Bedworth band Luna Kiss to launch new EP
Chris Butler from Luna Kiss
July 2015 sees the release of a new, and highly anticipated, EP titled ‘Gravity’ from Bedworth based band Luna Kiss . A special launch night event has been arranged for this release at The Zephyr Club (ground floor of The Assembly ) in Leamington for Saturday July 11.
So far the Luna Kiss discography includes an album titled ‘Echoes of Sound’ and released during 2011, a single titled ‘Take Her Away’ from 2012 and in 2013 an EP titled ‘Conjure and Sin’. That particular release was the first in a series of EPs that the band intend to publish. The eagerly awaited, ‘Gravity’ EP, being the next in that series.
Luna Kiss describes themselves as follows: ‘an alternative rock band armed with a gripping combination of technical ability and dramatic flair’. Their aim is to create music that transcends genres and, at the same time, try to build a feeling where the listener can make a connection. Rather than just hear some music the intention is that you get drawn in to listen to some music.
My own personal introduction to Luna Kiss happened quite by chance. I had gone across to Leicester to see a band called Syd Arthur play live during November 2012 and Luna Kiss was the support band. I must say that I had been quite impressed but, unknown to me at that time, was the fact that Luna Kiss were from the Warwickshire area.
Luna Kiss
Ross Morris from Luna Kiss
For introductions, Luna Kiss are: Wil Russell on guitar and vocals, Chris Butler also on guitar, Ross Morris on bass guitar and James Pedley on drums. There ages range from 23 to 26. They came together during 2009 after being school friends and attending college together. And although they are Bedworth based, the individual band members come from Coventry, Leamington and Solihull.
Each of the band members has a day job so this venture is a labour of love. In their words ‘they began to dig this big hole and they are now committed to digging it even deeper’. This was, of course, said in jest but I was left in no doubt that they are certainly committed to the task in hand.
And one of the more positive aspects going for these guys is that their own personal influences come from a wide range of styles and genres. Each band member is quite different as to their own personal musical preferences but, together, those differing influences seem to bounce off each other.
The primary songwriters, as far as the lyrics go, are Wil and Chris. Each band member, though, has to reach an agreement over the subject matter of the songs. Once satisfied, the song will then progress with the whole band contributing to its musical parts. This approach to writing does give the impression that there is plenty of harmony in the camp and that there is no overall dictatorship.
The immediate plan for Luna Kiss is to release fewer tracks but what they do record will be on a more regular basis. By that, I mean rather than release an album a year, as an example, the idea is to release a series of quality EPs for the foreseeable future.
Luna Kiss has been under the wing of BEM music services since late 2013 and things certainly seem to be blossoming for them. They came recommended to manager Ian Eardley at a gig. And Ian has played an absolute blinder by getting Luna Kiss a slot at the very prestigious ‘Night of the Prog’ festival. This annual event is set above the Rhine within the idyllic setting of Lorelei in Germany on July 18. They also completed a tour of Germany early on this year. So hopefully Europe, as so often happens nowadays, will be picking up on a UK band quicker than its home country.
James, Will and Chris from Luna Kiss
I might be doing Bedworth a dis-service here when I say that the only notable musicians, I know of, to have come out of that town are Alan Randall and ex-Shadows bass player Brian ‘Licorice’ Locking. But I do get the feeling that Luna Kiss may be on the cusp of something rather special.
Finally, it needs to be mentioned that drummer James runs a burger van on the junction of Coventry Road and Longford Road, opposite the Black Horse Pub. And his burgers are, from all accounts, ‘off the scale’.
Thanks to Torsten Geyer for the live photos.
Check out Luna Kiss’s latest video here www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPVqvQoe8A4
More on youtube if you click back to it.