Top 5 Bands Who Followed Me On Twitter

I am referred to as one of two things: musical genius and master of the English language by myself and Indie pr*ck by my ever supporting friends. One thing I have always enjoyed writing about is finding those unsigned or unknown bands lurking just around the corner from success. There are those who have been unable to get their careers off the ground in our often image-driven musical culture or those who, for whatever reason, have so far missed out on the recent surges in their genre's popularity.
     While success and exposure often seem to dangle elusively at the top of a never-ending ladder for most artists, nowadays more than ever, the emergence of social networking giants like Facebook and Twitter give bands an opportunity. These networks allow bands to simply 'get their music out there' and grow a fan base one step at a time with relative ease which, for the majority of aspiring bands, is of paramount importance. More lucrative in this sense than Facebook, Twitter allows these artists to target potential fans individually by searching for keywords or trawling through the follower lists of bands in a similar genre. In the ego-driven social climate that Twitter has created in recent years, checking how many followers one has is a daily occurrence for many people and therefore, the ideal way to get your band noticed.

As a self-promoting music fan and writer, I've received a few of these myself so here's my run-down of the top four bands who have followed me in the past couple of months. Give them a listen if you can.

4. Friday Night Lites
    For fans of: Neck Deep, Hit The Lights, Real Friends, State Champs
I hate to say it but the name is pretty crap, fulfilling every cliché in the book, but let's just get past that and try to focus on the music. I'm making this one stretch a little because all of my judgements and comments are describing the two songs they have released. That said, they are two very decent tracks and I look forward to hearing more. With a sound centring around that energetic brand of pop-punk, popularised by groups like Neck Deep and Hit The Lights over the course of the past several years, it's nothing new but easily warmed to. The lead guitar is fast-paced, the drums furious and the harmonies on point. Simply put, it's characteristic of the genre: always nice to listen to and certainly downloadable but nothing gorundbreaking. Safe would be an apt word to describe it. If you're one of those people who will refuse to listen to something because it's 'not edgy enough' then it might not be for you but I for one listen to music for enjoyment above all and I certainly get that from these songs. What's more, you can download the two singles, Face The World and I'm A Sandra Bullock Kinda Guy for FREE at their website and nothing makes captures my heart quicker than some free stuff.


3. For All The Wrong Reasons
       For Fans Of: The Wonder Years, Man Overboard

The names really aren't getting any better are they... Nevertheless, Going slightly more old school in their increased use of melodies, FATWR (their self-given and somewhat convenient acronym) have a slightly rougher edge than the other members of this list with gruff vocals and rumbling guitars. The Lincoln-based musicians opt for less refined instrumentals and high pitched guitar melodies in the background which actually remind me of Sum 41 in that sense. At the same time I can see the ties with pop punk artists like The Wonder Years and Man Overboard; while not quite as anthemic, the similarities are definitely there in the emotionally charged, powerful vocals as well as the intelligent lyrics. Okay, singer Alex Statham may not be as prominent as TWY's Dan Campbell but that simply shift the emphasis towards the other areas of their sound. With two albums already under their belts since their formation in 2013, it's clear this group have a wealth of creativity and eagerness to write which will allow them to go much further than many bands. Nothing complimentary here though I'm afraid.

2. Wander
For Fans Of: Sum 41, ADTR, Neck Deep, 
Deaf Havana

Our journey now takes us across the Atlantic to a garage somewhere in Frederick; Maryland with the best pop punk act so far. A definite step up from the others, Wander are spawned from the same brand as the others but have taken a more original, measured approach to the genre and as a result have a much more diverse set of tracks. Vocally, I'm reminded immediately of the early days of A Day To Remember and vocalist Andy Cizek manages to be both powerful and delicate to fit the mood of each song. They combine this with melody orientated guitar tracks similar to Sum 41 to create a sound which is both pleasant to listen to and at the same time unpredictable. While they may lack some of the bite that ADTR and Sum 41 possess, they easily make up for this by employing the harmonies and echo effects in each song to perfection without overuse or running out of ideas. Not only this but No Rest, a recently released (mostly) acoustic E.P. displays a really nice versatility and a deviation from their usual style, not just thrashing out the electric guitar chords. If you don't think they sound like A Day To Remember upon first listening, this will undoubtedly change your mind. This band has a really prominent future ahead of them and I'll be watching it closely.


1. Silver Story
       For Fans Of: 3 Doors Down, Default, Her Bright Skies, Deaf Havana
This one was a really tough call for the top spot but they just about edged Wander as the best of a pretty decent bunch. What a difference a good solid name can make, and their sibilance-stocked title makes a fantastic first impression which matches the original, intriguing style that they've created. Loosely defining themselves as a 'rock' band, the Mancunian quartet have taken a wide range of influences on board to create something of a post-grunge, pop-punk hybrid. It's almost like the love child of 3 Doors Down and Green Day who's been brought up listening to A Day To Remember. We've got classic rock vocals, strongly reminiscent of Default's Dallas Smith and 3DD's Brad Arnold, the crunching guitar chords of bands like Green Day and The Offspring (in Bleed) and a few Jeremy Mckinnon-esque screamo verses interspersed between delicate vocals throughout their début album Cold Street Lights out last year. There's even a few extended guitar solos kicking about ,in songs like Run, which is basically unheard of in more modern rock music.
     The blending of all these styles means no song sounds the same and there is sufficient variation from track to track- an often underrated feature- so the Northerners have done a great job on that front. Silver Story are part of a seemingly dying breed of bands, particularly in Britain, who embrace a more classic rock and roll sound while still managing to be creative and organic which makes it all the more confusing as to why they aren't more popular already. They shouldn't have to be following random people like me on Twitter just to get their music heard. Give them a listen and if you like what you hear then spread the word about this up and coming band from Manchester.

Of course you can listen to all of these young bands on my Not Now Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/w-avery/playlist/4CAps4jqmlBK7LPOPFgi3T