Feature by Mark Wincott.

FEATURE // Four For Friday #1

It’s nearly the weekend, and to celebrate we’ve found four amazing new acts for you to get your teeth into. We think all of these guys are fantastic, and they’re all definitely worth checking out. 

Katie & The Queue

Singer-songwriter Katie is a seriously hardworking young woman. Within a year of learning how to play the guitar Katie had already begun to write a collection of original songs in her inimitable Anglo-Americana style, and they’re definitely worth a listen – a combination of subtly sweet acoustic guitar and heartfelt lyrics mark her out as something different, and her catchy songs immediately catch your attention.

Katie (with the assistance of former Eurythmics bassist John Mackenzie) is currently working on new material, and we can’t wait to hear it – as a self-taught musician she feels that music has no rules and should be left to flow naturally, meaning that her music is left minimal and simple. Katie has hard raw talent and her own unique sound – she’s gonna go far.

www.twitter.com/iamkatieq // www.soundcloud.com/kate-davo

Maquilador

London five-piece Maquilador have been garnering an impressive following through their flowing musical style and energetic live sets. Their impressive frontman Micky J has a unique vocal style, and when you combine it with funk driven basslines, blues-rock guitars and pounding drums you get something pretty special. There’s a definite influence of Radiohead here, but it really is something that’s new and exciting.

The band are currently recording a four-track debut EP, and they’re hoping to play a legion of festivals in the summer. They’re definitely worth checking out – their energy live is beyond belief, and we can only hope that their EP serves to prove how good they can be.

www.soundcloud.com/maquilador // www.twitter.com/maquilad0r

Bangaldeafy

Jonny Germ and Atif Haq are known as Bangladeafy (due to Germ’s Sensio Neuro hearing loss and the fact that Haq is of Bangladeshi descent) and they’re definitely worth a listen. Their EP Briefcase is a six-track romp of fun-filled heaviness, and it’s genuinely something new and exciting – their sound has even been labelled with its own genre, the affectionately named Schizoid Metal. The fact that the EP feels half-improvised is a testament to these two guys’ talents – it’s the work of two extremely talented guys who want to put out something different. See them live, buy the EP and support them – they’re gonna be huge.

www.soundcloud.com/bangladeafy // www.facebook.com/bangladeafy // www.twitter.com/bangladeafy // www.bangladeafy.bandcamp.com

Seven Impale

Norwegian Prog Rock/Jazz five-piece Seven Impale released their debut EP Beginning/Relieve earlier this year, and we can’t stop listening to it – EP highlight What Am I Sane For is a crazily beautiful song, and we couldn’t recommend it highly enough. We caught these guys last year at the Oslo Jazz Festival, and we’re pleased to report that they’re absolutely amazing live; their three-track set included a brand new track from their debut album, which we can’t wait for. The future looks bright for these lads.

Seven Impale are a band of pure progressive-rock energy, impressive jazz skills and the kind of funk that Nile Rodgers would kill for. These young guys are only going to keep improving, and we can’t wait to see where they go next.

www.twitter.com/sevenimpale // www.facebook.com/sevenimpale // www.soundcloud.com/sevenimpale