Melodramas are vocalist Matt, guitarist Rob, bassist Greg, and drummer, Sam. I first saw them play at Joiners in Southampton in 2009 and knew they were on the path to bigger things. With their clever sense of wit, hugely energetic and upbeat sounds teamed with a tight, professional attitude, it seems they have the winning combination.
The band have dubbed their music as a pairing of spook-rock and theatrical pop (hence the name!) which breaks conventional genre barriers and is ultimately a "celebration of noise". Hailing from the coastal town of Portsmouth, this four-piece made their breakthrough in 2010 when they were selected by Tiger Beer to represent 'The West In The East'. This was obviously an unbelievably huge deal for the guys and an opportunity they couldn't turn down. Their time in the West saw them touring such exotic territories as China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Australia and Kuwait while playing to massive audiences and quickly built a cult-like following over there.
While back in good ol' Blighty, Melodramas were lucky enough to embark on a UK tour with none other than American Rockers, The New York Dolls, with David Johansson personally requesting Melodramas to join him on tour. Since then, Melodramas have spent the last year recording their new EP, Kids with multi-platinum producer, Sam Williams (Supergrass, Plan B, Noisettes), with Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes featuring on the track Betelgeuse. They'll be releasing Kids through Jelly Maid Music on the 5th of March and is the band's personal homage to a strong passion of theirs; B-Movies.
Melodramas' influences range from Blur, The Coral, Sparks, Talking Heads, The Strokes, and of course, Supergrass. One of their most popular tracks is titled, Elephant; a fast-paced, offbeat, guitar-centric burst of pure punk-pop delight. Midway through, the track descends into a circus-like riff of scaling guitar patterns which, while gradually picking up speed, are surrounded by quirky background effects, chirps and shrieks providing a slightly unhinged feel - something that makes the band so appealing and unique.
The new track Kids opens with a truly sci-fi, Doctor Who-esque theramin instrumental accompanied by punchy drums, duelling lead guitars and rumbling thunder effects - just what you'd expect from a spook-rock band! (Definitely for fans of Sparks!) Singer, Matt jumps in with the opening line of "This place changes after dark / kids get killed when walking through the park / 'Aven't you heard?", which is just brilliant. The slight 'mockney' accent gives it a real eerie feel, setting the scene perfectly for the ensuing sinister tale of the track.
They'll be continuing their current tour in March, ready for the release of Kids, so take a look at the dates coming up.
- 5th March - The Bull and Gate (Club Fandango) - London
- 6th March - The Green Door Store - Brighton
- 8th March - The Brook - Southampton
- 9th March - Edge of the Wedge - Portsmouth
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