Norwich has delivered a new breed of Indie Rock in the form of The Islas. Upbeat rhythms, sharp melodies and thoughtful lyrics hint at clear influences such as The Smiths, Beautiful South and Declan McKenna but there’s something different with this Eastern Quartet.
The Islas consist of Nathan Baverstock (Lead Vocals & Rhythm Guitar) Ross Allen (Lead Guitar), Granger Wittering (Bass & Vocals) and Ed Chalu (Drums & Vocals) who formed in the Autumn of 2017.
Spending the majority of their time in Chalu’s house practising & working on acoustic demos written by Baverstock and Allen after writing together during their time at local music college ‘Access To Music’, The Islas found their sound along with a mutual desire to put on high energy shows with tight 2 minute
After creating a local Buzz, The Islas caught the eye of Norwich’s music scene, headlining infamous venues such as The Waterfront, Norwich Arts Centre and EPIC Studios. With a strong online presence after releasing two demos through their Website, The Islas released their debut single ‘A Generation To Forget’.
A Generation To Forget earned over 1,000 plays shortly after its initial release in 2018 and The Islas found themselves on the bill with major support slots for: Fickle Friends, Cast and The Amazons - as well as opening 2018’s Neverworld Festival’s main stage.
The single was shortly joined by three singles that were all recorded in Chalu’s room by the band with no third party help, completing the A Generation To Forget hailed “This Norfolk power band have written, recorded and mastered successfully an ambitious EP. ‘Somewhere In Between’ especially is a credit to this hard working band and The Islas are a credit to our local music scene” and This is Noise had this to say “Current, relevant and totally engrossing from the off, The Islas are bravely exploring themes that are so important in today’s society”.
The song lyrics are harvested from youth and the experiences British adolescents face throughout their journey into Adulthood. The anxiety, happiness and first loves - and everything in-between. Their loveable on-stage character was captured with This Is Noise branding the group - “Four guys who have the ability to steal anyone’s heart”.
The group have just finished working with Northern production team Sugarhouse and Abbey Road Studios for their next releases that are expected to be released in Spring and Autumn. With an ever growing local presence, The Islas are sure to be in the national spotlight soon. A high level of potential is clear, and we’re excited to see what the future holds for them.
‘The Islas will be your new favourite band’ - One Unique Blog.