By Gwen Scoria

At the beginning of February 2021, I came across a blip on social media that mentioned a new video and single from UK band Azure. It only took a few seconds of listening to think "Wow! What a track! I have to talk to these guys!" A few more clicks to the band’s social media pages followed, and we set up a time to speak on Skype. Chris Sampson and Galen Stapley, Azure’s founding members, met at university through a shared love of music. From prog to pop, their influences include Iron Maiden, Genesis, Rush, and Avril Lavigne.

I love the latest video for the band’s song “Mistress,” and I had to ask some of my musician friends what they thought. Kendall Scott, the keyboard player in rock band Nektar, shared: “What I can say is that it is really refreshing to hear a truly unique voice. It reminds me of why I really enjoy listening to Jaz Coleman (Killing Joke) and Happy Rhodes: sometimes it sounds like two different people singing within the same song. I also like the music because it embraces a new vibe, without being cliche

I recently featured Sampson and Stapley in an interview on my radio show “WAXX TRAXX TO THE MAXX,” on WUSB. Be sure to check them out, and tell them Verlaine says hi, from this side of the pond—you can say you heard them before they made it big! Rock on!

Listeners and readers who are interested in hearing the interview that aired in February can email Gwen Sciora at gwen.sciora@gmail.com to take a listen.

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