Cover Drive bring sound of summer to JLS gig at Lincolnshire Showground
Following the recent announcement that chart toppers Cover Drive will join JLS for the Lincoln date of their Sound City Summer Tour, Dawn Hinsley caught up with the band's lead singer Amanda Reifer to find out how the group from Barbados has been taking the British music scene by storm...
Unsurprisingly, Amanda Reifer describes the fervour surrounding Cover Drive's recent success as "crazy" and "unbelievable".
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Chart toppers: Cover Drive, who have toured with pop megastar Rihanna are bringing the sounds of the Caribbean to the Lincolnshire Showground in September
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Chart toppers: Cover Drive, who have toured with pop megastar Rihanna are bringing the sounds of the Caribbean to the Lincolnshire Showground in September
The four-piece band from Barbados, who recently reached number one in the UK Singles Charts with Twilight, are essentially a group of great friends who love the beach, love music and having a great time.
"I remember the moment we decided to form a band," says Amanda. "It was T-Ray's mum Kerrie who suggested we get together properly. We were all friends and were playing music individually. She is a genius. She spotted how good we could be."
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Since then, Amanda (lead singer), 'T-Ray' Armstrong (drummer), Barry 'Bar-Man' Hill (guitarist) and Jamar Harding (bassist) have been riding high on chart success, working with producers all over the world and opening for Rihanna on her Loud Tour.
"We just wanted to write great music together," says Amanda. "Every band hopes for certain things to happen and work towards those things but we wanted to play our music and make people feel good. It's amazing how audiences have connected with us so quickly."
Life has become a bit of a whirlwind for the young stars all aged between 18 and 22.
"My memories of growing up in Barbados are mainly of the beach," says Amanda. "Most of my young life and teenage years were spent there. That's what we did after school – head up the beach not wearing any shoes.
"Our music is a representation of who we are and also of Barbados.
"We want to produce a fusion of Caribbean music with mainstream pop music – things we grew up listening to."
Each member of Cover Drive also brings their own individual musical tastes to the table, which Amanda says works well. Pop, metal, rock, hip hop and indie all collide as their own influences.
"But it all comes together," says Amanda. " It's just one of those things. We are always writing copious amounts of songs so when it's time for a second album we will have a ton of material ."
The massive summer gig at Lincolnshire Showground, in association with Lincs FM, will also welcome special guests Alexandra Burke and Little Mix.
The full line-up to date now stands at JLS with special guests Alexandra Burke, Little Mix, Cover Drive and A*M*E. The Lincoln concert will take place at the Lincolnshire Showground on Sunday, September 2. To book tickets or, for more information, visit www.gigantic.com or call 0844 888 9991.
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