"Kicking off tonight's showcase of local music for 360 Club and BBC Introducing is Rupert Stroud and two of his musically gifted friends (on drums, keyboard and occasionally acoustic guitar). They open with a nice cover of Adele's 'Rolling In The Deep' which is fairly true to the original before moving onto his self penned, reflective and autobiographical material.

Stroud's voice has a beautiful tone to his voice which is especially haunting on 'Chasing The Night' while the other musicians add a richness to the music which makes it more interesting than the typical singer/songwriter acoustic based acts. The majority of the songs are driven by the drumming, be it on the kit or the bongos, which allows the singer to focus on emoting which he does well especially in the powerful choruses.

It's a soothing and accomplished display far better than the majority of 'unplugged' acts Stroud would ordinarily be grouped along with."

Leeds music scene live review from a gig at 360 Club
(see the full article here)

 

"On 9th November, we went down to the Brudenell Social Club to watch Rupert Stroud support Marcus Foster on the last night of his tour and what a great support act he and the band were. It was a refreshing change to see a guy who in my opinion was quite humble and had a laid back attitude on stage – and looked to be having fun!

For 45 minutes I was treated to such wonderful music full of beautiful harmonies and such a rich, earthy sound of Folk/Alternative. It was really interesting to see the drummer to pretty much only have a bass drum and a cymbal producing a soft backing beat that didn't overpower but rather complemented the guitar and vocals.

Even when Rupert sings alone with a guitar I was really impressed by the quality of the music, but when the harmony kicked in it gave an overall richer quality and sounded just beautiful and again complemented by the raw sound of the guitar. The whole thing worked for me..."

Live review by Leeds Indie Radio from my Marcus Foster support slot!
(See the full article here)

 

"Yorkshire singer Rupert Stroud is expanding his international fanbase thanks to an accomplished second album. beyond reports...

With his exciting range of indie, rock and acoustic music, singersongwriter. Rupert Stroud has been building a loyal following worldwide and his new album Chasing The Night looks set to secure his reputation as one of Yorkshire's hottest young acts.

Produced by premier soundsmith Will Jackson, who has also worked with Embrace, The Cribs and The Pigeon Detectives, Chasing the Night showcases Stroud's versatility as a writer and performer and highlights his growing maturity as an artist.

It offers impressive beat driven arrangements that are dynamic and inventive, at times intimate. Rupert's vocals and lyrics are certainly emotive and thought-provoking."

Beyond Leeds Magazine July/Aug 2011

 

"...Stroud’s voice shines through brilliantly on the songs, and the album is produced to a high standard, for example, the added synths on ‘Just Like We Used To’ add a nice warmth to the songs and ‘Saturday Night’ brings in a slight country sound to the mix...Rupert Stroud does have an undeniable talent!..."

Justin Myers
Vibrations Magazine, Leeds 03/07/10

"Rupert's Songs cover the usual topics of interest to most teens and twenties-Love lost and found,nights out on the booze and the town,advice to a friend et al. He's a fair guitarist: I particularly enjoyed the dobro on 'Saturday Night' and the open tuning on 'Me and You'....Musically Rupert is pretty strong. He rings the changes between major and minor very effectively and know more than the three chord trick."

"...'All the things you said' is much darker in tone, and suggests an edge that comes quite unexpectedly, but for its edge the tune bumps along nicely and you get the distinct impression that this album has found third gear and Rupert is about to open up the throttle a bit. He doesn't disappoint. 'Saturday Night' is a foot stomping, fist thrusting, trip down the Bayou complete with slide guitar. It's tongue in cheek fun,so much so in fact I half expected him to start singing in a southern drawl. 'Shaking Hands with the devil himself' is another bluegrass inspired tune which thumps along dragging you onto your feet to join in. This is where Rupert Road works as an album, it inspires you to listen again, you want to learn the songs. You want to get to know the performer, you definitely want to see him live....

The album ends with 'For the best', a power ballad complete with strings and two thousand lighters being held aloft, stadium rock poetry and the perfect end to a near perfect debut album!...."

Tom Murray
Eraze Magazine, Dec '09
Issue No. 7