Moray teenage rockers hit the road
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A MUSICAL community project in Buckie has helped a teenage rock band to record their debut album and plan for their first Scottish tour.
Alternative rockers Sunrise Tricks (pictured) were formed by the AMP (Another Music Project) youth music group in their home town, and have capped a memorable first year by securing gigs at three of the country’s major concert venues.
Their first album, entitled ‘Until We Meet Again’ – recorded at Buckie High School’s new state-of-the-art music studio – is selling fast at the band’s gigs and being downloaded by fans on the Internet.
And with gigs at Aberdeen’s Lemon Tree, The Ironworks in Inverness and Edinburgh club Electric Circus coming up later this year, drummer Joseph Findlay is relishing the prospect of hitting the road.
“The forthcoming tour is by far the biggest thing we have done,” he said. “We haven’t played in venues of this size, and we are very excited to experience it.
“Being big music fans, all of us have been in most or all of these venues before to see bands we look up to, and being able to play there ourselves is amazing.”
Joseph (17), lead vocalist; guitarist Sam Porter (17); lead guitarist Kyle Simpson (16) and bassist/backing singer Iain Lowrie (19) had played in bands together in the past, but it was through AMP and the guidance of youth worker Daniel Edwards that they began to make headway.
The scheme, which brings together talented young local musicians who are keen to write and record their own material, has proved to be a?major success story.
The project offers bands and artistes an introduction to the world of songwriting and performing on the big stage. It spawned this summer’s Wall of Rock festival in Lossiemouth, which included performances by Sunrise Tricks and fellow AMP proteges The Unofficial and Rowan Herd.
“The album came together through AMP,” Joseph said. “Daniel Edwards, a youth worker who is a big part of the project, mixed and produced the album to a very high standard using AMP’s and his own equipment. We write our own songs, and the album has been received very well.”
Joseph said that he and his bandmates had been influenced by the wide range of music that they enjoy listening to. As well as their own songs, they have covered songs from groups like All Time Low, Blink 182, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Kids in Glass Houses in the past.
Their performance at Wall of Rock also brought Sunrise Tricks to the attention of ‘Hit the Road’, a separate project for musicians aged 14-19 run by the Scottish Music Centre and supported by Creative Scotland’s Youth Music Initiative.
The initiative sets out to link young people with professional promoters and managers who will teach them the skills they need to get their music out of the rehearsal halls and onto the stage.
“They aim to get new bands touring and give them opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise,” said Joseph. “They run tours, usually consisting of three bands at three or more venues around the bands’ home area.
“After applying for the project, we heard back that they were very happy with our application, and we have now been given the opportunity to tour around Scotland.
Sunrise Tricks have been teamed up with Edinburgh outfit The Industry, and Highland rockers Spoke Too Soon, for their December tour.
Each band will take part in exclusive workshops, seminars and information sessions before taking turns to headline their own gig on a mini-tour comprising dates at the Lemon Tree (December 1), The Ironworks (December 2) and Electric Circus (December 4).
Copies of ‘Until We Meet Again’ will be on sale at each gig. The track is also available to download from iTunes.
