CANDIDATE

Candidate biography
Comprised of Ian Painter (bass) and brothers Joel (vocals/guitar) and Alex Morris (guitar/vocals), along with Alex Donohoe (vocals), Phil Morris (drums) and Jason Hazeley (keyboards), CANDIDATE started off in the late 90s as a London underground band. After recording several demos the band members decided to start off their own record label (Snowstorm), which firstly saw the release of a series of EP's and from 2000 onwards, additional albums. The band's style described by Q Magazine as 'just about the best available bridge between lo-fi American and the woody thrum of archaic Britfolk', got its influences (as cited by the band members themselves) from THE PENTANGLE, BRIAN ENO, THE HOLLIES, REM, RICHARD THOMPSON, THE BYRDS and even CAT STEVENS.

Thus far the band has put out five studio albums. The folk sound started to become more noticeable on their second album - "Tiger Flies", and developed along the way. A much acclaimed album was the 2002 "Nuada" which was inspired by the soundtrack of the 1970s British horror film The Wicker Man. The subsequent "Under the Skylon" sought a slightly different approach with vibes of '1970s radio rock', but the 2007 "Oxengate" marked the return to the now familiar folky resonance from "Tiger Flies" and "Nuada".

A truly recommended band.


Thanks to Lizzy for the biography.