Max Raptor Single Launch Party tickets and listings

Max Raptor -
A self proclaimed as “British dinosaur rock with a bang”, their music can best be described as an electric wall of sound, somewhere between The Who and the kooks, which promises explosive performances each and every time.  Front man Wil Ray moves around the stage with such swagger, akin to the likes of Ian Curtis crossed with Morrissey; he approaches his lyrics with an unmistakeable sincerity and delivers them with borderline arrogance, maturity and a bite of a young industry conscious Jarvis Cocker, whilst managing to keep us completely transfixed. The music they produce is at times raw but is not afraid to show its fragility when appropriate and each individual song is built with a formula of excitement, finesse and a dash of schizophrenia, all this is what makes Max Raptor unmissable.

Having met at a tender age and attended the same schools in Staffordshire, their lives saw them move around the country with each member of this four piece leading a different path, in a different city. They were reunited through their individual love of music and the emergence of a social networking portal and within in the year they were rehearsing over the web every other day, started meeting weekly and crafting the Max Raptor sound. This has seen them pick up support slots for the likes of Oceansize and Captain, a string of Barfly and student union gigs, not to mention Kerrang who played their demos for a consecutive 4 weeks and picked them out in the top eight unsigned acts to feature on their podcasts. Shortly after this they were approached by Sam Bell who has engineered for the likes of Snowpatrol, the kooks, blocparty, Rem and U2 to produce their forthcoming album which we will see released on Ctrl Alt Del at the end of the year. The gig at The Venue is to celebrate the digital single release from their album.

Brooklyn
They are one of the major bands representing the rising Parisian rock scene. They provide unbeatable pop melodies crossed with an intense and raw energy, Somewhere between Beatle beautiful pop songs and the energy of raw indie rock. They have already supported Razorlight in Paris (Olympia), Bordeaux and Montpellier, The Kooks and the Wombats at the Carling Academy in London, Liverpool, SXSW in Texas, New York and are about to support Operator Please in Japan not bad for a fledgling four piece. 

Whisky Cats
Delivering a genre-bending mix of gypsy-swing, jazz-punk, skiffle and pop that is impossible to resist, Whiskycats have been enthusing and delighting audiences nationwide. The band is widely considered as one of the most exciting and original live acts around following their relentless gigging across the country. They have appeared alongside bands and DJs as diverse as Arctic Monkeys, Arrested Development, Mystery Jets, Misty’s Big Adventure and  Plan B. They have released a few singles which gained airplay on numerous local and national radio stations, with Phil Jupitus, Clint Boon and Huw Stephens backing the band. Production on the bands eponymous debut album was completed in late 2007. Recording took place at The Charlatans’ Big Mushroom studio before they headed over to Jonny Marr’s studio to lay down the guitar tracks. The man at the controls for this project was Jim Spencer, who has previously worked with Black Grape, New Order, The Charlatans and Jonny Marr. Slipped Disco, the first single from the album, is released on Monday 10 March

Live highlights include two appearances at the 40,000 capacity Fruitstock festival in Regents Park, London, and sell-out shows at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in Soho, London, and the 900 capacity Manchester Academy 2. In November 2007 Whiskycats became the first unsigned band to headline their own show at the 2,300 capacity Manchester Academy 1.

Edison
4-piece rock band based in Derby. Fresh from winning the 2008 Derby Battle of the Bands.

It's not just the well written tunes; or the lead singer's relentless energy; or the urgency of the songs juxtaposed with deliberate drops in pace; it's simply how well put together the whole set is. They appear to mix it up, even though generally the songs tend to be of a similar influence. An influence which dips very largely into the current American market - I hear the Foo Fighters while my mate hears Incubus - There's some home grown offerings too, like Lost Prophets, bit's of Muse and a Radiohead vibe. The lead singer comfortably sings, thumps his guitar and entertains whilst the rest of the band coolly get on with it. - Hank Lacerton