Chapel Club
Audio
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1. O Maybe I
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2. Surfacing
Video
Biography
Chapel Club are Lewis Bowman (vocals), Michael Hibbert (guitar), Liam Arklie (bass), Alex Parry (guitar) and Rich Mitchell (drums).
A name that appeared on any number of "ones to watch" lists at the outset of 2010, Chapel Club seem intent on ploughing their own furrow regardless of the hype. January 2011 sees them release their debut LP, "Palace".
The band first pricked the capital's consciousness as the sun started to set on the summer of 2009, with a series of live shows in a hitherto underused setting in Dalston. Word of mouth excitement led to unprecedented numbers in attendance for a band few had heard and even fewer had witnessed live. The gigs proved to be a pivotal moment in the upward arc of the band's trajectory.
Chapel Club's recorded debut came in the pop noir form of single "Surfacing", which dined on past moods and moments while concocting a feast of the band's own devilish design. With healthy support from specialist radio and plaudits from press quarters, the band ended 2009 on a high - and surrounded by high expectations (not least their own).
"O Maybe I" careers into view riding this wave of anticipation - and does nothing to disappoint. Another track from an already impressive cache, it will turn heads from the brooding opening bassline through the impassioned vocal - recounting a tale of love and frustration - to a finale awash with guitar beauty...
The Summer of 2010 saw Chapel Club, one of the most hottly tipped artists to play the Dot to Dot festival. Subculture caught up with the band earlier in the day, to talk about work on the debut album, and their much talked about record deal.
Reviews
...Chapel Club's Lewis Bowman is a man of few words. Flanked by the decaying walls of an abandoned warehouse, lurching over his microphone, his eyes nothing but a cold, dark abyss, he delivers tonight's only sign that he doesn't hate us all: "thank you" But then no-one's come here, to the rectum of Dalston, to hear him talk about his loft conversion.
For he stands at the front of one of Britain's most exciting, most hyped prospects. A band who require no support tonight, who've pushed this venue to near over-capacity and, before they've even played a note, own the room through anticipation alone. When they do finally get around to the notes, they offer up a sound that bridges the contemporary gap between the hook-driven doom-pop of White Lies and the atmospheric wall of sound adopted by Glasvegas. Whether this was a gap that needed urgent filling is another matter, but tonight it proves authentically intense and tight...
www.nme.com
