Blessed Isles at Joy of Violent Movement

Comprised of Aaron Closson (guitar and vocals), best known as a member of The Hourly Radio and multi-instrumentalist Nolan Thies, best known as a member of N?TIONS, Brooklyn-based shoegaze duo The Blessed Isles specialize in a sound that is heavily indebted to 80s Brit Pop, New Wave and of course, shoegaze; in fact, as you’ll… Continue reading Blessed Isles at Joy of Violent Movement

Bloody Knives at Joy of Violent Movement

Initially comprised of Preston Maddox (bass, vocals, keyboards, samples and programming) Jake McCown (drums, noise, programming) — with recent recruits Jack O’Hara Harris (guitar), Richard Napierkowski (synth) and Martin McCreadie (synth) to flesh out the band’s live set, Austin, TX-based shoegaze act Bloody Knives have developed a reputation locally and regionally for a sound that… Continue reading Bloody Knives at Joy of Violent Movement

Witching Waves at Joy of Violent Movement

If you had been frequenting JOVM over the past month or so you may recall that I wrote about  London-based indie rock trio Witching Waves. Comprised of Emma Wigwam, Mark Jasper and Ed Shellard, the trio emerged from London’s DIY scene with a tense sound consisting of angular guitar chords, propulsive drumming and anthemic hooks reminiscent of 90s alternative… Continue reading Witching Waves at Joy of Violent Movement

High Violets at Joy of Violent Movement

Currently comprised of founding members Clint Sargent (guitar, vocals) and Luke Strahota (drums), along with Colin Sheridan (bass) and Kaitlyn Ni Donovan (vocals, guitar), thePortland OR-based shoegaze quartet The High Violets can trace their origins to the breakup of The Bella Low, which featured Sargent, Strahota and another founding member Violet Bianca Grace (who left… Continue reading High Violets at Joy of Violent Movement

Presents for Sally at Joy of Violent Movement

Comprised of Matt, Anna, and Phil, the British shoegaze trio Presents for Sally has been deeply influenced by late 80s and early 90s shoegaze rock and alt rock, as well as dance music and hip-hop, which has not only expanded the sonic boundaries of shoegaze, it has also created some difficulty for critics trying to… Continue reading Presents for Sally at Joy of Violent Movement