City Reign Announce New Single ‘Making Plans’ + Live Dates
Manchester indie rockers, City Reign, have announced the first single ‘Making Plans’, from their forthcoming debut album ‘Another Step’. The single follows taster tracks the band offered as free downloads ‘Ahead of Ideas’ and ‘Retaliate’
First taster ‘Ahead Of Ideas’ propelled them on a UK tour and led to Clash Magazine asking them to open their inaugural issue launch gig in Manchester, recognising them as one of the best bands on the circuit, naming them “One of the best new young bands to follow”
The band teamed up with Manchester-based producer Sam Jones (Alex Turner) for the album, who took the band into Sacred Trinity Church in Salford to record. Jones chose the church for its rich natural reverb, which helped to bring depth to the band’s classic guitar sound.
The sound builds on the raw energy and exciting promise of the early demos, including the demo version of ‘Making Plans’ which caught the ears of Steve Lamacq and The Independent in late 2011.
City Reign are song-writing pair Chris Bull and Mike Grice with Duncan Bolton on drums
The album, ‘Another Step’, is due for release the same day (25th February) February Live Dates
Thursday 14th - Edinburgh - Bannermans Friday 15th - Glasgow - Buff Club Wednesday 20th - Cardiff - Buffalo Bar Thursday 21st - Bristol - Golden Lion Friday 22nd - London - The Garage Saturday 23rd - Manchester - The Castle http://cityreign.net/ http://www.facebook.com/cityreign
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’, said ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu. We all have dreams to conquer but few of us have the nerve to put fear aside and chase them by making that first move. Meet Manchester four-piece City Reign. Their full-length debut, ‘Another Step’, is a landmark guitar record fuelled by sheer ambition and ‘do or die’ attitude. It’s the culmination of their story so far, yet also just the first step planted on the road ahead.
“Ever since I was seven I’ve had a belief that this is the right thing for me to do. I don’t know how I’d get out of bed if I didn’t feel like I was doing something meaningful musically,” frontman Chris Bull says with conviction. This drive is shared by the three – (Chris Bull - Vocals/Guitar, Michael Grice - Guitar, Duncan Bolton - Drums) – who’ve become stalwarts of the city’s live scene since moving there to study.
Debut single ‘Making Plans’ gained praise from Steve Lamacq, who named City Reign one of his favourite new bands. Two more singles (Out In The Coldand Daybreak) and debut EP ‘Numbers For Street Names’, further cemented their reputation as a band who stand head and shoulders above the indie landfill. The latter propelled them on a UK tour and led to Clash Magazine asking them to open their inaugural issue launch gig in Manchester, recognising them as one of the best bands on the circuit.
The dream began when Mike Grice (the sexiest ginger haired guitarist since Josh Homme by his own admission) and Chris Bull met at a Ryan Adams gig in their first year of University, the name coming from his ‘City Rain, City Streets’ track. The two hit it off, bonding over a love of Adams, R.E.M, The National, and the mutual opinion that being in a band was the only way to be.
Their first break came as final year students when as a 21st birthday present Chris’ cousin got them time at Metropolis studio where she was working. Although the session got moved a few times because The Black Eyed Peas had rolled up, eventually they came out with ‘Daybreak’ and ‘Stay Where You Are’, two of the album’s finer moments which mix the self-assurance of early Oasis with their own inimitable anthemic hooks. “After it was done we drove across London with a car full of gear and a two track CD on loop, neither of us saying anything, just beaming because we were so proud. Every time I record now I say if I die tomorrow I’ll be happy because I’ve done that,” says Chris.
The recording of ‘Another Step’ took place in Salford’s Sacred Trinity Church, a sublime setting with free reverb coming via the stone walls and high ceiling. Upcoming Mancunian producer Sam Jones (Alex Turner) was at the helm, pushing the band to the limit. The result is an incredible album in which every note, every riff, every coruscating cymbal crash is an affirmation of what it means to be alive, from a group who only feel that way making music.
Recent single ‘Ahead Of Ideas’ is Chris’ most heart on a sleeve song, a lyrical outpouring of both hope and despair, contemplating the highs and lows experienced so far, while building to a musical crescendo that answers any doubts with a string quartet and waves of iridescent guitars. The final line, ‘I think I’ve found what I was looking for’, fits perfectly on one of their finest moments to date.
“For the outro I remember saying to the producer ‘this song needs more chaos’ and I started bashing the church organ, playing really random notes. I had my headphones on and I couldn’t hear it. I was just thinking this’ll sound like jazz. It’ll be great. I turned around and the string quartet had just turned up and looked baffled. These super-talented, classically trained, proper musicians had been listening to this cacophonous mess for the last two minutes,” says Mike.
The quartet also feature on ‘Retaliate’, an intimate moment which instantly leaps out on first listen for its stripped-back openness – a real emotive track in which electric guitars are left behind. It’s an outstanding highlight which almost didn’t occur: “We had the recording session interrupted by a funeral,” laugh’s Mike. “A couple of old blokes walked into the church with an invitation to a memorial. It turned out the priest had double-booked it!”
Luckily everything made it onto the album, the unrelenting energy behind ‘Anchor’, the screeching guitar riffs of ‘Making Plans’, and the pounding drum march on ‘The Line’. This is indie done properly, like it used to be, made by people who live the music, not some disaffected hipsters.
For City Reign it was simple, either ‘get up every morning, go out and work hard for the things you don’t love’, as sung on ‘See What It’s Worth’, or take heed of ‘Ahead Of Ideas’’ lyrics – “Fill your heart full of conviction and take to the stage.”
* LIAR LIAR / CLUB SMITH / CITY REIGN / SECRET PILOT / GROUND - SAT 7TH MAY @ ROADHOUSE http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=198926270144865
* THEM BEATLES plus support from TOM SUMNER / ILLUSION - SAT 7TH MAY @ CLUB ACADEMY http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=103130663103403
Full info on each gig are on the facebook events above but a quick snippet of info on some of the bands
* The Sticks - how many unsigned bands can claim to have played the MEN Arena? The Sticks are one of them and following their comeback gig last month with Designer Magazine they're back with a cooler edgier sound - must see for 2011 after a couple of years of being on the cusp
* Liar Liar - Hailing from the same town as the Heartbreaks, Liar Liar have just been picked up by Brave Ageny in Manchester
* Club Smith - Managed by Kaiser Chief's management and just had their video produced by NME's Danny North
* City Reign - Making massive waves here in Manchester with the MEN as well as nationally in The Indepedent and Music Week
* Them Beatles - Not just another tribute act - these guys were chosen by Belle & Sebastian to close All Tomorrow Parties
The song writing pair Chris Bull (Vocals/Guitar) and Michael Grice (Guitar) met four years ago at a Ryan Adams concert, having both recently moved north from London. Having spent years writing and playing in bands going nowhere, the two met Michael Glaze (Bass) and Sam Jones (Drums) to complete the new line up. The band took the name from the Adams song, ‘City Rain, City Streets’.
‘Daybreak’ has long been a fan favourite, its original recording being the title track of the band’s early demo, The Daybreak EP recorded with Grammy nominated producer Dan Parry. The band have since chopped down the song’s lengthy outro, leaving the punchy pop classic on the current record.
Lead singer and lyricist Chris Bull notes that “it’s probably the song we’ve been most proud of. We always enjoy playing it live, as it has that typically youthful conflict between despair and restless hopefulness. The harmonies in the outro really capture that feeling that there’s always something else to reach for, even when you don’t know exactly what it is.”
The band have been hard at work since last August, establishing their own independent label Car Boot Records.
“We had been playing together for a little while and were kind of chasing our tales a little bit. We decided it was time to roll our sleeves up and start doing things ourselves. We’ve had a few helping hands along the way. Not least from our mates Pete Fergie and Steve De Sarasola at SSR who helped record this single and B-side.”
Their DIY approach has proved successful so far, as the band have won plaudits from the likes of Steve Lamacq (who featured the band in a special about the 2010 In The City Festival), The Independent, and music industry bible Music Weekly, who featured the band amongst the best new acts coming out of Manchester.
‘It was nice to be recognised and be listed in the same breath as people like Liam Frost and The Travelling Band. Hopefully it’ll bring us to a wider audience who’ll support what we’re doing’.
City Reign release 3rd single Daybreak on May 9th on their independent label Car Boot Records. They will be playing the following dates to support the release:
April 29th – The Watershed, London
April 30th – The New Cross Inn, London
May 7th – Roadhouse, Manchester
"Fans of Yuck and Dinosaur Jr will approve of City Reign's anthemic, grunge. A million failing garage bands will ask why" The Independant
“This independence of mind can be heard in their driving guitar rock sound, unphased by suggestions that the guitar band is destined for the musical scrap heap”
Music Week
"Out in the Cold’ boasts a great melody and a big, clean guitar sound and is a million times better than 95% of what’s currently played on the radio"
Muso Guide
"There’s something about Manchester based City Reign, that makes it difficult to do anything but tip them as a bright new sound for the future" Manchester Music
CITY REIGN - MAKING PLANS (Car Boot Records) - SINGLE RELEASE SHOW ON SEPT 27TH @ RAM & SHACKLE - MANCHESTER
CITY REIGN - MAKING PLANS (Carboot Records) - SINGLE RELEASE SHOW ON SEPT 27TH @ RAM & SHACKLE - MANCHESTER
City Reign release their debut single ‘Making Plans’ on September 27th under their newly formed indie label Car Boot Records. The track is a lively indie number, with its off-beat guitars drawing on influences such as The Clash and The Jam, while its brooding lyrics lean more on the likes of R.E.M and Idlewild. The single was recorded with producer Fred Kindt at Manchester’s Blueprint Studios.
The band have worked hard to form the label themselves from scratch, and are very grateful to all those who took part in the successful pre-sale scheme. Fans were given the chance to pre-order the record online, and in return for their support have been thanked with their names on a list of ‘thank yous’ in the record sleeve.
‘We’ve had great support from a lot of people and wanted to give our fans the opportunity to be involved in this exciting project. We weren’t sure what response we’d get but have been really pleased with the outcome,’ says frontman Chris Bull.
The single will be available on itunes, spotify, and other similar online stores from 27th September. You can catch the boys live as they promote the record at the following tour dates: Warm up show 28th August – Moho Live, Manchester
Single Release Tour Wednesday 22nd sept – Moho Live, Manchester. Supporting I am Arrows Friday 24th Sept - New Cross Inn, New Cross, London Monday 27th – Ram and Shackle, Fallowfield, Manchester. (Single Launch Night)
