Novella are a five piece band originating from Dundee, debuting in April at Church for the Westfest Battle of the Bands with their first song Plastic Rose. Novella headlined the night as they were the band who sold the most tickets for the gig, and ultimately won that night. Additionally they were part of the Royal bedding Day, a group effort to help combat homelessness, alongside acts like Carousel and The Rain Experiment.
Plastic Rose displays the natural and mutual vibe that this band has, as well as the influences of both 90’s and 00’s rock. Plastic Rose itself reminds me of the punk beauty of bands like Sum 41, but the more sullen and smoother roots of Scottish rock is clear. Another song by them, Otherside, amps up the motion (and the grunge) and balances Plastic Rose’s confident guitar lead with a share of talent by all pieces. Novella has that great sound unique to newer bands, and I can’t wait to see how they develop and grow.
Plasmas, a four piece indie-rock band from Dundee, will also be featuring on this night. They debuted with the chilling Overblown (available to stream on Spotify), which features a sombre and clean guitar track as well as emotional vocals. There is something sad and beautiful about this track; an audio representation of your wits end, rekindled nearing the end of the song in an optimistic note of “take a look around the corner / can’t you see it’s getting warmer?” A lot of emotion and energy is in this song, and I’m sure the band will maintain this on the night.
Also featured is Ryan Horne, an acoustic singer-songwriter who also assisted Novella back in May for Royal Bedding Day. Originally, Horne was part of the band Room 7 before going solo last year. Debuting with a self-titled mixtape of songs, each one highlights a calming guitar track, smoky-rich vocals, and a strong sense of privacy of Horne’s thoughts (my personal favourite is Dreaming of You, which is jointly uplifting and honest.) With a wide range of songs under his belt, and influences such as Oasis and Gerry Cinnamon, Horne’s artistic talent is emotive, promising, and all around powerful.
Finally featured is The Medinas, a three-piece rock band localised in Dundee. The Medinas were also involved with Westfest Battle of the Bands, and are a familiar face in the Dundee music scene supporting many other artists (including both Novella and Plasmas.) Last year they released Daisy Chains, a simplistic and (literally) plucky tune fit for these summer nights. Daisy Chains has the charm of garage-local rock and the optimism of an Oreos advert, and I’m excited to see more of this band’s talent.
You can catch all these acts at Beat Generator, Dundee, on August 17th. Tickets are available at Grouchos or Skiddle for £5, or £6 on the night. Make sure to come along for what’s gonna be a great night! You can also stream Novella on Spotify, Plasmas on Spotify, Ryan Horne on Soundcloud and The Medinas on Soundcloud. All four of the acts can also be found on their Facebook pages.
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