Introducing #290 - Shanakee
Let us introduce you to London based band Shanakee - who have just released their debut single 'This Town'.
The name Shanakee is inspired by the Gaelic term for “storyteller”, reflecting the band’s focus on narrative-led lyrics and honest, contemporary themes. Their sound draws influence from artists such as Circa Waves, The Killers, Two Door Cinema Club, Sam Fender and The Waterboys.
They took a moment to talk to us about their music.
Hey there SHANAKEE - how are you? So your debut track 'This Town' is out now - can you tell us what it is about?
Yes, very well, thanks! our debut single This Town, It’s all about being young and the pressures that society puts on you; working jobs that suck the life out of you to make a living.
Where are you from and what are your favourite things to do there?
We’re based between London and Lancing. I love visiting the Tate Modern. I always find it highly inspiring when I go. (Niall)
I’m a bit of a recluse but I love going to see my local football team Lancing FC, always a great day out, having a coffee on the beach or having a wander through the woods. (Jacob)
What are the key influences when it comes to your music?
Tom Petty is a big influence and he’s very much influenced my writing as well as Sam Fender, Bruce Springsteen and the War on Drugs (Niall)
There’s so much, but guitar wise for me I’d say: The Cure, Coldplay, Bombay Bicycle Club, they’re very articulate and minimal in the way they add guitar but it’s so recognisable and intentional. (Jacob)
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never listened to your music before?
It’s anthemic and it’s music that’s meant to take you on a journey from the get go.
Now the track is out there - what next for you?
Just get out and play live, we’ve got loads more tracks to put out as part of our debut EP so can’t wait to get the ball rolling.
This week's Band of the Week is Francis of Delirium, the project of Luxembourg-based musician Jana Bahrich - who has just released their sophomore album 'Run, Run Pure Beauty' via Dalliance Recordings.
Cara Delevingne arrives at her musical debut not as a tentative crossover novelty, but with the kind of conceptual clarity and aesthetic ambition that suggests a long-considered second language finally spoken aloud.
Marking its tenth-anniversary milestone, Mad Cool Festival returns to the Iberdrola Music space in Madrid from July 8th to July 11th. This edition promises to be one of its most ambitious yet, featuring a powerhouse lineup that bridges the gap between rock legends, pop sensations, and electronic innovators.
Slam Dunk’s 20th anniversary delivered pretty much everything you could want from the festival (besides maybe a reappearance from Fall Out Boy!), as blistering heat, relentless nostalgia, chaotic pits, emotional singalongs, and enough pyro to probably concern local authorities combined into one hell of a day.
Neighbourhood Weekender returned to Warrington once again over Bank Holiday weekend, with thousands of music fans descending on the town for two days that turned Victoria Park into a three-stage celebration of indie, pop and everything in between.
It's May, it's a bank holiday weekend, it's time for the scene's biggest day of the year. For the twentieth year, the greatest gathering of punks, emos, metalheads and thrashers have returned to Yorkshire for the greatest and most sentimental event of the calendar.
Be Sweet To Me is not just telling the world about herself, it's asking the world to give her just one chance.
Desertfest provides a heaven for any stoner rock fans with some of the best curated music in the entire scene; featuring mammoth headline sets from newly tipped metal icons Green Lung and old guard Clutch; you’ll rarely see the Roundhouse bouncier.
From heartbreak to euphoria, Bleachers have made their masterpiece.
A man who has spent years singing for the people walks back into the room, looks them in the eye, and reminds everyone including himself that there is still time.
If longing had a flavour, it'd be watermelon and heartbreak and Cigarettes After Sex know exactly how to serve it.
Twenty years ago, the very first edition of The Great Escape festival was held in Brighton, kickstarting two decades of unrivalled musical discovery. We returned to catch the next wave of artists in ascension.