More than Conquerors is a band formed in early 2009 and rapidly found community acclaim in the bosom of their native Belfast the quartet’s charms also won them fans in acts such as Jimmy Eat World, Feeder, Twin Atlantic, General Fiasco, Fighting With Wire and Mojo Fury – shaping a super-tight live show and garnering an enthusiastic, sing-a-long fan base.
Signing to Northern Irish indie Smalltown America (And So I Watch You From Afar, LaFaro, Jetplane Landing) in early 2010, the band quickly released their debut EP ‘More Than Conquerors’ to an expectant audience. Drawing comparisons to a spunky, early Arctics and the aggressive, cerebral pop of Philadelphia’s mewithoutYou; the record’s sweeping choruses and angular rhythms gained ‘MTC’ recognition within the BBC Introducing platform and on BBC Radio Ulster’s ‘Across The Line’ radio show - surprising many with their ‘Rapture-style punk-funk ‘ and leading to a main-stage appearance at Northern Irish festival Glasgowbury in the summer of 2011.
Their latest EP ‘Boots & Bones’ draws from that same well of inspiration but also broadens the band’s sonic palette. There are audible elements of their much-missed hometown heroes Six Star Hotel on tracks such as ‘A Lion A Man’ and on standout track ‘Hunting For The Whale’ lead singer Kris Platt simultaneously channels the vocal purity of Lindsey Buckingham and the lyrical whimsy of Midlake’s Tim Smith.
Live the band are playful and passionate. They recently played the BBC Introducing stage at T In The Park, as well as a headline tour of the UK. Their hard graft has not gone unnoticed as they have now been added to the playlist on BBC Radio 1's national playlist.
Above is the official music video for the song "Bear Knuckle Fight" from the album Boots and Bones by More than Conquerors. The video is a recording of one of their concerts and aptly displays the bands energy and their very close relationship with their fans. Their strong relationship with their fans is reinforced by the fact that they are so close to them in the video and the fact that the camera looks at the crowd a lot as well as many of the shots of the band seem to be from the point of view of the crowd watching the performance.In the video lots of the shots of the band from the fans and their are a lot of canted angle shots which symbolises the listener being intoxicated by the bands music. Also the guitarist climbs into the crowd to play among them which adds to the impression of closeness. The lights are constantly flashing in the video which I think demonstrates the intensity and energetic live performances of the band which have become their trade mark.
The band always wears there normal clothes when performing which demonstrates their laid back and comfortable environment they strive to create at their shows. The band treats all of their fans as if they where a member of the band which is probably how they have been able to gather such a dedicated following. In everything the band does they are very bare bones all about the music and the experience they give fans, they don't really focus on aesthtetics but instead letting the music capture the listeners heart.
The band always wears there normal clothes when performing which demonstrates their laid back and comfortable environment they strive to create at their shows. The band treats all of their fans as if they where a member of the band which is probably how they have been able to gather such a dedicated following. In everything the band does they are very bare bones all about the music and the experience they give fans, they don't really focus on aesthtetics but instead letting the music capture the listeners heart.
The video for "A lion A man" is one that is very bare bones yet effective. It matches the bands general ethos of concentrate on the music and just have a decent music video so that the music can take full frontal position in the viewers mind. Saying that this video is simple but at the same time brilliant, the way in which the video is shot as a single continuous shot is very impressive and captures the eye of the watcher.
The above is the album art from the recent More than Conquerors album called boot and bones, the picture is strange but in an odd way it suits the bands image, the bear head on the man's body shows the primal sense from the band also it relates to the theme of the album, the titles in the album mostly contain animal references for example: Bear Knuckle fight, The deer and the fox, Hunting for the whale,A lion A man. In my personal opinion I feel that this album was a spark of pure genius and it received great reviews from many critics and magazines.
Overall the band accurately lines up with Small Town Americas style of music producing in that "good music will be heard". Small town America only take on bands who's music they like and feel other people should have a chance to hear them not because they have a better chance of turning a profit because of having a main steam genre. This odd way of choosing bands to produce has lead them to the discovery of a band who i feel will someday attain global fan audiences for their electrifying and encapsulating music.
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