Wild Beasts
Forming while still at school in their hometown of Kendal in the British Lake District, the founding members of Wild Beasts made the brave decision to up and move to the bright lights of their local metropolis, Leeds, back in 2005. It was there where they completed their present line-up, and put out early releases on Bad Sneakers records - something that would subsequently pave the way for the band to sign to Domino early last year.
Still clocking in at the tender average age of 21, the band’s music is as quintessentially English as the Lake District landscape from whence they hail. It’s a perplexingly accessible sound that at times recalls postcard-era indie-pop, or at its more dramatic moments, the shrubbery-infused Anglo-rock of British Sea Power. However, what really makes the band stand firmly apart is singer Hayden Thorpe\'s unique falsetto, or what others have even called a primal yelp. There’s no doubt that it’s something that has certainly divided critics; most, however, are happy to rejoice in the unique value of a band with such an original quality. Live, a recent packed-to-the-rafters show at our very own Club Rockfeedback confirmed that band as one of the most exciting new additions to British music.
One thing’s for sure, it’s certainly hard to not be won over by the wonderful eccentricity in debut album Limbo, Panto. It’s an LP full of words and phrases like ‘conundrum’, ‘brylcreem’, \'win the big match\' and \'casual sex with a hard up thug\'. The band’s new single ‘The Devil’s Crayon’ is out this Monday, 30th June. You should probably get yourself down to a respectable music retailer and grab yourself a copy.
WILD-BEASTS.CO.UK: Official Site-tastic!
MYSPACE.COM/WILDBEASTS: A standard four tracks for your listening pleasure here, including the very excellent new single ‘The Devil’s Crayon’, plus previous singles ‘Assembly’ and ‘Through Dark Night’, released on Domino and Bad Sneakers, respectively. Their page’s headline is “Shmmillle for de Camera!..”; probably an in-joke that we will never understand unless we ring the band up and ask. We’re not going to do that though.
WILD BEASTS ON LAST FM: Last fm page offering you free listens to the band, videos, and a links to recommended similar artists such as Grammatics, Jeremy Warmsley and the Rumble Strips. Final confirmation that the internet is great.
EXHIBITION – WILD BEASTS AT CLUB ROCKFEEDBACK #4: Wild Beasts were the co headliners upon our last visit to the Cross Kings. See exactly what that looked like.
THE DEVIL’S CRAYON: The band’s signature ‘choon’ critiqued, and rightly judged to be excellent.
BRAVE BULGING BUOYANT CLAIRVOYANTS:
THE DEVIL’S CRAYON:
ASSEMBLY:
THROUGH DARK NIGHT: