A Lonely Crowd

A Lonely Crowd is an experimental/progressive rock band hailing from Melbourne, Australia. Steadfastly original and left of center, this four-piece band panders neither to fickle public tastes nor current trends, and are all the better for it. They create a sound that is quirky, engaging, catchy and absolutely their own. With brothers Luke and Scott Ancell on guitars/keys and drums respectively, the music alternately soothes and shreds, takes you in all manner of directions and constantly keeps you guessing. At the same time, it remains staunchly cohesive and just plain grooving. Soaring above it all are the gutsy, dynamic vocals of Xen Havales, with an off-the-wall combination of Kate Bush and Chrissie Amphlett. Lachlan Kirkbright has taken the duties of playing bass, since departures of previous players. The band joined the prestigious independent record label ‘Birds Robe Records’ (home of sleepmakeswaves, The Red Paintings, Tangled Thoughts of Leaving etc), and have shared the stage with such luminaries as Dead Letter Circus, Cog, Closure in Moscow, sleepmakeswaves, Mammal, The Red Paintings, Caligula's Horse and Twelve Foot Ninja. The band have also stunned crowds at such festivals as Progfest and Rock the Bay with their intense and entertaining live show, and attained much national and international airplay. On June 11th, 2016 A Lonely Crowd released their third album 'Devil in the Detail' through Bird’s Robe Records. The album itself is a significant deviation from their last release with a stronger emphasis on melodic themes, while still retaining the band’s unique brand of progressive exploration. The album was recorded by the band themselves, mixed/produced by David Carr at Rangemaster Melbourne and mastered by Martin Pullan at Edensound Melbourne. Much like their last release, ‘Devil in the Detail’ is a unique showcase of songs, each of which takes the listener down a different path. The album is a musical tour de force that encompasses genres ranging from the hard-edged progressive rock to subtler elements of jazz, pop and future soul, all the while retaining the band’s signature urgency for vast dynamic range. The release also introduces an ambitious blend of intricately layered vocal themes and instrumental motifs unique to the band’s career. Early 2014 saw the release of their second album Transients, the follow up to 2011’s debut record User Hostile. Transients sees the band spreading their wings in every possible way; their musicianship, composition, production (courtesy of Tomas Fitzgerald and the band themselves) and the sheer imaginative and emotional depth of their sound. It is an enigma and a powerhouse all at once. Prior to the release of Transients, in December, 2013 the band dropped their music video for ‘Blur’ – a fantastically surreal piece by director Clayton Smith. The music video was aired on ABC’s RAGE and has captivated fans with its dreamlike themes, special effects and enigmatic characters. ‘A Lonely Crowd’. It’s a contradiction in terms, but contradiction is what this band is all about. Strange, but strangely appealing, this band is forging an identity all its own. A LONELY CROWD is: Luke Ancell: Guitars/Keys Scott Ancell: Drums/Percussion Xen Havales: Vocals/Keys Lachlan Kirkbright: Bass Email: alonelycrowdband@gmail.com Blur Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxX-zh2k-tk www.alonelycrowd.com www.alonelycrowd.bandcamp.com www.facebook.com/alonelycrowd www.reverbnation.com/alonelycrowd www.youtube.com/user/alonelycrowd/videos www.alonelycrowd.bandcamp.com www.alonelycrowd.com