CharliesHero

Alas, the first Forest of Sound of 2008 has been disrupted. Capulet have had to pull out as one of their number has been asked to support The Smashing Pumpkins in his other role in Oceansize.

Pah.

But fear not, the super talented James Yates has been added to the bill. You may know him as the drummer in the phenomenal The Pattern Theory. He's equally phenomenal on his own. Get down!

Saturday: 16/02/2008 @ The Packhorse, Leeds. £5. Doors 7.30pm.

Join the Last FM fun here.

Dirge
Hailing from Rouen, France, Dirge are a find that got the Forest of Sound camp very, very excited. Based around a minimalist core of guitar/vocal/violoncello/drums, Dirge take the raw emotion and sweeping bleak sounds from the post-rock canon (Mogwai, Godpseed You! Black Emperor et al.) and fuse them with story telling and lyricism of lo-fi indie and folk (think Arab Strap, Tindersticks) and slowcore beauty (Low, Audrey). Dirge are an extraordinary band who fuse the vital elements of truly affecting music together. It's their first time in Leeds. Don't miss them.

"These are mournful laments rising straight out of the band's name, slowcore pastorals of a region where time moves more slowly than the glittering city..." - http://www.igloomag.com

"Stirring, ghostly instrumental passages hang in the air like early-morning fog, shrouding the muted vocals without compromising their weight. There's a palpable sense of tragedy here, but Dirge keep the details tantalizingly out of reach. You never really know what's going on - but in this case, dramatic confusion is bliss."
- http://www.splendidzine.com

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Her Name Is Calla
Her Name Is Calla have become very very strong Forest of Sound favourites, for one very simple reason - they're astoundingly good. Watching these guys play is like watching a force of nature threatening to destroy everything around you - the power, beauty and effect of their music has to be seen live to be appreciated. We've never met anyone who hasn't been converted by them.

"Rarely has a piece of music actually sounded so idyllic for a setting far beyond your wildest imagination... and simply begs the question: why can't all artists be as ambitiously prophetic as this?" - Drowned In Sound

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CHARLIESHERO
On tour with Capulet, CHARLIESHERO are another band who read from the post rock canon and spit it back out with blistering energy and conviction. This kind of music lives and dies in the playing - the dynamics, the passion, the sheer force of it all... and the pastoral breaks and lullaby melodies inbetween. Luckily, they've got all that down just right.

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James Yates
You may recognise James from his skin hitting duties in the jaw droppingly good The Pattern Theory. So it'll come as no surprise that his solo show is something to behold - organic electronics, perfect drums, spot on percussion and mad-as-a-hatter inventiveness. Four Tet or Battles are reference points... but Master Yates makes them sound like worthless s**t. On his own. You have to watch this guy. If you don't believe, listen to 'Yammystar' on our MySpace. You won't resist it's charms.

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