Charley Stone - Here Comes The Actual Band (2024) Hi-Res

Prolific, in-demand guitarist and certified Indie Legend Charley Stone releases her debut album with the Actual Band

If you’ve been to an Indie Gig at some point over the last 30 years you’ll have seen Charley playing guitar. Whether you were there for Salad, Gay Dad or more recently checking out Desparate Journilaist and Sleeper via numerous other acts including The Priscillas, Spy 51, Keith TOTP or the magnificent Fallen Women, an all-female Fall karaoke band, Charley will have been there.

The scene queen, former Durannie and ‘Bonham Carter of Rock’ has put together a debut solo album, accompanied by her Actual Band, comprising Mar K (The Ethical Debating Society, The Charlemagnes, Thee Faction) on bass and Lily Rae (Fightmilk, Captain Handsome) on drums.

Whilst some of the 10 tracks on this album have previously been released as solo home-produced singles, she explains, “the arrangements are quite different for these Actual Band versions,” carefully adding the caveat, all songs and arrangements are subject to change for live performances or future recordings”. There are no ‘definitive version’, however Mar and Lily in tow the time is right to release this collection.

Here Comes The Actual Band is a lot of fun, often with a playful tongue-in-cheek spirit but also has depth when looking at relationships. Lyrically inspired by incidents and situations the artist has found herself in or experienced over the years. It’s maybe a little ironic that the opening track, Now, on the surface by the title could suggest a spark to begin the record however it’s actually about procrastination!

Vocally, Not Your Number, for me at least, has the best performance on the album as Charley’s voice just soars as she realises the futility of making the effort for someone who doesn’t appreciate it or is interested. The penultimate track, Accidie, came, she says “after finding A Book Of Silence on a wall and reading it very slowly, and then hearing someone go on about “accidie” again in a Radio 4 podcast” The track is a little more psychedelic than the album to this point and bleeds into the final track, A Scream.

A Scream, another single, is the perfect album closer which sees the Actual Band rocking out and cutting loose, which, hopefully live will be be extended and drenched in feedback. In the track, Stone offers personal reflections on the creative process and was the first song she ever wrote on electric guitar. It also references the time a spider fell out of her hair whilst brushing it…

Here Comes The Actual Band is a long overdue album, a 30-minute blast which will put a smile on your face and you’ll want to revisit time and time again.