The Sheffield Scenester

A little about Mark Nichols:

There are a lot of people putting in some good words for Mark Nichols out there when you tap his name into Google ....some very favourable previous reviews of his work! He is also listed underneath a tirade of easy listening categories on iTunes, his Myspace states “Mark combines the use of his ambidextrous percussive acoustic technique, which can challenge the sound of a full band, with his descriptive, deep and passionate lyrics, creating his own unique style.”

Intro:
Listening to the EP from the beginning I had a few plays through before getting down the writing and reviewing. I got a general feeling for the music and was very impressed with the style Mark Nichols has adopted. His guitar work goes in a very similar vein to that of Newton Faulkner all be it a little less brash. You can tell that a lot of thought and preparation has gone into the sound. Using various intricate (and some quite challenging) licks on the guitar and some nice sounding vocal work.

The songs:

Embers:
A slow fade as in the beginning of David Bowies ‘Ground Control to Major Tom’ introduces some gentle taps and harmonics on the guitar. This is followed by a thump on the body to initiate a tapped rhythm which accompanies the hammering and pulling off of notes and harmonics on the strings. A complex piece to play and sing at the same time I would imagine.

The lyrics compare between beauty and the embers of a fire, they interweave between the guitar throughout.

Tonight:
Tonight tells the story of a romance between the narrator and his love who is also his closest friend. A slightly sickly, but sweet story of love however I cannot help but get an overwhelming feeling that I may have disturbed a private moment. It does have a very nice chord structure and some beautiful, delicate piano parts. I like the fact that the artist is comfortable enough to pour his heart into his lyrics. A sort of non-tongue-in-cheek version of ‘F*ck her gently’ by ‘Tenacious D’.

Guardian:
Another nice guitar riff which is reminiscent of the band ‘Kings of Convenience’. This song introduces the vocal of a female session singer. This is a welcome addition to the mix and bulks out the vocal line. Once the song has progressed Mark also introduces some more backing vocals of his own creating a juxtaposed line to the main vocal. This song comprises some very simple but intelligent song writing.

In The Arms of Angels:

This tune again uses some similar style of guitar work as in “Guardian” and introduces a nice shouty style chorus which punches home the title of the track. Some lovely guitar and stand out lyrics.

Passionate soul:

In this tune Mark uses the body of the guitar in the same means as ‘Embers’ to create a drum beat and chord structure. An uplifting tune and lyrics, that wouldn’t be out of place in an episode of the OC.

Final Thoughts:
I feel a lot of Mark Nichols music is primarily aimed at a younger female audience and thus I had quite a challenge with this review...lol! This said I do credit this singer/song writer with guts for his openness and the fact he really puts his feelings to tape. Overall....a stand out CD portraying some lovely guitar work and singing which I am sure Mark is proud of.

Mark Nichols will be performing at Tramlines this year at Soyo on the 23rd July; he will also be playing Mychoone Festival later this year.

If you cant wait for that then check out his Myspace to purchase his EP:

Words by Simon Ellis