This week I got some new speakers for my laptop. So when I heard I would be reviewing an alternative rock group from Scotland, I figured it would be the perfect chance to annoy my neighbors. And I wasn't disappointed.

I'm a strong believer that the Glasgow music scene can rival that of anywhere in the world. For a small country, there are so many great Scottish bands who continue to bring new sounds to the indie scene.

The Hardy Souls are among them. Formed in 2008, they have earned a reputation as one of the freshest bands in Glasgow. The five members of the band – Craig O'Neill, Campbell Lindsay, Ross Lindsay, Craig Watson, and Seb Jonsen – are all music fanatics who love to play live.

Something that struck me the most when listening to the band was the quality of their recording. One of the biggest problems with listening to unsigned rock bands is that rock music is actually expensive to produce and hard to record well.

This concern does not affect any of the band’s tracks. There are none of the tinny guitars or echoing drums you often get with low-budget recordings. The only reason I can think of for this is the band pays much attention to the way they sound.

In fact, the band’s output is a sophisticated mix of furious drum fills and blues inspired guitar solos. Check out 'The Minority' and you'll definitely get a taste of this, along with a Rolling Stones vibe. Unsurprisingly, the Stones, along with Pink Floyd and The Who, are some of the band’s key influences.

It is this 60's inspired-rock influence combined with a more modern indie feel that gives the band its character. Currently working on some new material and hoping to release a demo sometime soon, The Hardy Souls continue to gig around Scotland honing their skills for the inevitable instance they are approached by the record labels.

So crank your speakers up to 11 and get ready to rock out to The Hardy Souls, yet another promising act to come out of Scotland, and definitely an unsigned band to watch.

Rating: 4/5

- James “Scotty” Crawford (allmusicjunkies.com)

http://www.allmusicjunkies.com/magaz...

The Hardy Souls are delighted to announce we will be supporting The Strange Boys on their forthcoming tour at The Admiral Bar, Glasgow on 20th August (their only Scottish date). The Strange Boys lead the pack in Austin’s garage rock and pop revival playing their own brand of 1960s Nuggets-inspired rock and bleary-eyed psychedelia.

Tickets are now available from tickets scotland http://www.tickets-scotland.com/book... or you can contact us directly for discounted tickets. This promises to be a fantastic night so don't miss out, for more information on The Strange boys visit their myspace site - http://www.myspace.com/thestrangeboys, also have a look at what the press have to say about them....

"Our New Favorite Band" - Rolling Stone Magazine

http://www.rollingstone.com/blogs/sm...

The Strange Boys @ The Echo, Los Angeles, Live Review: 30/06/09 - Evil Monito Magazine:

http://evilmonito.com/2009/07/03/the...

In The Red Records page:

http://www.intheredrecords.com/pages...

Paste Magazine:

http://www.pastemagazine.com/article...

Brookly Vegan review:

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archive...

So tune in now before everyone else does.

Cheers

The Hardy Souls

Craig O'Neill - Vox, Guitars
Campbell Lindsay - Lead Guitar, Vox
Ross Lindsay - Rhythm Guitar
Craig Watson - Bass
Seb Jonsen - Drums & Percussion

Management:
Barny Taplin, Carlton Studios. Contact: barny@carltonstudios.co.uk

Bookings:
craig.george.watson@hotmail.co.uk
craig_echoes@hotmail.co.uk