Well, in one week I’ve undertaken a back operation (recovery is back on track after a wobble) and had a great response to my appeal for contributors to the site. After asking those interested to write a review, I gave them a number of options of local artists. All three successful respondents chose to write about Saturday Sun, a band who have impressed me hugely on a couple of occasions in the last few months. I can only concur with much of what is written below, Saturday Sun are most definitely a band worth checking out. So here we are… one band, three tracks, three different opinions…

John Martyn certainly has a lot to answer for. While the troubled troubadour’s laid back vocal style and intelligent guitar playing may have been truly ground-breaking back in 1973, the amount of cookie-cutter wannabes that have attempted to follow in his wake is staggering. Just a casual listen to BBC Radio 2 will confirm that all too many acoustic acts are chosen by major record labels for their tedious familiarity and ability to not only NOT rock the boat but avoid the boat altogether and simply view the boat from a safe distance using those coin operated binoculars on the pier.

Even the Bournemouth music scene must seem to an outsider, to be populated almost exclusively by rather feeble singer-songwriters, white-funk acts and generic metal bands. Thank God then, for Saturday Sun who prove themselves a cut above most of the drones that currently make up this fad known as ‘Nu-Folk’. Hosted on a refreshingly un-flashy MySpace page, they let their songs do the talking. And boy, can those songs talk.

First up is ‘The Deepest Woods’ which despite its seven minute running time is engrossing and enchanting throughout, built around some beautiful guitar playing and reaches its climax thanks to some brilliant ‘less-is-more’ percussion. On top of which the vocals are spot-on, restrained when called for but able to really fly at a moments notice.

Next is live track ‘The House’ which recalls John Martyn and Icelandic post-rockers Sigur Ros in equal measure, and wouldn’t sound out of place in a film soundtrack, so cinematic is its scope. The falsetto at its reverb drenched denouement is perfectly placed to make the listener feel the same wistful melancholy that normally comes with walking alone through a forest in winter.

And finally there is ‘Who Are You’, also a live track and NOT a cover of the classic Who song/CSI theme tune, and frankly the best of the three. Proving that they are not afraid to stray from the Martyn blue-print, Saturday Sun veer into almost Radiohead-like territory in the verses only to burst into a chorus that sounds like the musical equivalent of a wave breaking over a rock. Vocals once again come to fore, snapping from Jonsi-esque falsetto to a throaty wail that almost recalls Robert Plant as his folkiest.

Overall, Saturday Sun may not be reinventing the wheel, but they ARE taking it to the places it doesn’t seem to go anymore and giving it an Xzibit-style makeover. Just wonderful.

review by Ollie Mutter

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A cold Monday evening, possibly the dreariest part of the wintery week, seems to be where Saturday Sun should be found on the CD players & iPods of their listeners.

Although a strange conclusion to reach, I have my reasons…

The first track to be heard on their Myspace profile page is a seven minute journey called ‘The Deepest Woods’. The first minute is filled with a duo of acoustic guitars painting a picture of warm open fires, cosy broken-in sofa’s, a bottle of wine and a loved one wrapped up in a blanket. It is this picture that gives reasoning to my first sentence. With the temperature dropping to give an even more bitter edge and the breeze emphasizing its grasp, I am oblivious to it all… lost in the intricacies and atmosphere of the piece, which is only heightened when an emotional vocal enters… swaying between a delicate delivery to a stronger heart-felt calling, with a subtle hint of growl to further force his message.

Three minutes in and I’m yet to feel the length of time… between vocal similarities of Dashboard Confessional, Damien Rice & Jeff Buckley, the song strikes through with the vulnerability and substance of an early Elbow. The songs climax reaches shortly after the halfway mark, with the soaring vocals and guitars being sparsely punctuated with percussive elements. After returning to a slightly more muted and controlled stanza, the song rises again briefly at the six minute mark.

Now at over seven minutes in length, keeping ideas to a radio friendly size was not an issue, which leaves me to question their decision to seemingly cut short the almost euphoric rises so abruptly. I’m sure many would agree that becoming lost in a aural whirlwind such as this is a feeling to be elongated and treasured, where as I’m pulled from the brink too soon – much like the noise of my alarm clock, interrupting my dreams with (enter Hollywood A-List celebrity name here).

Second track ‘The House’ follows in a similar vein… with the figure picking opening as at home under the title of the first song as its own. The warmth and cosiness reappears and a satisfied relaxation washes over as the song enters its verses, a slowly swaying waltz giving more Jeff Buckley-esque tones and influences. With less of a journey than ‘The Deepest Woods’, the simple arrangement of ‘The House’ brings the talent of the duo to the centre of the stage. The fact this is a live performance does not detract from the composition and gives a positively tongue-whetting desire to see them in person.

As the song dances towards the latter half of its duration, you cannot help but become lost in the complete control the singer has over his voice. His falsetto delivery rarely if ever falters from its desired pitch, and is highlighted amazingly by his own delay and reverb additions which, by the time modulations heard, he seems to be controlling himself. The song sways to its conclusion at a restful pace and, at a smidgen over five minutes continues to feel as refreshing and direct as a song half its length.

The final track ‘Who Are You’ couldn’t have been further from the late 70′s Daltrey & Co song if it tried. A much shorter introduction matched with a vocal mixed with Chris Martin and Thom Yorke over another swaying waltz beat is rhythmically punctuated with stops which reminded me of Zeppelin’s ‘When The Levee Breaks’. The Zeppelin references seem to continue, with the growl heard in the first track returning, and producing a Plant-like vocal paired with the strained angst of the late Layne Staley. This is clearly a singer of distinct talent, as across the three tracks I could have easily closed my eyes and visualised any of the above name-drops over the compositions.

‘Who Are You’ benefits greatly from a clearly expanded line up, a move Saturday Sun may want to consider as a full-time decision, as the addition of drums and keys does anything but detract from the songs in their simplest and purest forms. Plus it never hurts to bring more musicians to the table to further stretch and showcase the talents within. Being the third track, I will admit that after two previous tracks in the same time signature, I found my concentration wavering. Now although this statement serves an injustice to the piece, it makes me hope for a wider palette of songs in a live setting. By the fourth or fifth song, casual listeners may find themselves beckoned by cigarettes or empty glasses away from the crowd and miss what is most definitely a band to watch evolve in the future towards surely bigger and better things.

review by Karl Hayman

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I’ve only had the good fortune of seeing this band twice before; each time by accident, each time a little stunned. Each time unfortunately being dragged away too soon to let my flustered opinions settle. I didn’t know their name and had left both times with a curious feeling of having missed out on something quite important. Luckily, having been given their myspace, I am now able to give this band the time and attention that they deserve – and they really do deserve it.

Before I go onto reviewing the tracks uploaded on their page, I want to establish my first impression of them; it’s the one which sticks with me even after perusing their very worthy recordings. The night had been full of good music; it was the Champions Battle of the Bands and (almost) every band had a solid right to be there. I had gotten used to the rhythm of the evening and had become complacent about what was coming next – probably just a vaguely pleasant act, I supposed. The others had been very good and I wasn’t assuming the streak would hold. Luckily, I was wrong. I was first intrigued by the curious rhythm knocking at the peripherals of my concentration. I finally had to break the conversation I’d been having when their guitar concoction kicked in… I have a soft spot for a soulful acoustics. When the vocals began I was truly hooked – this band had something. There was an ethereal quality about that voice, high and haunting it had something of Jeff Buckley while also possessing something he didn’t have – bark. The way his lilting high notes would roughen and rasp without missing a beat stunned me. Timed perfectly with the swells and lulls of the backing, it was something I couldn’t ignore. So there I was, bewildered that I hadn’t heard of them before.

When I perused their myspace, I was happy to discover that two of their uploaded tracks were live. I feel that they’re a band you have to see to really appreciate, and something of their live energy permeates those tracks. But I won’t rave avidly for all this review; I do feel that they don’t tick absolutely all the boxes. At least not for me. For example, the first two tracks on their myspace ‘The Deepest Woods’ and ‘The House’ are both very good and technically brilliant, but leave me a little cold. While I cannot fault any specific attribute of those songs, which both boast lovely melodies and which anyone else might think untouchable, there is something about them which rings a little wrong to me. They sound a little too much like songs which stay stubbornly on the tip of my tongue, and don’t seem to do justice to sheer diversity I see that they’re capable of. ‘Who Are You’ is another story altogether. As the song which mesmerised me in the first place, I have nurtured a soft spot for it and I think that it’s a true display of what this great band is capable of. It’s soaring, it’s melodic, it’s rasping, it’s heavy, it’s delicate, it’s rhythmic, it’s haunting and it commands your attention. It has real soul and sounds like feathers and stones.

It’s this song which embodies what I love about Saturday Sun… their potential. They’re a band whose originality and talent are light years beyond their peers, with a sound which can be so different and so striking. I urge you all to see them and hear what they’ll do next. I cannot wait to see them flourish.

review by Sara Massoudi

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