Artist description Passionate performance hooks up with catchy tunes and powerful lyrics to produce a quite captivating experience.

Music Style Pop/Rock

Musical Influences Delirious

Similar Artists Delirious, Blueberry

Artist History 3 years ago stirring in the realms of academia in Durham, came together a band with eyes set on a higher prize than just degrees. Anthemic guitars, swirling synths and the electrifying vocal talents of Becky Drake were fused together. The end product has already swept two consecutive University Battle of the Bands competitions, two articles in the Guardian, radio play around the country and a hugely successful appearance on Channel 5. The stunning talent of Becky Drake, one of the UK's finest young female vocalists, backed by excellent songwriting and an awesome live energy.

Group Members Nick Drake- Guitar, Vocals Andy Wolfe- Keyboards, Vocals Beck Drake- Lead Vocals Nick Thorley- Drums

Instruments Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Drums, Keyboards, Bass

Albums The EP (1998) If and When (1999) Till We're Old (2000) Bluegreen (2001) Survive EP (2002)

Press Reviews Date: April/May 2000 Interviewer: Mike Rimmer, Cross Rhythms Magazine Title of article: Student Bar Heroes They've been written about in The Guardian and tipped as "the next big thing". Although Coastal Dune have already recorded two EPs and a single, their live show is more energetic andelectric than their recorded music might suggest. The band are only just beginning to venture out of theirhome city but the signs are strong that Coastal Dune are a band to be reckoned with in the future. [to read the full article, surf to the Cross Rhythms website where you can order the magazine] Date: April/May 2000 Review of: Till we're old Reviewer: Mike Rimmer, Cross Rhythms Magazine Durham's finest release their third EP, and boy, are they turning into one groovy band! The title cut wascommissioned by National Marriage Week for their website and is a good old-fashioned love song celebratingthe longevity of a marriage that endures. It's jangly pop in a Sixpence fashion with a tune so catchy you'll bewhistling it within hours! The remix highlights the creative tensions within the band where on one hand theyneed to write strong pop, they also love to go off on a limb and make interesting music. A wash of keyboardsand sounds from Andy Wolfe is the focus of the remix and suddenly jangly pop becomes blissed out beats.The epic track of the set is the incredible "Beautiful" which places the distinctive vocals of Becky Harding overa perfect laid back groove. The overall effect simply sends shivers down my spine and the track IS beautiful.The final cut "Follower" sees Nick Drake taking vocal duties and for the first half of the song, it's a strippeddown, testifying vocal challenging the listener over an electric guitar. Then there's a pause and a Delirious?style explosion of guitar as the band kick in. The effect is rather stunning. This EP was recorded over a singleweekend and demonstrates how sheer talent and creativity can overcome budget restrictions. Coastal Duneare a special band and they're going places. 9/10Date: 8th February 2000 Review of: If and When EP Reviewer: James Stewart, The Phantom Tollbooth Taking their local university by storm, and generating major national media attention as a result, CoastalDune are making their name known. When one of Britain's leading daily newspapers, the Guardian, ran a story on the prominence of evangelicalChristianity at Durham University a number of heads were turned. Many of them focused on the student bandfeatured heavily in the article--Coastal Dune. A regular feature on the university's live scene, even a cursory listen to Coastal Dune's second release revealsthat the band draws on the broad spectrum of popular music for its inspiration. From an atmosphericopening, the dominant acoustic guitar gives the opening track an engaging pop-folk sound, which rears itshead at various points through this EP. Later tracks see the introduction of a saxophone to give Gratified atouch of swing and programmed drums which assist the album in its diversity. That diversity may work well live, and it does add variety, but it is the more acoustic side they open with thatsuggests real promise. The female vocals of Becky Harding are refreshingly simple and really shine on theacoustic-driven You. There is a general need for a stronger focus throughout, both in the songwriting, which isclear and honest but could do with more direction in its phrasing, and in pulling the music into a morecohesive whole. When they concentrate on their strengths, Coastal Dune are a promising and engaging band, whosebackground in the student scene will surely stand them in good stead as they venture further afield. Date: 15th January 2000 Review of: If and When EP Reviewer: Peter Dilley, The Christian Herald Newspaper Few Christian bands are as fortunate with media exposure as Coastal Dune, who managed to gain prominentcoverage in a piece in The Guardian on the growing prevalence of the Christian Union at Durham University.Already popular on the campus, Coastal Dune's reputation is spreading around the North-East via local radioand live shows, and much further afield - in Europe, after they appeared at Operation Mobilisation'sconference in Hungary last summer, and Boston USA, where they worked with YWAM. On six-song EP If and When, the band put in all the right ingredients to make you pay attention: vocalistBecky Harding is an obvious asset: a spiritual search underpins the songwriting, as some of the titles suggest(Find Me, In the Presence); musically they can rock to Delirious?-like climaxes (Good Morning); achieveunplugged subtlety (You); go ambient (I never realised); and finally immerse themselves in worship,Redman-style. A little more focus and refinement wouldn't go amiss (drop or re-style the jokey Gratified), but clearly they'reon the right track. Record companies especially should heed these comments from OM's Andy Cook: "Coastal Dune will go along way... I pray that you might give them a chance to prove themselves." Date: February/March 2000 Review of: If and When EP Reviewer: Mike Rimmer, Cross Rhythms Magazine It's not everyday that a Christian band gets coverage in that most liberal of newspapers, the Guardian, soimagine the surprise to find that the darlings of Durham University, Coastal Dune were name checked in anarticle about the rise of Christianity in our Universities! This album has been much promoted in the North Eastas the band has been busy gigging in their home town and fast gaining a reputation as a hot band. This isremarkable when you consider the material contained on the CD is unashamedly Christian. Although mainlyacoustic, the band has created a powerful vibe, a lot of it built around the distinctive passionate singing ofBecky Harding and the songwriting of guitarist Nick Drake. An album of contrasts from the powerful opener,"Find Me", to the almost understated, "Good Morning", which reminds me a little of Blueberry. The franklytwee "Gratified" sounds like a throwaway crowd-pleaser included here for, well? Who knows why! To behonest it's a bit annoying, although its Smurf's style la la la la la chorus is no doubt meant to be fun. Oh dear!Fortunately the band soon redeem themselves with the brooding epic, "I Never Realised" awash with swirlingsynths and all kinds of programming - an excellent contrast to the guitar feel of the rest of the album. "You"takes us back into jangly guitars and Sixpence None The Richer territory, but that's no bad thing! "In thePresence" kicks off with a looped rhythm and plenty of passion and again like much of this CD has a strongvibe and as catchy a chorus as you'd ever want to hear celebrating the presence of God. The song closes witha spine chilling interactive vocal crying out to the Father and then its silence, for a moment. The secretbonus track is just gorgeous spontaneous worship and a very special way to conclude a special CD. We'll behearing more from Coastal Dune! 9/10Date: Wednesday, 22nd September 1999 Reviewer: Jonathan Margolis, The Guardian At the dreamy mini-Oxford which is Durham University, you need only glance at a selection of collegenoticeboards to discover which local pop band is currently the biggest thing on the music scene. Headliningat almost every college summer ball at the end of last term was a six-person student group called CoastalDune. Coastal Dune... have clearly achieved the ultimate in student stardom. Everyone talks about them. Allthe record shops in town sell their CDs. Everybody who has a party speculates excitedly as to whether CoastalDune might come along after their gig... Date: Late June, 1999 Reviewer: Matt Cottingham, Section Two editor of Palatinate, Durham University's studentnewspaper (review is verbatim as published in the paper). By producing their second EP, Coastal Dune are radically undermining the notion that Durham bands canonly produce covers. "If And When" is both more passionate and professional than their debut EP. Itsuccessfully manages to splice Becky Harding's pleasant, almost angelic vocals with Nick Drake's bouncebeats. The music is occasionally flat and directionless, but the net result is impressive. Their style isremarkably similar to that of famous Christian band, Delirious. The 500 copies produced should be gold dustfor any student with a musical ear. It's only a hunch, but it would be surprising if they didn't make more thanthe £15 they received for their début EP. Coastal Dune are at their best when they search for moreatmosphere and spirit within their music. They are a Christian band, but there is enough secular material foracceptance within the mainstream. On "Find Me" and "In The Presence", the openly religious music has adepth and verve that doesn't exist elsewhere on the EP (divine intervention perhaps?). If And When can edgetowards Beth Orton's serenity, but this is set against the more droll interludes and spasmodically uninspiringlyrics. Their live set is characterised by its energy and fervour, but can appear confused. Some inspiredperformances have not gone unnoticed. On 19th June, they will play the York Woodstock festival as thesecond billing in front of 3000 people. They will then jet off to play in Hungary this summer. Closer links withSunderland FM precipitated the "Artist of the Week" label on the infamous Chris Steven show. Nick Drake toldPalatinate, "this year has been quite meteoric, full of surprises all the time". For a self-financed university band in an atmosphere where playing covers dominates, Coastal Dune haveshown their class by producing solid music that can have great flair. If the band continue to search for greaterdepth in their music it will remain refreshing. Date: Monday 14th June, 1999 Venue: Collingwood College (bar) Reviewer: Neil Kirk in Collingwood's termly newspaper, Woodword. The day [Collingwood Day] was then finished by the winner of "The Battle of the Bands", Coastal Dune,performing an incredible set of songs for its intoxicated audience and helping to provide one of the bestatmospheres the bar has ever seen.

Location Nottingham, Nottinghamshire - United Kingdom

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