November Album of the Month
As the year draws to a close, something different for November. To mark their 12-month run as Band of the Year, Amongst Liars release a new limited edition CD album, which celebrates their evolution through lockdown to the present day.
The new ‘celebration’ CD album is a special limited edition collection of songs that showcases the band as an innovative recording unit and also as a dramatic force on stage as a live band. As part of their run as Band of the Year, GMS was deslighted to support the project as part of our commitment to help bands beyond interviews and airplay.
The collection opens with the ferocious ‘Black Days’ – a song which dominated the Friday Rock Show during lockdown – and closes with the band’s recent collaboration with Pihka Is My Name. The diversity between these two tracks underscores the band’s agility and their creative ambition to present guitar music to a diverse audience in the modern age.
The original single version of ‘Over and Over’ makes a return – the song that started the band’s story. And other lockdown favourites including Truth and Crucify also get much-deserved outings on this collection.
There is also music from live sets Amongst Liars did for two lockdown radio festivals with Great music Stories Radio during the summer of 2022. This was the closest we got to the sound of live music during lockdown – a moment in our history that, looking back, seems like a bad dream. But the importance and the enduring power of music to help us get through those black days should never be forgotten.
The special limited edition CD from Amongst Liars will be exclusively available at Amongst Liars autumn shows, which kick-off in Cardiff on 4 November. An additional number of free copies of the CD will be given away to listeners during the Friday rockshow on Great Music Stories Radio during the final weeks of October.
The Band of The Year vote by listeners of Great Music Stories Radio was the result of 12-monthly votes, music fans from across the UK and abroad voting for a band who had touched their hearts each month – whether through arresting new music, session tracks or engaging feature interviews.
Ian George of Amongst Liars says: “A side step from our official studio album and forthcoming acoustic EP, this compilation album is about the band wanting to thank the fans and radio listeners that voted us Band of the Year. The album will also allow us offer some fresh and added value to those that are able to come along to our gigs this autumn. We know that times are tough for everyone, so we always want to try and go the extra mile for our fans, allies and supporters. This limited edition CD album we are putting out is, for us, a statement of appreciation for the people that have believed in and stood with us through crazy times.”
GuyB at Great Music Stories adds: “Our annual Band of the Year awards work well because they go beyond a tribal shoot-out on who has the biggest fan club. Run over 12-months, the rockshow listeners have a bit of a knack of calling things well – and sometimes calling bands early. Previous GMS Bands of the Year include the likes of Massive Wagons (2016), Those Damn Crows (2017) and Scarlet Rebels (2019). Following from As Sirens Fall (2020), Amongst Liars have been a terrific, modern band to carry the baton this last year. They are writing fiercely relevant songs and they always engage with fans. It’s been so nice to work with Amongst Liars and sponsor a project that marks an important milestone in the band’s story to date.”
The limited edition CD has also drawn support from industry figures that have been integral to the band’s success to date.
Wildfire Festival has given main stage slots to Amongst Liars for the last two years, and Dave Ritchie says: “A band that we’ve followed since inception, Amongst Liars are angsty, aggressive and political. Everything that rock music set out to be. Captivating live, intense on stage – and a thrill ride from start to finish. These guys are going to be huge.”
From north to South, LoveRocks festival near Bournemouth booked Amongst Liars to kick off their return to live music after the lockdown era – the first grassroots rock festival to open its doors in June 2020. Simon Jones from LoveRocks says: “Amongst Liars is the most exciting new band on the UK grassroots modern rock scene. Their music is powerful, uncompromising and played with a ferocious energy and intensity. This CD is the sound of a band raging against the eye of the storm. A band unafraid and a band to cherish – Amongst Liars.”
Concert organiser, Reach360 Promotions, has also been integral to the band’s evolution and organised the band’s first UK tour, straight in as a headline run at the end of 2021. Coincidentally, the tour started the very night in November 2021 when Amongst Liars were announced on the radio as Band of the Year. Andy Finlay of Reach360 says: “On the first night of their debut headline tour with Reach 360, Amongst Liars were crowned Great Music Stories Band of the Year – as a sold-out hometown crowd celebrated with the band long into the night. More cities and special guests joined the Amongst Liars family and all were written into the folklore of the tour. Hurricanes, snow and cold weather could not stop Amongst Liars – they have a special unique talent that will ensure their longevity. We are very proud of them, they are always an absolute pleasure to work with.”
Band of the Year – Celebration Album
Released by Amongst Liars, 4 November 2022.
Track listing
- Black Days
- Over And Over (original single mix)
- Wolf Machine
- Crucify
- Truth
GMS ‘Spirit of Wildfire’ Lockdown Radio Festival – Acoustic set
- Oceans Apart – live acoustic
- Kill The Tide – live acoustic
GMS Radio ‘Modern Rock Wellbeing Festival’ – Electric set
- Wolf Machine
- Over And Over
- Mind
- Burn The Vision
- All Over Now (Pihka Is My Name Remix)
Amongst Liars autumn tour dates, supporting Ayron Jones
Friday 4 Nov – Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach
Saturday 5 Nov – Nottingham Beta
Monday 7 Nov – Glasgow King Tut’s
Tuesday 8 Nov – Manchester The Deaf institute
Thursday 10 Nov – London The 100 Club
Tickets via https://www.ayronjonesmusic.com/tour/
