Band of the Month: By The Rivers

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The Band of the Month for November 2011 is: By The Rivers

By The Rivers is:

Jordan Birtles and Nile Barrow

Jordan Birtles (left) and Nile Barrow

Nile Barrow

Nile Barrow performing with By The Rivers at Strawberry Fields.

Other musicians: Sam Read, Matt Willars, Will Todd, Leo May

Biography

By The Rivers formed in the Spring of 2010 by Leicester friends since birth, Nile Barrow (21) and Jordan Birtles (18). Inspired by many genres of music, these two talented youngsters write songs with social comment, positive messages as well as love songs and all things that affect the youth of today. They played their first gig on 15th May 2010 at The Donkey, Leicester.

Jordan Birtles was the lead singer in M48, a highly popular Leicester band. M48 won the OBS (Original Bands showcase) in 2008, a prestigious local programme of shows for bands.

With songs which will catch all your positive emotions and make you want to dance and sing, By The Rivers are a six piece reggae band, a style for which they each have an obvious passion. This is roots reggae for a new generation.

Live they play as a six piece group which sees Nile on lead vocals and guitar, Jordan on drums and vocals plus two brass players, bass and keyboard/guitar/backing vocalist.

They also perform as a duo with two vocals, an acoustic guitar and a melodica, stripping their songs down to the core. May 2010 saw their first full band gig in Leicester and the response was amazing. They played and sounded like they had been playing for years, rather and like the five rehearsals they had actually had. A sign of good musicianship.

Word spread around Leicester like a bush fire. This band was hot! Their second gig was at the prestigious Summer Sundae Weekender festival in Leicester where they packed out the Musician Stage and were said to be one of the highlights of the whole festival (see the link below under the Live section for our review.)

Seven gigs in and they have supported Neville Staple of the Specials, The Beat, Toploader, Dawn Kinnard , and Fun Lovin' Criminals, (on two of their September 2010 tour gigs at Norwich UEA and Cambridge The Junction).

Since then they have also supported Maxi Priest, Musical Youth , Dawn Penn and The Buzzcocks, winning very high praise from promoters and fans of the headliners. They sold out The Donkey in Leicester for their second EP launch on February 18th, 2011.

Already, such luminaries as Radio Riddler (Fun Lovin Criminals' Fast and Frank) have requested a cappella tracks from the EP to do remixes, as well as various Dubstep, Dub, Reggae and techno producers. Everyone wants a piece of this fresh young, uplifting band.

By the Rivers is signed to Komplya Records

Interview

Coming soon. the band is currently on tour with The Specials. We hope to interview them when they get back.

Gigography

Monday 31st October they played at the Brixton Academy (with The Specials)

Thursday 3rd November - Alexandra Palace (with The Specials)

You can see By The Rivers at their next shows:

Thursday 22nd December 2011 at Sub91, Leicester.

Discography

Singles

One Word

Hard Life, Harsh Times (Radio Riddler remix)