The Planes
are a four piece indie rock band from Portsmouth, on the south coast of
England. They have been gigging since February 2011 and have since then
reached the finals of The Wedgewood Rooms Showcase, and they have
played the Southsea Fest. They have also played gigs with Club NME,
supporting up and coming acts like Cerebral Ballzy, Jumping Ships
and Sad Day For Puppets. Having enjoyed local success the lads are now
keen on bringing their sound to a larger audience across the UK.Raw Ramp was lucky enough to catch the band at Surrey’s favourite live music venue – The Boiler Room, Guildford on Friday 05 October, where they supported Films of Colour, Cities of Glass and Secret Son.
The sound of The Planes is haughty and trashy. They come across as lonely lanky lads, with floppy hair dos, devil-don’t-care attitudes, and bucket loads of style. Imagine the Stone Roses crossed with the Libertines to get something of an idea of what’s going on. They readily admit to being inspired by the Small Faces, and that shines through, in their looks and their polish.
Songs like ‘Looking At Me’ illustrate the ability of the band to find a hook and then use it, masterfully. Mike Smith’s vocals (lead vocalist and rhythm guitar) are clear-cut and inspired. And the harmonies are sweet. Sweet as honeyed rye. Guitar work is precise and imperious. The drumming ( Ollie Shaw) is as tight as a Punkie’s doodah.
The Planes song ‘On Demand’ reminded me of work by The Style Council. Crisp arrangements, smooth bass lines (Chris Smith) , and just the right amount of peppered funk. When the lyrics are peeled back, they reveal an inconsistent maturity.
The band played a new song at The Boiler Room – which, they say, will be on the highly anticipated new EP ( released next month.) ‘Stay The Weekend’ has crunchy guitars, dizzy harmonies and a terribly catchy chorus … as well as those shamelessly sashaying guitars from Sam Wardle (lead guitar) .
As the band squeezed out their last song, I got to thinking that we are going to see a lot more of these guys. And that’s a good thing.
- © Neil_Mach October 2012 -
Link:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/ThePlanes
