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Song

Mesmerising

Artist

First Light

First Light backstory

Founded by lifelong friends Dave Hardman (guitar) and Carl Sharples (bass), First Light offer an illuminating take on classic AOR.

From its roots as a lockdown project in 2020, the band has emerged as a serious player on the melodic rock scene.

And fans of FM, Dare, Journey and Giant will find much to admire in First Light’s canny knack for delivering a dreamy hook.

Songwriters Sharples and Hardman recruited US-based frontman Warren Passaro to bring their vision to life.

And the soulful singer’s turned out to be First Light’s shining light — the ace in the pack of a crack unit.

Drummer Andy Jakeman and long-time FM keyboardist Didge Digital complete an experienced line-up of like-minded musos looking to build on the breakout success of 2023’s critically acclaimed Gravity debut.

In songwriter Carl Sharples’ own words:

“Dave (Hardman), my partner in crime, sent across a selection of song title suggestions.

“One of them was ‘Mesmerising’ and quickly a bass line and a chorus melody started buzzing round my head. That chorus melody needed a story…

“I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of the golden age of Hollywood, the fabulous black and white photos from the Rat Pack to Marilyn, the crowds, the glitz and the glamour.

“I kept thinking of the pop of the lightbulbs from all the cameras at the premieres — all those true Hollywood icons.

“So I started to imagine what would it have been like… how would it feel to have ‘the world falling at your feet’ and how those legends seemed to hypnotise the audience with just one look.

“The idea developed into looking at the culture of celebrity from the perspective of a bygone age and from that came Mesmerising.”

The verdict on Mesmerising

Let’s put First Light’s music into perspective.

This is anthemic AOR at its most uplifting as powerful New Yorker Warren Passaro brings the wow factor to a compelling transatlantic collab.

With Pete Newdeck (producer, Vega) and Harry Hess (mastering, Harem Scarem) on board, quality is guaranteed.

And you’ll be hard pressed to find a more polished piece of jaw-dropping melodic rock to soundtrack your summer playlist.

The second single from upcoming album Elemental fuses classic Foreigner with mid 80s Yes as First Light co-founders Carl Sharples and Dave Hardman bring their epic vision to life.

Passaro’s sweet-as-honey vocals bounce off Hardman’s radio-friendly riffs with intuitive flair — it’s crazy to think First Light only formed five years ago.

Mesmerising does what it says on the tin: First Light have crafted a flawless melodic rock masterpiece that will have the AOR tribe transfixed.

What’s next for First Light

The follow up to Gravity is released this week.

Elemental drops via Pride & Joy Records on July 25.