The Bay Rays
Big Top, Sunday 2017
There’s an age-old and completely hypothetical adage that “guitar music is dead”. Of course, this simply isn’t true: the public’s desire to explore and come to understand the world through the pulsing, electrifying sound of a live band is a necessity that will not be eradicated. And in the case of The Bay Rays, the concept of “the band” and its cultural importance is one that stands stronger than ever before. Their sound so full of energy and alive, it would no doubt continue to breathe even if it were to be placed six feet under the ground.
Made up from three members in their mid-twenties: lead singer and guitarist Harry Nicoll, bassist Anthus Davis, and drummer Maxwell Oakley, The Bay Rays have been playing together in various outfits since their early teenage years, when they met at school in Kent. Now after touring with Estrons and Slaves in the sort of cramped, drenched venues that were once frequented by luminaries like The Strokes and Kings of Leon, and headlining the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury, they’re releasing their debut EP called Satisfaction.