Tue, 11/29/2016 - 7:13 am

British rock four-piece The 27 are set to release their rootsy debut single ‘Call Me A Friend’, which has been produced by The Next Room (Lady Leshurr, Snoop Dogg) and marks a meeting of authentic vintage and forward thinking contemporary sounds.

The video for Call Me A Friend, which was filmed in Amy Winehouse’s former Camden house, features Page 3 model Rhian Sugden's debut as a ‘lovie’ and the contents of a dressing up box.

The 27 don’t mind if their music takes you back in time. “The internet has brought pop’s past back to life” says 23 year old singer, songwriter and guitarist Henry Parker.  They salute their debt to the rock of yesteryear, tip their hat to classic country in their three-part harmonies and are adamant in their refusal to use autotune. “It’s a fresh take on old sounds,” says Henry.

The 27 may be a new band, but for Henry, their rootsy first single, Call Me A Friend, is the result of six eventful years spent seeking like-minded musicians, searching for a sound and experiencing the highs, lows and heartbreak you’ll hear in his lyrics. Along the way, he has played covers in pubs on David Bowie’s vintage Gibson guitar, shared stages with country music star Margo Price, travelled to Nashville to write, recorded an ill-fated album in L.A. while living in the laundry room of a hair salon and spent a summer working as a guitar tech, prepping Coldplay’s guitars for a tour.

The 27 are as much about stories as they are about songs, as in thrall to the present as they are to the past, as serious as they are silly.  They’re on a mission to make real music, but they’re out to have a damn good time whilst they’re at it.

The 27 Are: - Lead Vocals and Guitar: Henry Parker; Guitarist and Vocals: Tom Michell; Guitarist and Vocals: David Page and Drums: Alex Tschaikowsky

Fri, 07/07/2017 - 6:53 am

Days Are Done are singer-songwriter Emmy Kay (from Blackpool) and BAFTA winning TV & film composer Adam Lewis (from South Wales), who are both based in Kingston-upon-Thames.

Days are Done are what could be described as a happy accident. Having both played in a series of different bands, both together and individually, they knew that they had a strong chemistry and when they finally sat down together to write as just the two of them, the flow was just natural. Realising that they had something special when they stripped their sound back to just the two of them and a guitar, they decided that this was their musical destiny. Days Are Done was born. The rest if history still in the making.

Over the last 18 months, the duo have composed a striking body of songs, mostly written in their front rooms in Kingston. Boasting an ‘old vs. new’ vibe, it is fair to say that their shared influences are married with their own distinctive sound to craft something rather timelessly magical.

One of those key influences is  Nick Drake, whose song Day is Done inspired the duo’s name. Having formed the duo at what they thought was the end of a musical journey, the name fitted perfectly.

A bit of musical secret, they didn’t share the band with friends ahead of launching at a series of open mics where they road-tested material. Within a few months, they had recorded a live EP at a tiny coffee shop Hands Coffee (sadly no more) in their hometown. Armed with a laptop and microphones, they invited friends and family and recorded the whole show to release as two introductory EPs.

The old school formula worked its wonders and soon enough they had clocked up over 180 gigs – including opening for St Paul & The Broken Bones and Michael Kiwanuka.

Having recorded their debut single, Turns To Dust, in Adam’s front room, which involved lots of running around the sofa to press record so that they could record the vocals together, they found themselves surrounded by love for the song. Alongside support from BBC Radio 2, BBC Wales, BBC London, BBC Surrey & South and BBC Introducing, they found themselves invited for sessions with Gaby Roslin and Robert Elms. The love for the duo even spread Stateside and they found themselves invited to perform a session on the world famous WSM in Nashville after a DJ there found a clip of the song on Instagram!

With their rapidly growing fanbase now anticipating their next step, the duo return this summer with their debut studio EP, Closer, which was produced and mixed by Sean Genockey at his Studio (Blackdog Studio). To celebrate the release they hit the festival circuit, with Glastonbury and Hebcelt topping the bill! Days Are Done will be on the acoustic stage at 8pm at Hebcelt.