Carey Brothers, Tom Petty, Elbow, Snow Patrol, Sun Kil Moon, Doves, Ambulance Ltd., Foo Fighters, Editors, Reindeer Section, Strike the Colours. Not all strictly influences but bands I am loving the work of...
With the recent disbanding of Edinburgh-based 4-piece Underbelly – a band Alan fronted for 6 years – efforts are now being poured into former side project and, now priority, collaborative band, The Elements. The Elements has been a slow-growing collective on the back of Alan's 'Identity Parade' showcase where various collaborations led to the formation of the band, properly, in early 2008.
With various tunes in progress on the back of Alan's twenty_fifteen EP – it wasn't long before the other members of The Elements (Andrew McCarroll, Chris Gibson, Shona Brodie, Douglas Kay and Andrew Scott) began to bring their own unique sound and style to the project. With The Elements beginning to get into their stride in 2009 the song list is growing and the sound is settling.
In a few weeks time (May 2009) The Elements will release 'The Sunlight EP' – a 3-track EP recorded an co-mixed with embryonic dynamic duo, Andrew Clyne & Mo Storey of Bonnington Lane Studios. The EP was written and recorded over the course of Feb and March 09 and luckily the vibe was just right for the recording session which went briliantly. The Sunlight EP will be uploaded to this site and The Elements' MySpace site by the end of April with the EP being available for download on iTunes in the summer.
Alan's musical history is quite varied having success with early efforts in heavy metal band, Demise, based in Al's hometown of Belfast. He moved to Edinburgh from Belfast in '98 to join a band with industry interest. Unfortunately the band split in '99 but Alan continued to involve himself with the Edinburgh music scene.
After many collaborative gigs with other local musicians Alan found his feet and started Underbelly in March 03 which was to bring success in 2005 with their EP 'Come in to Land' championing the airwaves on XFM Scotland and even enjoying airplay on Radio 1 Scotland and Northern Ireland as well as earning them some great reviews from The Daily Record,The Belfast Telegraphand The Evening News
In 2005 Alan's solo single 'I'm Glad You Talked Me Round' won him the chance to compete in T-Break and meant the airing of the single's title track on BBC Radio 1 Scotland.
Success again in 2006 for Underbelly when they too were invited to perform at T-Break, this time chosen out of a record 1,000 entries from around Scotland. Neither year saw Underbelly through to T in the Park, unfortunately, but the band's profile was boosted impressively.
A string of solo and Underbelly gigs have followed including supports for artists such as The Hedrons, Jill Jackson, Alex Parks, Grim Northern Social, Cosmic Rough Riders and even chart-toppers, Nizlopi. Notably, at Alan's first Identity Parade showcase event in 2004, he enjoyed an acoustic performance with Snow Patrol's Nathan Connolly – playing a mixture of Underbelly and Snow Patrol material plus some cover tunes.
The Bellies, before they called it a day, ended 2008 on a high with invitations to perform at prestigious showcase, The Mill, the Forth One to Watch award and the Evening News' battle of the bands.
One of Alan's biggest projects to date was the production of a video to accompany The Elements' track, 'Superhero' – which has captured the attention and support of many a local Edinburgh musician. The song features a choir of 30 of some of Edinburgh's most dedicated local talent. Superhero is a commercial track designed to promote local bands, collaborative relationships, to attract attention from TV and film industries and to just be bloody good fun. The video is on the site on YouTube.
REVIEWS:
“...Alan Davison’s ability to crowd-please on demand, ably backed by Underbelly, he took us through a selection of rock belters in true troubadour fashion. His voice warmed up as the set progressed and by the end we saw the strongest lyrical rock of the night...”
Angus Young – T-Break
“Come in to Land has the same kind of quiet and loud bits beloved of Gary Lightbody. There are heavy rock guitars and soft folk guitars. Second song (I Won’t) Leave You to Die is actually better than the main song while Slow Me Down is a gorgeous acoustic ballad. After hundreds of Franz Ferdinand copycat bands it's great to hear a band following the success of Lightbody and co.”
Rick Fulton, Soundcheck – Daily Record – on The Underbelly ‘Come in to Land’ EP Friday 24 November 2006
Underbelly Alive Again (self-released) (now titled Empty Faces)
With singer-songwriters like Blunty and James Morrisson ten-a-penny and still pretty poor value for money, the importance of the band in fleshing out songs has been undervalued of late. And while it’s not clear how much the songwriting in Underbelly is a band effort, certainly the opening chords and verse on ‘Alive Again’ pretty much check the boxes for tunesmithery and light, delicate chart-friendly pop. However, wait for the chorus and the unprepared may have their roofs blown off – turning a slightly folky tune into a slow-building Snow Patrol-eqsue epic that would fit a stadium better than a folk club.
Is This Music July 08
Alive Again by Underbelly (now titled Empty Faces)
With this forthcoming single, which you can hear on their MySpace page, Edinburgh-based Underbelly have done it again with another epic tune. The lads have walked the T-Break stage two years in a row in 2005 and 2006, as finalists selected from over 1,000 Scottish band entries. Now it looks as if they're ready to stand on their own feet.
Hey! How's the weather over there? I just want to let you know that i'm coming to the UK in late May/early June to play bass with Kevin Montgomery and Tommy Allsup. Tommy played guitar with Buddy Holly, and is THE guy that flipped the coin with Ritchie Valens. I figured that with you being a musician that you would really be able to appreciate this show.
We play a few shows in Scotland, but we do have an Edinburgh date in Leith at a place called The Village on Thursday, June 5th. I hope you can make it?
We won't be doing my material, but it is a really special show, and Tommy is a true rock'n'roll legend.
Anyway, take care and hope to see you there.
DW
Tucker beat me to it! Hope to see you there. Cheers. Alastair Kock. Here's an equally rubbish picture: New album "Dot The I" out 29th March 2008. Order now from www. tayloredrecords. co. uk, Napster, eMusic and most other download sites.
Online Now!
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