Far From The Dance hail from Huddersfield, and have been delighting the unsigned circuit since 2004. The four piece band have played top venues, clubs, and university gigs across the UK, and have also racked up some impressive support slots in among the 600 or so gigs they’ve played. They are new to me though, so what would I make of their Myspace tracks? Only one way to find out!

First impressions weren’t all that promising, as a few tracks on their player had rather unusual intros, which I can only describe as akin to funeral music. It was too heavy and haunting for my taste, but I boldly ploughed on, and began to find some things of interest in amongst their songs.

I enjoyed the whispered chants of ‘Black Red Blue Green’ at the start of a track with the same name, and found the heavier rock arrangements rawer and livelier than some of their other tracks. ‘Violated’ was another track that stood out for me, and although the lyrics (cuts, blood, pain etc) might not be to everybodys taste, the emotion was first class. ‘Smack Beauty’ also has a certain charm, with well fused guitar/piano arrangements, and a rather lonely sounding brass section. The melodies were strong here, and the same goes for their song ‘Sit Around’, which for me was the stand out track on their player. Along with a strong melody, this track has the broadest appeal, is easy on the ear, and has vocals that soar in all the right places. Catchy with a capital C! So well done to the band for that and their good mix of acoustic, indie, and rock sounds across their tracks. Some were almost too tight, and needed room to breathe, while others had an instant appeal. That’s the way the music world works. Some things you like, some things you don’t, but you can bet your last penny, that there’s enough indie/rock goodness here to keep ‘Far From The Dance’ fans happy for many years to come!

To hear ‘Far From The Dance’ tracks for yourself, and catch up on all their gig news visit www.myspace.com/farfromthedance