The Beat Surrender

Good old fashioned early Indie, just how I like it. That’s what I thought when I first played The Rise’s demo cd, quickly enticed into jigging and swaying round my lounge. And it’s got to be good to get me dancing. The demo features 3 of The Rise’s tracks – New Situation, Easy Ryder, and Stand Up Straight. All were recorded over 2 days in April 05 at Leeds’ Billiard Room Studios, by Carl Rosamund (who’s previously worked with another Leeds band, The Kaiser Chiefs), and the band themselves.

As Andy Dixon’s powerful, husky vocals spring into life on the first track, New Situation, against a backdrop of Kirk’s powerful bass and Mike’s crisp, echoey drums, I can see why The Rise have been likened by some to The Happy Mondays and early Oasis. And with Jon on guitar, the band has that complete early Indie sound which many new bands try, but fail, to achieve.

The lusty bass and prominent drums are consistent throughout the 3 tracks on the demo, all of which are very different, proving the versatility of the band. I’d describe New Situation as having that spine tingling anthemic feel, defined by clear cut guitar riffs, and it’s the one that’s on repeat in my head. Easy Ryder throbs with pulsating bass and drums throughout and has a really funky intro. The final track, Stand Up Straight, has a more Indie Rock feel and provides a great finale to a great demo and, to me, demonstrates a band comfortable with what they’ve produced.

The Rise, made up of four Pudsey lads, have only been working together for 6 months, but have created something that, I feel, could compete with more established bands. For me, these tracks represent pure Indie music and I can’t wait to hear more.

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