Mention Barry Island to most, and you'll be met with a barrage of Gaving & Stacey quotes. But what's really occurring in Barry, are stargazing lyrics, neoteric melodies and a familiar and comforting sound.

Shooting the Moon are the three piece rock outfit doing just that in Barry. Friends since their school days, James, Mark and Lloyd's influences tie together perfectly to produce a sound not too dissimilar to The Smiths and The Cure, but with a modern twist. It's rare to hear a new band that sounds so established and life-experienced, granted there's an angsty, grungey undertone but that gives each track real depth.

The band have very kindly given us three of their finest tracks to date up for free download here at NMB (see below). 'Abduction' is my personal favourite, it has a growing catchiness that is very difficult to achieve when writing. STM can put on a worthy live performance aswell (as track 'Good Days, Bad Days' below proves) with dates in Cardiff and South Wales confirmed, this is a humble band destined for big things, so catch them where you can.

The goods:
Shooting the Moon - Abduction
Shooting the Moon - Good Days, Bad Days
Shooting the Moon - Flashbulbs

For more information on Shooting the Moon go to shootingthemoonmusic.co.uk or head over to their myspace at myspace.com/shootingthemoonmusic.

M x