We’re delighted to work with Independent Venue Week as we bring the outstanding TOY to Ramsgate on February 1st!
TOY are an indie rock band who incorporate elements of shoegaze and psychedelia. They are due to release ‘Songs of Consumption’ on November 15th; a stunning 8-track album of interpretations of songs from the likes of Nico, John Barry and Serge Gainsbourg, amongst others.
Earlier in the year they released their fourth LP ‘Happy in the Hollow’ to universal praise. Suffice to say, TOY are a hell of a band, and we’re in for a hell of a show.
“Happy in the Hollow is their masterpiece” – The Times (5 star review)
Since 2010, TOY have earned a reputation as a band of integrity, virtuosity and taste, with Tom, Maxim, Dominic, Charlie and (joining in 2015) Max creating a sound that is embedded in the underground tradition, yet distinctly their own. Since their inception, they have released the acclaimed albums TOY (2012), Join The Dots (2013) and Clear Shot (2016), and toured everywhere from Serbia to China.
TOY’s new release, in their own words: “‘Songs of Consumption’ sonically is a continuation and development of the themes conceived on ‘Happy In The Hollow’ and it will show people where we are going towards musically. The DIY approach was explored further utilising more of the electronic elements that we touched upon before. Drum machines, stripped down arrangements and rudimentary production give a primitive sound that we thought suited the choice of songs. Some of the songs have very big sounding production, so we wanted to experiment with them by going in a different direction.
Music is consumed voraciously now whereas these songs came from a time when the song was of the most important thing and that’s what was appreciated. Stripping them back to the essence of what they are was also something we wanted to explore. Also, we wanted to make a covers record with songs by people that influenced us in the past few years and it’s as much about the way they dealt with their ideas, and how they put themselves in uncomfortable situations in order to make something that in the end is simple. It’s a homage to the spirit of these people, that helped us to untangle ourselves from our inherent complicated nature and create a new space where we can exist.”
“It’s wintery charms and enervated intrigue are hard to deny” – MOJO
“Utterly sublime” – The Sunday Times
“A band recharged and re-energised” – Q Magazine
