Band of the Week: The High Wire

Coldplay's Chris Martin, for one, loves them. The High Wire had in fact only been playing as their current line-up for a few weeks when the Coldplay frontman invited them to open for the band at their December 2008 arena shows. That's some baptism of fire.

The High Wire's sound, however, is far removed from the swooping stadium soundtrack of Coldplay. Instead you've got to go right back to the textured, droning guitar of Galaxie 500 or the buzzing, atmospheric soundscapes of Chapterhouse or Slowdive before you can grasp what's going on.

Yes, we are back in the heads-down world of shoegazing. The High Wire are already being tipped as ones to watch in a nascent scene bringing the sound of the early 90s Thames Valley back into venues.

The swooping, sweetly melodic 'Odds and Evens' sounds like Saint Etienne remixed by Ride, while a 'Future Ending' chugs with the same stoned menace of Jesus and Mary Chain.

Founder Tim Crompton (lead vocals, guitar) never intended the band to sound the way they did, or even for the High Wire to become a band. He was originally influenced by the sunny West Coast harmonies of the Byrds and Teenage Fanclub. Roping in Stuart Peck (guitar, vocals), Alexia Hagen (keyboards, vocals), however, saw the sound begin to change. Their woozy dynamic, like a softer, hazier version of My Bloody Valentine with flashes of New Order at their most lysergic, has already got the likes of the Guardian and Q smacking their lips.

Spinner can certainly hear why.

* The debut album, 'The Sleep Tape,' will be out in March 2010, with the single 'Odds and Evens' out on Monday (Nov. 23). The band play London's The Enterprise on Thursday (Nov. 26).