Regent due to release "Beggars Belief"
Peter Anderson • Apr 25, 2024
Southampton indie-rock outfit Regent, will release of their second studio album ‘Beggars Belief’, for release on 26th April 2024. Following the recent singles “Flying High”, “Liberation” and “Oh No, I Know”, and the title track “Beggars Belief”. A political uppercut delivered with a knockout rock’n’roll punch, Regent’s timely new track is a state-of-the-nation address drenched in a seismic, feedback-scrawled score.
“You tell me something, some big fat porky pies. You think that I’m stupid, I see right through those lies.” seethes frontman Ben Rooke on “Beggars Belief”, his patent snarl at full lick here. Sick to the back teeth of a UK Government veering from scandal to scandal and a practice of corruption and subversion becoming commonplace across the globe, “Beggars Belief” is a straight-up declaration that enough is enough.
As Rooke adds; “This track is a complete dig at the establishment and everything we believe or are told to believe… From the pandemic to wars, the cost of living crisis, to the mockery of the government, and how we the people have been treated these past few years. Corruption runs deep worldwide, not just in this country… I wanted to write a track that sums these times up.”
Purveyors of an insurgent, no-nonsense brand of rock’n’roll, Regent, have forged a reputation as one of Southampton’s finest and fastest emerging acts. Compacting Rooke’s fury with a barrage of motorik beats, wormhole-warped guitars, and chugging riffs, “Beggars Belief” is one of Regent’s most bruising statements and exhilarating moments to date.
Tackling widespread issues of political mistrust and economic struggles, to more introspective tracks homing-in on personal hardships to the joy to be found in relationships, Regent’s knack for relatable songs and hook-laden tunes has seen their popularity swell in recent years. They are Ben Rooke (vocals) // Chris Woolf (lead guitar) // Ed Cesar (rhythm guitar) // Luke Trundell (bass) // George Grattan (drums).
To keep up with Regent as they ramp things up to an all new level in 2024 and defy expectations at every turn, you can follow them online:
North Walian Artist ' Mared ' aka Mared Williams has announced her New EP ' Better Late Than Never' released independently last week. Following on from the warmly received 'Lately' single which was a beautiful tribute to the Laurel Canyon Movement of the late sixties. A time when America woke up to the possibility of singer/song-writers, with people like Carole King. Splitting her time between rural Wales and London, Mared’s music results in an intriguing blend of folk infused soul-pop. Deeply connected to her roots in Welsh folk but always seeking to combine with a new pace in the city. Mared's debut bilingual album, 'Y Drefn' was awarded Welsh Album of The Year in 2021. Since then, Mared released her EP 'Something Worth Losing', in 2022, co-written with producer Nate Williams in Beaumaris and has been supported by Radio Wales' Welsh A list and BBC Radio Cymru and performed her originals with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and at Sony Hall in NYC. Mared’s solo gigs are intimate and powerful when she plays for herself, but in keeping with the enormous flexibility of her vocals, the full band set up of 7 friends has sold outand brought joy to venues such as (London): Pizza Express Holborn, Greennote Music, (Wales): Clwb Ifor Bach, Pontio and many more. Her name is already on summer festival line-ups, such as Focus Wales in Wrexham and the North American Festival of Wales in Pittsburg (Pennsylvania) and she’s looking forwards to growing her fanbase this year as new music is released. We are promised a full band live album, consisting of both released and unreleased songs, supported by BBC Horizons Launchpad. For more information on Mared's music both live and recorded please check out linktr.ee/MaredMusic
Impressive PR take over Brighton's Secret Comedy Club 42 Brighton Square, tomorrow to showcase music acts from all over the world. As part of The Great Escape, a festival for new music, showcasing 500 emerging artists from all over the world in 30+ walkable venues across the city and a pop-up festival site on Brighton Beach. It’s the first place to discover your new favourite artist and see them in an intimate setting before they go on to headline major festival stages. 12:00-12:25 Marissa Burwell (Canada) It doesn’t take long to get to know Marissa. In her blindingly personal work, Burwell writes about childhood, love, vertigo, and snow. With her captivating warm vocals and sharp prose, she effortlessly weaves an enchanting indie sound that flows between folk and rock, traversing sensuous melodies to exhilaratingly raucous moments. Hailing from the city of Regina, Saskatchewan, she made her remarkable debut with a self-titled EP in 2019. The overwhelmingly positive response to her EP opened doors to international opportunities and in 2022 Marissa proudly unveiled her debut full-length album, “Bittersweet”, which showcased her warm, summery voice and wry wit beneath its indie-folk exterior. She has graced the stage at renowned events like Hamburg’s Reeperbahn Festival, the New Colossus Festival in NYC, and multiple Canadian festivals including Breakout West, NXNE, Pop Montreal and SXSW. Burwell’s latest EP Either Way, released via Devil Duck Records features the clearest synthesis of Burwell’s spectrum of musical sensibilities yet with moments of warm musical tones featuring thick harmonies wrapped around guitars and gentle drumbeats while other moments showcase cathartic bursts of alternative rock, erupting in dizzying crescendos of hammering pianos. https://marissaburwell.com/ https://www.facebook.com/marissaburwellmusic 12:40 - 1:05 No Windows (Scotland) No Windows:The award-winning Edinburgh-based duo comprised of Verity Blossom (vocals/songwriting) and Morgan Morris (production/songwriting) fuse DIY, folk and classic pop on their second EP Point Nemo released on Fat Possum. Taking its name from the location farthest away from land in the world, the five track EP evokes wintry isolation, and marks a significant step forward for the duo, taking inspiration from the expansive sound-worlds of Elliott Smith and Cocteau Twins, their Scottish peers Cloth and Jacob Alon, and a shared musical curiosity that is all their own. The effortless musical chemistry comes from the tight relationship at its core as Verity and Morgan – now 19 and 18 – met as young teenagers at school in Edinburgh, after Morgan came across Verity – in the year above – who shared videos online of her singing. They quickly established a friendship and an artistic bond, with Verity adding her emotionally charged lyrics to Morgan’s bedroom recordings. https://fatpossum.com/collections/no-windows 1:20 - 1:45 HMS Morris (Wales) HMS Morris: are a bilingual, award-winning, female-fronted art-rock four-piece from Cardiff, Wales. Supported by the esteemed Bubblewrap Collective (Georgia Ruth, Boy Azooga, Buzzard Buzzard Buzzzard, Sweet Baboo), they've already released two critically acclaimed albums, Interior Design and Inspirational Talks, both Welsh Music Prize nominees and variously described as ‘Innovative, forward thinking pop music’ (Earthly Pleasures), ‘strange and beautiful music’ (Electronic Sound) and a 'multi-dimensional sound that traipses across hitherto unexplored regions of sound' (Clash)’. https://hmsmorris.com/ 2:00 - 2:25 Hotel Mira (Canada) Hotel Mira: is a Canadian alt-rock band who are fresh from a string of stellar shows at SXSW. The band released their new single “Waste Away at the end of April via Light Organ Records. The quartet comprises of LA based charismatic front man and songwriter Charlie Kerr, guitarist Clark Grieve, Mike Noble on bass and drummer Cole George. While building off the sharp, indie pop hooks, Hotel Mira are exploring their widest set of sounds yet, vaulting from neon-trashy garage rock to festival-sized pop hooks and glam-bop balladry. Live Charlie performs in a way that feels uniquely part Iggy Pop, part go-go dancer, and part fourth wall breaking experimental theatre. He tells a story to the crowd through his masterful lyrics, hip-swaying melodies, and attentiveness to his audience that makes each person in the venue feel special. Mike, Cole and Clark provide a sweeping soundscape that makes it impossible not to be swept away in the melodrama and passion of each song they play. The band has supported many acts including Billy Talent, Fizzy Blood, The Beaches and Frank Lero (My Chemical Romance), and carried out multiple headlining tours of their own. https://www.facebook.com/hotelmiramusic/ https://www.instagram.com/hotelmiramusic/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@hotelmira https://www.hotelmiramusic.com/ 2:40 - 3:05 Asha Jefferies (Australia) Asha Jefferies: Hails from the Northern Rivers in Australia but raised in Brisbane, her debut album Ego Ride released in April this year, through Nettwerk Music Group. The album speaks to an audience of listeners searching for moments of self-reflection and authenticity. To date, Asha Jefferies has toured with and supported acts including Julia Jacklin, Stella Donnelly, and has played notable Australian festival slots at BIGSOUND, Icebreaker Festival, Against the Grain, Bluesfest, Woodford Folk and Mullum Music Festivals. 3:20 - 3:45 My Life Story (England) My Life Story: are epic pop pioneers headed up by charismatic frontman, Jake Shillingford who released their fifth studio album ‘Loving You Is Killing Me’ in February via Exilophone Records/Republic Of Music. This follows their last critically acclaimed album ‘World Citizen’ released in 2019. The new album discusses themes of empathy, profaneness, vaingloriousness, coercive behaviour and naturism. The record, published by Mute Song, has been written and produced by Jake alongside Nick Evans and mixed by Ben Hillier who produced two Depeche Mode albums as well as working with Blur, Patrick Wolf, Nadine Shah and Peter Perrett. The record features this year’s singles: ‘Numb Numb Numb’, ‘Tits & Attitude’ and ‘I Am God’. The band became a pioneering force in the Britpop movement scoring 6 UK top 40 singles and a top 40 album inspiring the era's orchestral identity. Combining playful lyrics with epic pop, MLS formed in Southend in 1984. By the early 90s, Shillingford had grown the band into a flamboyant orchestral 11 piece with string and brass section. Their passionate, often chaotic live shows lead to Giles Martin (The Beatles) recording tracks for their debut album ‘Mornington Crescent’ after discovering them at the Marquee. Signed to Parlophone in 1996, the band released ‘The Golden Mile’ which spawned most hit singles including ‘12 Reasons Why I Love Her’, ‘Strumpet’ and ‘Sparkle’. ‘Joined Up Talking’ followed on Andrew Lloyd Webber's It Records in 2000, featuring sixth hit single, ‘It's A Girl Thing’. Many collaborations followed including Morrissey, The Pogues and Marc Almond. MLS performed Glastonbury Pyramid stage and Reading Festival 4 times. They supported Blur & Pulp and are one of the only bands to headline over Oasis. https://mylifestory.band/ Image above HMS Morris (c) Rhiannon Holland