The Guardian is launching a series of New Band of the Day gigs, based on Paul Lester's daily column for theguardian.com/music. The bill for the first evening, with the headliner yet to be announced, includes Worship, Josh Osho and Murray James. The gig takes place on 26 January at the Barfly in London.
"I've been writing the New Band of the Day column for the Guardian music site for five years, so it's really exciting to see it turned into a series of live events," said Paul. "It will give readers a chance to see some of the bands and solo artists – drawn from all areas of the contemporary scene and all the genres I write about for NBOTD, including indie, rock, Americana, dubstep, folk, grime and pop – in a legendary London venue, up close and personal.
"See you down the front!" he added.
Writing recently in his column, Paul Lester said of Worship: "[They] trade in keyboards-dominated rock atmospherica with soaring lapsed-chorister vocals. It's mourn-rock. Not doom-rock: they're not quite dark enough to be goth, and they lack the needling whininess to be emo. Instead, they offer their own take on what New Order did in the 80s and Radiohead did in the 90s: boyish existential angst coolly dramatised by waves of swelling synths and clattering man-machine rhythms."
The four-piece band come from Reading and recently played shows with Dry the River and Everything Everything. Debut single House of Glass was released last month.
Also on the bill is Josh Osho, who was recently New Band of the Day No 1,050. A 20-year-old singer-songwriter from London, he has already worked with Wretch 32 as well as with two members of Wu-Tang Clan, Ghostface Killah (who features on debut single Redemption Days) and RZA (who remixed it). He is, according to Paul Lester, perfect for anyone who might "like the idea of a grittier, homegrown John Legend, or an unplugged Seal … if it's good enough for Wu, it should be good enough for you."
Osho said: "Music gives me an opportunity to get people thinking a bit more. If people, especially in the west, just sat down and thought a little bit each day, their life would be so much richer."
Joining Worship and Osho will be 22-year-old Murray James, who was recently invited by Noel Gallagher to support him on tour. Critics have said this singer-songwriter from Milford-on-Sea in Hampshire sounds like an ancient bluesman. "When people hear me sing they think, 'the poor boy's in pain' but it's just my voice," he acknowledged. "I don't know where it's come from but I know what I have to do with it."
Debut album, Accustomed to the Floor, is due early next year, and is billed as a mix of R&B, hip-hop, blues and reggae, described by James simply as "modern soul".
The first New Band of the Day Live show takes place on Thursday 26 January at the Barfly, London NW1. Tickets are £8 and can be booked here.
The headliner for the evening will be announced shortly.
