If you haven’t heard of The Candle Thieves, I offer both my condolences and some advice: visit their MySpace page, turn up the volume, and be blown away by the two songs streamed there. These two tracks alone are so representative of the band and what they do best, it’s somewhat surprising that the two band members (Scott McEwan and Glockenshiels) don’t climb out of the speakers with their multitude of instruments and inflatable sharks and whisk you away to the Edible Garden room of Willy Wonka’s factory.
The Peterborough duo describe themselves as “a guilty pleasure for deep thinkers”, an ambiguous title that is nonetheless perfectly suited to the unique and uplifting pop music that they play. By all means, download “Sharks and Bears” from the link I’ve posted above, and just try to disagree. It is hard not to be impressed by the talent showcased.
Live, it is a very similar story. Accompanied by a cuddly bear and an inflatable shark, songs such as ‘We’re All Gonna Die (Have Fun)’ and ‘Sharks and Bears’ are the highlights, leaving you bopping your head and humming the chorus and hooks all the way home. ‘Stars’ is particularly special, as Scott leaves the stage, moves into the centre of the audience and performs acoustically, eventually to be backed by ‘The Glock’ some time into the song, firstly with harmonica and then on keyboard. There is a video of this here on YouTube, which is actually taken about two metres away from me, witnessing The Candle Thieves for the very first time. They stole the show rather than candles that night, leaving Sam Isaac’s set later on seeming more like a cool-down act than the headliner.
‘The Sunshine EP’ comes out on the 14th of September, and if, like myself, you’re counting the days, you could always have your very own gig in your garden. As a twist on the ‘Live in Your Living Room Tour' that the band did last year, this Summer they are taking bookings to perform in the gardens of, well, whoever wants them to really. You can find all the details for both the EP and the ‘Live in Your Garden Tour’ on their MySpace (the latter being in their blog), but the boys are only taking bookings up until September 10th, so be quick. I will also be reviewing the EP closer to the release date.
In ‘We’re All Gonna Die (Have Fun)’ Scott sings “I think you’ll probably live beyond the end of the week, you got enough time left so come and spend it with me”. I say you should do exactly the same. Visit them on MySpace, and just take some time soaking up catchy songs, two talented musicians, and an inflatable shark and cuddly bear...
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