Music Review for a pretty slick Band called The Harks.

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Shit Hot Music From Track 1 to 4 and all....

stops in between....



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Having had the pleasure of seeing these guys perform at

'Under Live' in Ashton,and hey I can tell you what a performance they put on that night.It gives us even more pleasure to do a review on their new e.p

'Crimescene'....

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4 Tracks on the e.p 'Crimescene', Presents', 'Rhinos', and

'Haunt Me'. Whichever order you decide to play each track we can tell you this..whether it be front to back or back to front you are gonna get some great quality listening.Each track is different,no repetitive shite involved.

This Band are young,imaginative and have pushed forward with their music their way and Im gonna tell you why, because they are clever intelligent musicians and they know what works for them and for those who go

out and listen to their music.I had the opportunity of meeting these guys and I can report this to you-they are one of the most determined set of musicians I have had the pleasure of meeting.

The music is full to the brim of their ideas,their way of working and their understanding of what makes a crowd rock.And Boy do the crowd rock when this band are playing.I know! I,ve seen it OK.....

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The frontman leads the way,great vocal skills and

superb oral skills. He bangs out those lyrics and bangs em out well,he is determined, he is precise and he is loud. Just occasionally he is ably joined by the lads in the band who just wanna add that little bit of extra metal to the chorus which takes the music to a heavier level.

The composition of the music is fantastic,it is fast,the pace never lets up,its got power and the band roll on relentlessly,the music comes at you wave after wave and its bloody great to feel the energy and the power coming at you. This is music thats gonna have you stomping in any way you see fit,but you aint gonna stand still.Their is consistency from track to track and I promise you there is not one weak track on the e.p,....

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This band work together as a team,the music is heavy and

strong,the drummer works his balls off with a good solid beat and the lads on guitar show some real raunch with their guitar work,its good and its real dirty

stuff.Neat and  slick  its full power on and the energy of it all never wains.Wave after wave of a great sound that is an absolute pleasure to get your ears round. ....

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A Great Band,young,vibrant and energetic.Superb catalogue of tracks.

Honest guys     ..............well worth your listening time cos we Highly Recommend it to you.....

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'The Harks'  A Great Band.....

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BestWishes....

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MM x........

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Young Men,great ambassadors in terms of promoting what they do.Good buisness men who know how important it is to remain close to those who love them..THE FANS.These boys will market themselves and they will be successful.Gave a great performance of their latest single 'Crimescene' and other memorable performances with 'Attention' and 'Two time Valentine'.Fantastic Banter with the crowd,and the crowd Loved and Appreciated all of that.As they played I heard a couple behind me say 'Brilliant'.With this Band dont expect spectacular musical innovation,but what you will get is a collection of honest tunes created with alot of passion and craftmanship.They know how to bang those tunes out and they know what makes a crowd rock and you know what..they do it together.Highly skilled Musicians creating a surging wall of sound-guys I salut yer for one highly polished performance.Do me a favour,checkout my comments and you will find a comment from The Harks,they are in a competiton run by Stockports Pure FM(107.8)click on the button and give em a vote.

The Harks are an 'indie/pop' four piece from Stockport. Their debut EP - Dedication to Love and Debauchery recieved unanimously good reviews across the board and, after playing the usual clutch of ITC shows, the band have moved on to promoting their second - as yet un-named - demo.

Opening up with Attention the first thing that strikes me is the brilliant, live sound they've managed to capture. While the music itself is nothing new there is a certain charm to the track. The vocals are full of aggresive angst while the song bounces along with pounding drums and spiky guitar.

Let Me Know and Two Time Valentine continue the energetic pace, with Valentine in particular standing out with its Libertines-esque vocals and catchy drum/guitar combo. Let Me Know's punchy opening and catchy tune is a contender for a live favourite.

Closer - What's Your Name - has a sunny, sixties pop vibe to it. Not as instantly catchy as the preceding three tracks it proves to be my favourite of them all. There is a growing maturity in its sound not evident on the rest of the demo. On the merits of What's Your Name? alone The Harks are an interesting prospect on the unsigned scene.

Words: M. Hardman
Posted by guestlist

The Harks – What's Mine Is Yours

In May The Harks debut EP, Dedication To Love And Debauchery was released to rave reviews and crossed fingers in anticipation of what they might … or might not deliver in the future.
So, just 5 months after their debut they have released their follow up – What's Mine Is Yours, and what an incredible follow up it is. Listening to this it is all too easy to forget that these guys have been around for less than a year.

They have naturally matured and as you would expect they've upped their game but they have managed to keep what is essentially 'their sound', they've taken all the refreshing honesty of youth that they capture so brilliantly and run with it to a whole new level.

Attention kicks the EP off with a very live sound full of energy before taking you on a roller coaster ride of pounding moody vocal followed by snarly punk pop. Exciting stuff.

Let Me Know carries on with the punk pop theme as it tackles the tricky journey into relationships. It's a punchy song carried by the gutsy lead guitar/drums combo.

What's Your Name's intro is as light and breezy as a summer's day and doesn't disappoint. It's up-tempo, uncomplicated and bursting with life, a naughties message with a sixties vibe. Sublime!
If I had to choose a favourite I think this would be it.

Seventeen is a wonderfully catchy pop song although I don't like to call it pop because its far too unique for that. It has that immediately identifiable sound that the only The Harks have, it is catchy, irresistible and immediately memorable you'll be singing along to it before you know it.

This is a perfectly balanced EP combining catchy melodies, clean twangy guitar riffs and lyrics that are sometimes dark, sometimes ironic but always totally stripped bare and honest, what you see is what you get. Their songs have an insanely infectious sense of rhythm and a fresh unique sound that has the three L's … likeability, listenability and lastablility … OK so I may have made up those words but I think you get my meaning.

If they can take such a great leap forward in the five short months between their debut and this EP release they are potentially one of the defining bands of their generation, it's theirs for the taking.

The Harks are not just creating a ripple in the Mancunian music pond but by all accounts a bloody big rock has just been thrown in and they are set to make waves….. get your swimmers on cos we're gonna get wet!

Kim Etheridge
for Manchester is Music

the harks – dedication to love and debauchery e.p.

When MiM first found the harks they were a newly formed two-piece acoustic band not content to wait until they had a full band and a polished set before unleashing themselves and their youthful exuberance on the unprepared industry.  Guitars and self-belief armed and ready to fire they got themselves heard.

They've managed to achieve in such a short space of time what many, many bands work months or even years to achieve, securing a number of gigs in credible venues including the prestigious Club Academy, Manchester, along with radio interviews and live sets, they are working damn hard to get themselves noticed and are succeeding.

Now a four piece with some studio time behind them they have taken their raw acoustic demos and given them the full band treatment and this EP is the result. 

Two Time Valentine is a great pop song!  Energetic and pogo-ing beats, clear and insightful lyrics.  It sounds a bit ska, a bit punk, a bit indie and a bit pop.  But, don't be fooled into thinking that because it's pop it's a superficial throw away track, not at all.  It's a glorious insight into the world of a generation that supports the line "we spend our lives in love and debauchery"

L A 4 is punk pop at its in yer face best!  A bit economic in the lyric department but delivers like a Red Bull & Coke combo. 

There's lots of join in 'la la la's' that qualify this song to be a mosh pit gang anthem sung while body surfing.

You'll Never Change has a slightly darker edge to it than the other two songs, more indie influenced with a heavier production.  A leading bass line throbs its way through the track complimented by some nice twangy guitar and a healthy serving of clashing cymbals tied together very nicely by a deeper vocal in keeping with the message in the lyric. 

A very credible debut with three very different songs that are still unmistakably the harks.

Thankfully they didn't go overboard with the production on this EP, or take the EMO route that most dissatisfied youth wallow in, but have taken the world they live in and written about it with refreshing honesty.  

They have stuck true to their roots and celebrate their generation ….. and I say, "Bring it on!"

Kim Etheridge for Manchester is Music

May 2008