"Sheer melodic pop genius, intelligent lyrics with brilliant harmonies.” Louder Than War
“steeped in realism and honesty, driven from the depths of the Medway towns…think Big Star meets Bowie” Big Takeover Magazine
"Kent's 21st Century Robert Forster & Grant McLennan. Purveyors of timeless guitar pop classics." John Kennedy - Radio X
“Theatre Royal are masters of their muddy estuary environment” Shindig!
'the paisley-shirted sound of Medway Towns meets the West Cost of the States.' Steve Lamacq BBC Radio2/6Music

contact: wearetheatreroyal@googlemail.com

Vlks are a pop group from London and Kent. Their debut EP ‘Vlks V’ was released in April 2013 to nationwide critical acclaim – its lead track ‘Day Of Bees’ described by The Guardian as a ‘promisingly miserabilist start - a neat line in elegiac melodrama and camply overblown lyrics’ whilst being compared to Wild Beasts and The Smiths.
Vlks have since supported The Wave Pictures and more recently Still Corners at London’s XOYO and sold out their first headline London show at The Sebright Arms on September 26th, through Parallel Lines Promotions (Arcade Fire, The National, Daughn Gibson, Parquet Courts). The second single 'Clutter' received support from BBC 6 Music and BBC Introducing and the third single, 'Good Grief', will be released in Spring 2014..


As a member of such semi-legends as The Prisoners, The Solarflares, JTQ, Thee Headcoats and now Graham Day & the Forefathers (amongst a much longer list), Allan Crockford played an important part in establishing the Medway area's reputation as a hotbed for spirited, uncompromising garage rock with a strong DIY ethic. Playing with such Medway notables as Billy Childish, James Taylor and Graham Day his reputation was as a reliable sideman for more flamboyant figures. But as time went by he found a late flowering talent for writing his own material, and The Galileo 7 were formed to play the songs he stored up while still playing with other bands.
While The Galileo 7 still have the trademark punk ('66 and '76 versions) fire and energy that marks out the Medway sound, there are extra elements in the music that shifts it away from the trademark crashbangwhallop... call it pop-psych, psych-mod, punkadelic, powerpop or whatever you like. If it's energy you're after you won't be disappointed, but there are also tunes and harmonies by the bucketload to guarantee that these songs hang around in your head long after the initial sonic impact has faded. Now, with a new souped-up line-up featuring the almost legendary Mole (Embrooks, Higher State, Mystreated & head of State Records) on drums, The Galileo 7 are cranking up the energy levels even more - check out the recent "Tear Your Minds Wide Open!" album on Damaged Goods for proof!
Members:
Allan Crockford - vocals, guitar
Viv Bonsels - organ, vocals
Paul Moss - bass, vocals
Mole - drums, vocals

Discography:
Albums
"Are we having fun yet?" - 2010 (CD)
"Staring at the sound" - 2012 (vinyl & CD)
"False Memory Lane" - 2014 (vinyl & CD)
"Live-O-Graphic" - 2016 (CD only)
"Tear Your Minds Wide Open!" (vinyl & CD)

Single
"Modern Love affair" - 2012 (download only)
"One lie at a time" - 2015 (7" vinyl)
"Cruel Bird" - 2016 (7" vinyl)

This most energetic of musical units concoct a truly mind bending miz-maze of cleverly constructed, lightly spiced musical escapades that somehow embraces Norman Petty Studio productions and the various tones and sub-genres of the Elektra and Vertigo bands in one fell swoop. Honest. What make this trio so special beyond their exemplary musicianship and singing is their utterly daring free form grasp of genre breaking, veering from Johnny Kidd & The Pirates styled rock 'n' roll to searing Avalon Ballroom acid-rock into full blown progressive rock time signatures that moves from folk and classical into proto-metal and back again. Their differing personalities and demeanor almost seem at odds with each other but work, like a dream pop group should. There’s something quintessentially British and eccentric about the whole premise, almost Doctor Who-ish in their off kilter time travel and intellect. 

Hidden Masters possess an innate grasp of music, emotion, suspense and storytelling; how to build and build and never be afraid of derring-do; of when to not mix two streams of music together that shouldn’t and to ramp up the amps to 11 whenever needed is something no other band is doing or could attempt to do. They are certainly a very impressive band to arrive this late in the musical genesis of the rock industry. So far out, they’re in. So mixed up, they’re right! - JONATHON NO

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