PALE RIDER ////
"A true storm in heaven - genuinely superb" - Getintothis
"A thrillingly tripped out, unnervingly schizophrenic sonic apocalypse of epic intent" - Louder Than War
It’s the sign of a special band that’s noted for it’s wild oceanic live performances, ones that billow like the roughest of seas, that they can strip it back and make a three minute song which retains that excitement yet is radio ready.
Pale Rider are that band.
Still in their infancy – the Liverpool quartet have but five gigs to their name – yet when Liverpool's iconic Parr Street Studios come calling you know they’ve pricked the interest of the city and its music fans.
Recorded in one five-hour session by producer Chris Taylor (The Coral, Blossoms), their debut single I Run On Rain is a furious titan of rock & roll magik which has captured the imagination of the North West music press.
Underpinned by a fuzz-fuelled bass line the track crashes like a steely wrecking ball before detonating into a heavyweight lightning bolt of guitar pangs and blistering vocals. The track reaches it’s zenith with a drenching of heroic instrumentation conjuring imagery of The Verve's Nick McCabe tackling Prince‘s Let’s Go Crazy.
Formed in 2017, Ben Russell (vocals, guitar), Fran Codman (lead guitar), Louis Dutton (bass) and Sophie Thompson (drums), Pale Rider
bonded over a love of Iggy Pop's Fun House, The Black Angels and wild space-rock.
Early live gigs alongside Lucid Dream and the Captain Beefheart Festival in Liverpool led to Getintothis declaring them 'Liverpool's best new band' while Louder Than War tipped them as New Band of the Day, adding: "Pale Rider are uncompromisingly addictive, nail bitingly ambitious, they're creating future sounds for the Space Age of today."
BBC Merseyside and Amazing Radio followed suit with airplay of I Run On Rain while blogs The Cultural Manual and Even The Stars tipped them as Ones To Watch in 2018, the latter declaring: "With a front man whose voice can soar into the stratosphere and a drummer who dictates the songs with a subtle change of pace or a bold explosion of power, they look set to become a fixture in the North West's flourishing music scene."
Shows at Manchester's Night & Day and Sound in Liverpool have cemented the band's visceral live status and with dates at Buyers Club and EBGBs for Independent Venue Week lined up, 2018 is set to be a busy one.
This is just the beginning, though. There’s so much more to follow. But for now, Pale Rider have come hurtling out of the blocks. Time to keep up.