Shape Of Water + The Mind Sweepers

Shape of Water is an alternative art-rock band formed in 2018 from Manchester, United Kingdom. The band's music has no boundaries and is sure to redefine rock music as you know it… 

Rox Capriotti and Luca De Falco met in 2004 in their hometown of San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy. Their first band they formed together was called The Lotus. Over the following few years, the band had various members step in and out on drums and bass guitar, however Rox and Luca kept the band together and on track. In 2015, the band relocated to Manchester, UK in search of new music experiences. 

The band had a short hiatus period and eventually decided to split up. Rox and Luca remained close, writing music together however the rest of the band moved on, or back to Italy. After the breakup of The Lotus, Rox and Luca decided to move ahead once again, on their own together and thus gave birth to Shape of Water. 

After writing dozens of songs, they carefully selected the best of the best, and started recording new material in early 2018 with producer Paul Reeve (Muse, Beta Band, Supergrass) at Airfield Studios. The band also brought on Sky Van Hoff (Rammstein, Kreator, Caliban) to mix the songs "Scar" and "Not All the Things", and the drums on the album were performed by Marco Lancs. The result was a ten-song album entitled Great Illusions. The album deals mainly with the misconception of human feelings, politics, and society. 

While shopping the Great Illusions album for a deal, they independently released their first single "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" which is a cover of the British 80's rock band, Ultravox. Coincidentally just a few days after its release, the band heard back from Eclipse Records who had expressed interest in working with the band and shortly thereafter signed a deal with the label. 

Great Illusions was released in the Summer of 2020 and received critical acclaim from dozens of respected media outlets including (but not limited to) Classic Rock, Metal.de, Punktastic, Sonic Perspective, Metallized.it just to name a few. The band was unable to promote it live due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic however, the duo was able to quickly adapt with the use of live-streaming performances which were widely received. Shape Of Water also spent time “reinventing” some of their songs for an early 2021 EP release entitled Lockdown On Mars. The EP is an exciting cinematic rebirth of electro art-rock that you need to hear to believe! Reimagined, re-recorded cinematic versions of “Mars-X” and “The World Is Calling Me” highlight the Lockdown On Mars EP which was produced by Paul Reeve (Muse, Supergrass, Beta Band) and mixed by Rox Capriotti. These instant classics, along with an electro-acoustic version of “Perfect Love” and a daring remake of Still Karma entitled “The Great Still Karma” breathe new life into these fan favourites. Top it all off with a cover of Hurt by Nine Inch Nails, and this EP sets a new bar for the alternative electro-rock scene. The world has been calling for more Shape Of Water, and they have answered! Lockdown On Mars was released worldwide on February 12, 2021 

The boys played at Rockmantic on the Road at The Waterloo Bar in Blackpool and blew the audience away with their energy. That day many more fans were made! If you a fan of Muse these guys are right up your street! 

Our support act is the experienced local boys The Mind Sweepers. They are all  are from South West Scotland and  comprise of  Paul Winter (vocals/rhythm guitar/keys/lyrics), John McInally (lead guitar), Mark Jardine (bass), and Bryn Thorburn (drums/percussion/photography). They were formed in May of 2014. All their material is original and could only be described as eclectic with regard to genre.

"We would describe our music as… Genre-defying. Wholly original lyrics and arrangements,  Pigeon-holes are for pigeons, and we dinnae live in a Doocot. Each member of the band comes from different realms with regard to influences, Paul’s influences range from Pink Floyd to Doves, via Jon Martyn and early Elton John, topped-off with a bit o’ 70’s Disco-seasoning. John’s influences are more guitar heavy, anywhere from Hendrix tae Johnny Marr, whilst also cradling a deep love of Soul. Bryn’s influences are more punk than anything, with a healthy interest in Soul and anything in-between..except Prog-Rock..and anything even vaguely representing ‘Hippie Pish’..he disnae like thon..at all, but, being the ‘Groove Sensation’ that he is, it’s all relative! Mark is the most recent member of the band joining August 2016."

Background Information:

Paul had been performing as a solo Singer/Songwriter for quite a few years, as well as singing in a couple of bands in his youth, and had built up quite a repertoire of self-penned songs as a result. The decision to have a go at starting a band arose from an advert by Bryn, on Facebook advertising the sale of a Ludwig drum kit in 2014. After a brief téte-a-téte the pair decided to have a go at the classic mid-life crisis move of forgoing the Harley Davidson and/or hair transplant and concentrate on getting a band together. Along with two others they began the long and arduous journey of pulling a set together, which, when you’re dealing with original material, isn’t an overnight affair.

Two years and a few line-up changes, the Mind Sweepers have become a tight solid live act playing throughout Dumfries and Galloway, Glasgow, Manchester and a host of Festival gigs including Eden Festival, Knockengorroch Festival and Solfest.

The Mind Sweepers work with a Manchester based Record Company, German Shepherd Records and have released two singles- “Mating Game” and “Away Wi’ Ye Wumman” as well as giving a track “Threesome” to the record company’s annual charity album Malawi which is raising money for the charity Mary’s Meals who help starving people around the world.
The plans for the future are to get back into the studio and record our debut album and to continue to be a great original live band.