Beyond presents:
LIFE
+ Newmeds
Entry Requirements: 14+
Described by DIY as “an unhinged depiction of modern-day punk”, LIFE’s anti-establishment outlook and witty, off-centre social commentary underscores everything they do. Very much the antithesis of all things London-centric, the band hail instead from the current City Of Culture, Hull, and tackle the new wave of youth and working class discontent with both savvy and style. Known for a strong community ethic, clever wordplay and energetic performances, ‘Popular Music’ made it onto BBC Radio 1’s best albums of the year list and gained multiple playlist adds on BBC6 Music. LIFE were also picked by the likes of DIY, Metro, So Young and Fred Perry Subculture as their ‘Ones to Watch’ at the start of last year and Steve Lamacq praised the band for being “...weirdly uncompromising and addictive” when placing lead single In Your Hands in his best of the year list. The bands newest single ‘Moral Fibre’, was recently b-listed on BBC 6 Music and earned plaudits from the likes of, BBC Radio 1, Radio X, NME Radio, DIY, Dork, Gigwise and more. “Brilliant” - The Guardian “LIFE combine inescapable energy with unshakeable hooks” - Dork “Whether they’re rallying against the establishment or helping us escape, LIFE’s debut provides comfort and support for us all” - DIY “Equal parts menace and mosh-pit friendly bounce” - Metro ‘LIFE are everything you could possibly want from an artist – they are politically astute, angry, intelligent, gritty and air-punchingly brilliant” God Is In The TV
Line Up
LIFE
Contact: lifeband@hotmail.co.uk
Mgmt: David Manders - david@liquidmanagement.net
Booking: Steve Zapp - steve@itb.co.uk
LIFE’s critically acclaimed debut album ‘Popular Music’ was self-released by the band in 2017. It is an album that demands attention, creating a manifesto for the disillusioned, the widely ignored and those who might think they’ve no means of having a creative outlet. In the last 12 months the band have appeared at numerous festivals across the UK and Europe, headlined for the BBC at SXSW, toured with Slaves, Idles and Nadine Shah, gained playlist adds on BBC 6 Music and had relentless backing from Radio 1, including a live session at Maida Vale, billing at Radio 1's Big Weekend and named in Radio 1’s 2017 best album list alongside Stormzy, The XX and Jay Z.
Praise for debut album ‘POPULAR MUSIC’
“Brilliant” The Guardian
“LIFE combine inescapable energy with unshakeable hooks” Dork
“This is an album to stoke the fires of change” *Kerrang!*
“Whether they’re rallying against the establishment or helping us escape, LIFE’s debut provides comfort and support for us all” DIY
‘’LIFE Provide A Mouthpiece For A Voiceless Generation’’ Louder than War
‘’They may not be the first band to claim punk-rock and spit on trends, but it’s with record timing that they can tear an entire generation to shreds between their teeth.’’ When The Gramophone Rings
If the current incarnation of ”rockstar” is that of an arrogant, slightly detached reality singer, apolitical in the extreme, beige, spoiled by the industry and surrounded by yes men, then Mez and his gang are here to put the boot in.
As the frontman of punk band LIFE, Mez jumps and dances around the stage with a death glare like Jarvis Cocker making love to Frank Sidebottom and the Sultans of Ping. He tackles themes from Trump to Brexit, mass consumption, police violence and austerity – the bleakness of it all laid bare in songs which punch with clarity and fizz.
The “no-holds-barred” style makes sense when you consider that LIFE are unsigned and through necessity are completely DIY. They answer only to themselves. If they want to talk about politics openly, it will happen, no double-checks or authorisations needed, and that hasn’t stopped them from having their songs repeatedly played on Radio 1, and scoring playlist adds on BBC 6 Music from their debut album Popular Music. In May 2017 BBC Introducing asked the band to be one of four special returning acts at Radio 1’s Big Weekend. LIFE, of course, were the only unsigned act amongst the major players.
Mez and his brother, guitarist Mick, were raised on 70’s punk. In a “working liberal family” they listened to The Clash on the way to school. Of course, their upbringing is reflected in the independent way LIFE create music, but it’s also a pretty clear influence when it comes to the band’s very political subject matters. Unlike a lot of people in the music industry, Mez and Mick do not write from the perspective of someone who only experiences the bad stuff through newspapers, sat in a plush studio or a bedroom distant from reality. Far from it, they write sharp social commentary that depicts their surroundings with refreshing honesty and wit. Furthermore, both Mez and drummer, Stew, are youth workers in one of the poorer regions of Hull, and they see first-hand the real impact that austerity and cuts are having on the vulnerable. They work at The Warren Youth Project, a charity run by young people for young people. The project provides vital creative arts, mental-health and support services for a marginalised young community, and consistently facilitates innovative and groundbreaking projects that establish meaningful and sustainable opportunities for vulnerable young people within music, the arts, health and media. The band enthuse about this country's most "important resource," and are notably "incensed with anger" by elite decision-makers who so often disregard young people.
All this considered, of course LIFE’s music is angry. How could it not be? It’s refreshing, considering rock music seems content in its sterility. Being apolitical and disengaged with reality has for the past few years been the trend. LIFE buck this trend and through their undying passion and unquestionable determination offer a very real alternative, they “provide” a voice for the disengaged.
Newmeds
We are NEWMEDS from Hull, UK. Playing Punk/Rock influenced by a number of genres. NEWMEDS formed late 2017, however we have all been on the circuit for years and between us played Download, Leeds and Reading, V-Fest and Coachella in our previous bands. Our latest song has had Kerrang and BBC introducing plays.
Links to the new track
https://soundcloud.com/user-332475015/whats-your-problem/s-n3EHW
I've also included some more social media links below.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3zAwNsDIgQdlUOFatc2jm8?si=iRewOwULS2atrv0FOwEZ7Q
https://soundcloud.com/user-332475015/cognitive-behaviour
Insta - @new_meds
A few reviews
"Smashing drums, killer riffs, vocals full of angst, What more could you want?. If you just look at the band's these guys have been in, it was always going to be good" - Alan Raw BBC Introducing
"Honest, vitrolic and powerful. Newmeds craft pop-infected hardcore punk that embodies the never say die DIY ethics of Hull's alternative music culture." - Dom Smith (Soundsphere Magazine)
“Newmeds have the energy of a coked up kangaroo but still manage to clearly state their message via their lyrics. With drums like Bonham and vocals comparable to Black Flag.They will wake wake the dead in 2019” - Danny Cook ( Messy Nights Promotions Manchester / Silent Radio)
"A high octane 4 piece, fast paced Grunge Rock band with unforgettable live shows. Go see them you will not be disappointed" - The Codfather (Podcast and Radio Presenter for Smile Radio)
Newmeds have totally nailed what they do. Sraight out of the traps, they’re a raging guitar-driven hurricane. They emanate real energy and play with relentless power, and watching them rev up a small crowd like it was an arena show, it isn’t hard to see the potential. Maybe there’s something for the industry after all. - Aural Aggravation
Articles
https://gigradar.co.uk/new-band-of-the-week-newmeds/
http://www.soundspheremag.com/spotlight/band/band-spotlight-newmeds/