SHREDnews

By: Francesca Birch

Formed from the ashes of the band Tonight Is Goodbye, I present you Futures. This British pop-rock quartet based in London came together in 2009 and are already exceeding expectations with their debut album release “The Holiday”. This band can only get bigger.

Headed by frontman Ant West who has the vocal stylings of a softer Josh Franchesci (You Me At Six) brings an optimistic feel to the album and is backed by the skilled Casey Roarty (lead guitar) who brings tasteful and catchy riffs to the music along with George Lindsay (drums) and Christian Ward (bass). Long gone are the days of singing about lost love and failed relationships. This positive tone the band displays is a getaway from most music we listen to these days.

Futures seem to find the right balance and structure between pop and rock, with incredibly catchy choruses that are strengthened by heavy adrenaline pumped bass lines and head-banging drum beats. Futures first single “Boy Who Cried Wolf” demonstrates this perfectly, it is an anthem that goes down well at any live show with a chorus you cannot help but sing along to. It’s so unbelievably catchy you can’t stop repeating those lyrics “this is the boy who cried wolf!”. Each track seems to tell a story all from West’s point of view, which is of course a hopeful “glass is half full” point of view. He also hosts some epic one liners, which gives the music a sort of Fall Out Boy feel to it, which makes each track memorable for days on end.

The four piece definitely have charisma written all over them, their pleasant and polished debut will set them in a good spot for when they begin work on a second album, which will no doubt be longer and hopefully a little more diverse. But Futures music right now is bursting full of bright melodies and animated riffs, it feels like an inhale of pure summer air then exhaling all the coldness of the British pop-rock industry. Pre choruses, preferably in the track “Take Me Home” shows off the soaring chorus each song has to offer, it builds it up dramatically to make the chorus oozing with spirit and fire.

With memorable anthems like these, it is a definite plus as Futures always deliver captivating live performances. Audience participation is highly involved which makes the crowd fascinated and almost in awe with each track. Their expressive live shows allows the band to show off their natural talents. Futures are indeed a crowd pleaser, as at Slam Dunk Festival 2010 they headlined the Kerrang! Introduces Stage and very recently sold out a headlining show at the London Borderline within 3 days. Futures popularity is increasing rapidly, and without a doubt they will achieve a great amount this coming year.

So, next time you’re in need of an uplifting anthem or mood change, check out Futures. You can download their album “The Holiday” at:

www.wearefutures.co.uk

http://www.myspace.com/futures