Azure

UK prog-synth-rockers KYROS continue their meteoric rise with acclaim across UK press and radio alike. Announcing their 4th studio album ?Mannequin?, to be released on February 2nd 2024, together with a UK tour, the upcoming album offers some of the bands most electrifying, fiercely unique and all round breath-taking work to date with 10 tracks of intricate Prog musicianship intertwined with synth-pop influences and topped with some elegant, infectiously catchy melodies. Lead vocalist Shelby explains: "Our upcoming album, ?Mannequin? is like peeling back layers of paint on an old canvas. With each track, we're exploring the masks we all wear, the stories we tell ourselves to get by. This album is a real heart-on-sleeve affair for us and it's probably the most 'us' we've ever sounded. It's about what happens when the facade cracks and you're left with nothing but the truth. Nothing but your true self. We can't wait for everyone to hear it and perhaps see themselves in it, just like we do.? Having built a reputation for their synth heavy prog rock sound, Kyros have gained widespread acclaim for their unique music approach, high octane live shows and fiercely DIY approach. With widespread acclaim from the likes of Prog Magazine, Total Rock, Earmilk, Music Crowns, Fame Magazine and Prog Rock Journal, the band have toured across the US and Europe, played sets at a number of UK and EU festivals and opened for the likes of Marillion, Spock?s Beard and IQ. Now preparing to release their new album, the band continue to build momentum, cementing themselves as one of the most exciting new bands on the UK Prog scene. AZURE are an idiosyncratic fusion of contemporary and classic progressive music. With a strong focus on narrative songwriting and intricate melodic and harmonic composition, Azure's music is starting to garner cult following of fans worldwide. Azure was founded in Brighton, UK by Chris Sampson and Galen Stapley, where they recorded their first album, Wish For Spring, an eclectic and colourful debut, independently released in 2017. This was followed in 2018 with their one-song epic Redtail, released as an EP, exploring themes of miscommunication and ostracisation through the eyes of an ill-fated soothsayer. After some time focused on other projects, Azure returned with an intense standalone single in 2021, Mistress which was their breakout from obscurity, into the wider progressive consciousness. This was followed by their 2021 full-length sophomore release: Of Brine And Angel's Beaks, a critically applauded rumination on rebirth. The band was voted PROG Magazine's Best Unsigned band in the 2021 reader's poll. With a vibrant live show, the band gigged and toured this new material in the UK and Euroblast Festival in Germany, while also releasing another standalone single in 2022, Spark Madrigal, a frequently bitonal, energetic, and surprisingly catchy 84-chord showcase of the band's disregard for convention. Azure are currently working on their third full-length album, which is shaping up to be their most ambitious release to date. Leoni Jane Kennedy is a Blackpool born, London based musician and songwriter, often described as 'haunting' by her audiences. With intricate guitar riffs alongside powerful, soulful vocals, she is achieving a new rock sound with progressive influence in her rhythmic and melodic structures and lyrics that surpass her years. Sponsored by Yamaha and endorsed by Orange Amplification in 2014, Leoni received endorsements from PRS Guitars and Boss Pedals in later years. In 2018, 'Queen's? Brian May and Roger Taylor awarded her the 'Freddie Mercury' Scholarship, covering her entire university tuition fees. Leoni moved to London to study a Masters in Songwriting and has been on tour in 2023 with Prog Magazine's album of the year winner, 'The Anchoress', supporting live shows with an acoustic set of original material and taking up electric guitar duties for the main set. Leoni?s latest album 'New World Woman' is an acoustic compilation of reinterpreted RUSH tracks. PRS Guitars recently announced Leoni as a 2023/24 Pulse Artist, supporting her as an up-and-coming independent musician in the industry.