Masters In France played the Introducing Stage at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Bangor back in 2010 after gaining a huge amount of support from Jen Long and Huw Stephens. I saw them play live and then went on to buy their EP 'Inhale' which you can order from their website here.
Me with their T-shirt and 'Inhale' EP
They suddenly came back to my attention when I saw that their new single 'Playin' with my friends' on an IKEA advert - fingers crossed this leads to them getting some kind of mainstream success.
You can download their track 'Playin' with my friends' from itunes here.
Deaf Club first came to my attention when they were in session for Jen Long on BBC Radio 1 back in September 2011 and after I downloaded their Lull EP (from their bandcamp) - which I've been obsessed with ever since - I soon realised that this Wrexham 5-piece had huge potential to do well.
Now, almost a year after that session they have performed on the BBC Introducing stages at Reading and Leeds, had plenty of airplay on Radio 1, 6 Music and on Radio Wales. The band have gigged all over the UK and have even been written about in The Guardian and in numerous blogs. They have got a tour coming up this Autumn, which you can find out more about on their tumblr.
I've got a feeling they're going to do well. As a band, they've created something pretty unique. Their tracks are filled with atmosphere and tension, the shimmery guitars and the delay used on the drums is used to great effect. The delicate, soft vocals of Polly Mackey give a folk-like aspect to their sound. It's almost like Deaf Club are re-creating the genre that The Cure were first known for, gothic rock.
