If you could bottle the electric atmosphere a band creates live and direct straight from the footlights, it would truly be worth its weight in gold, enabling you to take a sip every once in a while taking you back to that moment in time that had a huge effect on your life.
This is something that I inadvertently achieved on one such occasion on my tour of duty in London for the magazine, and to be honest has had a profound effect on me.
The trip took in a great many sights of London within the music industry, taking me through Camden Town on my way to meet a band I had previously written for. After a warm welcome from the venue owners and the band themselves, I was quickly introduced to the lead singer from The Faces of Sarah, Nick Schultz, who were headlining the evening.
After a quick chat, I decided to stay for a couple of songs to get a general feel as the buzz was building throughout the venue as more and more people piled in. Following two great sets from the support acts, the moment I had been waiting for arrived as The Faces of Sarah took to the stage. So there I sat at a bar to the rear of the venue, with a perfect view through to what was going on, typing up my notes, when a sense of electricity struck the air so strong you could have cut it with a knife. Thinking this was only a backing track I proceeded to continue what I was doing ready to wander over to the stage when the time was right. But soon it was evident that this was no backing track, but the band themselves, stirring the pot ready to cast their spell on us all which left me dropping what I was doing to join the stampede to the stage.
What unfolded from there on in words cannot express and only a trip to see them live can cure.

Nick Schultz – Founder member / Lead Vocals, has been inspired by a great many artists over the years, but the ones that stand out for him would be Queen, Roger Waters, Bruce Springsteen, The Ravonettes, and Sisters of Mercy as they are the ones solely responsible for the sheer quality and style set in his performance and vocals today.
Nick started singing at the tender age of 15 at school, but it wasn’t until performing at a school assembly that he truly got infected by the music industry bug and the passion for performing.
Nick has a very 80’s tone to his voice through a multitude of genres, but it’s that tone that draws you in instantly, as I soon discovered in London. His creative flow as a songwriter is superb, capturing a moment out of thin air before wrapping it with music for our endless pleasure. Seeing Nick perform is a pleasure in itself and holds a very dominant stance once in the spotlight, taking care of business right from the get go.

Simon Lind – Lead Guitar, cut his teeth listening to Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joe Satriani, Jeff Healey and AC/DC. Originally a drummer, Simon struck an interest with the guitar at fifteen, by seventeen Simon’s intrigue with guitar grew stronger and by eighteen made the transition from drums to guitar and went on to perfect his newly found craft, taking him far and wide touring America with Prog Rock Band Captain Beyond, which set him up nicely with the experience needed to further his career. Once in the spotlight with his ever faithful axe in his hand, Simon steps into his own offering a masterclass of guitarmanship within his genre, giving every track the cutting edge needed before setting the stage ablaze with intricate precision.

Al Johansson– Drums, takes his style from Muse, John Bonham, Dave Grohl and Neil Peart over the years and cut his teeth at the age of twelve on a Yamaha digital drum bank.
Now, once in the saddle, Al takes care of business with wing man Dave tempting any sea of heads that stand before him to punch the air for more whilst emitting enough power to blow even the most hardened rock fan through the back wall of any arena right from the riser.

But with all that said, going from gig to gig, studio to studio and even touring country to country, monotony must set in, and although a romantic feeling for the avid fan seeing their favourite band out on the road visiting some wonderful countries of the world, I asked Nick what keeps them driven as a band, he replied;

“The love of creating and playing music,simple as that.Always trying to write that perfect song,that perfect album has been a constant source of motivation”.

I went on to pose the same question to Emma who added;

“Although I’ve only been in the band for a short time compared to its 20 year history,I’m driven by the potential the group has to move to the next level,it’s exciting and inspiring to have a line up now that all share that vision and I think that definitely shines through in our live performance”.

But just to show how versatile this band is to not only giving the audience what they want, but exactly how it should sound, enjoy this incredible cover below of a well known classic.

So with a busy schedule touring, gigging and recording and a great amount of time spent on the road, I asked the band what they have learned about themselves during their time in the music industry, both individually and collectively as a band, they went on to tell me;

Nick – “I’ve personally discovered that although the most important element of being in a band is the absolute love of the music that is created it’s also vital to have a very firm grip on the business side of things.I’m not a business minded person at all which has certainly cost me in the past,but luckily now that side of things have been taken care of and the difference is quite amazing”

Emma – “To have confidence and self-belief as well as the importance of being in a team.I learnt from being in a band full time to my work career and vice versa, and especially in terms of the business side there are a lot management skills that are transferable to the band and I have been able to bring some structure to the creativity(chaos)The most important thing I’ve learnt is that you can never give up on your dreams as you never know what’s round the corner.Two years ago when I picked up song writing again at home as an avenue to divert some stress,I never believed the songs would even be heard by anyone else,let alone that I’d have this opportunity to be part of an incredible band with such a history”.

Al – “The most important thing I’ve learnt as a drummer is playing what the music is telling you to do,if the song is about a storm then make it sound like a storm if the words say float away then make it float.It’s always about what works best for the song.Sometimes less is more. Play from the heart”.

Simon – “I’d personally be inclined to say that despite how tough it is to make an impact in the industry today,that as an artist or group it’s still impossible to surprise that urge to write songs from the heart and soul and the addiction of playing live to a responsive audience is very much what drives us to continue with our art”.

With adoring fans far and wide, I asked the band if there was anything they would like their existing fans and potential new fans to know, their rely was a positive one to say the least, and said;

Nick – “I’d really love for us to reach out far and wide to add to our audience.
We are an honest band writing and playing songs played very much from the heart with feeling and passion.A lot shows have a real ‘event’ feel about them and our interaction with the crowd is something very special and important to us”.

Emma – “It’s an exciting new era forFOS,we have big plans and are all really motivated to work together and seize every opportunity to reach larger audiences in more countries,but most importantly to keep writing music to make ourselves and,hopefully, others inspired”.

Al – “Absolutely certain there will be a major label involved somewhere down the line”.

Simon – “We’re continually pushing new boundaries and always reaching out.We would love for that feeling to resonate as far and wide as possible.There’s a heartfelt honesty within our music and nothing beats making that connection with people at gigs”.

And that brings me nicely to the ep in question here, Positive Revenge.

From start to finish, this ep ticks all the boxes within their genre laced with the perfect recipe for success. Throughout, the attention to detail is flawless capturing every nuance in music, lyrics and vocals. The blend of harmonies between Nick and Emma is set at a very high standard, almost creating their very own vocal instrumental wrapped in the most beautiful ambient textures of their own making. Each track with its deep and powerful meaning, give food for thought as you are led deeper and deeper onto the storyboard with them, as each song doesn’t leave the studio unless its heart is truly beating.
I have had the pleasure of hearing The Faces Of Sarah LIVE when I met them in London, and the sound created LIVE is exactly the same as any of their albums, a credit to a great band and a great sound engineer.
So do yourselves a favour and put The Faces Of Sarah on your wish list for 2020.