 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
Big Strides is the sound of Marcus O'Neill's off-kilter lyrics, blues guitar jangle and wailing harmonica, Lewis Kirk's low down funky drums and Tom Pi's fat jazz double bass.
Releasing their debut album on their own label, they have toured the UK, supported Alabama 3, Horace Andy and Damien Rice, twice sold out London's Ronnie Scott's and attracted serious attention in the US, with 300,000 downloads of their jazz-punk anthem "Suicidal". In the UK, the single has been championed by such media luminaries as Phill Jupitus and Jonathan Ross.
Together with producer Dan Swift, who recently worked on albums by Snow Patrol and Aqualung, the band recorded and mixed "Small Town, Big Strides" in only 8 days, creating a sound which sets them miles apart from the current conveyor belt of Coldplay and Franz Ferdinand clones. They are breaking new ground with their unique lo-fi, high-tempo tunes, mixing funk-laden beats with quirky, intelligent songwriting.
Think G-love, Jon Spencer, Soul Coughing, Beck on a good day, Cake, Morphine and early Chili Peppers... then forget them all because
with Big Strides there are no comparisons.
|
|
|
|
21st June
BRIGHTON Pressure Point
33 Richmond Place
Brighton
BN2 9NA
01273 702333
23rd June
EDINBURGH Liquid Room
(supporting Roy Ayers)
9c Victoria Street, Edinburgh, EH1 2HE (0131 225 2564)
www.liquidroom.com
7.30pm
23rd June
EDINBURGH Whistlebinkies
4-6 South Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1LL (0131 557 5114)
11.00pm
25th June
GLASTONBURY Festival
Avalon Cafe Stage
Saturday night, 12.30 - 2.00am
|
|
|
|
Marcus O'Neill
Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica |
|
 Half German half English, Marcus' singing and songwriting give Big Strides its unique sound. He grew up in Ipswich and moved to Leeds where he met bassist Tom and took Yorkshire by storm with Brass Moustache, the first incarnation of the band. His rap/sing style and intelligent, inventive lyrics are unlike anything in the music industry for the last decade.
|
|
|
Lewis Kirk
Drums |
|
 The band's Scottish contingent Lewis has been playing drums professionally since the age of 14, starting out in his father's wedding band. He's moved through most musical genres since then, Country, Rock, Pop, Jazz, Dance and back to Country before joining Big Strides. Lewis was the proud victor of the 1989 Kirkcudbright yo-yo championship. |
|
|
Tom Pi
Double Bass |
|
 Bass player, hair torturer and poet, Tom Pi is an eye catching figure. His leopard skin double bass, bleached dreads and 6'4" frame tend to make him stand out. But he's not all for show: Tom studied Jazz at Leeds College of music and is a highly accomplished musician with a great sense of groove. |
|
|
|
|
