The 4Tunes Hit The Right Note On New Tour - Q&A With Michael Conway and Owain Williams

The 4Tunes, who are mesmerising audiences with their breath-taking voices and stunning harmonies in their first UK tour, will be appearing at the Blake Theatre, Monmouth on March 4th followed by The Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl on March 12th.

The Porthcawl concert will be a return to home turf for two of the quartet, lead singer Michael Conway and Owain Williams. They were brought up in the town and trained and performed at The Grand Pavilion in their youth before going on to appear in a host of top West End shows. Andy Howells recently  put questions to the pair.

How did The 4 Tunes come together?
OWAIN: We were all working in the West End in different shows in 2013 and had always wanted to sing together.   We got together for a friend’s wedding and loved it so much we did a few gigs in London, which went down really well.  As with all the performers in the West End, you never know when your next job is coming from, and in October 2013 we were all not in shows so did a cruise on the Aurora.  The 4Tunes were born and we have never looked back

You all have immense singing experience how different is performing songs from shows as opposed to performing in a show?
MICHAEL: It is great to sing with a live band on the ships and do ‘our own thing’.  We can sing songs from shows we had never been in and also our favourite songs from composers we would never normally get the chance to sing. So when we decided to do the tour, we all came up with favourites and classics, and as we say every night “there’s a song for everybody” on the tour.  Being in a show is great but it can get boring and sometimes you want to just sing what you feel, so in the tour we chop and change to suit the day!  The sound man never likes us doing that!

You are both from Wales originally, how important is it to you to be back on home ground performing these songs?
MICHAEL: It is great to travel around the country and later in the year we will be in Newcastle where Dominic is from, so he will have all his family with him.   I  was born in Port Talbot and have sung as a child many times at the grand Pavilion in Porthcawl, so it will be an emotional time and honoured to be back.  Owain is from Carmarthen and works in Cardiff on a TV show and knows how special it will be to sing in his home country, and maybe even do a song in Welsh!

What can people expect from your forthcoming shows?
OWAIN: Well it is 2 x 45 minute sets, both different and features a song for everybody.  So we will do numbers from shows we have performed in like Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera and Jersey Boys, the classic Sinatra/Buble songs and modern day classics from Queen.  The first half tends to be more ballad like and second have songs to get you on your feet and dance and sing along, as long as you are in tune!

Is there a particular song you enjoy performing?
OWAIN: We love singing Bohemian Rhapsody, as not even Queen sang it live as it’s too difficult.  It always brings the house down and we are left exhausted after a 7 minute assault course on our vocals.   We also all have a solo which we change to suit the mood, which is an indulgence and love to make each one personal to maybe somebody in the audience.

What has been your best live experience?
MICHAEL: We have too many AMAZING experiences but Michael played the lead in Jersey Boys in the West End and to take the bows singing Frankie Valli was life-changing.  Owain sang for the Prince of Wales in Wales and also at The Phantom of the Opera’s 25th anniversary at the O2 in London.   Jimmy sang with Brian May and Queen whilst in We Will Rock You but seeing the many fans who have supported us over the years come out and see us on tour is just amazing!   We always stay behind to chat and to have pictures taken too, so bring your cameras!

Where can people find out more about you and your shows?
OWAIN: Well we have our new Twitter page and our website which is www.the4tunes.com   

• A version of this Q&A with Andy Howells appeared in The South Wales Argus entertainment supplement The Guide on February 26, 2016. 

Meet The Band: Field Music

Commontime is the new record from Field Music, the first album from Sunderland siblings Peter and David Brewis since 2012’s Plumb.

Written and recorded in spontaneous bursts over six months in their Wearside studio, Commontime is built around the brothers playing, writing and singing together again after four years of solo works, collaborations and soundtracks. "As much fun as we might have had on our own or collaborating, we missed just spending time in the studio, the two of us, trying things out together." explains David. However, the album also features a wider array of players, including original Field Music keyboardist Andrew Moore, Peter's wife Jennie Brewis and new member of the live band Liz Corney on vocals, along with a panoply of strings and brass.

Ahead of the band's appearance at Cardiff Globe on March 3, Andy Howells put questions to Peter Brewis

Who are you and how did you come together?
Field Music started in 2005, not really as a band as such, but a one off album. It was initially me (Peter), my brother, David and our school friend, Andrew Moore. Over the years Field Music has become a bit of an umbrella organisation for all of the different musical things we do. Sometimes it’s even a band!

Where are you from?
We’re from Sunderland in the North East of England.

How would you describe your music style?
I would like to think we have a bit of a magpie-style. We’re happy to take ideas and influences from anywhere so long as we think we can transform them into something that we can make our own. Having said that, everything we do as Field Music, the band, tends to sound like a good little band!

What's been your best live experience?
We’ve had lots of good live experiences so far. In terms of us playing well to a great audience I'd say Green Man festival in 2012 is pretty hard to top.

Can you tell us about your new album?
The album is out and in the shops! We’re really pleased with it and the reaction it’s had thus far. We’ve written some fairly conventionally structured songs this time. We’d shied away from that sort of thing in the past.

You're touring shortly are you looking forward to that?
Yes, we’re really looking forward to touring. We’ve got a new member of the band who’s helping us to sound good and a bit different. It’s exciting!

What can people expect from your forthcoming Cardiff gig?
It’s been a while since we last played there and I don’t know what people might be expecting. If people are expecting the old Field Music with a little something extra then hopefully they won’t be disappointed.

Where can people hear your music?
We’re on all the usual online music outlets: Spotify, Apple and so on. People might even be able to hear us on the old wireless from time to time. BBC6Music have been good enough to play us a fair bit over the past few months.

• A version of this Q&A with Andy Howells appeared in The South Wales Argus entertainment supplement The Guide on February 26, 2016

Meet The Artist: Allison Weiss

Following the recent release of her album New Love, singer/songwriter Allison Weiss embarks on a UK tour taking in Bristol's Louisiana  on February 22.

Originally from a small town in Georgia, Weiss knew early on that her relationship with pop music wasn’t a casual one. Whether she pressed her ear to the wall of her older brother’s bedroom to hear the latest Green Day song or played the radio while she was asleep so she could soak in the melodies through osmosis, the attraction was immediate and undeniable.

After high school, Weiss studied art at University of Georgia in Athens, but she soon started learning more about music by performing at local coffee shops than sitting in stuffy lecture halls. The plucky teen started developing a pretty impressive local following, playing larger and larger venues, until she ultimately decided to evolve her passion into a full-time profession.  Andy Howells recently put questions to Allison.

When & why did you know you wanted to be a musician & how did you get your break/get signed?
I’ve been writing and performing since I was 17, so about 11 years now. I don’t know that I ever “got my break”, but after many years of touring and practicing and working in the industry, I was signed to No Sleep Records in 2012. They put out my last album, and then I signed with Side One Dummy, my current label.

How would you describe your music?
Musically it’s very fun and upbeat, I write pop songs. They’re catchy and very melodic. Lyrically it’s about those depressing moments in relationships and life that we all deal with. So there’s a bit of a juxtaposition there, but I don’t mind it. I like fun music and sad songs, so I put them together.

Who are your musical inspirations?
I grew up listening to a lot of Tom Petty, Beatles, etc. because of my parents. In high school I got into pop punk which led me to the DIY punk scene. In college I fell in love with Rilo Kiley, Death Cab, Tegan & Sara, and so many more. I’m constantly inspired by all the new music coming out, and the old stuff I haven’t gotten around to listening to yet.

Can you tell us about your most recent album?
New Love is my favorite record I’ve made. I worked with Brad Hale and Forrest Kline, two incredible producers. We made it last summer in Long Beach, CA, and I think you can feel that in the recordings. It’s got a very laid-back poppy vibe, but it’s still cinematic at times.

What’s been your live show highlight so far?
I just headlined in the U.S. and those shows were some of the most fun to date. There were the big ones, of course, like New York. Those were amazing. But the stand-out show for me was a Halloween set in Columbus Ohio. My band and I all dressed up as Luigis (as in Mario’s sidekick), and the other bands on the tour dressed up too. It was a low stage, almost on the floor, so we were right in the crowd’s faces. Everyone was packed in and it was sweaty and energetic and exciting.

What can we expect from your forthcoming Bristol gig?
I hope to bring that full-band experience over to the UK! I’ve only ever played Bristol solo and I think it’s about time you all heard me the way the records sound.

What else can we expect from you in 2016?
More touring, more videos, more fun. I’ve always got something up my sleeve.

• Alison Weiss plays Bristol's Louisiana on February 22
• A version of this Q&A by Andy Howells appeared in The South Wales Argus entertainment section The Guide on February 19, 2016.

Meet The Band: Hinds

Spanish indie rock band Hinds are currently sending their UK fans in a spin with a sold out UK tour on the back of their debut album Leave Me Alone. Taking inspiration from contemporary American garage rockers Mac DeMarco, Ty Segall and The Black Lips, Leave Me Alone is an exciting introduction to the fun-loving quartet pioneering the burgeoning indie music scene in Madrid.

Ana Perrote, Carlotta Cosials, Ade Martin and Amber Grimbergen kick the album off with their new single Garden, before taking the listener on a rock & roll ride weaving sun-kissed, 60’s-inspired melodies, executed with a genius call-and-response between co-vocalists and band co-founders Perrote and Cosials. Andy Howells recently put questions to Carlotta from the band.

How did you come together?
Madrid boys put everyone's destiny together: HINDS.

Can you describe your style of music?
Crunchy and sweet. Like a new kind of weird delicious food that you haven't tried yet!

Where did the name Hinds come from?
From Deers!

Who are your music inspirations?
Paul, Lou, Mac and Kendrick.

Whats been your best live experience?
I once gave a whole show thinking that Lias (the fat white family singer) was in the crowd and I got super excited. When the show ended and that guy came to say congrats, he was just a guy with black crazy hair but no Lias. Ha ha ha ha #lame

What can audiences expect from your live shows?
A BIG CELEBRATION OF LIFE AND FREEDOM. and a lot of beer !!

What are you working on at the moment?
I am working in this interview at the moment Ha ha ha. I have five more after this. and also have to edit our documentary !

Finally, how can we hear more about the band?
We have all our tour dates, videos, video-game, and whatever you need on www.hindsband.com :) !

• Hinds are currently touring the UK and play Bristol's Fleece on February 24.
• A version of this Q&A by Andy Howells appears in The South Wales Argus entertainment section The Guide on February 19, 2016.

Feelgood Musical Summer Holiday Comes To Newport's Dolman Theatre

Phoenix Productions are staging the hit musical Summer Holiday, based on the classic Cliff Richard film at Newport's Dolman Theatre from February 25.

Phoenix Productions are a newly named company, previously National Academy of Performing Arts, brought you award winning shows such as Jesus Christ Superstar, Footloose, Les Miserables and many more. Now under new management, the company are set to wow the audience with their interpretation of the feel good Cliff Richard musical. With their incredible cast, directors and set (including a full scale Red London bus) the group are all set to start their new theatrical journey.

Andy Howells recently put questions to four of the leading stars of Summer Holiday, Conor and Ben Donovan, Laura Honeybun and Geri McNamara.

Which role are you playing in Summer Holiday? 
Conor: I will be playing the part of Cyril, he always wants to have fun and is the more childish one out of the 4 boys!
Ben: I'm playing the role of Edwin in this production. He's the intelligent and more sensible character out of the three boys. He knows a lot about everything and is the love interest of Alma. He gets along well with all of the characters and is very fun to play.
Laura: The role I am playing in Summer Holiday is one of the trio called Angie who is in charge of the group and the girls look up to and also has a great and comical connection with Cyril.
Geri: I play the character Barbara Winters.

What do you enjoy most of all about musical theatre? 
Conor: I love how you can explore a characters life and emotions through musical theatre. Becoming a character that is the complete polar opposite to you is so much fun and allows you to get a bigger insight on how different people react to different situations. There are so many musicals that teach you about current problems and it makes you more aware of things that are happening in today's society; while having SO much fun!
Ben: I love the creativity behind it and as cliché as it sounds the way you can express yourself. I love becoming different characters and taking on different roles to make an audience believe that I am that character.
Laura: What I enjoy about musical theatre is performing to an audience and getting an amazing atmosphere in show week and putting smiles on people's faces.
Geri: I love that I can do what I enjoy in front of an audience. Being able to communicate through song and dance is just so amazing.

What is the most exciting aspect of Summer Holiday for you? 
Conor: I'm really excited about seeing the set, especially the bus and for the first time being in full costume and running the show! It's crazy how much costumes and set make your character stronger and make you feel like you ARE the character.
Ben: I love seeing a show coming together in general and this show hasn't been an exception. I love seeing songs and scenes coming together a whole and other cast members characters developing. I am also extremely excited about having a massive red London bus on stage too; it’s going to be so fun!
Laura: Performing Summer Holiday! I'm dedicating my performance to my auntie as she loved Cliff Richard and I love all his films so when I found out we was doing Summer Holiday I was thrilled to pieces.  I love all the songs with the cheesy dancing numbers, it would be nice to still have films like those today.
Geri: The most exciting aspect is being able to potentially play two characters in one. I find it exciting how my character has a secret lifestyle I also love all my characters songs and Barbara’s light-hearted personality.

Whats your favourite song from the show? 
Conor: Time Drags By because it's such a calming, lovely song and the harmonies are (normally) spot on! Or, Let Us Take You For A Ride because it's such a dynamic, fun number.
Ben: My favourite song from the show has to be Let Us Take You for a Ride. Its a comedy number where the boys help fix Do Re Mi's broken car. I love the harmonies in the number and the overlap. It’s so fun to sing and sounds so good when all seven of us sing it.
Laura: Dancing Shoes as it is an upbeat song sang by the trio and it makes me happy and want to dance. Also Big News because I love the song and how it incorporates the characters and the journalists.
Geri: My favourite song would have to be Living Doll. It's so fun, upbeat and quirky and being able to do it accapella with the other characters gives it that extra edge.

Where would your dream Summer Holiday be and why? 
Conor: New York! I'm so obsessed with the city after going there a couple of months ago, I'd love to go back!
Ben: I've recently travelled to New York in the USA, and absolutely loved it, so would love to go back again. I love the hustle and bustle of the city, the bright lights, huge buildings and Broadway!
Laura: Athens, like they do in Summer Holiday as I have never been there and that is the birth place of acting and musical theatre as well as exploring more parts of Italy as it is filled with many places to visit, packed with the finest food which I love to eat.
Geri: Florida, it's always somewhere I've wanted to go since I was little and it seems so enchanting and magical.

• Summer Holiday takes to the stage of The Dolman Theatre, February 25th, 26th and 27th. Tickets available at The Dolman Theatre box office or online at www.dolmantheatre.co.uk.
• A version of this Q&A by Andy Howells appeared in The South Wales Argus entertainment section The Guide on February 19, 2016.

Enter Shikari Back On Tour - Rou Reynolds Q&A

Almost twelve months from the release of their fourth UK Top 10 album, The Mindsweep, Rou Reynolds, Rory Clewlow, Chris Batten and Rob Rolfe AKA Enter Shikari have released a new single Redshift.

The release coincides with the band’s most ambitious UK tour which brings them to Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena  on February 23. Support comes from The Wonder Years and the freshly-reformed original line-up of The King Blues.

Following the UK run, Enter Shikari head to mainland Europe for a tour that includes the band’s biggest German shows ever, and see them joined by The Qemists for the first half of the tour, and Modestep for the remainder.  Andy Howells recently caught up with Rou Reynolds .

You released your fourth album almost a year ago - have you been happy with the response you've had?
Absolutely. To be honest i think it’s been the most positive reaction to any full length album we’ve ever had. It feels like people now expect us to push the direction and sound of our music. It no longer comes to a surprise to people when we do present a track or an album which has gone completely in a different direction; this gives us such a freedom to express ourselves in so many ways. We feel very confident in our writing and even more confident when it comes to pushing our boundaries musically.

What was your highlight during 2015?
Hard to say really. I think the live highlight of 2015 for us would have to be when we headlined the 2nd stage at download festival. It was amazing being able to take all our full production into a festival, something we’d jump at the chance to do again if we were offered.

In terms of musically obviously our 4th album The Mindsweep was released in January 2015. It’s always amazing to be able to release an album, let alone one which got such high praise from the people who listen to our music. Another amazingly special thing with this album for us, was that hospital records and their artists got involved with completely remixing the album and we released The Mindsweep Hospitalised. This was an amazing experience for us. We are all huge fans of hospital records and all their artists so it was a dream come true that they’d even consider doing it with us, let alone producing something that in our opinion is fantastic, and completely original.

Enter Shikari are back out on tour

How has the band developed over the past year? Do you find Enter Shikari is constantly evolving with each new release?
Absolutely! We are always trying to develop and move forward. We wouldn’t be happy with ourselves if we didn’t feel like we’d developed. I think we take this approach to every aspect of what we do. Not only in writing and recording music, but in our live show too.

This next tour we have been working endlessly to push our live show into places we’ve never been, and more importantly put on an experience for the audience that they have never experienced. For example this upcoming tour is going to be mixed in quadraphonic sound, which is effectively live surround sound. We’ve been working hard with our lighting designer to push the boundaries in the visual production along side the audio aspects.

Have you had time to relax at all, how do you all chill out when you're not working?
Yeh we have. This is definitely the longest amount of time off we’ve had. Rory had a baby in October 2015, so we’ve been home since then. The problem is though, we can’t sit still for long, we get restless. We’ve had to focus our attention on getting ready for the next tour and making it as huge and impressive as possible. Of course it’s been nice as we’ve been doing all the programming and creativity from home. :)

What music are you currently listening to yourselves? 
All kinds of stuff. Personally I’ve been listening to a bit more local music. There’s a new band from St Albans called Franklin who I’ve been listening to a lot. I’ve also been listening to The King Blues and The Wonder Years. They are both hitting the road with us in February and they are both such great bands. Listening to each of them has been getting me really excited for the tour.

You're back out on tour - what can fans expect from the forthcoming shows?
Well they can expect a sweaty, passionate, full throttle show. Only bigger and better in every aspect. We have gone to town on production and we have been planning this for months. It’s going to be such a special tour.

Have you any projects or new recordings planned for 2016? 
We just released a brand new single, Redshift, a couple of weeks ago, but we’re constantly writing and trying to be creative. So there’s always new music which is never too far away with us.

• For further details on the bands forthcoming Cardiff date visit Enter Shikari's official website
• Andy Howells is a freelance entertainment writer

Meet The Band: Creeper

FOLLOWING the release of their new EP The Stranger on February 19, Southampton goth-punks Creeper head out on  a headline tour playing Newport's Le Pub on February 21.

Recently the bands guitarist Sina Nemati decided to leave the band in order to concentrate on his sound engineering career in London. Sina was replaced by guitarist Oliver Burdett, while band’s live keyboardist Hannah Greenwood has joined the ranks as Creeper's  sixth full-time member.

They join a band that vocalist Will Gould and guitarist Ian Miles formed from the fading embers of cult hardcore favourites Our Time Down Here. The line-up is completed by bassist Sean Scott and drummer Dan Bratton.

Andy Howells recently put questions to Will Gould about their forthcoming shows.

Where are you from and how did you all come together?
We’re all from Southampton and all met through playing bands in the music scene down here. Southampton has a thriving scene and so putting together this band was really organic.

The band line-up has recently changed to, how will this impact on the band’s sound?
I don’t think it will change the sound of the band very much, we still approach writing the songs in exactly the same way. We’ve been playing as a six piece un officially for around six months now anyway, the only new thing really is the addition of Ollie on guitar. As we’ve known him for so long though, it all feels very natural.

What’s been your best live experience?
I think playing Hevy Fest last year was a particular highlight for us, it was a really special day and the response was something we’d never planned for. Last year was a real whirlwind year of us.

You played Swansea in late 2015, and have two more Wales dates lined up in the next few months - do you enjoy your Wales visits?
I actually always particularly look forward to Wales when we’re on tour. We’ve ended up making some very good friends there and had a lot of fun. The scene seems very strong and we always have a great time.

The Stranger EP will be released in February , can you tell us more about that?
The new EP is a sequel to our last EP The Callous Heart. It is musically, a much sadder collection of songs and is structured a lot different to our previous releases. This is our favorite release yet and is something we really cannot wait for everyone to get to listen to.

What can people expect from your forthcoming Newport gig?
I think you can expect to see the next step in our story, we’re going to have new songs and new members too. It’s really exciting to be out on a headline run because it means we have more time to work with too. It will be the ultimate Creeper show.

You’ll also be playing Cardiff in March with Neck Deep – are you looking forward to that?
Very much so, those will be some of the biggest shows we’ve ever done! Neck Deep have been so lovely in taking us out for these shows, we’re crazy excited to be a part of it.

With an exciting start to the year – are there further plans for live dates and more music later in the year?
We’re always working on something, I would anticipate that there will certainly be both more shows and more music on the way soon.

Where can people hear your music?
You can check us out on YouTube, Spotify, ITunes and our first EP is still available on Bandcamp

• Check out Creeper's official website 
• A version of this Q&A appeared in The South Wales Argus entertainment section, The Guide, on February 12, 2016. Andy Howells is a freelance writer.