The Grey Lady Music Lounge, Sunday 22nd August 2010

Sounding like Fleet Foxes got into a jam session with Kasabian and Paul Weller, Burning Shapes formed playing acoustic sessions at parties around their home towns in Kent. Catching the attention of electronica producers Bombay Monkey whilst playing out under the acoustic-electronica guise Sound Sanctuary, the collaborations went on to produced a series of EPs before releasing the Dust LP in 2007 racking up critical acclaim from DJs like Nick Luscombe and Lynn Parsons and airtime on Xfm, BBC Radio and SkyTV. In the process of touring as Sound Sanctuary live drums were introduced to replace some of the sampled drum loops and the bands live sound began to evolve a whole new layer of energy. When the studio beckoned again the band decided a name change was in order to fit with the new sound they were going to lay down and Burning Shapes was born. In late 2010 the band returned to the live scene supporting Mumford & Sons and The Stranglers to 10,000 people at Triumph Live and have been gigging regularly around the south east since. Early preview tracks from the album have already been finding their way onto BBC Radio's Introducing programs and internet stations with one song picked up for the soundtrack to the £2m British feature film Lucid coming out next year. Their brand new single entitled ‘Silence Amplified’ is released on Monday 24th October and will be available through all good online digital retailers. www.burningshapes.com

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David’s earliest 6-Chord Songbook dates back to July 1994, with an inscription on the inside cover that simply reads ‘Happy Birthday darling, much love, Daddy’.

Being cool has never been David’s number one priority. 

From that point on, hurriedly purchased Squier Strat in hand, he quickly mutated into some kind of ravenous, listening thing. Age 12, he found himself gorging on every record in the house, from the Beatles to Bob Dylan to Paul Simon, and pausing momentarily to wipe his fetid brow, (usually during the Garfunkel songs), he decided to press on further into the perilous waters of folk and blues.

Alas, for many years he sailed, out in the dark, lost from view. 

Fast-forward to 2003, and David is emerging from a university toilet, ashen pale and shaking like a popcorn pan. The Squier has been replaced with a Tanglewood acoustic, and he plays a nervous set in front of a sell-out crowd of 12. 

In the following years, the quivering hands steadied, the whimpering vocals stabilized, and David set his sights firmly on songwriting. Drawing on both his early influences, as well as later maestros such as John Martyn, Martin Simpson, Richie Havens and the like, his music will calm your nerves and whisk you away.

He has pedalled his songs all over the country, from Glasgow to Oxfordshire back to the South East, where he is now recording an album, due for release at Gocstock V, Eridge Park, Tunbridge Wells, June 2010.

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Originally formed as a three piece back in 2001, indie rock band Cyrano soon became a foursome with the addition of lead guitarist, Karl Barton. From this moment on, their sound was born. With influences from bands like Pearl Jam and Elbow, Cyrano have crafted a unique blend of thoughtfully written songs, rock guitars and Tom Yorke-esque vocals resulting in a hugely melodic sound. The band are currently recording their second album in Assault and Battery Studios in London. Their first album "I, You, Us, Them" is available to buy on CD and iTunes. The band’s line up is Joe Ackerley on Vocals and guitar, Matt Wilson on drums, Tim Hubbard on bass and vocals, and Karl Barton on lead guitar.

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