Tag: Sextapes the band

'Watching Sextapes whilst Half Asleep'

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The act of doing something that involves danger or risk in order to achieve a final goal.
Risk taking.
Its something we all do throughout our lives that’s unavoidable. However, something I love is creative risk taking. This is when you put something you love to the test to push yourself and those around you further; and that brings me to this post…

Now you may have heard of a Midlands (England, UK) based band with a rather unusual name that have previously featured on this blog. I am of course referring to the five piece band Sextapes.
Sextapes’ sound was a mixture of grunge styled heavy/shouty vocals, entwined with melody driven riffs perfectly due to the balance of upbeat “happy yet moody” drums and soft mellow toned bass.
Full of energy, Sextapes performances were always captivating, displaying their passion for music. This made watching them a joy rather than a task and their music more enjoyable.

As you’ve probably guessed from the past tense language and talk of risks, that Sextapes are no more! They now go by the name Half Asleep, which also brings through a new sound. This sound is quite different to that refreshing tinge to the hardcore scene that they brought through as Sextapes, but is equally as refreshing to the Midlands current music scene.
The Midlands is very heavily yet proudly displaying pop punk, punk and hard-core bands at the moment; all of whom show some serious talent!
Half Asleep however, consist of what you would expect from bands breaking through the Midlands scene over the last few years such as Peace and Swim Deep, whilst maintaining individuality by drenching their songs with shoegazey guitars and hypnotic dreamy vocals.

With their first single released, Half Asleep have further proved they have an endless amount of talent to display. By breaking down this new single, it makes understanding their new sound as well as get a real feel for why I truly believe that Relax & Distill was a very clever choice for breaking that Sextapes barrier.
When listening to the vocals it is clear to hear the change that has undergone immediately. The vocalist has transformed his vocals from harsh to a much softer approach which displays different tones compared to previous releases as Sextapes. When speaking with the vocalist about this change of technique he said “I can get much more melody into my words and it feels more natural”, something which is a key for vocalists to feel as strain to vocal chords can be damaging for careers.


Guitars have managed to keep their powerfully catchy riff technique but have now teamed them up with soft distortion and carefully structured “cheery” chords that bring a nice aspect to the music. By having two guitarists and different tunes throughout, there is a more structured and empowering vibe built in rather than just a sense of melody being played throughout.
Drums used in Sextapes were heavy, big and powerful; perfect for that grunge influence they were playing with. However, drums have now been switched up to a combination of fast paced and slow paced dynamic beats that work well against the shoegazey guitars and mellowed vocals. In this new single you can hear the drummers use of cymbals is not overbearing, but that he has incorporated them nicely against the new sound so that that previously edgier aspect is not heard.
Bass is structured and well blended within the song, keeping that basic structure within crisp and clean, whilst also with a touch of off balance enabling you to hear it.


All in all, Relax & Distill is a brilliant song that’s well structured and displays brilliantly that the boys really have thought about their music. This goes on to show how they want to progress, that this is not a hobby, but something they are all passionate about. Showcasing their talents for writing and producing, I can honestly say Half Asleep are some talented guys! I mean pulling off their breath-taking performances is a talent in its own, let alone being able to make tracks that stick in your head for all the right reasons.

Something I really like about the Half Asleep boys is that despite all this change, they are still humble to how they started. There are no bitter feelings towards the origins and being Sextapes, so much so that when it came to releasing their EP it only seemed fitting to incorporate something a little Sextapes with it. As best described by one of the guitarists as “an ode to Sextapes”, they cleverly titled their EP ‘Watching Sextapes whilst Half Asleep‘. Even better, to keep up with this quirky and individuality that they bring, you can purchase their EP on either standard classic CD or a retro cassette tape! Yes, you can purchase ‘Watching Sextapes whilst Half Asleep’ on cassette tape that has been beautiful crafted to keep Half Asleep in your mind (images of both CD and cassette tape can be found below). But honestly, trust me when I say I truly believe you will not be disappointed in this EP, as it features a few songs that were crafted whilst the boys were Sextapes enabling you to hear and feel the growth they have undergone as a band.











I am also very excited to announce that there is AN OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO! Hand crafted by the boys themselves, this homemade video is full of clips of; them performing at gigs as Sextapes, them together proving they are a crazy normal bunch of 20 something lads, hilarious moments from mischievous nights and powerful dancing/singing! It is one of those videos that even though some footage is bad phone camera quality, it just makes you feel more connected to the band, and you just love it! Not to mention it is pretty great, I really can’t get enough of it… BUT YOU’LL HAVE TO GO ON THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE TO VIEW IT OOPS (hey like what I did there, huh?!)


You will also find below a video that’s been crafted by talented artist Georgia, this video features the new single as well as some clips from past gigs the boys have performed. This is a great way for you to understand what I mean by their hectic performances and how much enthusiasm is displayed at each gig. Especially as Georgia has managed to capture and entwine different gigs into one beautiful video similar to that of a tour video!

Now whilst checking these videos out you can also go over to their official Facebook page and give them a cheeky little like, which will help you keep updated on any exciting news or even check out their merchandise over on their Big Cartel site. Which to be honest, we know you’re going to do all these things because that’s what I’ve done!!

Half Asleep Merchandise Site

Official Facebook of Half Asleep

As always, its an absolute pleasure to have you read our blog. It means way more than you can imagine to me! Thank you for reading my thoughts and opinions, best wishes! Leanne xo

This post featured some editing by Guest Blogger Kirsty.

Sextapes – Subside, Birmingham – 10.12.15

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   I’m going to start this post off by stating a few things about this gig. Firstly, the venue this gig took place at was brand new and this was the first show they had put on. So, as expected, some technical problems did arise. Secondly, a lot of the technical problems did appear to only affect the one band, this cannot be explained other than they were the more active band regarding stage presence. And finally, I was invited along by Sextapes, who are some lovely boys and very chatty. But I also got to speak to some of the Outlander boys who also seem very friendly. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to speak to Brass Tongue, but I did get to see their set. 

Brass tongue: 

   They were first band on and they made lots of noise. By noise I mean the good kind! Featuring harsh vocals and good strong guitars, Brass Tongue started the gig off brilliantly. Throughout their set; Bass was clearly heard and wasn’t drowned out by over powerful guitars or drums, backing vocals were minimal yet well placed within their songs, and the drums were also in time and clean with no mistakes from the drummer. 
   Something I wasn’t a fan of was when the one guitarist, who was also providing some backing vocals, became quite aggressive with his performance, however it worked well with their sound due to the harshness of the vocals. I don’t know, however if it was down to sound problems or what, I just wasn’t keen on the additional vocals. Due to the harsh quality provided by the lead vocalists I felt it was enough. Sometimes soft vocals work well against harsher ones, sometimes slightly different pitched harsh vocals go well against other harsh vocals, but I just wasn’t feeling it. As mentioned previously though, the backing vocals were very neat and perfectly placed. 
   This doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the set because I did, they were lively and provided a show, and their talents were displayed throughout. I always love a good concentration face too, and I certainly loved the drummers! Trust me if you watch closely, most drummers and often a bassists/guitarists will pull a strange face whilst concentrating and it’s always beautiful. And I just love it so much because when there’s a weird face being pulled through concentration you can almost guarantee there is passion behind what that person is doing.

Outlander:

   The second band to grace this new venue with their sound. A sound that is very clear, with a light tempo to start with which was brought through by the guitars. After a beautiful intro clear, clean cut drums grace your ears. These drums however you cannot help but feel should sound out of place because of the beauty/soft tones brought through by the guitar riffs, in reality worked so great with them! They really bring the piece of music together well. 
   Throughout the rest of their very music orientated set, the bass was perfectly blended in with the guitars and not overpowering, displaying that each piece has been very carefully thought about. Each musician is super talented, there were no errors present whatsoever and changing from one song to another was very swiftly yet smoothly done. Outlander have a small similarity to that of Mansionair, but feature their own unique touch to the music world. Outlander are a band producing music how many Indie bands wish they could, fresh, new and exciting. 
   They’re different, they’ve got an edge and it just feels so right. I literally feel like I’ve been waiting for this style of music for awhile and now it’s finally here I’m quite excited. I can’t wait to here more of them and their ambient post rock sound. 
   As you may have noticed, I haven’t mentioned anything about a vocalist, because Outlander don’t have one. Here I would usually say something about how I’d like to see what lyrics could be matched to the music, or even what way the sound would turn with a vocalist present within the band. However, I just love it as it is, because the music makes you feel everything that I believe lyrics would. 
   The four piece band display the minimalist amount of stage presence, which consists of gentle sways and head bops, that work perfectly against their sound.  Again stage presence is something I love to discuss and don’t like not seeing, but Outlander are contradicting everything I thought I loved about live performances! 
   Something that really stood out for me was when they switched up the tempo to something a little more faster and “upbeat”, they still managed to keep it to that new edge that they’ve created. I can safely say I am a fan of Outlander and certainly would see them live again.

Sextapes

   Sextapes as usual were lively from the get go, with the vocalist filling the tiny “stage” area with his movement. Guitarists showed more stage presence than what I’ve seen before, which brought this set together a little more. They also had their new bassist with them who seemed to fit in well with the rest of the band, and wouldn’t have been known to be new unless you actually knew like I did. Due to microphone problems, the vocalist could hardly be heard, due to what I believe was a faulty lead as he was the only one to use a slightly longer lead as he is prone to moving round frequently and quickly. As well as the stage being so tiny all musicians were closely packed together making drums a little too clearly heard. Even if the drums were clean cut and very well played. Guitarists played very strongly with riffs that stick in your head for the rest of the night. Their music is catchy and full of rhythmic melodies that are very remember-able. 
   What was a massive thing that stood out to me was how they just handled the fact people were running round like loonies trying to fix things and that things were going badly, and carried on performing to the high standard that they do. The vocalist continued to perform all vocals even with knowing his mic was suffering serious tech problems, guitarists and bassist stayed calm and continued to play showing no worry of a bad performance being lumbered upon them. Drummer managed to keep his cool during songs despite symbols falling over and his bass drum slipping off the stage. All in all they showed the up-most professionalism that they could in such an awkward situation. Which is something bands aren’t often credited for. 

Thanks as always for the kindness you show by reading my opinions and thoughts. Leanne xo


P.s. A quick something that isn’t to do with the performances of the bands above or the bands themselves; big up to our good pals who were helping to try and keep the drum kit in the right place, refitting the mic wire when it disconnected and to the guy who helped me get the attention of the sound guy when things needed turning up. You guys really helped and Sextapes are very thankful for your help!! xo

Skywalker – The Rainbow Venues, Birmingham – 14.10.15

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   As promised I have wrote a little review about the gig I went to last Wednesday (14th October) in my hometown. In this I’m not going to talk about individual songs but more the actual performances. The reason I went to this gig was to support my friends, but it was also the tour date for Skywalker (yes my friends supported Skywalker). This was a bit of a win for me, not only did I get to watch my friends perform and support them but I got to see Skies in Motion and Skywalker! What more could you want then to see good bands with your friends ay! 

 
   When I arrived there was a band called Hell and Home playing, but unfortunately I didn’t catch a lot of their set but what I heard had some potential. The second performance of the night was that of This Memory. I know a couple of these lads so I may be a bit biased here, but they did good! As always guitarists and lead vocalist were heavy movers around the stage bringing visual performance to their set. Performance wise musically is always good, in time and to a high standard. Can definitely tell this isn’t a “hobby” which some may presume with their age. Vocals range from screaming to singing and feature different members of the band, all of which are talented. Guitars including bass are clean and sharp, and interaction with the audience was good as it also included involving them with some of the lead vocalists movement within the performance. 
 
   Third to play were Sextapes. The majority of this band are my nearest and dearest friends, I’ve known them for years! So prepare for some biased views (I can’t help it they’re great lads). Sextapes have a vibe similar to that of Enter Shikari with that their lyrics aren’t always sung/screamed. Vocalist is a bit of a joker so communication with the audience can be entertaining too. Something that really stood out to me was the professionalism they all had, their was a mishap in that a strap on a guitar couldn’t be reattached as their was a broken item on the actual guitar (technical term is unknown to me I apologise) but the guitarist continued to play the set sat down to ensure there was no interference with the overall performance. The set continued with everyone being very unaffected by this lack of strap. 
 
   Thirdly, Skies in Motion stepped up and performed their set. They’re sound is good! Stage presence is such a key item with this performance as lead vocalists was moving around and interacting with the audience in this intimate setting (The Rainbow basement is a small room without an official stage). Guitarists were moving around, jumping and even dancing throughout the whole set. Their music is just as good! Clean, in time, well put together and performed, which always makes music that bit better. I think it would be intriguing to see a longer set and see what they can bring when they’re in a larger venue. Something one of my friends I went to the gig with picked up was the use of strobe lighting. Strobe lighting can always add something to a performance but what she found worked well was the way jumps were timed to the strobe so it created a more intense visual than that of just using a strobe or not having any lighting at all. What I find great about the use of strobe lighting is when a performance includes heavy head movement it just works so well with the strobe and makes it different to the head bang you normally see. Skies in Motions use of the strobe lighting was clever and tactful, we enjoyed. And finally, the last performance was that of the headline act Skywalker. 
 
   Skywalker’s performance truly finished the night off. A well put together performance including good interaction with the audience, it wasn’t just chit chat it included important beliefs and opinions. These lads are passionate and that radiates though their music and performance. Stage presence was amazing, not one member of the band was still and all genuinely seemed to be enjoying themselves. What I loved about this performance was it didn’t feel rehearsed, it felt fresh and raw. Sometimes, especially larger gigs, a performance can feel over rehearsed and you can tell that they do the set over and over as its perfectly timed to the second and sometimes band members can even look bored. This certainly wasn’t a vibe given off by Skywalker. From what I hear too these lads are super nice and real down to earth, which are such good qualities to have as a person anyway but even better when you’re in a band.