News and notes about Leicester rock bands.

We list all known rock bands in Leicester/shire:

Band names A - M | Band names N - Z | New bands | Covers bands | Bands wanted | Band of the month | Band vacancies | Featured Bands | Leicester bands listing (new) | How to get your band listed

The Screening

Owen Ross reports: 'Diem' is the first single to be released from The Screening's debut album 'We'd All Better Learn How To Swim'. The single, released through Telescope Records, will be available from iTunes and on 7" vinyl from Monday July 5th.

The vinyls will be very limited edition, and can be pre-ordered now from www.myspace.com/screening - just hit the Shop & Mailing List button at the top, then the Paypal link at the bottom of the page, and happy days.

Have a first listen to the track, mixed by Hollywood mix genius Mark Needham, over on our NME Breakthrough page from tomorrow.

Gig news and details of future single releases are all available at our Myspace (myspace.com/screening), Facebook (facebook.com/thescreening) and Twitter (twitter.com/thescreening) pages.

BKTB (Beauty Killed The Beast) the young Coalville band are due to hit the recording studio seeon to make a five track EP.

Seventh Empire are currently in the rehearsal studio working on their new set for Glastonbudget 2010 and on gigs for the summer holidays. This means the band is out of the giging circuit for a while, and are hoping to make a big impact when it comes to the summer holidays. They are working on two new songs and new covers: Pendulum - Propane Nightmares, Biffy Cylro - Cloud of Stink, amongst others. Their next gig is at The Queen of Bradgate, Highstreet, Leicester on Saturday 17th April.

Raptor Captor are worth seeing if you get the chance. They have a new EP out called PEEP. The five member band features Gary on guitar, synths and vocals, Danni on synths and vocals, Chris Ryan on guitar. Phil on bass and Chris Smith on drums. Their stylish indie set makes them a solid band with an agreeable lineup of songs.

The Aromattics have been out there making a name for themselves. The trio comprises Jordan Birtles (M48) on Drums and vocals and Callum on lead vocals with Mikey on bass and they pump out a first class set of infectious songs. Experienced musicians all of whom have played in other bands, they are captivating audiences with their blusey rock numbers interlaced with a variety of other styles. The three friends all went to Lancaster Boys with Heroe's star, Alex Totman.

Leicester band Common Side Effects have a new lineup. Now they are Wil on Vocals, Danny on Guitar And Vocals, Dom On Bass, Tom on Drums And Sian On Guitar. The band is playing at the Music Cafe on 10th April.

The Eaves are playing their last Leicester gig for a while, on Friday 26th March at the Looking Glass in Braunstone Gate. Lead singer Nick Thornton told us, "We have decided it's time to crack other cities." Both Nick and his band are noted for their record-breaking set lengths. Nick's set at the Looking Glass on 6th March started at 8 p.m. and continued without a break until 1 a.m. the next morning. We reported on Nick's marathon set at Walkabout in August of last year.

Autohype have been hired to play the mainstage of the Summer Sundae Festival. They were asked to play it by London agency CODA which also hires the main acts for the event.

Shelly Soljaz - Loughborough's highly talented dubstep group announce that H4L - their second album is finally on its way to the WORLD! Featuring their single "Streetlife" they hope to make an impact on the charts.

The Bike Shed Effect, having laid to rest, are back with a new band called BakLashes.

While Oceans Sleep was formed from the ashes of various Leicester bands. Sounds like Hardcore/Progressive/Metal/Ambient and someone suggested "grimecore".

Zinium is a young four piece rock band whose set is a mixture of punky/metally sounds. They have a strong lead vocalist (Rob) but are poor on backing vocals. Hailing Oadby, they have been playing for over a year.

Final Coil is undergoing a lot of change at the moment, so after a strong start they are having to regroup. The four piece has already gone through a number of lineup changes but their set of powerful nu-metal style rock songs shows considerable promise.

Skinny Bones is a new Leicester band; they have started playing only recently (February 2010) but have made a good impression so far and are likely to climb the ladder on the local scene.

Several Leicester bands have entered for this years Surface Unsigned Competition. They are playing in the first round heats in Birmingham. Last year, two Leicester bands made it through to the finals at the Milennium Dome in London.

Bigger bands are providing Leicester bands with support slots through new promoters Shadow Promotions. Towers of London, Twisted Wheel and the Young Knives are just some fo the bigger, UK-level bands that are are coming to Leicester and some of our local bands have secured support slots on these gigs.

Muse-ic is a MUSE tribute band; they are very good at what they do and even if you have never seen Muse live before, this is a band that stands up in its own right.