Stratford Rise – Gunshow (2025)
Known for their explosive, energetic, and electrifying live performances – audiences crowd-surfing at Whelan’s One To Watch Festival – Stratford Rise offers intoxicating sonic experiences for listeners regardless of whether they’re on stage or just blasting through your speakers at home. Drawing together the musical talents of Orion Mark Courtney-Lee, Rory Kingham, Ruben Carver, and Tom Martin, Stratford Rise are dominating Northern Ireland’s music scene with a unique brand of noise rock set for stadium greatness. This is our introduction to the foursome, so join us as we jump headfirst into their latest single ‘Gunshow’.
Following a rather busy 2024, ‘Gunshow’ is Stratford Rise’s first single release since 2023’s ‘World’s Fair’. Recorded and produced by Marty Martin, ‘Gunshow’ is a bold rush of noise rock prepared to hit you between the eyes with its force. Crashing drums match soaring guitars with a bold bass in a harmonic flush of rock music; however, its distortion and experimental eclecticism make the song somewhat uncomfortable and off-kilter. As if each instrument were sliding past the other, while keeping a mellifluous flow with their entwined tendrils.
In an old-school punk-rock jolt, Stratford Rise push a palpable sense of urgency in the new single. Abrasive and abrupt, there is a rage beneath the lead vocals, but the execution also seems to navigate the overall melody with underlying calm. Like facing wave after wave of kaleidoscopic sound laced with gritty rawness, ‘Gunshow’ can leave you gasping for fresh air after being tossed from pillar to post. I might not consider the track utterly serene, laidback or tranquil, but there is a sense of strange comfort as it allows you to scream along, twirl about, and let go of all pent-up emotion.
In addition to the single, Stratford Rise released a music video for ‘Gunshow’. You can view the video below or on the band’s YouTube channel. Please note that this video uses lighting effects that can trigger seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is strongly advised.
VIEWER DISCRETION IS STRONGLY ADVISED
Find out more about Stratford Rise on their Instagram and Spotify.
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