Name: Soul Circus
Release: Artists and Artisans EP
Release Date: Out Now
Website: http://www.soulcircus.co.uk/
Some great things have come out of Leeds; the festival, Whitesnake (well, near enough) and now Soul Circus. Hailing from the West Yorkshire city, this five-piece has had a very eventful year. The band played at Reading & Leeds Festival as guests on the BBC Introducing stage, have been touring all over the country for the past few months and have now released their debut EP.
‘Artists and Artisans’ is a five-track release and comes in at around twenty minutes, but it works to engage the listener from the opening bars. The most striking aspect of this EP is that it’s lacking in that rich production sound a lot of contemporary British bands are going for at the moment. This has a more raw appeal and it has an earthy, ‘real music’ feel that carries each track.
There’s something undeniably refreshing about the songs on ‘Artists and Artisans’. After the first listen, it became clear that ‘Last October’ is the strongest track as its demanding intro grabs you and leads you through three and a half minutes of edgy melody, snappy drum patterns and an atmospheric breakdown championed by the gentle crashing of hi-hats. ‘Let You Down’ is more chilled out and really showcases the unique vocal style of front man Lloyd Bradley, who sings with a certain careful tension that gives an emotional and honest sound to the lyrics. There’s something about ‘I Still Believe’ that is evocative of a musical direction from an earlier age, but this up tempo offering is kept very much in 2010 by its subtle reminiscence of the songwriting of The Libertines or Vampire Weekend. Both ‘Artisans’ and ‘Sarcastic Smile’ have a progressive sound that keeps the EP interesting and listeners engrossed.
For a debut, this is a powerful start to the band’s career. After their performance at one of the UK’s biggest music festivals this year it’s promising that this release is so memorable so we can expect to hear a lot more from the Leeds boys.
Reviewer: Martha Whatley
