September 2010: News – Simon James releases Chinese Whispers EP

Who: Former Eighth Wave frontman, Simon James
What: New EP, Chinese Whispers

It’s fair to say that 2010 has so far been a remarkable year for singer/songwriter, Simon James.

Aiming for the stars, the Wigan artist kicked off his solo career in impressive style this July; playing his first show as main support to Irish singer, Ronan Keating in what he describes as ‘a dream come true.’

“As if that wasn’t amazing enough,” adds Simon, “A week later I was performing to a sold out DW stadium as pre-match entertainment for Wigan Warriors. I must admit, I do feel very lucky with the way everything is going.”

Following such high-profile live shows, Simon headed into the studio and returns this month with debut EP, Chinese Whispers.

The EP, which features four brand new songs, will be available exclusively via Itunes on Monday October 18th.

Before that, Simon takes to the stage at the EP’s official launch party on Saturday October 16th at Moho Live in Manchester.

“The EP launch party will be a lot of fun,” says Simon. “For those attending,  a very special limited edition signed CD will be available in advance of the official release date which is the following Monday.

“I can’t wait for people to hear my new songs.”
By LINC Staff Reporter

September 2009: Album Review – Eighth Wave – Last Night’s Hero

Who: Eighth Wave
What: Debut album Last Night’s Hero

Last Night’s Hero, the debut album from Wigan band, Eighth Wave, is full to bursting with radio-ready gems.

Eager to prove it, opening track Days & Nights, with its raucous intro gradually making way for a jubilant, sing-a-long chorus, wastes little time in making it abundantly clear that the band are trying to do with this record, and that’s to create sparkling pop songs designed to entertain the masses.

At least, you hope that’s what they’re trying to do since they’re really rather good at it.

Through numbers such as the bouncy All in Your Head, smooth basslines bubble beneath frothy guitars as sharp drums snap away in the background to create some glistening, sun-drenched scene of pop-rock utopia.

But as nice as all this may be, the heady concoction of bass, drums and guitars play a somewhat secondary role to the kind of uplifting melodies found in songs like If…and hit-sing-in-the-making Heartbreaker, which dance and skip along like a loved-up teenager on a sugar rush.

Though there is a darker side to Last Night’s Hero too, especially when it comes to the lyrics.

More lovesick puppy than troubled melancholia, the words themselves are fairly basic in their composition. This isn’t the imaginative wordplay of Bob Dylan nor the intellectually-vented angst of, say, Thom York. Then again, it doesn’t try to be either of those things.

Instead, frontman Si Roddam’s strong, taut vocals deliver emotionally-invested, laconic tales of heartbreak and love-struck tragedy which only helps to make the album that much easier to relate to.

After all, who hasn’t spent at least one night in their life lying on their bed, staring at the ceiling and pining over that failed relationship?

If all this sounds a bit soppy that’s because it is, at least in places. Take the acoustic-heavy standout track, Incomplete, for example. Over a moody guitar, Si reminds you that ‘whatever you say, whatever you do’, he’ll be there for you, as he uses the song to really sum-up the over-arching sentiment of Last Night’s Hero.

Yet whilst many a band would probably deal with such sentiment in a typically broody, melancholic fashion, Eighth Wave (with their line-up completed by Chris Wainwright on drums, Scott Steele on lead guitar and Matt Ashton on bass) manage to turn any negative emotion into an album brimming with positively upbeat, well-crafted and insanely catchy numbers more than up to the challenge of entertaining the radio-friendly masses.
By Chris Skoyles

August 2009: Band profile – Eighth Wave

Who: Eighth Wave
What: News of the bands first UK headline tour

Wigan band Eighth Wave are gearing up for their first UK headline tour this October.

The nine-date jaunt, kicking off at Wigan’s Club Nirvana on October 22nd, comes on the back of what has been a successful 2009 for the foursome following an alliance with independent record label, Cohort Music.

“We’d self-financed some recordings and started sending them off to labels, not just the major labels but also some indies too,” explains singer/guitarist Si Roddam.
“Cohort showed some solid interest in what we were doing, so we went with them and led to us putting out our first album.”

Though Si describes the recording process as a somewhat low-key process and claims that “there was nothing fancy about it”, Eighth Wave nonetheless managed to secure two big names to work with them on their debut.

Between the metal background of a producer who worked with Slipknot and Lost Prophets) and the pop-punk influence of former Son of Dork man Steve Rushton (now signed to Disney’s Hollywood Records) the resulting LP, Last Night’s Hero, is a strong, powerful and well-polished pop-rock record that has helped the group earn a large following across the UK.

“The launch of the album coincided with a tour supporting Go:Audio and that’s where things started to take off for us. A lot of people were buying the album and it really helped us develop a good fanbase,” says Si.

And it’s that fanbase the band (completed by Chris Wainwright on drums, Scott Steele on lead guitar and Matt Ashton on bass) will look forward to meeting when they embark on their first national headline tour.

“A lot of the dates on this tour are nearly sold out which is crazy,” says Si. “A year ago, we wouldn’t have dreamt that we’d be headlining a sold out tour. We enjoy what we’re doing and can’t wait to get back out there.”
By LINC Staff Reporter