I have listened to a lot of Kiwi music over the years, however being from the North of England (Sheffield, home of the Arctic Monkeys), I have a great appreciation of different styles.
The Favoured Few are a cross between Arctic Monkeys and The Killers and this becomes very apparent on the opening track of this EP, See the Sun. It’s more on the pop side rather than the raw rock of the early Arctic Monkeys songs, and this should appeal to the masses. The production is good, but sometimes less is more.
Kings of Leon came to mind on Pick Up Your Gun and Cry Wolf and it was more the vocals than anything else.
I would like to see them develop more of an individual unique style, and I hope this will come over time. At the moment it sounds like they are trying to be all of their favourite artists on one EP.
I preferred Amadeus Vincent’s vocals on See the Sun than Pick Up Your Gun as I am not a fan of Caleb Followill (Kings of Leon) personally.
The rest of the band consist of Matthew Henkin (Lead Guitar), Ronan Mooney (Drums), Chris Stickland (Bass) & Sel Goosen (Rhythm Guitar).
The cover for the EP is great to see, especially the comments thanking parents for the use of the practice space, nice touch.
I imagine these guys are awesome live and I can’t wait to see them. I wish them all the best success as New Zealand is really missing a great Northern England sounding band like these.
To be told that your music has a certain ‘magic’ about it and creates a special connection with the audience is no small feat and this is exactly what The Favoured Few heard at a recent gig in Auckland. The Favoured Few are five musicians from East Auckland who are infusing their talents and musical influences to create as they call it, “Indie Rock with an arena feel”. The boys have been gigging regularly around Auckland since November 2012, whilst staying busy in the studio recording their self-titled debut EP, which was released on the 22nd November this year.
Their rigorous gigging schedule has meant that they deliver a polished live performance that connects with the audience and makes sure that everyone’s dancing. The Favoured Few always draw an audience and with their own brand of catchy, easy to sing along to Indie rock they are sure to make their own special mark on the New Zealand music scene.