Bearfaced Podcast 06: Part “B” – Tom Stephens and the Retreat

Here it is, as promised: Part “B” of Bearfaced Podcast 06.  Last week, in Part “A”, I was talking about the up-coming releases that have piqued our interest here at Bearfaced Towers, and this week I had the honour to be joined in the studio by Tom Stephens and the Retreat.

The whole band came in and recorded a couple of “live” tracks for us, and the next day Tom Stephens (lead vocals and guitar) and Tom Cornish (lead guitar and backing vocals) came in for an interview, where they deigned to play us an acoustic version of their new song Olivia.  The interview stayed surprisingly on-topic (especially given Bearfaced interviews’ past form) and as a result you can hear the guys regaling us with tales about being an independent band out-and-about on the mean streets of London, as well as enlightening us with regard to their songwriting process.  All lovely stuff, I’m sure you’ll agree.

The band has undergone a bit of a line-up change since I reviewed their EP last year, and their “sound” has also evolved quite a bit too.  As always you can find the Bearfaced Podcast in iTunes, but if you’d rather just download the individual episode then you can do that from the Bearfaced Website here.

Tom Stephens and the Retreat – Olivia (Bearfaced Session)

Tom Stephens and the Retreat – This Town (Bearfaced Session)

 

EP: Tom Stephens and the Retreat

Anyone for some Alternative Rock? A genre many thought had died out at the end of the ’90s seems to be going through a bit of a resurgence lately.  The (really, really, really awfully named) Royworld seem to be doing alright for themselves, and now Tom Stephens and the Retreat have stepped manfully into the arena.  They’d probably be appalled at this pigeonholing, but I honestly can’t think of a better “label” for the thoughtful, gutsy rock that these guys are peddling.

Having only recently acquired a copy of their current EP, I have to say they’re much better when seen live and, more importantly, loud.  In the flesh, they sound much bigger and fuller than a four-piece has any right to.  With so many bands at the moment wearing their indie/nu-rave/whatever credentials on their sleeves, I must say it’s refreshing to see some clean-cut, straight-down-the-middle rock music.

Tom Stephens and the Retreat – The Nest