aaamusic | On 27, Jan 2011

“She has no right whatsoever to be as good as she is. It astounds me. Her writing is epic, her delivery piercing, and with the addition of her band Sound of Rum her potential is realized. Inspirational.” – Scroobius Pip
“Her works are truly of upliftment and betterment” – Roots Manuva
“…a fiery hot prospect” – XFM
“I carve lyrics into cubicle doors like they were pyramid walls and these were hieroglyphs, hold pen with an iron grip, my mind is the storm and the words are the eye in it; evil in the world, stay peaceful in spite of it; ‘cause snakes have never understood the way the lions live.” – Kate Tempest, Sound of Rum
Born out of a squat party in Peckham in the Summer of 2008, Sound Of Rum are set to release the first single to come from their debut album ‘Balance’ out on Rob da Bank’s label, Sunday Best Recordings. United in their love of alternative hip-hop, 1920s-1950s jazz, breakbeat, soul and disco and with an unquenchable thirst for literature, the trio work confidently beside their influence, standing defiantly in their own space. Sound of Rumdebut their unique sound on February 28th with the release of Slow Slow, blending infectious melodies, innovative production and soul jarring lyrics – delivered with a raw intensity from the band’s vocalist Kate Tempest. Sound of Rum shatter the boundary between performer and listener, leaving you drunk on inspiration when you didn’t even realize you were thirsty.

From early beginnings as a 16 year old, asking her male friends to blag her the mic at the Deal Real rap ciphers to being invited to speak at the 2011 Brooklyn Hip Hop festival, Kate Tempest has steadily built up a devoted following, famed for her piercing, insightful lyrics spoken with wit and clarity. Already well established internationally as a poet on the spoken word scene, Kate Tempest met Ferry Lawrenson (drums) and Archie Marsh (guitar) and after jamming together for just one night, Sound of Rum was born.

Taking their name from the body of water surrounding a small island off the coast of Scotland, the band take inspiration from the worlds of music, philosophy, politics and literature, drawing influence from Bob Dylan to Mos Def, Nina Simone, Bill Withers, James Joyce, William Blake, GZA, Jay Electronica and Patrick Hamilton. The result is freshly modernist UK hip-hop, “I have this feeling that no matter how big someone is, they have to hear what I’m doing.” says Kate. “It’s not egotism, it’s something else, a weird unshakeable belief. It comes from battling I think. No matter how humble I am, I have that in me”

Spending time between 2 studios, they were backed by an all-star team consisting of Dan Carey (La Roux, CSS, Hot Chip), John Dent (Nick Drake, Bob Marley, PJ Harvey), Bob Earland (Roots Manuva, Mr Scruff and Speech Debelle) and Rory Atwell (White Rose Movement, Male Bonding, Sleeping States) Sound Of Rum set about creating Slow Slow and it showcases Kate’s ability to ignite words that explode like Molotov cocktails hitting concrete and Ferry and Archie provide a sophisticated back-drop for Kate’s rhythm-sparring flow “Paused on the brink of a gaping precipice, hesitant, derelict, slow from the sedative. Devilish people never stop asking where the treasure is – and i reply ‘everything is relative, man.’ So, whatever the case then – never this feeling. I’m stealing a sly glance at what could have been. I’m in a trance asking ‘what comes next?’ How long before the last sun sets over our heads?” An ode to reckless behavior and a quest for self-improvement, Kate explains “its about living badly when you know you have the potential for a more higher, fruitful living”.

With their eagerly anticipated debut album Balance due out later this year and their recently announced 4-week residency at the Old Queens Head in February, 2011 is set to be the year all their hard work pays off.

4 WEEK RESIDENCY FEBRUARY 2011
Every Tuesday @ Old Queens Head, N1 8LN

Tuesday 1st
Tuesday 8th
Tuesday 15th
Tuesday 22nd