Speed Reviews: William Beckett, Bob Dee and Man Get Out

William Beckett "Compromising Me"-- 4/6

(Jiminine Christmas, guys I’m so sorry about how late this is)

I was a big fan of William Beckett’s old band  The Academy  is...  his voice is a large part of what  drew me to TAI. When I caught wind of this single I had to check it out.

Now that I've heard it, I'm very intrigued about this new sound. No longer simply the prety boy next door, Bekett has grown up into a foxier, more confinant person. “Compromising Me" has a hint of electronic flair with Beckett's precise, smooth voice.  Unlike other artists who've gone solo that I've heard, his backup band manages to bring the same degree of  professionalism  and  talent to the table that Beckett does.*

He brings a proud, yet dignified tone and still wears that winning smile fans have come to adore.

If this track is any indication, Beckett has lost some of his shyness, and really stepped into his own. 

I look forward to Walk the Talk.

*I have been unable to locate this information, but I suspect the "band" is entirely Beckett's handy work.

Man Get Out ("Berlin" single, This is What Happens When You Whisper into A Megaphone)4/6


Here's a little blurb on these guys from their drummer:
"Man Get Out began our journey in late 2008. We all met through mutial friends, and played our first show together in May 2009. At this first show we were approached by sony and asked to add our track Doppler to the Playstation 3 game Hustle Kings. This secured our first media coverage in the form of a half page feature in the Liverpool echo and a live interview on Radio City Talk.

Various shows up and down the UK followed, including a couple of decent 'battle of the bands' cometitions which we won. The first funded the recording of our first EP “This Is What Happens When You Whisper Through A Megaphone” (available on itunes and spotify, and also from www.mangetout.tv). The second was judged by Mitch Winehouse, who said some nice things about us.

In 2011 we decided to get an extra guitarist to help us beef up the live sound, making us become a five piece.  We kept on gigging, and found ourselves gaining another high-profile fan. That fan was BBC Radio 2 DJ Janice Long. Our meeting came at a gig at Hoxton Underbelly in London where she was watching a band called Flight Brigade. After our show she commented that she really liked us and asked for a cd. We were then taken by surprise to hear our track Geronimo aired on her show later that evening. Around a week later she invited us to perform a live session and interview on her show. This marked one of our greatest achievements to date and also one of our most fun and rewarding experiences as a band. Janice has continued to champion us ever since and regularly plays us on her show. She solidified her support by naming us as her band of the year and even made the trip up to Liverpool to present and compere our sell out single launch event for our single Berlin in Mojo Liverpool in January 2012.

The video for Berlin, our latest single is available to see on youtube - http://youtu.be/V_A_O_OSgIw - and the track is available on itunes, spotify and physically from www.mangetout.tv . We continue to perform live shows as often as possible (dates on the website), and will release more music and videos throughout 2012.

"

First, as per request, the video for Man Get Out’s single "Berlin":

I tend to expect bad things from younger bands; it's part of the nature of learning. I was surprised to hear something both professional and well orchestrated in Man Get Out.  With a splash of synth work and a playful 90s eruo-pop sound, Man Get Out has a catchy sound with fun vocals. I would love to hear more from them. 

Bob Dee with Petro  Up All Night ep. (3/6): I want to like this EP. It has an 80s American rock sound with the same insouciant attitude and rugged vocals that endeared me to rock in the first place.  In most cases, I’m fond of a gravely voice and romantic sentiments, but in Dee’s  case i t feels like there’s no effort there. The vocals are mumbled  and  nasally, often coming across forced.

I also don’t hear a single, most of the tracks don’t stand out.

However, what Dee does well is attitude there is a rugged sexuality that is palpable on the album and a sneer to his voice that is charming in its own way.

On the whole not a very strong sound, but worth a second glance.

Coming up next in full reviews:

Halestorm-  a strange case of

 Silent nightmare  Awakening