New music to listen to this week: The Bay Rays

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The Bay Rays

Emerging rock band The Bay Rays have landed with a sound that seems tailored for this year's approaching festival season, following a headline slot on Glastonbury's BBC Introducing stage in 2017.

Formed in Kent, they were recently nominated for Best Rock Act at this summer's Unsigned Music Awards, while single "Satisfaction" has already racked up over a million streams on Spotify.

They have swagger and talent galore - we're premiering their brand new track "Begin Again" which is this darkly riotous, theatrical track recalling a bit of The Police, a bit of QOTSA, Jack White/The White Stripes, Led Zeppelin ("Whole Lotta Love")... check it out below:

Q&A with The Bay Rays

What are you guys listening to at the moment?

Lately we have been igniting our love for Queens Of The Stone Age, also listening to stuff like TV on the Radio, Vulfpeck, Cigarettes after Sex, The Dave Brubeck Quartet and also some hip hop; the Russ album There really is a Wolf and Anderson .Paak’s album Malibu.

What are your plans for 2018?

We’ve made a bit of a transition in our sound and feel it’s more realised and heading in the direction we want it to be so we’d like to keep building on that, keep releasing new music and round off with a tour in the Autumn with a few shows beforehand. We’d like to be more prolific in our output as there has been time between this and our last release.

What was the first gig you ever played and what’s been the best so far?

The first gig we ever played as Bay Rays was at our hometown venue The Forum in Tunbridge Wells, we grew up playing in lots of bands with friends and each other and there is a real community around the venue.

Tunbridge Wells currently has a great output of music and The Forum is celebrating it’s 25th year of it’s doors being open, long may it continue. Our best show to date would be between headlining the BBC introducing stage at Glastonbury 2016 and playing Halloween night to a packed KOKO, both were a lot of fun.

Begin Again, the new track from The Bay Rays, is out now