"Singer Michael clearly has no problems addressing a crowd, either through his songs or through verbal dialogue with the crowd. Forthright in thoughts and opinions, it makes a change from the average indie frontman who mumbles the name of the next song into the mic. Lyrically, he is head and shoulders above many of his compatriots. Sure there are simply mapped out love songs, such as the Beatles-infused He Doesn’t Love You, but Barefoot Confessor more often than not offer a social commentary on the lives they lead and the locations in which they live them. People Today is a very upfront personalised view from the perspective of Michael's own ethics and beliefs while Camden Road details, with a certain wicked sense of humour, a generalised summary of a less-desirable pocket of London. Isabella is just a great big hit, ‘nuff said....
These guys are soon to be your best new band and your best new friends. Don’t let them down."
- Glasswerk.co.uk
"They’re a thinking mans guitar band, but don’t fall into shoegaze, rather their intelligence is met by their musical panache, making a sound that you can recline from, drawing from your pipe at the back of the venue, or gallop forwards and dance your inhibitions away to.
They’re a strange mix of the quirkily complex and unbelievably catchy pop. You can image One Night Only singing ‘Urgency’, though you can also imagine the Beatles doing it, and now that’s exciting.
Front man Michael has a superhuman voice that drags you in, and the band keep you hostage. This is early days for a sure to be huge group, but there’s plenty on offer to even the most reluctant of rock ‘n’ roll fan already."
-Red Stripe.net
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"I used to think I was Slim Shady," sniggers Michael Shearer, "but every rap I tried to write always ended up being a pop song." Realising where his true talent lay, Michael kicked MC-ing to the London curbs, dusted off the old rock n roll and soul albums that he had been weaned on, rallied three childhood friends and formed Barefoot Confessor. Now at the helm of one of the UK's most exciting new bands, it's laughable to think that Shearer ever tried to squash his 1950s quiff into a baseball cap or hide his creamy, Springsteen-croons behind spoken words.
The band's roots can be traced back to a Year 7 English lesson in which Michael leaned over to school mates James Towers and Chris Rees and whispered an invitation to join his band. The pair jumped at the excuse to make some extra curricular clatter, despite the fact that, as Chris admits, "none of us could play instruments, let alone owned any, so we'd nick them out of the music classrooms do we could practice."
Less than a year ago, these three pals enlisted another long time friend Erol Yurdagul to play bass and Barefoot Confessor was born. These days, the band are playing venues a touch more glamorous than their high school's practice rooms, such as Scala, Islington Academy and NME club nights. Ever humble, however, Michael is quick to enforce that in-between the snazzy joints "we also play skanky ones. One was so depressing that Erol had to turn the smoke machine on just to lighten things up. We'll happily play toilets like that again though because we're not afraid of working our way up the ladder." Along the way of these extensive touring schedules the band have whipped industry tongues into quite a frenzy. One listen to 'He Doesn't Love You' and it's not hard to see why: brimming with youthful energy, sun-smackled hooks, sixties "oos" and heart-melting vocals, it's a Twentieth Century Beatles' hit. Michael sites the Fab Four as being a major inspiration to his songwriting, remembering: "as a kid I would listen in secret to my Dad's blue and red Beatles albums on his record player."
Whilst it was The Beatles, he claims, who made Michael want to write music, it was Oasis who inspired the eleven-year-old Michael to form a band in that English classroom. "I wanted to have all the frivolities that they seemed to be having," he explains. Quoting a lyric of the current pop-punk outfit The King Blues, he grins, "I wanted to save the world and get the girl." Similarities between B.C and the punk-politicians can in fact be drawn in B.C's 'Camden Road', a thought-provoking ode to the "happy slappy chappies", coke-addicts and "militant fists" which litter his hometown. Such sharpness of the tongue demonstrates a further string to the Barefoot Confessor bow. "My writing is observational," Michael explains. "I'll draw my inspiration from anything from a TV programme to a drop of dew on a lily pad in the spring. I just open up my peepers, have a looksy and write down what I see." It's from this mentality that the band draws its name, Barefoot Confessor. "It's about not being pretentious or contrived. It's about being honest and naked… but just on your feet, coz otherwise you'll get arrested!" Michael jokes.
It's this colourful layering of humour, unforgettable melodies and heart-halting poetry which makes the band so unique. As Michael says, "I don't want to be Slim Shady, I don't want to be anyone else now. We are Barefoot Confessor."
I WISH I can connections like that! Hell i would love to even have the connections to see you dudes! Thank goodness for youtube that somehow played that song at random!
Im doing AMAZING!Thank YOU! =D What a wonderful group you have going on. Im impressed with The music and your all around style. So far "He doesn't love you" is my go to song whenever I need to cheer up and jam! Haha! Whats US touring looking like? =D
Hello... thank you very much, i wanted to stay and here you guys play but alas I do not live in London and had to catch the last train back to the Countryside! I really like the songs up here, which sounds like a generic comment, but I do! Take care, A xx
That's not faiiiiiiiiiiir! You promised!! And I'm missing tonight because I had a rubbish dinner to go to!! :( WHICH also means I'm not gona be able to see you until the 22nd!! :( I need your music before then pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeee x s x
I promise i will say hi next week, had to rush to get the train :( you guys had an encore, and all your friends and family were there, so i thought you may be a tad busy when you got off stage. I think the cd's were amazing, very unique. Ive never seen a band do that before.
Last night was great! Had an immense time! I especially loved the mexican wrestling. Ha. I was able to get a cd this time! Put the tracks on my ipod and have had them on all day. Cant wait to see you next week!
'He Doesn't Love You' is the Spotlight music video on YouTube throughout April & May
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