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| New Band Up North Number 19: BLESSA | New Band Up North Number 19: BLESSA |
| (8 days later) | |
| Combining dreamy, shoegaze sounds with thrashy guitars and gorgeous vocals, BLESSA are making atmospheric daydream pop that I've completely fallen in love with. The Sheffield five-piece have only put a few tracks up online so far but I'm hooked and hungry for more. There's now a gentle hum of positive chatter about this group's potential, along with a teeny, tiny bit of pressure to release something officially. | Combining dreamy, shoegaze sounds with thrashy guitars and gorgeous vocals, BLESSA are making atmospheric daydream pop that I've completely fallen in love with. The Sheffield five-piece have only put a few tracks up online so far but I'm hooked and hungry for more. There's now a gentle hum of positive chatter about this group's potential, along with a teeny, tiny bit of pressure to release something officially. |
| Liv Neller, Robert Piercy, Andy Piercy, Alex Burton and Jake Murray only started making music together when most of them graduated in July last year. Liv and Alex were writing together in Suffolk before Uni though. They met Rob and Jake in the Steel City and then forced Rob's brother Andy to come to Uni in Sheffield so they could complete the band. He obliged without too much kicking and screaming. Now they've got a practice room big enough for all of them to squeeze into, they're looking forward to messing about and developing new ideas. I'm sure the fact that it's down in Sheffield's Kelham Island, near the Fat Cat Pub, will help them along the way. | Liv Neller, Robert Piercy, Andy Piercy, Alex Burton and Jake Murray only started making music together when most of them graduated in July last year. Liv and Alex were writing together in Suffolk before Uni though. They met Rob and Jake in the Steel City and then forced Rob's brother Andy to come to Uni in Sheffield so they could complete the band. He obliged without too much kicking and screaming. Now they've got a practice room big enough for all of them to squeeze into, they're looking forward to messing about and developing new ideas. I'm sure the fact that it's down in Sheffield's Kelham Island, near the Fat Cat Pub, will help them along the way. |
| 'Pale' by BLESSA on Soundcloud | 'Pale' by BLESSA on Soundcloud |
| They've put three tracks online so far. The latest one, Pale, is a beauty. Liv Neller's vocals fly over loose drumbeats and fuzzed-out guitar riffs to produce something very special. Just for a moment, around two minutes 30 seconds, I'm reminded slightly of The xx. BLESSA have that same ability to produce slow furtive pop that pulls at your heartstrings. The electronic chords, which are reflective and romantic, float through the song in a similar way too. With that said BLESSA's sound is not as sparse or as digitally influenced as The xx. They sum it up nicely as a sound "spanning outwards from tighter, more claustrophobic structures into a vastness that allows a vocal to pervade the wall of sound." | They've put three tracks online so far. The latest one, Pale, is a beauty. Liv Neller's vocals fly over loose drumbeats and fuzzed-out guitar riffs to produce something very special. Just for a moment, around two minutes 30 seconds, I'm reminded slightly of The xx. BLESSA have that same ability to produce slow furtive pop that pulls at your heartstrings. The electronic chords, which are reflective and romantic, float through the song in a similar way too. With that said BLESSA's sound is not as sparse or as digitally influenced as The xx. They sum it up nicely as a sound "spanning outwards from tighter, more claustrophobic structures into a vastness that allows a vocal to pervade the wall of sound." |
| The same reminder comes again at the beginning of Unfurl, the second song that they put online. What's different though is Neller's voice. It has the sexiness of Karen-O yet the innocent nature of her idol Annie Clark, from St Vincent. Taking influence from "quite a few singers. All female." Neller also picks out Elizabeth Fraser from Cocteau Twins as one of them. | The same reminder comes again at the beginning of Unfurl, the second song that they put online. What's different though is Neller's voice. It has the sexiness of Karen-O yet the innocent nature of her idol Annie Clark, from St Vincent. Taking influence from "quite a few singers. All female." Neller also picks out Elizabeth Fraser from Cocteau Twins as one of them. |
| Another reason why BLESSA came together was their love for the same music. Taking influence from Cosmo Kramer from the US TV show Seinfeld - maybe it's the upright hairstyle and vintage wardrobe - as well as My Bloody Valentine, Jesus and Mary Chain, and more recently new groups such as DIIV, Chromatics and Beach House, means they work well collectively. Aside from this I found out that Neller shares my love for new rappers A$AP Rocky and Joey Bada$$. Maybe a change of branding to BLE$$A is in order? | Another reason why BLESSA came together was their love for the same music. Taking influence from Cosmo Kramer from the US TV show Seinfeld - maybe it's the upright hairstyle and vintage wardrobe - as well as My Bloody Valentine, Jesus and Mary Chain, and more recently new groups such as DIIV, Chromatics and Beach House, means they work well collectively. Aside from this I found out that Neller shares my love for new rappers A$AP Rocky and Joey Bada$$. Maybe a change of branding to BLE$$A is in order? |
| 'Unfurl' by BLESSA on Soundcloud | 'Unfurl' by BLESSA on Soundcloud |
| Unfurl does what it says on the tin. Starry-eyed harmonies and slightly psychedelic guitars spill and crash through your ears. High-pitched yelps ripple into intertwined instrumentation. Then the change in tempo for the chorus is like rolling down a hill in the summer sun. It's deliciously addictive too; "since you went away, since you went away, I've been in the dark..." | Unfurl does what it says on the tin. Starry-eyed harmonies and slightly psychedelic guitars spill and crash through your ears. High-pitched yelps ripple into intertwined instrumentation. Then the change in tempo for the chorus is like rolling down a hill in the summer sun. It's deliciously addictive too; "since you went away, since you went away, I've been in the dark..." |
| Last month BLESSA shared the stage with Veronica Falls and Fear Of Men and modestly said; "it'd be amazing to play with bands like that on a regular basis". I'm sure many want to see this happening too. They tell me they're gigging a bit more this month before burrowing their heads back into the studio, when I find out they "tour exclusively by train." I immediately think how stressful that must be, right? | Last month BLESSA shared the stage with Veronica Falls and Fear Of Men and modestly said; "it'd be amazing to play with bands like that on a regular basis". I'm sure many want to see this happening too. They tell me they're gigging a bit more this month before burrowing their heads back into the studio, when I find out they "tour exclusively by train." I immediately think how stressful that must be, right? |
| "Yes!" laughs Neller. Not owning a car has meant having to tolerate packed trains at rush hour, stinky armpits in faces and grumpy 9-5ers (no offence), to get to gigs. Rob Piercy explains what happened on their way to play in Manchester: | "Yes!" laughs Neller. Not owning a car has meant having to tolerate packed trains at rush hour, stinky armpits in faces and grumpy 9-5ers (no offence), to get to gigs. Rob Piercy explains what happened on their way to play in Manchester: |
| It was rush hour. So we were enduring the lovely smell you get. The train was absolutely rammed and we put the drums down on one of those shelves. This little metal bit went straight through the bottom of the snare, which was annoying. We had to borrow one from the venue in the end. My guitar broke as well. On that same night the guys we were supporting were unlucky too. Their car disappeared. It either got nicked or towed. It was fun apart from that. | It was rush hour. So we were enduring the lovely smell you get. The train was absolutely rammed and we put the drums down on one of those shelves. This little metal bit went straight through the bottom of the snare, which was annoying. We had to borrow one from the venue in the end. My guitar broke as well. On that same night the guys we were supporting were unlucky too. Their car disappeared. It either got nicked or towed. It was fun apart from that. |
Neller says the night was a pretty good one for her because she "got wine on the rider." | Neller says the night was a pretty good one for her because she "got wine on the rider." |
| BLESSA have made Sheffield their home for now and are keeping some of their plans under wraps. They're planning to head back into the studio early April to record what'll be their debut release. In the meantime they'll be decorating their practice room. It's obvious that BLESSA don't want to rush into releasing anything; "We are under pressure to release stuff. But we're constantly writing and thinking 'Oh God...' do we release this? Or work on something new?" Despite this slight headache they've promised to put something out very soon. So for now you'll have to rack up their Soundcloud plays and join the pressure group to get them to record their first EP. I can't wait to hear what gorgeous stuff they come out with next. | BLESSA have made Sheffield their home for now and are keeping some of their plans under wraps. They're planning to head back into the studio early April to record what'll be their debut release. In the meantime they'll be decorating their practice room. It's obvious that BLESSA don't want to rush into releasing anything; "We are under pressure to release stuff. But we're constantly writing and thinking 'Oh God...' do we release this? Or work on something new?" Despite this slight headache they've promised to put something out very soon. So for now you'll have to rack up their Soundcloud plays and join the pressure group to get them to record their first EP. I can't wait to hear what gorgeous stuff they come out with next. |
| For more head to blessa.co.uk | For more head to blessa.co.uk |
| Emily Brinnand is a freelance journalist, radio presenter and producer. You can follow her on Twitter @EmilyBrinnand If you're in a northern band, Emily wants to hear from you so please Tweet her links to your music. | Emily Brinnand is a freelance journalist, radio presenter and producer. You can follow her on Twitter @EmilyBrinnand If you're in a northern band, Emily wants to hear from you so please Tweet her links to your music. |
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