Last night I went to the Reckless Sons and The Splendour show at Madam JoJo’s in Soho, London.

Before the show, we were having drinks across the street from Madam JoJo’s, upstairs at The O Bar, and the newest addition to the New York City based band Reckless Sons, drummer Austin Schumacher, sat down with me for a quick chat. Before making their way to the UK they played a couple shows in Washington DC area that went down well and he was looking forward to playing the London show and their UK tour. They’ve just finished shooting a video for upcoming single, “Blood”, which was filmed in New York, and from his description, sounds like one to watch out for when it’s released.

As 9:30 approached, we made our way to Madam JoJo’s for the show. I was looking forward to seeing these two up and coming bands, one from New York and the other, The Splendour, from Brighton.

The Splendour went on first and I was glad to have been there early enough to see their whole set. They’ve been receiving very good reviews, and now I know why. They have a great current, indie sound, but there’s something different about The Splendour. They’re not your ‘typical’ indie band…there’s something more “artsy” and clever about them – maybe it has something to do with them being from Brighton, that they produce a different feel to their songwriting. Singer Justin Gourlay has a subtle approach on stage, which is endearing, and the harmonies were good to hear. When they played “Audio” my ears perked up, as I was familiar with the song. An excellent number as well as their single, “Money”. Both songs are off of their upcoming debut album ‘The Best Way To Make Money’ set for release August 2008.

Rockers Reckless Sons are fairly new on the scene – especially here in the UK. One thing I really enjoy, is being able to see bands play before they become household names. I wouldn’t be surprised if I’ll be saying that about Reckless Sons. It’s refreshing to hear rock music these days, and the contrast between the two bands’ styles worked well.

Singer/frontman Matt Butler has the passion that you want to see when you go out to hear rock – and I was quite surprised at how good guitarist Emiliano Ortiz sounded during his solos. I think his solos caught me off guard. Apparently I’ve been getting used to the current wave of new music being played on the radio – and a lot of it, unfortunately, doesn’t include great guitar solos. Again, very refreshing to hear live. Austin is probably one of the hardest hitting drummers I’ve seen in awhile – at one point a piece of his stick went flying into the crowd, and it was fun to watch bassist Jacob Sloan’s quirky style on stage.

When the band played their hard rocking version of Elvis’ “Jailhouse Rock”, for a moment I was spooked. I felt that I could have been watching them from five decades before. Matt has a look that could easily have fit in then, and I had flashes of the movie Eddie and the Cruisers going through my mind, and that’s also when I realized that Matt reminds me of Bruce Springsteen – who has an old school look and sound about him, too.

This show is highly recommended.

The bands will be on tour together in the UK July and August 2008.

For tour dates, music and more, go to:

The Splendour Myspace
The Splendour Official Website

Reckless Sons Myspace
Reckless Sons Official Website

By: Jenny May – BandWeblogs.com

The Splendour was formed by respected Brighton muso Justin Gourlay, intent on making snappy chunky indie rock songs for the masses to enjoy. Together with John Crick (Guitar) and Greg Houghton (Bass) and with this their debut album recorded with Dan Swift, producer of Kasabian, Art Brut and Aqualung, they are succeeding in their quest.

With the first single “Audio”, the band was Emma Scott’s Ones To Watch on Kerrang! Radio, Fresh Meat on Zane Lowe’s BBC Radio 1 show and played at The Great Escape Festival.

Their second single is “Money” and the band have already attracted high praise from the UK press. This groove driven dancefloor filler builds to a triumphant hands-in-the-air chorus that will crack a smile at even the most serious of clubs.

Watch “Money” video:

“Money” is scheduled for release on July 28th, 2008. This full throttle piece of indie rock is accompanied by the characteristic splendour hooks with an added horn section in the mix.

Their debut album ‘The Best Way To Make Money’ is being released with the backing of ILS (Independent Label Scheme) – the new venture from Catskills founder Jonny Reggae and top music lawyer Dean Marsh – which gives the band the infrastructure to release the album on their own Tinyclan imprint while providing experienced record label backing. The debut album is out August 2008.

In the meantime, catch the band live as they play the following dates on their UK tour:

(Dates subject to change.)

July 23rd – Madam JoJos – London
July 25th – The Purple Turtle – Oxford
July 27th – Portland Arms – Cambridge
July 28th – The Swan – Ipswich
July 29th – Queen Charlotte’s – Norwich
Aug 2nd – Gemini – Brighton
Aug 2nd – The Albert – Brighton
Aug 3rd – Northern Monkey – Leeds
Aug 5th – Actress and Bishop – Birmingham
Aug 8th – The Brickyard – Carlisle
Aug 10th – Pivo Pivo – Glasgow
Aug 15th – Tommy Flynns – London
Aug 18th – Hoxton Bar and Grill – London
Aug 24th – Beachdown Festival – Brighton

The Splendour Myspace

As any music journalist will tell you, the most over-used band quotation is some variation on the following: “We make music for ourselves and if anyone else likes it, that’s a bonus.” “No,” says The Splendour drummer Sam Beer-Pearce, “We’re trying to make music people actually like. If you’re making it for yourself, why don’t you just do it at home in your bedroom.”

It is with this full intention to excite and entertain that The Splendour have built up a reputation as one of Brighton’s most exciting live acts, and with a debut album now recorded with Dan Swift, producer of Kasabian, Art Brut and Aqualung, they are ready to start taking on the rest of the UK.

The Splendour began when lead singer Justin Gourlay walked into a video rental shop in Brighton and found a bored Sam Beer-Pearce (now the bands falsetto-singing drummer) behind the counter strumming a guitar. John Crick (Guitar) and Greg Houghton (Bass) then joined and following a couple of name changes and in between selling fruit at Brighton market and dropping out of music college to bum about on the sea front and Sam playing keys for fellow locals The Pipettes, The Splendour was born.

Debut album, ‘The Best Way To Make Money’ is being released with the backing of ILS (Independent Label Scheme), the new venture from Catskills founder Jonny Reggae and top music lawyer Dean Marsh, which gives the band the infrastructure to release the album on their own Tinyclan imprint while providing experienced record label backing.

The debut album is due in August 2008 along with a full UK tour.

In the meantime, catch the band live as they play selective shows in Brighton and London leading up to the release of “Audio” and the accompanying video.

Watch The Splendour – “Audio” video:

“Audio” is set for release June 2nd, 2008 on Tinyclan Records.

Upcoming Shows
26th May, 2008 – **Audio Single Launch*** @ Hectors House, Brighton

The Splendour have also been asked to play a special acoustic set for Phil Marten (Turin Brakes) at The Joogleberry. For more information, go to their website or Myspace.

“The next Kaiser Chiefs – with the right backing they’ll be massive” – Thomas H Green – Q, The Telegraph, Beatmag

“Playful… Clever… Striking… Confident… Chic… Upbeat… Crisp” – Nathan Westley – Artrocker, Glasswerk

“A Band definitely worth keeping an eye on” – John Kennedy, XFM

“one of the most exiting bands in Brighton and the coolest live act” – Damo and Ace show, Juice FM

The Splendour
The Splendour Myspace