An entire hour dedicated to showcasing Music from brand new and established independent artists and bands. Original and covers from both in the UK and Internationally.
An opportunity for one of your tracks to be Smile Radio’s ‘Track of the Week’ with your track played across multiple shows for an entire week!
To feature on this or any other show on Smile Radio, simply get in touch via the emails below:
derek@smileradio.online
and/or
hello@smileradio.online
COSMIC COLD WAR take you to the most remote reaches of the cosmos and the darkest corners of your mind. Matching soaring melodies with crushing riffs, their international line-up delivers a unique blend of prog, groove and alternative metal inspired by literary and cinematic horror.
Black holes. Monsters. Psychosis. Humanity’s fragility in an infinite universe.
This is just a taste of the dark journey to come…
Featuring artists from the UK, Turkey and Venezuela with an envious resumé of live credits – including supports for Arch Enemy, Napalm Death and Ill Niño across Europe, South America and New Zealand, and some of Europe’s biggest heavy festivals including Metal Summer Fest (Turkey) – COSMIC COLD WAR is an experienced band that is ready for the biggest stages.
Fans are already making comparisons of their genre-blending sound to a range of iconic pioneers such as Metallica, Tool, Deftones, Dream Theater and Lamb of God.
The band’s debut music video, “Absolute Zero”, starring Game of Thrones actress Grace Hendy, was released to critical acclaim in March 2022, racking up nearly 50,000 views within one month of release. 2021’s debut three track E.P. Inconsequential Oblivion received international airplay and resulted in the band being featured live on LionHeart’s Friday night show on BBC Radio London.
Reaction Management
CLKWRK is a band that exists with a mantra: combining Blues and rock with electronic music by creating every sound – electronic and organic – themselves, live.
Every synth and every electronic sound created on the fly with guitars, live electronic drums and effects. No laptops, no sequences, no pre-recorded parts, no exceptions. Humans imitating machines.
The journey to be able to release this music to the world has been a long one though. Three years of exploring sounds, writing music, recording songs and discovering their musical identity, and a huge UK wide tour with US Rock Legends Electric Six.
Produced by themselves and mixed by Chris Coulter (Arcane Roots, Jamie Lenman), with music videos, imagery and new releases underpinning their intense release schedule, tracks from the band’s first wave of releases (Namely ‘Fractures’ and ‘Rust’ and was released to critical acclaim with multiple plays on Planet Rock, Kerrang! Radio and lots more.
With their sights set on touring in the second half of 2022 The band are hugely excited to release new music.
Band members and instruments played:
Nick Pilgrim – Vocals & Guitar
Adam Broadhurst – Guitar & Guitar Synth
Danny Higgins – Bass
Romas Masteika – Drums.
Band members are all from Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, UK.
Musical influences:
Nick: Led Zeppelin, Myles Kennedy, Pendulum
Adam: Rolling Stones, Hendrix, Prodigy
Danny: RATM & No Doubt
Romas: Led Zeppelin (Again) & Porcupine Tree
For fans of: Led Zeppelin, The Prodigy, Black Stone Cherry.
In their words:
While this track doesn’t carry as much of an electronic influence, all of our synth, electronic drum and electronic sounds are all generated live and on the fly. We never sequence any sounds to play behind us and everything is all done through human beings – as it should be.
…Aside from the Donald Trump sample at the beginning. We couldn’t get our pedals to make that one for us.
Quote about the song:
‘Poison’ is a song about frustration. frustration for people, frustration for the words they use and frustrations of the actions they take. When one person drives you to just stop in your tracks and think “You’re just poison. You’re made of it, you emanate it and you become it. My life will be better without you in it”. Nick Pilgrim
Upcoming live dates:
Sheffield (Tramlines/The Yorkshireman) – 23rd July
Stoke on Trent (The Rigger) – 30th July
Sheffield (The Yorkshireman) – 6th August
Birmingham (So Called) – 17th September
More touring to come later in the year.
Plugginbaby
KAT is the legendary metal and trash trailblazer from behind the Iron Curtain founded in the late 70’s by guitarist Piotr Luczyk.
Last year, KAT celebrated its 40th anniversary by releasing the album “The Last Convoy” (Pure Steel Records) which contains new versions of KAT’s famous songs and three covers.
The album features special guest Tim Ripen Owens in “Flying Fire 2020”, song already contained in the previous album “Without Looking Back” (2019 Pure Steel Records),and used for the movie soundtrack “Squadron 303”.
The band has played as open for Hanoi Rocks, Pretty Maids, Running Wild, Helloween, and Overkill.
In 1987 KAT performed twice as a support band for Metallica in the Master Of Puppets Tour, performance recorded in the KAT’s Live album.
Actually the band is finishing the new album, which we’ll release it this year. Plus Piotr and Adam Harris (bass player) recorded in an upcoming project with musicians from Black Sabbath, Whitesnake and DIO.
Valeria Campagnale – ‘Rockers And Other Animals Agency’
SINKING LIKE THE SUN is a modern day lament to the direction the world is going in. Pollution, impossible beauty standards, the loss of jobs to AI, addiction to social media – you name it the song explores it.
As heard on BBC Radio 6, BBC Radio 1, Radio X, BBC Introducing and ITV’s -This Morning, SINS are back with their highly anticipated debut EP – ‘ALGORITHMS’. Since erupting onto the scene in 2019 with a huge sell out show at The Wedgewood Rooms (400cap), the band have had an exhilarating live experience with sell – out and headline shows at Ice Breaker Festival (Portsmouth), The Wedgewood Rooms (Portsmouth), The Joiners (Southampton), Spice of Life (London), Camden Assembly (London), Heartbreakers (Southampton), plus countless support slots with notable names such as Circa Waves, Jaws, Sisteray and The Family Rain.
ALGORITHIMS was born from the idea of the uncontrollable and spiraling digital world that we all Live in. As mentioned by lead guitarist Aaron Evans( known as ‘ASBO’ within the band)“Algorithms are playing havoc with society, constantly censoring and determining what content we see, the news we read, what we buy, who we relate to, the politicians we vote for”, “instead of looking outwards to others and alternative perspectives, these algorithms are only allowing us to look in wards to ourselves-just like looking in to a mirror”. These pesky algorithms have also been affecting SINS directly as “they determine who finds and listens to our music on streaming platforms, it’s all a numbers game now”, “who knows if anyone will find this EP on their discover weekly-it’s slightly ironic init”.
Musically, SINS typically introduce a thrilling new approach to indie music with a smooth injection of punk-rock attitude, embellished guitar solos and stir-crazy riffs. But not this time. Though the ALGORITHIMS EP still retains glimmers of this, it weaves a new string to the SINS bow in a deliberate attempt to evolve their sound and express their broad influences, whilst retaining that underground sweaty gig application we all know and love forever keeping their loyal fans on their toes (quite literally).
Red-Light King are an alt-rock band from Canada formed in 2009. They are comprised of Mark (Kaz) Kasprzyk, Julian Romarin, Brian Weever and Mark Goodwin.
They’ve achieved great success having their music played in films such as The Italian Job, Iron Man 3, The Avengers, and Draft Day. They’ve also released 3 albums with a new one on the way.
Albums:
2011 Something for the Pain
2013 Irons in the Fire
2020 Moonshine
2022 (upcoming) It’s in our Blood
Released in May, their single, ‘In Our Blood’ is from their upcoming album of the same name.
Speaking about the song, lead singer Kaz said:
“In Our Blood’ is not about religion or politics or money,” explains Kaz about the new single. “It’s about heart. It’s about family. It’s about never giving up.
For me, ‘In Our Blood’ captures the human spirit and gives a sense of hope that we can break through the generational cycles of classism set in place to divide us. When I sing the song I think of my family, I think about my grandfather fighting in WW2, the things they went through, the sacrifices they made and that my parents made as well. I think of my bandmates and the audience we play for. We are all trying to make the best of this journey. We all bleed the same color and we’re all in this together”.
Von Loop are a 4 piece high tempo alt rock/post-punk band
from Bangor, Northern Ireland.
Debut single ‘Strap’ will be released on
Tuesday 21st June at 00:00 GMT on all streaming platforms.
“Strap is about a lonely person who misses aspects of their life. Their attention span is short and when they try to have an internal dialogue with themselves, they can’t concentrate and will get lost in their thoughts. The persons feels that they brings down the mood of a lot of their surrounding social circles and resents them in unjustified ways. There is a bitterness to the song regarding people who have a perceived easy life with minimal problems. The person feels at this time that they are a singularity but also claims to be part of the collective, which is where the train of thought develops to. It ends with a comment about the situation around themselves and how they need to take a risk to get out of the situation they are in, but they feel trapped in a duality of confusion, clarity and disablement.” – Von Loop
Reaction Management
Liverpool based “The Firebird Smith Blues Band” are set to release a new single ‘Holding On’ on 5 August 2022. The eight-piece contemporary modern blues band is the collaboration of front man William “Firebird” Smith and Andy McColl (keyboards/vocals), who write both the lyrics and musical arrangements for the band. The band’s influences draw upon the traditions of artists such as Lloyd Jones, Jon Cleary, Robben Ford, Lucky Petersen, and Ana Popovic. Of the new material, the band’s keyboard player Andy McColl says, “its taken us a while to find the right musicians who can deliver the sound we want. I think that the waiting has been worthwhile.” The band originate from NW UK England and delight fans with their punchy horn driven sound.
Fatal Vision may be a new name on the rock scene, however the band had its beginnings when hard rock ruled MTV and every arena from coast to coast. Hailing from Ottawa Canada, Simon Marwood and original members Chris Hirsekorn and Howie Manderson combined their love for bands like Journey, Europe, Survivor and Van Halen to bring a refreshing sound to melodic rock. Life can bring unexpected changes and Fatal Vision was put into park.
Fast forward to 2019, and Marwood received a birthday gift to record a song and a video at a local studio. However, instead of following the well-trodden path of recording a cover song like a typical client, he went back to his numerous books of songs written decades ago. From these sessions, the Fatal Vision machine roared back to life.. With exceptional band members Andrew Burns (bass), a veteran who specializes in the sub-frequencies, Juan Miguel Gomez Montant (guitars), a producer, audio engineer and guitarist for several award winning bands, Scottie Irving (keyboards) a composer of theatre, jazz, pop, and rock acts, and Alex Wickham (drums), a performer at numerous festivals and with a lengthy list of A-list studio clients. Fatal Vision is a band that has both the skills and the knowledge to create a powerful musical vision.
With songs like Heartbreaker, Open Your Eyes, Against The Wall and Time Keeps Slippin’ Away, the influence of melodic rock royalty shines though with every hook and stadium-sized chorus. A band is only as good as their music and the strength of the material inspired hard rock heavyweights including Lenny Castro (Toto), Alessandro Del Vecchio (Hardline, Sunstorm), Mark Holden (Boulevard), JK Northrup (King Kobra, XYZ), Marc Lafrance (Loverboy, Motley Crue), Paul Laine (Danger Danger, The Defiants) and Jeff Scott Soto (Journey, Talisman, Trans-Siberian Orchestra) to contribute to the stellar musicianship of Fatal Vision.
The future is bright for Fatal Vision and over 30 years later, it brings back the epic style of music that lives on through every trend thrown in its path. The band is now ready to launch its music, giving the audience a taste of what was once a standard: great songs, catchy choruses, virtuoso musicianship, a wall of backing vocals, captivating videos, and a live band that sets the tone for what has been missing in music for so long.
The road has been long for Fatal Vision and the destination is well worth the wait.
Plugginbaby
‘Pachelbel’s Canon in D Dance Anthem’ is the new single from Red
Hot Strings, the duo comprising SarahViolin, and Lisa Rollin who burst
onto our social media pages with the live streams from the lockdown
project and globally acclaimed album: ‘’Sundowner Sessions (Lockdown
Diaries)’.
The forthcoming album Century (so called because the girl’s combined
age is 100years!) is a unique genre busting album, from two top
professional violinists blending Classical hooks with harmonies and
improvisation; all layered over Deep House Beats. Making a gorgeous
album of cutting-edge instrumental tracks.
100 years of experience, bringing Classical to the 21st Century!
Adrian – Thoroughbred Music
The Decrees are an Indie New Wave band hailing from Fife, Scotland. They mix different blends of genres in their sound but still retain a raw and provocative take on music that is reminiscent of a bygone age.
The band was formed in early 2016. Their line-up currently is: vocalist James Miller, bassist Luke Miller, guitarist Callum Bell, and drummer Kieran Bell. Releasing their exciting debut four-track EP, in April 2017, The Decrees looked to give a musical account of the everyday experiences of the monotony of modernity with this release; blending a full-throttle sound with catchy choruses and beats. The band breaks with the overall theme and feel of their debut EP, with a double A-side single. Recorded by the renowned Michael Brennan of The Substation and mastered by Pete Maher. Moving into 2018 brought the release of “I Don’t Mind” also mixed and mastered by the aforementioned Brennan and Maher.
2019 brought with it change and the band had a line-up reshuffle. With this came the breaking of new barriers in the landscape of the band’s sound. The Decrees had two single releases in 2019. The anticipated ‘Silhouettes of the Moon’ and the innovative ‘Liberté’ saw the band establish itself as a force to be reckoned with, blending pop-infused rhythm and lyrics. With the further evolution of their sound, while still retaining the core of what made it theirs, they have sought to chart new sonic frontiers with their subsequent releases of “Here Comes Summer”, “Liberté”, and now the new back-to-back releases of “Camero” and “Run”; infusing a retro, Blade-Runner-esque dystopian fashion to a brave modern New Wave sound. The band is also working with an innovative and talented young producer named Dominic Hardy, of Gracenote Studios, which has facilitated this further pushing of the envelope of the band’s sound.
Obsidian PR
UK based band SACRILEGE released their new album “THE COURT OF THE INSANE” on 2nd August 2019 via Pure Steel Records. The band is creating bigger and bigger footsteps after the release of their newest album, increasing its popularity not only in the United Kingdom and Europe but throughout the world. With ” THE COURT OF THE INSANE “release, SACRILEGE has managed to win over media, magazines, radio and fans, increasing its following, playing in various European and British venues and Festivals.
Valeria Campagnale – ‘Rockers And Other Animals Agency’
Folk has a new urban twist with Midlands-based folk-pop duo Bluebyrd. Described as creators of ‘tunes that glue themselves into your consciousness’, Bluebyrd’s songs cover a myriad of themes including errant lovers, refugees, social media and modern-day paranoias; all delivered through alluring melodies that you can’t forget. Now becoming festival and venue favourites, they have played Leek Blues and Americana, Audlem, and Alsager festivals and venues such as Claptrap, Percy’s, & Albert’s Shed, with slots at The Robin 2 lined up for 2022. The airwaves have also been alive with the sound of Bluebyrd, with over 160 plays on UK and international radio stations in 2020/21, including a regular slot on BBC WM’s Henry Liston Show. Although they never got their hands around the statuettes (Boo! COVID) Bluebyrd have caught the ears of prestigious award bodies and were nominated in 4 categories at the Black Country Music Awards 2020 including Best New Band and & for Best Acoustic Act in Radio Wigwam’s international Online Radio Awards 2020. Exciting times lie ahead for Bluebyrd as they’re the act chosen as support for chart-topping band The Christians and also for Ian McNabb, previously frontman of The Icicle Works, both at The Robin in July 2022.
2 hours of mixed Music, usually with a theme – genre, decade, facts & history, instrument focus, pioneers & game changers.A dedicated slot featuring new artists & bands, gig updates and announcements across this show and the station.Get in touch via:derek@smileradio.onlie to be featured on the shows & station! WEAK13 - 'Ashes In Autumn' WEAK13 is an award winning British band based in Black Country & Birmingham. Featuring Nick J […]
