About awoni
County Durham's A Woman of No Importance
Marc Oliver: Voice of the group and guitar/glock player.
Matthew Weaver: Co-voice and guitar/wineglasses/melody harp/button melodian player.
Rye Smith: Bassist and clapping percussion.
Andrew Weaver: Drums and percussion.
Clare Finney: Violin
Sarah Cawthorne: Cello, B.Voice, Toy Piano
Conceived in the cosy suburban setting of Seaham Harbour, County Durham a location more suited to the planning of adventures in Enid Blyton novels than the creation of lust-fuelled acoustic pop songs.
Armed with only acoustic guitars and a handful or their now customary bizarre and innovative instruments (that include wineglasses), Marc and Matthew set about creating some of the finest, bittersweet music to emerge from the region in recent years.
They began doing gigs but it soon became clear that, as the songs developed and grew, their true potential could not be achieved with a two piece alone. Matt's brother Andy was recruited to play drums, bringing with him a bassist in the form of his friend Rye. Occasionally accompanied by Clare on violin and Sarah on cello they began their campaign to woo the audiences of Newcastle and of late, the country.
"The three songs here suggest that this northern four piece have a brill record collection (The Smiths, Billy Bragg, The Cure), and that singer Marc Oliver is the kind of star that girls will whoop over, and that the boys will worry about. Aren't they just the best type?"
NME Radar, July 2006
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TRAGEDY OF BEING A GIRL
:: A Woman Of No Importance ::
21 March 2006 / Demo / 3 Trk CD
By CA
“Please find enclosed a demo, photograph, biography...” Oh dear, guess which one's fallen down the black hole behind the printer (or something?) The photo depicts four young men with floppy hair, apparently digging into a rather small cake with a variety of implements, and the address tells us they're from Gateshead but any further details are left up to our imagination.
But put out of your mind any ideas of pointy guitar riffs and raiding Rough Trade's post-punk section for time-signatures - these are heart-on-sleeve acoustic-driven tunes with emphasis on bittersweet melodies and compelling, storytelling words. The personal, confessional lyric style is about the one thing they do have in common with Maximo Park (whom a quick Google reveals they've supported in the past): first track "Tragedy of Being A Girl" opens with the line "We all dance like determined housewives in a club in the town centre" and has noted "It''s funny what love can do, especially when we drink as much as we do" before the first verse is even over.
And with stripped-back acoustic strumming providing most of the backing there's nowhere to hide - it's poignant stuff which continues into the downbeat second track "The Girl With Only One Dream In Her Mind". "Logic & Touch" brings in a cello - it's the most uptempo track in the selection; two vocalists wrapping round each other for slice of near-perfect guitar-pop. Older Mancunians might hear post-Factory, pop era Railway Children; more recent references might be the shining melodies of the Housemartins and the short-lived New Acoustic Movement - what they don't sound like is what bands from the North East are meant to sound like right now. That in itself should be enough to get the attention, and the songs are easily good enough to keep it.
MMMM
manchestermusic.co.uk
---------------------------------------------
Look out for it.
County Durham's A Woman of No Importance
Marc Oliver: Voice of the group and guitar/glock player.
Matthew Weaver: Co-voice and guitar/wineglasses/melody harp/button melodian player.
Rye Smith: Bassist and clapping percussion.
Andrew Weaver: Drums and percussion.
Clare Finney: Violin
Sarah Cawthorne: Cello, B.Voice, Toy Piano
Conceived in the cosy suburban setting of Seaham Harbour, County Durham a location more suited to the planning of adventures in Enid Blyton novels than the creation of lust-fuelled acoustic pop songs.
Armed with only acoustic guitars and a handful or their now customary bizarre and innovative instruments (that include wineglasses), Marc and Matthew set about creating some of the finest, bittersweet music to emerge from the region in recent years.
They began doing gigs but it soon became clear that, as the songs developed and grew, their true potential could not be achieved with a two piece alone. Matt's brother Andy was recruited to play drums, bringing with him a bassist in the form of his friend Rye. Occasionally accompanied by Clare on violin and Sarah on cello they began their campaign to woo the audiences of Newcastle and of late, the country.
"The three songs here suggest that this northern four piece have a brill record collection (The Smiths, Billy Bragg, The Cure), and that singer Marc Oliver is the kind of star that girls will whoop over, and that the boys will worry about. Aren't they just the best type?"
NME Radar, July 2006
****************************************************************
TRAGEDY OF BEING A GIRL
:: A Woman Of No Importance ::
21 March 2006 / Demo / 3 Trk CD
By CA
“Please find enclosed a demo, photograph, biography...” Oh dear, guess which one's fallen down the black hole behind the printer (or something?) The photo depicts four young men with floppy hair, apparently digging into a rather small cake with a variety of implements, and the address tells us they're from Gateshead but any further details are left up to our imagination.
But put out of your mind any ideas of pointy guitar riffs and raiding Rough Trade's post-punk section for time-signatures - these are heart-on-sleeve acoustic-driven tunes with emphasis on bittersweet melodies and compelling, storytelling words. The personal, confessional lyric style is about the one thing they do have in common with Maximo Park (whom a quick Google reveals they've supported in the past): first track "Tragedy of Being A Girl" opens with the line "We all dance like determined housewives in a club in the town centre" and has noted "It''s funny what love can do, especially when we drink as much as we do" before the first verse is even over.
And with stripped-back acoustic strumming providing most of the backing there's nowhere to hide - it's poignant stuff which continues into the downbeat second track "The Girl With Only One Dream In Her Mind". "Logic & Touch" brings in a cello - it's the most uptempo track in the selection; two vocalists wrapping round each other for slice of near-perfect guitar-pop. Older Mancunians might hear post-Factory, pop era Railway Children; more recent references might be the shining melodies of the Housemartins and the short-lived New Acoustic Movement - what they don't sound like is what bands from the North East are meant to sound like right now. That in itself should be enough to get the attention, and the songs are easily good enough to keep it.
MMMM
manchestermusic.co.uk
---------------------------------------------
Look out for it.