments, My Vitriol use guitar effects pedals in such a way that is really intriguing to me, using echoes, pitch bends, sweeping tone shifts, and crazy flanges etc (I wont bore you with the extended list), they do it in a way that really compliments the song and creates almost a sonic soundscape.

Key track: Alphawaves/Always Your Way

Tool - 10,000 days
When I tell people that I like Tool usually they look surprised. For those that don't know, 

Tool is quite a dark rock band, although they are heavy in places, the listener is left with 

the impression that it's all justified in a way and rather than it being noise, what comes 

out is a well  calculated barrage of emotion (and not in a whiney 15 year old kind of way). 

Tool are possibly the most incredible musicians in rock today, their use of dynamics, timing 

and rythym is something that all musicians can learn from. While I appreciate that a 17 

minute song might not be ideal listening to some people, i can not speak anymore highly 

of getting a good pair of headphones, closing your eyes and listening to Wings For Marie

 (parts 1&2) and just let it wash over you. Failing this, listen to The Pot as loud as possible, 

a perfect example of how a dark rock song doesnt have to be moronnic shouting.
Key track: Wings for Marie (Parts 1&2) or The Pot 

Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream

SP are one of those ‘marmite’ bands, possibly because of Billy’s voice, but I love it, and this album has some absolute corkers on it that I could take a lot from in terms of guitar technique (this is where it gets slightly technical) when playing the rhythm guitar part Billy tends to play just the root note and the octave note, muting the 5^th which is a subtle but great way of making a chord sound edgier, without changing the pitch in any way, and similarly when the song gets louder he will also hit all the strings but mute the strings that he doesn’t want to ring out, adding a kind of ‘percussive’ aspect to his guitar sound. The intro guitar part to ‘Cherub Rock’ is a great example of these techniques and remains one of my favourite things to play on guitar.

Key track : Cherub Rock

Hundred Reasons - Ideas above our station

This album came out at a time when American pop punk was rife with band like sum41, green day, the offspring was bothering the rock charts. Hundred Reasons came along and (in my honest opinion) saved English rock from being taken over by Americans, sure they had a few little similarities, but they made a fantastic sound. In particular I love that they have two guitars and only in very rare moments do they follow the formula of ‘I play chords and you play notes in the chord’, the songs were pretty complex when you break them down but simple when listened as a whole. As well as these subtle, yet intriguing, guitar parts the vocals from Colin Doran were fierce and yet crystal clear and hold similarities to a then Frank Turner fronted Million Dead. I can honestly say that there is not a weak song on this album and it has aged well, nearly 10 years on.

Key track : If I could

 

 Visit the Empire Affair home page at www.empireaffair.co.uk  

Live Review - o2 Academy - Rock-regeneration.co.uk

It’s on nights like this that one band goes the extra mile to make a statement of intent. Empire Affair go for the jugular in more ways than one. As they stride onstage one by one we see a band decked out in all white attire. Think early Manics,you get the picture. Neil (vox) is last onstage & cant keep still for a second, Jack (lead) however is having sound issues so there’s a delay. The band decide to ad-lib, just a small-town boy…..(‘Don’t Stop Believing’ Glee sylee),the crowd join in one & all. Lead guitar sorted Empire Affair launch into a set of original material. To coin a phrase this band are ‘on it’ tonight. The vocals are strong,the sound is clean & crisp. On the whole the delivery oozes confidence. With every song Neil is jumping,strutting & patrolling the stage while cajoling the crowd, who are loving it. They leave to rapturous applause. This wont be the last we’ll be seeing of Empire Affair.

To read the review of the whole night visit www.rock-regeneration.co.uk

Visit the Empire Affair home page at www.empireaffair.co.uk  

o2, your welcome

Now the dust has settled and I've had a few nights sleep, I can now start to see the funny side of things, If you are wondering what I'm talking about, it is of course the technical issues I had at our debut gig at Bournemouth o2 Academy. All week we were building up to what for most bands is their pinnacle gig, some go on to bigger and better things and some just crash and burn. We were trying our hardest to shift as many tickets as possible in order to show people, new people, what we're all about and out of the eight bands that played that night we sold the most tickets, which is nice to know that there are people willing to pay money, good money to see you.

We arrived around 1 o'clock to soundcheck and as we got there, we got to see The Frequency and Constellation soundchecking and the sound coming out front was amazing and after hearing Constellation play, I knew there were some good bands here tonight. Whether it was using someone else's backline or the sheer size of the room I wasn't completely happy with soundcheck but the guys thought it sounded good plus other bands had to soundcheck as well so time was limited. We got given a pretty decent dressing room complete with sofa, TV, a fridge which soon got filled up with beers and even a mirror with the lightbulbs around it, but now its the waiting game.

As people started to arrive all the bands were mingling together and there seemed to be a real sense of comradery, which in some gigs doesn't happen and we were all about to do, to date, our biggest gig so far. As we was hanging out in the dressing room Bassface was pacing to and fro and seemed to be nervous and at that point it sunk in, that we were about to walk on stage all dressed in white jeans, jackets, shoes and shirts and play to about 1000 people.

Constellation are playing before us and are in mid flow, from the back of the stage we can see the lights and the crowd really enjoying the show, now at this point my nervous had gone and I just wanted to get up there and smash it. When the change over happened apparently we were waiting in the wrong place and sound guys said we had lost a bit of time due to this, so we all rushed on stage plugged in our pedals and plugged our guitars in and were ready to go, then....

I was stood in front of roughly 1000 people and we were all ready to go and as I looked down, no sound was coming out of my guitar. The pedals are on, the guitar is turned up and the amp is on, the rest of the guys are looking over in fear and disbelief, what the hell is wrong!? After a little heckling good old Bassface and Neil rip in an impromptu version of Journey's Don't Stop Believing while I sort out what's wrong. As the crowd are in full swing the sound tech comes over to give me a hand and after little investigation we work out its my effects pedal that's not working, so quick thinking, I unplug my effects pedal and just use a clean and distortion channel and bang we're away.

I have to stress to anyone who was at the gig that, myself personally and the band were at half strength, but just by me using the most basic of guitar tones we actually managed to pull it off. The first four songs for me were a blur, we whipped through Can't Get Through, Take Me Down, One Of Me and December in which seemed like seconds, but the techno was about to kick in....

The Bass and Drums kick off our final song in a driving and pounding manner and its all low lighting then I come in with two hits of my riff then, two smashes of the snare and bang we're away and smashing it and tearing the roof off! The lights have come up and the crowd are jumping and dancing and were all in the groove and finally this is what its meant to feel like. As the song came to an end the lighting show was something else and this for me, was us at our best.

When we got back to the dressing room I was pretty annoyed at myself for letting the guys down, it was my equipment and my fault, but the guys all rallied round and me made feel that all was not lost. All in all, we did smash it after a slow start and everyone I spoke to really enjoyed it and we have had some good feedback, so good that we have been invited back to the next Bandalism once they've decided a date, which we'll make an even better show... technical hitches are a part of life....

A wise man once told me - 'A man is not measured by the fall he has, but how we get up form it'

We're just getting started

Jack

Red Light Review - Dolfin Music

Review – Red Light EP by Empire Affair

Reviewer: Beca Fludgate, Dolfin Music  07/09/11

I was sent the new EP Red Light by Empire Affair to review and much pleased I am to review it! Formed in early 2011, the band used to gig as Echo, until a change of personnel and direction birthed Empire Affair. 

The EP starts with what is my favourite song from this band, a track called “One of Me”.  The song’s style is indie rock and has a great opening intro and good refrain, which is the main hook of the song, which is imbued with much Coldplayesque guitar.  There is a nice break into the middle eight.  The song is up-tempo, bright and vibrant and lyrically appealing.

The band’s next song is shows them in punk style.  Illyria is as well as it’s interesting name, not particularly original in the verse but the quirky chorus makes up for it.  Definite hints towards the Sex Pistols and The Clash here.  It’s a boppy, upbeat song with a good build up to the chorus.  Not something I would be into myself it should prove to be popular nonetheless.

“December”, the third song listed is my second favourite song and here the band show even more influence from bands such as Coldplay and the Kings of Leon.  Evocative and emotional the song is lyrically strong with a strong bridge and the introduction of keyboards in the production, which gives the whole song fullness, and power that fits well with the guitars.

Take Me Down is the last song on this EP and again here the band go back to a more punk style.  The intro again is good and the song is lively, spirited and energetic.  Something that would be good live, more so I think than this recording, personally my least favourite song from the EP, however, a good strong and original song.

The EP is released on iTunes, you can buy it here http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/red-light/id453769746 

Empire Affair are Neil Tallant - Vocals, Jack Woolston - Lead Guitar, Matt Park - Rhythm Guitar, Tom Parrett Bass, Darren Sheppard - Drums.

Visit their website at www.empireaffair.co.uk

Visit www.dolflinmusic.com for more live gigs, bands and reviews

four gigs in four days

Post by Matt...

25th Aug - Walkabout
Any promoter that walks around during soundcheck handing out redbulls and beers will always get a thumbs up from me, it did seem like it would be a fun night. With very little knowledge of the other band playing that night, we wasn't really sure how to approach the set, and which cover we should do (it was a battle of the bands night, 4 song set, one of which had to be a cover). Eventually we decided on Teenage Kicks to open with, a slight communication mix up meant that a couple members of the band started before all of us were ready, but I think that the slight mix up made us realise that we had to concentrate, and although it isn't my favourite song to play, I thought that we put on a good performance of it.


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26th Aug - Athelstan Arms
This is my second time playing at the Athelstan but the other guys have played there a handful of times now. While setting up and doing the brief soundcheck, I started getting a small electric shock (more like a sharp tingle than a shock) from my microphone, which is never much fun to try and work around, but now i've looked into it a bit more, Ive found a couple causes. One of the good things about pub gigs is the more casual/laid back vibe, which means that you can probably have a bit more fun with the audience than you can at a club gig, because people are just there to have a couple drinks and be entertained, so a little bit of impromptu Take That cover will of course gain a few smiles, as will the cover of Hit Me Baby One More Time that we pull out the bag every so often.

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27th Aug - On The Rocks
When we turned up at On The Rocks we were not sure of how to make room for all 5 of us on stage but with a few old school techniques like putting mic stands on the floor in front of the stage and making them go as high as possible to make them reach the high tower that is myself (a shocking 5ft8ish), and squeezing Bassface somewhere between my amp and Darren's drums, we just about managed it. Due to a last minute cancellation there was no opening act so the evening was ours to just keep playing. Perhaps it was tiredness kicking in but I made a few sloppy mistakes in the first half, so I knew I had to pick it up for the second set, and I think I did just that. The second half was absolutely immense, and it was possibly my favourite EA gig to date. On The Rocks is quite an intimate venue but the big windows at the back of the room that look over the sea make a big difference to the atmosphere (similar to that of Unit22 in Southampton) I think that 99% of people there were up for a bit of a dance and a sing-song and that's exactly what happened, it had that kind of intimate party vibe. Loved this gig!
Tomorrow is a bit of a last minute booking, a day time music festival at a pub in Winton, which will be a totally different bag altogether.

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28th Aug - Talbot
As predicted, this was a totally different gig, and a much tougher crowd compared to last night. It was a family fun day kind of atmosphere, so I was a little apprehensive about launching into songs like Take me Down and Make Your Move with some rather young kids sitting about 6 feet in front of Neil. The strangest thing about this gig though was probably the sound, we had very little time to set up the gear and get on stage, so it was a little slap dash. There were no vocal monitors and because of how the pub is laid out with very little soft furnishings, the vast majority of what I could hear was the echo of Neil's vocals bouncing around off of the walls, which wasn't really a bad thing but just took a bit of getting used to. It seemed to be one of those gigs where stuff went wrong but nobody but the band really noticed; Tom's strap broke, which made him have to play a song sitting down; Darren was having issues with a 'sticky' bass drum; I forgot how to use an Oxford Comma. It was a tough crowd (most of them were there to watch the football match), but we had a bit of fun and we will be back at The Talbot again in the near future for a full length gig. 

Red Light review by rock-regeneration.co.uk

The first review of the Red Light EP is in, and its from rock-regeneration.co.uk

"Formerly known as ‘Echo’, Bournemouth five piece band Empire Affair have recruited some new personnel and made a slight change of direction to bring you something we think is rather special. Their debut EP the four track ‘Red Light’ provides you with just a small insight to what this band are about.

The four tracks are all well written and show off the much improved vocals of the energetic and talented Neil Talent who sings from the heart delivering his vocals with much heartfelt passion, especially in the stand out tracks ‘December’ and ‘Illyria’. The band’s twin guitar sound with their solid rhythm section provide a refreshing sound that certainly after a few listens gets into your head.

The best thing about the band’s music is they don’t really sound like any one band particular, there are various influences but nothing really obvious which shows the band have worked very hard to create their own original sound. As good as this EP is the best way to hear it is when it is performed live, Empire Affair are beginning to make quite a name for themselves after a string of quality live local performances that are full of energy and delivered making sure everyone in the venue gets involved."
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6 months later

Post by Matt...
It's been roughly 6 months since I joined up with the boys from what was once the band known as 'Echo' and we have made a crazy amount of progress in that time; performed a bucket load of gigs (including one in Camden), written a bucket load of songs, recorded an EP (Red Light) that I couldn't be more proud of and gelled really well as a group. With a bit of help from Bassface, I build the website and it is coming on nicely and I learn how to do fun, geeky stuff as I go along. If you have anything you wanna see on the website, then please let us know, its there for you to enjoy!

So what does the next 6 months hold in store for Empire Affair?? Well, we are writing new songs all the time and always got new gig bookings in the pipeline. We are really excited about playing at the o2 Academy in Bournemouth (along with a bunch of other top local bands!) on 8th October, just a couple days after we head to Bristol for the first time. Also there have been whispers going around that we will start lining up details for the next EP around christmas/new year (so possibly to be released around easter time), but this really is just wildly shooting though, obviously anything can happen...

I think I will leave it there for today. Until next time...

Matt
Now listening to: '59 Sound by Gaslight Anthem