Introducing...ForgetMeKnot

For.The.Love  will be hosting an E.P launch for the lovely ladies on the 4th of May at the Birdcage in Bristol.

‘ForgetMeKnot’

Jo Hadler, Annie Wright and Ash Trafford are a female vocal harmony trio for the modern age.  Ash and Annie are currently students undertaking music focused courses and Jo is a recent music graduate. Their musical accompaniment is ably provided by Ben Shauffler on bass, James Howitt on guitar and Jake Luxton on drums. ‘FMK’ are dedicated to honing their craft and absorbing the wealth of influence around them in Bristol’s burgeoning acoustic music scene. Their main sources of inspiration growing up were decidedly pop orientated; the classic fodder of the 90s generation with access to their parents’ record collections from Abba and Joni Mitchell to Beyonce and Foo Fighters.  The list is a familiar one to millions of 20 and 30 somethings all over the U.K. and it’s this formative passion for catchy lyrics and soaring sing-a-long vocals, an unabashed love of the power of the mainstream, combined with a willingness to experiment and stand out that makes ForgetMeKnot such an exciting prospect.

The girl’s writing process is a collaborative one, as harmonious as their on stage vocals.  Ash and Jo usually sketch out the initial idea, with a feeling or image often being at the centre rather than any concrete subject because they want their music to be as much about their audience’s personal responses as about their own artistic expression.  Nowadays the girls cite each other as their main source of inspiration. During their live performances which showcase their elegantly pared down style this comfortable comradeship comes to the fore as Ash provides a piano accompaniment that simply compliments and never overshadows the delicate harmonising of intertwined voices. The girls’ lyrics and contained emotional intensity come through with gorgeous clarity. The result is redolent of the classic harmony groups of yesteryear, such as the Andrew Sisters, but with an added, updated edge lurking tantalising just beneath the surface.

Check out the Facebook Page
Listen to 'Dust' and 'Monsters' on Reverbnation
Watch a live performance of 'Beneath the Waters' filmed at The Croft, Bristol.

 

Introducing... Memory of Elephants

As resident writer at for.the.love I'm extraordinarily privileged be working with some of the finest new musical talent Bristol has to offer :)

MEMORY OF ELEPHANTS 

are a Noise Rock trio that we're absolutely thrilled to have on board, their live performance presence is really outstanding.

 photo by Ruby Walker Photography

Born of late night Monopoly sessions and a shared penchant for energetic noise making memory of Elephants is an instrumental trio made up of three music students. Drummer Sam Simpson, bassist Ben Shuffler and guitarist Toby Stewart, all in their early twenties, share a seeming musical telepathy which can only be the product of late-night board-game based bonding and countless jams. This is a group of musicians who found themselves organically forming a band. The finishing touch was simply choosing a memorable name. Between them the trio share a wide range of interests and inspirations, from Motorcross to philosophical debate, from the latest dub-step of Bristol’s nightclub scene, to the pared-down gentle poetic outpourings of Jeff Buckley, taking in Mars Volta, Mowgli, System of a Down and many others along the way. In the wrong hands such a mixture of influences might spell catastrophic cacophony, but memory of elephants have been blessed with just the right balance of testosterone fuelled love of loudness and restrained, intelligent melodic sensibility. Each composition is a close collaboration, with no room for excessive ego or undue modesty. 
The resultant tracks are joyously controlled explosions, driven, purposeful and very satisfying. For the full effect of their wall-of-sound exhilaration this is a band that must be heard in their natural setting, live on stage in full force. 
Motivated by their heroes, their peers and most of all by each other memory of elephants have suitably elephantine ambitions, with extensive touring, major festivals and much more on their to-do list.
If their musical force-of-nature style is anything to go by it would be very foolish to bet against them.      

Learn more at the Facebook page

Hear a track now on Reverbnation  'In space it's jungle rules'

Boogie on down to this video of 'sex in sevens' performed at Bristol's Mother's Ruin.