REVIEWS

Clash Magazine
“"Cry It All Out is full of filthy melodic hooks. An epic and deeply textured album… anyone who is anyone should have it”"

Metro
“"Quintessentially English. Electrifying stuff. The energy poured into Cry It All Out's 16 furiously paced tracks could power the national grid"

CMU Daily
“"I love it when I come across a band that appear to genuinely defy categorisation. The album starts off strong, continues strongly and ends even stronger"

Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 2
"“A stripped down London indie blues... really good stuff""

Camden New Journal
“"Funkyfied jazzy rock fusion and a great British Blues hope"

Big Issue
“"Those searching for something a little different need look no further. Though there aren't many new bands who can truly be credited with establishing their own sound by the time they release their first album, Big Strides may just be one.... an intriguing debut and a definite grower."

FHM
"The Thrills, but happier... listen to this when sunning yourself on a dirty British beach"

MTV Japan
"Their music is infused with an unusual depth of personality and feeling"

LOGO Magazine
"Although it may be the pulsing funk, rhythms and complex fretwork that initially snags you, what eventually overrides all else is Marcus O’Neill’s idiosyncratic lyrical darts and droll self-reflections. They certainly don’t fit into any pre-imposed industry pigeonhole, but it is for this very reason that you’ll love them dearly, and instantly clutch them close to your heart."

Jonathan Ross, BBC Radio 2
"I can't decide if I love it or if it upsets me!"

Rockin' On Magazine, Japan
“"John Lee Hooker meets Pavement!”"

Drowned In Sound
"This is quirky, lo-fi rock at its finest … Suicidal is a loose blend of stripped down pop-rock, funk rhythms and jazz noodling with occasional bursts of trumpet…. The sort of thing that brightens my day considerably. 4.5 out of 5."

Losingtoday Magazine
“"This baby is serious party music, screw balled yes, infectious certainly”"

Making Music
"Tirelessly inventive and utterly brilliant. Singer Marcus O’Neill’s wonky way with words is reminiscent of Beck on a good day"

Metro
“"Imagine you’re sitting in some café in an unnamed American city, writing your beat masterpiece and shooting the breeze with fellow drop-outs, and you could set your daydream to a soundtrack by Big Strides.”"

Whisperin & Hollerin
"Big Strides have hit upon a sound that could only be described as unique. There are big times ahead for these guys, mark my words."

Metal UK
"A fusion of jazz, rock and blues with a funky layer sprinkled liberally over it all... this is fantastic stuff and this band deserves your attention."

Sandman Magazine
"London’s Big Strides. Where do we begin with them? How about the fact they use a big fuck-off double bass which doesn’t so much provide slaps as punches straight to the guts? Or that mid-set, their singer walks into the audience, sits on the floor and smokes a joint? Or that they do a funeral-pyre cover of The Cheeky Girls ‘Cheeky Song' which somehow manages to turn that last cheesy couplet, ‘Don’t be shy/This is life’, into a monumental reflection of the soul. Or how about we just start, and finish, by saying their angular, edgy funk – think Gang Of Four covering the Chilli’s – was awesome, and it had the entire place dancing."