The Crux

Alt Rock 5 piece from Sheffield, UK, who write & perform their own unique brand of edgy Riff- Rock fusing together a massive yet melodic sound with clever lyrics & in your face vocals. Inspired by the 90's Rock era and drawing on a diverse set of influences including; Red Hot Chili Peppers, Audioslave, QOTSA, NIN, Tool, Faith No More & Rage Against the Machine.

The Story So Far

The band were formed after three old school friends; Taylor (Vox) Andy & Ollie (Guitars) were re-united with Jow (Bass) during a stag do in Prague in the summer of 2011. After years of idle talk about forming a band they eventually bit the bullet and hit the rehearsal room in April 2012. Starting out playing a few covers to find their musical feet but quickly moving on to writing their own songs, songs built around Andy & Ollie’s guitar riffs and Taylor’s back catalogue of lyrics. After adding friend of a friend Lee on drums to the equation, and an initial 10 months perfecting their crime in the rehearsal room,  they hit the Sheffield gig circuit in March 2013.

Filling in at short notice they made an unexpected debut gig at MAGNA centre in front of 4,500 revellers, supporting top Rolling Stones tribute band ‘The Stones’. After a number of other gigs around Sheffields live venues they went on to support city stalwarts, blues rock outfit ‘Fallen Tree’s’, in a near sell out gig at Sheffield’s much revered ‘Plug’ venue proving their big Riff-Rock sound suits the live performance as well as the recording studio.
Following on from Plug their music was played on BBC Radio as well as other local and international stations including ‘Rock Radio’ and their first magazine article quickly followed in the form of a double page spread in one of the cities favourite glossy read ‘City Magazine’.
The band went on to play their Cities own ‘Tramlines’ Festival (the biggest ‘City Centre’ music festival in Europe), Sheffield’s legendary ‘Leadmill’ venue along with ‘SOLD OUT’ dates at the O2 Academy and the Corporation. 2014 promises to be an important year in the bands development; they are currently planning their first physical & digital record release, a UK tour and a whole load of other stuff including their first pro music video. It's not suprising then that they have recently started to attract the attention of promoters and are being offered slots at festivals around the country.
Their music is best described as 90’s inspired alternative hard rock, though through their own admission each band member draws on quite a diverse set of influences. You’ll probably be able to pick out a few obvious ones; Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Audioslave,  Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, QOTSA, NIN, Tool, Faith No More and even Rage Against The Machine but there are more subtle ‘nods’ to other bands, artists & genres, including more recently the hip hop fraternity.

In just 10 months gigging they have created a formidable musical alliance, doing exactly what they set out to do; write and perform interesting, creative, edgy, ballsy rock music, music they themselves would want to listen to. Though having to juggle band commitments along with everyday priorities of work and family life has seen them meander through 2013 like some kind of one eyed musical yeti; with a magnificent, intricately detailed and polished winkle picker for the ‘Rock Muso’ on one foot, and ‘Joe Publics’ sodden steel toe cap on the other!!

It is clear this band are still evolving but they clearly have a style they can call their own – they are clearly on a journey together and even they don’t know what’s coming next.  If they continue to climb the upward trajectory of their own steep learning curve in 2014, then expect many heads to turn!!
Music

Amongst the catchy foot tapping psychedelic swirl & rhythmic thump of ‘Intravenous’, one of the bands earlier songs, the dark lyrics and mumbled vocals could easily draw comparison to Joy Division, whilst their more recent track ‘Cyanide Smiles’, aside from the QOTSA style chugging of guitars, the chorus showcases a Nirvana-esque twang reminiscent of ‘Heart Shaped Box’.

Unpredictability in a band can be a good thing; it keeps things interesting and you just know this 5 piece are going to throw a few musical curveballs into the mix, but you can also be confident they are going to be on the money musically as well. Be ready to experience a nose grinding mixture of explosive intro’s, tempo changes, cutting throw away riffs, drops outs, harmonies and catchy vocal lines, all held together with clever fills, a melodic groove and a finely tuned, balanced sound; their set is clearly rehearsed to within an inch of its life and when the time comes these guys deliver with real attitude & an un-erring confidence.

The band are conscious not be so leftfield that they actually damage the musical content of their songs for the sake of art or whatever, their songs remain melodic. They are quickly becoming a beast of an animal, constantly evolving, patiently waiting, absorbing their surroundings and environment, probing the local music scene and listening to feedback before finally unleashing their work on what is usually an unsuspecting audience. Their current set is to die for, It’s well thought out, it has balls (big hairy balls at that), attitude, rhythmic groove, eye watering solo’s and riffs galorous.

Whilst most bands are busy looking for acceptance into a scene or genre and the subsequent ‘pigeon holing’ which ensues, these guys are desperate not to suffer such a fate and wish to be known simply as a ‘Rock’ band. This is kind of fortunate as each of the bands collective 10 legs could easily plant a size 9 in any number of rocks musical sub genres; Desert, Alt, Stoner, Garage, Groove, there are even elements of Funk and Metal being bounced around. Don’t get me wrong they aren’t re-inventing the art of Rock music, but what they are doing is slightly different from any other band on the local scene. Their sound is very much their own and to me the Soul Fire Saints are like a beacon of ambient light buzzing away beneath the cold steel skies of the Steel City. Few, other than those already exposed to their wares will know about them, though I’m pretty certain this won’t be the case for very much longer, if it’s true that the cream always rises to the top – then I would put my mortgage on these guys getting kudos and the recognition they deserve in 2014.
So, in summary, you have three choices; stick to what you know, grow more familiar with it, embrace it & learn to live with it; like you would a club foot, or, go out and find something else, something new, fuss over it, hope it grows testicles, try to love it like a long lost brother, before ultimately discovering it’s very mediocre, thus the fire in your belly dies, your new found friends slowly drift away and your life plunders helplessly into obscurity and self abuse.

Or take up the option of going to see these guys in action, become so cool you develop a swagger that would make John Wayne look like Louis Spence, decide you want to have their babies and enjoy the f*cking ride, yelling ‘hell yeah’ to passers-by - Soul Fire Saints styleeeeee!!

 Keep it real, keep it Soul Fire :) x

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