Originally from Hampshire, the Blaenavon (pronounced bligh-nav-on) trio of Ben Gregory (vocals), Frank Wright (bass) and Harris McMillan (drums) formed in 2013 aged just 14. The band has since blossomed from a pastime into a real success story, notably having recently appeared on BBC Radio 1’s live piano session with a cover of Harry Style’s ‘Sign of the Times’.
Since 2013 they have frustrated fans with the lack of an album, instead releasing three EP’s: Koso, Miss World, and Prague ’99. Allegedly their initial attempt at the full works – written on a canal boat under the influence of several boxes of wine – was rejected by their record label Transgressive, on the grounds they weren’t taking it seriously enough.
However in April this year fans were finally treated to That’s Your Lot, a 12 track album to generally positive reviews. The dreamy-rock sound is reminiscent of contemporaries such as Sundara Karma and the mercury nominated The Big Moon, although they cite their major influence as the 90’s American outfit Pavement, which makes a whole lot of sense; Blaenavon similarly produce the winding melodies, interesting drum grooves and clever lyricism prevalent in all of Pavement‘s five albums, although perhaps without the same refinement just yet in their early career.
Their upcoming tour begins in LA and ends in France, but luckily for us also sandwiches the majority of the UK, including a trip to Birmingham’s Mama Roux venue on the 30th November. With a reputation for showmanship, this band is certainly worth seeing live if you get the chance.
