The Stopmotion Men will launch their EP ’What Now?’ with an exclusive hour-long set at Cardiff’s Globe on Friday the 19th February, they will be backed by excellent support and a ’secret’ DJ.
We at Welsh Icons have 5 pairs of tickets to give away – all you have to do is email [email protected] by the 12th February with your contact details and we will randomly select 5 winners who will win two tickets to this prestigious event.
Three-piece The Stopmotion Men are an epic, progressive rock band hailing from Cardiff. Lead vocalist Geraint Connor’s intense, awe-inspiring vocals are reminiscent of the emotive tones of Eddie Vedder and Jeff Buckley. They literally reach out and demand your attention. Propulsion, meanwhile, is provided by the urgent rhythm section that paints a vast, widescreen canvas consisting of Connor’s scything guitar work, Hywel Jenkins’ dexterous bass lines and Ben Wilson’s primal drumming and pianos: A sound redolent of the rock operas of Muse, the musical ambition and melodrama of The Smashing Pumpkins, whilst retaining the fierce individuality and personal expression at the heart of The Stopmotion Men’s work. A sound built on countless live performances, late night studio recordings and a burning ambition to be heard.
Since their inception in 2006 they’ve gained regular airplay on South Wales radio and Sky TV, and supported acts like The Crimea, The Automatic, The Feeling and Zane Lowe. Recently they’ve been holed up in the studio working with respected producer Greg Haver (Manic street preachers, Super Furry Animals, Lost Prophets) on a new EP ‘What Now?’ mastered by Ryan Smith (Kings of Leon, Interpol). Not just limited to traditional instrumentation, their sound is now driven by a string quartet, multiple keyboard effects, and Connors’ soaring vocals.
Opener and title track ‘What Now?’ is stunning, the verses urgent, unstoppable rhythm section is powered by militaristic drumming and dappling dance-y pianos, topped by Connor’s vocal roar, that shifts from questioning the modern world to introspection, musically its almost progressive, stopping briefly for breath with a piano tinkle and hushed tones, then burning into a powerhouse rock crescendo in the outro.
While the immense ‘Spit and Chew’ is ushered in by a primal scream that rides it’s dramatic, railing, undulating verses that are backed by vast movie soundtrack-like strings and crushing rhythms, like a star ship rattling unstoppably into the atmosphere, long distance. Break up is thrown into sharp focuses as Connor’s rage destroys everything of the past, before disintegrating in its stratospheric chorus (‘Like oceans they cannot see/When people are drowning’).
Closer ‘Hurt You’ is gorgeously stripped back, draped in stately strings, Connor’s fragile emotion vocal performance is heartbreaking: like a letter to a loved one dripping with the dichotomy of a relationship that’s twisted from good to bad, it’s both personal and universal.
With their new EP “What Now?” The Stopmotion Men have produced the best work of their existence, forging a series of grand progressive-rock soundscapes that seethes with their unique emotion, experimentalism and ambition. They cannot be ignored.
Support comes from Draw Me Stories.
The energetic Draw me Stories from Cardiff provide the ears with a “wonderful” and yet “unsettling” brand of music. Whilst they march happily under many musical banners they never stray away from the organic and haunting style that makes them so appealing.
The driving, scattering rhythms, groove-laden guitars and haunting folk-like vocals bring to mind something that is both epic and humble. By the end of their first year their set had evolved into an organised miscellany that attracted comparisons as varied as The Doors, Arcade Fire, The Veils, Nick Drake and Fleetwood Mac.
The acclaim attached to their acoustic album ‘The Unplugged Sessions’ suggests that Draw me Stories are completely comfortable with exploring the many sides of their creativity. Their appearances at SWN, in London and on a recent French tour have garnered plaudits for their ragged, hypnotic folk rock sound. Their new EP ‘The Sky and the Mirror’is a progression too.
“Hopping from unplugged folkiness to mains-powered ragged rock, Cardiff’s Draw Me Stories put a little soul into all they do. Updated traditionals with some powerful hollering attached.” – Swn
“This is a superb EP from one of the best folk-rock bands in the country right now” – God Is In The TV
