Pizza Express Maidstone, Thursday 18th June 2015

The Soundcasters were formed in early 2008, when Tom James, 19 (Lead Vocalist/Guitarist) and his long-term friend Scott Russell, 18 (Bass/ and Vocalist), with school friend Simon Watson, 19 (Lead Guitarist and Vocalist) decided to form a band and advertised for a drummer. Matt Gibson, 20 (Drummer and Percussionist) auditioned and joined the band. From the first rehearsal, the boys formed a strong friendship and firm desire to be successful as a band.

Their individual tastes in music range from Punk to Jazz and this is reflected in the diversity of their songs. As young lads, this gave them an edge in today’s music scene and helped them to develop their unique sound. The Soundcasters are influenced by bands such as The Beatles, The Band, The Animals and The Arctic Monkeys. Not only have they been compared to The Arctic Monkeys but also The Kinks and The Libertines.

The Soundcasters began to seriously promote themselves in January 2009. They had a hectic summer, and quickly built up a strong fan base; playing private functions, many local and London venues such as The Fly, Bull and Gate, Hope and Anchor and the Dublin Castle, also performing at festivals such as The Lounge on the Farm, Infest and Togfest, as well as filming for a Documentary for Channel 4.

In March 2009, they produced their first EP which had a 60’s pop feel to it that had a huge response from a mixed audience with such songs as ‘Pauline’ in a blues/shuffle style and ‘French Habit’ with its Russian feel that audiences cannot fail to join in singing and dancing along to. The Soundcasters began the year 2010 with a more mature image, feel and sound and a busy and exciting schedule in place for the forthcoming year with plans to play private functions, charity gigs, festivals and further London venues such as The Half Moon, Putney. In March they successfully launched their second EP ‘Ban the Mind Reader’. The music has evolved into a slightly fuller, darker sound with grit, yet lightened with a little country rock. In May they wowed audiences at the infamous Cavern Club in Liverpool as part of the International Pop Overthrow.

The Soundcasters made their TV debut in August when the Channel 4 documentary ‘Amish: World’s Squarest Teenagers’ was shown. This prompted radio interviews and airplay along with many articles in local and national newspapers and TV magazines including the Daily Mirror and Radio Times.

The Soundcasters episode focused on the experience of a group of Amish youngsters spending a week with an artistic and musical family. During the week of filming, the band took their Amish guests to places of interest in Kent and shared with them their love of music, ending the week at ‘Togfest’, the music festival in Milton Keynes, where The Soundcasters played on the main courtyard stage. Clips of their music featured in the programme, causing a great deal of interest in the band, with much activity on their Facebook and MySpace sites helping to increase their fan base.

Following on from this experience, The Soundcasters look forward to writing and recording more of their songs and to continue performing and wowing audiences in and around the UK.

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Well after a nice Christmas break (distant memory) we are eager to to get gigging again in 2016, and tonight is our first one of the year, so please excuse any rust. We are really excited about the year ahead, why you ask? Here is a small and convenient list: (1) Late last year, Sam Nesbitt, the sexy one, joined as our bassist. Woo. (2) We are writing and working on quite a few new songs, which means you’ll get to hear something different finally. (3) It’s good to be optimistic, right. (4) We are part of an brilliant local music scene, which means getting to hear & meet tonnes of other great musicians. (5) Euro 2016, come on England! We hope you enjoy tonight. Let us know either way, during (prefearble) or after the show. much love - Alex, Phil, Sam & Thom x

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Singer-songwriter, Paul Dunton leads his own unique cross-over orchestra providing an atmospheric fusion of alternative and pop with a classical twist. Paul & his Orchestra take influences from varying modern day artists such as Pink Floyd, Elbow, ELO, Turin Brakes, Massive Attack, Damien Rice and contemporary composers such as Samuel Barber, Ludovico Einaudi, John Barry and Hans Zimmerman. The Orchestra performs Paul's own compositions and a varied selection of uniquely arranged standards from a wide range of artists. The line-up of 8 violins, 4 cellos, guitar, flute, bass and percussion accompanies Paul on vocals and piano, joined by his lead vocalists, Charlotte Andrew and Poppy Raine. Paul and his Orchestra regularly perform at concerts, festivals and private events throughout the UK and internationally, including headlining the Theatrium Wilhelmstraße Festival in Wiesbaden, Germany and an 8 state tour of the USA which culminated in a spectacular roof-top performance on top of the New York Strand Hotel. Increased attention and success led to the orchestra being featured on BBC Radio 2 by Joan Armatrading with interviews and airplay of one of Paul's songs, 'Don't Forget'. This led to Paul supporting Joan Armatrading on five occasions during her recent UK tours.

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Jessica Simpson is a 14 year old singer/songwriter. Since the age of 9 she has played guitar which now accompanies her voice. She is an experienced performer having performed at venues such as The Royal Albert Hall and The London Palladium. Jessica is happy to play anywhere, for anyone; her main aim is to share her talent and love for music. As well as the bigger gigs she does smaller ones too. This could be for charity events, at cafes/restaurants or family gatherings such as weddings or parties. When Jessica was 12 she did her first gig which was a two hour set on the back of a lorry; since then she has always been busy doing something to do with music whether it be performing, writing or recording. 

As well as covers Jessica has a strong set of originals where she draws influence from her every day experiences when writing and singing. All her songs have their own unique sound and vary in style. Jessica writes in a few styles: Country, Folk, Pop and Jazz. Sam Smith, Bastille, The 1975 and quite a few artists who aren't quite as mainstream, such as The Wayward Daughters, Etta Bond and Tori Kelly inspire Jessica as she appreciates the rawness of their music. However she is mostly self-influenced as she pushes herself to do her best.

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