Featured band: Us Wolves

This page is part of the bands section

Band of the month - November 2010

Us Wolves are:

James Ferraby (lead vocals/guitar)

Lawrence Bywater (Keyboard/synth)

Ben (Bass)

Elliott jenkins (Drums)

Us Wolves live

The band played its very first gig at Walkabout on 27th July 2010

Us Wolves at the SoundHouse, Friday 20th August 2010

Us Wolves (acoustic set) at the Musician, 14th January 2011

Saturday 6th November 2010 - Us Wolves play London

Leicester band Us Wolves took a large coach load of their fans to Camden tonight to play at the Monto Water Rats. This legendary theatre bar has become one of the top destinations for bands from all over the country. Bob Dylan played his first UK gig there in 1962. The stage has been graced by such as bands The Pogues, Oasis, The Courteeners and Ra Ra Riot.

© Time Out

About fifty 'Wolves fans from Loughborough and Leicester piled on to the luxury cruiser for the trip down the M1. With tour guide Jonny Chuckles organising the trip, handing out chocolates to fans and putting on a thrillingly good movie for us to watch, we knew from the start it was going to a top excursion.

It's great that our local bands can fill a coach and give their fans a night out in the capital. Me, I love seeing venues in other parts of the country and comparing them with what we have here ... and Camden has a certain draw about it. I used to put on gigs in Camden once so I know how hard it is to get into these top, sought after venues.

On Saturday night, too! The live music haunts of Camden are always full on a Saturday. Tonight, everyone said that this was the best set that Us Wolves has played and that's about a band that has always put on first class performances, no matter what the venue or what the size of audience. I saw the band play their first gig, at Walkabout, on 27th July this year. I was immediately blown away by them. This does not always happen with me, on seeing bands for the first time. Sometimes I have to see a band a few times before I get it. This was, however, an instant discovery. Having been to many of their subsequent appearances, I can honestly say that Us Wolves is one of the best rock bands in the Midlands. I can say this with confidence because I have seen hundreds of bands play live, this year alone. I know where the bar is set. This is a band that sails over it.

On stage at the Monto tonight, lead singer James Ferraby was on top form. One of the best band vocalists I have met, he fizzed his way through the nine song set. He didn't need to warm up and he didn't flag towards the end; from the first bar to the last, this impressive singer bubbled and sparkled. His fine voice, with a note worthy range, soared over the backing. James is also an impressive performer. He is a delight to watch in action, living the music and often acting out certain aspects of the lyrics. A mark of true professionalism.

People close to the band told me that the four guys work well together as a team. James is the driving force behind the music. He is a bright, sparky guy with a friendly personality, who likes to look after people. He's forever running around making things happen, keeping the show on the road, thanking people who have supported the band, most of all his fans. Not all charismatic lead singers are as personable as James. This likeable, down to earth guy stands out in the world of lead singers.

All the elements are in place for Us Wolves to become a successful full-time band. One of them is their manager, Josephine. The band's manager, PR rep and social secretary, Joe is their biggest fan and all round good egg. They are fortunate to have her and, as a career band manager, she certainly knew what she was doing when she took them on.

Tonight, Us Wolves tore up the stage at the Monto, delivering a set of quality rock songs to a capacity audience.

The room contained not only the fans from Leicester, but members of other bands and their fans. Members from other bands were watching the stage with studious expressions and even the guys in the sound control booth were bopping along to the beats.

So, was this the finest gig of their launch year? It's difficult to believe that they have been working together for only a few months. Until of course you realise that they have all been in bands before and have collectively clocked up many thousands of flying hours of live music.

That is part of the story of Us Wolves. Tonight however, the legendary Monto was theirs and they gave it their best. You couldn't ask for more. After the set, when someone asked me what I thought of Us Wolves, I said: "it doesn't get much better than that!".

James Ferraby starts the set

Lawrence Bywater on the keys

James Ferraby - voice with feeling

Chris (Ceej) Harpham living it up on bass (former member)

Elliot Jenkins on the drums

The Us Wolves tour bus

Fans of Us Wolves after the gig

Us Wolves play the Monto, 6th November 2010

What they said:

"A stadium level performance" - Phil from Leicester.

"They were brilliant" - a band member from London.

It was a large line-up of bands. Supporting Us Wolves were some good bands. In particular I liked Nerve Centre from Birmingham and The Wild Furs from London.

Us Wolves web site

See all our featured bands