Pool Of Sound - Astles

 

Daniel Astles is a young singer/songwriter, born in Southport in 1999, but now based in Liverpool. Since the tender age of 13 he has been playing shows and writing songs, creating a backlog of material despite his young age. Often his big vocals and ambient guitar tones leave a lasting effect of listeners. In the press he has been praised for the maturity in his songwriting. Being described as a 'major talent' by Liverpool Bands and having a 'polish beyond his years' by Getintothis.com who also had this to say about him in 2015, "what sets Astles apart from the glut of ostentatious young pretenders is his composure, a polish beyond his years on that material that, given his youth, must surely bely more than a smattering of innate talent for his art."

Generally characterised either by understated acoustic guitar of pinpoint delicacy as a bare-bones backing for his dawn-like, heaving vocal, brave in its idiosyncratic heave, or by tinges of ambient, filmic electronica. As on his newer demos, what underpins the breadth of Astles' work is the strange confidence he finds in his timorousness, as if each quivering lead lyric is matched both by intention and execution. Mostly playing solo with his electric guitar, or occasionally with a backing band, including Guitar, Violin and Percussion, Astles is described as ‘gorgeous, lilting indie’ by the NME, His songwriting celebrates the refuge of music to a young lad in the North West, surrounded by football-focussed men and machismo - to which his music is the perfect antidote. 

 

In 2017, after winning the Merseyrail Sound Station prize and stealing the show at LIMF, he released a new EP 'Live At The Nordic'. Recorded in just one afternoon, the debut offered twenty-three minutes of searching vocals, cute guitar riffs and a hell of a lot of potential. Now the Southport singer-songwriter already has a wealth of experience soaking up the creative culture of Liverpool, playing shows, hitting the studio and running his own open mic night in Southport. He’s gone from home-made Youtube videos to recording with revered sound engineer Michael Johnson – think 'Joy Division', 'Erasure' and 'Soft Cell' .He says, "This EP was sort of an accumulation of the songs written over the last few years. I sort of see it as a soundtrack of me aged 16-18. The newer stuff I’ve been writing is a lot more mature and ambitious. I’m working a lot in the studio at the moment, doing a lot of writing, and I’ll definitely be releasing some studio stuff this year." In 2019 Getintothis saw him again at Phase One, Liverpool and had this to say about him 'warming up the room', "After a clutch of singles and a stint in Bill Nickson's backing band he's here showing his finer side. With a full band behind him, Astles showcases the live credibility of his songwriting- it’s a joy to behold. The set starts with just the perfect mix of slacker beats with thunderous guitar complimenting things."

Currently recording a number of tracks in the hope to release a debut single by the end of the year Astles is grabbing comparisons to artists such as Jeff Buckley, John Martyn and Ben Howard whilst gigging relentlessly across the country in places such as London, Norwich, Manchester and Liverpool, including this years Liverpool International Music Festival at Sefton Park. Astles is currently in the development stage of his career taking time to home his craft and work with as many people as possible to mould a song which he believes is developed. Currently under the guidance of the LIMF Academy , having had massive support from BBC Radio Merseyside and Lancashire and described as 'A voice to listen out for, a sincere and earnest one filled with a smile and moving gravity.' Astles is waiting to make his first move whilst still creating waves in the city. 

2023 saw Astles secure PRS Momentum Funding while signing a publishing deal with Starwood Management and Sentric. He is playing in Liverpool on Apr 16, 2024, 7:00 PM at Baltic Market, having been to The Parish in Huddersfield on Apr 10, 2024. He kicked off the year playing at Liverpool’s world famous Cavern Club on the 23rd of January for BBC Introducing and this singer-songwriter has lots in the works for 2024, including a run of UK dates in April and lots more music to follow.

see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2024/04/pool-of-sound-reid-anderson.html