From the ashes of many other abortive attempts at musical serenity, The Pursuits came together through the miracle of happy accidents. Initially a three-piece, the final piece of the puzzle was added soon thereafter. The chemistry flows out-right, new material being borne through a frantic desperation to make a sudden impact on a lacklustre 'scene'.
The current music landscape is in dire need of fresh input and a brand new view. Too much time is devoted to the needless and thankless tasks of image and marketing.
Step forward; The Pursuits. Determined to stamp their own music and acute world-view on an unsuspecting public, The Pursuits offer those searching for genuine music without unnecessary hype and bluster a place of solace.
Their Liverpool background and upbringing belies their actual sound, ensuring they stand out amongst many carbon copy, happy-go-lucky, jingle-jangle guitar bands. Put simply, The Pursuits are not The La’s.
With modern music veering wildly between overtly polished and weird-for-weird’s-sake, The Pursuits are on hand to deliver what is best described as no-nonsense attitude, all for one and one for all, breathtaking sound.
Their influences are far and wide; Nirvana, The Pixies, Metallica, Oasis, The Doors, The Fall, Guns N’ Roses, Black Sabbath, The Ramones and The Clash as well as having eyes and ears towards electronica and ambient tones. All of this provides the perfect musical melting pot from which to draw from.
The songs are finely crafted with maximum effort and come in the form the anthemic foot-stomper of ‘Beetle’, the heroic grandeur and surreality of ‘Smog Face’, the epic powerful qualities of ‘Clap ‘O’ Judge’ to the riff-laden melody of ‘Crown Of Thorns’. Each song contains something that will catch your attention immediately. Each member adds their own very different twist, allowing for four very different and altogether talented perspectives to align.
The Pursuits’ genre and style is hard to pin down. Whilst always retaining a particular crunch and sonic effect, each song is noticeably distinct from the other, giving fans the opportunity
Apart from these well-honed songs, The Pursuits are constantly working on new material. Each gig providing different set-lists which keep regular audiences on their toes waiting for the next surprise.
The Pursuits are comprised of four men; all very different on the surface but each with the same ambitions and musical integrity.
On vocals, Gareth Lunt. A man with the looks and charm of Jim Morrison, the sneer of Liam Gallagher and the playful nonchalance of Mick Jagger. His lyrics cover the spectrum of alcohol dependent insularity, the horrors of poverty and domestic squabbles in the East to the life and works of Kevin Costner. All of this delivered in a trademark growl that sets the mood perfectly. Once you’ve heard this bird sing, you’ll be hooked on its call forever.
Guitar is provided by Joseph Viney, a tousle-haired oddity with enough energy to keep China glowing for a century. A style reminiscent of James Hetfield, Tony Iommi and Slash, his crunching chords and winding solos offer the people what they want; organised chaos. His stage manner is intriguing. He can be seen pacing the floor like a caged animal, with his back to the audience in a sullen demeanour or letting it all loose, a whirling dervish of furious arms and long hair.
The first essential cog of The Pursuits’ rhythm section machine is bass player Paul Radford. Paul is best described as a man with a dream; to take The Pursuits to where they belong. His rumbling bass-lines evoke memories of Steve Hanley and Paul Simonon, keeping the rest of the band in check and always allowing a way back if things go awry, his consistent bass playing providing a perfect backdrop for the walls of noise.
The second cog is madcap drummer Mark Hook. CBGBs and the U.S. punk scene never died out, it simply reincarnated in this one-in-a-million man’s soul. With an unmatched ferocity he is essential for relaying the marching beat that allows The Pursuits to soldier on. With enough vibrant energy to match Marky Ramone and the Muppets’ own Animal he can turn even the dullest track into a wonderful rhythmic paradise.
The Pursuits are what you need.
Don’t deny it, simply embrace it.
Nice one Joe. Yeah if you can that would be mint mate. It's gonna be around september time now, coz were booked up till then plus recording. I'll have a word with a few of the promoters on our dates & see if we can have you on with us.
