Sing to what you know
On a train or a bus
Don't dismiss which way you go
- from the Howling Bells song 'The Bell Hit'.

You will most likely find yourself not just singing along, but listening intently to the haunting lyrics of many of the Howling Bells' songs. An Australian band based in England, the group is made up of Joel (lead guitar) and Juanita (vocals/guitar) Stein¹, Brendan Picchio (bass) and Glenn Moule (drums). Originally known as Waikiki², the band relocated from Sydney to London in 2004 to start afresh, Juanita feeling that perhaps Waikiki had run its course:

I realised onstage... that I wasn't into it. I didn't believe in what I was doing.

We didn't even have the luxury of an apartment! We had to share one bedroom for about two or three months!
- Juanita

An Eponymous Album

Released by Bella Union in May, 2006, and produced by Ken Nelson (who has Coldplay and Gomez to his name), the Howling Bells' self-titled first album takes you on a musical journey, travelling through an eclectic mix of rock, pop, gothic, country and indie. There is an almost theatrical sound to the album; it tells something of a story, and could be forgiven for sounding like the soundtrack to a film like Lost Highway, or even to some extent Ghost Rider. Try mixing PJ Harvey, Radiohead, Texas, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, the Highwaymen³ and a smattering of Garbage all together and you might get an idea of what you're in for. Filter Magazine gives them a genre all of their own:

Dark indie that's rife with knife-attack guitar lines and eerily beautiful melodies.

• 'The Bell Hit'
• 'Velvet Girl'
• 'Low Happening'
• 'Broken Bones'
• 'Wishing Stone'
• 'A Ballad for the Bleeding Hearts'
• 'The Night Is Young'
• 'Across the Avenue'
• 'Setting Sun'
• 'Blessed Night'
• 'In the Woods'
• 'I'm Not Afraid' (written by Peter Stein, Joel & Juanita's father)

The art for the album is provided by Finnish artist Mikko Rantanen, and the video for the song 'Low Happening' (and others) can be seen at the band's MySpace website.

Radio Wars

With new direction,
there's nothing wrong.
- from the song 'Into the Chaos'.

The Bells' second album, entitled Radio Wars, follows on from the first album with Juanita's voice hauntingly whispering at you, but has a distinct late 70s to early 80s tone to it - with some of the songs sounding very much like B-side Blondie. But the originality of the song writing and lyrics shine through on such tracks as 'Golden Web' and 'Treasure Hunt', so the album - while not necessarily grabbing you on first listen - definitely merits a second, for further appreciation⁴. The songlist for the second album is as follows:

• 'Treasure Hunt'
• 'Cities Burning Down'
• 'It Ain't You'
• 'Nightingale'
• 'Let's Be Kids'
• 'Ms. Bell's Song - Radio Wars Theme'
• 'Golden Web'
• 'Into the Chaos'
• 'Digital Hearts'
• 'How Long'

Released through Independiente in February, 2009, Radio Wars was produced by Dan Grech-Marguerat, who has his name attached to other albums by Radiohead, Air and Sir Paul McCartney. Art for the album is by Mark James, with photography by Clare Shilland.

On Tour

The first band the Howling Bells went on tour with was the Editors, and soon after the release of their first album the Bells found themselves accompanying the Futureheads and Placebo throughout the UK and Europe. They also performed at the Reading and Leeds Festival, and went on to tour with the Killers in Europe and Snow Patrol in Australia.

After further appearances at the 2007 NME Awards, the Hurricane Music Festival and countless other music festivals throughout the UK and Europe including Hard Rock Calling, the band also secured the support spot for Coldplay's Vida La Vida Tour through North America in 2009. However, the Howling Bells seem to have found their niche playing smaller venues, giving a more intimate experience of their music and style;

Can we have some spooky red lights? It's way too bright.
- Juanita at a gig at Barfly, London.