Written by Soulis Theodosiou on 18 November 2024.

Gem discovery alert: Montello

Gig review. Montello at The Rooz Studios, London.

It’s always pleasing when you realize you just discovered yet another gem of new music. This is definitely the case with Montello, who impressed on their recent London gig, at The Rooz Studios. The 4-piece from Wigan have only been together for just over a year now, with members aged 17 and 18 years old. But they already have a whole set of original songs, 3 of which have already been released. In fact, it’s hard to reject any of those songs for a release, or to knock any of them off the set list to make way for a new one. There was a feel-good element throughout their set. And although there was naturally a little bit of shyness, their interaction with the crowd was brilliant.

Their sound is not hard rock. It’s rhythmic melodic indie pop-rock, sometimes easy-listening, with exotic guitar sounds, with string bends and substantial use of the tremolo. In a world of countless bands, they seem to be able to stand out by not being typical and not sounding similar to a lot of other musicians. The artistic creativity that comes through their songs is quite distinctive. There is enough complexity in their songs, to suggest they probably spend a lot of time developing them. Some of their songs sound a lot older than what they really are, which means they might have influences from previous decades, long before they were born. It’s always refreshing to see that.

Montello are a 4-piece indie rock band from Wigan. They are all 17 and 18 years old and they have been together as a band for just over a year now. They released their first single House On Fire in May this year. It was followed by Class Act in July and Silver Screens in October. They might be planning another release soon.

Montello consist of:

Jacob Knowles – Lead Vocals and rhythmic guitar.

Liam Conway – Lead Guitar.

Jacob Ratcliffe – Bass.

Toby Devereux – Drums.

New Management

Just a few days ago, Montello announced they signed their first management deal, with London and Los Angeles based firm, A-Level Music Management.

Front man Jacob said, “When it comes to achieving success in the music industry, signing to the right management company was one of our most sought-after goals. The right management helps bring a wide range of contacts and advantages that will help propel the band to higher heights, and we believe we have got exactly that, signing to A-Level”

From their offices in LA Manager Roger Gisborne said, “We first heard about Montello from a contact of ours, six months ago. Having watched the band develop in such a short space of time leading us to offering the boys a management deal. Not only do we see potential for this recording artist in the UK, we also feel their sound is suited to the colourful vibe of west coast America, where we believe the boys will thrive.”