Spotlight on Kent
Rob Hakimian, music writer with ‘cene magazine and the fourohfive.com casts his eye over six Kent artists
The clocks have gone back, the rain has rolled in and winter is looming – the perfect time to invest yourself in some new music. Whether it’s home alone with a hot cup of tea or out in a sweaty venue bouncing along with other energetic music-lovers, there’s always a sound or singer who can speak to your needs. This crop of artists all originated in Kent, but that’s just about where the similarities end as once again the diversity of the county continues to astound. From house to soul to punk to pop, there’s something here to keep everyone warm over the dark season.
Raven
Even though London-via-Margate producer Raven is still only a couple of EPs into his career, he has already collaborated with the likes of Kate Tempest, Paul Weller, Mica Levi, Kwes and Bullion. It speaks for the liveliness and creativity in his tracks, which are at home on a dark and sweaty dance floor but have sights set on farther-flung locations. Amid the insistent beats of his tracks you can imagine beaches at dawn or mist flowing down a ski slope; his music has an undercurrent that tugs your mind to beautiful places while making your body move subtly but irresistibly. Raven says that the main source of inspiration for his music is conversations with people, looking for different perspectives, and his music certainly turns those new outlooks into bundles of beautifully interlocking ideas.
Tamera
Gravesend might currently be best known for its historical buildings, but it may soon become better known as the place where Tamera grew up as she’s got all the ingredients to go a long way. Romeo, her first single, is a statement of a personality and prodigious talent that has all the necessary attributes to give listeners all the feels. With a voice that’s sweet, sexy and utterly captivating, Tamera sings and oozes through the jazz-inflected neo-soul track, which sounds like velvet turned to sound. Accompanying her honeyed voice are delicate drums, sprinkles of piano and a wisp of horns, which all come together to create an intimate atmosphere. On Romeo, Tamera shows that she’s unafraid to get personal as she excavates the details and feelings of a messy relationship, expressing her devotion and disappointment in a way that sounds angelic but is purely human.
Riskee & The Ridicule
Riskee & The Ridicule released their debut album this summer, and with the title Body Bag Your Scene you get the idea that they’re a bunch of young men who are irreverent and outspoken about the state of the world. This is hammered home in their cutting and bombastic songs, fusing razor-edged punk guitars with spitting vocals from frontman Scott Picking. Although feelings of disenfranchisement are rife in their songs, Riskee & The Ridicule seem to be creating music intended to bring people together in their dissatisfaction; each track is loaded with ginormous riffs and choruses that just demand to be shouted along to by large packs of sweaty rebels. Whether espousing on the vitality of the DIY scene they came up in, or simply dropping verbal bombs, there’s an emphatic drive to Riskee & The Ridicule that will have no trouble attracting an unruly but engaged fanbase.
The Long Faces
Although The Long Faces are based in London and Leeds, the roots of their creation lie in Canterbury, where the founders went to school. Having immersed themselves in the city’s legendary psychedelic scene of the 60s and 70s, they decided to start their own voyage into musical creation. Although they only have a few tracks officially released so far, there’s enough within them to suggest that their curiosity and creativity will yield many interesting and beautiful results. Using psychedelia as a base, The Long Faces add tiny splashes of jazz and blues to their sound that are totally intoxicating. This is emphasised especially by the voice of Tom Lane, which possesses a romantic whimsy that transports you to a simpler time and place, where all that matters is love and escape.
Matt Wills
With his 2017 debut album Cigarettes & City Lights having earned him enough attention to support the likes of Halsey at the O2, Matt Wills is only moving from strength to strength as we build up his next great body of work. The fact that he originally started teaching himself to play songs by The Kooks to impress a girl seems like ancient history as he now sounds completely in command singing sultry and confessional lyrics over tastefully produced pop beats. His series of singles released through 2019 shows a young artist beginning to build his own space in a world occupied by the likes of The 1975 and Ed Sheeran. With a natural coolness that comes from his open-hearted words and vulnerably beautiful voice, Matt Wills seems only a few steps away from stardom.
Delta Sleep
Math-rock band Delta Sleep have already got albums out on premiere UK rock label Big Scary Monsters and have toured all over the world. But in September they surprise-released a mini-album called Younger Years that serves as a short and sharp reminder of why these lads are the finest act to come out of Canterbury for some time. On Younger Years, Delta Sleep balance the tension and levity of their music on a knife edge, floating through some passages of daydreaming beauty only to slam the listener into a wall of technically mind-boggling instrumental mayhem. The ghosts of their previous albums are still haunting their sound here but are more vibrant and tangible as Delta Sleep’s surprising songwriting and powerful production continue to be honed with each new release.