Sound of Guns are an alternative rock band from Liverpool. Formed in 2008, the band made their break through the prestigious BBC Introducing in 2010 and have just released their second album, Angels And Enemies, through Distiller Records.
I came across Sound Of Guns on We Are Hunted - a great site for discovering new music - and their track, Sometimes, caught my attention. A delicate piano introduction with gentle chords leads into a distortion-heavy guitar rhythm, while the piano enters again to play pretty, arpeggiated embellishments. Taken from their new album, which was released this week (March 5th), the track features some rough-edged vocals and the chorus hook, "I was born here, and I'll die here", a great opener for the record.
Sound Of Guns' began when Andrew Metcalfe and Simon Finley's band had split up in the summer of 2007. Deciding not to let that stop them, the pair set up a small studio in a disused social club in Liverpool and spent the next few months writing and recording new material. With the introduction of Nathan Crowley, and later guitarist Lee Gylnn, the group wrote and recorded songs which eventually ended up on their debut album, What Came From Fire. The final addition to Sound Of Guns' line-up was John Coley, who was so impressed after seeing the band perform one night at the Liverpool Barfly, he joined the band straight away.
A determined bunch, they self-released their debut single, Alcatraz, which was also recorded and produced by the band, and it received airplay on some major stations, including Radio One and XFM. Making a name for themselves on the live circuit with their powerful and energetic performances, Sound Of Guns began to find themselves at the centre of serious interest from major and indie record labels. It was Distiller Records who offered to release their next single, Architechts; a limited edition 7" vinyl that came out in June 2009.
More airplay, touring, gigging and writing saw Sound Of Guns quickly build up a profile and following. Their efforts didn't go to waste, though, as their short career as a band has already seen them play at the legendary Glastonbury Festival, the main stage at Lattitude and Radio One's Big Weekend. They were also invited by Radio One to perform a gig at the iconic Maida Vale studios in London.
With all that experience under their belt, they agreed to sign a record deal with Distiller and their first EP with the label, Elementary Of Youth, was released in October 2009. The title track quickly gathered hype, with Radio One DJ, Zane Lowe, citing it the 'Hottest Record In The World', as well as 'Single Of The Week', by XFM's Steve Harris.
So if you're a bit partial to bands like The Killers, Manic Street Preachers or Arctic Monkeys, check out Sound Of Guns; they've just announced a full UK and European tour to coincide with the release of their second album! The UK dates are as following:
- Mar 8th - Ironworks - Inverness
- Mar 9th - Tunnels - Aberdeen
- Mar 10th - Doghouse - Dundee
- Mar 13th - Roadhouse - Manchester
- Mar 14th - Academy 2 - Dublin, Ireland
- Mar 15th - University - (Radar presents)Belfast
- Mar 16th - Leadmill - Sheffield
- Mar 17th - Cockpit 2 - Leeds
- Mar 19th - Bodega - Nottingham
- Mar 20th - The Moon - Cardiff
- Mar 21st - Hare & Hounds - Birmingham
- Mar 23rd - The Hydrant - Brighton
- Mar 24th - Unit - Southampton