TIME FOR CHANGE: An exclusive feature on The Theme's 2012 debut album! Check it out!

 

The Theme's debut album "Time For Change", released in 2012, was a real call to arms for guitar-driven rock and roll bands up and down the country. In 12 tracks it manages to recapture the imagination of the Britpop psyche and it provided a brilliant introduction to what this band stands for.

 

Check out our exclusive feature on this sensational album below. It features exclusive interviews with frontman Gary Davis and main songwriter/guitarist Paul Bassom. We also decided to conclude the feature with our own little review of the album.

 

Feel free to have a read and be sure to spread the word!

 

To stay up to date with future interviews and reviews you can like our Facebook page at the following link - https://www.facebook.com/aldorabritainrecords

 

Enjoy!

 

 

PART 1 - THE INTERVIEW

 

Hi Gary, how are you? I’ve just received a copy of your debut album and it is a really strong set of tunes; slightly more ‘rocky’ than the follow up EP “Hits the Sky”. What were the influences for The Theme when recording the album?

 

Gary: "The influences of 'Time for Change' was made up of the individual influences of all the band members as it was our debut album; from mod revival to 90s britpop. Songwriter Paul Bassom is influenced by bands such as the Small Faces, The Who, Ocean Colour Scene, The Jam and Oasis. Martin Gamby is a massive Moon fan and you can tell that in his drumming; he is also a lover of the mod revival period. Me, I loved the 90s britpop scene; that's what got me into music in the first place."

 

The title of the album is “Time for Change”. Where did this title come from? Is it a reference to the current music scene and the state of the charts?

 

Gary: "Yeah, I'd say that's a fair point. Two years ago I think there wasn't any energetic guitar bands; think the indie scene was a bit tarty, with Two Door Cinema Club, the Foals etc! Not to mention the manufactured TV rubbish like X Factor which is terrible and is killing music."

 

“First Time I Saw You” is a highlight for me; a song that you co-wrote with Paul. Love the tune and love the harmonica parts as well! What is this song and what influenced it?

 

Gary: "Think Paul came up with the gist of the story. It's about finally finding that one special person only to find that because of circumstances beyond your control it ends. Basically based on my bad luck with woman!"

 

You are currently working on the follow up to your recent EP “Hits the Sky”. How is this going? Any planned released date as of yet?

 

Gary: "Well 'Hits the Sky' is doing better then anyone expected (believe me though it's fantastic, if you ain't got it, get it!) We're buzzing from the attention we're now getting and wanna keep the momentum going, the new songs have been there for some time and the best thing is we can take our time as 'Hits the Sky' is still relatively new. We're hoping early next year for a release date."

 

What can the fans be expecting from the new EP?

 

Gary: "Expect the unexpected, really does take you on a rollercoaster ride. Again shows how the band has evolved."

 

What will The Theme be up to for the rest of 2014?

 

Gary: "Busy second half of 2014, obviously the new EP is now started but we also plan to keep plugging 'Hits the Sky' with some amazing gigs coming up, notably the O2 Islington at the end of this month with The Swiines."

 

 

PART 2 - THE QUICKFIRE ROUND

 

Favourite Beatle?

 

Paul: "George Harrison."

 

Favourite band?

 

Paul: "Small Faces."

 

Favourite new band?

 

Paul: "Temples."

 

Favourite song?

 

Paul: "All Or Nothing."

 

Favourite album?

 

Paul: "Moseley Shoals."

 

Vinyl, CD or download?"

 

Paul: "Vinyl."

 

When you press shuffle on your iPod, what is the first track that comes on?

 

Paul: "See Emily Play, Pink Floyd."

 

Style icon?

 

Paul: "60s fashion."

 

Favourite film?

 

Paul: "Goodfellas."

 

Favourite TV show?

 

Paul: "Only Fools And Horses."

 

Who would play you in a film of your life?

 

Paul: "Michael Caine."

 

Favourite food?

 

Paul: "Indian."

 

Football team?

 

Paul: "Crystal Palace."

 

 

PART 3 - THE REVIEW

 

The Theme's debut album "Time For Change", released in 2012, was a real call to arms for guitar-driven rock and roll bands up and down the country. In 12 tracks it manages to recapture the imagination of the britpop psyche and it provided a brilliant introduction to what this band stands for.

 

They hit the ground running with the britpop anthem of "Change of the Times" and send a clear message that they are the band to bring British rock 'n' roll back to the top. This message is solidified by "In This Town", which hints at influence from The Jam, and "Shake Up the Youth", which sounds as if it could have been written and performed by The Enemy.

 

Away from the full throttle rock 'n' roll there are tracks which are slower but equally as well designed to fill the stadiums. For example, "So Alive" and "Out of Control". And of course, the brilliant acoustic wonder of the album closer, "Opened My Eyes".

 

However, the strongest tracks on the album are without a doubt the harmonica infused "First Time I Saw You" and "Face in the Crowd". These tracks manage to fuse multiple styles together to create classic Theme tracks - rock 'n' roll, britpop, British blues, indie and ska.

 

This album, all in all, is a must have for any lover of guitar driven indie rock and roll. Get your copy now!

 

 

All photographs are taken from the official Facebook page of The Theme.

 

Be sure to get yourself a copy of The Theme's sensational debut album "Time for Change". Their follow-up EP "Hits the Sky" is also available now!

 

 

Hope you enjoyed this feature on The Theme!

 

Be sure to check out our previous feature on Groovy Uncle and Suzi Chunk!

 

To keep up to date with The Theme follow this link - http://thethemeuk.com/

 

To keep up to date with Aldora Britain Records follow this link - https://www.facebook.com/aldorabritainrecords

 

AB Records

SONIC CANDY SOUL: Beautiful music for beautiful people from The Electric Stars!

 

AB Says: "The Electric Stars are the latest Manchester band to come to prominence. Their debut album, 'Sonic Candy Soul', was released last year on Detour Records and is a fine showcase of their wide-ranging styles and influences. They deliver a mix of rock 'n' roll, glam, psychedelia and, at points, even gospel. It features the exceptional singles 'Between the Streets and the Stars' and 'I Want You', as well as a fine selection of album tracks. The LP itself starts with lead singer, Jason Edge, preaching the line 'beautiful music for beautiful people' - foreshadowing what ensues in the next fifty minutes. Then, with a kick, the album takes off with '136' which hints at early New York Dolls and lyrical references The Stones and Elvis - obvious influences here as well. This is followed by the aforementioned 'Between the Streets and the Stars', adding more texture and a groovy drum beat, and then the much slower 'Alison Williams', which is where the evident psychedelic influences come in. Meanwhile, 'I Want You' is reminiscent of Iggy and the Stooges and of the early garage bands and 'Blind' is exceptional with 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' gospel choir singing the song out in a grand finale. The album continues to grow with more rock 'n' rollers in the form of 'Who's Gonna Satisfy Me' and 'Not Man Enough' and some slower numbers such as 'Stoned Again', 'Old Fashion Girl' and 'Bedtime Stories'. The album concludes with 'Isolation', which builds and builds with exquisite guitar playing and driving drums until the band finally find themselves where they started - 'beautiful music for beautiful people'. Overall, outstanding stuff, one of the finest debut albums for quite some time!"

 

AB's Top Picks:

'136'

'Between The Streets And The Stars'

'Blind'

'Isolation'

 

Hope you enjoyed this feature on The Electric Stars! Check out our previous feature on Likely Lads!

 

Check out The Electric Stars here - http://www.theelectricstars.com/

 

You can also like our Facebook page to keep up to date with all future interviews at the following link - https://www.facebook.com/aldorabritainrecords

 

AB RECORDS

NO TIME FOR TEARS: Our chat with Scottish band Enemies Of The State!

PART 1 - THE 'INTERVIEW'

 

1 - Had you been involved with any other bands prior to Enemies Of The State?

Garry - "A few. Innocents Civilian, Social Schism, Genuine Fake Watches."

Kris - "I had been doing a solo thing with Garry and a couple of the other lads."

2 - How did Enemies Of The State begin?

 

Kris - "It started with my solo thing. I took a long break from writing and playing and during that break I decided I couldn't be arsed singing the same songs every other band was singing. "My burd broke up with me", "I'm skint", that kinda thing. I wanted the music to have an identity and a positive message and thought it'd be easier to do that as a band rather than just a singer and his band. Bit like Bruce Wayne turning into Batman."

 

Garry - "I annoyed Kris to play drums and he said "aye". Joe joined after he was in Innocents Civilian, and Sean was to join after our last guitarist, Jamie, had to leave 'cause he was at Uni down South."

 

3 - Where did the name Enemies Of The State come from? 

 

Kris - "It pretty much came from the film to be honest. I thought it was a fitting name for us. If you listen to the lyrics of our songs you'll understand why."

 

4 - How would you describe the sound of Enemies Of The State?

 

Garry - "Positive, warming, energetic, anthemic."

 

Kris - "An orgasm in your ears. Followed by a cuddle and a fag." 

5 - You've played live in many venues so far in your career and one of these was King Tuts in Glasgow. This is a legendary venue and something that Scottish bands dream about doing. How did it feel playing a set there?

 

Garry - "Very hot and sweaty but a great experience. The crowd were amazing that night."

 

Kris - "There's a bit of magic in the air at Tuts. It's strange. It's one of those ones that you want to cross off your list if you're in a band."

 

6 - The latest song to be released on your soundcloud page is 'No Time For Tears' - a catchy pop song. What is the song itself about and what influenced it?

 

Kris - "It came from a Dr. Bruce Lipton talk about the evolution of the butterfly. Basically, the way to look at Earth is as a living entity, much like the human body. When the cells in the human body stop working we become sick or die. We are the cells in the body of Earth and if all we can do is fuck each other over, fight each other and kill each other, then we're making the planet unwell. There's some other references there but that's basically it." 

7 - Who would be your dream collaboration?

Kris - "Liv Tyler, for non musical reasons."

8 - Any new songs in the pipeline?

Kris - "I always try and write songs. Its hard to keep the momentum going sometimes but aye, there's one or two in the pipeline right now."

9 - When can fans be expecting a new single, EP or album?

Garry - "Probably round October. It's going to be called Open Your Eyes."

Kris - "We could probably release it now but we'd rather have a handful of songs to choose from."

10 - Any live dates coming up?

Garry - "Just a few set in stone. O2 Academy - 21st September
Broadcast (supporting Coasts) - 18th October."

Kris - "We've two in pipeline the now which will be November and then a big one in December to finish a good year for us. Nothing we can confirm yet though."

11 - Who would be in your dream super group?

Garry - "Freddie Mercury - vocals, Slash - lead guitar, Flea - bass guitar and Kurt Cobain - rhythm guitar."

Kris - "Enemies of the State."

 

PART 2 - THE QUICKFIRE ROUND

1 - Favourite Beatle?

Garry - "Lennon."

Kris - "Yoko Ono."

2 - Favourite band? 

Garry - "Nirvana."

Kris - "Right now, Queens of the Stone Age."

3 - Favourite new band? 

Garry - "Hurts."

Kris - "Tempt Fate."

4 - Favourite song? 

Garry - "Those Were The Days of Our Lives by Queen."

Kris - "Dylan, Forever Young."

5 - Favourite album?

Kris - "Actung Baby" 

6 - Vinyl, CD or download?

Kris - "Download. Don't have much of a choice nowadays."

7 - Style icon?

Kris - "Bill Cosby."

8 - Favourite clothing brand? 

Garry - "Vans."

Kris - "If it keeps me warm, that'll do for me."

9 - Favourite film?

Garry - "Liar Liar."

Kris - "Pans Labyrinth."

10 - Favourite TV show? 

Garry - "Breaking Bad."

Kris - "Game of Thrones."

11 - Who would play you in a film of your life? 

Kris - "Danny Glover."

12 - Favourite food? 

Garry - "Steak. Medium rare."

Kris - "Same. Any man food actually."

13 - Football team? 

Garry - "Glasgow Celtic."

Kris - "The Hurricanes. Remember them?"

 

 

Hope you enjoyed this feature on Enemies Of The State! Check out our previous feature on Blackjack!

 

Listen to Enemies Of The State here - https://soundcloud.com/enemiesofthestate

 

You can also like our Facebook page to keep up to date with all future interviews at the following link - https://www.facebook.com/aldorabritainrecords

 

AB Records