The Fly
http://www.the-fly.co.uk/
Alex Lee Thomson
Fiercely eccentric, this band contorts a Jeremy Warmsley vocal to the sound of Talking Heads. Weird, wonderful and totally enchanting, they'll be playing around town over the coming months.
Gig Shots
http://www.gig-shots.com/
Mike Gatiss
I've been trying to write a post about Morning Sparks for the last hour. It really shouldn't be this difficult, they're a five piece unsigned band from Manchester and they have a list of influences that range from Coldplay, through Nirvana and on to Queens of the Stone Age with a bit of Jeff Buckley thrown in for good measure. But therein lies the problem, I'm a photographer not a writer and any attempt to describe the music these guys produce just doesn't do them justice. Do yourself a favour and check them out soon so that when they've exploded into the big time you can say "I saw them when ...". I promise you won't be disappointed.
Subba Cultcha
http://www.subba-cultcha.com/
By Jeremy Chick
A near-perfect melding of Indie Disco hooks & some fine post-hardcore flourishes, the beat pummels you with it's hi-hat steeliness and those rasping vocals, howling but breaking down amongst it's own emotional counterpoint, wondrous stuff!
Leeds Music Scene
http://www.leedsmusicscene.net/
By Kevin Richardson
Receiving an EP from a band that lists influences ranging from Radiohead to Jeff Buckley to Nirvana, I had no idea what would greet me when I started listening. As it turns out I was treated to three tracks which would be hard to bracket, but doesn't fail to impress. Guitar hooks a plenty but with the depth proving they're not just another average Strokes wannabe band. First track 'Look!' is almost a dance track to begin with that is steadily bouncing along until it hits the middle and it takes an almost Muse like turn with shimmering guitars before returning back to the bouncy guitars. 'Green Bottle Liquor' is less dancey, but tight guitars lead the way through the song with the impressive singer proving his range. They are aiming for a grand sound in this song and I can imagine this sounding brilliant live. The guitars are tight and at points in the song epic sweeping under the vocals. Conway (Your Time Is Up)' shows another side of the band, as it starts with a haunting riff and vocal combination before exploding into more classic rock and roll. A bass line that thunders under the vocals and guitars, it sounds again like a Muse track slowed down. The way that track is constructed is top notch and the guitars wouldn't sound out of place on a Nirvana track. Morning Sparks have obviously worked hard on this EP and put a lot of work into it. They've paid homage to their influences by taking what makes them successful and applying it here. Each song keeps you guessing where it's going and the depth is surprising for only a three track CD. The result is a really impressive EP that I can only imagine sounds even better live.
Stoke Sounds
http://www.stokesounds.co.uk/
By Steve Dean
Of all the bands I've seen since I started reviewing, Morning Sparks must be the most original and innovative so far. Opening their set with a powerful and abruptly-timed number guaranteed to grab attention, they then proceeded to entertain with a host of strong, well-arranged ideas, intensely powerful drumming and some curiously quirky lyrics. Loud, energetic and ridiculously tight, they are almost Zappa-ish in their more adventurous moments. Changing tack at a drop of a hat, there is just no room for dull moments in any avenue their musically meandering path takes; light country-style picking unexpectedly morphing into crunchingly heavy riffery without warning. Songwriting is obviously a major skill with this outfit; good ideas being in such abundance I would guess there is plenty more where they come from. The whole band boasts a high standard of musicianship and vocalist Chris Russell's clear, almost theatrical voice suits them well. Including a bouncy instrumental, their playlist is practically one excellent number after another; the penultimate song being my particular favourite, having one of the best refrains I've heard in eons; although I unfortunately didn't get the title. Get to see them while they're still playing Stoke pubs and clubs. This is a great band and I can see these lads going places at a rate of knots.
Manchester Music
http://www.manchestermusic.co.uk/
By Emily Slowlie
Stoke On Trents Morning Sparks are a regular fixture on the local Manc scene and it's a good thing to have too. Their rigidly tight, almost clockwork alt.rock clicks well and jagged guitars smell of new, angular post rock, interspersed with great middle eights, sweeping guitars and little doses of electronica. 'Look!' is a like a (even) higher register appreciation of Forward Russia with the edgy sentiments of Jarcrew. 'Green Bottle Liquor' may have just have a few simple chords at its disposal but they're played note for note like liquid bullets, a fluid but deadly sharp mixture of chords and tempo hugging bass lines. 'Conway (Your Time Is Up)' is unusual in that it gets nearer to being a classic rock cut‚ sort of like Robert Plant aged 21 after listening to a slow Muse track and the Deep Elm back catalogue.
Manchester Music
http://www.manchestermusic.co.uk/
By CA
Some bands you can tell by 30 seconds into their first song exactly what they've been listening to. Some you can watch a half hour set and still be none the wiser. That Morning Sparks fall into the latter category is definitely the first point in their favour. The list may or may not include Muse, the Chameleons, Happy Mondays, Forward Russia, Radiohead, Nirvana, and post-rock bands with unnecessarily long names (various) - but its hard to even be halfway sure about any of it. Chris Russell's arresting vocals are as powerful as they are high-flying, like James Puressence raised on an alt-rock diet. There's the thundercloud bass and floating guitar of classic North Manchester post-punk, but seconds later it's shifted into Mogwai derailment or found a gritty shuffling rhythm. They write anthemic tunes, then twist them into skewed, irregular shapes that would terrify the sort of people whose idea of an anthem is something you can hold your phone aloft to in the Something Arena. Time constraints only make room for four or five such intriguing pictures, but it's always good to watch a band who sound this coherently good without fitting easily into any predefined boxes.
RockFeedBack
http://www.rockfeedback.com
By Alex Lee Thomson
In a seemingly endless line of spit n' sawdust pioneers comes Morning Sparks, who, if they concentrated more, could reach Arctic Monkeys proportions, but if they loosened up could end up sounding more like Talking Heads. Sitting between so many forces of excellence is having a great effect on their music as they decide between just which particular road to walk down. Like the Sunshine Underground left in a cup of acid and remoulded by whatever remains of early Bloc Party, or a ramshackle Rakes doing a reggae party tune, Morning Sparks are hard to put your finger on yet sound too fecklessly brilliant to ignore. The vocals are amazing and the shear construction and confusion of material would be intimidating to the likes of The Killers in show-stopping ability, and Larrikin Love in dazed-and-confused ambiance.
Manchester Music
http://www.manchestermusic.co.uk/
By Craig Mather
Hailing from Stoke On Trent, Morning Sparks sound like a sprightly mix of eclectic influences. "Standing on The Wall", the first track, is full of building vocals that break into a howling At The Drive In style erratic delivery before mixing in beautiful bitter sweet melodies. It's surprisingly thought provoking whilst still being completely fun and listenable. Obviously as talented musicians who do not want to be pulled in one specific direction, they avoid the trap of making a sickly concoction - instead the subtlety and heart in all of these songs means each track works up its own merit. The second track "Deadly" has a hypnotic Echo and The Bunnymen or Kitchens of Distinction type guitar mantra that cuts in and out, pulling off the hard combinaation of groovy yet cathartic whilst still generating a sense of disconnection.
There is a genuinely satisfying unpredictability to this demo that's very rare - and unaware of any previous demos, this is a truly great first recording, deserved of your ears, head and heart.
High Voltage
http://www.highvoltage.org.uk/
By Hannah Bayfield
Morning Sparks are certainly not ones to be easily pigeon-holed. Having drawn comparisons to Radiohead and Jeff Buckley, every track on this, their second EP, makes such comparisons nigh on impossible.
As soon as you think you're safe and comfortable, a track will morph and shift into something quite unlike what came before, until the opening bars are but a distant and hazy memory. What starts off sounding like Bends-era Radiohead becomes a more accessible Mars Volta, shifts again to grunge or onto beats reminiscent of early Muse.
It's clear that with Morning Sparks you'll be kept on your toes, moving from sounds that are dark and brooding to notes far lighter than you'd expect. Their sound is awkward, at worst sounding like different sections have simply been bolted on to one another, but at best this sometimes uncomfortable music is dark and compelling, defying expectations from start to finish.
