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| The Guardian Guide - 26th July Rather like The Coral, The Bandits and The Zutons, we find The Stands lining up in what we can only do justice to by calling 'New Merseybeat'. Like many of their contemporaries formed out of a love of pot and psychadelic music of the 1960's, the band have not been remotely flaky in their movements thus far. Having already played support to Oasis, the band find themselves with valuable experience behind them, and a generous benefactor in tow. Their forthcoming single, 'When This River Rolls Over You', sees the bandslipping on the comfortable suede shoes of harmony driven rock, and setting out on a traditional but enjoyable sort of journey. |
| TRACK OF THE WEEK - Guardian Guide 2nd August In production terms, The Stands make The La's sound like Timbaland. With a harmonica wheeze that sounds like it was dredged from the Mersey mud, you sense that Howie Payne is not a man who religiously tunes into the cart rundown. It's the marriage of melody and execution that really thrills here: the rickety jangle of minor chords; the Dylanesque fantasia of Payne's imagery; and a sense that these songs are not so much written as divined from you own subconscious. Everyone get Excited! |
| Interview from Witnness Festival There is an filmed interview with Howie and Luke at the Witnness festival. You can see the interview at: www.hotpress.com/witnness then click on the video archive section. Check it out! |
| Designer Magazine Interview Also check out the interview in Designer Magazine at: http://designermagazine.tripod.com It's a really good interview, well worth reading! |
| Interviews with Howie Here are a couple of interviews with Howie one on manchester Online and the other is on ic Birmingham |
| V Festival You can listen to an interview with Howie at V festival here |
| Record Collector Magazine There is an article on Liverpool bands inthis months edition of Record Collector which is well worth checking out. |
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| Some more press cuttings........ It's been a while since I last updated this so there is a few new links! BBC review of the Northampton gig on 4/12/03 Another Northampton review Fuse FM interview with Howie Review of Nottingham gig small micro site where you can watch the video for Here She Comes Again and view pictures from the shoot Drowned In Sound review of Reading gig 19/11/03 Another Reading gig review |
| amazon.co.uk Guest Editor: Howie from the Stands Hello all, Not sure exactly what I'm doing but I can tell you my current Top 10 albums of all time this week are... The Band by the Band Whatever type of music you wish to call it, this to me is just pure soul music, no fancy noises in the way of the point of the song; there's joy, pain, hope, frustration and love in there--but no weirdness or fashion awareness just a great group singing great songs... how mad is that? Bryter Layter by Nick Drake It's very close this record; it sits right down next to you, sighs a sigh, pulls your insides out and then soothes them, but not the first time I heard it. All I heard was what I thought was a good record but it just kept pulling me in... beautiful record. Dusty in Memphis by Dusty Springfield This is such a well-played record and the sounds on there are amazing, very warm and not too clean. There's a certain amount of dirt in there, not like a Chess or Sun record, but just enough to keep the feeling in. The singing is so stained with this amazing sense of relief, like she can't hold it in any more so she has to let it go, you know like a ceremony of unburdening, which is why music was invented you know?! Village Green Preservation Society by the Kinks No one else I can think of actually sounds like the Kinks although near enough everyone since has been influenced by them, knowingly or not. I think this record is so inside, you know, looking out, back or forward, narrating, observing and deciding--you put it on and kind of see the world through the record's eyes for the next however long. All punctuated by the nods and winks of Dave Davis's guitar playing, the most British album ever by a British group, I reckon. Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan For me, Bob Dylan has the finest grasp of imagery in rock & roll. He's like a court magician who has the kings ear; can turn you into stone, or set you aflame in a sentence, sometimes both. This and Blonde on Blonde are the most explosive records he did for me. His words have sort've overtaken: his brain fell out his mouth and he's furiously juggling them together into coherent sentences. Sometimes he might drop one but never stops or explains, just keeps keepin' on till he's made his point--wonderful. Revolver by the Beatles This record was the first whole Beatles album I owned, so a bit sentimental to me I guess. I bought it when I lived in New York in a record shop in Queens. It's such a Liverpool-in-London sounding record. Like an exciting day in a town you know but you're not from, there's a certain confidence and humour that comes with that away-day anonymity. "Tomorrow Never Knows" was like from another planet and just so relentless the way it just hangs on the one key. Revolver is a great, great record and it makes you feel good. The Beatles are very good at making you feel good. A American Beauty by the Grateful Dead Has the same thing going on as The Band album… you know, a lot of traditional-sounding stuff in there, playing for the song, leaving some space for the hearts of the players to be heard. "Candy Man" has the finest note in the middle, played on the lapsteele, it sort of hangs on a bit longer than you think it's going to, then is consumed in this cascade of rising harmony. "Friend of the Devil" too, amazing drums, keep slipping into half time from like a shuffle; can't beat a shuffle. Sketches of Spain by Miles Davis I had this on as I was falling asleep for about 6 months once; dunno why, just did. I got really tangled up in how the parts all relate to each other. Some mad stuff going on in there yet to listen to it, it's not challenging at all, just sounds the way it sounds. You hear the emotion before the mad stuff, that comes later. The horns sound is brittle, like very early on what's going to be a warm day that's yet to be free from the nights' chill. But you know what? I'd buy it just for the tambourine sound. Just As I Am by Bill Withers First heard this a couple of years ago and just couldn't get over the groove Bill Withers gets going on. It's all so simple but so soulfully played, and has this sort of "this is what this is" feeling about it. It wears no masks, you know, like it just grooves along, so you groove along. "Harlem" was a big song in Liverpool a year or so ago, you'd hear it in clubs and people would just go nuts, that song it just keeps going up and up, leaves you on the ceiling. Good ole' Bill eh?! Elvis Presley by Elvis Presley This record to me sounds like a band playing with Elvis singing, rather than Elvis singing with a band playing… if you know what I mean? The echo on the vocals is so rich and thick and it's all over it; it gives it this strange vibrating quality--it kind of swims out the speakers at you. The way the record opens up with "Heartbreak Hotel", which in turn starts with just the singing, so for a split second you kinda don't know what's gonna happen. Imagine what it must have been like when it came out! You know, your mate's got it and plays it to you or something; must of blew a lot of minds that. Also "My Baby Left Me" has the best drum-skip thing in it, like ba ba bm bm; the original version of this song was by Arthur Crudup which I love also, ba ba bm bm. Nice one to you all. Howie. The Stands. www.amazon.co.uk |
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| Australian press articles You can check a couple of Australian interviews and a review of one of the australian gigs: www.smh.au.com - interview www.theage.com.au - review www.theage.com.au - interview You can also check out photos from the gigs here |
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