The fifth in our series of compilations celebrating the music and musicians of the Cambridge area, compiled as always by DJ Dave Hammond, released on Bandcamp on July 23rd, 2021 and available for wider digital streaming soon thereafter

All proceeds from the sales of this release will be donated to Cambridge Aid which is a registered charity and a point of last resort for those in desperate financial need within Cambridge and its surrounding villages. They offer financial help to individuals and families in need, whilst the referring organisation may be dealing with the underlying causes of distress. The grants give comfort, provide basic essential needs and help to maintain dignity. Cambridge Aid seeks donations from various local organisations, trusts, charities and individuals. The funds are administered by voluntary Trustees who meet fortnightly to consider applications for support which are submitted on behalf of individuals or families. They are recognised as offering a rapid and flexible response with minimal overhead costs. We are happy to support this organisation with this release.

Artists to be featured on the latest release are:

BansheeVa

BansheeVa are a heavy psychedelic noise-rock power-trio from Cambridge, UK. Their eponymous debut album is out now on Prods In The Dark (distributed by Code 7 / Plastic Head in the UK), both digitally and on coloured vinyl. The band formed at Supersonic Festival 2012, an auspicious start for what they’d go on to do. They share a love of loud & heavy psychedelia, noisy & discordant guitar music, and wanted to form a band based around the “power trio” format of bass / guitar / drums. A bloke with a dog on string once described their sound as a “deafening, psychedelic wall-of-noise”, and they agreed.

Death To Slow Music

Death To Slow Music are a Cambridge-based band made up of four anoraks. They occupy a niche that borders art rock and danceable indie pop. Lyrical themes full of intellect, irony and idealism stitch into caustic, motorik rhythms. This female-led troupe spearhead a musical primitivism that brings back a charming sense of naïveté to the East Anglian music scene.

People Look Like Dogs

The always Noisey, rather Punk-ish, for the most part Hardcore, occasionally Mathy, sometimes Grungey and with an added pinch of Doom, two piece unit, People Look Like Dogs, made up of JeFF on Vocals, Guitar and Bass and Morse on Drums.

Jaymotts

Jaymotts were born out of the abyss of early 2020 pandemic tedium, two old friends starting exchanging funk rock ideas with a strong comedic twist. Before they knew it the Stars of Cheese EP was born (released October 2020). This was followed up with two double single releases, firstly Sandra’s New Car and Funkobaijan in December 2020, and then Love Paralysis and Autofunk in January 2021. Jaymotts are old school friends Jonathan Hall (Guitars & Vocals) and Chris Le Mottée (Bass Guitar) from Cambridge (UK).

Collars

Based in rural Cambridgeshire, Collars is made up of Dan and Kane. Together they play their own brand of indie, driven by vocals, guitar and pared-back drums. Dan sings and writes, while Kane plays guitar and beats at the same time thanks to some self-modded drums he negotiates with his feet. The results? Wholesome indie like your mama used to make! If your mama was Florence Welch and your godparents were the White Stripes

Creepy Neighbour

Max Taylor is a former member of Clor- number 1 in the NMEs greatest albums you’ve never heard of- and has worked with musicians as diverse as Roots Manuva, Groove Armada, Tom Robinson and Mika. Max has put together Creepy Neighbour as a vehicle for his burgeoning singing and song-writing talents.

Naomi Randall

Naomi Randall describes herself as a ‘Middle-earth beatnik deadhead folk singer’ which barely scratches at the surface. There’s an ethereal beauty to her songs, especially those with minimal backing, while others draw you in with their ability to relate tales and snippets of stories which capture the imagination. Naomi’s voice is captivating, an attractive mix of folkie with a dreamy hippy quality.

Dom Howard

Dom Howard, is a Guitarist and Composer from Cambridge, UK. He’s a member of Influx of Insanity and an enrolling student at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Dom’s compositions bring out the unique and diverse sonorities of the electric guitar.

Lady Birdface

100% of what you hear and see is Lady Birdface, aka Kate Shore. She writes and plays everything, records and mixes on her phone and creates all the artwork herself. She sings, plays guitar, bass, percussion and keyboards. Wordplay and ‘The Macabre’ are a big influence. She sees the bizarre in the everyday things, and this is often reflected in her music.

Sunday Driver

Sunday Driver are a seven piece hailing from Cambridge and London. Their experimental blend of folk with Eastern influences, once described as a Dickensian Kate Bush, is beguiling, playful and danceable.

Percy Black

Percy is a reggae musician based in the UK who writes and sings educative music, identifying societal problems and trying to provide a solution where possible. He grew up listening to struggle music from legendary artists like Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. He is currently inspired by societal issues affecting the world at large. This makes his music therapeutic to listen to, especially as the world battles the different and difficult problems experienced every day.

Tom Bainbridge

The featured track is from ‘A Euphoric Melancholy’ is a solo album by singer/guitarist Tom Bainbridge, featuring all-acoustic instruments. The other players on this track are Cath Coombs & Clare Hayes – Backing Vocals/ Nicole J Terry – violin/ Greg Farrar – Cello/ Oscar Reynolds – percussion

Keith Somerville

Frank Zappa, Joni Mitchell, Pixies, Björk are just a few of the artists Keith Somerville is inspired by that he doesn’t sound much like. Based in Cambridge, he has played in several local bands including alt-folk artist, Naomi Randall, and the garage-psych of Moonstrips. He likes to think that, while there may not be something here for everyone, at least there isn’t nothing for no one.

Helefonix

Helen Meissner aka Helefonix discovered music making thanks to Garageband in the summer of 2020 during lockdown. Having spent the previous decade promoting other musicians it was with some amusement that she found the tables unexpectedly turning. Her first BBC Radio 6 music play was for this track Song Thrush Serenade, thanks to Cerys Matthews and Helen loves nothing better than blending loops and samples with found sound she records in her garden and the lanes and woods surrounding her village in Hertfordshire. Joyride, a track off her first award winning EP was recently announced as #1 in the ‘Ultimate New Music Generator chart’. Using all votes cast over the previous nine years, Joyride attracted a record breaking 4,000+ votes in its reign in Tim Willett’s chart, and revealed the potential which has been realized in the last few months with 6 Music and also making the coveted Fresh Faves in Tom Robinson’s Fresh on the Net site.

The Routine

Formed in 2019, The Routine consists of Liam Palmer (vocals/rhythm guitar) once of The Royals UK and former members of The Abstracts including Ben Taylor (lead guitar), Ben Nunn (bass guitar) and Mark Thomson (drums). Based across Cambridge and London, the band has spent the lockdowns of 2020 harnessing their sound, creating a catalogue of stage-worthy songs and keeping their instruments tuned up in anticipation of a long overdue return to the live scene. Their chugging guitars mingle with melodic harmonies, forging a rocktail of alternative styles which will be sure to leave audiences wanting more.

Star Pixel

Star Pixel are a duo based in Cambridgeshire, England creating Electro-GrungeStep. Formed in early 2020, they released their first single ‘The Circle’ in June 2021, with their debut album following in the autumn. The duo comprises, Charlie Howell, otherwise known as the producer of electronic music psyclonic, and singer-songwriter Gavin Chappell-Bates, who reached number 48 in the UK downloads chart and whose music has appeared on BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2. Brought together by Charlie, they are taking their mutual love for 90’s grunge and bringing it up to date with a fresh modern sound and big dance beats.

Shambertans

Shambertans formed in Cambridge in 2019 and quickly developed a sound that is contemporary but familiar. With a focus on melody and vocal hooks, the songs are coupled with an energetic rhythm section that is best served live and loud. Their influences stretch across the decades and the band like to lean into those sounds to bring scope and variety to their songs.

The Mardlers

The Mardlers are an Indie rock outfit, with a penchant for Libertines-esq romanticism coupled with gritty American literature. They formed at the end of 2018, over a series of phone calls to friends of friends in the growing Cambridge music scene. This was met with excitement, as Josh’s songs were already causing a buzz in the local pubs and open mic nights. The professional influence of bass player Aaron foster, and lead guitarist Ollie Lewis, and raw energy of drummer Miles Jones, later completed the outfit.

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Once again Dave Hammond has selected an eclectic genre hopping list of some of the best music in the Cambridge area. We are also indebted once again to Stewart Harris for his stunning album cover design.