MUSIC
Torus set sail for success O ur first gig of 2022 was spent watching the progression of MK heavies Torus who showcased a live confidence to match the power of some tempting material, writes Sammy Jones. It was a great night of riffs and belief from those on the stage, while stage front we were all left buoyed by the performance of these ‘ones to watch.’ The band might be young, but there have been a few hard-hitters so far, and that night in January at MK11 was also the first gig for the latest in a succession of drummers. “It’s mental really,” frontman Alfie Glass told me, “We’ve played with about six different drummers. Since Eleanor Lawrence left it has been hard to find the right one and we are very picky as you can tell, but I do believe we’ve found the right guy now with Jack Orr – he’s a rare find.
“I think the band has progressed a lot over the last year,” Alfie said, “We have written a lot of new music which has helped, and Harry just keeps getting better at mixing. “I feel like we’ve upped the quality of everything recently, it’s exciting.” The band – completed by aforementioned bassist Harry Quinn – recently issued the single Sail, and things really are charged just now; Torus has just been on the road supporting Green Lung and another single, Did it Again, will be released in April, followed in the summer by a four track EP via the MNRK label. Whispers of an album have already started too, but the band is taking everything in its stride. “There seems to be a buzz about the band now, but no major pressures yet,” Alfie promised, “We are just super happy that we’re getting to do what we love.”
The Sail EP – track by track: Sail Sail is really a paranoia song that came out of lockdown, and spending long periods of isolation. It started with a few riffs and turned into an anthemic sounding, big rock song that we are all quite proud of. Did It Again About running away from things and how they’ll always come back to you – the track just fell into place and turned into a catchy, pumping, ‘hitting the road’ type of song. Hurt You It’s punky and it’s angry. It’s about knowing that someone you care for has been hurt badly and there’s nothing you can do about it. Clone Our interpretation of a big heavy ballad. Instead of writing about love and heartbreak, we made this song about social media taking over your life and ripping your personality and soul out with the beauty standards of today, and the fake lives that people end up living. It’s damaging.
Meet the Bishop at MK11
H
e’s certainly not a new name on the hip hop scene, but he is a distinctly cool and clever creator, and that’s why Markel Scott has been up in lights at shows alongside the likes of Nas and Kendrick Lamar. Those of you who tip your ears to rap won’t recognise the name Markel, but will possibly know him better by his stage moniker Bishop Nehru. His debut mixtape, Nehruvia, was cut loose when he was in his mid-teens and soon afterwards, the Bishop inked a deal with Nas’ label, Mass Records. That was the best part of a decade ago. There have been plenty of musical deliveries in the time since, including collaborations
with the late MC MF DOOM, and a solid body of solo albums, including Elevators: Act I & II in 2018 which saw Rolling Stone magazine salivating; ‘a hip-hop Pet Sounds with a penchant for wide-eyed lyricism,’ they declared. He didn’t stop there, and in 2020 gave fans something other than a pandemic to focus their attention on – the album Nehruvia: My Disregarded Thoughts. The New Yorker will be bringing his vibe to MK11 in Kiln Farm on March 18. Others on the bill include Dale May and Har-Q with more to be announced. Rest assured the Bishop’s music is way catchier than the link for tickets: skiddle.com/e/35997142 Markel Scott AKA Bishop Nehru
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March 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes
