Dudley/Halesowen unsigned act The Creature Appeal open up about gig

So perhaps it is no surprise that when The Ticket talks to musicians newly spotted on our radar the same names crop up when they discuss their mutual love of and respect for each other.

And so it transpires when Dudley and Halesowen outfit The Creature Appeal speak to us about their hopes and dreams and to shout up about their next big show.

"The local music scene is really diverse and interesting; there is always something going on at The Sunflower Lounge that is worth seeing," they tell us, referencing the intimate 120-capacity venue in Birmingham city centre that has played host to so many of the bands that have appeared on this page.

"We’ve played a fair few gigs with bands such as Tinned Astronaut, Second Hand Genes and Runaway Hounds, who are all a great bunch. Pluviam are a great band also, and we try to go to each other's gigs whenever we can."

Runaway Hounds, of course, are a former The Ticket Unsigned act from last year, while the other two have appeared on the pages of The Star and its websites from playing shows alongside various others.

And with this year's edition of the Birmingham Music Awards coming up on May 16 and the Black Country Music Awards on June 21 - nominations for both currently open - The Creature Appeal will be hoping to be one of the acts pushing themselves into recognition for 2019.

Halesowen guitarist and lead vocalist Tony Turner, aged 20, bassist Conor Sharphouse, 20, from Dudley, guitarist Campbell Air, also 20 and from Dudley, and Andy Wilson, 19, their drummer from Cleobury Mortimer in Shropshire, are feeling 'ambitious'.

"We’ve been promoting the Birmingham Music Awards on our social media a little bit," they continue. "We would be honoured to even be considered in one of the categories.

READ MORE: Unsigned Wolverhampton band Runaway Hounds talk ahead of city gig

"It’s a little ambitious as we haven’t been around for very long compared to a lot of the other bands, but we’ve been trying to get ourselves out there into the scene more and more so we’ll have to see what happens."

They are halfway through their second year with their current line-up. But this isn't their first attempt at cracking the local music scene.

"Three of us - Toby, Conor and Andy - attended the same college in Stourbridge together and we were all involved in music in some way. Andy and Toby played together in a previous band and eventually Conor joined in the autumn of 2016.

"After a year of playing together, we picked up guitarist Campbell in the late summer of 2017. We all then went started university so it was harder to play consistent gigs. However, after an excellent few shows in January last year we decided to take the band to the next level and concluded we would need to change our name."

That name is The Creature Appeal.

"We’re all big fans of bands like Arctic Monkeys, Kings of Leon and Viola Beach, and long-time supporters will recognise that we’ve covered all of these bands at some point," they continue. "We enjoy the sound of all of these bands and use it at a base platform for our music."

Last year the four-piece dropped their debut EP You Shouldn't, But I Know You Probably Will - resplendent with its 90s cult cartoon colourful cover. It contained four tracks full of thumping percussion and clinking guitar melodies that are all indie dancehall foot-tappers.

"Feedback from our EP has been really positive! Our favourite thing about it is that whenever we ask someone what their favourite song is, they usually respond with a different answer to the previous person, which we see as a great thing."

Feedback from the recorded versions has extended to their live shows, too. Local music fans are taking the time to learn their songs and make the whole process worthwhile for the lads.

"In live performances, it’s great to see people in the crowd singing along to your songs, and we’ve noticed this happens more and more after our EP was released," they add.

"Our final song of each set is usually our debut single On My Mind, and for our last couple of shows people have been singing back every word, which is a tremendously uplifting feeling."

On My Mind pre-dates the EP and has a much more aggressive undercurrent to it with the bass slithering menacingly below. Sounding a lot like accented indie chart toppers of the 00s like The Holloways or The Subways, it's a nice hark back to a powerful time for British music. That energy, they say, can be seen in their shows.

"If someone were to come to one of our live shows, they should expect a lot of energy, with some catchy indie tunes and some on-stage antics," they continue. "We think our live performances have been getting better with every one, so we wouldn’t want people to miss out."

And people don't have to. They are back on-stage next month and have issued an open invite to come join the party.

"Our concert on March 9 is at a great venue in Selly Oak called The Bristol Pear. We’re supporting a great band such as Feet, and fellow support includes Flares and Sleepy Heads. This will be our first gig of 2019, so we’re definitely going to fill it with passion."

And that passion should transfer to anyone who wants to go along and see what the Appeal is about these Black Country Creatures.

The Creature Appeal can be found on Twitter @CreatureAppeal and Facebook @TheCreatureAppealBand. Their single On My Mind and EP can be heard by searching for them on Spotify. Tickets for The Bristol Pear gig can be bought here.