# data[].attributes.body
Next week we have our debut London show at The Finsbury Pub with Turtle Tempo supporting Japan, Man. We have been rehearsing plenty for this gig and working out what our best setlist would be for this gig to make sure our first London show goes well. We have decided on the following setlist:

Going Down

Rollercoaster

The D Word

Love's Not Gone

You and I

Beneath The Sheets

Lifeline

# data[].attributes.body
As a band, we have been working out what we want our artwork for our releases to look like and where we want to order them from. We have already organised and received the finalised version of Lifeline but now need to decide on Beneath The Sheets and the EP.

We ended up deciding to purchase some form of commission work from Bonnie Longman for the EP cover art and then use the website artgrab.io for Beneath The Sheets which I would later edit. Our current favourite was the piece above which will most likely be the one we go with.

# data[].attributes.body
We got our first mix of Rollercoaster back from Ben Knight. I absolutely love what he has done with the mix and the levels he has kept everything at. He decided to remove any harmonies I recorded for the song because he wasn't sure how he felt about them but I surprisingly like it considering I am used to having quite a lot of harmonies in my songs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Stream Rollercoaster Mix 1 by Caitlin McEvoy on desktop and mobile. Play over 320 million tracks for free on SoundCloud.

# data[].attributes.body
We also got our first mix of Beneath The Sheets back from Ben Knight which I also love. I wanted some of the harmonies to be a bit louder in the bridge and I also liked the idea of his guitar solo being a little bit louder as it is one of my favourite parts of the track so I would like for it to stand out a bit more. I also wanted a slight bit more reverb on the vocals

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I am a pop/soul/little bit of indie singer songwriter from Brighton.

# data[].attributes.body
Bonnie sent over a big update on our artwork for Dancing 'Round The Room today, all that is now left to be added to this were the two people in the road!

# data[].attributes.body
I decided on using Bandzoogle to create a website for the band. I wanted sections that show our upcoming gigs, music for when it is released, an about us and some photos! Furthermore, I would like to add a mailing list to the website so that we can build a small, strong audience who will get our updates straight to their inbox. JT thought of the name 'McE-Mail'!!!I found a domain that we can use so we have paid for this so that we can use this: mcevoyuk.com

# data[].attributes.body
This gig went absolutely amazing, it was probably my favourite gig that we have done so far. We brought in about 40 people which we definitely we not expecting and Gabriela - booking agent from the promotion company - said to me at the end that she wished that she had put us down as the headliners. We had the crowd singing along to a couple of our tracks, especially Lifeline and we also had people putting lighters in the air during our acoustic track , You and I, without prompting them to.

# data[].attributes.body
'Kelly was followed by McEvoy, a classic five-piece indie rock band out of Brighton. Their performance was nothing short of awe inducing, I don’t think I saw a single person in the audience not dancing… To be fair that might’ve been because I was too busy dancing to pay much attention to anyone else but of course I think that only further demonstrates my point. I want to specifically shout out their Bassist (I believe his name was JT) who brought such an incredible energy to the stage and hyped up the crowd in a way bassists rarely do. To my dismay, I’ve had trouble finding their music online but that might be a blessing in disguise because it just means I’ll have to see them live again.'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As music became mass published in the 20 th century and we all started listening to the same artists the idea of local musicians started to decline. The many wonderful results of pop-culture aside for a moment, it certainly changed the average person's relationship to music, as we all started listening to the same artists who could be anywhere in the world we became less driven to listen to whoever was playing the local bar that weekend.

Though it didn't entirely die, a lot of local scenes continued to flourish and were the major way that artists crawled themselves to wide-appeal. But as the internet came up, local scenes began to take even more of hit, and like with everything Covid only exacerbated this further. Yes, you can listen to the small guy from anywhere on the planet, but you're a lot less likely to check out whose just playing somewhere near you. As Musicologist Claire McLeish mentioned in my interview with her - we've entered a sort of a crises of the middle-class musician.

Since moving to London, finding local music shows has been a major goal of mine and the gift that keeps giving. Most recently I found a band, , was playing a show near me and decided to check out their music on Spotify the week before heading to their concert. I was immediately taken aback by how quickly I fell in love with their work. Their debut album "Metropolis" is brimming with bouncy bass lines, clever guitar work, and dreamy vocals. Last night I had the pleasure of catching their show at The Finsbury.

A free concert supported by two fantastic opening acts I had never heard of - Talitha Kelly and . With my few friends all being busy I decided to go alone and I couldn't have been more pleased with what I found. An audience ready to groove and have fun, sociable people to talk to, and electric performances from each and every artist. The concert began with Talitha Kelly's sad girl singer songwriter work which eased the audience into a great night through a series of personal and heart tugging songs. Supported by just her keyboardist and guitarist, the music filled out wonderfully while leaving space for Kelly's powerful vocals and lyricism. If indie sad-girl singer-songwriter is your thing she's got quite a lot of stuff on Soundcloud and is absolutely worth checking out.

Kelly was followed by McEvoy, a classic five-piece indie rock band out of Brighton. Their performance was nothing short of awe inducing, I don't think I saw a single person in the audience not dancing... To be fair that might've been because I was too busy dancing to pay much attention to anyone else but of course I think that only further demonstrates my point. I want to specifically shout out their Bassist (I believe his name was JT) who brought such an incredible energy to the stage and hyped up the crowd in a way bassists rarely do. To my dismay, I've had trouble finding their music online but that might be a blessing in disguise because it just means I'll have to see them live again.

I didn't manage to get any half-decent photos of McEvoy unfortunately

After two stellar opening acts I finally got to see who I was there for - Japan Man. Frontwoman Laeticia put on an incredible performance supported by guitarist Julian, drummer Oli, and a backing track to fill in the missing instruments. Every part of their time on stage was incredible. Tracks like "The People We Became" put Laeticia's ability to command the stage on full display while tracks like "Air Conditioner" highlighted the band's ear for catchy melodies and tender lyricism. Once again, I could not hold myself back from dancing the whole time - prior to the concert I already knew I loved their music, after seeing them live I can safely say they are one of my favorite acts around at the moment and I will certainly be following their releases and shows like a hawk.

See, the thing about pop-culture is that not every artist can be Taylor Swift or Bob Dylan. In such a vast sea of talent, having good tunes is necessary but certainly not sufficient to gaining widespread success; connections, marketability, and a whole lot of dumb luck are just as if not more important. While I hope every artist I saw last night makes it as big as they desire the unfortunate truth is most musical acts don't reach wide spread acclaim and don't last more than a few years with a couple of EPs and LPs. Life, time and (especially) money just seem to get in the way.

Look, all I'm trying to say this week is go check out your local shows. Tiktok, Spotify, the radio etc. etc. are all great ways to discover good music, but there's something magical about finding your next favorite band because you checked out a show at a bar nearby. Even if you don't find an act you love, nothing compares to enjoying music with a medium sized room full of people that are just there to have a good time. Stadium concerts and festivals are great but its so easy to feel like you're just another ticket on their accounting sheet. As far as I'm concerned nothing is as satisfying as the intimate nature of a modest bar show. Enjoy the performance, check out their music online if you like them, and (especially) buy merch if you want to support them and make sure they stick around making music and memories for as long as possible.

Also, if any of the artists here sounded like your cup of tea please do check them out, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Or Japan Man and why you should go to more concerts

# data[].attributes.body
I had a call with HotVox today after applying to their company to try and get some more live shows booked in. They expressed their enthusiasm towards working with us and that they would like to build a working relationship with us. We worked out a date for a gig that would work for us in April so they will be emailing details and a contract for this gig over via email so that we can get it formally booked in and get us signed up as HotVox Artists.

# data[].attributes.body
This week I made a content calendar for the platforms I will be using when we are in campaign for the release of Beneath The Sheets.

# data[].attributes.body
We had our contract sent through today so I went through this in depth and signed it (was more of a gig confirmation than a formal contract). We then signed up to their membership to become HotVox Artists and we have a page promoting us on their website. We have also been offered lots of other opportunities that we can take at any time like discounted rehearsals, recording, radio opportunities and more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
12.04.24 MCEVOY @ SPICE OF LIFE SQ BLACK

# data[].attributes.body
I hosted a small focus group with about 7 people where they listened to the full EP prior to any releases to help us see what thoughts they had, what they think our audience might be and help us work out how to promote. They all loved the full EP and had lots of praises about this. They all agreed that the target age group will probably be around our age, 18 through to about 25. We expected that it will be more of a female crowd due to the nature of the songs and that they are all written from my point of view.

# data[].attributes.body
I met with Matt and Ben at a coffee shop one morning this week to discuss what next steps we need to take in the next few weeks.

# data[].attributes.body
After one of my classes, I asked the boys what our values are and we realised we don't really have any obvious ones that we have discussed before so we did this and have decided they are:

Mental Health (Breaking the taboo of talking about it)

Family (We are our own little family so this is a big thing)

Feminism (As a female fronted band, this is important to us)

# data[].attributes.body
After being in the longest writer's block that I have ever experienced, I finally started writing a new track about a past experience that I am working on accepting at the minute. For about 5 years, I have wanted to write a concept EP based around mental health and this song is definitely the start of this. The track is called blame and I have explained to the boys that I would like this to be an angry sounding track that follows in the footsteps of Rollercoaster.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Stream Blame - First Lyrics by Caitlin McEvoy on desktop and mobile. Play over 320 million tracks for free on SoundCloud.

# data[].attributes.body
HotVox set up our page on their site this week and our gig is attached to this. It includes a video and bio about us plus some press shots of us too.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
About

We are McEvoy, a five piece indie/pop band from Brighton. In our music you will hear elements of rock and funk from our wide range of musicians creating fun, boppy tracks collectively. With influences such as Paramore, Olivia Dean, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Two Door Cinema Club, we aim to create music that anyone can listen to and bop their heads along to. The tracks themselves are easy to move to and have a very uplifting feel but always listen out for the meaningful stories or messages written into these tracks. We will be releasing our debut singles and EP this year, between February and May, so we have lots for you to look out for!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We are McEvoy, a five piece indie/pop band from Brighton. In our music you will hear elements of rock and funk from our wide range of musicians creating fun, boppy tracks collectively. With influences such as Paramore, Olivia Dean, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Two Door Cinema Club, we aim to create music that anyone can listen to and bop their heads along to.

# data[].attributes.body
Due to the fact that we are announcing the release of Beneath The Sheets this week, we decided to do a band content night so that we have enough social media content. The videos we created were:

We’re McEvoy of course we’re ____

Passing the phone to the McEvoy member who _______

Google Forms Night

Finish The Lyric

McApella (McEvoy songs made acapella)

# data[].attributes.body
This week, we had a call with Duncan Howlett about the possibility of booking in with him to film a music video. He mentioned that he usually charges about £1,400 for this but after a long discussion of our ideas and vision, he expressed that if we can plan everything, give him a time, date and exactly what we want so it won't take out a whole day, he would work with us on this for free!! This is the most amazing opportunity so we will be working with him on this over the next few weeks.

We have decided we will be filming a music video for Rollercoaster and this will be a movement piece by some of Matt's friends in London who are studying dance. They have offered to work for free also because they would like to use this opportunity for their own portfolios!

# data[].attributes.body
Today we announced the release of Beneath The Sheets, which will be on the 8th March. I posted this video to my social media platforms and got around 2,600 views (with 60 likes) on Instagram and 2,250 views (with 81 likes) on TikTok.

# data[].attributes.body
I have attached some communication with a company called Local Band Tees who offer both print to order and bulk purchases to smaller artists. In the email above, they explained their pricing for their print to order packages!

# data[].attributes.body
This week, on the Friday, we released Beneath The Sheets and we really wanted to push to get as many streams as possible within the first week. We made sure to post consistently on our Instagram story, we posted a few times to our Instagram feed and Facebook throughout the week and every other day to our TikTok.

# data[].attributes.body
After a week of being release, I decided to look over the analytics:

Total Streams: 987

Total Followers: 59

Total Listeners: 257

Playlists:

150 people's 'Radio'

2 people's 'On Repeat'

A shower playlist

A road trip playlist

4 general playlists

11 more that we cannot view yet!

# data[].attributes.body
For our gig at The Spice of Life in Soho, London, our usual drummer, Tom is unavailable so we arranged our first rehearsal with our stand in drummer, Ben Foley. The rehearsal went very smoothly and he arrived having learnt all of the tracks that I had sent him. We all got on straight away and worked very quickly through the tracks to begin solidifying them. We definitely need a few more rehearsals and to decide on the final setlist for the gig and we should be all ready to go.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Going Down (With Ben Foley) by Caitlin McEvoy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Stream Going Down (With Ben Foley) by Caitlin McEvoy on desktop and mobile. Play over 320 million tracks for free on SoundCloud.

# data[].attributes.body
This week, Matt came over to my house to work on some songs that I had started writing and to record an acoustic version of Beneath The Sheets to post to our socials. We ended up spending the majority of our time on the track, Blame, and we came up with a funky little riff to go alongside the vocal in the second verse. We will be taking this to rehearse with the rest of the boys later in the week.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Blame (Writing with Matt) by Caitlin McEvoy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Stream Blame (Writing with Matt) by Caitlin McEvoy on desktop and mobile. Play over 320 million tracks for free on SoundCloud.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Feedback on Rollercoaster and Beneath The Sheets

# data[].attributes.body
I received an email today from someone not involved in our projects who noticed that our track has been put onto someone else's Apple Music profile instead of having a different one created for ourselves. I checked and it has the same situation on Sound cloud so I have contacted both DITTO and the other artist about this and it is in the process of being resolved.

# data[].attributes.headline
Update on Beneath The Sheets on wrong profile:

# data[].attributes.subject
Update on Beneath The Sheets on wrong profile:

# data[].attributes.body
Beneath The Sheets was finally added onto a new profile page this week so this issue is resolved. I am now just working on getting access to the apple artist page.

# data[].attributes.body
We received both of the masters for Rollercoaster and Beneath The Sheets back from Sam Coveney this week in time for me to upload the full EP to DITTO. I feel that both of these tracks sound amazing and I am so pleased at how they have come out.

# data[].attributes.body
This week, the dancers who have been working on the movement piece for Rollercoaster sent over a rehearsal video for us to get an idea of what they are working on and thinking of doing for the music video. They are missing two people at this rehearsal but this video is exactly what I pictured and more so it has sparked a great excitement for this music video.

# data[].attributes.body
Myself, Matt and Tom met this week to discuss more ideas for our music video as we have come up with some more ideas for how we could lay out and do the shoot. We decided that we wanted to call Eastbourne, Brighton, Hastings and possibly Worthing Piers to ask about permission to film the video in an evening in April. We also will be looking at calling some small fair grounds along the south coast for this too. Our back up to this is the Italia Conti college in Woking!!

We also discussed ideas for merchandise. We would like to do evergreen merch with just our band logo and then some more with some kinda of lyrical content on it. Further to this, we would like to do some beanies and also wristband (the rubber ones that don't rip off) for our gigs, which Matt will be looking into.

Finally, we discussed CD printing. We have been offered 10% off of printing through Alpha Distribution from my previous gigs with HMV in High Wycombe. HMV have offered to shelf our EP in both Brighton and High Wycombe!!

# data[].attributes.body
Matt and I took the new song to the band this week during our rehearsal and for the last 20 mins of rehearsal we just went over how we want to structure the song and Matt taught Ben and JT the riff in the second verse and we did a rough run through of this so that we had a voice note that we can work off for the future!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Blame (First full rehearsal) by Caitlin McEvoy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Stream Blame (First full rehearsal) by Caitlin McEvoy on desktop and mobile. Play over 320 million tracks for free on SoundCloud.

# data[].attributes.body
This video was the recording Matt and I did last week when he came over to help write Blame. We posted this to our Instagram feed as a reel and then to our TikTok the day after.

# data[].attributes.body
Unfortunately, I received a message today from the football club explaining that we are no longer able to perform on the 6th April due building works.

This may have a slight knock on effect to how we are going to go about getting merch and CDs printed over the next few months as the money we earned from this would have been going towards that. Therefore, we need to have a meeting to discuss what we can do about this.

# data[].attributes.body
I have been in communication with a company called Local Band Tees who offer the option for print by order for merchandise. This allows for artists who put out merchandise without having to bulk buy a costly amount that may not sell and give profit very quickly. However, I did want to bulk buy a few bits ahead of time so that we can take some with us to gigs so they sent over the above document with their pricing. This is a bit much for us so I think working with them on evergreen merch that can be sold online only and then finding a cheaper company to work with on bulk orders.

# data[].attributes.body
Our setlist is:

Going Down

Love's Not Gone

Rollercoaster

You and I

Beneath The Sheets

Blame

Lifeline (which is being released the on the same day)

# data[].attributes.body
Lifeline came out this week!!

Unfortunately, due to lack of marketing and promotion on our end, we did not have the big boost on release day like we did with Beneath The Sheets. We only gained 100 streams in the first 24 hours and has been going up very slowly since then. However, we did have the gig with HotVox in the evening to hopefully push this a little bit more!

# data[].attributes.body
Matt and I had a call with the dancers who are working with us on the Rollercoaster music video next week to discuss the final parts of the plans which included:

Outfits:

Backing dancers - wearing black hoodie with arm sleeves cut out and some mesh sewn to the front to mimic a dementor from Harry Potter in some way. Hands painted black or red with drips going down arms.

Nina (Protagonist) - wearing all white, joggers and hoodie. Basic makeup but smudged to look as though she has been crying.

The Venue:

Italia Conti in Woking - Black walls, big dance room.

Being filmed on the 19th April - 10am to 4pm

# data[].attributes.body
On Friday night this week, we played a gig with HotVox supporting Posey. This gig was a great success and we played very well. We felt that we showed our professionalism very well!

It was a bit messy at times, for example: the kick drum kept sliding forwards so Ben had to keep stopping to move it forward. In the end, Matt's partner came and stood in the way of it so that it would stop. Furthermore, I couldn't hear myself very well so I felt like I was straining a bit but after watching all the videos back, I am extremely pleased with how it went. I think that we managed to turn the messy feeling into fun and bubbly energy instead!

# data[].attributes.body
The dancers that we are working with for the Rollercoaster music video sent through their final mapping of the dance for it today. It is absolutely perfect and exactly what I have been imagining. We plan to have a call next week to discuss further details about the venue and what they will be wearing!

# data[].attributes.body
We have been discussing to have Lifeline released with a lyric video that is also a bit of a behind the scenes video released after the single release day. I created the video attached and had a few outside opinions on it before uploading to Youtube. The premiere for this will be at 10am on the 26th April.

# data[].attributes.body
As a part of our promotion for the release of Lifeline, we decided to livestream our rehearsal at Small Pond on Instagram. I would have preferred to have streamed on TikTok but due to us being under 1000 followers, we are unable to do this for now! We only expected between 4/5 people to join the live but we actually ended up having just over 30 people join and sit on the stream for a while.