call the doctor

Introduction

Female fronted, critically acclaimed (NME, MTV, BBC 6 Music) Bristol four-piece release debut album proper on Glasstone Records, titled HANDS WILL SHAKE. “When you're not attempting to reinvent the musical wheel you need to be able to drop in a healthy dose of twists and hooks to make irresistible guitar pop. Call The Doctor manage it effortlessly. Reel me in.” Marc Riley, BBC Radio 6 Music

Bio

Bristol four-piece Call The Doctor have put out a slew of hi-octane singles and EPs, gaining accolades from outlets as diverse as DIY blogs to MTV, The NME, and BBC Radio 6. ‘Hands Will Shake’ captures the band’s ferocious live shows that have lit up European festival audiences, including Ladyfest, and support slots with Japanese punk-pop legends Shonen Knife. Led by the infectious energy and unique voice of New Zealand born front-woman Patti Aberhart (who has been compared to Blondie, Florence Welch and Siouxsie Sioux in equal measure), ‘Hands Will Shake’ captures the band’s love of DIY punk, Riot Grrl and their ability to get you dancing in a true indie disco style… if you think of indie as the new club music. Recently signed to punk stable Glasstones Records, Call The Doctor were formed by a mutual love of live guitar music and a desire to get the crowd involved and moving. With influences ranging from the beat of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the power of Sleater Kinney (whose ‘Call The Doctor’ album gave the band their name), the huff of Elastica and the soul of PJ Harvey. Groove, melody and attitude drive Call The Doctor’s powerful guitar pop. ‘Hands Will Shake’ delivers the same perfection as today’s commercial pop music by pairing producers best suited to songs, but it flips this into a world where guitars bring the hooks instead of samples and soul drives the melodies instead of saccharine sentiment. Four producers help Call The Doctor crystallize the songs sentiments accordingly whilst never straying from the band’s tight, organic sound. From young pop whiz kid Dan Goudie shining the kick drum and harmonies on ‘Take It Out’ to indie legend Paul Tipler (Placebo, Idlewild) putting a macabre cabaret atmosphere into ‘For Your Leisure’ ‘Hands Will Shake’s has 11 perfectly realised tracks. ‘Hands Will Shake’ is Call The Doctor’s debut. It sets a new benchmark in female-fronted guitar punk and revives guitar music back to its exciting, innovative heyday. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you require hi-res images, download links or would like time with the band or guest list for a live review.

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Q. How did you first get into playing music?

patti studied music in new zealand before moving here. rob and chris are self taught guitarists and jordan is studying music at the moment!

Q. How long have you been performing?

the present incarnation of call the doctor has been together for about a year now. some of us have been playing together for almost 4 years though!

Q. How would you describe your sound in one sentence?

danceable, angular, intense guitar pop.

Q. What makes your music unique?

we each have quite different influences and as we all contribute equally to songwriting that pulls the band in different directions to hopefully create a unique beast at the end of it all.

Q. What inspires you to write songs?

sad times, happy times.... any extreme of emotion... sometimes boredom!

Q. What have been your best and worst gig experiences?

worst: leicester at a battle of the bands to play at a covers festival! all the other bands were terrible, as was the judges taste in music! it was pretty funny though, we met a guy from a Guns n roses tribute band who wanted us to help him connect with his estranged son who lived in bristol!

Q. If you had to listen to one album for the rest of your life what would it be?

the best of def leppard. or maybe my 10-CD best of punk and new wave complication album :) that'd probably have more legs...

Q. What do you get up to when you’re not making music?

working to buy new strings and put petrol in the touring wagon.

Q. What are your goals at the moment?

to reach as many people as possible with our music! and have a tonne of fun along the way. we are prolific songwriters given the time, so some more time to write would be nice too....

Q. What have you been working on lately? Any new tracks or gigs lined up?

we have a debut full length album out on 30 July called Hands Will Shake, released through an indie label based in bath called gladstone records. one song off it is on heavy rotation on marc riley's 6 music show at present, called 'wrecking ball'

Q. What do you think of Unsigned Band Review?

it's lovely and kind and caring about new music. it's been very supportive of us in the past.

Q. What is the name of the last track that you wrote and what is it about?

'wrecking ball' about love and relationships and all that stuff that makes the world go round...

Q. What was the music scene like where you grew up?

i grew up in a village in north devon. there was no music scene! i eventually moved to london as a teenager and that was the polar opposite!! the barfly was at the camden falcon then and we used to go there and then to the camden palace as often as we could scrape the £2 entrance together!

Reviews

Act name: call the doctor

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Reviews of: Take It Out (2)

14 0 2

This is a big one-drumstick-in-the-air good time rock song. It starts like a Yes track, ends like Blondie, and the middle's pure Paramore.

Reviewed by
Pete Donaldson
08 January 2013
Sounds a bit like Blondie which is a good thing. This is cool. Great track - very upbeat and good fun.

Reviewed by
Annie Christensen
03 January 2013

Act name: call the doctor

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Reviews of: Closer To Home (1)

42 2 1

The Production is a bit of a mash but at least it has captured the undoubted energy in Call The Doctor. I'm liking the female front voice which has sensibly been mixed UP. It's the best thing on this track. She sounds like she might be a Star - and she sounds like she might be a Star : Patti Aberhart.

Reviewed by
Simon Li
04 September 2012