Raised By Owls are set to headline the Friday of Pentre Fest 2021 on the 25th February at Mcleans Pub, Pentre, Deeside.
Raised By Owls is an extreme metal band spawned from the depths of Derbyshire. Fusing together musical elements from various strains of metal and imbuing the lyrics with a humour moulded by misspent youths lived in rural England, Raised By Owls promises to provide you with a mild sonic disturbance, followed by an immediate apology.
Formed in 2015 by vocalist Sam Fowler, guitarist Alex LeGrice, and drummer Lee Deane, Raised By Owls was originally envisioned as a means of alleviating the boredom inherent to small-town life. After countless weekends spent in Alex's bedroom crafting music for their own enjoyment, the band decided to focus their efforts on writing and recording a full album. Released free of charge in October 2016, 'The Great British Grind Off' showcases the trio's shared love of heavy music and sardonic humour, picking on the bizarre quirks and cult figures unique to British culture. With a view to performing live, the band was brought to full strength with the addition of guitarist Mark Bainbridge and bassist Tobias Cope. Technically proficient and possessed of the same eccentric humour as the founders, Mark and Toby were viewed as the perfect fit for Raised By Owls.
With influences including Behemoth, Carcass, Napalm Death, and The Black Dahlia Murder, it is obvious as to what to expect from Raised By Owls. Their music is a no holds barred assault intended to pay homage to their influences as much as it is to purvey their own brand of warped comedy: the band strives to create technically challenging music that conveys their irreverent perspective of the world and they do so to great effect, with critics noting:
"Their appeal is not limited to getting one or two chuckles out of their listeners: they emulate and recreate the blackened grindcore sub-style with such talent and ease that it brilliantly adds to the over-the-top silliness that the five-piece has chosen to sing about."
– Far Beyond Written
"Raised By Owls have delivered what could be destined to become a cult classic. Great music with a gently twisted sense of humour, it demands to be heard."
– Totally Tankered
"Few bands have written albums as fun and engaging and varied as The Great British Grind Off. That this is only a debut album is an absolute testament to the amount of skill possessed by these lads."
– Toilet Ov Hell
Before they were in a position to perform live music, Raised By Owls worked to gather a small online following with whom they would share their music. The self-produced and self-released EP was made available online and saw the band utilise the creative talents of popular artist "Jim'll Paint It" to create an album cover that perfectly complements the eclectic nature of the lyrical content. The band understood the need to create a strong online presence as a means of expanding and engaging their fanbase and they continue to regularly update their followers. Social media has provided an ideal platform upon which to share the band's music videos, which take the form of short clips that perfectly communicate the ethos of Raised By Owls; that is, being amusing need not come at the cost of musical quality. Over the course of the past year, these videos have amassed more than three million collective views on Facebook and continue to be a large factor in the band's expansion.
With the addition of Mark and Toby and a growing online presence, Raised By Owls is now well-equipped to bring its unique brand of noise to the unsuspecting people of Great Britain and grow their fanbase in a more conventional manner. Having played a number of shows across the UK, the band continues to realise its main goal: to write and perform music that will have audiences banging their heads and laughing in equal measure.
"Everybody here at Raised By Owls is completely over the moon to have won this year's Metal 2 The Masses in Nottingham and been given the chance to play this years Bloodstock festival. Thanks to everybody involved with this years Metal 2 The Masses; Kris and IKE Productions, Phil Taylor the sound engineer, Nik for judging, all the bands that performed, everybody who came out to a show and Rob for ultimately giving us the slot. It's such a great opportunity for undiscovered metal bands out there.
Each member of the band has been attending Bloodstock as punters for years and the fact that we will be returning to the festival this year as performing artists is truly a dream come true. We cannot wait to bring our absurd brand of extreme metal to the fields of Catton Hall. We'll see you in August, Bloodstock. Get ready to give your meat a good ol' rub!"