About

Praised in major publications from The Guardian to Shindig! and Classic Rock Bath’s rock upstarts Ulysses return with a brand new album steeped in Roger Moore era Bond (there’s even an imaginary Bond theme with a reggae middle-section. Take that Adele!), quirky pop delights and to die for big riffs that bring to mind everyone from Mick Ronson, Lindsey Buckingham, Thin Lizzy and Supergrass. Following on from 2011’s Everybody’s Strange the hooks, wry lyrical concoctions and classy, epic guitar solos are bolstered further on Kill You Again with what is fast becoming Ulysses’ own distinct sound – a nether land between psych, glam and rock, guitar stroking and pop sheen. Having toured heavily with LA rockers Rival Sons it seems that Ulysses have unknowingly brought their cheeky influences (Syd Barrett, psych era Stones, The Cars, Hot Chocolate, Sailor, Alvin Stardust and Wings) to the heart of the new rock elite. “I think there is definitely a place for what we do,” says flamboyant frontman Luke Smyth. “We are finding our audience worldwide slowly but surely, people seem to need our strange mix of fun and darkness, pop songs and rockin’ – when we play live we always pick up new fans. They may find it amusing at first, but I also think it is the depth of what is hitting them too. No one is quite doing what we’re doing at any rate!” And he’s right, The Darkness were always too OTT and although encroaching on influences from a similar period Ulysses cannot be compared to what Jack White or The Black Keys are doing. It’s rock, but not as you know it.
Happy to inhabit their own world on the peripheries of the rock and indie world where not even Ariel Pink would venture Kill You Again has the kind of epic production and pop savvy that requires Top Of The Pops to be brought back.

Way back in March 2014, Team Rock Radio invited Ulysses to their secret lair to record an acoustic session for the Classic Rock Magazine show. We thought we’d try out a new one (from the next album) and sneakily filmed it as well, thus capturing the radio debut of Ramblin’ Denny Peppers.

Special thanks and love to Nicky Horne, show producer Claire Neal and engineer Adam Whalley.

Ulysses album ‘Kill You Again’ makes many 2013 Best Of lists! out on CD & Download NOW!

ULYSSES ‘MRS DRAWNEL’ VOTED 40th BEST SONG OF 2013 IN Classic Rock Magazine

http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/features/songs-of-the-year-top-50/

Ulysses ‘Kill You Again’ comes in at number 30 on The Falcon’s Nest 100 best albums of 2013!
“This album proves that rock is not dead, it is just harder to find”:
http://thefalconsnest.wordpress.com/2013/12/25/the-falcons-nest-hot-100-best-albums-of-2013/

Ulysses ‘Kill You Again’ comes in at NUMBER FIVE in Pop Geek Heaven USA’s best albums of 2013 round-up!
“A throwback Brit pop quartet channeling Kinks, Yardbirds and Hollies, Ulysses brings both grit and luscious harmonies. The title track should be a James Bond theme and “April Showers” washes over you like a warm spring rain. The last two tracks, “Taxi Driver” and “Oh Yeah Huh Huh Huh!” are pure adrenalin.”
http://www.popgeekheaven.com/music-discovery/the-best-power-pop-of-2013-by-mike-baron

Ulysses ‘Kill You Again’ album in at number 28 in Pop Junkie’s Best Albums of 2013 feature!
http://popjunkielondon.wordpress.com/2013/12/06/popjunkies-top-30-albums-of-2013/

Power-Pop guru David Bash of International Pop Overthrow chooses Ulysses ‘Kill You Again’ as the 20th best album of 2013!:
http://absolutepowerpop.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/david-bashs-best-of-2013.html?m=1

Ulysses ‘Kill You Again’ album chosen as one of the best of 2013 in USA’s Dedicated Rocker Society music magazine!
http://thededicatedrockersociety.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/the-dedicated-rocker-society-best-of.html?m=1

Ulysses in at NUMBER 6 in Gashouse Radio USA’s best of 2013!
http://gashouseradio.com/
Brand new Ulysses album ‘Kill You Again’ out on CD via amazon & download via iTunes NOW!!!:

BUY ULYSSES ‘KILL YOU AGAIN’ CD HERE!

BUY ULYSSES ‘KILL YOU AGAIN’ DOWNLOAD HERE!

Contact: [email protected]

Press / Publicity: [email protected]

Recent supports with Rival Sons (2 UK tours), Rich Robinson (The Black Crowes), Marc Ford (The Black Crowes), Bobby Conn, The Sheepdogs, The Bees, The Temperance Movement, The Heavy, Wolf People, Phantom Limb, Pete & The Pirates, The Aliens (ex Beta Band) & Vintage Trouble.

Press for previous album ‘Everybody’s Strange’ (2011):

“There are tons of new bands too, namely The Greenhornes, Jack White and all his respective work, Dungen, The Amazing, Ulysses, The Sheepdogs, The Mars Volta, The Black Keys, Graveyard, Soundtrack of our Lives, The Guild and more.”
Scott Holiday - Rival Sons / Classic Rock Revisited Dec 2012.

“Man, there’s great rock ‘n’ roll being made. We get to choose the bands that support us, energetic bands like Ulysses, Factory Brains and Shaking Godspeed.” Jay Buchanan - Rival Sons / Classic Rock Magazine Dec 2012.

 

“Astonishingly well-observed resurrection of late-period psychedelia party anthems pomped up through a glam-rock filter and expanded beyond decency and reason. Turns out the beige [Er, I think you mean ‘golden’ - Ed.] city of Bath is a hotbed of wham-glam-thank-you-ma’am Technicolor psychedelia. Well, it is if Eye On You is anything to go by. The glam revival starts here. Find it on ‘Everybody’s Strange’ album out on iTunes now.”

CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINE - THE 100 BEST SONGS OF THE YEAR 2011 - JAN 2012

 

“The uncool 70s: the pre-punk, pre-disco period of cheesy glam and naff Top of the Pops hits like a harder, more metal Denim: Denim meet the Darkness, if you will. Think a more stylised, 70s obsessed Supergrass or Super Furry Animals. The moronic infectiousness of all the best early-70s pop with the musicianly focus of rock. We’re not sure what’s in the Bath water, but we’d like a dip. File next to: Denim, Roy Wood, the Sweet, the Darkness. In another era Everybody’s Strange would be a platinum-selling album and Ulysses would be packing stadiums”.

PAUL LESTER - THE GUARDIAN - JUNE 2011

 

“Bananas Glitterball Glam meets Psych on the brown acid!
It’s The Stones meets The Glitter Band!
There is definitely no Bristol band that can cram as many hooks into one song as these boys.”

SEAN COOK (SPIRITUALIZED / ELIZABETH FRAZER)
“If Danny The Dealer from Withnail And I had a favourite band, it would be Ulysses. And when I say that, I mean it as the highest of compliments.
Listening to them, I am sometimes put in mind of what the White Stripes might have sounded like if they’d lived in the Notting Hill of Performance and learned how to properly let their hair down; at other times, a Super Furry Animals less afraid of drinking from rock’s Loving Cup, or a Thin Lizzy branching out to scare their central construction worker demographic. This is a band who take the best of turn-of-the-sixties swagger, spiritualism and darkness and condense it with a kind of winning self-awareness that you might expect from the likes of The Black Crowes or Urge Overkill at their peak, but would normally seem hugely overoptimistic to ask for from a British group in 2011.
That they are without a lavish record deal at this very minute is more than just ‘upsetting’ or ‘a sign of the times'; it is a downright affront to nature.”

TOM COX - AUTHOR / MOJO MAGAZINE / THE GUARDIAN

 

2 thoughts on “About”

  1. Hello! I was wondering if you’d like me to review your album on powerpopaholic.com, the web’s #1 power pop music review site. A buddy, Mike Baron recently made me aware of your band. Please send a LP download for review on the site. Thanks so much.

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