Sister Shotgun To Release Debut Album “Fragments” 4/19 via Pavement Entertainment
Sister Shotgun is an English Rock band from Birmingham in the West Midlands. Formed in 2012, the group is currently composed of vocalist Chloe Ozwell, rhythm guitarist Niall Wills, lead guitarist Benji Tatlock, bassist Tim Chambers and drummer Dave Harvey. The band has often been described as “Evanesence meets Bullet for my Valentine.” A fusion of melodic and aggressive guitar lines, influenced by a mix of nu-metal, metalcore, and modern rock, all united with captivating vocals full of catchy hooks and sing-along moments: Sister Shotgun is known for creating mesmerising atmospheres at their stage shows.
Ozwell began singing at the age of 7 after her parents spotted a natural talent. They swiftly introduced her to singing classes; this madeher become a classically-trained vocalist, which involved her singing in various languages and musical styles.
The band founded in the summer of 2012 by self-taught guitarist and songwriter Niall Wills. Wills held a party full of musicians and performers, which inevitably ended up with him discussing forming a band with some attendees. Niall and friends began working on covers of their favorite bands but had a hunger for more. With the set rules “big riffs, big choruses,” they discussed composing original music. Wills and the band then sought out a front person to fill the void. Ozwell was given the job as the band’s offical vocalist after hearing her sing for a punk project and a successful audition. The name “Sister Shotgun” was pitched and adopted.
In the early years of performing as Sister Shotgun, the group underwent several line-up changes, but still maintained its core song writers, Ozwell and Wills. During this time, Sister Shotgun released their debut single “For The Love Of Hate” and its accompanying music video; this gained over 100,000 views on YouTube. The track recieved plays on BBC Introducing and Kerrang Radio, and this success meant they landed more notable support slots with bands such as Butcher Babies, Kobra and the Lotus, Toseland, and InMe.
Sister Shotgun quickly followed this single with a second release entitled “No Hope.” This single demonstrated a stronger identity and a more modern sound, which generated enough popularity for them to headline the O2 Academy 3 in their hometown of Birmingham. “No Hope” promtly became a fan favorite and attracted TKO Booking Agency, who secured many presitgious gigs up and down the UK, such as MacMillan Fest, Fort Festival, and HardRockHell Metal. After a period of continuous performance, Sister Shotgun released their debut EP, Devour.
What followed was an overwhelmingly positive response; this led them to play even more high-profile shows, introduced press coverage of their work and gave them further radio plays across the UK and Europe. One song on the EP, “Silhouettes,” did exceptionally well, with audiences screaming the lyrics back to the band at live shows.
Tim Chambers was introduced into the band in early 2016 as a session bassist, having met Ozwell while both studying music in college. Soon after, Chambers was invited to join the band after demonstrating his endless skill as a multi-instrumentalist. Already accomplished in guitar and the trombone, Chambers treated the bass like no bassist the band had done before; he broought melody and leadlines that could stand alone. Various shows and tours later, Dave Harvey joined the mix, opening up further opportunities for the band to demonstrate further flair and aggression on the drums. This led to even more gigs, including a performance supporting Santa Cruz. Benji Tatlock joined the band in 2018 and also, coming from a death metal and tech metal background, brought a new dimension and writing style to the band, too.
After solidifying their line-up, Sister Shotgun then met up with Pavement Entertainment and discussed recording a full album. Pavement quickly snapped them up and invited them to tour with Vixen’s Janet Gardner on her UK tour in 2018. Sister Shotgun then headed to the studio to work with producer Romesh Dodangoda, the man responsible for producing records for Funeral for a Friend, The Blackout, Bullet for my Valentine, and, most recently, Bring Me the Horizon’s latest single, “Manta.”
Sister Shotgun’s debut album, Fragments, is due for release on April 19, 2019, via Pavement Entertainment.
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