Words by Damien Russell
Striking in both sound and appearance, the Actress & Bishop welcome Semantics to its stage on 9th September 2017 – celebrating the release of their sophomore EP, Acid Test.
The event, brought to you by Birmingham Promoters, will run from 7.30pm through to 1.00am, with tickets priced at £6 plus the usual booking fees. For direct gig info, including online ticket sales, click here.
Semantics are supported by high octane indie/punk rockers Hankks, who are no strangers to the Actress & Bishop, and power pop band Quinn who remind me of a softer Smashing Pumpkins.
Starting with airplay on BBC WM Introducing, 2017 has been the year Semantics kicked things up a notch. Founded in 2014 and with their first recorded music release on the 1st July 2016, Semantics took a little time to prepare before taking the Birmingham music scene on fully, but since then they have been hitting it hard and keeping the pace high.
Their first EP, self titled, saw the first of their BBC WM Introducing spins, made it onto the Little Indie Blog track of the day and was crowned one of Scruff Of The Neck Records’ top five tracks of the week – all within two months.
Now before I go through any more of the year’s achievements, sound-wise Semantics are a fusion of 80’s synth-pop melodies and guitar led indie rock. Their music centers around the powerful vocals of Rob Lilley, and the simple, engaging melodies he creates.
Behind this sits a driving rhythm section that gives their songs a foot tapping, head nodding quality and a soaring guitar, heavily laden with echo (or delay, I can’t work out which) that adds a high melody to counterpoint Lilley’s vocal, bringing extra depth to their sound. Some bands work with each instrument in its place; some bands create a unified wall of sound. Semantics are the latter.
After a strong start in 2017, Semantics headed down south for their debut show in the capital before, in March, getting back into the studio for their second EP recording. In April they headlined the Into The Void Festival at the 6/8 Kafe before heading back down to London to The Finsbury Pub. The radio play and headline shows continued and while staying at a steady one-a-month kind of rate, there is a consistency to it that speaks to me of a steady but fierce rise.
Leading us to this… Semantics‘ second EP release show. Whether this will be promo, party or both is yet to be seen, but it’s a promising lineup and there’s only one way to find out; get yourself to the Actress & Bishop on Saturday 9th September. Click here for direct gig info and tickets, from Birmingham Promoters.
‘Acid Test’ – Semantics
For more on Semantics, visit www.soundcloud.com/semanticsuk
For more on Hankks, visit www.soundcloud.com/hankks
For more on Quinn, visit www.soundcloud.com/quinn-580556457
For more from Actress & Bishop, including full event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.facebook.com/Actressandbishop
For more from Birmingham Promoters, visit www.birminghampromoters.com
