Formed on a whim over a pint three years ago in a Teignmouth pub, the Quails earned their stripes gigging in pubs in the South West, building up a loyal army of fans who were rewarded at the end of last Summer when the band were chosen to open for Muse on the first night of their Resistance Tour and were featured as part of a BBC3 documentary about the gig. They also supported The Kooks at The Eden Project and Motorhead on the main stage at The Bulldog Bash. As yet unsigned, these gigs were all as a result of them being spotted in smaller venues.
The Quails have already been confirmed this Summer on the BBC Introducing stage at Reading. They will be supporting Newton Faulkner at the Altitude Festival in Meribel in March. They’re headlining at Dartmouth Festival following Ruby Turner and will be supporting The Hoosiers and Seth Lakeman at Chagstock. There are further exciting announcements to be made in the near future.
Last year the band also played at festivals in Turkey and Jersey and headlined a number of smaller music festivals; they played on the Britbus in Bristol and for the Jack Wills sponsored varsity polo party in Windsor. A TV production company followed them to Turkey where they made a documentary about their invitation to play at an EU funded festival just 50 miles from the Iran/Iraq border. The documentary is currently being entered for national film festivals.
The Quails are genuinely impressive live. They are fronted by prolific and talented songwriter Dan Steer who has a distinctive and powerful voice and is a charismatic performer. Rythmn and energy is supplied in buckets by Sam Banks on Bass and Chris Prentice on drums. The music is on the rocky side of indie, and although there are countless nods to the greats such as The Beatles, Queen, Pink Ffloyd, Zeppelin and The Killers to name but a few, The Quails have very much developed a distinctive sound. Dan’s voice is instantly recognizable, and Max Armstrong’s guitar riffs have to be heard to be believed. Dan’s keyboard playing combines with good old rock guitar to create a perfect fusion of old and new. Topped off with sublime harmonies, it’s no wonder this band are attracting so much attention!
The Quails have just left the wonderfully atmospheric Sawmills studios on the River Fowey in Cornwall after recording their second album. Producer Simon Honywill who is the head of department for sound for The Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury said after the recording “I have just finished recording and producing their album, and it is absolute dynamite. This band is the most exciting thing I have encountered in ages.” The album, called “Master of Imperfection” will be released in May, with the first single Argentina coming out on the 3rd May. There is also a campaign afoot to get another local, unsigned band into the charts. Download Argentina in the week following the 3rd May. The Quails will be doing a National tour to support the album launch starting at The Riviera International Centre on the 8th May.
“The Quails are the perfect package. The quirky five piece storm the stage with their classic – rock-edged indie/pop tunes and cool shoes. Visually well-styled they are a record company’s dream and could easily be cut out and pasted onto a major festival stage”. Go To Magazine “The first time I saw this Indie rocking five-piece live, they blew all the other bands clean off the stage; tight, professional and oozing with energy, The Quails are the real deal”, The Fly Magazine www.myspace.com/thequailsband We’ve chosen a live track taken straight from the desk at The Muse gig and a quieter studio track that builds!
South West band The Quails is fronted Dan Steer, a prolific and talented songwriter as well as a charismatic front man with a powerful, distinctive voice. Sam Banks on bass and Chris Prentice on drums drive the sound providing the band with an energy
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Tags: local music, south devon music, the quails
