If you're looking for anthemic electropop, look no further than Prides. The Glasgow-based three-piece have been making waves in the music industry for a while now and they just recently supported Kiesza on tour. We caught up with the band's lead singer Stewart Brock to discuss life on the road!
For those who haven't yet heard of Prides, the group consists of three talented members: lead singer and pianist Stewart Brock, guitarist and pianist Callum Wiseman and drummer Lewis Gardiner. All three guys are responsible the group's epic 80's synthpop sound.
They may not have released their debut album yet but Prides definitely have a lot to be proud of. Their catchy single 'Out Of The Blue' features on FIFA 2015's soundtrack and the band had the honour of performing at 2014's Commonwealth Games.
In our exclusive SuprTickets interview, Stewart spoke about: the band's latest single 'Higher Love', his personal career highlights to date, which songs he'd cover in a mixtape of 2015 and much more.
Check out Stewart's answers to all of our questions below!
We’d say that your music has an anthemic 80's vibe to it but for people who haven't yet heard your songs, how would you describe your sound?
"There’s definitely a big 80’s influence there, and there’s something I really admire about particularly bands from that era. They weren’t afraid to write big songs that meant something. We try to emulate that as much as possible, and really just try and write good honest pop music."
We love your latest single 'Higher Love' - what was the concept behind filming the music video at a bingo hall?
"We filmed it with ‘Something Something’ who have done all our video’s so far. The seed of the idea was from a review of us performing live that said we play every show like its an arena. There was something about that I really liked, so we decided to try and push those two extremes as far apart as we could, the most arena like show in the most inappropriate setting."
You’ve just finished touring the UK with Kiesza - how did it feel to be her opening act?
"It was great, some of the biggest venues we’ve played to date, and really awesome crowds. Plus her live show is wicked, she’s got dancers and everything. I’m pure jel."
And you recently completed your very own headline UK tour - how was that?
"So so great. It was the first time we’ve been out on the road and really felt a shift, like something was different. Turning up to places we’d never been before, in far flung places miles away from Glasgow, and having packed out rooms of people singing along to every word, it was pretty special."
Are there any funny stories that you can tell us from life on the road?
"Not many that bear repeating! Generally we have a great time when we’re away, we have an awesome crew, and we always have a laugh. We did recently go on what felt like a stag do out in Birmingham. We went to a novelty mexican restaurant and drank pitchers of buy one get one free cocktails. Rock and roll."
Your artwork and merchandise often features images of a dove - is that symbolic of anything to you in particular?
"It was something that came really organically. Myself and Lewis were working on some visual ideas for projections/videos and found this footage of a dove flying in slow motion. We just loved the way it looked, it really felt like it summed up what we were trying to do, and it’s been with us ever since."
Last year, you recorded an incredible mixtape of your favourite songs from 2014. If you were to make one for 2015, which tracks would feature so far?
"I reckon: Brandon Flowers - Can’t Deny My Love, Major Lazer - Lean On, and Charli XCX - Doing It would all be safe bets."
And you recently released a remix of Ellie Goulding’s '50 Shades Of Grey' single ‘Love Me Like You Do’. Are there any of your songs that you feel would lend themselves perfectly to a particular film?
"I’d love to see one of our tracks get used in a film. No idea which one, but if anyone’s making a John Hughes inspired coming of age story, I reckon we’d fit right in."
Who would you say some of your biggest musical influences are?
"There are lots. Personally I’d say Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, The Cure, Bruce Springsteen, The Blue Nile all rank pretty highly. But bands like Blink 182, Jimmy Eat World, The Postal Service are the reasons I actually started making music of my own."
You've got some shows in America lined up in May - are you looking forward to heading across the pond?
"Yeah can’t wait. We’ve been lucky enough to go over a few times already but this will be the first time we headline our own shows. We always have such a great time in the States, and the crowds have always been amazing."
From performing at the Common Wealth Games to supporting Blink 182, you've certainly achieved a lot. What are some your personal highlights?
"Blink 182 was a real dream come true moment. The first time we got to play and hang out in New York was amazing, as was our first SXSW. Headlining the BBC introducing stage at Reading and Leeds last year felt like a real milestone, and then of course the Commonwealth Games put a lot of new people onto us. We’ve been amazingly lucky!"
So what does the rest of 2015 have in store for Prides?
"More shows, loads of festivals and our album! We just announced that we’re opening T in the Park this year, the first band to play at the new site, which is a big deal for us, and we’re aiming to have the album out the beginning of the Summer. That’s the big one for us, we’ve been working for a long time to get it sounding as good as it can. We can’t wait for people to hear it."
And if you could leave a message for everyone who's supported you on your journey so far, what would you say?
"Thanks for dancing, thanks for singing, thanks for being a part of this. Don’t let up."
'Higher Love' is currently available here on iTunes alongside the band's previous releases. With numerous gigs lined up and their eagerly-anticipated debut album set for release this summer, it looks like 2015 is certainly going to be a massive year for Prides. We personally can't wait to get our hands on Prides' debut album; it'll be great to hear more of their original material.
What do you think of 'Higher Love' by Prides? Make sure you watch the single's official music video and let us know your thoughts below!
Breaking news! After five years, Zayn Malik has decided to leave One Direction and we couldn't be more gutted!
Today's certainly a very emotional day for directioners all over the world. We're sure we aren't the only ones who have 'Where Do Broken Hearts Go?' and 'Half A Heart' on repeat right now. The lyrics are sadly very fitting.
Despite rumours circulating around on the internet all day, an official statement wasn't actually published by One Direction until 4:30pm. The press release confirms that One Direction will be continuing as a group without Zayn and it also features quotes that are extremely hard to read. Get your tissues at the ready guys and girls.
Reflecting on his decision, Zayn explained: "My life with One Direction has been more than I could ever have imagined. But, after five years, I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band. I'd like to apologise to the fans if I've let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right in my heart.I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight. I know I have four friends for life in Louis, Liam, Harry and Niall. I know they will continue to be the best band in the world."
Harry, Louis, Liam and Niall said: "We're really sad to see Zayn go, but we totally respect his decision and send him all our love for the future. The past five years have been beyond amazing, we've gone through so much together, so we will always be friends. The four of us will now continue. We're looking forward to recording the new album and seeing all the fans on the next stage of the world tour."
One Direction's manager Simon Cowell added: "I would like to say thank you to Zayn for everything he has done for One Direction. Since I first met Zayn in 2010, I have grown very, very fond - and immensely proud - of him. I have seen him grow in confidence and I am truly sorry to see him leave. As for One Direction, fans can rest assured that Niall, Liam, Harry and Louis are hugely excited about the future of the band."
We know we probably should haven't favourites but Zayn was always our personal favourite member of One Direction. Besides being absolutely gorgeous, Zayn's vocal range is literally incredible and we hope that he'll decide to re-join One Direction at some point. If not, we're hoping that he'll at least launch a solo career.
Still, this isn't the end for One Direction. We're excited to see what the future holds for Harry, Liam, Niall and Louis as a four-piece band. Will they hire a new member? Only time will tell. Whilst it's going to be hard seeing them continue without Zayn, we're glad that the four boys have decided to stick together as One Direction.
It's a great week for fans of Brandon Flowers - he's just premiered his new single 'Can't Deny My Love' and announced some headline UK shows!
As massive fans of Brandon's first solo album 'Flamingo', the gorgeous frontman of The Killers has a lot to live up to with his new material but he definitely hasn't disappointed so far. 'Can't Deny My Love' is the first single to be lifted from Brandon's forthcoming album 'The Desired Effect' and it has an epic 80's sound that we seriously can't get enough of.
Don't worry though, The Killers haven't split up for good. Whilst they're on hiatus, Brandon is filling the void with his spectacular solo work. The Las Vegas rocker has been working on tunes with producer Ariel Rechtshaid.
In an exclusive interview with The Guardian, Brandon recently spoke about the sound of his forthcoming second solo album. He explained: “I wish this was a Killers record. It’s so strong. Every song on it is a single.”
'The Desired Effect' will be released on the 18th May and in support of the record, Brandon will be touring here in the UK the following week. He'll kick off with a performance at London's Brixton Academy on the 21st and finish at the 02 Academy in Bristol on the 28th May. Check out his list of upcoming UK shows below;
21st May - London - Brixton Academy
24th May - Manchester - Academy
25th May - Edinburgh - Usher Hall
26th May - Leeds - O2 Academy
28th May - Birmingham - O2 Academy
Tickets for Brandon's headline UK tour will go on general sale at 9pm on Friday morning. After seeing The Killers live in concert various times over the past few years, we can't wait to see Brandon take to the stage for his very own headline show. We're sure he'll be incredible; he's a born showman and knows how to entertain a crowd.
Drama, drama, call your mama! Natalia Kills has finally apologised for her comments on New Zealand's very own version of The X Factor!
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past week, we're sure that you'll already have heard that Natalia Kills and Willy Moon were fired from The X Factor New Zealand earlier this week. The newlywed couple lost their roles as judges on the programme after being too harsh whilst critiquing contestant Joe Irvine's performance.
As massive fans of Natalia Kills from the very start, we were disappointed with her comments. She definitely took things too far and we completely understand why producers decided to remove her as a judge from the show.
Having said that, we'd certainly say that the reaction online has been worse. Whilst we can't defend Natalia's original comments on the show, we do feel that the situation has been blown completely out of proportion.
Users have been sending horrible messages and death wishes to Natalia since the whole fiasco happened and it's really quite disgusting. Some of the tweets we've read are far worse than anything Natalia expressed.
Posting her apology on Instagram, Natalia said: "At last! I am relieved that I'm finally able to break the silence... Xoxo. ❤️ Once again Joe Irvine, I apologize for the madness + I wish you success + happiness in the competition!"
"A lot goes on behind-the-scenes of a reality show and what you see isn't always the whole story. The show brought me on to bring my passion, dramatic expression and perspective. I was encouraged to be outspoken and things got out of hand. Joe, I hope you can forgive me and I wish you all the best!"
Despite apologising, Natalia is still being inundated with spiteful messages. Unfortunately, we live in a world where people don't think about the impact of their words online. Cyberbullying isn't cool or clever.
Certain individuals seem to think that it's totally justified to send hate to celebrities. It's really not. They may be famous but they're still people and hateful tweets could affect them just as much as they'd affect you.
At the end of the day, Natalia is extremely talented and nothing's going to change that. She already has two incredible albums under her belt and not everyone gets the chance to write with pop legends like Madonna. Natalia made a mistake and she has since apologised so people need to move on. We, for one, will always love her music.
Do you agree that people need to leave Natalia alone?
Get ready to learn to love Lawson all over again! The gorgeous guys are back with their brand new single 'Roads' and we absolutely love it!
After working hard in Nashville's Blackbird Studios, Lawson are finally ready to share their new tunes with the world and we couldn't be more excited. Their anthemic lead single 'Roads' certainly hasn't disappointed.
Whilst taking the four-piece band in a slightly new musical direction, 'Roads' captures Lawson's trademark sound that we've grown to love over the years. It's almost like their very own answer to 'Maps' by Maroon 5.
Speaking about making a comeback with their new single, Lawson's lead singer Andy Brown recently said: "It was important for us as a band to come back with something fresh and exciting. Roads feels like a step forward, and explores addictions people can go through. The writing and recording process at Blackbird Studios in Nashville allowed us to test ourselves and try new sounds and directions. We're really proud of it."
'Roads' will be released as a single on the 10th May and you can pre-order it here on iTunes. A music video for the track will hopefully premiere soon and we can expect Lawson's sophomore album later this year.
To help promote their new music, Lawson will be playing three intimate shows across the country. You can see when and where they'll be heading here on our sister site SuprTickets. Grab tickets whilst you still can.
