Whenever I’m in London, I sometimes wonder if there will ever come a day when I’m not wowed by the music scene there. Every time I visit, I’m always “spoilt for choice” as the English would say, particularly when it comes to the number of bands, the types of music they play, and the many venues where you might consider stopping at for a drink and a good night of gigging. And you can’t beat this city for the number of small clubs, any one of them possibly hosting the next big thing that night. For sure, the environment helps nurture the dizzying plethora of new bands popping up every minute and makes London Town an exciting, vital breeding ground for original talent.
thelondonpaper, the newspaper always being waved under your nose as you step out of a Tube station, said the following about Stages of Dan: “the trio combine to create memorable and catchy tunes that will get you off your seat”. I heartily agree. Stages of Dan (who abbreviate their band name jokingly as “SOD”) is a London band that accidentally happened to catch my attention on MySpace with their track “Gary”.
Now I’m not sure who Gary is or why he’s the subject of a song (I guess this will be a question the guys will have to answer sometime in the future), but I’m glad the band decided to write about him and record this song. It begins innocently enough, sounding like something folky that fellow Londoners Noah and the Whale might have recorded. Then the guitar amps up and the song buzzes to life.
It’s not rocket science – it’s just pure, honest rock ‘n’ roll sprinkled with pop sensibility. I’ll be the first to admit that as of late, I’ve been spending a little too much time with my blinders on, focused on English bands with their synthesizers and electronic noisemakers. And Stages of Dan is a refreshing contrast to the majority of music currently on the English charts. Have a listen to “Gary” or any of their other songs on their MySpace, and you will come away with a smile on your face. And you will probably be bopping up and down gleefully to the infectious beat too. With a humorous enough title, “I Like Them Crazy” also has a chorus that is so likable, you’d be hard-pressed to sit still whilst listening. “One Year”, with its catchy guitar hook, ambles pleasantly down the road of feel good pop.
Stages of Dan comprises Chris Aliano (guitar and vocals), Chris “Big Chris” Bryant (bass and vocals), and Guy Davidson (drums and vocals). The band plans to release an EP later this year. A video for “Gary” featuring my favorite food, sushi (that’s right, sushi), is scheduled to debut later this month. I hope they come on over to our side of the pond soon so we can experience them live. For now, we have YouTube videos below.
Demo Tracklisting:
1. Gary
2. I Like Them Crazy
3. One Year
“Gary” live performance (2008)
“I Like Them Crazy” live performance (2009)
Stages of Dan: myspace
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