Pool Of Sound - STONE

STONE original line-up

The indie four piece, 'The Bohos' come from Liverpool and have been around since 2015. Formed by Finley Power when he was 15, he says, "Basically, the band started in 2015, I was with some lad and me and him were jamming together and we said let's start a band and he said let's call it 'The Bohos' and I liked what it sounded like and then from there, we just like played music and realised that we're actually half good. But I don't like people messing me about and not wanting to practice, so I've been through a lot of different band members. Drummers and guitarists mainly." Lead singer and guitarist Finn Power has the distinction of being the son of John Power of 'Cast' and was joined by Jack Danily on drums, Elliot Gill on lead guitar and backing vocals and Ian Grant on bass guitar. Their intro into 2017 was with their debut single 'Monday Morning', despite having been around in some form or another for a good 12 months before (albeit with different band members). In July 2017,  after supporting 'DMA's' and 'The Night Cafe' on some recent tours, it was time for 'The Bohos' to take to the Liverpool O2 Academy stage at their own show. A sellout, the gig was a major checkpoint in their progress as a band, as supporting slots saw them mature and their music becoming focussed and their sound channelled.

In an intriguing development, 'The Bohos' were renamed as 'STONE' in October 2019 and signed to Alan McGee's Creation management with new music and a raft of gigs to be announced in 2020. The band had previously been signed to Anvil Records and Jacaranda Records before parting company with both. Their first live outing was in October 2019 when they supported 'Happy Mondays' and 'Black Grape' icon Sean Rydert  in Blackpool at Layton Concert Hall.

'Leave It Out'

 

Lead guitarist Elliot Gill said, "We felt after nearly 3 years of gigging and recording and the constant development of our sound over this time that it just felt necessary to rebrand and start the band on a fresh slate. 'The Bohos', despite our sentimental attachment to it, and the very necessary formative experiences the band gave to us, just began to feel stale; we were growing frustrated, and it just did not feel like it was a representation of who we were, especially the direction we started going in. We'd had a good run as the fresh-faced kid band that had emerged on the Liverpool scene in 2017, but we're entering our 20s now, and felt that we wanted to continue our journey with a brand new, more clear sense of identity that suited the sound we've been in the process of honing. Now with 'STONE', the name alluding to Fin's mother's maiden name and his Jewish heritage, we feel a new connection with this project, a clearer direction and a new-found sense of momentum. We've had a few big gigs but the most excited we've been in a while was probably when we finally got to release 'Leave It Out'. It felt like all of the work regarding our rebrand was actually paying off. It always feels good to release music but a debut for a new project just gives you that 'kick'. We've had a couple of plays and mentions on BBC Radio 1 as well so big up Jack Saunders for that. Playing the Invisible Wind Factory supporting 'RATS' earlier in Feb this year was a highlight pre-lockdown. Such a good atmosphere. Supporting 'Cast' at a sold-out Liverpool O2 Academy in December was fun."

New line-up for STONE

 

With their debut single, 'Leave It Out' reaching over 90K streams within a year and their second release, 'Don't Stop' reaching almost 26K, on Friday the 11th of September 2020, they released a new single 'Stay Silent' and unveiled a lockdown live session version recorded at 24 Kitchen Street, the creative DIY hangout which is perennially under the threat of the axe with a line-up now of singer-guitarist Fin Power, lead guitarist Elliot Gill, bassist Sarah Surrage and drummer Alex Smith. In early 2021 they hope to make their mark with their new single, 'Fuse', a loud and propulsive anthem that captures the clash between internal frustrations and the banality of current life. Like many new young bands, their  introduction to the scene has been less than conventional. Their first track, 'Leave It Out' was released   shortly before national lockdown, meaning their rite-of-passage experience of playing live shows was cut short. As a result, 'Fuse' emerges directly from the sense of stagnancy and restlessness felt by a youth that's currently devoid of an outlet. Introspective, belligerent and optimistically cathartic – the track is filtered through frontman Fin Power's stream-of-consciousness style lyrics, and in their words, 'staple Scouse delivery.' Despite the lack of live opportunities, their track releases so far have seen 'STONE' quickly build a name for themselves in the North West scene. Having champions already in the likes of Jack Saunders, who named 'Leave it Out' his 'Next Wave' track on BBC Radio 1's Indie Show, 'Fuse' should see them strike a nerve on a more national scale. With a sound that is undeniably ready-made for a crowded room, 'STONE' hope their next offerings will bring some release in the wait for normality.

On Facebook on the 7th of January 2022 they posted, "Much love to the @nmemagazine for putting us in the 100 artists to watch in 2022. What a year we had and we already can’t wait to show what we have this year. Much Love X. "

see also:- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2021/10/pool-of-sound-decay.html