So ladies and gentlemen, what is on your summer list? A cold beer: check; chilling out with your mates: oh hell yes! But what, oh what, is missing? More important than your tan or sun cream: a decent soundtrack to your summer is a must have for a memorable summer. Well, you’re going to love this: look no further, I think I have a winner! With a quirky and unique sound, Nigel & the Dropout have it all. They’re perfect for that all round breezy easy summer feeling when you’re chilling on a sun lounger, they’ll make you feel like you’ve known their songs your whole life. There’s something distinctly familiar about their sound, yet it’s like nothing you’ll have heard for a long time.
Nigel & the Dropout have created something all too impossible to recreate. It’s fast paced, interesting and intricately mastered. Their sound creates something you’d expect from bands such as The Smiths or The Arctic Monkeys, with an interesting drum and bass beat that’ll leave you wanting to dance – try not to, I dare you!
In terms of their collective reference, I’m unsure of what they’d prefer; I want to refer to them as a two piece (which, by the way, they are – there is only two of them), but their sound is too full, too rich; a two piece just doesn’t quite cut it! Where shall I start: the duo are dynamic for sure; Nigel plays a synthesizer while The Dropout (Andrew) impresses us with his amazing finger picking skill. Every now and again you’ll hear a cleverly placed crash as the cymbal breaks through – that is Nigel with the hand that isn’t flying along the synth! Amazed yet? Oh I’m not even started!
There are very few bands, in my humble opinion, which sound as good live as they do recorded. There are lots of reasons for this – too many to list. However, one I will mention (and you’ll understand why in a second), is that a lot of the additional sounds bands use are added after they’ve sampled their parts. They’re digitally mastered in and that’s fine, but recreating that in a live performance setting is almost impossible! Nigel, on the other hand plays everything, and trust me, I mean everything. There are no laptops or digital interfaces in his set up, it’s all him … while he sings as well! So, I think that requires a serious amount of recognition!
The Dropout, meanwhile, plays a mean electric guitar. Now, I’m not usually a fan of the guitar sound that they use – I call it wailing. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate it, but there are more sounds I prefer to listen to. However, saying that Andrew somehow makes it perfect. So much so that I didn’t even notice what sound it was until the third listen of their perfectly blended albums and live performances.
Nigel & the Dropout are on Facebook and Twitter. You can listen to them on their BandCamp or SoundCloud. Their LPs (“&” and “Slice of ∞”) and EP (“§§”) can be downloaded for free from ThePromoBayUK, or all can be purchased (as well as an additional EP, Expiration Date) from the iTunes store.
