Broken Links

…The headline act, Broken Links, brought a heavier alternative rock sound to Frequency. Built on Phil Boulter’s fantastic drumming, Lewis Betteridge’s fluent bass and the electrifying riffs of Mark Lawrence echoed by his haunting vocals, swept their way through The Bridge Bar. Hosting such talented musicians, Broken Links set-up a sophisticated and professional atmosphere, with music you can easily dance, jump around and sing-along too. The band, from Eastleigh, with such influences as Nine Inch Nails and Manic Street Preachers, challenged the previously set tone from ‘The Fruit Cellar’ and ‘Lyon Street’, with a much darker and booming sound. A sound that absorbed the crowd, holding all within its sway as it tumbled and consumed the atmosphere around them. As you sink deeper into the reverberating notes, it’s effortless to get carried off by it. And, with their 2nd EP already released and a studio album scheduled for May 2011, Broken Links are definitely a band to watch out for… - The Edge

…The South’s kings of alternative rock Broken Links are up next with what they say will be their second to last show in the South for some time (the last is at The Brook on 28th November). The three piece - Mark Lawrence, Phil Boulter and Lewis Betteridge - clamber up on stage and immediately launch into “Therapy Sessions In The Dark” encompassing all the tension and confidence that we’ve come to expect. Not a minute is wasted throughout the set. It is phenomenal.

Mark is a confident frontman with Phil and Lewis providing solid and reliable backing. The sound that they make is mind boggling for a three piece. Songs like “The Best Laid Plans Of Mice & Men” and “Shelter Your Loss” are stadium sized anthems with a pitch black underbelly to them.

Despite the obvious darkness to the lyrics and the music as a whole, this is life affirming stuff doing what all great music should do. Moving people, touching on emotions. Grabbing you by the balls and demanding to be heard. Broken Links are a very, very special band. They deserve to be heard, they deserve to be huge.… - Unplug the Jukebox

….Then this is it, Broken Links are an example to many ‘local’ bands on how great music alone is not enough, you have to work bloody hard to get any rewards and this is exactly what Broken Links do, tonight is testament to this. The lights build the anticipation and to rapturous applause Mark, Lewis and Phil enter the spotlight.

Opening with ’What Are You Addicted To?’ and followed swiftly by two tracks from the brand new EP, Broken Links play like a band at the top of their game and the crowd respond accordingly. Given that this is only marking their second release it is remarkable that the introduction of ‘old’ track ‘Best Laid Plans Of Mice And Men’ is received with the kind of reaction normally saved for veteran bands trawling out the classics, the audience even sing along. This just enforces the fact that Broken Links are something a little bit special, sticking their collective heads above the parapet of local scene obscurity and breaking through to the next level.

Showcasing their range of influences they do one cover tonight, ‘Destroy Everything You Touch’ by Ladytron from their 2005 ‘Witching Hour’ album. The electro sound of the original is put through the Nine Inch Nails filter and comes out the other side as an industrial rock stormer that sits easily alongside the rest of the Links catalogue.

They barely put a foot wrong tonight and whilst it is a close run thing, the new tracks do shine marginally brighter than some of the older tunes but the encore of new and old with ‘Choice/Decay’ and ‘Within Isolation’ is the perfect close to a new chapter for the group.

I am sure it won’t be long before people will be able to say ‘remember the time we saw Broken Links at the Joiners?’ as they make their way to a show at the Brixton Academy. The big time awaits, Band Of Skulls, Delays please welcome the next Southampton graduates. - Playing Out Loud

This is Broken Links biggest show to date. Headlining at The Joiners to an almost packed crowd of devoted fans and friends, they’ve even brought in a fantastic lighting rig especially for the occasion. However, whilst a good light show certainly adds to the occasion, they’ll never make a rubbish band sound good.

Thankfully for Broken Links, the lights serve their purpose fully and go some way to really making this young, new band come across as the awesome talent they so clearly are.

The slightly tinny sound of their demo is soon forgotten as the monstrous riffing, thunderous bass and clattering drums all collide to produce a rhythmic, pulsating sound-clash that gets my pulse racing. The smile on my face soon gets wider and wider. These guys sound immense! Capture this sound on record and they’ll do themselves a HUGE favour.

Lewis Betteridge and Phil Boulter are the bass player and drummer and they make an incredible rhythm section. No doubt, the able talents of Mike Breach working the Joiners mixing desk helps, but frankly, you can’t polish a turd. The sounds emanating from Betteridge’s bass are so huge they almost don’t need the P.A. and many drummers spend their whole lives just trying to get half this good.

Three pieces can often be let down by a lack of style and good choices from the guitar player, but thankfully, front man Mark Lawrence knows how to fill musical space superbly. A good use of choice effects and delays, without ever resorting to swamping the sound for the sake of it shows a sign of maturity too many younger bands lack. Unsigned bands shouldn’t be this professional. If they carry on this malarkey they might be in danger of getting a record deal!

If I had any criticisms to make of the band (and you know I do!), they still lack the killer vocal hooks that turn really good rock music into monster hits. Sure, they don’t have to drop creativity and individualism; they have worked hard to produce a sound, whilst reminiscent of bands like Muse, Therapy? etc, that is entirely their own. Nor do they need to start writing radio-friendly, twee choruses, but whilst I leave the gig blown away by everything else about the band, not one single song sticks in my head. When Broken Links start adding killer vocal lines (the vocalist is clearly capable of singing them) then they could well be unstoppable.

To see and hear what I’m raving about, see the band play live this month at the Joiners on the 23rd and the Soul Cellar on the 26th. - MintSOUTH

See www.BrokenLinksMusic.co.uk for more press!!! - www.BrokenLinksMusic.co.uk